South-East Asia (Page 1,600)

The Criminal Court on Wednesday sentenced Move Forward Party MP Rukchanok Srinork to six years in prison, without suspension, for lese majeste and computer crime.

The court convicted Rukchanok, a 29-year-old MP for Bangkok, over posts she made about vaccine allocations, with pictures of His Majesty the King, on her Twitter account @nanaicez between July 18 and Aug 9, 2021. She denied all charges.

She had arrived at the court to hear the ruling accompanied by Pita Limjaroenrat, MFP chief adviser, and MFP leader Chaithawat Tulathon, who acted as her lawyer.

Before going inside, Rukchanok said she had confidence in her defence and she had unsuccessfully sought a postponement of the ruling, because Wednesday was the first day of the new House session.

After hearing judgement, Rukchanok only smiled as she was taken to a cell in the court building. Mr Chaithawat said he would offer his MP status as surety in seeking her temporary release pending appeal.

If she is not released on bail on the same day as her sentencing and is detained by court order she will lose her House seat, by law.

KANCHANABURI: Police arrested a married couple and seized 50 million methamphetamine pills from their six-wheel truck in Thong Pha Phum district on Tuesday – the largest drug seizure ever made in this western border province.

A team of local and narcotics suppression police, soldiers and local officials found the drugs hidden under  sacks containing used plastic bottles, scrap metal and other waste at Thong Pha Phum intersection in tambon Tha Khanun around 3.30pm on Tuesday.

They then arrested the vehicle’s two occupants, Pitiphan Nomsungnoen, 30, and his wife Pornsiri Khongnandee, 24, who were taken to Thong Pha Phum police station.

On Wednesday morning, a team of police and soldiers led by Pol Col Paithoon Sriwilai, chief of Sangkhla Buri district, searched a house at Phra Chedi Sam-ong village Moo 9 in tambon Nong Lu as the investigation was expanded.

A man and a woman, said to be friends of the arrested husband, Mr Pitiphan, were in the house.

The house had a back door leading to the Myanmar border, like other houses in the border village. The man found at the house tested positive for drug use. The couple were held in police custody.

Police investigators said the man had driven the motorcycle that met Mr Pitiphan when he returned from Myanmar. He took him to where the truck, loaded with 50 million speed pills, was parked. 

Mr Pitiphan then drove the truck away, according to police. It was stopped in Thong Pha Phum district, where a search uncovered the drugs.

Police said it was the largest drug bust ever in the border province.

Police search a house and grounds in Sangkhla Buri district of Kanchanaburi on Wednesday morning, following the seizure of a record 50 million meth pills from a truck stopped in Thong Pha Phum district of the same province. (Photo: Piyarat Chongcharoen)

Dangerous levels of ultrafine dust covered 33 of the 77 provinces on Wednesday morning, an improvement on 47 provinces on Tuesday morning, and the peak pollution level was also down.

The Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (Gistda) reported at 9am on Wednesday that red levels of particulate matter 2.5 micrometres and less in diameter (PM2.5) covered five provinces in the Central Plain, compared with 15 provinces on Tuesday morning.

The seriously harmful (red-code) levels ranged from 75.7 to 95.2 microgrammes per cubic metre of air over the past 24 hours, down from 78.6-134.8µg/m³ on Tuesday. The government’s safe threshold is 37.5µg/m³.

On Wednesday morning the highest PM2.5 level, 95.2µg/m³, was recorded in Samut Sakhon province, followed by 86.3µg/m³ in Nakhon Pathom, 83.1µg/m³ in Rayong, 75.8µg/m³ in Bangkok and 75.7µg/m³ in Samut Prakan.

Twenty-eight other provinces in the Central Plain were blanketed with orange levels of PM2.5 ranging from 37.7 to 71.9µg/m³, meaning the levels of PM2.5 had started to affect health.

They were, in ascending order of PM2.5 levels, Nakhon Ratchasima, Phichit, Sa Kaeo, Nan, Kamphaeng Phet, Lop Buri, Lamphun, Uttaradit, Uthai Thani, Phetchabun, Ayutthaya, Phitsanulok, Nakhon Nayok, Saraburi, Tak, Prachin Buri, Chanthaburi, Sukhothai, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Samut Songkhram, Suphan Buri, Kanchanaburi, Chachoengsao, Phetchaburi, Pathum Thani, Ratchaburi, Chon Buri and Nonthaburi.

Forty-four provinces were within safe levels, most in the North, South and Northeast.

The lowest level of PM2.5, at 9.0µg/m³, was reported in the northeastern province of Yasothon, followed by 9.7µg/m³ in Amnat Charoen, 12.3µg/m³ in Si Sa Ket and 13.2µg/m³ in Surin which are also in the Northeast.

Pansak Thiramongkol, director for air and noise quality management at the Pollution Control Department, told the Thai PBS TV channel on Wednesday morning that the high levels of PM2.5 in the Central Plain resulted mainly from burning of harvest waste in paddy fields, to prepare for the next crop.

The cabinet has approved a budget of 750 million baht earmarked for compensating Thai workers who have returned from Israel, government spokesman Chai Wacharonke said on Tuesday.

Mr Chai said the cabinet gave a green light to using the emergency central budget of this fiscal year for the planned compensation to Thai workers, as proposed by the Labour Ministry.

Since the Israel-Hamas war erupted on Oct 7, many overseas Thai workers stationed there have been affected as some were unable to receive their salary or return to work in Israel until the situation improves.

In response, the cabinet on Oct 27 instructed the Labour Ministry to work with related agencies to set the criteria to provide compensation to Thai returnees in a prompt and proper manner.

Of the 750 million baht, 50,000 baht will be provided to each of the 15,000 workers from four target groups.

As such, a budget of 473.75 million baht has been allocated for 9,475 workers who returned from Israel since Oct 7; 1.95 million baht for the kin of 39 workers who reportedly died during the fighting in Israel; 48 million baht for 960 workers who returned to Thailand before Oct 7 but could return due to the ongoing war; and 226.30 million baht for 4,526 workers — including those formerly held hostage — who intend to return the country to work.

Meanwhile, Buppha Ruangsud, director-general of the Department of Skill Development, said 864 Thai workers from Israel have requested occupational training, 101 of whom have already passed the training.

Many skill development offices nationwide have launched occupational training for these workers.

Three Thai workers who passed a tow truck driving course have reportedly since been recruited by the Erawan Sugar company, she added.

DOC to let inmates stay outside prison

The Department of Corrections (DOC) has denied criticism that its new regulation, which allows for the detention of inmates outside prison, will benefit convicted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

On Thursday, Sahakarn Phetnarin, deputy permanent secretary for justice and the DOC’s acting director-general, issued the new regulation and informed all provincial governors about the matter.

All eyes will now be on whether it will benefit Thaksin, who was recently sentenced to eight years in three cases and then immediately transferred to a police hospital.

Under the new regulation issued on Tuesday, prisoners allowed to be detained outside prison must meet certain requirements stipulated by the DOC and be categorised by a panel set up by the department.

The venues for detaining them may include houses or buildings with registered addresses.

Mr Sahakarn yesterday said the regulation is intended to categorise inmates and determine who among them should be detained outside prison, such as those who need rehabilitation and career training.

”The Department of Corrections has limited resources. Rehabilitating prisoners outside prisons may give them optimal benefits.

“As for prisoners who are sick, it does not do any good to keep them in prison given the conditions there. It would be better for them if they are detained outside and looked after by their families,” Mr Sahakarn said.

”The regulation is also intended to help inmates prepare for life after their release. Some are facing long sentences so it may be difficult for them to reintegrate into society,” he said.

Asked why he issued the new regulation this week, sparking suspicion that it may benefit Thaksin, Mr Sahakarn said the new rule was long overdue given that the Corrections Act was enacted in 2017.

“Some officials at the Corrections Department have failed to enforce the law,” he said.

“There are numerous prisoners who have served some time in jail, and some have health issues, while others need rehabilitation outside prison.

“I think the new regulation will be beneficial to them. This is also in line with international practice. In fact, we have to admit we have been slow to act on this matter,” he said.

Mr Sahakarn went on to say that prisons nationwide yesterday began screening inmates who meet the criteria for detention externally, and they will send the lists of those names to the department for consideration.

Thaksin, 74, returned to Thailand on Aug 22 after 15 years of self-imposed exile. However, he was sent from Bangkok Remand Prison to the Police General Hospital that night for health reasons and has remained there since.

Thaksin is not the only convict who has been granted permission to receive medical treatment outside prison for this long, according to the DOC.

Since Oct 1 of last year, 149 inmates have received medical treatment outside prison; of them, 115 were outside for more than 30 days, another 30 stayed for more than 60 days, while a further four were allowed to stay outside for over 120 days, the DOC said.

Meanwhile, protesters led by Pichit Chaimongkol, leader of the Network of Students and People Reforming Thailand, gathered outside Government House.

They called on Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin to order the authorities to take Thaksin from the Police General Hospital back to prison.

Mr Pichit also accused the DOC of issuing the new regulation to benefit Thaksin.

He said the protesters will today turn up at the Police General Hospital to ask doctors there whether they have already submitted details regarding Thaksin’s medical treatment to the DOC.

The House committee on police affairs will also meet tomorrow to look into a complaint involving Thaksin receiving “VIP medical treatment” outside prison.

Chaichana Dechochai, a Democrat Party MP for Nakhon Si Thammarat who chairs the committee, will summon officials from the Justice Ministry, the Police General Hospital and those who filed the complaint to give statements.

Natthapong Sumanotham, a Move Forward Party MP for Samut Sakhon, the committee’s deputy chairman, said the complaint had been lodged with the committee and concerns Thaksin’s treatment at the Police General Hospital.