Barkar Nash (Page 962)

Ratchaburi Provincial Police have launched a probe into five senior officers at Ban Pong police station following a raid on two unlicensed pubs where 77 customers tested positive for drugs early on Saturday.

Pol Maj Gen Wachirapong Amarapitak, commander of Ratchaburi Provincial Police, on Saturday said the raid was carried out by a special unit of the Department of Provincial Administration (DPA) at two pubs — Highlight Banpong and Arena Banpong — in the district’s tambon Pak Raet about 1.30am.

Both pubs are owned by Thanawat Wijitcharasakul, 30, who was arrested.

The DPA unit conducted the raid with officials from the Department of Juvenile Observation and Protection after a tip-off that the pubs allowed customers under 20 years old to enter the premises, stayed open until dawn and had a connection with illicit drugs.

During the raid, officers found a handful of illicit drugs — mostly ketamine — and two firearms.

There were 400 customers in total, of whom 77 — 31 men and 46 women — tested positive for drug use.

In addition, four pub customers were identified as being underage, police said.

The special DPA unit has handed Mr Thanawat over to Ban Pong police for legal action.

Currently, the pub owner faces four charges, including running the pubs without a licence, selling alcoholic drinks beyond the legal time limit at midnight, selling alcoholic beverages to customers under 20 years old and allowing illicit drugs and weapons on the premises.

Pol Maj Gen Wachirapong said a panel, chaired by deputy provincial police chief Pol Col Saifa Jirawantanasakul, was set up to probe the case.

The five senior are Ban Pong police chief Pol Col Piyapong Wongketjai; Pol Lt Col Chan Kamareesakul, deputy superintendent in the crime suppression section, Pol Lt Col Manop Namprasantai, deputy superintendent of the investigation section; Pol Lt Col Veerachai Kawikitdurong, suppression inspector; and Pol Lt Col Pitsanu Cherdchom, an inspector.

Police will also press charges against 77 pubgoers who tested positive for drug use and will investigate the source of the narcotics.

Online gun dealers arrested

crime: Three people were arrested, and two hand-guns and more than 30,000 rounds of ammunition seized in a crackdown on online illegal gun traders, says the Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD).

Commander Pol Maj Gen Athip Pongsiwapai said the suspects were nabbed in simultaneous raids at four locations in Bangkok, Pathum Thani and Nakhon Si Thammarat on Friday following a months-long probe into the “Khote-siang V.7” gun-trading group.

The group had more than 300 members and cash flow of 10 million baht in the past two years and most clients were teenagers in Bangkok and the surrounding provinces, he said.

Suspects San Chalawit, 40, Nipon Ruekprasert, 31, and Weerasak Ritthapol, 31, were charged with illegal possession of firearms which both denied.

MP raises bridge fears

Samut Sakhon: A Move Forward Party MP for the province yesterday called on agencies to inspect a bridge on Rama II Road near the Mahachai Muang Mai area amid safety concerns.

Natthapong Sumanotham said he had been alerted by motorists of large cracks and crumbling concrete that could pose a risk to the bridge’s structure.

Mr Natthapong said the authorities must inspect the bridge and address the concerns.

Meanwhile, the Highway Department said it is preparing repair plans for a U-turn flyover in front of Wansawangjit school on Rama II Road.

Safety concerns have been heightened since a 600-metre section of an elevated road project on Luang Phaeng Road in Lat Krabang district collapsed on July 10, killing two people and injuring a dozen others.

14 nabbed in Aem’s ‘network’

Crime: Fourteen people were arrested in connection with an online gambling network in which suspected serial killer Sararat “Aem Cyanide” Rangsiwuthaporn and her ex-husband were customers, police said.

Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, deputy national police chief, said the arrests took place during searches in 11 provinces from July 19–20, after the police looked into the financial transactions of Ms Sararat and her ex-husband, Pol Lt Col Withoon Rangsiwuthaporn.

Pol Gen Surachate said the pair were customers of the “Fun88” gambling network, which had 93 million baht in circulation. Police seized assets worth over 15 million baht, including three luxury cars and brand-name products, he said, adding one of the cars was purchased one day before the arrests.

Warrants were issued for 21 suspects linked to the network. Of these, 14 were rounded up and two others were already serving jail sentences for another case, police said.

Police said one of the 21 suspects who was at large has died and four others remain at large.

Wacky white men a worry

Phuket: Residents have voiced concern after seeing a TikTok video of a foreign man damaging parked vehicles, with some netizens noting a growing frequency of such misbehaviour.

The video posted by user Pookpik409 on Friday shows a Caucasian man throwing random objects and damaging cars parked in front of a convenience store.

According to reports, the man damaged over 10 vehicles, slashing their tyres with a knife.

A TikTok user wrote that the man, dressed in an unbuttoned shirt and jeans, broke off windshield wipers and leapt onto the front windshields of several cars.

Eventually, police arrived at the scene and subdued him using a conducted energy device.

Comments of netizens have mainly centred on the growing frequency of disturbing public incidents involving foreigners.

One commenter also referenced a recent incident in which a Russian man leapt to his death from a local temple roof.

The man’s identity was withheld.

Anutin reiterates party stance in talks with Pheu Thai as latter seeks new sources of support

Bhumjaithai Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul has reiterated his party’s stance that it will not join a Pheu Thai-led government if the election-winning Move Forward remains in the coalition.

Mr Anutin set his pre-condition for joining Pheu Thai in forming a government during a press conference held at the Pheu Thai headquarters in Bangkok on Saturday afternoon.

However, he has not totally ruled out voting for a Pheu Thai prime ministerial candidate when parliament meets on Thursday, pending further discussions.

He made the comments after talks that lasted less than an hour on a busy afternoon of political wheeling and dealing. Pheu Thai also met with representatives from the two-member Chartpattanakla Party and the 36-member United Thai Nation (UTN) Party.

The latter two parties also made clear that they could not support any government that included Move Forward.

Bhumjaithai, with 71 seats, is the largest party currently in the opposition bloc. Throughout his political career Mr Anutin has always marketed himself as a person who can get along with everyone, and he almost always ends up in government as a result. 

The Bhumjaithai leader, party secretary-general Saksayam Chidchob and key party members met with Pheu Thai leader Cholnan Srikaew and party heavyweights at the invitation of Pheu Thai, which is seeking support from other parties outside the current eight-party coalition.

Pheu Thai wants to ensure that its first bid to get its prime ministerial candidate elected on Thursday does not fail, after the Move Forward Party conceded that its leader, Pita Limjaroenrat, could not overcome heavy opposition from almost all of the 249 elected senators in the chamber last week. 

Mr Anutin thanked the Pheu Thai leader for inviting his party for joint discussions to solve the country’ s problems amid an amicable atmosphere.

”Today, we came to know that the intention and objectives of Pheu Thai match with Bhumjaithai as we want to solve the political problem as soon as possible,” he said. “We want the country to have a government soon. Bhumjaithai is fully aware of this intention.

“I told the Pheu Thai leader and party executives that Bhumjaithai has some concerns and limitations. We are not in a memorandum of understanding signed by the eight coalition allies.

“Our limitations are that we cannot join or work if Move Forward remains in the coalition. There are no conflicts but it’s about a way of working, as I earlier informed the Pheu Thai leader, who will consider our limitations.”

‘Not just Section 112’

For the past two weeks Mr Anutin has been saying that the key sticking point for his party has been Move Forward’s plan to amend Section 112 of the Criminal Code, the lese-majeste law.

However, on Saturday he insisted that the differences went beyond Section 112 and had just as much to do with different working approaches and ideologies.

Dr Cholnan said Bhumjaithai had made its stance clear when it came to Move Forward’s presence in the coalition.

“The Bhumjaithai leader has limitations that his party could not work with us even if Pheu Thai takes the lead in forming a government,” he said.

“This means that an eight-party coalition of 311 plus 71 (from Bhumjaithai) is impossible. I will report those limitations to a meeting of the eight coalition parties.”

The coalition, which currently has 311 MPs, needs at least 375 votes for a majority in a joint sitting of the House and Senate.

Ultimately, all eight parties will have to decide whether to stand by Move Forward or propose that it consider sitting in opposition.

However, Dr Cholnan cautioned against any assumptions that Pheu Thai would abandon the MFP. (Story continues below)

Suwat: No to minority government

After Mr Anutin left, it was the turn of Chartpattanakla Party chairman Suwat Liptapanlop. He said his party would support a majority government and reject a minority government for political stability and would keep Section 112 untouched.

“We are willing to join a Pheu Thai-led government and support a Pheu Thai prime ministerial candidate,” he said. “If Move Forward’s policy to amend Section 112 still exists, it will not be line with Chartpattanakla’s policies.

“We cannot join the coalition government because amending Section 112 goes against the party’s resolution and promises made to the people.”

Move Forward was forced by its own angry supporters to withdraw an earlier invitation to Chartpattanakla, as its leader Korn Chatikavanij had supported the 2013-14 Bangkok Shutdown protests that led to the military coup. Mr Korn has since left Chartpattanakla.

The final meting of the day involved United Thai Nation, the party set up specifically as a vehicle for 2014 coup leader Prayut Chan-o-cha to extend his political life. 

UTN leader Pirapan Salirathavibhaga said his party would not vote for Pheu Thai’s prime ministerial nominee if Move Forward remained in the coalition.

Pheu Thai did not invite the party to join the coalition, knowing that its members would never forgive it for approaching the party whose adviser overthrew an earlier Pheu Thai government.

Former football ref attempts suicide after woman stabbed to death

CHON BURI: Pattaya police have arrested a former football referee who allegedly stabbed a local guesthouse owner to death and then attempted suicide on Saturday.

Authorities and rescue workers rushed to Jomtien Beach Road in Bang Lamung district and found 57-year-old Sunthorn Porjai, a physical trainer and ex-Thai Football League referee, in a delirious state and covered in blood from an open wound on his neck.

Mr Sunthorn, also known as Ben, was holding a 40cm knife, which he had tied to his arm and used to fend off authorities before eventually losing consciousness.

Emergency workers managed to approach him, provide aid and transport him to Pattaya Hospital. It was later discovered that he had also been stabbed in the stomach and had severed his own oesophagus.

At the scene, police discovered the lifeless body of a woman lying in a pool of blood behind a counter inside the building. She was identified as guesthouse owner Saowaji Lekkian, 51. Initial observations suggested that she had died from a stab wound to the neck, and she also had multiple slashes on her head.

According to a motorcycle taxi driver who reported the incident, he heard screaming and witnessed Sunthorn wildly slashing at the woman before turning the knife on himself. The attacker, in his crazed state, then wielded the knife to prevent others from approaching him and continued to harm himself.

Police said Saowaji had filed a police report in March stating that she had received a threatening phone call. This led them to believe that she knew Sunthorn and might have been involved in an extramarital relationship with him, which eventually led to her murder.

Saowaji’s husband, Prakrot Lekkian, 58, could not be questioned as he was in a state of shock. He confirmed that they had been married for over 20 years and had two children together, but he was unaware of the circumstances surrounding her murder.

Doctors’ group says four-year tenure showed Bhumjaithai leader was unfit for the role

A doctors’ group says its members will not support the possible return of Bhumjaithai Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul as public health minister, saying he is unfit for the position.

The Mor Mai Thon (Doctors Won’t Tolerate This) group posted the statement on the We, The People Facebook page on Saturday morning, saying its medical personnel members no longer wish to work under Mr Anutin.

They claim that over the past four years in the position, the construction billionaire has proven to be inappropriate for the role.

They accuse Mr Anutin of lacking a necessary understanding of the Thai public health system, leading to its deterioration and resulting in the loss of lives due to his ineffective management of Covid-19 vaccinations.

The announcement further criticised his orders to expedite the use of medical marijuana, delayed budgetary decisions leading to impaired healthcare services, including slowed access to safe abortions, and mismanagement resulting in the mass resignation of medical workers.

The group highlighted Mr Anutin’s response to the resignations, when he said: “Nothing can be done at this time, they can only pack up and leave.”

The statement concluded by saying that Mor Mai Thon members would not be able to continue under Mr Anutin’s administration if he returns to government, and they do not wish for him to serve as the public health minister.

During his term as minister, Mr Anutin also had a rocky relationship with the Rural Doctors Society (RDS), an influential group that was highly critical of his policies.

The relationship worsened further when the ministry ordered an investigation into Dr Supat Hasuwannakit, the RDS president, who had earlier been transferred from his post as director of Chana Hospital in Songkhla. Dr Supat had been a vocal critic of Bhumjaithai’s policy to decriminalise cannabis.

The Mor Mai Thon statement was issued just ahead of talks between the Pheu Thai Party and Bhumjaithai about the setup of a new government on Saturday afternoon. At that meeting, Mr Anutin reiterated his party’s position that it would not be part of any government that contained the election-winning Move Forward Party.

But as far as voting for a Pheu Thai prime ministerial nominee is concerned, the Bhumjaithai leader said the two parties were still in discussions about it.

Residents of tourist island concerned about increase in disturbing incidents involving visitors

Phuket residents have voiced concern after seeing a TikTok video showing a foreign man damaging parked vehicles, with many noting the growing frequency of such misbehaviour.

The video posted by user Pookpik409 on Friday shows a Caucasian man throwing random objects and damaging cars parked in front of a convenience store.

According to reports, the man damaged over 10 vehicles, slashing their tyres with a knife.

A TikTok user wrote that the man, dressed in an unbuttoned shirt and jeans, broke off windshield wipers and leapt onto the front windshields of several cars.

Eventually, police arrived on the scene and subdued him using a conducted energy device.

No details have been released yet on the offender’s identity.

Comments of netizens have mainly centred on the growing frequency of disturbing public incidents involving foreigners. One commenter also referenced a recent incident in which a Russian man leapt to his death from a local temple roof.

@pookpik409 ep2.ฝรั่งคลั่ง #ภูเก็ต #phuket #phuketthailand #เด็กใต้ ♬ เสียงต้นฉบับ – Pookpik❤✌

Group had been caught for illegal entry just hours earlier

PHATTHALUNG: Six Royingya children escaped from a government-operated shelter in Muang district of this southern province on Friday night.

Police and officials from the Phatthalung Shelter for Children and Families began the search after being alerted by shelter staff at around 9pm, said Pol Lt Col Sombat Muksikim, chief inspector at the Cha-ngai police station in Muang district.

The six children — all reportedly aged between 9 and 12 years — had been picked up in Phatthalung earlier in the day for illegal entry into the country. Immigration police had taken them to the shelter, operated by the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, for temporary detention pending an investigation.

No other information was available about the youngsters, how they got to Phatthalung or where the other members of their families might be.

The children reportedly made their escape after having dinner. They used a chair to climb over the wall at the back of the shelter to flee to a rubber plantation nearby. A bag and sandals were found at the plantation and their other belongings were left behind at the shelter.

The search team looked for them on foot for more than two hours and failed to find them, said Pol Lt Col Sombat.

Police are working with local leaders and residents to help provide clues if they come across the escapees.

Many Rohingya Muslims make the journey from Myanmar or from refugee camps in Bangladesh, travelling via southern Thailand to seek jobs in Malaysia. Most have to pay job brokers and human traffickers, and cases of groups being abandoned before reaching their final destination are not uncommon.

Floods have affected several locations in Bangkok on Saturday morning following hours of heavy rain overnight. Ratchadaphisek Road was worst hit.

Heavy downpours pounded several areas in Bangkok at around 9pm on Friday and continued to almost 2am, flooding roads in those areas.

On Saturday morning, some roads remained flooded and were awaiting to be drained.

In Chatuchak district, flooding hit several locations from Phaholyothin Road in front of Major Ratchayothin shopping mall to Lat Phrao intersection and Vibhavadi Rangsit Road, with floodwater rising to about 20 centimetres.

People  enjoying meals and drinks at restaurants on Friday night found it difficult to return to their accommodation. Motorcycle riders had to park their vehicles under overpasses as riding amidst heavy rain would be at risk of road accidents.

Ratchadaphisek Road was worst hit as floodwater rose to almost 50cm. Some cars, small vehicles and motorcycles stalled as their engines were flooded.

Rescue workers were busy helping flood-affected people throughout the night.

The Democrat Party denied a rumour that more than half of its members of parliament were in talks to join a Pheu Thai coalition while it also has not yet decided whether to vote for Pheu Thai’s candidate Srettha Thavisin as prime minister.

Democrat Party spokesman Ramet Rattanachaweng on Friday brushed aside the rumour that 16 of its 25 MPs, led by its acting party secretary-general, Chalermchai Sri-on, had pledged to support Pheu Thai following talks and an agreement that they would join the new government.

“No one can make such a decision alone. It must be a resolution of our party’s executive committee and our 25 MPs,” said Mr Ramet, before dismissing further speculation that the 16 MPs will move to the Bhumjaithai Party.

Asked if the Democrats would vote for Pheu Thai’s candidate, Mr Srettha, to become the new premier following his declaration to drop amending Section 112 of the Criminal Code, the lese majeste law, Mr Ramet said the Democrats would hold a meeting to talk in detail and review the Pheu Thai Party’s policies.

He said the Democrats had taken a firm stance against the amendment of Section 112 and would not support any party that did not agree.

He said the Democrats were under pressure to support the Move Forward Party (MFP) in the prime ministerial vote to respect the 14 million who voted for the MFP but also noted that the party must respect its own voters who voted for its policies.

Meanwhile, Mr Ramet said a special meeting to choose its new leader and an executive board has been postponed from Sunday, with a new date soon to be announced.

The Democrat Party spokesman said its registrar Wirat Romyen had instructed at least 25 members from each region — the North, South, Northeast, Central region, and Bangkok — to attend the vote to keep a balance because, at present most of its MPs are from South.