South-East Asia (Page 985)

Veteran actor Manop Aswathep has died at the age of 86, according to fellow actor Bin Bunleurit, writing on his personal Facebook yesterday.

Manop: Began acting career in 1963

“I’m deeply sorry for the loss of Manop Aswathep. More details will be posted later,” Bin wrote.

The funeral bathing rite began at 4pm at Wat Chao-am in Taling Chan district of Bangkok.

Born on Oct 16, 1937, and raised in Bangkok, Manop’s real name was Wiriya Julamakorn and his nickname was Ya.

He graduated from the Royal Thai Navy’s naval officer training school in Chon Buri’s Sattahip district and worked at the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters.

He was at that time known as a driver of Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn, leader of Thailand from 1963 to 1973.

Manop began acting in 1963 when he played a supporting role in a film called Nang Saming Phrai. He debuted under the name Nawin Thepyothi.

He later played a leading role in Phichit Thorachon one year later but fame still eluded him. He acted in a supporting role in several more films after that.

The first film which earned him fame was Lakhon Le, a film jointly directed by Prince Bhanubandhu Yugala and Prim Bunnag.

Manop changed his name from Nawin to Manop after this movie. He played various roles afterwards and won the Phra Surasawadee Award, also known as the Tukata Thong (Golden Doll), for a supporting role in 1976.

Sa Kaeo Immigration Police are working with police in Cambodia to hunt down two Thais suspected of being involved in dumping the body of a Thai man found in a rice paddy field in Poi Pet, Cambodia.

Police officers in Poi Pet were alerted by residents about a body found inside a black bag near Koup Thom village about 30 kilometres from Thailand’s border province of Sa Kaeo on Tuesday.

After an investigation revealed the body was that of a Thai man, Sa Kaeo Immigration Police worked with Khlong Luek police on the probe.

They crossed the border to examine the body, identified on Wednesday as Padungkiat Kamwitah, 31, from Chiang Saen district in Chiang Rai.

The villagers told police the bag was brought on a motor tricycle by two or three Thai-speaking men who dumped it into the pond near a rice field.

Sa Kaeo Immigration Police chief, Pol Col Roong Thongmon, said Cambodian police were tracking down the offenders and gathering evidence, especially CCTV footage. All escape routes were blocked to prevent the suspects from crossing the border to Thailand.

Meanwhile, investigation data from Cambodian police indicated the dead man might have been killed after he embezzled 700,000 baht from a Chinese man who owns a casino in Poi Pet where the man worked.

Padungkiat was beaten to death, before the Chinese owner ordered two Thai underlings to dump the body, he said.

NAKHON SI THAMMARAT: A woman has been arrested for allegedly helping a prisoner serving time for attempted murder escape from a hospital in the province, bringing the total number of suspects arrested in the case to four.

Police yesterday took the woman, identified only as Wilawan, to Muang district police station for questioning.

Chaowalit Thongduang, alias Sia Paeng Na Nod, fled the hospital Sunday morning and has not yet been caught.

He was taken there for dental treatment and was subsequently admitted after collapsing, citing severe leg pain.

According to police, Ms Wilawan transferred money to another suspect, known only as Non, to cover his expenses during the escape.

Non was told to drive a car to lead a pickup truck that took the prisoner away from the hospital. The pickup was later seized at a temple in Phatthalung.

Another pickup was reportedly travelling behind the vehicle carrying the prisoner for additional security.

Police will also seek an arrest warrant for Non, said Pol Col Natthawut Thongthip, deputy commander of Nakhon Si Thammarat police.

A criminal check showed that Non, a close aide of Chaowalit, had served jail time for drug and war weapons offences. He was released from jail almost one year ago.

Chaowalit was sentenced to 20 years and six months in jail last year by the Phatthalung Provincial Court for attempted murder in connection with an armed attack on police during an attempted abduction on Sept 2, 2019, in Phatthalung.

Chaowalit began serving his sentence at Phatthalung Prison in January 2022 and was transferred to Nakhon Si Thammarat Prison on Aug 7 this year. He also faces multiple other criminal charges.

The captain of the young “Wild Boars” football team that was rescued from a flooded cave in Chiang Rai in 2018 took his own life while at a school in England, a UK coroner’s inquest has concluded.

Duangphet “Dom” Phromthep, 17, was found unconscious at Brooke House College in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, on Feb 12. He died two days later at Kettering General Hospital.

Prof Catherine Mason, senior coroner for south Leicestershire, recorded a conclusion of suicide following an inquest on Oct 4, British media reported on Friday.

In a record of the inquest seen by the British news agency PA, Prof Mason said Duangphet “was not known to mental health services, and it is not known why he took the actions that he did.

“It could not have been foreseen or prevented,” she wrote of the death. “The police investigation has found no evidence of third-party involvement or suspicious circumstances.”

The sudden death of Duangphet came as a shock to his family and friends. At the time, the cause of death was not known.

His ashes were returned to his grieving family in Thailand on March 4 following his cremation in England.

Duangphet was the captain of the football team whose rescue from the flooded cave captured the attention of the world in 2018. Duangphet was the boy who first shouted out to the rescuers for help. He was then 13. He won a scholarship to study at the football academy in Leicestershire in August last year.

Central unit to work around clock

The Department of Provincial Administration (DPA) has formed a central task force to step up invoking laws against an array of criminal offenders, ranging from drug traffickers to nightclub operators exceeding their closing time.

The nationwide operation will start on Nov 1 and is part of a policy introduced by Anutin Charnvirakul, the new interior minister, to ensure law and order, said Suttipong Juljarern, the ministry permanent secretary.

He was speaking in a video conference with provincial governors around the country yesterday.

Each province may also set up its own task forces to support the central unit which will work around the clock, he said.

Core responsibilities of the task force include inspecting nightspots to ensure they comply with closing times, enforcing the minimum age for patrons, prohibiting drug use in the vicinity and banning weapons and gambling on-site, he said. Nightspots operating without a permit face a crackdown.

The task force will also support the ministry’s nationwide suppression of mafia-like criminal activity.

The public, meanwhile, are being encouraged to supply the ministry with more information about illegal activities. They can submit information to the ministry’s Damrongdham centres nationwide, he said.

The centres will extend their working hours to 6am-6pm every day, he said.

More security checkpoints will be set up as intelligence is gathered on illegal activities, such as drug trafficking, human trafficking, illegal weapons handling, illegal gambling and more, he said.

On Friday, the DPA distributed a total of 5,000 body cameras to administrative officials across the country for use at security checkpoints and when investigating crimes.

The body camera is required under the 2022 Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance Act, which took effect on Feb 22.

Jet ski driver faces charge of recklessness causing death after incident in Samut Prakan canal

Three people on board a longtail boat were killed when a speeding jet ski rammed into their vessel in a canal in Bang Phli district of Samut Prakan on Saturday.

Before the tragic incident occurred, four jet skiers were travelling at high speed in Khlong Nong Ngu Hao near Soi Wat Sri Wareenoi at about 10.30am. One of the drivers suddenly lost control of his craft. He fell into the water and his craft rammed a longtail boat coming from the opposite direction.

The force of the crash killed the boat driver and two other passengers.

The dead victims were later identified as Warisara Saengchan, 29; Sarawut Oumwongprem, 28; and Krisada Worasukhang, 30.

A 45-year-old witness told police that he saw the four jet skis racing in the canal before one of them was hit by the wake from the other craft. The driver jumped free but his jet ski then smashed into the longtail boat, he said.

The father of dead passenger Warisara said he was deeply saddened by the loss of his only daughter. She was still young and had a bright future, said Somphong, 61.

Police have charged the jet ski driver, identified only as Rabin, 31, with recklessness causing death and property damage. During questioning, he complained about chest pains and was sent to hospital.

An official from the Marine Department also filed a complaint against the jet ski driver for using the vessel without a permit, which carries a fine of 10,000 baht, and for driving without a licence, which carries a fine of between 1,000 and 10,000 baht an/or a jail term of up to six months.

Suspect who posed as a construction tycoon and lawyer claims he only ‘borrowed’ money

Police have arrested a 27-year-old man in Chatuchak district of Bangkok on charges of defrauding more than 30 women by posing as a rich man on social media.

The suspect identified only as Krittidech, also known as Thanathorn, was nabbed in Vibhavadi Rangsit Soi 17 on Saturday after police learned that his latest victim was planning to pawn her car for him.

Mr Krittidech was the subject of arrest warrants issued by the Criminal Court in Bangkok and the Chiang Rai provincial court for various offences, including swindling people out of their money and falsifying official documents.

The suspect reportedly admitted the charges during initial questioning but insisted he only borrowed money from the women. One woman gave him a seven-figure sum that he reportedly spent on online gambling.

Police said Mr Krittidech created a false profile on social media where he posed as a CEO of a construction firm and a member of a law firm.

He posted pictures of luxury cars and wristwatches and claimed to know several celebrities to boost his credibility, police said.

After gaining the trust of potential victims, he would cook up a story to borrow money. He simply stole their belongings if the victims declined, police said.

More than 30 women fell victim to the deceptions, which resulted in some 10 million baht in losses, according to the police.

Interior ministry agency will target illegal nightspots, influential figures and related activity

The Department of Provincial Administration (DPA) has formed a central task force to step up enforcement of laws against an array of criminal offenders, ranging from drug traffickers to nightclub operators exceeding their closing time.

The new nationwide operation will start on Nov 1 and is part of a core policy introduced by Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to ensure law and order, said Suttipong Juljarern, the ministry permanent secretary.

Each province may also set up its own task force to support the central unit, which will work around the clock on the new operation, he said during a video conference with provincial governors on Saturday.

Core responsibilities of the new task force include inspecting night entertainment businesses to ensure they strictly comply with closing times, enforcing the minimum age for patrons, prohibiting drug use in such establishments and banning weapons and gambling on-premises, he said.

Any entertainment businesses now operating without proper permits will definitely face a tough crackdown, said Mr Suttipong.

The task force will also support the ministry’s nationwide suppression of mafia-like criminal activity by keeping a close watch on those who are now named as influential figures, he said.

Mr Anutin ordered officials to compile a database on influential crooks nationwide following the murder of a police officer at the home of an influential tambon chief and construction billionaire in Nakhon Pathom province.

The effort was being overseen by Chada Thaised, a deputy interior minister whose own son-in-law, a mayor in Chai Nat, was arrested last week on charges of extorting a contractor.

The survey concluded that there are a total of 180 influential figures nationwide whose activities warrant close scrutiny.

Members of the public, meanwhile, are being encouraged to supply the ministry with more information about illegal activities and by submitting the information to the ministry’s Damrongdham centres nationwide, he said.

The centres will operate with extended hours from 6am to 6pm every day, he said.

As well, he said, more security checkpoints will be set up as more intelligence is gathered on illegal activities, namely drug trafficking, human trafficking, illegal weapons handling, gambling and more.

The DPA, which is also responsible for gun licensing, on Friday distributed a total of 5,000 body cameras to administrative officials across the country. They are to be used at security checkpoints and while investigating crimes, said a source familiar with the programme.

A body camera is required to be used in such situations, under Section 22 of the 2022 Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance Act.