Barkar Nash (Page 1,119)

Former football ref attempts suicide after woman stabbed to death

CHON BURI: Pattaya police have arrested a former football referee who allegedly stabbed a local guesthouse owner to death and then attempted suicide on Saturday.

Authorities and rescue workers rushed to Jomtien Beach Road in Bang Lamung district and found 57-year-old Sunthorn Porjai, a physical trainer and ex-Thai Football League referee, in a delirious state and covered in blood from an open wound on his neck.

Mr Sunthorn, also known as Ben, was holding a 40cm knife, which he had tied to his arm and used to fend off authorities before eventually losing consciousness.

Emergency workers managed to approach him, provide aid and transport him to Pattaya Hospital. It was later discovered that he had also been stabbed in the stomach and had severed his own oesophagus.

At the scene, police discovered the lifeless body of a woman lying in a pool of blood behind a counter inside the building. She was identified as guesthouse owner Saowaji Lekkian, 51. Initial observations suggested that she had died from a stab wound to the neck, and she also had multiple slashes on her head.

According to a motorcycle taxi driver who reported the incident, he heard screaming and witnessed Sunthorn wildly slashing at the woman before turning the knife on himself. The attacker, in his crazed state, then wielded the knife to prevent others from approaching him and continued to harm himself.

Police said Saowaji had filed a police report in March stating that she had received a threatening phone call. This led them to believe that she knew Sunthorn and might have been involved in an extramarital relationship with him, which eventually led to her murder.

Saowaji’s husband, Prakrot Lekkian, 58, could not be questioned as he was in a state of shock. He confirmed that they had been married for over 20 years and had two children together, but he was unaware of the circumstances surrounding her murder.

Doctors’ group says four-year tenure showed Bhumjaithai leader was unfit for the role

A doctors’ group says its members will not support the possible return of Bhumjaithai Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul as public health minister, saying he is unfit for the position.

The Mor Mai Thon (Doctors Won’t Tolerate This) group posted the statement on the We, The People Facebook page on Saturday morning, saying its medical personnel members no longer wish to work under Mr Anutin.

They claim that over the past four years in the position, the construction billionaire has proven to be inappropriate for the role.

They accuse Mr Anutin of lacking a necessary understanding of the Thai public health system, leading to its deterioration and resulting in the loss of lives due to his ineffective management of Covid-19 vaccinations.

The announcement further criticised his orders to expedite the use of medical marijuana, delayed budgetary decisions leading to impaired healthcare services, including slowed access to safe abortions, and mismanagement resulting in the mass resignation of medical workers.

The group highlighted Mr Anutin’s response to the resignations, when he said: “Nothing can be done at this time, they can only pack up and leave.”

The statement concluded by saying that Mor Mai Thon members would not be able to continue under Mr Anutin’s administration if he returns to government, and they do not wish for him to serve as the public health minister.

During his term as minister, Mr Anutin also had a rocky relationship with the Rural Doctors Society (RDS), an influential group that was highly critical of his policies.

The relationship worsened further when the ministry ordered an investigation into Dr Supat Hasuwannakit, the RDS president, who had earlier been transferred from his post as director of Chana Hospital in Songkhla. Dr Supat had been a vocal critic of Bhumjaithai’s policy to decriminalise cannabis.

The Mor Mai Thon statement was issued just ahead of talks between the Pheu Thai Party and Bhumjaithai about the setup of a new government on Saturday afternoon. At that meeting, Mr Anutin reiterated his party’s position that it would not be part of any government that contained the election-winning Move Forward Party.

But as far as voting for a Pheu Thai prime ministerial nominee is concerned, the Bhumjaithai leader said the two parties were still in discussions about it.

Residents of tourist island concerned about increase in disturbing incidents involving visitors

Phuket residents have voiced concern after seeing a TikTok video showing a foreign man damaging parked vehicles, with many noting the growing frequency of such misbehaviour.

The video posted by user Pookpik409 on Friday shows a Caucasian man throwing random objects and damaging cars parked in front of a convenience store.

According to reports, the man damaged over 10 vehicles, slashing their tyres with a knife.

A TikTok user wrote that the man, dressed in an unbuttoned shirt and jeans, broke off windshield wipers and leapt onto the front windshields of several cars.

Eventually, police arrived on the scene and subdued him using a conducted energy device.

No details have been released yet on the offender’s identity.

Comments of netizens have mainly centred on the growing frequency of disturbing public incidents involving foreigners. One commenter also referenced a recent incident in which a Russian man leapt to his death from a local temple roof.

@pookpik409 ep2.ฝรั่งคลั่ง #ภูเก็ต #phuket #phuketthailand #เด็กใต้ ♬ เสียงต้นฉบับ – Pookpik❤✌

Group had been caught for illegal entry just hours earlier

PHATTHALUNG: Six Royingya children escaped from a government-operated shelter in Muang district of this southern province on Friday night.

Police and officials from the Phatthalung Shelter for Children and Families began the search after being alerted by shelter staff at around 9pm, said Pol Lt Col Sombat Muksikim, chief inspector at the Cha-ngai police station in Muang district.

The six children — all reportedly aged between 9 and 12 years — had been picked up in Phatthalung earlier in the day for illegal entry into the country. Immigration police had taken them to the shelter, operated by the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, for temporary detention pending an investigation.

No other information was available about the youngsters, how they got to Phatthalung or where the other members of their families might be.

The children reportedly made their escape after having dinner. They used a chair to climb over the wall at the back of the shelter to flee to a rubber plantation nearby. A bag and sandals were found at the plantation and their other belongings were left behind at the shelter.

The search team looked for them on foot for more than two hours and failed to find them, said Pol Lt Col Sombat.

Police are working with local leaders and residents to help provide clues if they come across the escapees.

Many Rohingya Muslims make the journey from Myanmar or from refugee camps in Bangladesh, travelling via southern Thailand to seek jobs in Malaysia. Most have to pay job brokers and human traffickers, and cases of groups being abandoned before reaching their final destination are not uncommon.

Floods have affected several locations in Bangkok on Saturday morning following hours of heavy rain overnight. Ratchadaphisek Road was worst hit.

Heavy downpours pounded several areas in Bangkok at around 9pm on Friday and continued to almost 2am, flooding roads in those areas.

On Saturday morning, some roads remained flooded and were awaiting to be drained.

In Chatuchak district, flooding hit several locations from Phaholyothin Road in front of Major Ratchayothin shopping mall to Lat Phrao intersection and Vibhavadi Rangsit Road, with floodwater rising to about 20 centimetres.

People  enjoying meals and drinks at restaurants on Friday night found it difficult to return to their accommodation. Motorcycle riders had to park their vehicles under overpasses as riding amidst heavy rain would be at risk of road accidents.

Ratchadaphisek Road was worst hit as floodwater rose to almost 50cm. Some cars, small vehicles and motorcycles stalled as their engines were flooded.

Rescue workers were busy helping flood-affected people throughout the night.

The Democrat Party denied a rumour that more than half of its members of parliament were in talks to join a Pheu Thai coalition while it also has not yet decided whether to vote for Pheu Thai’s candidate Srettha Thavisin as prime minister.

Democrat Party spokesman Ramet Rattanachaweng on Friday brushed aside the rumour that 16 of its 25 MPs, led by its acting party secretary-general, Chalermchai Sri-on, had pledged to support Pheu Thai following talks and an agreement that they would join the new government.

“No one can make such a decision alone. It must be a resolution of our party’s executive committee and our 25 MPs,” said Mr Ramet, before dismissing further speculation that the 16 MPs will move to the Bhumjaithai Party.

Asked if the Democrats would vote for Pheu Thai’s candidate, Mr Srettha, to become the new premier following his declaration to drop amending Section 112 of the Criminal Code, the lese majeste law, Mr Ramet said the Democrats would hold a meeting to talk in detail and review the Pheu Thai Party’s policies.

He said the Democrats had taken a firm stance against the amendment of Section 112 and would not support any party that did not agree.

He said the Democrats were under pressure to support the Move Forward Party (MFP) in the prime ministerial vote to respect the 14 million who voted for the MFP but also noted that the party must respect its own voters who voted for its policies.

Meanwhile, Mr Ramet said a special meeting to choose its new leader and an executive board has been postponed from Sunday, with a new date soon to be announced.

The Democrat Party spokesman said its registrar Wirat Romyen had instructed at least 25 members from each region — the North, South, Northeast, Central region, and Bangkok — to attend the vote to keep a balance because, at present most of its MPs are from South.

The annual military reshuffle may have to wait as political parties are in the process of forming a new government, according to Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

Speaking after a Defence Council meeting on Friday, Gen Prayut said he has no idea when the annual reshuffle will be.

Gen Prayut, who typically declines to comment on political matters after his loss in the recent election, said political parties are in the process of forming a coalition government, and the annual reshuffle may have to wait.

However, a source close to the Defence Council said Gen Prayut, during the meeting, called on military leaders to continue to give their best regardless of who assumes the prime minister and defence minister roles.

After the meeting, armed forces leaders were seen walking with Gen Prayut to his office and had a brief talk. It was reported that Gen Prayut told them to finalise a plan for the annual reshuffle early next month.

Col Chitanat Punnothok, deputy Defence Ministry spokesman, said Gen Prayut had ordered the armed forces to step up security at arms depots and regularly inspect stockpiles. Negligent officers will face legal and disciplinary action, he said.

The order came after the navy launched an investigation into whether an ordnance officer stole a large quantity of cartridges from the Sattahip naval base in Chon Buri.

The CSI-LA Facebook page alleged that thousands of cartridges and grenade launcher rounds went missing from a navy warehouse.

CHON BURI: Police arrested four foreign suspects, including the leader of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club in Pattaya, in a raid connected to a club member’s alleged murder of Hans Peter Walter Mack, a German property broker in Nong Prue district.

Deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn said Provincial Police Region 2 and Chon Buri Provincial Police expanded their investigations of the motorcycle gang and found it had members of various nationalities.

The gang has been involved in some illegal business, including drugs and human trafficking, he alleged.

The crackdown stems from investigations into Mack’s murder on June 4, in which police later arrested German national Olaf Thorsten Brinkmann, 52, a member of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club and three other suspects; Petra Christl Grundgreif, 54, Nicole Frevel, 52 and Shahrukh Karim Uddin, 27.

Acting on the tip-off, police launched a crackdown on eight premises on Friday to arrest the gang’s leader, Mr Thomas, an Austrian national.

During the raid, police arrested Mr Thomas at a house in tambon Nong Prue of Bang Lamung district as he was packing in preparation to flee the country.

Police confiscated his Harley Davidson motorcycle and other evidence.

Police said Mr Thomas admitted he was the gang’s leader but quit after learning of Mack’s murder.

Police ran a background check and found that the suspect had an arrest warrant out for fraud and inputting false information into a computer system.

Mr Thomas was sent to Pattaya police station for further legal action.

Police also arrested another gang member, identified as Danny, a German national, in a house at Chokchai Garden Home 2 in tambon Nong Prue.

The suspect also tested positive for illicit drug use.

Police also confiscated his Kawasaki Z900 motorcycle.

Police likewise arrested Daniel, an American national, and Theodor, a Swiss national, at other locations.

Their visas were revoked after Chonburi Immigration Office and Investigation Immigration Division 3 found that the two suspects violated the Immigration Act 1979.

Police confiscated their four motorcycles during the raid.

Pol Gen Surachate said police would expand their investigations into the Outlaws Motorcycle Club and other criminal gangs that have committed offences in the kingdom.