Singapore Transport Minister S Iswaran was arrested and released on bail as part of CPIB probe
SINGAPORE: Singapore’s Transport Minister S Iswaran was arrested on Tuesday (Jul 11) and subsequently released on bail, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said on Friday. The anti-graft agency had announced on Wednesday that Mr Iswaran was assisting with a case it uncovered, although it did not reveal the nature of theContinue Reading
Heralded teacher accused of accommodation scam
Sacked for poor performance as gambling habit took hold, suspect preyed on other teachers and students
A former award-winning teacher has been arrested on charges of duping more than 100 teachers through a Facebook scam advertising bookings for accommodations that he did not have.
A team of Metropolitan Police Bureau investigators and police Cyber Task Force Unit 5 arrested Wiwat Wongsa, 36, at a house in Bangkok on Thursday, said Pol Maj Gen Theeradet Thammasuthee, the MPB commander.
Mr Wiwat was a former Thai language teacher at a well-known school in Bangkok. He graduated from a famous university with first-class honours and won the Outstanding Thai Language Teacher Award in 2017.
However, in 2020 he was sacked from the school after his performance dropped and he did not show up for work for several days due to his addiction to online gambling, police said.
Without a job and money, he used his wits to turn to scamming, said investigators.
Mr Wiwat reportedly told police that he saw an opportunity when many teachers and students wanted to find accommodations when they travelled upcountry. He also posted a picture of himself in his civil servant uniform and used his high profile as an acclaimed teacher to establish credibility.
The most recent victims were a group of students and teachers who had booked accommodation in Nan for the 70th Student Arts and Crafts Competition from Feb 3-5.
The police said at least 100 teachers had been duped during the past year or so, causing damages of hundreds of thousands of baht.
In addition, investigators said, Mr Wiwat ran a sensual massage scam targeting LGBTQ customers. He had been on the run for years and changed his whereabouts every two weeks.
An undercover investigator posed as a customer and eventually tracked Mr Wiwat to a place in the Ram Intra area. Police arrested him on Thursday as he was preparing to move again.
Police said Mr Wiwat was wanted on four other arrest warrants for fraud in Nakhon Sawan and Samut Sakhon and in Bang Yi Rua and Wang Thonglang districts in Bangkok.
Mr Wiwat admitted all wrongdoings, also apologised to everyone and asked for a second chance as a volunteer teacher, police said.
Five cases of new Covid subvariant found
EG.5.1 is known to spread quickly but has mild symptoms, say health officials
Thailand has detected five cases of a new coronavirus XBB subvariant called EG.5.1 which is known to spread quickly but has mild symptoms, according to the Department of Medical Sciences.
The department found one person infected with the EG.5.1 subvariant in April, three cases in May and another in June. The patients did not have severe symptoms, said Dr Supakit Sirilak, the department chief.
Dr Supakit explained that EG.5.1 or XBB.1.9.2.5.1 belongs to Omicron sub-variant XBB.1.9.2, ,which has a mutation in spike proteins S:F456L and S:Q52H that accelerates its speed of transmission by 45% more than XBB.1.16.
In Asia, he said, the new subvariant has been found in 11 countries including China, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Israel, Laos, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand and India.
The Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) has reported 1,385 cases of EG.5.1 in Europe, 203 in Oceania, 35 in North America, four in Central America and one case in South America.
In Asia between June 4 and July 4, the Omicron subvariant XBB.1.16 was still the dominant strain, followed by XBB.1.9.1 and EG.5.1.
Currently, the World Health Organization has focused on eight Omicron subvariants, including two variants of interest which are XBB.1.5 and XBB.1.16. Six variants classified as under monitoring are BA.2.75, CH.1.1, XBB, XBB.1.9.1, XBB.1.9.2 and XBB.2.3.
Delhi river reaches record high in monsoon floods
NEW DELHI: The river running through India’s capital New Delhi has reached a record high due to monsoon floods, authorities said on Friday (Jul 14) as army engineers were deployed to try to contain the waters. The Yamuna River was flowing in an “#EXTREME FLOOD SITUATION”, India’s central water commissionContinue Reading
Volatility in the Malaysian ringgit to remain, policy tweaks could smoothen ride
Currency dealers said that Bank Negara was already present in the market in recent weeks to lessen volatility in the local market, which directly resulted in the drop in the country’s international reserves. The central bank’s international reserves stayed in a downtrend for three straight months and declined by US$1.3Continue Reading
Move Forward Party leader Pita’s prime minister bid defeat ‘a blow to the Thai electorate’: Analysts
But it may be an uphill task for Mr Pita to get more senators to vote for him, and over a short few days. All senators were appointed under the junta-drafted constitution.
“I don’t think it’s a given that he can convince enough of them. He needs another 51 votes,” said Dr Ockey, whose research interests include comparative politics and Southeast Asia.
“It may be that he can win over a few votes from opposition parties, but he won’t get enough (votes) there. So he has to win more senators.”
Move Forward’s main ally Pheu Thai Party is expected to stick with Mr Pita for the second ballot for a new prime minister next week, said observers.
“If they’re seen as quickly flipping sides and moving to work with the caretaker government parties, then it could be politically damaging,” said Mr Jay Harriman, senior director at BowerGroupAsia.
“The easiest route for Pheu Thai is probably to give Pita one more chance before deciding on alternative options.”
Dr Montesano noted that if Pheu Thai teamed up with parties associated with a previous military-backed government, many voters would be very upset, and that could be one trigger for unrest.
“If Pheu Thai worked out a compromise and continued to work with Move Forward and Move Forward remained in the coalition, voters might be less upset,” he said.
Economists gloomy on Singaporeâs outlook despite dodging technical recession
IS A TECHNICAL RECESSION OUT OF THE PICTURE? Singapore’s economy grew 0.7 per cent year-on-year for the April to June period, according to advanced GDP estimates released by MTI on Friday. On-quarter, the economy recovered to positive territory at 0.3 per cent, from a 0.4 per cent contraction in theContinue Reading
Thailand’s next PM: If not Pita, then who?
BANGKOK: The Thai parliament’s rejection of reformist democrat Pita Limjaroenrat’s bid for prime minister has sparked a flurry of behind-the-scenes jostling ahead of a fresh vote by lawmakers to elect the country’s leader next week. Pita’s Move Forward Party (MFP) won the most seats in the May elections but itsContinue Reading
Fourth Pattaya murder suspect fears being silenced
Family says 27-year-old was forced to help co-accused who killed and dismembered German businessman
PATTAYA: The fourth suspect in the murder of a German businessman claims he was forced to help his co-accused and fears for his life if he is placed in the same prison as the alleged mastermind of the gruesome crime, his family says.
Shahrukh Karim Uddin, 27, a Pakistani with Thai nationality, insisted he did not kill Hans-Peter Mack, whose dismembered body was found in a freezer at a rented house in Pattaya.
During questioning at the Nong Prue police station in Chon Buri, the suspect showed sign of stress but cooperated fully with police. He denied all charges and said he would give his statement in court. His lawyer and relatives were present during the lengthy questioning overnight.
Pol Maj Wachirawit Wisutsereephan, investigation chief with the Nong Prue police, on Friday took the suspect to the Pattaya Provincial Court to seek court approval to detain him.
On seeing reporters, the 27-year-old suspect shouted out, “I’m afraid, I didn’t do it and I didn’t kill.”
Mr Uddin was arrested at a hotel in Kanchanaburi on Wednesday afternoon while preparing to flee across the border to Myanmar, said police.
Olaf Thorsten Brinkmann, 52, the alleged ringleader in the crime, was arrested earlier along with two German women: Petra Christl Grundgreif, 54; and Nicole Frevel, 52. All three denied any involvement.
Surveillance camera video showed Mr Uddin sitting in the bed of a pickup truck next to a freezer containing the dismembered body of Mack, 62. The suspect was also seen in CCTV video with Mr Brinkmann as they bought some gear at a fishing supplies shop in Chon Buri.
An officer escorts suspect Shahrukh Karim Uddin from the Nong Prue police station for an appearance in Pattaya Provincial Court on Friday. (Photo: Chaiyot Pupattanapong)
Police seized a speedboat belonging to Mr Brinkmann from a house on Phra Tamnak Soi 5 in Pattaya on Wednesday night.
Investigators believe he and Mr Uddin were planning to go to sea and dump Mack’s body overboard to destroy evidence. However, the dismembered body of the victim was found at a rented house in tambon Nong Prue on Monday night — six days after the German property broker went missing.
Shahriyar Karim Uddin, 30, the suspect’s elder brother, said his brother was gripped with fear and wanted to seek justice. The suspect claimed he had been forced by Mr Brinkmann to help him.
His family was worried about Mr Uddin’s safety if he is sent to the same prison as Mr Brinkmann. They fear he might be silenced, said the brother.
The family plans to petition deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn to seek justice for Mr Uddin, said his brother.
Mrs Patt, 56, the suspect’s mother, said she was confident that her son was not involved in the murder. She believes the mastermind had plotted to make her son a scapegoat.
A source familiar with the investigation said Mr Uddin had told police that Ms Grundgreif had asked him to open a pool villa to hold a party for a VIP guest on July 4. On that day, Mr Brinkmann and Ms Grundgreif and Mack arrived and went inside. Mr Uddin said he had been told to wait outside.
After waiting for more than three hours, Mr Uddin decided to go inside the villa. On opening the door, he found Mack lying unconscious on sofa. He then asked the two Germans what they were doing. Mr Brinkmann pushed him against the wall and used a gun to threaten him.
The German man allegedly threatened to abduct his younger sister and his wife and traffic them to Cambodia if he did not cooperate. Mr Uddin also alleged that Mr Brinkmann had threatened to kill his parents in Phuket if he betrayed the gang.
Police are still compiling witness testimony and forensic evidence to prosecute the prime suspect.
Olaf Thorsten Brinkmann, 52, the alleged mastermind of the murder, is arrested at a pub in Bangkok on Tuesday night. (Photo supplied/Chaiyot Pupattanapong)
Petra Grundgreif, one of the three German suspects in the killing of Hans-Peter Mack, arrives at the Nong Prue police station on Tuesday. (Photo: Chaiyot Pupattanapong)
Flight risk, offence severity among factors for setting S$100,000 bail: Lawyers on Ong Beng Seng’s arrest
Mr Jeremy Pereira, a senior associate at Withers KhattarWong, said that the bail of S$100,000 “could be considered low especially when one takes into account (Mr Ong’s) high net worth”.
The amount “may not be indicative of the scale of the investigations, but likely that they don’t consider him that much of a flight risk”, he said.
Mr Ong and his wife, Singaporean businesswoman Christina Ong, were ranked 24th richest in Singapore last year and estimated by Forbes to have a net worth of US$1.75 billion (S$2.3 billion).
But Mr Wee, who focuses on white collar offences, said that the personal assets of a suspect who is being offered bail are not an important consideration.
“LESS OF A FLIGHT RISK”
“Having assets within the country is a positive thing for the person who’s being investigated … it suggests less of a flight risk,” he said.
“And I would also say that it may not be fair to set bail at a higher amount just because someone has more assets, because then the person’s not being treated equally.”
As for the matter of Mr Ong’s nationality, “the fact that a person is not a Singaporean does not in itself make that person a higher flight risk”, said Mr Shashi Nathan, partner at Withers KhattarWong.
He added that having business operations in multiple countries does not in itself increase or decrease flight risk.
“An assessment would have to be made to calibrate the amount of bail sufficient, not only to allow the person to be released from custody, but also to travel out of jurisdictions if necessary,” said Mr Nathan.
HPL owns and operates hotels under the brands of Four Seasons, COMO Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental Hotels Group, Six Senses, Marriott International, Hard Rock Hotels and Concorde, as well as shopping malls.
The businesses span the globe, with operations in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Maldives, Indonesia, Seychelles, the United Kingdom, the United States, Vanuatu, Bhutan, Tanzania, South Africa, Italy and Sri Lanka.
Mr Pereira said that the bail amount is usually higher for foreigners with no roots in Singapore, but as Mr Ong has roots here, such as property and businesses, these would have been taken into consideration.
“If he has assets overseas and can essentially live comfortably without having to ever return to Singapore, this would also be a factor which would have been taken into account,” he added.