Korean woman, 2 cats die in apparent Phuket charcoal suicide

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Rescuers arrive at the house where a Korean woman was found dead on Sunday to take the body in a vehicle to Chalong Hospital in Muang district of Phuket for an autopsy. (Photo Achadthaya Chuenniran)
Rescuers arrive at the house where a Korean woman was found dead on Sunday to take the body in a vehicle to Chalong Hospital in Muang district of Phuket for an autopsy. (Photo Achadthaya Chuenniran)

PHUKET: A South Korean woman was found dead along with two cats in a house in Muang district on Sunday. A cooking pot filled with charcoal connected to an electric plug was believed to be the cause of the deaths.

Pol Capt Jaras Lekpan, an investigator at Chalong police station, said police and rescuers went to the house in Villa Soi 1 in tambon Chalong after being alerted to the deaths.

The Korean woman, identified later as Mi Jung Park, 43, and two cats were found lying dead in the bathroom. A cooking pot filled with charcoal connected to an electric plug was found near them.

The woman’s husband, who worked in Surat Thani, told police that he found his wife and the two cats dead when he returned to the house on Sunday, prompting him to contact authorities.

He said he recently had a quarrel with his wife who said she felt she was neglected by him and wanted to die.

It was initially believed she took her own life with charcoal smoke.

Police were investigating. The woman’s body was sent to Chalong Hospital for an autopsy to establish the cause of death.

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Korean woman, 2 cats, found dead in Phuket house

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Rescuers arrive at the house where a Korean woman was found dead on Sunday to take the body in a vehicle to Chalong Hospital in Muang district of Phuket for an autopsy. (Photo Achadthaya Chuenniran)
Rescuers arrive at the house where a Korean woman was found dead on Sunday to take the body in a vehicle to Chalong Hospital in Muang district of Phuket for an autopsy. (Photo Achadthaya Chuenniran)

PHUKET: A South Korean woman was found dead along with two cats in a house in Muang district on Sunday. A cooking pot filled with charcoal connected to an electric plug was believed to be the cause of the deaths.

Pol Capt Jaras Lekpan, an investigator at Chalong police station, said police and rescuers went to the house in Villa Soi 1 in tambon Chalong after being alerted to the deaths.

The Korean woman, identified later as Mi Jung Park, 43, and two cats were found lying dead in the bathroom. A cooking pot filled with charcoal connected to an electric plug was found near them.

The woman’s husband, who worked in Surat Thani, told police that he found his wife and the two cats dead when he returned to the house on Sunday, prompting him to contact authorities.

He said he recently had a quarrel with his wife who said she felt she was neglected by him and wanted to die.

It was initially believed she took her own life with charcoal smoke.

Police were investigating. The woman’s body was sent to Chalong Hospital for an autopsy to establish the cause of death.

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Pork smuggling into Thailand soars

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FILE PHOTO: Patchara Anuntasilpa, fourth from left, director-general of the Customs Department, displays a seizure of smuggled pork at a press conference in September last year. (Photo: Apichart Jinakul)
FILE PHOTO: Patchara Anuntasilpa, fourth from left, director-general of the Customs Department, displays a seizure of smuggled pork at a press conference in September last year. (Photo: Apichart Jinakul)

The amount of smuggled pork seized this year soared by 10-fold from the total last year due to high local pork prices, according to the Customs Department.

Patchara Anuntasilpa, director-general of the department, said that this year customs officials have seized 4.7 million tonnes of smuggled pork, almost 10 times the 480,000 tonnes of smuggled pork his department impounded throughout last year.

The department intensified its inspections of all frozen imports over recent months because their recorded amount was unusually high this year. The increased searches found quantities of smuggled pork which was falsely declared as frozen fish, he said.

“In 2022 and 2023 local pork has been very expensive, more than 200 baht per kilogramme. The high prices prompt groups of people to source pork from Europe and South America for sales in Thailand,” Mr Patchara said.

The Customs Department suspended the licences of shipping agents involved in pork smuggling and was coordinating the disposal of smuggled pork with the Livestock Development Department, he said.

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Tropical storm Talim to bring more rain July 16-20

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More rain is forecast across the country from Sunday to Thursday as a result of tropical storm Talim over Vietnam and local monsoons, the Meteorological Department said in its 5am weather forecast on Sunday.

As of 4am on Sunday, tropical storm Talim over the upper South China Sea packing sustained winds of about 85 kilometres per hour was slowly moving in the north-northwest direction. It was expected to move over Hainan island and make landfall in upper Vietnam on July 18-19.

Meanwhile, over July 16-20 a strong monsoon trough will move over the North, Northeast and Central regions of Thailand while another strong southwestern monsoon prevails across the Andaman Sea, the South and the Gulf of Thailand.

More rain is likely across the country. Isolated heavy to very heavy rain is possible in all regions during the period.

People are advised to beware of severe weather conditions that may cause flash floods and overflows, especially along waterways and lowlands.

Provinces to be affected are:

July 16

• North: Chiang Rai, Phayao, Lampang, Phrae, Nan, Uttaradit, Tak, Phitsanulok and Phetchabun.
• Northeast: Nong Bua Lamphu, Udon Thani, Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, Sakon Nakhon, Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan , Yasothon, Roi Et, Amnat Charoen, Si Sa Ket and Ubon Ratchathani.
• Central: Kanchanaburi and Ratchaburi.
• East: Nakhon Nayok, Prachin Buri, Sa Kaeo, Chachoengsao, Chon Buri, Rayong, Chanthaburi and Trat.
• South: Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon, Surat Thani, Ranong, Phang-nga, Phuket and Krabi.

July 17-18

• North: Mae Hong Son, Tak and Kamphaeng Phet.
• Northeast: Loei, Nong Bua Lamphu, Udon Thani, Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, Sakon Nakhon, Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Kalasin, Maha Sarakham, Roi Et, Yasothon, Amnat Charoen, Nakhon Ratchasima, Buriram, Surin, Si Sa Ket and Ubon Ratchathani.
• East: Nakhon Nayok, Prachin Buri, Sa Kaeo, Chachoengsao, Chon Buri, Rayong, Chanthaburi and Trat.
• South: Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon, Surat Thani, Ranong, Phang-nga, Phuket, Krabi, Trang and Satun in the South.

July 18-19

• North: Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lamphun, Lampang, Phayao, Nan, Phrae, Uttaradit, Tak, Phitsanulok and Phetchabun.
• Northeast: Loei, Nong Bua Lamphu, Udon Thani, Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, Sakon Nakhon, Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Roi Et, Yasothon, Amnat Charoen, Nakhon Ratchasima, Buriram, Surin, Sisaket and Ubon Ratchathani.
• Central: Saraburi, Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi, Samut Sakhon, Samut Songkhram, Nakhon Pathom, and Bangkok and its vicinity.
• East: Nakhon Nayok, Prachin Buri, Sa Kaeo, Chachoengsao, Chonburi, Rayong, Chanthaburi and Trat.
• South: Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon, Surat Thani, Ranong, Phang Nga, Phuket, Krabi, Trang and Satun.

Waves in the Andaman Sea and upper Gulf of Thailand will be 2-4 metres high, and 4m in areas with thundershowers.

In the lower Gulf of Thailand, waves will be 2-3 metres high and over 3m in areas with thundershowers.

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POFMA orders issued to Kenneth Jeyaretnam, online publication Jom over Ridout Road articles

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CORRECTION DIRECTIONS TO JOM In a separate press release, MinLaw and the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) said Mr Tong and Minister for Communications and Information Josephine Teo have issued correction directions to online publication Jom. According to its website, Jom is a weekly magazine about Singapore. Its co-foundersContinue Reading

Thais want repeated re-nominations of Pita until he’s endorsed: poll

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Move Forward Party leaders Pita Limjaroenrat talks to reporters after the prime ministerial vote at the parliament on July 13. (Photo: Pornprom Satrabhaya)
Move Forward Party leaders Pita Limjaroenrat talks to reporters after the prime ministerial vote at the parliament on July 13. (Photo: Pornprom Satrabhaya)

More than 43% of Thais said Pita Limjaroenrat, the sole prime ministerial candidate of the Move Forward Party, should be re-nominated repeatedly until he is finally endorsed if he failed in the first round of vote in parliament, according to an opinion survey by the National Institute of Development Administration, or Nida Poll.

The poll was conducted by telephone interviews with 1,310 people on July 11-12, before parliament convened on July 13 to select the prime minister when Mr Pita was nominated for the post of prime minister. He needed at least 375 votes from the 500 elected House members and the 250 military-appointed senators but managed to get only 324.

Asked what should happen if Mr Pita failed to get the needed votes in the first round, the answers were:

• 43.21% said Mr Pita should be re-nominated repeatedly until he finally gets enough votes
• 20.69% said he should be re-nominated only once or twice
• 12.98% said the Move Forward Party should back down from some policies opposed by senators
• 7.94% said the Pheu Thai Party, which came second in terms of MP numbers, should be immediately allowed to lead the formation of a government
• 4.88% said the Move Forward Party should invite other parties in the former government bloc to join the eight-party alliance to increase support votes
• 2.67% said there should be protest rallies to apply pressure on senators to vote for Mr Pita
• 2.52% said the Pheu Thai Party should immediately take over the Move Forward Party in forming a government
• 2.29% said the Move Forward Party should immediately announce to take the opposition role
• 2.06% said the Pheu Thai Party should immediately form a new alliance to form a government
• 0.76% had no answer or were not interested

Asked who they thought stands a good chance of being nominated for the prime minister’s post if Mr Pita failed to get enough votes, the answers were:

• 38.55% mentioned Paetongtarn Shinawatra of the Pheu Thai Party
• 35.04% Srettha Thavisin of the Pheu Thai Party
• 6.79% Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha of the United Thai Nation Party
• 5.42% Gen Prawit Wongsuwon of the Palang Pracharath Party
• 4.27% Anutin Charnvirakul of the Bhumjaithai Party
• 1.45% Jurin Laksanawisit  of the Democrat Party
• 1.07% Pirapan Salirathavibhaga of the United Thai Nation Party
• 1.76% combined mentioned Chaikasem Nitisiri of the Pheu Thai Party and Khunying Sudarat and Sita Divari of the Thai Sang Thai Party.

The rest, 5.65%, had no answer or were not interested.

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Most people for repeated re-nominations of Pita until he is endorsed: Nida Poll

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Most people said Pita Limjaroenrat, the sole prime ministerial candidate of the Move Forward Party, should be re-nominated repeatedly until he is finally endorsed if he failed in the first round of vote in parliament, according to an opinion survey by the National Institute of Development Administration, or Nida Poll.

The poll was conducted by telephone interviews with 1,310 people on July 11-12, before parliament convened on July 13 to select the prime minister when Mr Pita was nominated for the post of prime minister. He needed at least 375 votes of endorsement but managed to get only 324.

Asked what if Mr Pita failed to get the needed votes in the first round, the answers varied:

• 43.21% said Mr Pita should be re-nominated repeatedly until he finally gets enough votes
• 20.69% said he should be re-nominated only once or twice
• 12.98% said the Move Forward Party should back down from some policies disagreed by senators
• 7.94% said the Pheu Thai Party, which came second in terms of MP numbers, should be immediately allowed to lead the formation of a government
• 4.88% said the Move Forward Party should invite other parties in the former government bloc to join the eight-party alliance to increase support votes
• 2.67% said there should be protest rallies to apply pressure on senators to vote for Mr Pita
• 2.52% said the Pheu Thai Party should immediately take over the Move Forward Party in forming a government
• 2.29% said the Move Forward Party should immediately announce to take the opposition role
• 2.06% said the Pheu Thai Party should immediately form a new alliance to form a government
• 0.76% had no answer or were not interested

Asked who they thought stands a good chance of being nominated for the prime minister’s post if Mr Pita failed to get enough votes, the answers:

• 38.55% mentioned Paetongtarn Shinawatra of the Pheu Thai Party
• 35.04% Srettha Thavisin of the Pheu Thai Party
• 6.79% Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha of the United Thai Nation Party
• 5.42% Gen Prawit Wongsuwon of the Palang Pracharath Party
• 4.27% Anutin Charnvirakul of the Bhumjaithai Party
• 1.45% Jurin Laksanawisit  of the Democrat Party
• 1.07% Pirapan Salirathavibhaga of the United Thai Nation Party
• 1.76% combined mentioned Chaikasem Nitisiri of the Pheu Thai Party and Khunying Sudarat and Sita Divari of the Thai Sang Thai Party.

The rest, 5.65%, had no answer or were not interested.

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22 oil leaks, 507 tonnes of waste in one year

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Pollution Control Department officials work to clean up the oil spill that washed ashore along a 2-kilometre stretch of Rayong’s Mae Ramphueng beach in January last year. (Photo: Pornprom Satrabhaya)
Pollution Control Department officials work to clean up the oil spill that washed ashore along a 2-kilometre stretch of Rayong’s Mae Ramphueng beach in January last year. (Photo: Pornprom Satrabhaya)

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has reported 22 incidents of oil leaks in the Gulf of Thailand and a total of 507 tonnes of rubbish collected from the seas around the country last year, said deputy government spokeswoman Traisulee Taisaranakul.

Ms Traisulee said the cabinet has acknowledged the report from the ministry offering an overview of the country’s marine environment situation in 24 coastal provinces last year.

Overall, sea water quality was found to be slightly more polluted due to oil spills and garbage dumps from industrial plants. Reports said that 7% of sea water is very clean with 57% rated as clean, 30% moderately clean and 6% polluted.

Ms Traisulee said that there were 22 incidents of oil leaks last year, most of which occurred in Rayong and neighbouring Chon Buri where many industrial plants are located and tourist activities take place.

The ministry also reported that over 507 tonnes of marine garbage and debris were collected from the seas around the country last year. Most were discarded bottles, plastic bags and styrofoam.

Of the 659 sea animals found to have beached last year, 168 had died from ingesting plastic and becoming entangled with drifting rubbish.

The ministry also reported that 823 km of the country’s 3,151 km coastline is eroded. Of the eroded coasts, 753 km of coastline has been repaired by constructing barriers and sand fences, said Ms Traisulee. She added the coral reef situation in Thailand improved last year compared to the previous year.

The country has 149,182 rai of coral reef. The ministry said 53% of the reefs are in good condition, 22% in moderately good condition while some of the remaining 25% have been slightly bleached.

Seagrass around the country has expanded by 4% compared to 2021. It was found that of the 103,580 rai of seagrass nationwide, 25% were in good condition, 36% in moderately good condition and the remaining 35% slightly good condition.

Also, the country has 1.73 million rai of mangrove forests which are found to be most densely-grown in the southern provinces along the lower Andaman coast. As for the beach forests, there are 47,149 rai across 18 provinces. Few expanses of such forests remain due to a lack of conservation efforts and heavy tourism. Turning to rare marine animals, Ms Traisulee said 273 dugongs and 2,310 dolphins and whales were found in the country’s seas. Sea turtles were reported to have laid eggs in 604 nests.

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Thai brides flee as sweet talk sours

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victims say deals gateway to abuse

Women hired to marry Chinese men risk breaking the law both in China and Thailand, warned the police on Saturday.

The warning came after the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division (ATPD) found that a Thai woman in Udon Thani, who endured three years of assault in China, was not the victim of a human trafficking offence.

The woman married a Chinese man of her own free will so it is not a human trafficking case, said ATPD deputy commander Pol Col Surapong Chatsut.

The woman, identified by police as a 31-year-old Nuch, signed a contract with a go-between, legally obliging her to marry a Chinese man to produce a child.

Ms Nuch earlier told police she and three others were tricked into marrying Chinese men.

They were said to be persuaded by a matchmaker, identified as Da, to tie the knot with Chinese men for 100,000-baht dowries with a condition that they get pregnant in the first six months.

However, the victims were said to have stayed in China as servants or even the second wives to their fathers-in-law after the babies were delivered.

Ms Nuch, who is from the province’s Nong Wua So district, first told the media on Thursday about her marriage and the torment she suffered. She said she and three other Thai women were able to leave China and arrived back in Thailand last month thanks to her mother’s help.

Ms Nuch said she married 32-year-old Chinese national Jin Wei Lian less than three days after their matchmaking before moving to China’s Hubei province.

She said she told the matchmaker before meeting her husband that she was unable to bear children, but the marriage went ahead regardless. She was kept in a house and was assaulted by her husband and her mother-in-law for failing to conceive.

She said she was assaulted for three years before she decided to flee to Thailand along with three other women who also reported unhappy and abusive marriages to Chinese partners.

Pol Col Surapong said that to be admissible as a human trafficking offence, the victim must suffer a forcible act. Under the Anti-Trafficking Act 2008, such offence covers prostitution, production and distribution of pornographic materials, slavery, forced recruitment of individuals to work as beggars and forced labour.

“Ms Nuch, on the other hand, contractually consented to marry in exchange for a dowry, which is outside of the act’s coverage,” the ATPD deputy commander said.

The ATPD officers were sent to Udon Thani to investigate similar marriage scams there.

Pol Col Surapong said he was concerned some local women may have signed the marriage contract without a full understanding of the fine print contained in the agreement. Getting help to them will be difficult once they have left the country to live in China.

“This issue could make some Thai women feel apprehensive about getting into a relationship with foreign nationals,” he added.

More Chinese men were looking outside their country for women to have children with since China lifted its one-child policy, in place from 1980 to 2016, according to Pol Col Surapong.

Meanwhile, Pol Maj Gen Panthana Nuchanart, deputy commissioner of the Immigration Bureau (IB), said strict measures were being launched to deter Chinese criminals from using Thailand as a base to conduct illegal activities.

The measures were also needed to keep out Chinese fugitives planning to enter the kingdom to escape legal charges.

Pol Maj Gen Panthana said being hired to get married and having gone to live in China entails many legal and personal dangers to the women, who also risk breaking the law both in Thailand and China.

Apart from physical abuse, other possible legal violations concern the terms and conditions of the marriage contracts.

The men who came over from China to spend time in Thailand as part of the marriage arrangement must also comply with the Immigration Act, which stipulates they must notify the IB within 24 hours of their arrival.

Pol Maj Gen Panthana attended a conference on combating trans-border crimes between Thailand and China, in Kunming, capital of China’s Yunnan province, from July 8-12.

Participants exchanged information which enabled authorities in both countries to prepare suppression and prevention measures.

Chinese authorities also agreed to share with the IB their database of criminal suspects facing arrest warrants in China, who might be fleeing to Thailand.

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Navy probes ‘stolen’ ammo allegations

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A naval demonstration is carried out near Sattahip Naval Base in Chon Buri’s Sattahip district. (File photo)
A naval demonstration is carried out near Sattahip Naval Base in Chon Buri’s Sattahip district. (File photo)

The navy has opened an investigation into an ordnance officer believed to be responsible for stealing large quantity of cartridges from its arsenal in Sattahip naval base in Chon Buri, according to navy spokesman Adm Pokkrong Monthatphalin.

He was responding to the popular CSI-LA Facebook page, run by a Thai expatriate in the US, which alleged tens of thousands of M855 and M856 cartridges as well as thousands of 40mm grenade launcher rounds have gone missing from the navy’s warehouse in Sattahip.

The navy chief Adm Choengchai Chomchoengpaet has ordered a probe into the theft which was reported to the Royal Thai Marine Corps (RTMC) on July 5. An inspection of the arsenal is underway at the compound of the Phra Maha Jetsadaratchao naval camp.

Checks found a significant quantity of ammunition missing, Adm Pokkrong said. He did not give a figure.

A separate panel was also launched by the navy chief’s order to look into disciplinary punishment against the ordnance officer who looted the cartridges. Adm Choengchai has insisted that swift action will be taken.

The RTMC also issued an instruction for the closed-circuit television footage at the arsenal to be reviewed and guards on the premises interviewed. It came to the RTMC’s attention that an ordnance officer had let himself in to the warehouse using duplicate keys he had made and taken ammunition on several occasions.

The officer, whose name was not given, has been absent from work since July 6 and could not be contacted.

The warehouse guards are not involved in the theft, said Adm Pokkrong.

The guards said they did not stop the officer from taking the ammunition because they thought it was part of his working routine.

The CSI-LA Facebook page said one source estimated that at least 400,000 cartridges were stolen. The page added it was curious to know why the ammunition disappeared in the wake of clashes in a neighbouring country and at a time when Thailand’s politics was becoming increasingly unstable over the PM vote.

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