Barkar Nash (Page 50)

Preparations are being made for the arrival of another pair of giant pandas on loan from China to mark the 50th anniversary of Sino-Thai relations next year.

Jatuporn Buruspat, permanent secretary for natural resources and environment, said representatives of the Zoological Park Organization, Chiang Mai Zoo, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, the Department of East Asian Affairs and the Budget Bureau met on Monday to discuss preparations for the expected arrival of the ever-popular animals from China.

Mr Jatuporn said China had this month confirmed it would lend two giant pandas to Thailand and the ministry was ready to accept them.

No dates were announced.

Chiang Mai Zoo previously hosted two giant pandas lent by China. They became immediate hits upon their arrival in 2003 as goodwill ambassadors. Xuang Xuang died in 2019, and his partner, Lin Hui, died last year.

Mr Jatuporn said the management of Chiang Mai Zoo returned the carcasses of Xuang Xuang and Lin Hui to China on Jan 30 this year. It also submitted its report on the life of the giant pandas in Thailand for evaluation by Chinese authorities.

The pair produced one offspring, a female given the name Lin Ping, during their stay at Chiang Mai Zoo. The Thai-born cub left for China in 2013.

Michelin-star chef Supinya “Jay Fai” Junsuta has denied reports she plans to close her celebrated restaurant in Bangkok next year, saying she may be old but remains very healthy and cooks up to 15 hours a day.

She told ThaiNews that the reports were wrong. A reporter had earlier asked her if she had any thoughts about retiring, pointing out she was already in her 80s.

“Then I said I had a project in mind. From that one answer, the stories grew,” Jay Fai said. “Not yet. Next year I will remain in business. I won’t quit.”

The seven-time Michelin star winner also said she had a long-term schedule to cook in many other countries and it was evident she would not retire in the near future.

Although 81-years-old, Jay Fai said, she was still fit and she stood and cooked for up to 15 hours a day when her restaurant was open. Her Michelin-star restaurant on Mahachai Road in Phra Nakhon district of Bangkok opens four days a week, from Wednesday to Saturday.

The spurious reports of her planned retirement and the restaurant’s closure next year prompted Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to say she intended to dine there before it closed.

Jay Fai said she would be greatly honoured to welcome the prime minister to her small eatery.

Michelin-star chef Supinya “Jay Fai” Junsuta has denied reports she plans to close her celebrated restaurant in Bangkok next year, saying she may be old but remains very healthy and cooks up to 15 hours a day.

She told ThaiNews that the reports were wrong. A reporter had earlier asked her if she had any thoughts about retiring, pointing out she was already in her 80s.

“Then I said I had a project in mind. From that one answer, the stories grew,” Jay Fai said. “Not yet. Next year I will remain in business. I won’t quit.”

The seven-time Michelin star winner also said she had a long-term  schedule to cook in many other countries and it was evident she would not retire in the near future.

Although 81-years-old, Jay Fai said, she was still fit and she stood and cooked for up to 15 hours a day when her restaurant was open. Her Michelin-star restaurant on Mahachai Road in Phra Nakhon district of Bangkok opens four days a week, from Wednesday to Saturday.

The spurious reports of her planned retirement and the restaurant’s closure next year prompted Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to say she intended to dine there again before it closed.

Jay Fai said she would be greatly honoured to welcome the prime minister to her small eatery.

The police’s Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division (ATPD) is stepping up efforts to help rescue about 110 trafficking victims in Myanmar.

Pol Maj Gen Sarut Kwaengsopha, commander of the ATPD, said on Tuesday the division will work with the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the police attache at the Thai embassy in Myanmar and the chairman of the Township Border Committee to find ways to help save them.

The move comes after the Civil Society Network for Victim Assistance in Human Trafficking on Saturday sent open letters urging Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, agencies concerned and the embassies of nine countries to take action to help secure the release of 110 victims of trafficking.

Regarding foreigners who are rescued and brought back to Thailand, they will undergo the national referral mechanism process that is designed to identify, protect and assist victims of trafficking, Pol Maj Gen Sarut said.

The network said the victims from nine countries were lured by a Chinese mafia syndicate and forced to work as scammers in Myanmar.

The network sent similar letters to leaders of ethnic armed groups in Myawaddy, in Myanmar’s Karen State, including the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF) and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA).

It said 36 Filipinos and one Moroccan are being held in the BGF-controlled area, while 73 people from various countries are in DKBA-controlled territory.

It said a transnational syndicate led by Chinese nationals used social media to offer high-paying jobs in Thailand.

The victims were forced to illegally cross the border into Myanmar through Tak’s Mae Sot district.

“Given Thailand’s recent election to the United Nations Human Rights Council for 2025-2027, this is a critical moment for the nation to actively support humanitarian rescue operations,” the network said.

The police’s Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division (ATPD) is stepping up efforts to help rescue about 110 trafficking victims in Myanmar.

Pol Maj Gen Sarut Kwaengsopha, commander of the ATPD, said on Tuesday the division will work with the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the police attache at the Thai embassy in Myanmar and the chairman of the Township Border Committee to find ways to help save them.

The move comes after the Civil Society Network for Victim Assistance in Human Trafficking on Saturday sent open letters urging Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, agencies concerned and the embassies of nine countries to take action to help secure the release of 110 victims of trafficking.

Regarding foreigners who are rescued and brought back to Thailand, they will undergo the national referral mechanism process that is designed to identify, protect and assist victims of trafficking, Pol Maj Gen Sarut said.

The network said the victims from nine countries were lured by a Chinese mafia syndicate and forced to work as scammers in Myanmar.

The network sent similar letters to leaders of ethnic armed groups in Myawaddy, in Myanmar’s Karen State, including the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF) and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA).

It said 36 Filipinos and one Moroccan are being held in the BGF-controlled area, while 73 people from various countries are in DKBA-controlled territory.

It said a transnational syndicate led by Chinese nationals used social media to offer high-paying jobs in Thailand.

The victims were forced to illegally cross the border into Myanmar through Tak’s Mae Sot district.

“Given Thailand’s recent election to the United Nations Human Rights Council for 2025-2027, this is a critical moment for the nation to actively support humanitarian rescue operations,” the network said.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra reassured the public that the case concerning The iCon Group will proceed without delay now it has been transferred to the Department of Special Investigation (DSI).

Concerns have surfaced regarding the possibility of delays and the early release of suspects, but Ms Paetongtarn said the DSI and the Royal Thai Police (RTP) are in continuous collaboration.

She noted that the police have already provided all the necessary information about the case to the DSI, making delays unlikely.

When asked if she could buoy the public’s confidence in the case proceeding at full speed, the prime minister simply replied, “Yes. Yes.”

The Consumer Protection Police Division (CPPD) reportedly handed over more than 92,000 pages of related documentation to the DSI on Monday to determine if the case meets the criteria for a special investigation.

The DSI accepted the case on Tuesday and is now coordinating with the Office of the Attorney General to have financial and tax experts support the investigation, especially to analyse complex financial trials and tax records.

Regarding the transfer of the case to the DSI, Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) deputy commissioner Pol Maj Gen Suwat Saengnum said the move was in line with the Emergency Decree on Borrowings Which Are Regarded as Public Cheating and Fraud BE 2527 (1984).

He said police have amassed considerable evidence indicating widespread investor losses, fitting the legal definition of a special case due to the high number of victims (over 8,000) and damages exceeding 100 million baht.

Attorney Withoon Keng-ngarn, who represents 11 of the 18 suspects (referred to as “bosses” of The iCon Group), including its CEO Warathaphon “Boss Paul” Waratyaworrakul, said bail requests for 15 will be considered next week, but bail for the other three has not yet been arranged.

He said The iCon Group operated under legitimate business practices and was not a Ponzi scheme, saying it functioned as a legitimate indirect-selling network with clear data about its operations. The CIB has flagged it as a potential Ponzi scheme.