An ongoing investigation has suggested that the real owner of the decades-old massage parlour Victoria’s: The Secret Forever has ties with Northern and Western politicians who are planning to set up a political party.

DSI deputy chief Pol Colonel Songsak Raksaksakul confirmed the links between the unnamed real owner and politicians yesterday. But he firmly insisted that the move against the massage parlour took place based on evidence, not because of a special order from someone in power.

“There was no order for me to single out this place,” said Songsak, who has headed the operation against the parlour.

Last Friday, the DSI joined the military in raiding Victoria’s in Bangkok’s Huai Kwang district and rounded up more than 100 women and girls suspected of working as prostitutes there. Some of the alleged sex workers are younger than 18 years old.

Songsak said he suspected that people implicated in the Victoria’s scandal might have spread rumours about the political link in the hope of portraying the case as political persecution, despite evidence strongly suggesting illegal offences had been committed at the venue.

He was speaking in response to rumours that politicians linked to Victoria’s were being pressured to support Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha’s bid to return as an unelected prime minister in the post-election period. The DSI has taken over the case from police as the parlour allegedly was involved in human trafficking, which falls under the DSI’s jurisdiction.

Seven people and one legal entity, Amarin Onsen, have been officially identified as suspects.

All the suspects are now in detention, including Amarin Onsen’s major shareholder and licence holder Sasithorn Wirathepsuporn.

Sasithorn turned herself in to police on Tuesday while denying all 13 charges filed against her.

She reportedly cried while in detention on Tuesday night, prompting officers to monitor her based on concerns that she might harm herself.

Sources close to the case have said Sasithorn was just a nominee owning the business on paper but not in practice. The Criminal Court yesterday rejected her bail request.

Metropolitan police commissioner Pol Lt-General Chanthep Sesavej, meanwhile, yesterday instructed all police stations under his supervision to strictly enforce laws relating to night-time entertainment venues.

He threatened to immediately transfer superintendents of police stations that are found to have been negligent.

Following the raid at Victoria’s, five senior policemen at Wang Thong Lang Police Station were hit with transfer orders. The Metropolitan Police Bureau has already launched an investigation of the policemen amid reports that they might have received bribes, including free sexual services, at the parlour.

The organisation reported that conditions had contributed to more than 50,000 premature deaths.

In the seminar “Big Issues about Very Small Particulate Matter” at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre on Tuesday, Greenpeace stated that air pollution problems in Thailand remained severe, while people were not being informed about the situation since the Pollution Control Department (PCD) did not include PM2.5 in national Air Quality Index (AQI) measurements.

Chariya Senpong, Greenpeace coordinator on energy and climate change, said people in Thailand were being deprived of a chance to protect themselves from hazardous pollution because PM2.5 was not included in the AQI, which made air quality seem to be cleaner than it actually was.

In reality, PM2.5 measurements over the past three years showed unsafe levels at every air quality monitoring station, Chariya said.

“Greenpeace has been campaigning and monitoring air pollution, especially the PM2.5 problem, in Thailand for three years and the authorities’ only response was setting up more PM2.5 monitoring stations without using this data to warn people and come out with any concrete measures,” Chariya said.

According to a one-year average level of PM2.5 from all 25 PCD monitoring stations in 18 provinces, the top five cities with the most severe air pollution were Saraburi (36 micrograms per cubic metre of air), Bangkok (31), Samut Sakhon (29), Ratchaburi (25) and Chiang Mai (29), while the WHO standard was less than 10 micrograms.

Chariya said the lack of awareness resulted in a high toll on healthcare, as PM2.5 was very toxic and the WHO also listed it as a carcinogen since 2013. The World Bank also revealed in a study that air pollution contributed to more than 50,000 premature deaths in Thailand.

She said all relevant agencies should take serious measures regarding PM2.5 to prevent people from becoming sick and dying prematurely due to air pollution while pursuing the Sustainable Development Goals regarding ensuring good air quality and health by 2030.

Dr Chantana Padungtod, director of the Disease Control Department’s Occupational and Environmental Diseases Bureau, said the Public Health Ministry acknowledged the threat of PM2.5 to people’s health, as the size of the particulate matter was so small that it could pass through lungs into the blood and can cause many diseases, such as heart disease, respiratory diseases, allergies, and eye and skin irritation.

Chantana said her agency’s mission was to reform the medical data collection system, as it could provide vital evidence of health problems caused by exposure to air pollution.

“The Occupational and Environmental Diseases Bureau is working with provincial Public Health offices and local public hospitals nationwide to enable doctors to diagnose and record the causes of their patients’ sickness,” she said.

“This information will be used as evidence to let relevant agencies, such as the Industry Ministry and Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, come up with tougher regulations to control air pollution. However, I also would like to urge the industrial sector to have more awareness of this issue and cut down on air pollution emissions as well.”

GREENPEACE’S RECOMMENDATIONS 

Natural Resources and Environment Ministry

• Set up more PM2.5 monitoring stations and report in real time PM2.5 levels to the public
• Include PM2.5 in the AQI calculation
•  Establish progressive measures to control all polluting emissions into the air
•  Install PM2.5 and other pollutant detectors at every fossil-fuel power plant
•  Pursue international commitments to tackle air pollution;

Energy Ministry

•  Promote clean and renewable energy
•  Encourage the efficient use of energy

Transport Ministry

•  Improve public transport to be more environmental friendly

National police chief Pol General Chakthip Chaijinda said a thorough investigation into information provided by Nicha Kiatthanapaiboon concerning many issues, such as her missing identity cards and Bt6 million in her bank accounts, had determined she was not involved in the scam.

Authorities had previously expressed doubts whether Nicha was the victim or accessory to the online scam.

Earlier this month, Nicha publicly complained that a gang had stolen her identity card and used it to open accounts at many banks that were subsequently used in the scam.

About Bt10 million reportedly had circulated in the accounts.

Chakthip yesterday dismissed earlier doubts about why Nicha had lost identity cards on separate occasions, which had initially led to suspicions that she had deliberately let criminals use her identity.

“Nicha lost her cards twice, with the latest time at a convenience store. One of the detained suspects, identified as Paveena Singwiboon, fooled the store’s staff into believing that it was her card, took it and used it to open bank accounts,” Chakthip said.

Paveena and her accomplices then opened a total of 10 bank accounts at eight banks, Chakthip said. He also referred to Bt6 million linked to Nicha’s own account, saying it had been transferred to the account long before she lost her identity cards.

Four suspects, including a Cameroon national, have been taken into police custody for allegedly operating the scam. They are Cameroon man Ayak Simon Eko and three Thais – Paveena, Jerati Saisin and Promporn Pongcharoenkunakorn.

“Eko had the duty to withdraw money from an ATM, while Jerati opened three bank accounts, Paveena five accounts and Promporn two accounts,” he said.

An arrest warrant for Nicha had been issued in Tak province for alleged fraud after a woman alerted police that she had been fooled into depositing money into a bank account under Nicha’s name.

Tak police issued the warrant after Nicha failed to show up in response to two earlier summonses. When she went to Tak on January 5, she was arrested, denied bail and jailed for three nights.

Yesterday a Tak provincial police chief said all charges would be dropped because Nicha had been cleared.

She can ask for the return of her Bt80,000 bail deposit and is eligible for compensation.

Udomsuk Sakulpradit, 35, of “Dog Landmark” farm and Rungthiwa Janejitman of “The Best Bulldog”, both from Chumporn province, were accompanied by Siranut Thongkam of Watchdog Thailand.

Udomsuk told police that the doctor, identified as Krit (family name withheld), had bought a two-year-old certified Pomeranian for Bt100,000. The dog was sent by plane to the doctor and Udomsuk received no complaints.

However, about six months later, the doctor claimed that the dog was not the same one in the photo Udomsuk had sent to him and that it was in poor health. Udomsuk explained that the dog had been with the doctor for quite some time, however the doctor insisted that the farm send a new dog and accept the old dog back.

“The doctor posted photos of the dog and wrote something that made readers misunderstand that my farm sold an unhealthy dog to him. His posts discredited my farm,” he said.

When the dog was returned to him, it had severely irritated eyes, face and mouth.

“It has eye problems also, making it almost blind. Its skin was infected and it was afraid of people,” Udomsuk said.

Rungthiwa said that she sold bulldogs to the same doctor and the animals were returned following similar complaints. When the dogs were returned, they had irritated faces and had developed unusual behaviours.

Rungthiwa  and Udomsuk told police that they wanted the doctor charge for assaulting animals and causing loss of property.

Admiral Pongthep Nuthep, in his capacity as chair of the executive board of the Rajaprajanukroh Foundation under the Royal Patronage, presented the bags to the fire victims at the Bang Plat District Office.

The premier responded to a move by farmers’ association chairman Prapat Panyachartraksa, who told the media this week that authorities had agreed to build a 5,000-rai (800-hectare) facility in Sakon Nakhon province to grow the cannabis for medical purposes.

“I have never known about that. I asked Piyasakon [Sakolsattayatorn, Public Health Minister] and he said there are no regulations issued to allow it,” Prayut said after a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Although marijuana can be grown and sold legally in some countries for medical purposes, Thailand needs tough measures to prevent the spread out of any kind of drug, he said.

“For the time being, permission for planting cannabis is unacceptable for Thais, so we need further study,” he said.

A couple that has a first child will be entitled to an annual tax deduction worth Bt30,000, and to a deduction of Bt60,000 annually for a second newborn.

The measure will start to take effect this year, with taxpayers able to claim the deduction when filing a tax return next year.

Expenses associated with the delivery of a child are also tax deductible – up to Bt60,000 per child.

The government projects that the proportion of elderly people will rise to 30 per cent of the population in 2036, a point at which Thailand would have fully become an ageing society. The tax break for having a second child would however slow the ageing trend, Somkid said.

The government will also promote the setting up of a system of subsidised child care as a welfare benefit for employees.

Employers would be entitled to a tax deduction of up to twice the actual cost of child care, but not exceeding Bt1 million annually.

This tax break will be effective from this year until 2020, the deputy PM said.

meanwhile, the Cabinet also agreed to allow those who donate money to support hospitals to benefit from a tax deduction of twice the actual amount, but not exceeding 10 per cent of their annual income.

Corporates that donate money to support hospitals will get a similar tax deduction, up to a maximum of 10 per cent of their annual profits.

Sasithorn Wirathepsuporn, a major shareholder in the business on paper but probably a nominee owner according to inside sources, showed up with her lawyer at the National Police Office at 4.40pm yesterday.

“She has denied all the charges,” Deputy National Police Commissioner Pol General Srivara Ransibrahmanakul said, adding that police would object to her bail request and investigate her financial transactions.

Srivara said Sasithorn, 45, was found to have co-founded about 10 companies that engaged in the same business as Amarin Onsen, which is the only legal entity implicated in the Victoria’s: The Secret Forever massage parlour scandal.

Sasithorn’s surrender took place after the Criminal Court approved arrest warrants for her, Amarin Onsen and six other suspects.

All suspects except Sasithorn have been arrested since the Department of Special Investigation and the military raided the massage parlour last Friday.

Evidence received so far suggests that the eight suspects may have violated several laws, police said, and that the massage parlour had probably engaged in prostitution, including the involvement of underage sex workers.

“Preliminary tests show at least 11 girls found at the massage parlour are under 18 years old. We will double check with MRI tests,” said Pol Lt-General Dr Vitoon Nitivarangkul from the Police Hospital.

The eight suspects in the case are facing more than 10 charges, including prostitution and human trafficking.

Srivara explained that the suspects did not include any police officers, despite recent news reports suggesting that officials had used sexual services at the massage parlour free of charge.

“We have to wait for some documentary evidence from the DSI first,” Srivara said. “At this point, we don’t have either a list of customers or recordings from its CCTV system.”

Following the raid, five senior police officers at Wang Thong Lang Police Station, which has jurisdiction over the area where the massage parlour operated, were transferred.

Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday said he had already made clear that allegations against the police officers needed to be thoroughly investigated. “The implicated officials will face punishment if the allegations against them are proven,” he said.

He added that other massage parlours should abstain from prostitution and human trafficking or they would also face prosecution.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Pol Lt-General Chanthep Sesavej said he had already set up a committee to investigate the five policemen implicated. “I have given the committee 30 days to complete its probe,” he said.

Meanwhile, People’s Network for Police Reform coordinator Somsri Han-anantasuk submitted a petition to Prayut asking him to take action against Chanthep and other senior policemen who oversaw Wang Thong Lang Police Station.

“They were apparently negligent,” she said.

The raid had uncovered evidence that suggested about 100 policemen might have used the services at the parlour, Somsri said.

Somsri said she suspected that illegal businesses could operate because state officials received bribes and that a good precedent would be set if Prayut harshly punished Chanthep and supervisors of Wang Thong Lang Police Station.

Applications for the smart visa will begin on February 1.

Kobsak Pootrakool, minister of the Prime Minister’s Office, said the targeted industries included Thai-based industries known as the First S-Curve and new industries dubbed the New S-Curve.

First S-Curve industries include next-generation automotive, smart electronics, medical and wellness tourism, “food for the future”, and agriculture and biotechnology. The five New S-Curve industries are automation and robotics, aviation and logistics, biochemicals and eco-friendly petrochemicals, digital businesses, and medical hubs.

The smart visa is divided into four groups. The first group is for specialists in scientific fields where there is a shortage. Individuals who qualify must have a salary of at least Bt200,000 a month and an employment contract for at least one year. Their spouses and children can move and work in Thailand, except in prohibited careers.

They will get four-year visas, up from the 90-day visa that is currently available.

The second group involves investors of no less than Bt20 million in targeted industries. The third group involves investors in companies that in turn invest in targeted industries.

The fourth group is for company executives who work in targeted industries with salaries not less than Bt200,000 a month with experience of not less than 10 years.

The government estimated less than 1,000 people would apply for the smart visas so the would not affect the local labour market, Kobsak said.

An executive source at Egat, who asked to remain unnamed, yesterday dismissed news that the government would abandon plans to build coal-fired power plants in the South and replace them with new power plant projects in EEC provinces.

The source added that the South needed new “firm” large power plants as power stability in the region was at risk.

However, the source also confirmed that there were plans to build new power plants in the EEC special economic zone.

Speculation that the Krabi and Thepa projects would be cancelled stemmed from earlier remarks by Energy Minister Siri Jirapongphan, who stated that new power plants did not have to be built in the South or use coal as fuel.

Siri also suggested that the sites for new power plants should be in the EEC special economic zone in Chon Buri, Rayong and Chachoengsao, as private energy companies in the EEC could join bidding along with Egat to develop new plants.

Siri said that plan was one of the changes in the new Power Development Plan (PDP) 2018, which was being drafting and expected to be completed in March, to promote competition in the energy market that would drive down prices.

The Egat source said his agency had not received any official notice about new adjustments in the PDP 2018 from the Energy Ministry, which had not issued a specific order to Egat about the Krabi and Thepa projects.

The ministry had only asked the agency to reconsider power plant construction plans for the South, according to the source.

“It is ridiculous to build the new power plants in the Eastern region to secure power stability in the South, because the electricity would have to be transmitted via a power line past the geographical bottleneck in Prachuap Khiri Khan. If the power line became damaged, the entire Southern region would face a power crisis,” the source said.

“The Central and Eastern regions do not need new power plants right now, because the electricity reserve margins in these regions are enough for industrial development in the EEC special economic zone.”

However, independent energy expert Prasart Meetam said energy authorities’ greatest problems – their inability to adapt to advancing technology and lack of transparency regarding impacts to people and the environment – would persist regardless of where the new plants are built.

“I do not agree with the construction of new fossil-fuel power plants no matter where the location is, because various studies prove that renewable energy will be cheaper and more advanced and replace fossil fuel as the main source of power in the future,” Prasart said.

“The latest report of International Renewable Energy Agency, which was published last Saturday, also indicates that the cost of electricity from every kind of renewable energy will be cheaper than any fossil fuels by 2022.”

He said the debate over the use of coal or natural gas as fuel and the location of new fossil-fuel power plants proved that official energy agencies had failed to keep up with constantly improving technology.

He also urged authorities to overcome any “hidden interests” with the fossil-fuel industry and promote renewable energy.

Prasart also said the Energy Ministry’s decision on new power plants in the EEC, which was to avoid fierce protests against coal-fired power plants in the South, would not change people’s sentiments against harmful projects unless transparency problems are resolved.