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An automated biometric identification system using facial recognition technology will be implemented in six Thai airports later this year to let passengers show their physical ID only once.

The system will be ready for domestic passengers on Nov 1 and for international passengers on Dec 1, according to operated by the Airport Authority of Thailand director Kirati Kitmanawat.

To use the system, passengers will be required to allow access to their identification information when checking in at the counter or self-service check-in at the airports.

The system will collect passengers’ biometric information and travel itineraries electronically, allowing air travellers to go from the baggage drop to the boarding gate without showing passports and boarding passes. Each registration is for only one journey.

The six airports that will use the system are Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Don Mueang International Airport, Chiang Mai International Airport, Mae Fah Luang/Chiang Rai International Airport, Phuket International Airport and Hat Yai International Airport.

Passenger numbers using the airports in September and October have risen almost 20% from the same period last year, and are expected to be still higher next year, Mr Kirati said. 

Police handed The iCon Group case file to the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) on Monday so it can be treated as a special case.

The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) transferred to the DSI 18 boxes containing the complaints of 325 victims of the alleged pyramid scheme operated by the company, which promoted online sales of its products through its agents and their sellers. 

CIB Deputy Commissioner Pol Maj Gen Suwat Saengnum said there were more files in the case still to be handed over. 

More than 8,000 complaints declaring losses totalling 2.41 billion baht related to the iCon business have been received from people in provinces nationwide and Thais overseas.

Pol Maj Gen Suwat said police investigators would continue working on the case until the DSI formally accepts it as a special case. He also promised full cooperation by police.

Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said earlier that letting the DSI take over the case would boost the effectiveness of the investigation.

All 18 suspects, each dubbed “boss” in the iCon marketing hierarchy, were arrested on Oct 16 after many people filed fraud complaints against the company, which sold health and dietary supplements.

All the suspects, including founder and CEO Warathaphon “Boss Paul” Waratyaworrakul have been charged with colluding in public fraud and  putting false information into a computer system. Some are celebrities who received tens of millions of baht. They have all denied the charges.

Pol Maj Gen Suwat said police would press more charges as new  evidence warrants, and so would the DSI. 

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has awarded its highest honour, the Henry Davison Award, to Uraiwan Tinnungwattana, an ophthalmologist with the Thai Red Cross Society (TRCS), for outstanding service in improving the lives of vulnerable people.

Dr Uraiwan is chair of TRCS Eye Surgery Project in honour of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and also leads the Mobile Eyeglasses Unit for children in remote areas, the Thai Red Cross announcement said.

The Henry Davison Award is named after the founder of the IFRC and was established in 2003 to honour individuals or Red Cross/Red Crescent National Societies in recognition of outstanding service in improving the lives of vulnerable people by mobilising the power of humanity.

This accolade is presented biennially at the IFRC General Assembly, with no more than five recipients in any given year, it said. The award was first presented in 2005.

Dr Uraiwan’s recognition follows in the footsteps of Phan Wannamethee, who received the Henry Davison Award in 2013 for his dedication as then secretary-general of TRCS to enhancing the quality of life for those in need and expanding the humanitarian activities of Thai Red Cross, the IFRC said.

The 2024 Henry Davison Award ceremony was last Wednesday, during the IFRC General Assembly at the Centre International de Conférence Genève, Switzerland.

For nearly 30 years, the TRCS Eye Surgery Project has provided free eye surgery to over 75,000 patients from under-resourced communities.

It addresses a range of eye disorders, including cataracts, glaucoma, pterygium, eyelid conditions and nasolacrimal duct obstruction, restoring sight to vulnerable individuals who otherwise lack access to quality ophthalmic care.

In addition, the TRCS Mobile Eyeglasses Unit has been screening children in remote areas for refractive errors, such as myopia, since 1997. The unit has screened over 8 million children and distributed more than 100,000 pairs of eyeglasses free to children in underserved rural and urban areas.

Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the IFRC is the world’s largest humanitarian network supporting local Red Cross and Red Crescent action in more than 191 countries and bringing together almost 15 million volunteers for the good of humanity, the TRCS said.

20-year statute of limitations has expired

The Tak Bai massacre case is officially over, according to a court announcement on Monday, after all seven defendants failed to report to the judges by the Friday deadline.

The tragic case was closed after the accused did not appear at the court before 11.59pm on Friday.

The court said the case had gone beyond the 20-year statute of limitations and the arrest warrants issued for the accused were no longer valid.

The last court session on the case was attended by 48 plaintiffs, their lawyers and human rights advocates with security measures tightened at the court premises.

On Oct 25, 2004, seven Muslim protesters were killed during a rally in front of the Tak Bai police station in Tak Bai district of Narathiwat province. Another 78 were suffocated to death during transport from the rally site to the Ingkayutthaboriharn army camp in Nong Chik district in Pattani province.

The families of the victims sued seven people, including Gen Pisal Wattanawongkiri, the then army region 4 commander. He was a Pheu Thai party-list MP until Oct 14 when he resigned from the ruling party.

Gen Pisal then took sick leave until the end of the month – despite the House of Representatives being in session – and left for the United Kingdom.

State prosecutors decided to convict eight people at the Pattani Provincial Court. But none of them have been located and now the case has automatically ended due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.

Senator Tewarit Maneechai demanded that Deputy House Speaker Pichet Chuamuangpan of Pheu Thai be held accountable for approving the leave request of Gen Pisal even after the court already agreed to take up the Tak Bai case, Thai media outlets reported.

Police arrested a Chinese man and seized 95 fake 1,000-baht banknotes after a vendor reported he used a bill stamped “COPY” to buy a pair of eyeglasses at Chatuchak weekend market.

Bang Sue police took the 45-year-old, identified only as Su, into custody at the market on Sunday evening.

They seized 95 1,000-baht banknotes found in his possession, each with the same serial number, 7J 4556865, and the word “COPY” in English on the back of every bill.

Vendor Pacharanat Someboonserm said the suspect paid for a 200-baht pair of glasses with a 1,000-baht banknote which looked fake, so he called police.

The Chinese man told police through an interpreter that he did not know the banknotes were not genuine.

The investigation was continuing. 

Some of the seized banknotes. (Police photo)

More victims of The iCon Group pyramid scheme who live overseas have filed a complaint with the Consumer Protection Police Division, bringing the total number of victims to 9,469 as of Saturday, with losses totalling 2.9 billion baht.

Ittidet Thaneswatana, who represents overseas victims of The iCon Group, said victims have been found in nearly 20 countries and territories, including China, Hong Kong, Macau, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Estonia, Luxembourg, Canada and the United States.

One of the victims is Nin, a Thai woman who runs a grocery store in Hong Kong, who joined the scheme after seeing one of the company’s billboards during a visit to Thailand. Upon joining the scheme, Nin paid 250,000 baht to her recruiter, who then encouraged her to recruit members to upgrade her status within the company.

She convinced several of her friends and relatives to sign up, only to encounter many issues such as missing products, unreasonably high prices, and lower profit shares and commissions. She and her friends and relatives have not been able to sell the products and ended up losing almost two million baht in total.

Mr Ittidet said another member of the scheme who lives in the United States also claimed massive losses as she was unable to sell the brand’s products, which she had ordered in big batches. The victim said she has had to give away hundreds of boxes of products from The iCon Group for free because the company has now lost its reputation and the products will soon expire.

Pol Lt Gen Akkaradet Phimonsri, assistant to the national police chief who leads the investigation into the case, said the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) will transfer the case to the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) on Monday, as per the Special Case Investigation Act. The damages and number of victims means it qualifies for special case status.

Even after the case is transferred to the DSI, the police will continue to assist victims who wish to file other complaints, he said. As of Saturday, 9,469 victims have filed complaints with the police, with damages amounting to around 2.9 billion baht, according to Pol Lt Gen Akkaradet.