Barkar Nash – Page 904

Student latest victim of fake abduction scam

On: August 12, 2023

Young woman on verge of transferring B3-million ‘ransom’ from mother to call centre gang

PUBLISHED : 12 Aug 2023 at 17:31

A university student in Lat Krabang district of Bangkok was nearly deceived into transferring 3 million baht from her mother to a scam call centre, becoming the latest victim of a new scam in which fraudsters convince young adults that they have been kidnapped.

Police came to the rescue of the student, using the pseudonym Ae, after she was led to believe that she was wanted by the Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) for alleged involvement in the narcotics trade.

The victim recounted to authorities that she had received a phone call on Friday from an individual claiming to be from the office, accusing her of receiving contraband via the mail.

After the caller advised the student to file a complaint to counter the accusation, she was instructed to coordinate with a local police officer to prove her innocence.

Upon contacting the alleged officer, Ae was informed that she was linked to money-laundering operations related to the drug trade and was urged to check into a hotel near her university.

Once in the hotel room, Ae disclosed her family details to the scam call centre. She was then told to contact her mother and falsely claim that she had been kidnapped, and that her captors wanted a ransom of 3 million baht.

The fraudsters even requested access to her social media accounts to maintain correspondence with her mother, posing as kidnappers.

Fortunately, the victim’s father sought help from authorities, who successfully traced Ae to the hotel room.

The initial investigation has led to the identification of the callers in Cambodia.

Police this week issued a warning about this type of scam, in which gangs manipulate students into sending fabricated abduction video clips of themselves. The videos are then used to extort money from their parents. The main targets are university students living alone in apartments, say police.

Move Forward MP apologises for restaurant fight

By: Barkar Nash

On: August 12, 2023

In: South-East Asia

Bangkok representative says he was protecting a woman who was being harassed

PUBLISHED : 12 Aug 2023 at 14:51

A Move Forward Party (MFP) MP has accepted blame following a physical altercation at a Bangkok restaurant on Friday night, but says he was defending a woman who was being harassed.

Video widely viewed on social media showed Chorayuth “Tonkla” Chaturapornprasit engaging in a confrontation with another man at the eatery in the Ekamai area.

The MP for Bang Kholaem-Yannawa MP is seen stepping in to intervene as the man began to harass a woman. The harasser had invaded her personal space and even placed his hand around her neck.

Mr Chorayuth can be seen brushing the man’s arm away from the woman, speaking to him and then being struck by him before the situation escalated.

Move Forward spokesman Karoonpon Tieansuwan said on Saturday that the other man had previously harassed Mr Chorayuth’s friends and had slapped another person in the face before turning his attention to the MP.

Mr Karoonpon said the man slipped and fell on his own during the subsequent altercation, and was already targeting Mr Chorayuth’s group before their bodyguards and restaurant staff intervened.

Both parties involved have agreed not to pursue further action.

Mr Chorayuth said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that he would accept any blame and apologised to the public. Nonetheless, the MP insisted that he was merely protecting the woman seen in the video and did not initiate the fight.

While regretting his use of violence and calling the incident an important life lesson, the MP said some news outlets had covered the story without contacting him, presenting a misleading version of the incident.

He thanked those outlets that had taken his statement and asked those that had not yet done so to contact him for clarification.

Move Forward MP Chorayuth “Tonkla” Chaturapornprasit said the Friday incident was an important life lesson for him. (Photo: Facebook)

Foreign nationals arrested at drug party in Bangkok

By: Barkar Nash

On: August 12, 2023

In: South-East Asia

PUBLISHED : 12 Aug 2023 at 12:39

Police conducted a raid on a luxury house in Saphan Sung district of Bangkok on Friday, resulting in the arrest of nine foreign nationals.

Pol Col Siwat Sriwichai, chief of Bang Chan police, led a team of officers to search the house at Life Bangkok Boulevard housing estate in Thab Chang area on Friday afternoon.

During the operation, the team found seven men and two women, all foreign nationals, inside the house, where a drug party was taking place. The suspects were two Malaysian men, five Chinese (three men and two women), one Vietnamese man and a man from Myanmar.

Seized from the house were a quantity of ketamine in a fruit tray, 24 tablets of the so-called “five-five” drugs also known as Erimin 5, a pistol loaded with eight rounds of ammunition, said police.

The suspects were charged with colluding in having Category 2 drugs and a weapon and ammunition in their possession.

The raid came after police radio centre 191 received a complaint from residents at the housing estate that parties with loud music were often held at this house.

All nine individuals were taken to Bang Chan police station for legal action.

Quick fix to sea row ‘urgent’

By: Barkar Nash

On: August 12, 2023

In: South-East Asia

Cambodia deal will ‘help in energy crisis’

PUBLISHED : 12 Aug 2023 at 09:15

The issue of the overlapping area claimed by both Thailand and Cambodia should be resolved as soon as possible to help combat Thailand’s growing energy crisis, according to Kurujit Nakorntap, executive director of the Petroleum Institute of Thailand (Ptit).

Mr Kurijit, who also formerly served as secretary of the Energy Ministry, made the remark during a speech at a forum titled “The Overlapping Claim Area (OCA) between Thailand and Cambodia” that was co-hosted by Chulalongkorn University’s Law Faculty and the Treaties and Legal Affairs Department of the Foreign Affairs Ministry on Thursday.

He said it is necessary to resolve the conflict as it would help save Thailand from an impending energy crisis as this contested area could become a new petroleum site in the upper part of the Gulf of Thailand. It is located near the Bongkot and Erawan gas blocks.

He said the country’s natural gas reserves have decreased, and new sources have not been found since 2005. In addition, the amount of natural gas imported from Myanmar is also decreasing.

Additionally, international oil companies (IOCs) have started to withdraw their investments from Thailand, he said. Therefore, resolving the dispute over the OCA could serve as a huge boon because that area is enriched with natural gas, Mr Kurujit said.

“As it is a no-man’s-land, we can’t determine the value and amount of the gases underneath the sea floor, but technically, the area of the Joint Development Area [JDA] below the latitude of 11 degrees north is located in the Pattani basin and is enriched with natural resources. Even if we do not know how much [gas] is there, it is a valuable investment, and there is a high probability we will make some good discoveries,” he said.

To resolve the dispute, he suggested bilateral negotiations on stating clear boundaries and an agreement on principle for a lower JDA, as well as talks over taxation, customs, jurisdiction, environmental management, and the allocation of rights/interests among existing concessionaires from both countries. He also suggested a new organisation be set up to oversee this, a joint authority funded, and legislation implemented to effectively administer petroleum exploration and production in the JDA.

“When it comes to negotiations, we’re not saying ‘we want it all’, but rather we need to compromise while considering all related factors such as politics, the economy and the history of our two countries,” Mr Kurujit added.

Furthermore, he suggested all stakeholders should learn from previous successes, such as the Thai-Malaysian agreement to conclude a cooperation project in their JDA by signing an MoU in 1979 that saw both countries agree to equally split the benefits of certain operations within their overlapping seas. They also agreed to set up the Thailand-Malaysia Joint Authority to work together.

Mr Kurujit also cited the deal between Thailand and Vietnam on the Delimitation of the Maritime Boundary in the Gulf of Thailand in 1997, which has enabled Thailand to take natural gas from the Arthit gas and condensate field.

Free hepatitis screenings

By: Barkar Nash

On: August 12, 2023

In: South-East Asia

PUBLISHED : 12 Aug 2023 at 08:34

The Ministry of Public Health is stepping up nationwide screening for hepatitis B and C viral infections, both major contributors to incidences of liver cancer nationally, with a target of stamping both out completely in Thailand by 2030.

There are estimated to be around 2.2 million people already infected with hepatitis B and 300,000 to 800,000 with hepatitis C in Thailand, said Dr Opas Karnkawinpong, permanent secretary for public health.

He added that as well as liver cancer, infectees are also associated with other severe conditions, including cirrhosis (severe scarring) of the liver.

The earlier these infections are detected, the better the outcome of treatment, he said, adding that many lives could be saved if hepatitis infections are detected in their very early stages.

In addition to screening, treatment is also available free of charge at healthcare facilities in almost all communities nationwide, said Dr Opas.

Those born before 1992 are entitled to one free screening in their lifetime, while those who are in one of five at-risk groups — those living with HIV/Aids, intravenous drug users, men who have sex with men, healthcare workers and inmates — are eligible for a free test every year, he said.

Officially launched on Friday, the free hepatitis B and C screenings began on April 1, he said.

Reconciliation by accident

By: Barkar Nash

On: August 12, 2023

In: South-East Asia

Reconciliation by accident

The Move Forward Party (MFP) must have realised by now that emerging on top at a general election does not guarantee holding the reins of power.

The party has also witnessed its closest ally, the Pheu Thai Party, turn against it under the cloak of a “neo-conservative” foe.

The MFP, according to analysts, pulled off one of the most surprising results in politics when it took the country by storm in the May 14 polls and won 151 House seats out of 500 up for grabs.

Sooner after the unofficial results were released by the Election Commission (EC), party leader Pita Limjaroenrat bestowed upon himself the title of presumptive prime minister, much to the delight of supporters and, at the same time to the chagrin of some MFP admirers who thought it was premature to do so.

The MFP had rushed to consolidate eight parties in the so-called “pro-democracy” bloc who had stuck with it during their years in opposition against the Prayut Chan-o-cha administration.

The MFP took an unprecedented step to draft a memorandum of understanding outlining policies the eight parties would pursue in a coalition government. The MFP hoped the document, despite not being legally binding, would tie the parties together in spirit.

A source said the MFP-led alliance’s prospects did not look bright from the outset. Two almost equally large parties do not typically find the incentive to do business with each other as coalition partners since one, thinking it wields sizeable bargaining power, would tend not to yield to the other over the execution of policies.

With 151 MPs, the MFP has 10 more than the Pheu Thai Party.

Pita: Premature PM announcement

However, Pheu Thai was in a far better position to form a government, given its longstanding connections with other parties, even those in the opposing camp, such as Bhumjaithai and Palang Pracharath.

The source agreed the Pheu Thai-MFP relationship was tenuous, and it would have been sooner rather than later that they split. Their separation was also destined to be a less-than-amicable affair.

As the Pheu Thai Party edges closer to leading the next government, war with the MFP looms large on the horizon.

The source said the MFP deserves credit for having succeeded in under four months since the May 14 election, what the Prayut administration had failed to do in nine years of running the country.

The MFP’s election triumph has forced traditionalist parties such as the once-powerful Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) and its breakaway, the United Thai Nation (UTN) Party, to not only swallow defeat but also search for allies still formidable enough to fight off what they consider is an MFP threat to their political and ideological conservatism.

That is where Pheu Thai comes in, according to the source.

Since the frictions, both visible and behind closed doors, between the MFP and Pheu Thai have intensified, signs have emerged of longstanding colour-coded conflict between the red and yellow shirts easing.

The red shirts are loyal supporters of Pheu Thai while the yellow shirts align themselves with parties that uphold traditional values and are staunch defenders of the crown.

For years, the two sides had been embroiled in a bitter conflict which came to a head in May 2014 when the yellow shirts led by the People’s Democratic Reform Committee held protracted mass protests and demanded the ouster of the Pheu Thai-led government, accusing it of gross corruption chiefly over its flagship rice-pledging scheme.

Pheu Thai was eventually toppled in a coup engineered by the National Council for Peace and Order headed by Gen Prayut, who subsequently became prime minister and installed his close ally, Gen Prawit Wongsuwon, as deputy prime minister in charge of national security.

Gen Prayut became a patriarchic figure and a prime ministerial candidate of the UTN, whereas Gen Prawit has served as the PPRP leader.

But the two parties’ recent election defeat — where they hugely underperformed with the PPRP garnering 41 MPs and the UTN 36 — has left the conservative establishment with no one among them to defend its cause and stand up to the MFP.

The two parties have no choice but to turn to Pheu Thai and lend their full support for it to become the next ruling party. Pheu Thai has also struck a chord with the PPRP and the UTN by keeping clear of amending Section 112 of the Criminal Code or the lese majeste law, something the MFP has vehemently refused to do.

The source said that Pheu Thai, if it heads the new government, will need all the support it can muster to counter and even emasculate the MFP, which looks increasingly likely to end up an opposition party. By gaining support from traditionalist parties, Pheu Thai may find itself inching ever closer towards becoming the guardian of conservative values.

So who do you put your faith in?

With the Move Forward Party (MFP) now dumped and no “uncle” parties included yet in a political alliance being formed by Pheu Thai, the next prime ministerial vote will see if the MFP and senators are true to their word, according to observers.

Srettha: Pheu Thai’s likely PM nominee

After tearing up an agreement it signed with the MFP and six small parties to give itself a chance of forming a coalition government and return to power, Pheu Thai has forged a new alliance with Bhumjaithai, the third-largest party, following the general election in May.

Pheu Thai and Bhumjaithai, with a combined 212 House seats, have lured six small parties — Prachachat, Chartpattanakla, Seri Ruam Thai, Plung Sungkom Mai, Thongthee Thai and Pheu Thai Ruam Palang — into a new coalition bid with 28 seats.

The alliance is growing further with the inclusion of the Chartthaipattana Party.

However, it is still short of a majority in the 500-seat House of Representatives by a dozen seats.

Pheu Thai has a few choices — turn to its arch-rival, the Democrat Party, the United Thai Nation (UTN) Party or the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), according to observers.

The UTN and the PPRP are referred to as “uncle” parties because of their association with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, the former UTN chief strategist, and Gen Prawit Wongsuwon, the PPRP leader.

Because Pheu Thai made a campaign promise not to work with parties that are a legacy of the coup-makers that toppled the government it led back in 2014, the Democrat Party is deemed a safer choice, according to observers.

Several Democrat MPs have reportedly agreed to support Pheu Thai’s prime ministerial candidate. Democrat support will be enough for Pheu Thai to eliminate the need to approach the UTN or PPRP to join the coalition.

“We don’t really have a choice but to join hands with the Democrat Party. The party is rocked with internal strife, but its ‘true’ leader has given us a list of 21 MPs who will vote for our party’s [prime ministerial] candidate,” said a highly-placed Pheu Thai source.

Pheu Thai is poised to nominate property tycoon Srettha Thavisin in the next prime ministerial selection round in parliament, which is yet to be scheduled.

In the lead-up to the crucial vote, the Pheu Thai-led alliance may lure more small parties into its bloc and bring the total number of House seats over the majority threshold to 269. If this is the case, its coalition will be made up of all parties except the MFP, UTN, PPRP and four Democrats who do not see eye to eye with the rest of the MPs in their party.

According to the Pheu Thai source, the party has taken this path, hoping that the MFP and the military-appointed Senate will keep their promise in the prime minister vote.

The Senate has reportedly agreed to back the Pheu Thai candidate if the MFP, which faces strong resistance due to its policy to amend the lese majeste law, is dropped from the coalition, while the MFP has promised to support the party as long as no “uncle” parties are in the equation.

“We’re trying to meet the Senate’s conditions so that they will vote for us now that the MFP is out of the coalition line-up.

“We hope that they will honour their word,” said the source.

According to the source, Pheu Thai will avoid, at all costs, inviting the UTN or the PRRP to join its coalition.

“It would be our last option. We’ll opt for it if it’s totally necessary,” said the source.

However, because of outrage from many pro-democracy supporters, including some of its own voters who feel betrayed by the party’s decision to desert the MFP, observers say Pheu Thai has very little to celebrate even if it succeeds in forming a coalition.

According to observers, the UTN, which has 36 seats largely due to Gen Prayut’s popularity, is politically doomed if it does not become part of the incoming government now that Gen Prayut has announced he has stepped away from the party and is leaving politics.

As for the PPRP, the party may endure because its MPs are veteran politicians with solid support bases in their respective constituencies, while Gen Prawit is expected to fade away if he is not awarded a cabinet post in the new government.

Chartthaipattana pro-charter rewrite but says some parts are ‘sacred’

By: Barkar Nash

On: August 12, 2023

In: South-East Asia

PUBLISHED : 12 Aug 2023 at 07:33

The Chartthaipattana Party (CTP) voiced support for setting up a charter-drafting assembly to write a new constitution but insisted Chapters 1 and 2 must be left untouched.

CTP director Nikorn Chamnong said on Friday that he agreed with the policy of Pheu Thai Party, the core party forming a new government, to amend the current charter and said the best approach would be to create a new one with the involvement of the public.

However, he said Chapters 1 and 2 must not be revised, and a planned referendum on the charter rewrite must not leave room for any interpretation that these two chapters can be amended.

Chapter 1 contains sections defining Thailand as a single, indivisible kingdom with a democratic regime and the King as the head of state. Chapter 2 contains sections pertaining to the royal prerogatives.

Mr Nikorn’s comments came as Pheu Thai posted on Friday on its social media that a charter rewrite was top of its agenda.

The party said it would ask the cabinet at its first meeting to pass a resolution on holding a national referendum on the issue. This would be drafted by the people via a charter-drafting assembly, according to the party.

The Internet Law Reform Dialogue (iLaw) has urged the new government to disclose the questions that would be posed at the planned referendum. Ratchapol Jaemjirachaikul, an iLaw representative, said the group had concerns about these.

He said some of the questions posed during the referendum in 2016 confused people.

ILaw manager Yingcheep Atchanond asked if the charter rewrite could be pursued if Pheu Thai was planning to invite the Palang Pracharath Party and United Thai Nation Party (UTN) to join the coalition.

Pheu Thai coalition ‘done’

By: Barkar Nash

On: August 11, 2023

In: South-East Asia

Cabinet posts for PPRP, UTN support

The Pheu Thai Party has now sealed a deal with the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) and United Thai Nation (UTN) Party in which the two parties have agreed to vote for Pheu Thai’s prime ministerial candidate in exchange for slices of the cabinet quota cake, according to a source.

An official announcement will follow, but with the two parties agreeing to join the coalition, the Pheu Thai-led coalition now boasts 315 MPs, said the source.

Pheu Thai has 141 MPs while Bhumjaithai has 71 MPs, the PPRP 40, the UTN 36, Chartthaipattana 10, Prachachat nine, Pheu Thai Ruam Palang 2, Chartpattanakla 2, with Seri Ruam Thai Party, Plung Sungkom Mai, Thongthee Thai and the New Democracy Party all having one MP apiece.

Pheu Thai has agreed that one cabinet position will be allotted for nine MPs each has, said the same source.

The deal would see Pheu Thai’s Srettha Thavisin appointed prime minister, while party leader, Cholnan Srikaew, would serve as both deputy prime minister and education minister, said the source.

Pheu Thai deputy leader Phumtham Wechayachai would become the interior minister, and party secretary-general Prasert Chantararuangthong would get the transport ministry role, said the source.

Pheu Thai list-MP for Chiang Mai Julapun Amornvivat would take the energy portfolio while Panpree Phathithanukorn and Puangpet Chunlaiad, both key party figures, would become the foreign minister and a PM’s Office minister, respectively, said the source.

Somsak Thepsutin, a Pheu Thai list-MP, will likely become the new agriculture and cooperatives minister, while list-MP Suriya Jungrungreangkit is negotiating for a transport ministry position, said the source.

As for the positions of finance and defence minister, Pheu Thai is approaching two outsiders who are highly qualified to hold these posts, said the source.

The Bhumjaithai Party would be awarded four cabinet positions in the Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Tourism and Sports, said the source.

In the cabinet quota for the PPRP, Pol Gen Patcharawat Wongsuwon, the party’s chief adviser, would become a deputy prime minister and the natural resources and environment minister, said the source.

PPRP secretary-general Capt Thamanat Prompow is said to have a good chance to become the agriculture and cooperatives minister, while PPRP MP for Kamphaeng Phet Pai Leeke may get the nod as deputy interior minister.

The UTN is interested in the energy ministry and also the digital economy and society ministry, said the source.

Prachachat has nominated Pol Lt Col Tawee Sodsong, a list-MP, as the new justice minister, while the Chartthaipattana leader, Varawut Silpa-archa, will likely become the new tourism and sports minister, said the source.

Despite insisting Pheu Thai had yet to reach any formal agreement with the PPRP and the UTN, Mr Phumtham has admitted that Pheu Thai is left with no other choice but to include them for the sake of stability.

In its campaign, Pheu Thai said it would not work with either because it was UTN prime ministerial candidate Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha who staged the 2014 coup, while PPRP leader Gen Prawit Wongsuwon has close ties with the coup-makers.

“I expect the government to take office no later than October,” he said.

Meanwhile, Move Forward Party (MFP) secretary-general Chaithawat Tulathon said the party’s MPs would discuss whether to vote for Pheu Thai’s PM candidate on Tuesday.

He said MFP MPs would vote in accordance with the party’s stance instead of exercising their own judgement, and when asked about the suggestion that the MFP should vote for Pheu Thai so the Senate’s votes were not needed, shot back with the question. “Why didn’t Bhumjaithai vote for the MFP-led bloc to switch off the Senate?”

3 Thais held for trafficking

By: Barkar Nash

On: August 11, 2023

In: South-East Asia

PUBLISHED : 12 Aug 2023 at 04:20

Mae Hong Son: Three Thai men were arrested on Thursday night for allegedly smuggling Myanmar refugees out of a temporary shelter after 10 illegal migrants, including five children, were found in their vehicles, police said on Friday.

Police and local authorities set up a checkpoint on Highway 1337 in tambon Mae Kee in Khun Yuam district following a tip-off that some Myanmar refugees had sneaked out of the shelter.

They stopped two pick-up trucks, both with Chiang Mai licence plates, that were following each other for a search and found several passengers in the vehicles.

Three men, including the drivers of the two pick-up trucks, were Thai nationals identified as Anai, 38, Sangworn, 21 and Anurak, 54. The others — six adults and four children aged between 5-14 — had no documents but could speak Thai.

They told police that they took shelter at a camp in tambon Mae Ko near the border after fleeing fighting in Myanmar, and they were on their way to see their relatives in Mae Song Song’s Mae La Noi district.

Mr Anai admitted that he picked up these illegal migrants near the shelter and planned to drop them off near Ban Mae Kee, where the migrants would then contact their relatives to pick them up.

Mr Anai said he had helped Myanmar refugees sneak out of the shelter area twice, and each time he was contacted by the refugees who had his contact number because he delivered relief supplies to the centre.

Police said they charged Mr Anai and his two assistants with aiding illegal migrants from being arrested, adding this could be part of a larger network.

CTP pro-charter rewrite but says some parts are sacred

By: Barkar Nash

On: August 11, 2023

In: South-East Asia

PUBLISHED : 12 Aug 2023 at 04:00

The Chartthaipattana Party (CTP) yesterday voiced support for setting up a charter-drafting assembly to write a new constitution but insisted Chapters 1 and 2 must be left untouched.

CTP director Nikorn Chamnong said he agreed with the policy of Pheu Thai Party, the core party forming a new government, to amend the current charter and said the best approach would be to create a new one with the involvement of the public.

However, he said Chapters 1 and 2 must not be revised, and a planned referendum on the charter rewrite must not leave room for any interpretation that these two chapters can be amended.

Mr Nikorn’s comments came as Pheu Thai posted yesterday on its social media that a charter rewrite was top of its agenda.

He said some of the questions posed during the referendum in 2016 confused people.

Barkar Nash (Page 904)

So who do you put your faith in?