Search and rescue team unable to find missing Singaporean on Mt Everest, says wife
SINGAPORE: The search and rescue team looking for the missing Singaporean climber on Mount Everest were unable to locate him “despite their best efforts”, said his wife on social media on Saturday (May 27). In an Instagram post, the wife of Mr Shrinivas Sainis Dattatraya wrote a tribute to the 39-year-old climberContinue Reading
Ex-drug convict kills mother’s suitor, hides body
Mother says she sometimes had to hide with relatives because of son’s behaviour
SURAT THANI: A 36-year-old man has been detained on suspicion of murdering a man whom he believed was wooing his recently widowed mother, and then attempting to hide the body.
Police and rescue workers responded to a reported murder at a single-storey concrete house in Wiang Sa district on Saturday morning. When they arrived their attention was directed to a pickup truck cap discarded in the yard.
Beneath the structure, they discovered the body of 47-year-old Sayan Lathawanit. It was wrapped in a bloodstained sack, and there was a significant head wound.
Officers arrested the suspect, identified only as Suriyong, at the scene.
According to investigators, Mr Suriyong was unhappy about Sayan’s relationship with his mother and his frequent visits to their home. He waited for the man next to an outdoor bathroom and attacked him with an axe before trying to conceal the body.
Local residents eventually found the body and alerted the authorities.
Mr Suriyong’s aunt, whose name was withheld, told police that her nephew had recently been under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs and misunderstood that the victim was flirting with his mother, whose husband died on May 1.
According to the suspect’s mother, Mr Suriyong had been detained 14 times for drug use. In January he was released from prison after serving a four-year sentence for drug offences. She said she and her daughter had to seek refuge at their relatives’ house at times because her son’s behaviour frightened them.
During questioning, the suspect confessed to the crimes and will face legal action, police said.
Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun Hospital says all Covid beds full
Bangkok governor says rising infections in capital worrying but bed situation not yet critical
Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun Hospital has announced that it cannot accept any more Covid-19 patients because all beds for critical coronavirus patients are fully occupied.
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt acknowledged on Saturday that the bed situation for Covid patients was worrying but not yet critical, amid rising infections in the capital.
“Beds for Covid-19 patients at all rooms in the intensive care unit (ICU) and inpatient department (IPD) are fully occupied,” Siriraj Piyamarajkarun Hospital said on its Facebook page on Saturday.
“As well, the emergency department also has Covid-19 patients who are awaiting referral. Thus, the hospital cannot accommodate more Covid-19 patients. We apologise for this inconvenience.”
The 345-bed hospital is the private offshoot of the adjacent Siriraj Hospital, the country’s best-known public hospital, located on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River.
Dr Nitipatana Chierakul, head of the respiratory disease and tuberculosis division at Siriraj Hospital, said a new wave of Covid infections has hit the country since April with the number of daily cases surging.
Earlier, health officials predicted that infections would drop after the Songkran festival.
During the general election earlier this month, many people returned to their home provinces to cast ballots and tourist arrivals continued to rise. This caused the number of Covid cases to keep rising, he said.
Up until early April, about 20 Covid patients a day were seeking treatment at Siriraj Hospital. Lately, the figure has risen to around 400 a day, he noted.
It is estimated that only about 2% of every 100 infected patients receive treatment at a hospital.
Nationwide, the number of Covid patients admitted to hospital averaged 2,632 per day in the period from May 14-20, according to the Department of Disease Control at the Ministry of Public Health.
Mr Chadchart, meanwhile, said the surge in Covid infections was worrying. Data from hospitals under the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration showed a daily average of 1,300 to 1,500 infected people seeking treatment. The real infection numbers may be higher by 2-3 times, he said.
About 2-3% of infected patients had serious symptoms, particularly those who had underlying diseases and the elderly, he said.
“Now, about 70% of hospital beds are occupied by Covid-19 patients. The bed situation is not yet at a critical level,” said the governor.
Tuesday talks could help clarify Speaker issue
Eight coalition parties to jointly discuss way forward, while former speakers say age is irrelevant
The eight-party alliance led by the Move Forward Party (MFP) hopes to have a clearer idea about the selection of the House Speaker after a meeting on Tuesday, according to MFP deputy leader Natthawut Buapratum.
The talks on Tuesday will take place at the Prachachart Party headquarters, he said on Saturday.
The meeting will focus on the future direction and collaborative work plan for the coalition, in line with the memorandum of understanding that the members signed on May 22.
Disagreements over the selection of a speaker have dominated the headlines this week. Move Forward, which topped the polls in the May 14 election, wants the post to ensure that its ambitious legislative agenda can get passed. Second-ranked Pheu Thai maintains that it should have the position.
Some Pheu Thai supporters have even said the party should walk away if it does not get its wish, which would sink the coalition.
Move Forward leader and prime ministerial candidate Pita Limjaroenrat on Friday said he was confident the issue could be resolved through negotiations involving all eight parties. He issued a call for unity, saying any disagreements the allies have are “a trivial matter compared to the task entrusted to us by the people”.
Mr Natthawut, meanwhile, dismissed rumours that he was being considered for the position, saying no internal discussions regarding the matter have taken place within the party.
He added that the selection of the House Speaker would be determined through negotiations involving all parties, and a consensus is necessary.
Meanwhile, former deputy House speaker Somsak Prissanananthakul expressed his view that Move Forward deserves to lead the lower House, considering its election victory and qualifications.
Mr Somsak also questioned whether Pheu Thai, if it had won the most seats in the election, would have granted the House Speaker’s position to another party.
In response to comments suggesting that Move Forward members are too young and inexperienced for the role, Mr Somsak, 72, said the position requires intelligence and wit, with age being irrelevant.
However, he acknowledged that a vote in Parliament would likely favour the long-standing Pheu Thai Party.
Former speaker Uthai Pimchaichon also shared his perspective, highlighting that traditionally, the House speaker has been a member of the ruling party to help drive policies.
He emphasised that the speaker should act as a conductor of the House of Representatives, effectively guiding necessary proceedings and maintaining order on the floor.
When asked about the relative inexperience of MFP members, he noted that he himself had served as a member of Parliament for only two years before being entrusted with the speaker’s responsibility.
Man who opened Asiana plane door says he felt ‘suffocated’ and ‘wanted out quickly’
SEOUL: A man who opened an emergency exit on an Asiana Airlines flight in mid-air felt “suffocated” and wanted to get off quickly, South Korean police said on Saturday (May 27). The plane was carrying nearly 200 passengers as it approached the runway on Friday at Daegu International Airport, about 240kmContinue Reading
Chinese aircraft carrier passes through Taiwan Strait: Taipei
Taipei: Three Chinese ships, including the Shandong aircraft carrier, passed through the Taiwan Strait on Saturday (May 27), the island’s Ministry of National Defence said. China claims self-ruled democratic Taiwan as its territory, and has vowed to take it one day – by force if necessary. Since Taiwanese President TsaiContinue Reading
Illegal SIM card store linked to call centre gangs busted
Investigators track down Nong Khai shop by tracing comments of online buyers
Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) officers have shut down a store selling illegal mobile phone SIM cards in Nong Khai with ties to fraudulent call centres.
The bust, led by CCIB commissioner Pol Lt Gen Worawat Watnakornbancha, took place in Muang district of the northeastern province on Saturday, in accordance with the Technology Crime Prevention and Suppression Act.
Police were able to locate the store after tracking online comments made by buyers. The store operated through a web-based front, falsely claiming to offer registered SIM cards ready for use and garnering numerous positive reviews.
Using the information obtained from the reviews, authorities staged a sting operation targeting Kitipat Telecom, identified as a physical store within the distribution network, luring it into selling registered SIM cards.
Police said the owner of the shop, identified as Kitipat Jirasitkarun, 56, admitted that the SIM cards being sold were registered under other individuals’ names. He has been charged with supplying illegal mobile phone numbers.
During the operation, the officers seized 180 SIM cards that had been prepared for distribution, with an additional 496 cards awaiting purchase.
The seizure is part of an ongoing effort to combat call centre gangs, as they regularly purchase registered SIM cards to carry out illegal activities.
Lao activist’s killing in Isan raises questions
Rights group demands proper investigation of shooting in Ubon Ratchathani
Rights activists are calling on Thai authorities to impartially investigate the killing in Ubon Ratchathani of an exiled Lao political activist who held UN refugee status.
The body of Bounsuan Kitiyano was found with three gunshot wounds in the forest in Sri Muang Mai district of the northeastern province bordering Laos on May 17, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said. The initial police investigation indicated that he was shot while riding alone on his motorcycle through the forest.
Police said Bounsuan had been living in Thailand for the past four or five years, Radio Free Asia reported.
He reportedly had plans to go to Bangkok in the near future to file documents so that he could go to Australia as an asylum seeker.
His body was transported to a nearby hospital for further investigation, but by May 19 it had already been collected by a friend for ceremonial burial purposes, police said.
“This cold-blooded killing of a prominent exiled Lao political activist demands an immediate response from the Thai authorities,” said Elaine Pearson, Asia director at HRW. “The Thai government should urgently conduct a credible and impartial investigation into Bounsuan’s death and bring to justice all those responsible.”
Bounsuan, 56, was a former member of the Free Laos group and was recognised as a refugee by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). He had been involved in several protests in front of the Lao Embassy in Bangkok calling for respect for human rights.
The killing of Bounsuan in Thailand sends a spine-chilling message that nowhere is safe for critics of the Lao government, said HRW.
On April 29, an unidentified gunman shot and seriously wounded Anousa Luangsuphom, an activist and online critic of the Lao government, in the capital, Vientiane. His family initially reported he was dead as they feared retribution. It later emerged that he was alive and supporters subsequently managed to get him out of Laos for further medical treatment.
Even activists who have fled persecution in Laos to neighbouring countries have not been safe, said HRW. Od Sayavong, a Lao human rights and democracy activist living in Bangkok, has been missing since August 2019.
The Thai government has consistently failed to prevent or adequately respond to attacks against political critics of repressive governments in neighbouring Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Myanmar, HRW said.
“The Thai government’s unacceptable deference to abusive neighbours is once again taking priority over its international human rights and legal obligations,” said Ms Pearson said.
“The new government … has an urgent agenda to reestablish Thailand as a place where refugees are protected.”
Clementi landslide: Ulu Pandan park connector to fully reopen by December, nearby BTO project completed
LANDSLIDE REPAIRS The landslide took place at an area where a retaining wall was being constructed to prepare for the building of a basketball court and pavilion. Described as a “slope failure” by HDB, the incident resulted in “soil displacement” into Sungei Ulu Pandan and caused damage to the nearbyContinue Reading
Russian man drowns off Phuket’s Patong beach
PHUKET: A Russian man drowned while swimming in the sea off Patong beach on Saturday morning.
Pol Maj Chaiyakorn Tangsakul, an investigator at Patong police station, said the incident was reported at 7.55am.
Officers arriving at the scene found rescue workers, lifeguards and personnel from Patong Hospital already present. Despite the medics’ efforts to perform a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the tourist, their attempts were unsuccesful.
The tourist’s wife told the police she and her husband Rafaylovich Pavel, 53, were Russian nationals. They were staying at a hotel near the beach and had decided to go for a swim on Saturday morning.
Her husband had swum about 7 kilometres away from the shore amid strong waves. When he began to drown, she called out for help. Lifeguards at the beach rushed into the sea to bring him back to shore.Despite the response of rescue workers and medics who performed CPR, the man had succumbed to the drowning.
Police have notified the Russian consular office and the Russian embassy about the incident on this southern resort island.