A female thief arrested in Pathum Thani province has blamed a demon for telling her to steal about Bt50,000 worth of other people’s belongings.
On Friday, Pratunam Chulalongkorn police station sent officers to arrest Sukanya Kobchai, 39, at Chan Nakhon market.
Police found 0.5 grams of methamphetamine and one amphetamine pill in her possession, and promptly added a drugs charge.
Sukanya was caught on security camera stealing valuables from a house in the district on November 10, say police. Footage shows her spraying the house owner’s perfume on herself as she calmly commits the robbery.
She confessed her crime to investigating officers, explaining that as she was passing the house, she heard a voice telling her to do something bad.
The Bangkok MRT’s Blue Line extension will be temporarily closed on Saturday from 5pm for an official opening ceremony that will be presided over by Their Majesties the King and Queen.
The Sam Yod and Sanam Chai stations will be closed from 6am until the end of the ceremony, while Itsaraphap, Tha Phra, Bang Phai, Bang Wa, Phetkasem 48, Phasi Charoen, Bang Khae and Laksong stations will be closed from 4pm until the ceremony wraps up.
The Bangkok Expressway and Metro is advising people to keep this temporary closure in mind when they make travel plans
The government is planning to tighten vehicle inspection to deal with air pollution, the top official at the Pollution Control Department said.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will intensify measures to deal with polluters, Attapol Charoenchansa, the department’s director-general said.
He said 17 units would be set up in Bangkok for more stringent inspection of vehicles to find those emitting black smoke.
Between October 2019 and September 2020, 7,010 out of 9,539 inspected vehicles emitted excess black smoke and 2,526 were fined.
The aim is to lessen the level of PM2.5 dust particles (particles less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter) in the big city as diesel engine combustion releases too much pollution, he said.
According to the Land Transport Act, owners of cars that emit smoke would be suspended from driving the vehicles until the cars were fixed, Attapol said.
Bangkok police are questioning a man who allegedly robbed Bt416,000 from a TMB Bank on Thursday.
Police from Kannayao station arrested the suspect, who had allegedly robbed cash from TMB Bank’s Thanommit branch on Ramindra Road in Bangkok’s Bang Khen district, official said.
The bank alerted police at 4pm when the male suspect, wearing a camouflage-pattern shirt, black pants and a black ski mask entered the bank and forced a teller at gunpoint to hand over Bt2 million in cash. The teller reportedly handed over to him an envelope of cash with Bt416,000 in it, after which the suspect left the bank. He reportedly turned right and walked to Watcharaphol Road.
“CCTV footage showed the suspect walk to Soi Prayoonthong on Watcharaphol Road, which is around 300 metres from the bank. He changed his clothes into a black jacket and black shorts and left the old clothes as well as the money envelope in the dumpster,” said the police. “The suspect was identified as Karn [last name withheld], aged 25 years, and we found part of the stolen money at his flat in a nearby area.”
Police said the robbery occurred near the bank’s closing time and there were only three customers at the branch. No injuries were reported after the robbery.
Police are interrogating the suspect and collecting fingerprints from the crime scene.
Some 200 Karen people in Tak’s Phop Phra district arrived at a local police station late on Thursday to report that a vacuum truck had dumped human faeces in the upstream watershed their community uses for consumption.
They demanded that the business behind the pollution be immediately prosecuted because its selfish action has left the community with no water.
This watershed has been a source of water for the village for many generations and they are concerned that this pollution will affect the health of people in the community.
Meanwhile, police tried to resolve things by mediating between the business operator and the angry locals, who say similar incidents had taken place before, but this time they managed to identify the company behind the wrongdoing.
The company has agreed to pay Bt10,000 in compensation and promised it will not dump waste in the area again. Meanwhile, a relevant organisation has been informed of this case, and will take legal action in future.
A man who allegedly tried to force a six-year-old girl to perform oral sex was arrested in Bangkok on Friday.
His arrest was facilitated by clues a resident of the area found in security camera footage.
The incident took place in a community in Bangkok’s Rat Burana district at 4pm on November 8 when a stranger in a pink shirt was watching the girl while masturbating.
When she came close to him, the sexual predator grabbed her and forced the girl to perform oral sex but she got scared and ran away.
On Thursday, a neighbour checked footage in the house’s security camera system and saw the direction in which the man was headed. The video was later posted on the Internet.
Police are interrogating the alleged offender to consider charges and will hold a press conference on the matter.
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) reported nine new cases in state quarantine facility over a 24-hour period on Friday.
All of the cases are asymptomatic and include a 56-year-old Thai masseuse who returned from Lebanon on November 1. She went into state quarantine in Chonburi, where she tested positive on November 8.
Two Swiss men aged 74 and 76, and a 52-year-old Thai woman, who had arrived from Switzerland on November 6 and checked into a Bangkok alternative state quarantine hotel, were found infected on November 11.
Five other foreigners to had come from their own countries tested positive in alternative state quarantine hotels in Bangkok. They included a 37-year-old Filipino engineer, who arrived on November 6 after taking a connecting flight from Hong Kong and was found positive on November 11. A 45-year-old Indian woman arrived on November 7 and tested positive on November 11, a 42-year-old Kuwaiti, who arrived on November 10 and tested positive the same day, a 43-year-old French national who arrived on October 30 and tested positive on November 11 and a 66-year-old Briton who arrived on November 6 and tested positive on November 11.
According their health data, this is the second time that the French man and the Briton have been infected by the virus. They had previously tested positive in July and on October 16 respectively.
Meanwhile, four other patients have recovered and been discharged.
The total number of confirmed cases in Thailand has risen to 3,861 (903 in state quarantine), 104 of whom are in hospital and 3,697 have recovered. The death toll remains unchanged at 60.
According to Worldometer, as of 10am, the total number of confirmed cases worldwide had risen to 53.08 million (up by 642,653). Of them, 37.2 million have recovered, while 14.58 million are active cases (95,680 in severe condition) and 1.3 million have died (up by 9,666).
Thailand ranks 149th in the list of most affected countries, while US tops the list with 10.87 million patients, followed by India with 8.72 million, Brazil 5.78 million, France 1.9 million and Russia 1.85 million.
The baht opened at 30.24 to the US dollar on Friday, strengthening from 30.28 at close on Thursday.
The Thai currency is likely to move between 30.15 and 30.35 on Friday, said Jitipol Puksamatanan, senior director of the chief investment office at SCB Securities.
On Thursday night, the financial market were in a risk-off state. The S&P 500 decreased by 1 per cent and Stoxx 600 by 0.9 per cent.
The markets reacted after both the Fed and the European Central Bank (ECB) signalled to investors that the Covid-19 vaccine update was not as positive as they had expected.
At the same time, the WTI crude oil price fell by 1.1 per cent, after the International Energy Agency estimated that total oil consumption this year would be 91.3 million barrels. And this consumption would possibly not increase in the next year.
The price of gold rose by 0.6 per cent due to purchases by small investors via exchange traded funds.
In the present situation, the US Ten-Year Treasury yield decreased by 9 basis points to 0.88 per cent. Investors this time have decided to invest in safe haven currencies, such as the Japanese yen or the Swiss franc, instead of the dollar.
In the short term, the baht will still be supported by the weakened dollar, recovering currencies in emerging markets, and capital flowing from other countries to Thailand. However, in the long term, Jitipol warned investors to be careful amid changing situations at the end of this year.
The price of gold dropped by Bt100 per baht weight in morning trade on Friday, the Gold Traders Association reported.
As of 9.25am, the buying price of a gold bar was Bt26,850 per baht weight and selling price Bt26,950, while gold ornaments were priced at Bt26,363.24 and Bt27,450, respectively.
Gold had dropped by Bt150 in the morning session on Thursday.
At close on Tuesday, the buying price of a gold bar was Bt26,750 per baht weight and selling price Bt26,850 while gold ornaments were Bt26,272.28 and Bt27,350, respectively.
Hong Kong gold price increased by HK$12 to $17,360 (Bt67766 or US$2,240) per tael, the Chinese Gold and Silver Exchange Society reported.
The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) Index opened on Friday at 1,329 points, decreasing from the last close by 7.21 points, or 0.54 per cent.
Krungsri Securities forecast that the SET will move between 1,325 and 1,330 points, since there is no new factor to stimulate investment. Some investors are concerned about several countries reimposing lockdowns due to a new wave of Covid-19 virus.
On Thursday, the SET Index closed at 1,336.31, down 9.03 points or 0.67 per cent. Total transactions amounted to Bt97.24 billion with an index high of 1,341.57 and a low of 1,327.17.
The securities advised investors to buy AOT, MINT, CENTEL, IVL, PTTGC, TOP, KBANK, SCB and BBL, as they have an advantage from good news on Covid-19 vaccine development announced recently. Moreover, STGT, STA, SYNEX, HANA and TVO are companies whose turnover is affected negatively.
Other interesting stocks included EPG and PLANB, which grew positively in the last quarter, according to their recent statement.
