Soldier nabbed for drugs

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PUBLISHED : 12 Dec 2023 at 04:00

A soldier in Songkhla has been charged with the illegal possession of narcotics after he was arrested by officials from the Office of the Narcotics Control Board with 11 kilogrammes of ecstasy pills.

Assistant national police chief and ONCB’s acting secretary-general Phanurat Lakbun said the soldier was arrested following an investigation into state officials whom the office suspected were involved in drug trafficking in Hat Yai district.

The suspect, who was only identified as a 29-year-old soldier serving in an administrative role, was arrested at Rattanapon Military Camp in Khlong Hoi Khong district on Dec 9, where he was found with the ecstasy.

The man is reported to be a major drug dealer in the area, according to Pol Lt Gen Phanurat, adding the police are tracking down other individuals who are involved in his trafficking ring.

Drug dealing is a criminal offence that is punishable by five years to life imprisonment and a fine ranging between 500,000 to one million baht. The penalty is three times more severe for officials found guilty of dealing narcotics.

Pol Lt Gen Phanurat said the ONCB has launched an official Line account to receive complaints about state officials who are suspected to be involved in drug trafficking.

The whistleblowers’ identities will be kept in strict confidence, he assured.

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MOH seeks public feedback on proposed framework to share health information among healthcare providers

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ACCESS RESTRICTIONS OPTION The Bill will provide individuals the option to place access restrictions on the sharing of their key health information in NEHR. “This restriction means that no one will be allowed to access the individual’s information within the NEHR, including the individual’s own attending doctor,” said MOH. MOHContinue Reading

Police warn of rental scams involving fake property agents; at least S.8 million lost between July and November

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SINGAPORE: At least 287 victims have fallen prey to rental scams involving fake property agents between July and November, with total losses amounting to at least S$1.8 million (US$1.34 million), police said in a news release on Monday (Dec 11). In this scam variant, victims were pressured by fake propertyContinue Reading

Man arrested for alleged robbery attempt using meat hook

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SINGAPORE: A 33-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly attempting to rob an elderly man with a boning hook.

The police said they were called to the case along Chander Road in the Little India area at about 4am on Sunday (Dec 10).

“An elderly male victim reported that an unknown man had allegedly attempted to rob him with a boning hook and demanded his gold chain with two pendants valued at S$10,000,” the police said in a news release on Monday.

The victim refused and a struggle ensued.

The gold chain subsequently broke and the suspect fled without the jewellery, leaving behind the boning hook – a tool typically used in butchery to handle meat.

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Sufficient supplies of ART kits, public advised not to hoard supplies: MOH

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RISE IN COVID-19 CASES

The estimated number of COVID-19 cases in the week of Nov 26 to Dec 2 rose to 32,035, compared with 22,094 cases in the previous week.

The average daily hospitalisations and ICU admissions have also increased.

MOH said on Dec 8 that it is closely tracking the “added workload” to the “already busy” hospitals to ensure the healthcare capacity is able to cope.

Although the number of cases is rising, there is no indication that the variants circulating locally are more transmissible or cause more severe disease, it added.

The fifth and most recent exercise of the national distribution of ART kits was carried out from Jul 17 to Sep 30.

Each household in Singapore received six ART kits, which were drawn from the national stockpile.

MOH had said the stockpile of ART kits was built to mitigate supply chain disruptions and sudden surges in usage.

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Doctor accused of giving fake COVID-19 jabs fails in bid to revoke suspension order

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SINGAPORE: A doctor accused of giving patients fake COVID-19 jabs has failed in his bid to revoke a suspension order against him.

Jipson Quah, a general practitioner linked to the anti-vaccine Healing the Divide group, was suspended from medical practice in March 2022 after the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) said he allegedly administered saline solution to several people in place of a COVID-19 vaccine.

In the latest review of the interim suspension order, Quah proposed that he be allowed to practise under supervision and report to a supervisor to review his professional work at the end of each week. 

He also proposed returning to medical practice with conditions such as being barred from administering COVID-19 vaccines and attending to patients suffering from the coronavirus.

However, in a decision made public on Monday (Dec 11), the SMC’s Interim Orders Committee rejected his proposals and ordered his interim suspension to continue. 

Quah’s current interim suspension is effective until Sep 22, 2024, unless proceedings under the Medical Registration Act are concluded earlier. 

He was initially suspended for 18 months. SMC later received approval from the High Court to extend the suspension by 12 months starting Sep 23, 2023.

SUSPENSION NECESSARY TO PROTECT PUBLIC: SMC

Quah faces a total of 17 charges, several of which relate to defrauding the Ministry of Health (MOH) by submitting fake COVID-19 vaccination records.

SMC argued in a review hearing last month that Quah’s suspension order should be maintained on its current terms to protect members of the public. 

“The allegations involve Dr Quah profiting financially from the COVID-19 pandemic, flagrantly abusing the privileges given to him as a doctor and deceiving the MOH,” the SMC argued.

“They are serious allegations that raise a substantial risk of harm to his patients and to members of the public because the issues raised concern Dr Quah’s integrity and honesty as a medical professional and relate directly to the clinical setting.”

His alleged actions showed “dishonesty and a cavalier attitude” towards healthcare regulations that were intended to protect the public, the council added.

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POFMA restrictions imposed on Kenneth Jeyaretnam’s website, social media pages over ‘multiple falsehoods’

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Mr Jeyaretnam’s website and social media pages are each required to carry a notice, stating that each of these online locations has been declared as a Declared Online Location.

“With the notice, visitors to these DOLs will be warned that Mr Jeyaretnam has a history of communicating falsehoods on these online locations,” the ministry said.

Mr Jeyaretnam will not be required to cease operations of his website and social media pages.

However, POFMA “prohibits a person from deriving financial benefit from operating a DOL, thereby preventing operators of DOLs from profiting from the communication of falsehoods”, said MCI.

Service providers and digital advertising bodies must take reasonable steps to ensure that paid content that they include on these online locations are not communicated in Singapore. 

Individuals and companies must also not provide financial support to these DOLs if they know it would “support, help or promote the communication of falsehoods in Singapore”, added the ministry. 

“Members of the public are advised to be alert to Mr Jeyaretnam’s history of communicating misinformation on these online locations, and to fact-check information published at these DOLs.”

The owner or operator of the online locations in question may apply to the Minister for Communications and Information to vary or cancel the declaration. If the Minister refuses the application, an appeal can be made to the High Court. 

There are currently four other online sites that are DOLs. These are The Online Citizen Asia’s (TOCA) website, as well as its Facebook, X and LinkedIn pages. 

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House panel hearing Thursday on Thaksin’s prolonged hospital stay

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PUBLISHED : 11 Dec 2023 at 17:27

House panel hearing Thursday on Thaksin's prolonged hospital stay
Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra waves to supporters at Don Mueang airport when he returned on Aug 22. He was then with his daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who is now the leader of the coalition-core Pheu Thai Party. (Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)

The House committee on police affairs will on Thursday consider a complaint questioning former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra continuing stay in the Police General Hospital after being sentenced to a prison term.

Deputy chairman Nathapong Sumanoham, of the opposition Move Forward Party, on Monday confirmed the issue was on the agenda for Thursday’s meeting.

The committee, chaired by Democrat MP Chaichana Dejdecho, will hear from representatives of the Department of Corrections, the Justice Ministry and Police General Hospital, Mr Nathapong said.

Thaksin returned to the country on Aug 22 after more than 15 years of self-exile abroad.

He was immediately sentenced to eight years in prison in three cases – later reduced to one year under a royal pardon – for abuse of authority and conflict of interest while serving as premier prior to 2006.

He was admitted to Police General Hospital on the night of Aug 22, 13 hours after he first entered prison, and he has not left there. 

The Royal Thai Police and the Department of Corrections have denied giving the convict any privileged treatment.

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New investor relations panel to boost eastern corridor

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PUBLISHED : 11 Dec 2023 at 17:20

New investor relations panel to boost eastern corridor
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, second right, chairs a meeting during a special train ride to Laem Chabang port in Chon Buri last month. The premier has put forth a proposal to ramp up promotion of the Eastern Economic Corridor, a policy launched by the previous government, to woo foreign investors. Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit, second left, was at the meeting. (Photo: Government House)

The Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) Policy Committee, the Board of Investment (BoI) and the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) have agreed to establish a joint panel to serve as an investor relations body, Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit said on Monday.

Mr Suriya, who chaired last week’s meeting of a committee tasked with speeding up investments within the EEC, said the joint panel aims to streamline various processes to make the corridor more attractive to investors, while also promoting opportunities to new and potential investors, both domestic and foreign.

According to Mr Suriya, the meeting – which was attended by Chula Sukmanop, secretary-general of the EEC Office – also agreed to seek input from relevant agencies as it sought to facilitate environmental impact assessments for projects within the EEC.

The Department of Public Works would be asked for recommendations concerning city planning to make land use align with the EEC scheme, while the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (Onep) would be invited to give recommendations on improvement of EIA regulations to facilitate investments in targeted businesses in the EEC.

Moreover, the meeting discussed the progress of four EEC infrastructure projects: the 220-kilometre high-speed rail project linking the three airports, development of the U-tapao airport and the aviation city, the third-phase development of Laem Chabang deep-sea port and the third phase development of the Map Ta Phut deep-sea port.

He said authorities concerned were instructed to speed up the handover of land in Bangkok’s Phaya Thai-Bang Sue area designated for the project development within May next year.

The Royal Thai Navy, which supervises the U-tapao airport, would be asked to expedite the planned bidding for the second runway and taxiway within this month. All those involved with the high-speed rail project and the aviation city were also urged to closely coordinate with each other to ensure contract compliance.

As for the Laem Chabang deep-sea port, the meeting instructed the Port Authority of Thailand to speed up land reclamation work and hand over the area to the project partners by November 2025. The facility is scheduled to be completed and open for use in late 2027.

Involving the Map Ta Phut deep-sea port, the meeting asked the IEAT to complete land reclamation work by the end of next year. The facility, which would facilitate transport and storage of liquid goods including liquefied natural gas, is scheduled to be completed and open in early 2027.

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