Arrest made in sex assault of boy at Suvarnabhumi
15-year-old waiting for flight to Krabi was lured into restroom by airline ground crew member, say police
PUBLISHED : 30 Sep 2023 at 20:55
UPDATED : 30 Sep 2023 at 21:03
SAMUT PRAKAN – A ground crew member with a major airline has been arrested on a charge of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old male passenger in a restroom at Suvarnabhumi airport.
The 43-year-old man was taken into custody at a dormitory in Lat Krabang district of Bangkok at around 4pm on Saturday and brought to the Suvarnabhumi airport police station for questioning. He used a jacket to cover his head and refused to answer questions from reporters.
Pol Col Chakrapong Nuchphadung, superintendent of the station, said a 46-year-old woman had approached authorities on Wednesday to report that her son had been molested. The perpetrator was a ground crew member with an airline operating out of the terminal, she told police.
The incident took place around 6.40pm in a restroom located near Gate B8 of the domestic terminal.
The 15-year-old was travelling to see his mother in Krabi and had approached the man for assistance as he was travelling alone.
After issuing a boarding pass and directing the boy to wait for boarding, the man allegedly groped him and then convinced him that his baggage exceeded the weight limit. He told the boy to follow him into a restroom where he would inspect the luggage.
Once in the restroom, however, the suspect reportedly locked himself in a stall with the boy and blocked the exit, sexually assaulting him twice despite the victim’s protests.
According to the victim, the man threatened him about reporting the incident and made him wait while he left the restroom.
After revealing the attack to his family upon arriving in Krabi, the boy was taken to the Nua Klong police station, where authorities were able to collect DNA evidence that led to an arrest warrant being issued.
The suspect, Sukksasem Cherdchoo, admitted to having had sex with the boy but claimed the latter persuaded him to do so and offered no resistance, according to Pol Col Pongkasem Jaturongsak, investigation chief at the Suvarnabhumi police station.
He claimed he and the boy did not reach sexual climax because someone entered the restroom at the time.
He came to work as usual for the rest of the week but took leave on Saturday as he probably knew that the boy had filed a complaint, said Pol Col Pongkasem.
Police question Sukksasem Cherdchoo, 43, at the Suvarnabhumi airport police station on Saturday afternoon about an alleged sexual assault on a minor. (Photo: Sutthiwit Chayutworakan)
Prinn gets 4 years in another sex assault case
Third conviction in the last month for former Democrat Party deputy leader
PUBLISHED : 30 Sep 2023 at 19:18
Prinn Panitchpakdi, a former deputy leader of the Democrat Party, has been sentenced to four years in jail for sexually assaulting a former party member.
The Bangkok South Criminal Court on Friday also ordered Mr Prinn to pay 2 million baht in compensation to Hathairat “Anna” Vidhyaphum. It was his third conviction in the past month.
Ms Hathairat took the rare step last year of going public with her allegations against the politician, as she said she wanted other victims to come forward.
She was the co-plaintiff along with public prosecutors in the case against Mr Prinn.
Mr Prinn was accused of luring Ms Hathairat to a condominium room in Wattana district of Bangkok on April 24, 2021, and using force to rape her.
Prosecutors asked for Mr Prinn to be punished under Sections 276 and 281 of the Criminal Court related to rape and indecent acts and demanded 45 million baht in compensation for physical, psychological and reputational damage to the victim.
The defendant denied the charges.
After examining the evidence and testimony, the court found the defendant guilty of the charges. It initially sentenced him to six years in jail. As his testimony was useful, the court commuted the jail term to four years.
The court said it fount the compensation demand too high. It ordered the defendant to pay 2 million baht plus interest of 5%, starting from the date the assault took place.
After the ruling, Mr Prinn was granted 200,000-baht bail by the court pending his appeal against the conviction.
Ms Hathairat is married to Tanat “Nat” Thanakitamnuay, a wealthy former Democrat Party member who quit and became a high-profile supporter of the pro-democracy protests in 2020. He lost an eye when one protest rally turned violent.
On Monday, the Criminal Court sentenced Mr Prinnn to two years in jail for sexually assaulting an underaged girl, while throwing out another similar case.
On Aug 10, the Criminal Court sentenced him to two years and eight months without suspension for sexually assaulting an 18-year-old student in 2021.
Mr Prinn is the son of Supachai Panitchpakdi, a former deputy prime minister and director-general of the World Trade Organization.
Boy allegedly molested by ground crew at Suvarnabhumi
15-year-old waiting for flight to Krabi was lured into restroom, say police
PUBLISHED : 30 Sep 2023 at 17:25
SAMUT PRAKAN – A ground crew member with a major airline has been accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old male passenger in a restroom at Suvarnabhumi airport.
The incident was confirmed by Pol Col Chakrapong Nuchphadung, superintendent of the airport police station. He said a 46-year-old woman approached authorities on Wednesday to report that her son had been molested by a man identified only as Sukkasem, a ground crew member with an airline operating out of the terminal.
The incident took place around 6.40pm in a restroom located near Gate B8 of the domestic terminal.
The 15-year-old was travelling to see his mother in Krabi and had approached the man for assistance as he was travelling alone.
After issuing the victim a boarding pass and directing him to wait for boarding, Sukkasem, 43, allegedly inappropriately groped the boy and then convinced him that his baggage exceeded the weight limit. He told the victim to follow him into a restroom where he would inspect the luggage.
Once inside the restroom, however, the suspect reportedly locked himself in a stall with the boy and blocked the exit, sexually assaulting him twice despite the victim’s protests.
According to the victim, Sukkasem threatened him about reporting the incident and made him wait while he left the restroom.
After revealing the attack to his family upon arriving in Krabi, the victim was taken to the Nua Klong police station, where authorities were able to collect DNA evidence that has led to an arrest warrant being issued for the airport worker.
Missing Singaporean who fell off ship in June ‘presumed dead’ by US Coast Guard: Sister
SINGAPORE: A Singaporean man who has been missing since falling from a ship into US waters in late June has been “presumed dead”, according to a Facebook post written by his sister on Friday (Sep 29). Mr Muhammad Furqan Mohamed Rashid was reported missing on Jun 20 this year afterContinue Reading
2 million speed pills seized in Chumphon
Drug shipment was bound from Suphan Buri for Songkhla
PUBLISHED : 30 Sep 2023 at 16:43
CHUMPHON – Highway police seized almost 2 million methamphetamine pills in a major bust on Saturday morning.
The Chumphon Highway Police Division said it received a tip about a significant drug trafficking operation moving contraband to the southern region. Upon learning that a white Toyota Yaris was involved, officers set up a checkpoint in tambon Thung Ka.
When they stopped the suspected vehicle to search it, they uncovered several bricks bound in black plastic bags in three sacks hidden behind the driver’s seat. Two more sacks were found in the boot of the car.
On removing the contents of the bricks, police counted 1.998 million speed pills. This led the two occupants of the car — identified only as Siwaporn, 28, and Chompoonuch, 32 — to confess that they had rented the car in Suphan Buri and were headed to meet a buyer in Songkhla.
Police later discovered that another car was involved in the operation. They managed to coordinate with colleagues to stop that vehicle in Ratchaburi and arrest two more people.
The two — identified as Sarawut, 31, and Worapol, 29 — explained that they were serving as lookouts and guides for the first car but broke off when they found that the Yaris had been spotted, hoping to escape to a nearby home.
Man dies in Australia after whale strikes boat
Getty ImagesA whale has struck a boat in Australia, killing one man and leaving another injured, police say.
The men were on a fishing expedition when their boat was hit in waters off La Perouse, 14 km (nine miles) south-east of Sydney.
The alarm was raised after the vessel was spotted unoccupied and circling.
Deaths caused by whales in the region are rare, and a state minister for New South Wales called it “an absolute freak accident”.
Police said in a statement the likely collision had caused the boat to tilt, throwing both men overboard.
“Early reports are that a whale may have breached near the boat, or on to the boat,” Water Police Acting Superintendent Siobhan Munro said, adding that she had not seen a similar incident before.
The victim, 61, was found unconscious and died at the scene, officials said.
The 53-year-old skipper was pulled from the water and taken to hospital, where he is in a stable condition.
Australia’s coastline hosts 10 large and 20 smaller species of whales. It is not yet clear which species was involved in Saturday’s collision.
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Lawyer jailed for lese-majeste denied bail
Court says activist Arnon Nampa, facing 13 other charges under Section 112, is a flight risk
PUBLISHED : 30 Sep 2023 at 15:18
The Court of Appeal has denied a bail request from prominent activist and lawyer Arnon Nampa, who is appealing his four-year sentence for violating Section 112 of the Criminal Code, the lese-majeste law.
The decision was reported by Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday morning.
The organisation said the court reasoned that after considering the severity of the charge and the behaviour of the defendant, it was seen that the actions of Mr Arnon had caused too much detriment to the constitutional monarchy.
The court took the view that due to the four-year prison sentence handed down by a lower court, it was likely the defendant would attempt to flee if allowed to be released on bail.
The court also ruled against a request by Mr Arnon for it to review witnesses in his case, stating that the evidence was sufficient to support the earlier ruling and no further review was required.
Mr Arnon’s lawyer, Krisadang Nutcharus, said he would consult with his client on whether to make another bail request or appeal the order to the Supreme Court.
The Criminal Court on Sept 26 sentenced Mr Arnon, an attorney with TLHR, to four years in prison and a fine of 20,000 baht for violating Section 112. The conviction stemmed from his appearance and statements made to a gathering at Victory Monument in Bangkok on Oct 14, 2020.
While waiting for the decision of the appeals court, Mr Arnon was detained at the Bangkok Remand Prison.
TLHR had earlier expressed confidence that bail would be granted as Mr Arnon showed no likelihood of fleeing or violating the terms of his earlier release on bail. The group also noted he is the father of two children.
Mr Arnon, 39, is widely known for taboo-breaking speeches during pro-democracy protests in 2020 during which he called for public debate on the role of the monarchy.
Section 112 carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years for each perceived insult of the monarchy. Mr Arnon is facing 13 other charges under the same section.
According to data from TLHR to Aug 31 this year, 1,925 people have been prosecuted for political participation and expression since the beginning of the Free Youth protests in July 2020. At least 257 are facing lese-majeste charges under Section 112 and 130 have been charged with sedition under Section 116.
HM King endorses national police chief
Pol Gen Torsak Sukvimol succeeds retiring Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas
PUBLISHED : 30 Sep 2023 at 14:31
His Majesty the King has endorsed the appointment of Pol Gen Torsak Sukvimol as the new national police chief.
The announcement was published in the Royal Gazette on Saturday
His Majesty issued a a royal command ordering Pol Gen Torsak to leave the post of deputy national police chief and take up the position as national police chief. The appointment takes effect on Oct 1. The royal command was countersigned by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, according to the Royal Gazette.
On Wednesday, the Police Commission approved the appointment of Pol Gen Torsak to succeed Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas, who retires on Sept 30.
Pol Gen Torsak was fourth in seniority among the four job contenders. The other candidates were Pol Gen Roy Ingkapairote, the most senior, Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, the second-most senior, and Pol Gen Kitrat Phanphet.
Born in Phetchaburi in 1964, Pol Gen Torsak obtained a bachelor’s degree in political science from Thammasat University and started his career as an employee at Caltex Oil Thailand.
After taking a training course in law, political science and public administration, he set his sights on a police career, joining the force in 1997 as a deputy inspector with the Patrol and Special Operations Division, known as the 191 Police.
He was later transferred to the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) and then the Tourist Police Bureau before returning to the CSD.
He served as commander of the Police Royal Guards 904 Division before becoming a deputy chief and then chief of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB).
Clooney Foundation honours Thai activist lawyers
Thai Lawyers for Human Rights receives Democracy Defenders Award at star-studded gala
PUBLISHED : 30 Sep 2023 at 14:20
NEWSPAPER SECTION: News
Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) has received an award from the Clooney Foundation for Justice for its work on behalf of democracy activists and others facing legal harassment and persecution.
TLHR was one of six individuals and organisations worldwide honoured at The Albies, named for Justice Albie Sachs for his seminal role in ending apartheid in South Africa. The awards were presented on Thursday night at a gala event in New York City organised by the foundation’s founders, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney and her actor husband George Clooney.
TLHR was named the winner of the Justice for Democracy Defenders Award for defending “thousands of students, activists and journalists who have been arrested under Thailand’s laws criminalising peaceful protest and speech — including insulting the monarchy”.
Sirikan “June” Charoensiri, the organisation’s co-founder, has faced multiple prosecutions herself. Her work on behalf of 14 pro-democracy student protesters arrested in June 2015 and charged with sedition by the military regime ultimately led to her facing the same charge.
In her acceptance speech at the awards ceremony, Ms Sirikan asked her audience rhetorically whether they were aware that speaking about the royal family or demanding democratic reform might land them in prison. “These implausible scenarios are all too real for us,” she said.
According to data from TLHR to Aug 31 this year, 1,925 people have been prosecuted for political participation and expression since the beginning of the Free Youth protests in July 2020. At least 257 are facing lese-majeste charges under Section 112 and 130 have been charged with sedition under Section 116.
The Clooneys’ celebrity power drew a large number of prominent figures from the worlds of human rights, business, entertainment, fashion and technology to the awards ceremony.
“Courageous justice defenders around the world face grave dangers that cannot be eliminated overnight,” Amal and George Clooney said in a statement. “But what we can do, in addition to our foundation’s daily work, is shine a spotlight on the danger that these individuals are facing, raising the stakes for their persecutors.”
Actress Meryl Streep joins TLHR co-founder Sirikan Charoensiri (right) and Ann-Pawinee Chumsri, TLHR litigation manager, at The Albies in New York. (Photo: TLHR Facebook)
Crypto hedge fund Three Arrows Capital co-founder arrested at Singapore’s Changi Airport
SINGAPORE: One of the co-founders of collapsed cryptocurrency hedge fund Three Arrows Capital has been apprehended in Singapore and jailed for four months, according to the company’s liquidator.
The Singapore-based company filed for bankruptcy last year when its fortunes suffered a sharp decline after a massive sell-off of assets it had bet on as prices nosedived in crypto markets.
Su Zhu was detained at Changi Airport while trying to leave the country, Three Arrows’ liquidator Teneo said in a statement late Friday (Sep 29).
His arrest came after Teneo said it obtained a committal order this week against Zhu for failing to comply with its investigation into the company’s failure.
“The committal order granted by the Singapore Courts sentenced Mr Zhu to 4 months’ imprisonment,” Teneo said.
His co-founder Kyle Davies was also committed to four months in prison but “his whereabouts remain unknown at this point in time”, it said.
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) had banned the pair “from conducting regulated investment activity for nine years each”, Teneo said.
The liquidator, ordered to preside over the bankruptcy by a court in the British Virgin Islands, is attempting to recover the assets of Three Arrows and bring returns to its creditors after the company failed.
However, it has accused Zhu and Davies of not cooperating with the effort to return funds and failing to voluntarily provide information.
In a profile in The New York Times in June, the pair said they had been travelling since the hedge fund’s collapse, including to the Indonesian resort island of Bali where they had been surfing and meditating.
CNA has contacted the Singapore Police Force and Immigrations and Checkpoints Authority for comment.