Eight more charged in 2004 Tak Bai massacre

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Following criminal case filed just before the 20-year statute of limitations expires

PUBLISHED: 18 Sep 2024 at 15: 51

Security personnel cuff demonstrators outside the Tak Bai police station in Narathiwat to prepare them for transport to an army camp on Oct 25, 2004. Seventy-eight of them died during the journey. (Bangkok Post file photo: Thawatchai Kemgumnerd)
On October 25, 2004, security personnel sleeve demonstrators in Narathiwat’s Tak Bai police station to get them ready for transportation to an army camp. Seventy-eight of them died during the trip. ( Bangkok Post file photo: Thawatchai Kemgumnerd )

Eight former security personnel were detained in Thailand on suspicion of participating in the Tak Bai protests, which occurred 20 years ago, when 78 protesters were suffocated or killed when they were crammed into army trucks, according to the Office of the Attorney General ( OAG ) on Wednesday.

Six men and two civilians make up the eight accused of premeditated crime with immediate effects.

Although there was no intention of killing, OAG spokesman Prayut Phetcharakhun said at a press conference that using packed trucks to detain protesters was unacceptable.

” The suspects had had foreseen that their actions may have led to the strangulation and incidents of the 78 people under their responsibility”, &nbsp, he said.

The news comes only days before the case’s 20-year statute of limitations expires on October 25. After years of legal battles, the Narathiwat Criminal Court finally accepted a related complaint brought by the victims ‘ families against security personnel.

The seven defendants in the latter situation were scheduled to appear in court on September 12 for see questioning and data examination, but none of them showed up. Six of them received arrest permits.

A call was issued for the sixth accused, former Army Region 4 chief Gen Pisal Wattanawongkiri. He is already a list-MP of the ruling Pheu Thai Party protected by parliamentary immunity.

The seven defendants in the first situation are charged with murder and unlawful confinement after failing to handle the show and its fallout.

The two incidents revolve around a shooting incident in Tak Bai in the southwestern province of Narathiwat in 2004, when 78 activists were killed while piled on top of one another in military trucks, and 78 were killed by suffocating themselves.

Thaksin Shinawatra, the then-prime secretary, apologised for the murder but shied away from accepting role. Initial reports by officers indicated that some activists were armed. No one has ever been charged with a crime for the murders.

The assault, which drew international criticism, occurred while the place was under martial law. In the three mostly Muslim provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani, and Yala, it was one of the most fatal incidents in a dissident insurgency that resurened the same year. Since then, more than 7,600 people have died in the three most moderately Arab provinces.

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Developing storm to bring heavy rain from Thursday

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PUBLISHED: 18 Sep 2024 at 14: 20

The Mekong River, about 20 centimetres below its overflow threshold, in Muang district of Nakhon Phanom on Wednesday. (Photo: Pattanapong Sripiachai)
The Mekong River, about 20 centimetres below its overflowing level, in Muang city of Nakhon Phanom on Wednesday. ( Photo: Pattanapong Sripiachai )

Heavy rainfall and large waves are expected to cover the entire nation from Thursday through Monday, brought on by the country’s annual rain and a developing tropical storm that is expected to hit Vietnam on Friday.

Kornrawee Sitthichivapak, director-general of the Meteorological Department, said on Wednesday that large storms and strong winds were forecast for the North, Northeast, Central Plain including Greater Bangkok, the East and South from Sept 19 to 23.

Therefore, there could be drainage and display floods on sloping and low-lying ground, and near waters, she said.

At 10am on Wednesday, a melancholy located over the lower South China Sea, about 550 kilometers west of Da Nang, was bringing the weather.

According to Ms. Kornrawee, the depression’s center was moving westward and was possible to become a tropical cyclone at 55 kilometers per hour. It would make its way to central Vietnam on Friday or Saturday, and then eventually diminish.

The Andaman Sea, the South, and the Gulf of Thailand did experience heavy weather from a rain, according to Ms. Kornrawee’s additional statement.

In the Andaman Sea and the lower region of the Gulf, waves may be two to four meters high, and in the lower region of the sea, they could be two to four meters high.

Boats should keep offshore in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand during this time.

Prior to the storm’s appearance in Vietnam, the Royal Irrigation Department announced on Wednesday that it would eventually increase the rate of release from the Chao Phraya storm in Chai Nat state, from 1, 099 to 1, 500 cubic meters per second.

In the Chao Phraya River valley, 11 counties ‘ waters were projected to increase by 60 to 100 centimeters. They are: &nbsp, Ang Thong, Ayutthaya, Bangkok, Chai Nat, Lop Buri, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, Sing Buri, Suphan Buri and Uthai Thani.

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Woman pocketed S,000 paid by residents for condo fees, claims she was owed salary

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A former senior estate manager in charge of handling connections between condo residents and Management Corporation Strata Titles (MCSTs ) allegedly owed more than S$ 89, 000 in taxes to people.

Nurafezah Mohamed Rafe, 37, was sentenced to 10 months ‘ jail on Wednesday ( Sep 18 ) for her crimes.

Her attorney claimed that she had done it because she was owed money and that she had also used the money to pay off contractors and other people.

The Singaporean pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful breach of trust by an employee, with another four charges involving another S$ 14, 000 taken into consideration.

Nurafezah worked for ALPS4 International, an realtor hired by the condominium management to manage repair and communicate with people, according to the court’s investigation.

Among the flats ALPS4 handled was Bella Vista, a property in Serangoon.

Nurafezah informed a number of Bella Vista residents that they owed cash to the MCST for expenses like condominium repair and renovation costs between October 2021 and February 2022.

Instead of the MCST banks accounts, she instructed them to deposit the funds into her own bank accounts.

Nine residents in full transferred S$ 89,362 to Nurafezah in the span of four months.

She has since made no compensation for the money she used to pay her own personal expenses.

The attorney sought 11 to 13 times ‘ prison for Nurafezah, saying a considerable sum had been misappropriated.

Nurafezah is also accused of in 2011 of deliberately causing harm and lying.

Tembusu Law’s defense attorney Jonathan Wong requested nine months ‘ imprisonment in the end.

He said Nurafezah’s past crimes happened 12 years ago, showing a” important and I did say effective revolution” of his customer.

Since therefore, Nurafezah has gotten married and “embarked on a job”.

SHE USED ONLY A Part FOR HERSELF: Army

The attorney said only a part of the S$ 89, 000 was used for his lawyer’s own costs, in the form of “paying herself the income she was owed by the business”.

According to Mr. Wong,” The majority of this, which we estimate at S$ 60, 000 plus, was used by her to receive toward other people who were in debt in terms of what the business was owing to them.”

” This included additional business associates, as well as other suppliers and service companies.”

He claimed that none of this justifies or gives Nurafezah the right to carry out her actions, but that the judge should take into account that this case was “quite diverse.”

He claimed that his client, who now works from a small stall and sells food for herself, was eager to recover both her career and life.

In reaction, the prosecutor said the allegations about non-payment of her earnings were certainly borne out by studies.

Nurafezah was given the option of extending her prison sentence until October 2.

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MOE will protect teachers from ‘unreasonable expectations’ that affect their well-being

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Additionally, Mr. Chan made various suggestions to streamline non-teaching jobs and lessen the load for educators. &nbsp,

Schools can choose between the applied learning program and the learning for living program, he said, starting in 2026, and choosing just one of the two. &nbsp,

Schools will have the authority to review and simplify the two programs, allowing them to free up staff for additional priorities, according to Mr. Chan. &nbsp,

Applications of thinking skills and linking expertise across content areas, such as architecture, robotics, and journalism, are the focus of Applied Learning programmes. &nbsp,

Learning for career programs emphasize real-world, empirical learning to foster character and values in disciplines like outdoor adventure, sports, and visual arts. &nbsp,

The introduction of the applied teaching and learning for life programs in 2014 and the drive for niche programs came in 2005. &nbsp,

He noted that MOE’s current efforts to streamline non-teaching duties have reduced teachers ‘ exam administrative load by 10 %. &nbsp,

With the introduction of the Singapore-Cambridge&nbsp, Secondary&nbsp, Education Certificate from 2027, the number of test classes may be reduced by about half, and invigilation weight by up to 15 per share. &nbsp,

The government will also captain a method for parents to use technology to reduce the load of teachers by using Parents Gateway to use the technology, according to the education secretary. &nbsp,

In the first school year of 2025, the captain will be conducted in 10 key to pre-university level classrooms, according to MOE in a distinct press release. &nbsp,

According to Mr. Chan, educators may change their attitudes when it comes to their work. They must also remember that striving for superiority is not the same as achieving excellence. &nbsp,

Educators should not be held up by the fear of mistake, he added.

” We should not expect to do everything for everyone at all times, at the same time… We do n’t need to be everywhere, everything, everyone, all at the same time. We are not extraordinary people”, said the education secretary. &nbsp,

” If we do n’t prioritise, we do ourselves a disservice. We also do our efforts and our students a disservice” .&nbsp,

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Ah Boys To Men actor Ryan Lian arrested for allegedly tampering with lock at Telok Blangah flat

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Ryan Lian, a famous actor from Singapore for his roles in Ah Boys To Men 4 and Money No Enough, was detained on Sunday ( 15 ) after being caught on camera trying to break open an electronic lock on a Telok Blangah resident’s home.

The native, a 30-year-old caregiver named Laura, was out having a dinner with her family when she was alerted by her smartphone, saying that someone had pressed her door. A naked man fiddling with her gate and efficiently opening the switch were the footage from the security camera that was installed outside her wall, Laura saw.

She continued, claiming that the man had pressed her wooden door’s electric lock but he had resisted. He also ran into Laura’s helper who was n’t aware of what had happened.

” My companion was unaware that the person wanted to open our door.” Fortunately, he did n’t carry a weapon and did n’t hurt anyone”, said Laura in an interview with publication Shin Min Daily News.

Laura therefore requested that her husband call the police and that she contact her neighbors through her group chat group to inform them of the event.

Police have confirmed that they received a report at 11.25 am and that they have detained one person under the Mental Health ( Care and Treatment ) Act. &nbsp,

In a separate interview with 8world, Laura said:” From the picture, it seems that his behavior is not in a great mental position… Happily, he is not aggressive. I do n’t know what his intention was. There were some packages outside the neighbour’s house, but he did not take them away” .&nbsp,

Lian had recently discussed his issues with psychological health. He disclosed his three-year sadness to Shin Min in 2022. He likewise revealed to Lianhe Zaobao that it was the cause of his departure from the television series When Duty Calls 2 at the time.

Lian has been contacted for feedback by CNA Lifestyle.

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‘It’s like attending a funeral’: Singapore Turf Club prepares for farewell race on Oct 5 to honour 182-year legacy

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A BITTERSWEET GOODBYE

The final race meeting will be a bittersweet affair, jockeys and horse owners who are affected by the club’s closure told CNA’s Singapore Tonight on Tuesday ( Sep 17 ).  
 
Visitors will be very excited and will be heading out for a fun day of it, according to animal owner Eric Koh, managing chairman of Equine Sanctuary, a company of horse care services.  
 
“ But to a lot of us- the educators, the masters, the jockeys- it’ll be pretty a somber and depressing time. It’s like attending a death truly, because it’s the last day of Singapore racing after 182 times. ”
 
The business in animal and horse racing had hoped for a U-turn in the closure, according to Mr. Koh, who has been busy organizing the relocation of horses.  
 
“ But I guess by then, the truth has set in, ” he said. “So ( for most of the economy ), we have all accepted that there’s no U-turn and so we just have to move on. ”
 
While there is the option of racing overseas, it is “a different feeling ” when competing at home, he added.  
 
There has been a lot of curiosity among other Asian nations that want to set up a track as well since the announcement of ( the closure last year ). ”
 
The STC was where Matthew Kellady’s past horse, who is now a work horse at the Hong Kong Jockey Club, met his wife.  
 
“My whole life is ( in Singapore ), it means everything to me, ” he said. “It’s really hard for me to travel, and get a new career, ” he told CNA from Guangzhou.  
 
I have missed all of their birthdays and other significant lifestyle milestones because I have to leave my wife and my three children in Singapore.  
 
“ While I’m very grateful for the job in China, it is very lonely, being here all alone by myself. I have to create a very difficult decision to leave the home behind when I travel all the way around. ”

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Man behind ‘Hide The Pain Harold’ meme is in Singapore for crypto event

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Arato is seen near the Singapore River in a photo taken on his Instagram on September 18 and Marina Bay Sands in the background. He was visiting the SEA Aquarium at Resorts World Sentosa in an older blog.

Arato revealed in an interview with the American news outlet The Guardian that he had been approached by a design for a few stock photos at the beginning of the shoot.

” Over the course of two centuries, he took lots of photos of me for photo library.

” I thought the pictures would just be used by businesses and websites, but I was n’t expecting the memes. Individuals have texted their brides leaving them, or they claim their identities have been stolen and their bank accounts have been wiped out on my photos. They used my photo because it appeared as though I was smiling despite the suffering.

Shortly after embracing his fame, he created a fan page where he could release it with his own articles. As a result, he was approached by several companies to appear in ads and also gave a TED speak in 2019.

” I’m not really a sad man: I think I’m rather a joyful one,” said Arato in the meeting.

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