Asia (Page 2,900)

Police have arrested two men from Cameroon and Myanmar on suspicion of murdering a Taiwanese man at a hotel in Bang Na district of Bangkok on Thursday.

The Myanmar suspect has confessed that a Thai woman had hired him.

Pol Maj Gen Theeradet Thamsuthee, investigative chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB), said yesterday that John Agbor, a 40-year-old Cameroonian, and Zwe Lin Pyae, 21, were arrested on Srinakarin Road in Bang Na district late Thursday night.

They were charged with the premeditated murder of Chu Chiang Shen, 48, whose body was found in a room on the sixth floor of the Niran Grand Hotel on Udomsuk Soi 17 off Sukhumvit 103 (Udomsuk) Road, on Thursday morning.

Hotel staff found the body after the victim’s friend reported that the victim could not be contacted by phone.

According to Pol Maj Gen Theeradet, the arrested suspects, along with another unidentified white European man who remains at large, targeted the victim’s wealth based on information from a Thai woman who allegedly ordered the attack, claiming that the victim was rich.

The gang rented another room on the fifth floor of the same hotel to prepare for the crime.

The three suspects attacked the Taiwanese man in his room around 1am on Thursday, tying his head with a plastic food wrap sheet and using belts to secure his limbs.

An injury above the victim’s right eyebrow made it look as though he had been hit with a heavy object, while the sheet was reportedly full of bloodstains.

The attackers did not find the victim’s money but made off with his notebook, computer, and mobile phone.

Officers said they found two small electronic safes and two suitcases had been left inside the room.

Zwe Lin Pyae told police that Chu Chiang Shen was alive when he left the hotel room.

A police source said that John Agbor denied all charges and insisted on his innocence during the interrogation in which he claimed to be a “language teacher”.

Pol Maj Gen Theeradet revealed that police are tracking the Caucasian suspect caught on the hotel’s CCTV.

An arrest warrant has been issued, he said.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has selected four more foundations to which he will donate funds from his salary and meeting allowances, said government spokesman Chai Wacharonke.

Mr Chai said the premier would donate 50,000 baht each to the Thai With Disability Foundation, the Issarachon Foundation, the River of Peace Foundation and the House of Blessing Foundation.

According to Mr Chai, their work covers the needs of various groups, such as people with disabilities, the elderly, and the homeless.

In late September, Mr Chai said that Mr Srettha would donate his government income and meeting allowances to various foundations in the country.

His first donation went to the Foundation for Children, and the premier also tried to meet charities to listen to their problems and find ways of solving them, Mr Chai said at that time.

Mr Srettha’s monthly income as prime minister and finance minister amounts to 125,590 baht — a 75,590-baht salary plus a 50,000-baht allowance.

AOC freezes 2.5k scam accounts

Fraud: More than 2,500 bank accounts were frozen for being linked to call-centre scams in the first two weeks of operations by the Anti Online Scam Operation Centre (AOC), according to government spokesman Chai Wacharonke.

The AOC, launched on Nov 1 as part of stepped-up government efforts to tackle call centre scams, received 38,564 calls from victims in the first two weeks and froze 2,671 accounts for being linked to fraudulent activities.

On average, these bank accounts were frozen within 15 minutes of the centre receiving a complaint, said Mr Chai.

The Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry early this week expanded the AOC’s capacity to handle a higher volume of calls after the number of calls increased sharply after the first few days of operations, he said.

Kurau fish farming boom

maritime: The Fisheries Department will ramp up farming efforts to increase the number of Kurau fish to meet consumer demand.

Bancha Sukkaew, deputy director-general of the Fisheries Department, yesterday said Kurau fish — part of the Polynemidae family — have been named as geographical indication (GI) products in Tak Bai district of Narathiwat.

The department will farm Kurau fingerlings until they grow to a size where they can be released into the Tak Bai River.

This is all part of efforts to spur the local community’s economy as per the policy of Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Thamanat Prompow.

Kurau products can be sold at high prices ranging from 1,300 baht to 1,600 baht per kilogramme and distributed both internationally and domestically.

Satellites to be put to carbon use

Environment: The Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) will push climate policies using satellite technologies to detect carbon sequestration.

Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency director Pakorn Apaphant said at the CEOS plenary this week that the committee has mobilised carbon emission policies to mitigate climate change effects.

The CEOS has applied satellite data to detect carbon sequestration to analyse solutions for climate change, a mission guided by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, he said. The CEOS has also pushed its network to mobilise the new space economy supported by satellite technologies.

Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai yesterday said a bill seeking to borrow 500 billion baht to fund the digital wallet scheme has not yet been submitted to the Council of State.

He said several issues were raised at the digital wallet policy committee meeting, and the fact that the Council of State offered to examine the details did not mean it would reject the bill.

Mr Phumtham also said the government was gathering as much input as possible, noting that it could issue an executive decree on the planned borrowing but having the loan bill examined by parliament was the best alternative.

Asked how long the Council of State would take to study the loan bill, he said he believed the council would complete its deliberation as soon as possible because the policy was essential to stimulate the economy.

Asked if the scheme would be adjusted, he said it would depend on the council’s recommendations, and if the council ruled that the loan bill was okay to proceed, there would be no more adjustments.

On Nov 10, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin announced the government would propose a bill seeking a special loan of 500 billion baht to fund the Pheu Thai Party’s flagship policy. The bill would be sent to the Council of State this year to ensure it does not contravene any laws before its submission to parliament early next year.

The criteria for people eligible to receive the digital money have been revised with it to be offered to Thais aged 16 and older who earn less than 70,000 baht per month and have under 500,000 baht in bank deposits. Based on these criteria, an estimated 50 million people will be eligible — down from the 56 million intended originally.

Mr Phumtham said the digital wallet committee would hold meetings if the council raised major concerns. Asked if the scheme would be scrapped if it encountered major problems, he said the decision would be made based on legal facts.

The Move Forward Party (MFP) continued criticising the digital wallet scheme yesterday, saying the debate on the legality of the loan bill indicated that the government did not carefully think about the source of funds from the beginning.

“Had it been carefully thought out, we wouldn’t have had to guess if it would be approved by the Council of State or if it would be submitted to the Constitutional Court for a ruling,” the MFP wrote on Facebook.

New act to stymie recreational use

The Public Health Ministry has completed the first draft of the Cannabis-Hemp Act and said it will not reclassify cannabis as a narcotic, Public Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew said yesterday.

He said the new law is based on amendments to the first draft, which has 94 sections.

The new version has about 70 sections. It has been updated to address various public concerns or loopholes that allow people to use cannabis for recreational purposes, he added.

The core of the law still defines cannabis as a controlled herb, while any extract that contains more than 0.2% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) remains listed as a narcotic.

“The minister still supports the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes but not for recreational use, so those who grow cannabis — even for personal use — must have permission under the new law,” Mr Cholnan said.

The first version of the Cannabis and Hemp Law allowed a household to grow up to 15 plants for personal use, such as for treating some sickness. They merely needed to inform local authorities, but under the new law, they must seek permission first.

Cannabis shops that already have a licence can continue their business, but they need to comply with the new law, for example, by prohibiting the smoking of cannabis on their premises and not selling dried cannabis buds.

The law will also clarify which venues cannot sell or allow cannabis on their premises.

“We will not shut down all cannabis shops, but they need to comply with the law. The new law will not allow them to sell cannabis buds for people to smoke or even have equipment for customers to smoke inside their shops. In the past, we could not control the usage, but with the new law, using cannabis for recreational purposes will be prohibited,” he said.

When asked if smoking cannabis at home will be illegal, he said that remains a grey area pending more public feedback.

When asked if cannabis and hemp should have separate laws, he said this issue has been raised. However, according to the current law, hemp is considered a kind of cannabis, just one with low levels of THC, he noted.

He said the ministry will create a window for the public to read the law and provide feedback by mid-December. People will have two weeks to offer their opinions, and the minister will analyse whether the law should be updated before submitting it to the cabinet.

CHIANG RAI: A military commander in Tachileik, in Myanmar, has informed Thailand that the questioning of the 41 Thais rescued from illicit businesses in Laukkaing township has concluded, and their repatriation is expected to be approved within the next few days, according to the Thai army.

The army reported on a meeting between Col Nathee Thomsen, commander of the Thap Chao Tak Taskforce of the Pha Muang Force, and Col Thura Zaw Lwin Soe, tactical operation commander of Tachileik, at the customs checkpoint in Tachileik yesterday.

The Thai side wanted to discuss the reasons behind the delay in repatriating the 41 Thais and find ways to facilitate the process.

During the meeting, Col Nathee was informed that Myanmar authorities would likely approve their repatriation within the next few days.

After this is done, the 41 Thais would be immediately transported to the Tactical Operation Command in Tachileik, a border town across from Mae Sai district in Chiang Rai province. There, the group would be received by Col Nathee. Earlier yesterday, Col Nathee said the Thai side is ready to fully cooperate with Myanmar to ensure their safe repatriation.

He said the 41 Thais had travelled from Laukkaing towards the Thai border in Chiang Rai province. They were being held in Kengtung in Shan state, a four-hour drive from Tachileik. The group arrived in Kengtung late on Wednesday night.

Col Nathee said the Thais were receiving good care from the Myanmar military. However, Myanmar authorities sought to question them regarding their entry into Laukkaing, which borders China and is known for illicit activities.

The colonel quoted Myanmar officials as earlier saying that upon completion of this process, Thai officials could drive into Tachileik to pick them up.

The 41 Thais, 23 men and 18 women, were among 162 Thais rescued from Laukkaing in the self-administered Kokang zone of Shan state.

The Move Forward Party (MFP) yesterday proposed a change in the criteria for a charter referendum, saying the current requirement allowed those who disagreed with the proposed rewrite to thwart its adoption easily.

MFP MP Parit Wacharasindhu said the existing requirement he termed “double majority” would mean that those who disagreed with charter amendments would simply stay home rather than take part in a referendum to vote against it.

He was referring to Section 13 of the Referendum Act, which requires that two specific conditions be met before the result of a referendum result can be considered binding. First, more than 50% of eligible voters must have participated in the vote, and the majority of those who cast votes must approve it.

“If people disagree with the questions [posed in the referendum], instead of voting against them, they can choose to stay home. If the participation requirement fails, the referendum is rejected,” he said.

Mr Parit said the requirement of majority participation should be removed and noted that it did not apply in the previous charter referendums in 2007 and 2017.

However, if both participation and approval requirements are maintained, for a referendum to pass, the number of voters who participate and who vote in favour should exceed 25%.

He said if the government and the opposition co-proposed amendments to Section 13, it could be passed by parliament before the referendum study is completed.

Pheu Thai list-MP Chaturon Chaisang also expressed concern over the double majority requirement, posting on Facebook that if a bill was rejected in a referendum, it could lead to people concluding the public did not want any changes.

“We must cover all bases — how many rounds of votes are needed, how the questions are phrased and if the Referendum Act should be amended first,” he said, adding that he and other party MPs would submit a number of changes to the House of Representatives when parliament reopens.

Mr Chaturon, who recently oversaw a sub-committee tasked with gathering public opinion, also highlighted concerns raised during the session. For example, even if a bill received public endorsement, that did not guarantee its passage into Thai law.