Barkar Nash (Page 918)

Alleged police bribe-taking being investigated

NARATHIWAT: Warrants may be sought for the arrest of additional suspects in the huge fireworks warehouse explosion that devastated a community in Sungai Kolok district on July 29, the Provincial Police Region 9 chief said on Monday.

Pol Lt Gen Nanthadet Yoinual said Sompong Nakul, 42, and his wife Piyanuch Puengwirawat, 42, the owners of the illegal warehouse that blew up at Ban Muno, surrendered to police after returning from Malaysia on Saturday.

They were charged and were being questioned further at provincial police headquarters. The investigation was continuing, he said, and arrest warrants might also be sought for other suspects in the case.

Twelve people were killed by the explosion, 121 injured and 292 houses damaged, many of them destroyed.

Mr Sompong and his wife have been charged with negligence causing deaths, importing and/or selling fireworks without a permit and violating the Emergency Decree for the Southern region. They could face additional charges, Pol Lt Gen Nanthadet said. 

Investigators would take the couple to court on Monday and apply to detain them for a further 12 days. Police would oppose their release on court bail.

Asked about police accused of taking bribes in the cse, he said they were being investigated both for disciplinary and legal action. The investigation was expected to take about a week.

Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon and his entourage on Monday visited the community devastated by the explosion. 

He thanked the people who had so far donated about 23.24 million baht to help the shocked survivors. He instructed officials to ensure transparency in their use of the money. 

A Thai scout leader accidentally used the Korean women’s bathroom during the World Scout Jamboree in South Korea, according to the National Scout Organization of Thailand.

Secretary-general Suthin Kaewphana, also the deputy permanent secretary for education, said on Monday that the leader of a Thai scout squad bathed in the women’s room because he did not see a sign designating if for women. It was unintentional. He even sang while bathing.

A Korean scout leader heard a man singing in the woman’s bathroom, and called security to the scene, Mr Suthin said.

Jamboree officials questioned the Thai scout leader and he explained how he had accidentally entered the  women’s bathroom, and they did not take any disciplinary action, Mr Suthin said.

The incident was reported to local Korean police, who detained the Thai official for questioning. Thai embassy officials ensured he was well treated, Mr Suthin said.

When the man involved returns from the jamboree, education offcials will also question him and their finding will be made pubic, he said.

The 25th World Scout Jamboree is being held at the Saemangeum estuary in Jeonbuk province from Aug 1-12.

Mr Suthin said there are 196 participants from Thailand – 98 scouts, 11 scout leaders, 73 scout volunteers   and 14 scouting  executives.

After the bathroom incident, it was reported that dozens of South Korea scouts decided to withdraw from the jamboree in protest.

A Thai scout leader accidentally used the Korean women’s bathroom during the World Scout Jamboree in South Korea, according to the National Scout Organization of Thailand.

Secretary-general Suthin Kaewphana, also the deputy permanent secretary for education, said on Monday that the leader of a Thai scout squad bathed in the women’s room because he did not see a sign designating if for women. It was unintentional. He even sang while bathing.

A Korean scout leader heard a man singing in the woman’s bathroom, and called security to the scene, Mr Suthin said.

Jamboree officials questioned the Thai scout leader and he explained how he had accidentally entered the  women’s bathroom, and they did not take any disciplinary action, Mr Suthin said.

The incident was reported to local Korean police, who detained the Thai official for questioning. Thai embassy officials ensured he was well treated, Mr Suthin said.

When the man involved returns from the jamboree, education offcials will also question him and their finding will be made pubic, he said.

The 25th World Scout Jamboree is being held on a reclaimed area of the Saemangeum estuary tidal flat in  southwestern Jeolla province from Aug 1-12.

Mr Suthin said there are 196 participants from Thailand – 98 scouts, 11 scout leaders, 73 scout volunteers   and 14 scouting  executives.

After the bathroom incident, it was reported that dozens of South Korea scouts decided to withdraw from the jamboree in protest.

NAKHON PHANOM: All 12 districts of this northeastern border province have been declared a disaster zone, with four main streams flowing into the Mekong river already overflowing and nearly 5,000 rai of farmland inundated.

Provincial governor Wanchai Chanporn said that due to continuous rain over the past two weeks the Mekong river was rising steadily.

On Monday morning, the Mekong river in Muang district was already 9.50 metres deep, only 2m below the spilling point. As a result, water in the four main tributaries – Nam Bang, Nam Oon, Nam Kam and Nam Songkhram – was flowing more slowly into the Mekong river and the backup had overflowed into neighbouring rice fields.

Nearly 5,000 rai had been inundated. That Phanom district was hardest hit, with over 3,500 rai now under water, he said.

The governor has declared all 12 districts of the province a disaster zone because of flooding, which facilitates relief operations and release of budget funds. Officials are examining the damage caused to date and preparing for relief operations and compensation.

People living along the river bank are warned of possible flash flooding as the Mekong river is still rising.

PHANG-NGA: Tsunami-warning buoy 23461, which stopped transmitting data on July 31, has been recovered by a navy vessel, having drifted away from its original station about 340 kilometres northwest of Phuket in the Andaman Sea, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) reported.

The search and recovery was organised by the DDPM, the Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Centre and the 3rd Naval Area.

It was  located by the offshore patrol vessel HTMS Prachuap Khiri Khan, which departed from Phang-nga navy base on Sunday at 8.30am to track down the buoy by following its GPS signal.

At 2.20pm, the buoy was found about 30km northwest of the Koh Surin islands, off Phang-nga, and taken on board.

HTMS Prachuap Khiri Khan was due to return to Phang-nga navy base on Monday morning. The buoy would then be taken to the local disaster prevention and mitigation office for examination to find out why it stopped transmitting data, why it drifted off station and for any needed repairs.

Pheu Thai Party prime ministerial candidate Srettha Thavisin is suing whistleblower Chuvit Kamolvisit for 500 million baht for defamation over comments made about a land purchase by property developer Sansiri Plc.

Mr Srettha was chief executive oficer of Sansiri before deciding to run for election and subsequently for prime minister.

Winyat Chartmontree, Mr Srettha’s lawyer, said at the Criminal Court on Monday that his client had him file the lawsuit because Mr Chuvit’s comments at a press conference on Aug 3 could mislead the public and  parliamentarians into thinking his client was not a decent and honest man and should not become prime minister.

The Pheu Thai Party recently announced it would nominate Mr Srettha to the joint parliament as its candidate for prime minister.

Mr Chuvit implied land sale tax evasion in Sansiri’s purchase of 400 square wah of land on Sarasin Road in Bangkok in August 2019, when Mr Srettha was still CEO.

Mr Chuvit implied that Mr Srettha and Sansiri colluded with the landowners to evade 521 million baht in taxes on the developer’s purchase of the prime block of land.

The reported purchase price was 1.57 billion baht, nearly 4 million baht per square wah (4 square metres).

He said Mr Srettha signed off on the purchase and sale agreement with the 12 people who owned the land under one title deed. The 12 owners formed an “ordinary partnership”, under which each one would be liable for excise tax on the proceeds of the sale, a total of 521 million baht, according to Mr Chuvit.

To avoid such a huge tax payment, Mr Chuvit said, each of the 12 individuals went to the Department of Land to transfer small sections of the land to Sansiri, taking 12 days to complete the process. These transactions were not subject to the same tax treatment as an ordinary partnership.

According to Mr Chuvit, only 59.2 million baht in taxes were paid on the transaction.

On Monday Mr Srettha’s lawyer, Mr Winyat, said the previous landowners did not have to pay tax as an ordinary partnership because they acquired individual ownership of sections of the land and then sold them individually to Sansiri. As a result, the sellers were subject to personal income tax, the lawyer said.

Meanwhile, Mr Chuvit said he had more issues he could raise concerning Mr Srettha, who as a candidate for prime minister should welcome the examination of his qualifications.

Separately, activist Rueangkrai Leekitwatana has asked a senate committee to look into the same land purchase by Sansiri.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa has ordered authorities to track down those responsible for the oil slicks and tar balls found on several beaches in Phuket last Friday.

The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) and Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) are investigating the source of the slicks seen on Nai Yang, Mai Khao, Nai Thon and Layan beaches on the island’s northwest, he said.

Mr Varawut said the actions of irresponsible business operators are threatening to harm the environment, which had just recovered from the negative impact of mass tourism during the Covid-19 pandemic.

State agencies including the Marine Department and Tourism Ministry should urge business operators to conduct themselves responsibly to prevent long-term damage to nature and the country’s reputation as a tourist destination.

Puripat Thirakulpisut, deputy director-general of the Marine Department, said authorities believe the slicks were bunker fuel used by marine vessels.

Out of the four beaches affected by the slicks, Mai Khao beach, was the most severely affected, he said, noting the slicks affected a 10-square-kilometre area.

The department will lodge a complaint with police today, so investigators can begin tracking down the offending vessel, said Mr Puripat.

The offenders face a jail term of up to three years, a fine of up to 60,000 baht and they will be ordered to pay for rehabilitation costs, he added.

According to Mr Puripat, the marine office in Phuket is gathering information about vessels passing the western side of Phuket from the Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) system in the Andaman Sea. Authorities launched a big clean-up operation over the weekend.

The Department of Airports (DoA) is planning to upgrade Hua Hin Airport into an international airport to boost tourism.

Rattapol Charoenphon, acting director of Hua Hin Airport, on Sunday said the airport, operated by the DoA, recently expanded its runway to 2.1 kilometres long and 60m wide to accommodate Airbus A320 aircraft.

The airport also has parking bays for three of the aircraft, he added.

Currently, Thai AirAsia is the only airline that provides a one-stop service between Hua Hin and Chiang Mai three times a week.

Mr Rattapol said the airport wants to serve international flights, and to do so, it needs to improve safety around the airport by building additional infrastructure, including expanding the traffic tunnel on Phetkasem Road, about 1km from the airport, and the airport train tunnel. The safe zone around the airport will also be improved to meet International Civil Aviation Organisation standards, he said.

He said the DoA has a company in mind for the safety expansion project. It will need approval from the Transport Ministry, which must also forward the budget request to the Budget Bureau, he said. The project will need 600 days to complete after the contract is signed.

In the meantime, the airport is also conducting a study on its options to expand facilities, he said, adding meetings with commercial airlines were planned to learn about their concerns.

A report is expected this year before it is submitted to the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand for the approval of a licence to operate an international airport.

Earlier, Nopasit Chakpitak, president of Aeronautical Radio of Thailand, held a seminar on guidelines to develop Hua Hin Airport to accommodate more aircraft as part of a plan to spur tourism in the province.

Currently, Hua Hin Airport handles about 30,000 private jets a year, so it has the potential to grow, he said.

Wassana Srikanchana, president of the Hua Hin Cha Am Tourism Business Association, said Hua Hin Airport has great potential as it is relatively close to Bangkok, adding having an international airport in Hua Hin will help bring in tourists and stimulate the economy of Prachuap Khiri Khan and nearby Phetchaburi.

Online goods and service purchase scams, particularly ones involving fake restaurant reservations, cost more than 140 million baht in damages to consumers in July, the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) warned on Sunday.

The most common form of scam reported to the CCIB’s online complaint centre was fake buffet-table reservations during special days and public holidays, said CCIB spokesman Pol Col Kissana Phathanacharoen.

These scams normally involved a fake Facebook account that claimed to be that of a well-known hotel or restaurant which was used to lure diners into believing they were being offered a promotion, he said.

These pages were found to be either newly opened or existing ones with a huge number of followers, he said, adding that in one case where it was an existing Facebook page, its name was changed to dupe victims into believing it really belonged to a popular hotel or restaurant.

Paid booster posts were then used to find potential victims who look for hotel or restaurant deals online and making bookings, he said.

As soon as these victims transferred a reservation fee to an account providded by the page admins, customers were not able to contact them again, he said.

Altogether online scams involving fake goods and service purchases were found to be the most common category of internet-based scams reported to the CCIB in July.