The suspect, Ko Chan Ku, was arrested while in transit at the airport during a journey from Dubai to Taiwan, said deputy tourist police commissioner Pol Major Surachet Hakpan.

An arrest warrant had been issued for him by Bangkok’s Phra Khanong district court on March 1, said Surachet.

Ko was charged with conspiring with an international criminal organisation (the call-centre gang), racketeering, public fraud, conspiring to launder scammed money and putting false information onto a computer, resulting in substantial losses to members of the public, he added.

Investigators at Khlong Ton police station would lead the inquiry against him.

Police also returned Bt480,000 to five victims who had been duped by call-centre scammers. It was the 12th money-returning ceremony by police to victims since the Royal Thai Police’s (RTP) call-centre scam suppression operation centre was established last year.

Surachet, in his capacity as the operation centre head, said that Thai courts had approved 526 warrants against call-centre scam suspects and that 296 people covered by the warrants had been arrested. He said 47 suspects were apprehended abroad, pending their repatriation to Thailand.

“Ko Chan Ku is one of the eight suspects for whom national police chief Chakthip Chaijinda had asked Interpol to issue a ‘red notice’ or internationally wanted person alert,” he said, adding that the other seven suspects remained at large.

Chakthip said Ko was a leading member of the call-centre gang. He had worked for the gang for six years and helped it dupe Bt100 million from victims across Asia.

His capture stemmed from the arrest of the gang’s Taiwanese boss, Chi Khea, in Samut Prakan on December 27.

The gang boss, who was subsequently sentenced to a 10-year jail term, had given information leading to the arrest of more accomplices and the exposure of gang bases in various countries.

Last month, a joint operation between Thai and United Arab Emirates police led to the arrest of 23 suspects belonging to this Taiwanese gang in Dubai.

The land plot is located within the same area of the Lat Yao corrections facility compound on Ngam Wong Wan Road where the country’s first – and so far only – Medical Correctional Hospital can be found.

The proposed hospital – which requires a Bt1.5 billion budget to build – is intended to help elevate the standard of medical treatment provided to inmates and to share the workload now borne by the first hospital of its kind, said Corrections Department chief Pol Colonel Narat Sawettanan.

The Royal Thai Police has provided advice on the layout for the proposed hospital for safety and security reasons, as the facility would also provide medical treatment to the public, he said.

“This is a new dimension, as the Corrections Department’s work in developing medical treatment for inmates has reached the point where people in the outside society could learn about how inmates are treated, boosting the department’s transparency and good image,” he added.

Chalermchai visited Fort Chulabhorn in Tambon Khokkhian in Muang district with Army Chief-of-Staff Natthapol Nakpanit. They were received by Fourth Army Area Commander Lt Gen Piyawat Nakwanti and Narathiwat deputy governor Thammarong Kongwatmai.

The briefing inside the camp was also attended by Capt Nirat Thakudrua, a commander of the Marine Taskforce for the southern border provinces.

The army chief, who is also deputy director of the Internal Security Operations Command, was told that southern residents had a better quality of life following the enforcement of development plants under seven missions.

He was told that the number of violent incidents has continued to drop and the three bombs attacks in the heart of Sugnai Kolok on April 9 were motivated by other causes than the southern insurgency.

Pol Maj Generals Thiwa Boondamnoen of Bueng Kan, San Phoraksam of Phetchaburi, Thawai Buranarak of Amnat Charoen and Chairat Thipayachan of Saraburi were transferred to the National Police Operations Centre on Thursday.

Chakthip had said the day before he was dissatisfied with the performance of several provincial police chiefs in curbing road fatalities during Songkran and was considering their transfer.

The four provinces had the worst death tolls in the country and day-to-day increases compared to last year.

This Songkran, 418 people were killed on the roads and 3,897 injured in 3,724 accidents, up slightly from last year’s 390 deaths and 3,808 injuries in 3,690 accidents, according to the Road Safety Centre.

Malaysia is hunting for four suspected IS members believed to be on the run in the deep South, including a Thai national from Narathiwat’s Joh I Rong district.

Two of them have never entered Thailand, one was in the country last year and the Thai was arrested and is now being interrogated, Prawit told reporters. The Thai suspect is identified as Awae Wae-Eya, 37 and lives in Narathiwat province, a hot spot in the restive South.

Primary investigations suggested that he is not a member of the IS, Prawit said. Thai authorities have already coordinated with their Malaysian counterparts to exchange information, he said.

Media reports earlier said that six members of the IS cell had been arrested between February 27 and March 1. Information from the arrested men indicated that the hunted four suspected were “dangerous” and “capable of launching attacks that could pose a threat to national security”, according to Malaysian police.

Intelligence circles in Malaysia said they believed Awae was the group’s mastermind, based on interrogation of the six men arrested, and that he was trying to establish an IS cell in southern Thailand.

However Thai security agencies said Awae was just a self-promoting figure who loved to claim linkage with IS to get attention in social media.

Prawit had earlier raised the possibility of the IS trying to establish cells in Thailand, but yesterday said the government was not worried about that. A spate of violence in the predominantly Muslim region since early 2004 has killed more than 7,000 people. Thai authorities are struggling to contain the violence caused by ethno-religious differences.

While Southeast Asia nations, most notably Malaysia, are worried about the potential for an increasing IS presence in the region, security officials and experts in Thailand view the situation in the South as a purely domestic affair. They concede that IS actions could inspire some militants in the deep south but there was no solid evidence to prove a link.

Members of Tambon Khao Laung Administrative Organisation sued seven local activists from “Khon Rak Ban Kerd” group, alleging a violation of the Public Assembly Act, blocking the entrance and exit, disturbing the state office and threatening others.

The allegations came after more than 150 residents from Na Nong Bong village gathered at the Tambon Khao Laung Administrative Organisation meeting to oppose a request by Tungkum Limited gold-mining company to use land in the area for mining operations.

The defendants were Pornthip Hongchai, 47, Viron Rujichaiyavat, 47, Ranong Kongsaen, 56, Mon Khunna, 40, Suphat Khunna, 47, Boonraeng Srithong, 52, and Lumplearn Ruengrith, 57.

If they had been found guilty, they could have faced a sentence of up to five years imprisonment and/or a fine of up to Bt100,000 for threatening and a sentence of up to six months imprisonment and/or a fine of up to Bt10,000 for violating the Public Assembly Act.

Teerapan Pankiri, the defendants lawyer from the Community Resource Centre Foundation, said after the hearing that the judge had dismissed all allegations against the defendants because they were actually invited to the meeting of Tambon Khao Laung Administrative Organisation, so their gathering at Tambon Khao Laung Administrative Organisation Office could not be considered a protest.

“The meeting of the Khao Luang Administrative Organisation was a meeting as per the Interior Ministry’s regulation, thus the Public Assembly Act cannot be applied to such a gathering, so the villagers who went to the meeting are not guilty of violating this law,” Teerapan said.

“On the accusation about threatening a member of the Khao Luang Administrative Organisation, the court was given conflicting testimonies by witnesses, but the court ruled that the activists had calmly participated in the meeting and there was no sign of an intention to cause violence.”

The court viewed that the villagers’ use of a megaphone was within their basic rights, he said.

Teerapan added that the plaintiffs have the right to appeal within 30 days.

“That’s an internal probe and we will not interfere in it. But when our official results come out, the ministry will not be able to challenge them either,” PACC acting secretary-general Lt-Colonel Korntip Daroj said yesterday.

He was speaking in response to reports that the ministry had launched a probe against three officials at the Khon Kaen Protection Centre for the Destitute over alleged minor disciplinary offences or for allegedly failing to fully comply with the ministry’s regulation on how to disburse the fund.

An informed source said one of the three officials facing the internal probe felt relieved after walking out of the probe room.

“I didn’t feel the pressure. The questions are very fair,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

This official has maintained that she is innocent and has complained about being transferred in the wake of the scandal.

The PACC has been investigating the alleged embezzlement of state funds for the destitute across the country, after a student intern at the Khon Kaen Protection Centre for the Destitute noticed suspicious activities and blew the whistle.

The investigation has, to date, detected irregularities in fund disbursement at 56 protection centres for the destitute and self-development settlements.

PACC has already officially asked the Social Development and Human Security Ministry to take disciplinary action against 158 officials linked to the corruption scandal. Of them, 35 are directors of the centres.

At present, the PACC is also looking into the alleged embezzlement of the Education Ministry’s Educational Fund for Life Development.

“Next week, the inspector-general who chairs the ministry’s fact-finding committee on this case will submit evidence and witnesses to the PACC,” Korntip said.

Doi Suthep Forest Reclamation Network coordinator Teerasak Rupsuwan said yesterday that as the Court of Justice was denying access to the site by the committee tasked with resolving the conflict at Doi Suthep, the deadline to find a solution was postponed from yesterday to today.

Teerasak stated that the issue would be resolved by the deadline irrespective of whether a third request for the committee to access the controversial site is accepted or rejected by the Court of Justice.

He said the group already has enough information on the project site and terrain from bird’s eye-view pictures shot by a drone and inspection around the border of the project site.

“The problem-solving committee, which consists of representatives from the public sector and relevant agencies, will hold a meeting at the office of the Chiang Mai Irrigation Project to finalise a solution to this conflict, which would be presented to the prime minister,” he said.

The idea to create a committee of representatives from the public sector and related agencies was suggested by the Third Army Area 3 chief Lt-General Wijak Banpasop at a public meeting on April 9. The problem-solving committee was tasked with reaching a conclusion by yesterday.

However, the Court of Justice stayed out of the deliberations and it also did not provide a reason for denying the committee members permission to enter and inspect the project area.

The Network to Reclaim Doi Suthep Forest yesterday arranged an event “You can break my heart but don’t hurt Doi Suthep” at Chiang Mai University’s Doi Suthep Nature Study Centre. The event aimed to publicise the spiritual importance of Doi Suthep Mountain to the people of Chiang Mai and campaign for sustainable and respectful development in the area of the sacred mountain.

Speaking at the event, Teerasak said the stance of the network and the people of Chiang Mai remained the same – the demolition of 45 mansions and nine residential buildings, which they consider as clearly encroaching on forestland, and restoration of the encroached land to its former state.

The group also suggested the inclusion of Doi Suthep’s forestland, which were still controlled by various official agencies, into the area of Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, but they admitted that more discussions were needed on this issue.

“We understand that the authorities would be wasting a lot of money on this project, if it were demolished, but such a loss would be more acceptable in order to restore the encroached area. This also will be a big lesson to the state to make them more careful and include public participation before initiating any project,” he said.

He also added that the local people in Chiang Mai regard Doi Suthep as a spiritual place, so they have always protested against disrespectful projects on Doi Suthep – for instance a proposed cable-car project.

Former Supreme Court judge Chuchart Srisaeng and former senator Paisal Puechmongkol waded into the stand-off, raising suspicions whether the group opposing the court housing project may have the intention of defaming the justice system and are possibly linked to a political group. They said it was clear that the project was entirely legal and the project site did not encroach on the national park area.

Reacting to the accusation, Teerasak said his group had protested against the project since the beginning, but its campaign had come to public attention only recently.

He also insisted that the campaign of the network was just a reflection of the power of the people of Chiang Mai, who want to protect their sacred mountain. He said they would protest against any agency that caused damage to Doi Suthep, and it was not singling out the Court of Justice.

Another 179,227 have made it through the first step in registering to work in Thailand, and the Labour Ministry and related agencies are proceeding to move the workers from Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia through the “second phase”, Labour Minister General Adul Saengsingkaew said yesterday.

The Cabinet had allowed migrant workers from three neighbouring countries to register by March 31 with the ministry’s “one stop service” centres and other designated offices to begin the steps for “legalisation”.

Adul said a total of 479,299 workers did as required. Among them, 300,072 workers have completed the nationality verification process (120,692 in Bangkok and 179,380 in other provinces). The remaining 179,227 workers need to continue through the process (37,319 in Bangkok and 141,908 in other provinces), he said.

With those workers’ permission to stay running out on June 30, the Labour Ministry has set up a central coordination centre at its head office in Bangkok’s Din Daeng district. It also has set up four One-Stop Service (OSS) centres in Bangkok, one of which is located in the ministry compound, and one SSO centre in each province, totalling 80 OSS centres. These OSS centres will begin processing applicants on April 23 and continue through to June 30.

For the 300,072 workers who have completed the nationality verification process, the OSS centres would proceed with issuing non-Thai identification cards and work permits for 127,429 workers, while other 140,770 workers must undergo a medical check-up and submit the resulting medical certificates to the OSS centres to receive the required document. The OSS centres will also help the 31,873 workers whose permits expired on March 31 and are requesting renewal.

Meanwhile, the 179,227 workers who have not yet made it past the first step registration must now undergo the nationality verification process before moving on to the other steps.

A migrant worker must pay Bt6,180 to work through the process. This includes a Bt500 health check-up fee and Bt3,200 for health insurance with the Public Health Ministry, a Bt500 immigration fee, Bt100 work permit request fee, Bt1,800 two-year work permit issuance fee, and Bt80 non-Thai identification card issuance fee.

The OSS centres in Bangkok are at the Labour Ministry office in Din Daeng district, Tang Hua Seng mall on the Thon Buri side of the Chao Phraya River, Sirindhorn Hospital on Soi On Nut 90 and in the Sampheng II area.

Those wishing more information can contact at the Department of Employment’s provincial branch offices or the Labour Ministry’s hotline 1506.

THREE MEMBERS of the Sangha Supreme Council (SSC) are facing allegations of having embezzled state funds meant for Dhamma schools.

They are Phra Phromdilok, the abbot of Sam Phraya Temple; Phra Phrommedhi, an assistant abbot of Samphanthawongsaram Temple; and Phra Phromsitti, the abbot of Sa Ket Temple.

Also implicated in the scandal are two senior monks, Phra Medhisuttikorn and Phra Wijitdhammaporn. Both are assistant abbots of Sa Ket Temple.

“The National Buddhism Office [NBO] will take action against all those involved in line with laws and policies laid down by Prime Minister and National Council for Peace and Order chief General Prayut Chan-o-cha,” PM’s Office Minister Suwaphan Tanyuvardhana said yesterday.

Earlier this month, the Cabinet approved anti-graft guidelines that prescribe quick action against officials accused of corruption.

According to Suwaphan, the NBO last September detected irregularities in the use of state funds for Dhamma schools and for the promotion of Buddhism.

The NBO urged the police to investigate.

Case with NACC

The investigation later suggested several state officials and temples might have been involved, prompting the Central Investigation Bureau to nudge the NBO to bring the case to the police force’s Counter Corruption Division.

That division has now forwarded the case to the National Anti-Corruption Commission.

Suwaphan yesterday declined to comment when asked if the accused SSC members should step down in order to facilitate the ongoing |probe.

“The judicial process and the Sangha process are separate,” Suwaphan said.

He added that the SSC would very likely discuss the allegations and handle the scandal.

Asked about some senior monks’ comments that NBO director Pol Lt-Colonel Pongporn Parmsneh’s efforts to scrutinise temples and monks are hurting Buddhism, Suwaphan said, “I think everyone has one’s duty to do”.

On August 29 last year, Pongporn was transferred from helming the NBO to the post of inspector-general at the Office of the Prime Minister amid widespread rumours that his efforts to eradicate corruption at temples might have upset some high-ranking monks.

Pongporn fought the transfer order, which was endorsed by the Cabinet, until the Cabinet agreed |to reinstall him as the head of the NBO.