16-year-old girl busted for pimping minors

By:
On:
In: South-East Asia

Teen in Kamphaeng Phet communicated with clients who scanned QR codes on her Twitter account

PUBLISHED : 8 Aug 2023 at 19:58

16-year-old girl busted for pimping minors
Police arrest an accused teenage procurer as she rode a motorcycle to take minors to a hotel in Kamphaeng Phet. (Photo: Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau Facebook)

Police arrested a 16-year-old girl on Tuesday in Kamphaeng Phet province for human trafficking and luring minors to be prostitutes.

The suspect was arrested by a Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) team at a hotel in tambon Nakhon Chum of Muang Kamphaeng Phet district.

The bureau’s Thailand Internet Crimes Against Children (Ticac) unit took up the investigation after the bureau received a report about the suspect from Alliance Anti-Traffic Thailand.

According to the investigation, the girl offered sexual services in Muang Kamphaeng Phet district. Clients interested in the services were required to scan a QR code posted on her Twitter account.

She then sent four pictures of teenage girls ranging from 14 to 16 years old to the prospective client. The client was required to pay 1,100 baht, including a 200-baht deposit and 900 baht for the girl to be paid at the selected hotel.

A CCIB officer posing as a client contacted the suspect, who delivered the girls to the hotel. The suspect was arrested after money changed hands.

The suspect said she was a sex worker who procured others at the request of her clients. She was charged with sex trafficking and child prostitution.

Continue Reading

Public housing schemes to be adjusted, ‘extra help’ for older workers with not enough CPF savings: PM Lee

By:
On:
In: South-East Asia

SINGAPORE: Singapore will have to adjust its public housing schemes to keep them inclusive, as well as ensure that flats remain accessible and affordable, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in his National Day message on Tuesday (Aug 8). 

Older workers who have not built up enough Central Provident Fund (CPF) savings for retirement could also do with “extra help”, Mr Lee said, adding that he will speak about these issues at the National Day Rally on Aug 20.

As Singapore continues to develop more public housing, fewer undeveloped sites are left for new Housing and Development Board (HDB) estates, said the Prime Minister.

Existing non-mature estates are also “steadily maturing” as transport links and amenities improve, he noted.

“So in time to come, more and more new HDB flats will be built in existing estates like here in Dawson.

“Such flats will naturally be in greater demand. Their launch prices and resale prices will reflect that,” said Mr Lee. His message was recorded at SkyOasis@Dawson – a project launched in recent years in Queenstown, one of Singapore’s oldest towns. 

Amid this changing landscape, the government must still ensure that public housing is accessible and affordable for Singaporeans of all income groups, and that housing schemes are fair and inclusive for all, Mr Lee said.

“This is how we keep our national housing story going strong for current and future generations. This is my government’s commitment to you, and we will deliver on it,” he added. 

Continue Reading

South Korea: 1,000 buses evacuate scouts from disaster-hit World Jamboree

By:
On:
In: Asia
An image showing buses waiting in a long line to transport participants leaving the scout campsiteReuters
By Ruth Comerford
BBC News

More than 1,000 buses have begun ferrying scouts at an international event in South Korea out of a campsite due to an incoming tropical storm.

Helicopters and police cars were escorting the buses from the disaster-hit jamboree.

The threat of the storm comes just days after hundreds at the camp fell ill in temperatures of 35C (95F).

South Korea’s president has cut short his holiday to help manage the fallout from the gathering.

Attended by more than 40,000 young people from 155 countries, the World Scout Jamboree in Saemangeum has been marred by illness and criticism of its organisation and facilities from the start.

“This is the first time in more than 100 years of World Scout Jamborees that we have had to face such compounded challenges,” Ahmad Alhendawi of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, said in a statement.

An image showing Scouts boarding a bus to leave the campsite in Saemangeum

EPA

The massive event had been “very unlucky with the unprecedented heatwave” and the incoming storm, he said.

The bus convoy began moving the scouts from Saemangeum at 09:00 local time (01:00 BST) on Tuesday to inland locations, including Seoul and its surrounding province of Gyeonggi.

Scout groups from the UK, Singapore and the US had left the event early – with the British group citing poor sanitation and food quality among their reasons for leaving.

Most of the remaining scouts will be ferried from the camp to 128 accommodation sites across eight provinces and cities around Seoul, interior minister Lee Sang-min on Tuesday morning.

He said the government would ensure participants could be “safe and comfortable” at their new lodgings, which include university halls and hotels.

He vowed the Jamboree would continue and said he hoped the scouts could “finish their schedules with a happy heart”.

An image showing some of the many buses used to transport the scouts

Reuters

In an effort to mitigate the national embarrassment surrounding the event, a South Korean lawmaker has appealed to the military to give three members of seven-strong super K-pop group BTS leave from their mandatory military service so as to entertain the stranded scouts.

The now-empty schedules of these “precious guests” needed filling with “the power of Korean culture,” Sung Il-jong wrote on his Facebook page.

A closing ceremony will now be held on Saturday at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, followed by the K-pop concert, South Korea’s culture ministry said on Tuesday.

Korean media have described the event as “a national disgrace,” saying authorities had six years to prepare for a site plagued by poor drainage, rudimentary showers and toilets.

Government organisers admitted there had been “shortcomings” in the area of hygiene, with the scout chief acknowledging the event had a “bumpy start with… services and facilities” in a LinkedIn post.

Severe Tropical Storm Khanun, which has already forced evacuations and cut off power to thousands in Japan, is forecast to reach South Korea’s southern Jeolla province on Thursday.

Originally classified as a typhoon, the weather system has weakened but is still bringing high winds and torrential rain to the region.

Heatwaves like the one that hit the campsite become more frequent, more intense, and last longer because of human-induced climate change. Increased sea surface temperatures also mean storms are likely to be more intense and bring more extreme rainfall.

The jamboree’s organisers had insisted the event would continue despite the weather forecast, but on Monday they confirmed the scouts would be evacuated and the campsite closed due to the approaching typhoon.

A map showing the path of a storm forecast to hit South Korea

Banner saying 'Get in touch'

Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Please share your experiences by emailing [email protected].

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:

If you are reading this page and can’t see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at [email protected]. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.

Related Topics

More on this story

Continue Reading

Activists step up efforts to protect Bang Khanun forest

By:
On:
In: South-East Asia

PUBLISHED : 8 Aug 2023 at 17:45

Activists step up efforts to protect Bang Khanun forest
Bang Khanun reserve forest in Thalang district, overlooking Phuket airport. (Photo: Achadthaya Chuenniran)

PHUKET: A network of environmental groups has petitioned the Thalang district office and the 3rd Naval Area Command to step up protection of the 3,700 rai Bang Khanun reserve forest, citing widespread deforestation.

Chamrun Koetdam, president of the Network of Gulf of Thailand-Andaman Conservation Areas, on Tuesday submitted a petition to Bancha Thanu-in, chief of the Thalang district office, asking the office to specifically order two tambon administrative organisations in the district to enforce the Building Control Act in one particular area of Bang Khanun reserve forest.

Part of the 3,700 rai forest is used by the 3rd Naval Area. However the environmentalist groups have obtained information about widespread deforestation in several parts of the reserve forest, including that given over for use by the navy, Mr Chamrun said.

The network had previously discussed the problem with 3rd Naval Area commander VAdm Arparkorn Yukongkaew and asked the regional navy command to help protect and rehabilitate the forest area under its care, said Mr Chamrun.

Citing also information supplied by several groups of environmentalists working in Phuket, Mr Chamrun said past major flooding at Phuket International Airport in Thalang district might have been caused by this widespread deforestation, which has also occurred on mountains close to the airport.

“We have received information about serious encroachment and deforestation in the reserve forest. This is a threat to the country’s natural resources and to tourism,” he said.

The network has already asked the 3rd Naval Area to minimise construction in the reserve forest, never compromise with encroachers, stop allowing foreigners to earn income from fruit trees grown in the forest, regrow trees as much as possible and pursue legal action against those involved in the encroachment and deforestation.

VAdm Arparkorn said the navy had already responded to all these calls while continuing to support the investigation conducted by the Department of Special Investigation into the matter.

At least nine parties had been charged since the investigation began in 2021, according to an informed source.

Continue Reading

King’s second son back in Thailand after 27 years

By:
On:
In: South-East Asia

PUBLISHED : 8 Aug 2023 at 16:20

King's second son back in Thailand after 27 years
Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse, 42, the second son of His Majesty the King, posted this photo of himself in a tuk-tuk in Bangkok after his surprise arival in Thailand. (Photo: Vicharaesorn Vivacharawongse Facebook)

Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse, the second son of His Majesty the King, is on a visit to Thailand after 27 years living abroad, to the delight of many Thai people.

A 30-second video of Vacharaesorn, 42, walking out of the arrival terminal at Suvarnabhumi international airport went viral on social media on Monday.

He was seen waving to a group of Thais who were there to greet him. He gave them a wai, smiling and saying, “Thank you very much”, before proceeding to an exit.

Vacharaesorn reportedly departed from the John F Kennedy airport in the United States on Aug 5 on board a Cathay Pacific flight to Hong Kong, where he took a connecting flight that landed at Suvarnabhumi on Sunday evening.

From the airport, he went to a hotel in the heart of Bangkok. It was reported he would stay in the country for about one week.

No announcement of his visit was made by the Royal Household Bureau.

On Monday morning, Vacharaesorn went to Wat Ratchabophit Sathitmahasimaram Ratchaworawihan in Phra Nakhon district where he paid respect to the Supreme Patriarch.

He then proceeded to pay homage to the City Pillar before moving on to Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram and Wat Hong Rattanaram Ratchaworawihan temples where he posed for pictures at the request of people who happened to recognise him.

Vacharaesorn is second of the four sons of HM the King and his former consort Sujarinee Vivacharawongse. Their younger sister is Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya, who lives in Thailand.

The four brothers had their primary education in Thailand before moving to the United Staes.

Vacharaesorn has both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in law from Stetson University College of Law in the United States. He is a legal counsellor at a law firm in New York, where he has lived for 27 years. He has reportedly joined other Thai people in the US in activities showing Thai traditions and culture.

Continue Reading

Penang fishermen’s livelihoods, identity politics among concerns as state election looms

By:
On:
In: Asia

PROJECT SCALED DOWN

However, the state government has scaled down the project from an initial three islands to just one.

In May, Penang caretaker chief minister Chow Kon Yeow said the state government has taken the approach to reduce the size of the project from 4,500 acres to 2,300 acres.

This comes amid fishermen’s fears that the project will destroy the rich marine biodiversity and affect the livelihoods of communities that rely on the waters. About 6,000 fishermen raised objections recently, while politicians are busy campaigning.

With the scaled down project, the number of fishermen affected is said to be around 100, as opposed to 500 previously.

However, Mr Zakaria Ismail from the Penang Fishermen Association, is taking the number with a pinch of salt.

“Actually, the figure of 140 who are affected is only on paper. Whoever made that statement can come here and fish with the fishermen.  In reality, all of the people of Penang are affected. Imagine, this is the only area we can fish in all of Penang state,” the deputy chairman of the association told CNA.

Continue Reading

‘Dramatic increase’ in Myanmar war crimes: UN probe

By:
On:
In: Asia

“HIGHEST LEVEL OF CRUELTY” The IIMM was established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2018 to collect evidence of the most serious international crimes and prepare files for criminal prosecution. While the team has never been permitted to visit Myanmar, it said it had engaged with over 700 sourcesContinue Reading

Perseids meteor shower over Singapore: What is it and when to catch it

By:
On:
In: South-East Asia

SINGAPORE: Get ready for another meteor shower, Singapore.

If you missed the Delta Aquariids in July, here’s your chance to view another, known for being one of the brighter annual showers. 

According to the Science Centre Observatory on Tuesday (Aug 8), the Perseids occur every year between mid-July and late August.

The showers, which began on Jul 17, will peak around Aug 13 and last until Aug 24. 

So what are the Perseids and how do you catch them in Singapore?

WHAT ARE THE PERSEIDS?

The meteor shower is called the Perseids as the showers come from the same direction as the constellation Perseus.

Named after the Greek mythological hero, it is the 24th largest constellation in the night sky, said the observatory. 

Viewers can determine the direction of the shower by looking for the Perseus constellation.

The Perseids are caused when Earth passes through a trail of space debris left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle, added the observatory. 

Founder of the Stargazing Singapore hobby group, Ms Gerardyn Brittos previously said that the Perseid meteor shower will be one of the “most prominent and brightest” events when it peaks adding that it is “famous for producing a large number of bright meteors including fireballs”.

WHEN CAN I SEE IT IN SINGAPORE?

It is not easy to spot the celestial event in Singapore due to the country’s viewing conditions, said the observatory. 

However, the best time to attempt to catch a glimpse would be on Aug 13 at about 4am. This is when the constellation would be high enough above the horizon. 

“That is when you can spot the maximum number of meteors. These can be viewed with the naked eye if there is no light pollution and cloud cover.”

Continue Reading