The Marine Department revealed yesterday that China’s CCCC Second Habor Consultant Co Ltd had informed the department that they would begin the survey on the Mekong River project yesterday and the work would conclude within two months.

Three Chinese survey vessels reportedly entered Thailand’s territory at the second Chiang Saen Port in Chiang Rai’s Chiang Saen District.

Liu Jian, the leader of the survey team, said they would conduct the survey at 15 locations along a 96-kilometre stretch of the Mekong River between Thailand and Laos, from the Golden Triangle to the Kaeng Pha Dai rapids.

The work is expected to take 55 days. Yesterday, all 60 Chinese members of the team passed border inspection.

The acting director of Chiang Rai Provincial Marine Department Office, Suranart Sirichok, said the team would conduct the survey in three parts – an engineering survey, a hydraulic survey, and a geological survey.

Suranart stressed that this survey was only a part of the Mekong River development study and there was no plan to blast the rapids.

Jirasak Inthayot, coordinator of the local environmentalist group Rak Chiang Khong (Love Chiang Khong), said the group demanded that the survey be cancelled and said they would closely monitor activities.

“We were informed about the survey on Tuesday, but no more details about the survey were given to the local people,” Jirasak said.

“We still stand by our demand that the survey must stop and the company must [study] the impacts to the river ecosystem and people’s livelihood from the first phase of the project before considering the worthiness of this project. [They must] weigh the possible damage to the river and people’s livelihood.”

The Mekong River Navigation Improvement Project aims to make the Mekong River navigable for large cargo ships up to 500 tonnes gross from Yunnan province in China to Luang Prabang in Laos. The first phase of the project from China down to the Golden Triangle in Thailand has already been completed.

In February, an Asian black bear was dropped to its death during a helicopter ride that was supposed to save its life and return it safely to the wilderness.

The ministry’s inspector-general, Adisorn Noochdumrong, who headed an investigation into the bear’s death, said yesterday that his fact-finding panel had not only looked into the causes of the tragedy but also how to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.

“My panel has already made recommendations on the process of animal transportation,” he said.

The report along with the recommendation had already been forwarded to the ministry’s permanent secretary Wijarn Simachaya, who is expected to hold a press conference on the case today, Adisorn said.

He added that the investigation showed the pilot and officials in the helicopter were not experienced in arranging such transport.

“They did not have any rehearsal before the incident,” he said. “The trip was just the second helicopter ride involving animal transport [in Thailand]. The first took place many years ago.”

The chief of the Khao Yai Aviation Centre approved the use of helicopter transport for the bear, the report found, which was within the official’s stipulated authority in case of an emergency.

“But we wonder whether the bear transport was an emergency,” he said.

Records showed that no one signed documentation on the day of the trip and the pilot did not even know that there was a reporter on board.

There were five people aboard the six-seat helicopter with the anaesthetised black bear hanging in a net below.

Adisorn said the load was not beyond the helicopter’s capacity but the hanging bear acted like a heavy pendulum buffeted by strong winds.

The pilot told the panel that he detached the net carrying the bear, which weighed more than 80 kilograms, during the flight because he noticed that the helicopter had lost momentum.

“The pilot felt that the helicopter might have crashed if the black bear was not dropped,” Adisorn said.

The panel focused only on finding out what happened, he said, adding that Wijarn would decide whether anyone should be held responsible for the incident.

Thanya Netithammakun, who heads the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, said his agency had also set up a fact-finding panel to investigate the case.

“The pilot is directly under the supervision of the ministry. But several officials involved in the case such as veterinarians and the chief of the Khao Yai National Park work under my department. So we have launched a separate investigation,” he said.

Thanya added that his department’s investigation was still ongoing.

“We need to interrogate one or two more people,” he said.

SOGGY SONGKRAN celebrations turned tragic in many parts of the country with fistfights breaking out between water-splashing revellers, some brawls ending up with the brandishing of weapons.

In many cases, the fun-filled festival mood was filled with fear when situations turned bloody.

At least one man was stabbed to death during an argument in Prachin Buri on Friday night.

The following day, another brawl in the water-playing zone of Chanthaburi saw a stray bullet hitting Sompong Nongnua, 20, in his left leg.

He said he had gone there just to have a good time but ended up getting injured.

At 1.30am on Tuesday, many people were still mingling about on the street in front of the Laemtong Bangsaen Shopping Centre in Chon Buri when some gunshots were heard.

When the firing died down, four people – two of them women – were found lying injured on the street.

CCTV footage showed these victims were not engaged in any hostile activity. Tanawat Kingmala, a 37-year-old motorcycle taxi driver, was shot in his left eye while working to support his family. The damage is so serious that the doctor would have to remove his eye.

His grieving wife said the family did not have the money to pay the medical bill and buy an artificial eye for the family’s breadwinner.

Deputy national police chief Pol General Chalermkiat Srivorakan said police were looking into the various bloody incidents during the Songkran Festival to catch the perpetrators.

“Police will also be present at the major Songkran events next week in some parts of the country such as tomorrow and on Friday in Songkran’s Phra Pradaeng area,” he said.

This past week, many pictures of gun-wielding Songkran revellers went viral. In one, a man was seen coming to prostrate himself before another man holding a gun.

Fistfights were also common. Some people said they got beaten up simply because they refused to join the water wars.

Foam parties caused at least two deaths during the holiday week. One man was killed by an electric shock last Thursday while partying with his younger brother at an eatery in a foam zone in Bangkok.

In Udon Thani, a woman was electrocuted during a foam party on April 12.

The Criminal Court initially slapped longer prison terms on Ponganan Khanakhet, the manager, and Somprasong Sroyjit, the managing director of PSS Entertainment, which runs the parlour.

But the court cut their sentences after they pleaded guilty. Ponganan was jailed for 13 years while Somprasong was jailed for 12 years and six months. Both also face a fine of Bt15,000.

Their three accomplices, Panarin Harnpattanacharoen, Atapha Laemae and Larpchularp Ngerntempiam, were each jailed for eight years and six month, although their sentences were also cut in half because they pleaded guilty. The court also ordered PSS Entertainment to pay a fine of Bt655,000 after the initial fine was cut in half. The five were arrested on June 7 last year after police and Interior Ministry officials raided the parlour and found that there were eight illegal immigrant girls under 18 years old working as prostitutes at the venue.

The five individuals and the company were charged with collaborating in soliciting illegal immigrants under 18 into prostitution from April 10 to June 7 last year. They were charged with violating the anti-trafficking law, the anti-prostitution law, the entertainment venue law, the alien profession law, the labour protection law and the child protection law.

Ponganan, Somprasong, Panarin and Atapha were sentenced in absentia as they were still remanded at the Bangkok Remand Prison. Larpchularp, who had been released on bail, came to the Criminal Court to hear the ruling.

The owner of the business, Prasert Sukkhee, is still on the run and the court has issued a warrant for his arrest.

“I have already ordered their transfers,” Pol General Srivara Ransibrahmanakul, deputy National Police chief, said yesterday. The alleged failure by the police officers has been linked to one of the suspects, whose father is a retired police officer.

The provincial police chief will also consider taking action against the station’s superintendent, Pol Colonel Niwat Mataraj, Srivara said after meeting on Tuesday with the family of the 14-year-old victim.

Last November, the teenager was allegedly gang raped at a gaming cafe, and then transported to another area where she was subjected to another molestation attempt.

The girl was hospitalised for three weeks after the incident and suffered both physical and emotional trauma.

Her family told Srivara they had been threatened by people they believed were related to the suspects, adding that local police had been reluctant to go after the suspects because of one’s ties to police.

Local police seemed bent on pursuing the lesser charge of taking a minor away from her parents while ignoring the rape allegations and the family’s complaints of attempts to intimidate them, they said.

Songkran Atchariyasap, a lawyer who chairs a network that professes to target threats to the nation, religion and monarchy, helped arrange the family’s meeting with Srivara. He said “convincing evidence” showed the girl had been drugged at the cafe before being assaulted.

He added that the meeting with Srivara brought immediate progress with two suspects arrested that night.

The two men have been charged with gang rape and taking a minor away from her parents, with the former charge carrying a possible life sentence. The two could not be named yesterday as their ages were not confirmed. Two other suspects are now being sought in the rape.

Police are also seeking arrest warrants for two other suspects, Paweesuda Khansata, 20, and Thanapat Saengkhan, 31, on charges of trafficking the same girl.

Those two suspects allegedly tried to procure the girl for sexual services following the gang rape. If convicted, they could face up to 20 years in jail, a fine of up to Bt400,000 or both.

The family of the victim will meet today with Justice Ministry officials to ask for further help.

The two deaths were reported in three attacks in Songkhla province while Pattani and Narathiwat provinces saw 12 attacks.

The attacks were carried out between 7.30pm to 8.30pm.

Police said two suspected insurgents were killed when their homemade bomb hidden in a motorcycle fell and exploded before they reached a target in Songkhla’s Saba Yoi district.

The explosion occurred at around 8pm near a military base in Moo 4 village in Tambon Saba Yoi.

Nearly at the same time, suspected insurgents also opened fire at a unit of troops in Ban Juab village in Tambon Thamung of Thepha district.

Also at 8pm, two suspected insurgents on a motorcycle hurled a grenade at a police booth in front of Chana Police Station. The two police officers inside escaped harm as the bomb fell near the booth. They later exchanged fire with the two assailants who fled the scene.

In Pattani, a group of suspected insurgents lobbed two grenades at official houses of police in Pattani’s Kapho district.

Police said the attack on the quarters of Kapho Police Station personnel in Moo 2 village in Tambon Karubee happened at 7.30pm.

Meanwhile, Narathiwat police chief Pol Maj-General Manas Siksamut issued an urgent order to all 19 police stations in the southern border provinces, to be on full alert after suspected insurgents carried out 12 simultaneous attacks at around 7.30pm.

Three attacks were carried out in Tak Bai district. In one of the incidents, insurgents allegedly hurled a grenade at the house of Pol Lieutenant Wit Nilnoi, a Tak Bai police officer.

Two attacks were launched in Sungai Padi district and another in Rusoh district.

Grenades were hurled at two villagers’ houses in two villages in Waeng district.

In Rangae district, an M79 grenade was fired at a task force base.

In Yi Ngor district, a grenade was hurled at a checkpoint of defence volunteers in front of the district agricultural office and another grenade at the base of the defence volunteers of Tambon Poryoh.

In Si Sakhon district, suspected insurgents hurled a grenade at the base of a defence volunteer company.