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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024086

Free shuttle buses to start linking Bangkok’s two main train stations from Thursday

TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2023

Free shuttle buses between Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal (Bang Sue Grand Station) and Hua Lamphong Station will start running from Thursday to ensure a seamless commute for people in Bangkok.

The shuttle bus service, provided jointly by the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) and the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), aims to make travel easier for train commuters after 52 long-distance trains will start terminating at the new station from Thursday.

Six low-slung NGV buses will run between the two stations daily with the first bus departing Krung Thep Aphiwat at 4.30am and the last bus at 11pm.

However, on Thursday, the first bus will leave at noon and then every 30 minutes after that, BMTA director Kittikan Chomdoung Charuworapolkul said on Tuesday.

Kittikan said BMTA will dispatch additional staff at both stations to introduce the service to commuters and help those who are not aware of the change. The authority will also publish details of the shuttle bus route on its public buses to boost awareness.

The Bang Sue Grand Station opened in November 2021 and began serving passengers on the SRT’s two urban Red Lines. The station was granted the new name, Krung Thep Aphiwat, by King Rama X in November last year.

SRT initially planned to move all 66 long-haul trains, except the east-bound ones, from Hua Lamphong to Bang Sue but the plan was delayed due to the pandemic. Of the 66 routes, 52 are now running – 14 to the North, 20 to the South and 18 to the Northeast.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024083

Kong Salak Plus CEO sets up political party to ‘change’ Thailand’s lottery scene

TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2023

The CEO of online lottery platform Kong Salak Plus unveiled his political party, “Plian” (Change), whose key campaign policy for the May 7 general elections will be eliminating overpriced lottery tickets.

Phanthawat Nakwisut said on Monday that he had registered the new political party with the Election Commission (EC) in August last year and is awaiting approval.

He said the party will start taking in members as soon as it gets the EC’s greenlight.

“The first thing our party will do is eliminate the sale of government lotteries at more than 80 baht,” he said. “This can only be achieved through the political procedure, with approval and support from the people. That’s why we are entering politics.”

The 43-year-old said he will become both party leader and party-list MP candidate once the party is officially launched.

He added that a platform will also be set up to collect public opinions that will be used to shape the party’s policies.

“This change is not for me. It is for the sellers of lottery tickets who have been suffering from low profits for years. Many have been selling lotteries for 10 years and can still not afford to feed their families,” Phanthawat said.

Earlier on Monday, the Kong Salak Plus headquarters at SSP Tower in Bangkok’s Watthana district was raided by police and relevant officials.

The raid was in response to a Government Lottery Office complaint filed with the Consumer Protection Police Division that the company was selling overpriced lottery tickets.

The platform was also accused of buying up tickets from small vendors to resell at inflated prices.

After the raid, Phanthawat told the press that he was not worried about the allegations because he has not done anything wrong.

Related Stories

Owner of online lottery platform defiant after raid by police, several agencies

CEO of Kong Salak Plus Lottery faces money-laundering probe

PM orders probe of Kong Salak Plus lottery after owner boasts THB18bn sales

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024081

Cyber cops warn against clicking on deceptive Chinese New Year links

TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2023

People should avoid providing key personal data or clicking on links sent via SMS messages claiming that they have won a windfall, the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) said.

CCIB spokesman Pol Colonel Krissana Pattanacharoen said on Tuesday that con artists are using the Lunar New Year period to deceive people by claiming they have won “ang pao” or a cash present for Chinese New Year.

The scammers ask SMS recipients to provide them with their name, birthdate, mobile number, ID card number, bank account number, and credit card or debit card number as well as the three-digit number behind the card.

This data is then used to hack into the victim’s bank account or credit card account. The victim may also be asked for the OTP (one-time password) sent to their mobile phone to complete the transfers.

Krissana said scam artists can also use the key personal data to deceive the victims’ friends and relatives to wire them money or use it for other criminal activities.

The spokesman said the CCIB has stepped up crackdowns on call-centre gangs in line with the National Police chief’s policy.

The CCIB said people should be careful when clicking links sent to them by SMS because many people have lost money to call-centre gangs pretending to be revenue officials and asking them to install suspicious applications. These apps then hack their accounts and empty them.

The CCIB has provided the following advice:

• Avoid clicking on links attached to SMS messages or download apps as they may be embedded with malware

• Check the number of SMS senders to see if they really come from government agencies

• Carefully check web addresses or URLs

• Keep an eye out for websites or Facebook pages that have been designed to look official

• If you have provided key data to scammers, immediately change all passwords, especially bank accounts, emails and social media accounts

• Always install anti-virus applications

• Pass the warning on to friends and relatives.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024078

Injuries reported as oil tanker explodes southwest of Bangkok

TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2023

An oil tanker exploded at a quay in Samut Songkhram’s Muang district on Tuesday morning, injuring at least two people.

The explosion occurred at 9am as the tanker was preparing to offload oil at the quay in Laem Yai subdistrict, at the mouth of the Mae Klong River.

Officials rushed to the scene to investigate the cause of the incident.

The explosion caused a fire that sent a plume of thick, black smoke billowing over the Samut Songkhram skyline, 80 kilometres southwest of Bangkok.

The cause of the explosion was still unknown as of press time.

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• Loss of balance lands Bangkokian in muck and mud
• 8 injured as treat-filled helicopter gets dangerously close at Chanthaburi Children’s Day event
• Bentley driver faces more charges after narcotic found in his blood

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024077

Military official alleged to have demanded THB20m to release triad suspects

TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2023

The Royal Thai Armed Forces (RTARF) is investigating allegations that an official from the Armed Forces Security Centre demanded 20 million baht from 11 Chinese suspects in exchange for letting them go after police searched a house in Bangkok’s Sathorn district on Monday.

The search was a joint operation between the Department of Special Investigation, the Metropolitan Police Bureau, and the Armed Forces Security Centre.

The joint team was acting on a tip-off that the residence was masquerading as the official consulate of Nauru, said RTARF spokesman Lt-General Theeraphong Patthamasingh on Tuesday. Nauru is a small island-nation located northeast of Australia.

Police found several Chinese nationals residing in the house. Among them was a suspect wanted in connection with the police raid on Jinling nightclub in Bangkok’s Yannawa district in October last year. The raid kicked off a police investigation into Chinese triads operating in Thailand that has seen 5.3 billion baht in assets seized from alleged drug kingpin Chaiyanat “Tuhao” Kornchayanant and his associates.

Theeraphong said investigators found evidence that an official participating in Monday’s raid let 11 suspects go after detaining them in exchange for money. Initial investigations revealed that the official is from the Armed Forces Security Centre.

Theeraphong said an investigation committee has been established to look into the incident and will send its findings to the Chief of Defence Forces as soon as possible.

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More assets of alleged drug kingpin under scrutiny of narcotics control board

New video shows drug party at Bangkok ‘triad club’: Chuwit

27 Thai immigration police officers found to be aiding Chinese triads

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024075

Three generals among 80 immigration police charged in triad visa scam

TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2023

Investigators believe at least 80 immigration police officers, three of whom are generals, have been aiding about 5,000 members of Chinese triad criminal gangs to stay illegally in Thailand.

Deputy National Police chief General Surachet Hakparn told reporters on Monday that the suspects have been summoned to hear charges filed against them, which include malfeasance and demanding bribes.

The police launched a nationwide investigation in November after former massage parlour tycoon and politician Chuwit Kamolvisit provided information on alleged Chinese triads operating in Thailand.

The tip-off quickly led to an arrest warrant being issued for alleged triad kingpin Chaiyanat “Tuhao” Kornchayanant, a Chinese national who gained Thai citizenship by marrying a senior Thai police officer.

Surachet, who led the investigation, said officials were found to have issued student and other visas to some 3,000 Chinese nationals in the Northeast and more than 1,000 in the North from 2020-2021, allowing them to stay in Thailand and engage in illegal operations.

Among the 5,000 recipients is the owner of Club One, a famous entertainment venue in Pattaya, which police suspect is a triad base of operations.

“We need to weed out bad officials from the force of over 20,000 immigration police,” said Surachet.

“Investigators are also coordinating with the National Anti-Corruption Commission in tracing the finances of these suspected officials.”

Authorities have so far confiscated assets worth 5.3 billion baht from Chaiyanat, including real estate, buses, bank deposits, businesses and an aircraft. The Justice Ministry announced last week that it is seizing another 3 billion baht in assets owned by Chaiyanat and people in his network.

Related Stories

More assets of alleged drug kingpin under scrutiny of narcotics control board

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024074

‘Benchakitti not a golf course’, says Bangkok governor as park trees wilt

TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2023

Bangkok has not abandoned its duty to take care of Benchakitti Forest Park, said governor Chadchart Sittipunt on Monday, responding to public complaints of trees wilting in the park.

Photos shared widely on social media show several trees drooping in the 300-rai public park in Klong Toei district, indicating a lack of watering and proper care.

On Sunday, the Facebook page “Benchakitti Forest Park” posted photos of water trucks manned by volunteer soldiers spraying the park’s trees. The posts prompted netizens to ask why the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) was not doing its job of taking care of the park.

On Monday, Chadchart responded by saying park maintenance had been outsourced.

“We hired a private company to take care of Benchakitti Park since it also serves a learning centre and therefore has a complex design,” Chadchart said. “Taking care of such a delicate public park is different from maintaining a golf course, where grass and trees can stay green all year long.”

The governor added that BMA officials have been working with the Army’s Maintenance Engineering Department, which built the park, to come up with short- and long-term plans to procure sustainable water sources for plants in the park, especially during drought.

“The BMA is taking care of all the parks in Bangkok equally. Benchakitti Park is relatively new and there are some aspects about it that we have to learn from the designer and constructor as we continue working on it,” he said.

Chadchart added that several agencies have been participating in taking care of the park, including the BMA’s drainage and environment office, the Treasury Department which owns the land, and private partners who have been tasked with inspecting the park’s equipment and water quality of its lake.

“Thank you for your concern about the park. The BMA is doing the best we can to complete all the [park-related] projects that we have planned,” he said.

Benchakitti Park officially opened in 2004 on land formerly owned by the Tobacco Authority of Thailand to honour Her Majesty Queen Sirikit on her 72nd birthday. The park is situated next to the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre and is connected to Bangkok’s other large park, Lumphini, by a 1.3km-long elevated pedestrian walkway and bicycle trail at the southwest corner. Benchakitti was expanded as a forest park last year and now incorporates wetlands, cycle paths, overhead walkways and a bicycle trail.

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Their Majesties launch Benjakitti Forest Park expansion phases

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024063

Owner of online lottery platform defiant after raid by police, several agencies

MONDAY, JANUARY 16, 2023

Police and several government agencies turned up at the head office of Kong Salak Plus, the popular online lottery platform, on Monday morning following allegations by the Government Lottery Office (GLO) that it was deceiving consumers.

The unfazed CEO of Kong Salak Plus, Phanthawat Nakwisut, said he would go on Facebook Live to announce the lottery results on Tuesday and lottery ticket buyers from his platform would still receive full prizes without tax deduction in keeping with the earlier practice.

The raid on Kong Salak Plus at SSP Tower in Bangkok’s Watthana district was led by Pol Lt-General Prachuap Wongsuk, assistant National Police chief who heads a police committee in charge of cracking down on overpriced lottery tickets.

The raid by Metropolitan Police Bureau officers was joined by officials from the Office of the Consumer Protection Board, the Anti-Money Laundering Office, the Revenue Department, and the Department of Special Investigation.

Prachuap said police had obtained a search warrant after the GLO filed a complaint with the Consumer Protection Police Division that Kong Salak Plus had been selling overpriced lottery tickets. The platform was also accused of buying up tickets from small-time vendors for reselling at inflated prices.

Prachuap said the GLO maintained that it had not appointed Kong Salak Plus to sell its tickets.

He added that police would check whether Kong Salak Plus had violated any law by claiming to be selling the tickets at their face value of 80 baht per ticket but charging another 25 baht per ticket as service fee.

GLO director Noon Sansanakom said on Monday that the GLO had filed complaints with police against all online platforms selling lottery tickets because they buy up tickets from vendors for reselling at inflated prices.

Noon said Kong Salak Plus and other platforms might be charged with deceiving the public by claiming that they bought tickets for over 80 baht each and reselling them at 80 baht (plus service fees).

“It’s impossible to buy tickets for over 80 baht and resell them at 80 baht. So, this may constitute deception of the public,” Noon said, making no reference to the service fees charged by the platforms.

Noon added that the GLO has never licensed Kong Salak Plus to sell its tickets and the platform also was not in a position to prevent buyers under 20 years of age from buying, unlike the Krung Thai Bank’s Pao Tang app that requires buyers to identify themselves first.

After the search, Prachuap did not elaborate on evidence the police and officials might have found at the head office as they left without speaking to reporters.

Also on Monday, a former Special Branch police officer, Santhana Prayoonrat, met Yutthana Praedam, deputy director of the DSI, at 11am.

Santhana claimed that he had come to hand over evidence of alleged grey businessmen’s connection with Kong Salak Plus.

Santhana claimed that he had been gathering the evidence for seven or eight years and his evidence allegedly showed the operation used funds of 10 million baht from drug traffickers.

Kong Salak Plus CEO Phanthawat returned to his office at 1.30pm when the officials had already left.

He said he had a personal business in the morning so he was not at the office when the officials arrived.

He said he was not worried about the allegations because he had not engaged in any wrongdoing from the beginning.

Phanthawat argued that other platforms had been buying up lottery tickets from vendors and reselling them for over 10 years but the GLO had not taken any action.

He said many other platforms had for years been following the practice of adding a service charge to the 80 baht face value of each ticket.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024062

New learning centre aims to help Thai SMEs with global barcode standards

MONDAY, JANUARY 16, 2023

Nongluck Ajanapanya

GS1 Thailand, a division of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), on Monday opened a new learning centre with the goal of educating the country’s entrepreneurs, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), on how to go global with barcode standards.

Khomsan Laosillapacharoen, chairman of GS1 Thailand and FTI’s vice chairman, said in an opening statement that the “FTI Connect Learning Center by GS1 Thailand” is a business learning centre focusing on the global language of business, also known as barcodes, which is the most widely used system of standards globally.

GS1 is a non-profit international organisation that develops and maintains its own barcode standards and issues company prefixes.

“Our medium and large-sized businesses had already implemented barcodes, but our small businesses had not. So, this centre will serve as a simple portal to help them understand what a barcode is, why it is important, and how to obtain one,” Khomsan stated.

Meanwhile, the FTI Connect Learning Centre will demonstrate some of the most recent use case technology and innovation related to barcodes so that visitors can see the benefits firsthand.

Besides, Khomsan intends to use this learning centre to prepare Thai entrepreneurs and businesses for the next 2-D barcode version.

“Instead of the familiar barcode, the next one will resemble a QR Code. This new version of the product code will include product information, all manufacturing processes for goods and services, such as packaging, production period, and any other information that will assist buyers and consumers in tracing the origin of the product,” he explained.

He predicted that the 2-D code will be widely used worldwide within the next five years. Its goal is to meet the demands of sustainable trends.

Kriangkrai Tiannukul, FTI’s chairman, praised the importance of the FTI Connect Learning Centre.

During the opening ceremony, he stated that barcodes are the global language of products. It is an essential tool for international trade.

Aside from helping boost the confidence of Thai SMEs to go abroad, the learning centre aims to educate the general public about the country’s industries and their evolution, FTI history, and other current interesting economic trends and issues.

“With our interactive display, visitors will enjoy learning about business knowledge,” Kriangkrai said.

The learning centre is now open for free visits on the first floor of Rajamangala University of Technology Krungthep’s Creative Technology Building.

Visitors must pre-register and limit their visits to 5-20 people per round. Each round of the visit lasts about 30 minutes.

Nongluck Ajanapanya

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024060

Police, FDA raid 6 more sites for fake plastic surgery silicone strips

MONDAY, JANUARY 16, 2023

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials joined police to raid and confiscate a horde of fake silicone pieces at a plastic surgery clinic’s five branches and at the manufacturer’s warehouse.

The joint operation was announced on Monday by FDA secretary-general Paisarn Dunkum and Pol Colonel Tharakorn Lertporncharoen, deputy chief of the Consumer Protection Police Division (CPPD).

The latest raid was conducted last Thursday, following two previous operations on December 20 and 22.

The raid also uncovered information that Korawin Clinic’s five branches had used the counterfeit silicone pieces in 1,621 surgeries last year. Of them, 1,436 were nose jobs, 154 chin implants and 31 both nose and chin surgeries.

Paisarn said the FDA sought help CPPD’s help to investigate the use of fake silicone pieces at clinics operating under the Korawin brand.

The FDA and CPPD also obtained a court warrant to search a deserted rice mill in Suphanburi’s Sri Prachan district on December 20.

There they learned that the rice mill was being used as a factory to make silicone for nose and forehead jobs.

They also seized counterfeit equipment, 68 moulds and 1,098 silicone pieces in the December 20 raid. The cost of the confiscated items was estimated at 3.5 million baht.

Nattapapas (surname withheld) was subsequently arrested for manufacturing silicone and medical equipment without a licence. She reportedly admitted to running the business for two years and said her biggest buyer was K Medical Thailand Co Ltd.

K Medical reportedly placed orders for Korawin Clinic’s Ngam Wong Wan branch in Bangkok and in Khon Kaen province.

Paisarn said subsequent investigation found that the counterfeit silicone was later distributed to 30 other branches of the clinic nationwide. Officials also found documents proving that the Korawin Clinic had paid more than 2 million baht for the fake silicone pieces.

On December 22, police and FDA officials raided the Ngam Wong Wan branch and seized 12,282 pieces for nose jobs, 27 pieces for forehead implants and 3,855 pieces for the chin. All had been made in Nattapapas’s factory.

On January 12, FDA officials searched the clinic’s branches in Nakhon Pathom, Rayong, Udon Thani and Khon Kaen as well as the Ngam Wong Wan branch and a warehouse in Nonthaburi.

Police said the January 12 and December 22 raids resulted in the seizure of 12,282 pieces for nose jobs, 2,775 for foreheads and 1,107 for chins as well as 998 illegal medical equipment and 474 items of illegal medication.

The FDA chief said the silicone pieces cost 60-80 baht each to produce and were used in surgeries costing 4,900 to 50,000 baht.

The FDA chief and CPPD deputy chief said more arrest warrants will be sought but did not elaborate.