Asia (Page 2,417)

Buri Ram man says he’s heard little news about eight still held captive

BURI RAM: The father of a Thai worker in Israel is demanding that the government negotiate for the release of his son who has been held captive by Hamas militants for nearly five months.

Wilas Tanna, 64, from tambon Ban Khu in Na Pho district, said on Wednesday that he is worried about the safety of his son Pongsak, 36, since he was captured after the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct 7 last year.

“It has been almost five months and my son has not been released,” he said. “I only have news from the government that my son is among the eight Thais who are still being held captive by Hamas and that they are all safe.

“I pray for his safety every night and for his return as soon as possible.”

Hamas took about 240 hostages of almost two dozen nationalities, including 31 Thais. A total of 23 Thais were subsequently freed during exchanges of hostages for prisoners held by Israel. About 110 hostages are still believed to be in captivity and some of them are believed to have died.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, about 29,900 Thai labourers were working in Israel before the Hamas attack. Since October, 9,697 workers have returned to Thailand. Thirty-nine Thais also died in the Hamas attacks.

Mr Wilas said no one knew why the release of the remaining eight Thai hostages was taking so long, or could say exactly when they would be freed.

He said he wanted the government to speed up negotiations for the sake of hostages’ safety.

Santi Boonprom, who was captured by Hamas and released in late November, and who is a neighbour of Mr Pongsak, said Mr Pongsak and he were held captive in different places. He has tried to contact everyone he knows in Israel to find out about those being held captive.

The Ministry of Labour says that so far it has paid compensation to 1,210 Thai workers who returned from Israel, or 60.5 million baht in total. The remaining compensation payments are expected to be made this month.

Chiang Rai art event expected to draw one million visitors by the time it ends in April

CHIANG RAI – The Ministry of Culture will promote art shows and similar events as a form of soft power to spur tourism and generate more income for people working in related industries.

Vice Minister Phonpoom Vipattipumiprates said the government would promote international art exhibitions like the Thailand Biennale, which opened in Chiang Rai on Dec 9 and will run until April 30, to add economic value to art and culture while inspiring the creativity of emerging artists.

The ministry, in conjunction with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, recently organised a trip to the Thailand Biennale for diplomats from 40 countries. They also visited royal projects in Northern Thailand to learn about the sufficiency economy philosophy, Mr Phonpoom said.

The Biennale is an international exhibition of contemporary art initiated by the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture under the Ministry of Culture. The event in Chiang Rai is the third edition following the success of events in Krabi in 2018 and Nakhon Ratchasima in 2021.

The next biennale will be held in Phuket in 2025, Mr Phonpoom said, adding that it would be much bigger than this year’s.

He said that almost 500,000 people have visited the exhibition venues at the Thailand Biennale Chiang Rai so far. The ministry expects double this number by the time the event ends.

“Inviting ambassadors to visit art exhibitions will create economic value because they will inform their nationals, boosting the chance their people will visit our country,” Mr Phonpoom said.

“As such, international art events will create more jobs for Thais and help their communities grow. When the Thailand Biennale is organised in Phuket in the next two years, it could make twice as much revenue.”

Animals offered for 2,500 baht each on Facebook page

A man accused of selling macaques on Facebook was arrested with one animal seized in Na Yong district of Trang on Wednesday.

Officers from the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Division police apprehended Wutthichai Tunrat, 26, in a sting operation. One live macaque was found inside a cage in his pickup truck.

He was charged with trading protected wildlife without permission and illegal possession of wild animals.

The arrest followed a complaint that macaques were being sold on the “Khon Rak Ling Kang Khuen Maphrao” (Macaques climing coconut tree lovers) Facebook page. The animals were sold for 2,500 baht each.

A police officer posing as a customer posted a message asking to buy one macaque. When Mr Wutthichai arrived at the arranged meeting place on Na Yong-Yan Ta Khao Road to deliver the animal, police showed up to arrest him.

During questioning, the suspect confessed to having possessed the animal but failed to produce the required paperwork. He later claimed that he found the macaque in a forest and captured it to sell for 2,500 baht.

The arresting team handed him over to officers at the Na Yong police station for legal action.

A macaque is seized from the suspect in Trang. (Photo supplied/Wongsathorn Pungsriwanich)

Deputy national police chief Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn is a suspect in an online gambling case and could face multiple charges including money laundering, a deputy chief of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) confirmed on Wednesday.

Pol Maj Gen Charoonkiat Pankaew said that Pol Gen Surachate was one of five police officers additionally suspected of involvement in the online gambling network allegedly operated by 25-year-old single mother Suchanun Sucharitchinsri, also known as Minnie.

The five suspects were identified in a second case, after an expanded investigation into the first case involving Minnie-related gambling websites.

According to Pol Maj Gen Charoonkiat, there are 61 suspects in the first case, which is the main case, and they include police officers.

The second case was sent to the National Anti-Corruption Commission because it involved high-level police officers. The NACC will later decide if it will handle the second case, or let the police do it.

Pol Maj Gen Charoonkiat said the police would like to handle both cases because they were related.

The five officers in the second case would be initially charged with malfeasance and taking bribes, under Sections 157 and 149 of the Criminal Code. If the NACC returns the second case to the police, the five will also face money laundering charges, Pol Maj Gen Charoonkiat said.

He denied the legal action arose from politics within the Royal Thai Police. It was the result of a continued investigation which “shockingly” revealed the involvement of police officers, with more than 300 million baht in cash also involved, he said.

“When more than 300 million baht was seen in transactions, this could not be let slide. Otherwise, it would be a cancer that would ruin the reputation of the police force,” Pol Maj Gen Charoonkiat said.

He said that investigators had enough evidence to pursue the case, including financial statements which showed who withdrew the money and the groups of people who received money from mole accounts.

“When the money trails were examined, we found that money was distributed to almost everyone involved in the cases… I believe that money might come from not only the Minnie gambling website network but also other websites. This is under investigation,” Pol Maj Gen Charoonkiat said.

Pol Gen Surachate was one of the candidates for possible promotion to national police chief last year. Pol Gen Torsak Sukvimol got the job. At the time, Pol Gen Surachate said he still had eight years before retirement and he was in no rush.

Pol Gen Surachate became a household name after being assigned several high-profile cases and regularly holding press briefings on arrests. He recently opened a centre at the Police Club on Vihavadi Rangsit Road to receive complaints from the general public.

As part of an overall investigation into gambling sites, police in September last year raided Pol Gen Surachate’s house in an operation code-named “Big Cleaning Day”.

Pol Maj Gen Charoonkiat Pankaew, deputy commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau