Barkar Nash (Page 40)

SONGKHLA -&nbsp, A new building at Songkha Hospital is being built by the&nbsp, similar Chinese firm constructing the 30-storey State Audit Office tower that collapsed during the disaster last Friday.

It is also building the also behind-schedule fresh switch at Narathiwat aircraft. &nbsp,

The nine-storey medical creating is intended to house inpatient and injury services at Songkhla Hospital in Muang area.

Medical director Ratanapol Lorprasertkul and open runs professionals inspected the partiually completed 426.9-million-baht tower on Tuesday.

The company is the AKC partnership spanning Akarakorn Development Co with a 51 % interest and China Railway No. 10 ( Thailand ) Co the remaining 49 %. &nbsp,

” The quality of building materials is under tight control and the building was designed to withstand earthquakes. Designers and representatives from suitable authorities are supervising it carefully to ensure it meets all&nbsp, standards”, the medical director said.

The new doctor building was due for completion by the middle of this season but labor was delayed by the severe flooding late last year, he said.

Task manager Supachoke Phakdee said employees felt some noise at the design page during the Myanmar disaster, but the structure&nbsp, was alive. Structure was halted on fears about possible waves but may begin in a few days, he said.

– Airport switch-

It is not the only job the Chinese building company is involved in.

Deputy Transport Minister Manaporn Charoensri said on Wednesday that China Railway No. 10 ( Thailand ) was also building the new terminal at Narathiwat provincial airport. The work was going pretty carefully, he said. &nbsp,

Construction of the 639.89-million-baht terminal advanced only 0.51 % last month, and it was still only 39.24 % completed.

It had been expected for execution on Jan 16 this season, but labor was further&nbsp, delayed by the flooding in Narathiwat state late next year, Ms Manaporn said.

The assistant secretary said the Department of Airports, the task owner, would pursue future progress carefully to determine if the company would be able to finish it. The design consortium comprises China Railway No. 10 ( Thailand ) and ISO Engineering Co, she said.

Rescuers retrieved another figure from the wreckage of the fell State Audit Office tower in Chatuchak area, Bangkok, early Wednesday night.

The victim’s body had been spotted three days earlier but could not be recovered at the time. Firefighters used an archaeologist equipped with steel strain jaws and were eventually able to reach the brain at 12.27am on Wednesday.

This raised the standard, confirmed death toll at the decline page to 15, eight people and seven females, with nine injured patients and 72 also missing.

The collapsed 30-storey building was empty and would have been the new office of the State Audit Office.

Its rapid decline was a shock and led to queries about the&nbsp, building regular enforced by the company, a partnership of Italian-Thai Development and China Railway No. 10 Engineering Group. &nbsp, Authorities have opened an inspection.

As of 8am on Wednesday the full, confirmed toll in Thailand related to the Myanmar disaster on March 28 was 22 killed and 34 hurt.

Audit Office workers leak defense memo

The Auditor-General has come under fire for issuing a circular letter in which he wrote that the State Audit Office ( SAO ) has been unfairly criticised following the collapse of the SAO’s under-construction building after the earthquake in Myanmar last Friday.

The circle was issued to employees at the SAO by Monthien Charoenpol, the auditor-general, on Monday, according to solutions. It was also distributed on the SAO’s Line party talk.

In the spiral, he wrote,” Take a deep breath. Keep fingers tightly and move forward up”.

The email stated that Friday’s quake was the worst event the SAO has previously experienced.

” Off from smashing our dream of having a new house, it has also affected our respect and the historic trust the SAO built up over a long period”, he wrote.

” No some wanted this tragedy to occur. Some wished it was just a terrible dream. But now it’s happened, we never go back in time to correct something. The only thing we can do is to offer moral support to each other, keep up, look away and walk on through these difficult times”, the spiral reads.

” As for the condemnation that we feel is cruel, we will be calm and avoid confronting and responding to those who have negative thoughts. Let’s think of it as standard.

” When the truth is uncovered, we will be ready to regain our respect and trust. We may use our job to show our price. We may work up to take care of our recent home to make sure it is a place where we live happily together, and we will never leave the dream of building a new home in the future,” Mr Monthien wrote.

However, the circle was later deleted from the Line party talk as it was criticised for containing sentimentalised speech, the sources said.

Senator Angkhana Neelapaijit criticised the speech reportedly made by the auditor-general, saying she hoped it was only an April Fool’s Day prank.

” But, while the SAO’s dream]of having a new business building ] was crushed, it may compare with the grief of the people of those killed in the decline of the tower, while the death of some trapped under the dust is still not known,” she said.

” In difficult times, the SAO should think more of others and less of itself. A collapsed home can be rebuilt. Dignity can be restored. But lives lost cannot be recovered,” Ms Angkhana said.

Auditor-General Monthien Charoenpol ( photo: State Audit Office )

The State Railway of Thailand ( SRT ) will deploy 20 second-hand Japanese KiHa diesel trains for suburban passenger services.

The move may start with a systems check in June before the KiHa 40 and KiHa 48 railways are refurbished for residential service. Six railways are expected to be ready for company this time.

SRT government Veeris Ammarapala said the diesel trains were donated by JR EAST from Japan.

JR West and JR Hokkaido have donated coach carriages to Thailand five times since 1997. However, this is the first moment the SRT has received trains from JR EAST.

The carriages ‘ undercarriages may be modified to fit Thailand’s one-metre regular gauge road tracks. When completed, they will be sent to Laem Chabang train to be refitted with the taxi.

The trains will then be returned to Makkasan for renovation, which will be followed by an examination of all components, including the chassis, power and transfer, and braking system, as well as a last engine maintenance, which may take around 60 days to complete.

The trains may have performance tests to check their motion, braking distance, tracking system, electrical vibrations and air conditioning before the exteriors are repainted and restrooms renovated.

The railways will be used to offer additional services for the residential feed rail system between Bangkok and its opposite provinces.

The 65-seat KiHa 40 railways consist of double-cab vehicle divisions and facilities on both stops. The various 11 railways are the 82-seat KiHa 48 with a single-cab vehicle area.

The State Railway of Thailand ( SRT ) will deploy 20 second-hand Japanese KiHa diesel trains for suburban passenger services.

The move may start with a systems check in June before the KiHa 40 and KiHa 48 railways are refurbished for residential service. Six railways are expected to be ready for company this time.

SRT government Veeris Ammarapala said the diesel trains were donated by JR EAST from Japan.

JR West and JR Hokkaido have donated coach carriages to Thailand five times since 1997. However, this is the first moment the SRT has received trains from JR EAST.

The carriages ‘ undercarriages may be modified to fit Thailand’s one-metre regular gauge road tracks. When completed, they will be sent to Laem Chabang place to be refitted with the taxi.

The trains will then be returned to Makkasan for renovation, which will be followed by an examination of all components, including the chassis, power and transfer, and braking system, as well as a last engine maintenance, which may take around 60 days to complete.

The trains may have performance tests to check their motion, braking distance, tracking system, electrical vibrations and air conditioning before the exteriors are repainted and restrooms renovated.

The railways will be used to offer additional services for the affluent feed rail system between Bangkok and its opposite provinces.

The 65-seat KiHa 40 carriages consist of double-cab vehicle divisions and facilities on both stops. The various 11 railways are the 82-seat KiHa 48 with a single-cab vehicle area.

Police acquire new tools to form borders scam victims from perpetrators

The new anti-trafficking chief at the Central Investigation Bureau ( CIB ) says he is ready to step up the fight against scammers and smugglers operating along the border, to improve the country’s position on the United States ‘ human trafficking watchlist.

The newly appointed chief of the CIB’s Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division ( ATPD), Pol Maj Gen Songklod Krirkkitaya, said the government’s crackdown on scam syndicates along the border has yielded positive results.

Thousands of people from all over the planet have been rescued from constituents controlled by thieves who had lured them with bogus claims of a legitimate job in Thailand.

The main focus then, he said, is distinguishing between the true victims and offenders who are claiming to be survivors in an effort to prevent criminal trial.

As such, the authorities have adapted their technique. The ATPD, for example, has come up with a new method to help officials distinguish which of those rescued were really victims of the legal cartels.

Today, both Thais and foreign citizens rescued from con materials across the border may be subjected to a 74-question meeting designed to weed out the thieves among the suspects.

The screen format was introduced by Pol Gen Thatchai Pitaneelaboot, the chairman of the Anti-Human Smuggling Centre under the Royal Thai Police, after officials learned that many of the Thai patients rescued from con compounds in Cambodia had gladly left Thailand to work for these criminal syndicates.

Pol Maj Gen Songklod said human smugglers and swindlers have become aware of gaps in the process, so many of those netted frequently had come up with statements to make them look as if they were subjects of human trafficking cartels.

He cited a recent case in which 119 people who claimed to be victims were found to be willing participants in the scams following intensive vetting and probes into their mobile devices.

Compared to the eight-question screening format which the police used in the past, the new format is more thorough, with more questions relating to the individual’s travel history, accommodation and activities.

Pol Maj Gen Songklod said the evidence obtained through the screening can be used as a basis for issuing arrest warrants.

BORDER CROSSINGS

Pol Maj Gen Songklod said Thailand’s efforts to help countries that are looking to rescue their citizens from scam compounds will help improve the country’s standing in the US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons ( TIP ) annual report.

While the police are working on the ground to suppress the syndicate’s activities, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working with foreign embassies not only to repatriate those who were lured to work across the border by scammers but also to alert them of any suspicious cross-border movements by their citizens.

There are two key border crossings where human trafficking activities are rampant: Tak’s Mae Sot district in the west, which borders Myanmar, and Sa Kaeo in the east, which borders Cambodia.

In Mae Sot, officers have been stationed at Huai Hin Fon checkpoint, a key border control hub. Every foreigner who passes through the checkpoint is subjected to the 74-question interview format. The results are forwarded to Pol Gen Thatchai.

The crossing at the Sa Kaeo border poses a different challenge, as there are numerous natural channels for people to cross.

Pol Maj Gen Songklod acknowledged that most Thais engaged in illegal work in Cambodia use these routes. The number is estimated to be in the tens of thousands.

BIG DATA LEAD

CIB’s work is aided by a large-scale big data system and the Real-Time Crime Centre, a one-stop crime suppression centre.

The CIB, under the leadership of Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop Bhuridej, was ready to roll out a roadmap to dismantle trafficking networks domestically and internationally and improve legal tools to enhance law enforcement and victim support and protection. This involves coordination with state agencies for victim assistance, rehabilitation, and witness protection.

Additionally, anti-trafficking police officers will work on standard operating procedure ( SOP) guidelines so anti-trafficking operations meet an internationally accepted standard, said Pol Maj Gen Songklod. They will be given more training to improve investigative skills and victim support capabilities.

Collaboration with government agencies and private and foreign organisations will help in intelligence-sharing and expanding suppression efforts.

After graduating from the Royal Police Cadet Academy, Pol Maj Gen Songklod pursued a master’s degree in government management in the US. His career spanned various roles, including administrative and traffic police positions, crime suppression, and Special Branch police, before his appointment as the head of ATPD.

Audit Office workers leak defense memo

The Auditor-General has come under fire for issuing a circular letter in which he wrote that the State Audit Office ( SAO ) has been unfairly criticised following the collapse of the SAO’s under-construction building after the earthquake in Myanmar last Friday.

The circle was issued to employees at the SAO by Monthien Charoenpol, the auditor-general, on Monday, according to solutions. It was also distributed on the SAO’s Line party talk.

In the spiral, he wrote,” Take a deep breath. Keep fingers tightly and move forward up”.

The email stated that Friday’s disaster was the worst event the SAO has previously experienced.

” Off from smashing our dream of having a new house, it has also affected our respect and the historic trust the SAO built up over a long period”, he wrote.

” No some wanted this tragedy to occur. Some wished it was just a terrible dream. But now it’s happened, we may go back in time to correct everything. The only thing we can do is to offer moral support to each other, keep up, look away and walk on through these difficult times”, the spiral reads.

” As for the condemnation that we feel is cruel, we will be calm and avoid confronting and responding to those who have negative thoughts. Let’s think of it as standard.

” When the truth is uncovered, we will be ready to regain our respect and trust. We may use our job to show our price. We may work up to take care of our recent home to make sure it is a place where we live happily together, and we will never leave the dream of building a new home in the future,” Mr Monthien wrote.

However, the circle was later deleted from the Line group talk as it was criticised for containing sentimentalised speech, the sources said.

Senator Angkhana Neelapaijit criticised the speech reportedly made by the auditor-general, saying she hoped it was only an April Fool’s Day prank.

” But, while the SAO’s dream]of having a new business building ] was crushed, it may compare with the grief of the people of those killed in the decline of the tower, while the death of some trapped under the dust is still not known,” she said.

” In difficult times, the SAO should think more of others and less of itself. A collapsed home can be rebuilt. Dignity can be restored. But lives lost cannot be recovered,” Ms Angkhana said.