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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024226

‘Siren service’ for Chinese tourist lands 3 police officers in trouble

SUNDAY, JANUARY 22, 2023

Two of the three police officers who allegedly provided “special services” to a Chinese tourist have been transferred, Royal Thai Police said.

Spokesman Pol Maj-General Atchayon Kraithong said on Saturday that the National Police chief ordered an investigation into claims by a Chinese tourist that she received “special services” from Thai police – for a price. The tourist’s TikTok clip of her “special” police escort to Pattaya has gone viral.

The tourist claimed that upon arrival, she was fast-tracked through immigration and then rushed through traffic to her hotel in the resort town. The trip took only one hour when it can take up to three hours in traffic. Apparently, a police siren was used during the trip and she claims it cost her no more than 7,000 baht.

Atchayon said police officers in the clip include one tourist police officer and two traffic police officers.

The tourist police officer was identified as Pol Captain Sompol Pinyosamosorn, while the other two were identified as Pol Sergeant Thanakorn Nukulthanakit and Pol Sergeant Thanawat Simakachonboon, Atchayon said.

Both tourist and traffic police are investigating the case, he said, adding that the two traffic police officers have been transferred to the traffic police operation centre.

“The National Police chief Pol General Damrongsak Kittiprapas has ordered a thorough investigation to clarify the case to the public,” he said.

The general has also warned other police officers against such behaviour and has threatened them with punishment.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024220

Fire leaves 3 Bangkok families homeless in Yannawa district

SATURDAY, JANUARY 21, 2023

Three families living in Bangkok’s Yannawa district were left homeless on Saturday after their rented wooden houses were destroyed by a fire.

One person was injured after being cut by a shard of glass during the blaze, which erupted in an alley off Rama III Road.

It took firefighters about half an hour to contain the fire.

Prachak Tienkhunthod, a resident of the house where the fire is believed to have started, said that he had put out joss sticks before leaving his home to drive his wife to work in the morning.

He said he had left his electric fan and refrigerator plugged in but was unsure if a short circuit had occurred.

A neighbour, who declined to be identified, said smoke came out of Prachak’s house in the morning and expanded to two nearby wooden houses within five minutes.

No members of the three families living in the houses were at home during the fire, the neighbour said.

Yannawa District Office registered the families as fire victims for assistance.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024219

Silom street vendors told to move following complaints from pedestrians

SATURDAY, JANUARY 21, 2023

Bangkok city officials are negotiating with street vendors in the Silom area to get them to move from their present locations on the pavement to four nearby “hawker centres”.

Deputy Bangkok Governor Jakkapan Phiewngam told a press conference at the City Hall on Saturday that the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has prepared the hawker centres on Convent Road, a spot opposite Sri Maha Mariamman Temple (also known as Wat Khaek), inside Soi Sala Daeng, and at Patpong Night Market.

Rent is 150 baht per day, Jakkapan said.

There are 69 street vendors on sidewalks in the Silom area, most of whom sell food, Jakkapan said. Thirty operate at night while the other 39 start serving customers from 2pm, 4pm, and 6pm.

He said that the BMA started “seeking cooperation” from the Silom street vendors to move on January 17. Some have started moving to the new locations provided.

“From January 17, the management of street vending in the Silom became stricter. All sides have agreed on the need for that so that the city can be lively and orderly while the vendors can survive,” Jakkapan said.

The BMA has cancelled permission for street vendors to operate on the stretch of Silom Road leading to Rama IV Road following complaints that they made it difficult for pedestrians to use the pavement, he said.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024218

Police chief orders probe into ‘siren service’ for Chinese tourist

SATURDAY, JANUARY 21, 2023

Thailand’s national police chief has ordered an investigation into claims by a Chinese tourist that she received “special services” from Thai police – for a price – during a visit to Pattaya with her mother, following a video clip that went viral on TikTok.

National police chief Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas is aware of the video and has ordered an investigation to find out if the people in the video clip are Thai police officers, Royal Thai Police spokesman Maj-Gen Atchayon Kraithong said on Saturday.

Atchayon said his boss wants the results of the investigation delivered to him quickly.

In the video clip that went viral in China, the young woman who posted it says she was offered a police escort while booking transport from Suvarnabhumi International Airport to Pattaya.

A police escort from Thailand’s largest airport to one of its most popular seaside resorts costs 7,000 baht for a car and 6,000 baht for a motorcycle, she says in the video.

“I have never seen anything like this so I decided to try the service,” she explains.

Atchayon said the investigative team would determine whether such services were available to tourists.

In the video, the woman says she was surprised when a bespectacled man in a dark jacket and khaki trousers was waiting to greet her as she disembarked from her plane. The man led her to a fast-track line to get her passport stamped.

“I didn’t have to use the queue and [the process] just took five minutes,” she says in the video.

The man also picked up her luggage for her.

Just outside the arrival hall’s exit, a silver police car and a black-and-white police vehicle were parked, with two men in Thai police uniforms waiting for her, the tourist said.

She gave a 200 baht tip to a man wearing a vest with the words “Traffic Police” emblazoned on it.

One of the “officers” opened the door to the car to allow her to sit inside it.

The siren was used during the ride from the airport to Pattaya.

It took her only one hour to arrive at her hotel in the resort town. The drive – without a police siren – can often take up to three hours.

It is unclear when the tourist received such a welcome from Thailand’s finest, or men impersonating them.

Thailand has seen an influx of Chinese tourists since Beijing relaxed its zero Covid-19 policy on January 8.

Atchayon said on Saturday that special immigration treatment for ordinary tourists was prohibited.

Police escorts, he said, were available only for certain groups of people, including politicians and official guests.

Police escorts are also available for school trips to ensure safety reasons and for senior state officials who are in a rush, he added.

Unnecessary use of police escorts can affect road safety and further taint the reputation of Thai police.

“If the relevant laws and regulations were not followed, all those involved will be punished,” he said.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024216

New overbridge aims to reduce traffic jams at Bangkok’s Premier Intersection

SATURDAY, JANUARY 21, 2023

A new overbridge in Bangkok opened to traffic on Saturday above Premier Intersection on Srinakarin Road.

The 850-metre-long bridge, with two lanes on each side, is located below the elevated tracks of the Yellow Line light rail mass transit system, which connects Bangkok’s Lat Phrao area and Samut Prakan province’s Samrong area.

The newly completed bridge, built by the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand during the construction of the Yellow Line, sits beneath an area between its Suan Luang and Si Udom stations.

The bridge was built to ease traffic congestion at the junction, which has two shopping malls nearby.

Its opening ceremony on Saturday was attended by senior officials from the transit authority, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, Metropolitan Police Bureau, and the Transport Ministry.

Construction of the Yellow Line was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic but is expected to start operating later this year.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024213

Digital ID now valid as government moves to make services more efficient

SATURDAY, JANUARY 21, 2023

Thais can now get access to services from government agencies by using their digital identification on a mobile device instead of a physical ID card, government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said on Saturday.

The development flows from Section 14 of the Digital Public Service Act, which took effect on January 10. It allows digital ID to be used to access government services, Anucha said.

The law aims to improve the quality of government services and make it more efficient by using cutting-edge technology, Anucha said, adding that the shift to digitalised government services is a global trend.

An application – D.DOPA – has been developed by the Department of Provincial Administration for registering a digital ID. It can be used on both the iOS and Android platforms.

To register, a citizen must present their physical ID card to their district office’s registry division and then open the D.DOPA app. They will then need to enter a 13-digit ID number, accept the terms and conditions, scan a QR code, and fill out a Personal Data Protection Act consent form.

Anucha said people can show their digital ID on their devices when contacting government agencies or when an official requests an ID check.

“The digital ID has the same validity as physical ID and must be accepted by all agencies and officials,” he said.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024208

Prayut, Prawit pepper Chinese New Year greetings with electoral promises

SATURDAY, JANUARY 21, 2023

Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha posted a Facebook message wishing all Thai-Chinese people good fortune, health and wealth on the occasion of Chinese New Year.

The message posted on Friday also urged people travelling upcountry to be careful and kind to others.

The prime minister added that his government will continue strengthening ties with China and promote bilateral cooperation, especially on economic and social aspects, for the happiness and prosperity of people from both countries.

Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, meanwhile, attended the Pak Nam Pho Chinese New Year festival in Nakhon Sawan province on Friday.

The festival, which kicked off on Monday, will run until next Thursday.

Prawit wished the festivalgoers a happy and wealthy 2023, as he promoted his Palang Pracharath Party’s new slogan: “Rising above conflict, solving problems and improving Thailand from all sectors”.

He also highlighted the party’s key policies, namely raising the monthly state welfare payment to 700 baht from the current limit of 300 baht for people earning less than 30,000 baht a year.

Prayut will run in the upcoming May general election as the PM candidate for the United Thai Nation Party, while his brother-in-arms Prawit will be the PM candidate for Palang Pracharath Party.

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