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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40021627

Ex-Samut Prakan chief linked with THB100m temple-subsidy corruption: NACC

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 01, 2022

A former president of the Samut Prakan Provincial Administrative Organisation (PAO) and his accomplices engaged in fraudulent purchases with more than 100 million baht in temple subsidy money, the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) said on Monday.

Chonsawat Asavahame and up to seven accomplices were linked to corruption in 20 temple restoration projects between 2011 and 2013, the NACC’s investigation found.

Chonsawat had violated Section 151 of the Criminal Code with his fraudulent purchases and abuse of authority, resulting in damage to the state, the NACC said.

He faces a maximum of life imprisonment and a 400,000 baht fine if the court finds him guilty, it said. Chonsawat also violated Section 157 of the code by neglecting his duties, which carries penalties of 10 years in jail and/or a fine of up to 200,000 baht, said the NACC.

Chonsawat is the son of fugitive politician Vatana Asavahame, who fled the country after being sentenced in 2008 to 10 years for corruption in the Klong Dan wastewater plant scandal.

In 2015, the Supreme Court sentenced Chonsawat to one year and six months in jail for fraud during the 1999 municipal elections in Samut Prakan. He was later granted a royal pardon on September 7, 2016.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40021624

Police warn of ‘foreign nightlife mafia’ after inspecting Bangkok pubs

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 01, 2022

Police warned of “foreign nightlife mafia” as they inspected six Bangkok pubs in the early hours of Tuesday in a crackdown on drugs, guns, and underage customers.

Deputy national police chiefs Torsak Sukvimol and Surachate Hakpal led the inspections by 200 tourist police ahead of the tourism high season.

The targeted venues were Space and K Bangkok on RCA; Hollywood, Brooz, and Asgard in Huai Khwang; and Baby Face in the Khlong Tan area.

Torsak warned that pubs where drugs, guns or underage patrons are found could have their licences revoked for five years.

He also said foreign investors are operating like mafia in Thailand’s nightlife sector, adding that police and immigration officials are working together to eliminate them.

He said police would be fair with pub operators over drug abuse. If tourists are found to have used drugs inside the venue after buying them outside, police would focus their efforts on tracing the origin. However, entertainment venues will be severely punished if drugs are sold inside, he added.

Surachate said police would be monitoring pubs owned not just by Chinese operators but also Thais.

He admitted to receiving tip-offs from former politician and massage parlour tycoon Chuwit Kamolvisit.

Related stories

• 1 arrested as Chinese man loses little finger but escapes alleged captors in Pattaya
• Thai police bust ‘Tinder’ scam gang after trafficked call centre workers escape
• Entertainment venues to be under strict scrutiny, police warn

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40021617

Beware of box jellyfish, beach tourists warned

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 01, 2022

The Department of Disease Control (DDC) has urged tourists to beware of poisonous box jellyfish, which are often found near the beach during the rainy season.

“Box jellyfish, named after their body that looks like a clear cubic box, have high toxins in their tentacles,” DDC acting director-general Dr Thares Krainairawiwong said on Tuesday.

“There are two types of this jellyfish that people should beware of: the single tentacle type can cause victims who are stung to experience muscle ache, nausea, and sometimes even become paranoid,” he said.

“The multiple tentacle type, on the other hand, is more deadly,” warned Thares. “Victims will display a rash or burn mark where they were stung, causing excruciating burning sensation. If they receive toxins at high volume, they would feel lightheaded, followed by heart stopping, failure of the respiratory system, and eventually death within 2-10 minutes.”

Thailand recorded 48 cases of serious injuries and deaths from box jellyfish from 1999-2021.

Thares advised visitors to the beach to avoid swimming in the sea right after it rains, or when there are corpses of jellyfish scattered on the beach.

“If you wish to swim, make sure to wear clothes that cover most of your body like long sleeve shirts and pants,” he said.

The DDC also urged local authorities to survey their beachside attractions for signs of jellyfish and put up warning signs for tourists, or consider deploying anti-jellyfish net around the area. Attractions in risky areas should also provide bottles of vinegar to treat the jellyfish sting.

“If you are stung by jellyfish, try to get out of the water or ask others for help. Do not stay in the water, as you could pass out and drown,” said Thares. “When you reach the shore, pour vinegar on the wound for about 30 seconds. Avoid using other liquids like fresh water, liquor, urine, or alcohol. Do not rub the wound, as it will only spread the poison.”

If the victim is unconscious, give them a CPR and call the emergency medical team, or DDC hotline 1669.

Related Stories

Tourists urged to beware of jellyfish sting in Krabi national park

Tentacles of hope for Thai fishermen as jellyfish season arrives

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40021615

1 arrested as Chinese man loses little finger but escapes alleged captors in Pattaya

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 01, 2022

A Chinese national was arrested in Bangkok on Tuesday morning for allegedly holding a fellow countryman for a ransom of 30 million yuan (150 million baht) and chopping off his little finger.

Police officers tracked the suspect down to a condominium in Bangkok’s Ekkamai area after a Thai woman filed a complaint in Pattaya that her Chinese boyfriend had gone missing since early Sunday.

The suspect, identified only as Dadao, was taken to Pattaya Police Station for interrogation and information about his collaborators. The detainee reportedly indicated there were four others involved in this case.

Alisara Supasiribanthit, 20, had filed a complaint with Pattaya police on Sunday morning saying her boyfriend, 41-year-old Ren Haibo, had been kidnapped.

She said Ren, a real-estate businessman, drove his Toyota Fortuner SUV out of their Pattaya home at 12.30am on Sunday, saying he was meeting some Chinese friends at Walking Street.

Alisara said that at about 9.30am, Ren’s brother showed up to say he had been kidnapped and that she was to contact the kidnappers via the Telegram app.

She added that the kidnappers then sent her a video clip of Ren being tied up at his hands and ankles and blindfolded. One of his little fingers was then placed on his lap.

The kidnappers demanded that she send them 30 million yuan in exchange for Ren’s release. However, she said, she did not have that amount, so she sent them 50,000 baht three times via her crypto wallet instead.

Alisara said when Ren was not released, she decided to take the case to the police.

However, on Monday, Ren managed to escape by jumping down from the second floor of a house in Pattaya where he was being detained.

Ren managed to make his way to a house nearby, and the owner then alerted the police who rushed to pick him up at the scene. The incident happened at The Village at Horse Shoe Point housing estate in Chonburi’s Bang Lamung district.

He said he managed to escape because his captors had fallen asleep after consuming ketamine.

Police said Ren’s little finger on the right hand had been cut off entirely and he had also sustained wounds on his right hand, stomach and left arm. His body was covered in bruises from beating and his right leg had broken when jumped from the second floor.

Ren was rushed to Bangkok-Pattaya Hospital before police then returned to the house where he was being detained only to find the suspects had fled the scene. Police then tracked one of them down to Ekkamai and have now launched a manhunt for the others.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40021614

Cute Pokémon monsters adorn Bangkok BTS trains to promote new games

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 01, 2022

Various Pokémon “pocket monsters” can be spotted peeking out from BTS trains around Bangkok nowadays.

Familiars like Pikachu, Eevee, Gengar and Gyarados have been engaged to promote the latest Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet video games.

Legendary Pokémon monsters Koraidon and Miraidon will, meanwhile, will embellish BTS trains on the Sukhumvit (Kheha-Khu Khot) and Silom Line (Bang Wa-National Stadium) lines.

The new games are scheduled to be released on the Nintendo Switch video game console on November 18.

Pokémon video games are developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo and the Pokémon Company under the Pokémon media franchise.

The monsters, created by Satoshi Tajiri and Ken Sugimori, first showed up in 1996 in Game Boy handheld consoles in Japan as Pocket Monsters Red and Green, before going international as Pokémon Red and Blue.

The main series of role-playing video games (RPGs), referred to as the “core series” by their developers, have starred in each generation of Nintendo handhelds with different Pokémon, storylines and characters.

While the main series were developed by Game Freak, several other companies have developed spinoffs encompassing other genres like action role-playing, puzzles, fighting and digital pet games.

Pokémon is said to be the largest media franchise, with successful anime series, films and merchandise, with spinoff games like Pokémon Go having crossed 1 billion downloads worldwide. As of March 2022, the series had sold over 440 million units worldwide.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40021612

Zombie nuns join demons to stalk Bangkok’s Khao San on Halloween

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 01, 2022

Zombies, vampires and ghosts invaded Bangkok’s Khao San Road on Monday night in a carnival celebration for the “Khaosan Halloween 2022” party.

Many had dressed up to look especially scary to win the top cash prize in the Halloween contest.

Police officers from Chana Songkram Police Station were on standby to ensure everybody’s safety, setting up checkpoints on Chakrabongse and Tanao roads to ensure nobody carried weapons or firecrackers.

Sumrit Sumalee, a Phra Nakhon district officer, said every venue’s fire exits and lighting set-up were checked and officials ensured they were not overcrowded.

He said only 10,000 people were allowed to join the carnival to ensure efficient evacuation in case of unexpected occurrences.

“Shops were also instructed to limit the number of visitors to reduce congestion,” he added.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40021611

14 world leaders confirm they will be at Apec Summit in Bangkok, Putin undecided

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 01, 2022

Fourteen world leaders have so far confirmed they will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Summit in Bangkok on November 18-19, according to Government House on Monday.

The 14 leaders who have confirmed they will be at the summit, to be hosted by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, are:

1. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (Australia)

2. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah (Brunei Darussalam)

3. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Canada)

4. President Xi Jinping (China)

5. Chief Executive John Lee (Hong Kong)

6. President Joko Widodo (Indonesia)

7. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (Japan)

8. President Gabriel Boric (Chile)

9. President Pedro Castillo (Peru)

10. President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr (Philippines)

11. President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc (Vietnam)

12. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (New Zealand)

13. Prime Minister James Marape (Papua New Guinea)

14. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (Singapore)

Thailand is awaiting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s response on whether he will attend the Apec Summit, Government House said.

Five other member countries have given various reasons for sending lower-level representatives to the Apec Summit and meetings, being held at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre in central Bangkok:

1. Mexico: Preoccupied with internal economic affairs.

2. Malaysia: Parliament dissolved on October 10 ahead of an election due on November 29.

3. South Korea: After Saturday’s deadly Halloween stampede in Seoul, President Yoon Suk-yeol decided to appoint representatives to attend the summit.

4. Taiwan: Vice President Lai Ching-te will attend as a representative of President Tsai Ing-wen amid tensions with China.

5. United States: Vice President Kamala Harris will attend in place of President Joe Biden, who will be attending his granddaughter Naomi’s wedding.

Three non-Apec members will also attend the summit at the special invitation of host Thailand:

1. Cambodia – Prime Minister Hun Sen

2. France – President Emmanuel Macron

3. Saudi Arabia – Prime Minister and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40021601

Train tickets to most parts of Thailand now available at Bang Sue Grand Station

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 01, 2022

Bangkok’s Bang Sue Grand Station’s ticketing section has gone into full operation as of November 1, 2022, with trains heading to every part of the country except to the East.

Bang Sue station will serve as a terminus for most long-distance, rapid and express trains, except East-bound ones, which will terminate at Hua Lamphong station.

“Krungthep Aphiwat Central Station [the official name for Bang Sue Grand Station] has ticket counters on the ground floor on the northern and southern sides,” the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) said.

“Initially, tickets for long-distance trains will only be available in the southern side, which is conveniently located between the platforms of the Red Line city train and the MRT Blue Line.”

SRT said it hopes that making Bang Sue Grand Station into a terminus for most trains will make travel easier, especially since it connects to the Red and Blue lines and is close to the Green, Purple and Pink lines. It is also near the inter-provincial Bangkok Bus Terminal (Mo Chit 2) and accessible by several public buses.

The 15-billion-baht grand station opened in November last year and began serving passengers of SRT’s two Red Lines. It is the largest railway station in Southeast Asia, with 26 platforms and 274,000 square metres of usable floor space.

The station also features an underground parking lot for up to 1,700 cars as well as state-of-the-art facilities, clean toilets and fully airconditioned waiting rooms, the announcement said.

Related Stories

Hua Lamphong or Bang Sue Grand Station? Public asked which they prefer

Bang Sue Grand Station gets official name granted by King

‘Floating Railway’ trips to Pa Sak Jolasid dam start on November 5

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40021594

Move allowing foreigners to own land sparks protest in Thailand

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 01, 2022

The anti-government Kana Lomruam Prachachon (Melting Pot Group) has filed a complaint against the move allowing foreigners to buy up to 1 rai (0.16 hectares) of land in Thailand.

Land ownership rights are meant to attract wealthy foreigners including retirees and skilled workers.

The group, led by former red-shirt leader Jatuporn Prompan and lawyer Nitithorn Lamlua, marched to Government House’s Complaint Centre on Monday to file their letter opposing the Cabinet’s move last Tuesday.

The directive, which will come into effect for five years after being published in the Royal Gazette, allows foreigners who qualify for a Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa to purchase houses and up to one rai of land if they invest at least 40 million baht for a minimum of three years.

Nitithorn said similar measures implemented in the past by different governments had proved unsuccessful due to lack of interest from foreigners. The move had been opposed by the public in Thailand every time it had been introduced, he added.

“To attract foreigners to invest in Thailand, the government should focus on building infrastructure such as logistics and the digital ecosystem, provide tax and visa benefits, make it easier for foreigners to register businesses, and ensure high quality health and safety standards for foreign residents,” he said. “Most importantly, the government must create an atmosphere that promotes true democracy to make Thailand a preferred investment destination.”

Jatuporn said the group will deliver the same complaint to Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters on Wednesday, before marching to the National Anti-Corruption Commission on Friday to petition for an investigation of whether the move is legal.

Nipit Intharasombat, deputy leader of the Sang Anakot Thai party, said a similar measure implemented after the 1997 financial crisis had failed.

“By 2002, only eight foreigners had bought land in Thailand under this measure, so it clearly failed to attract investment,” he wrote on Facebook. “This time, the required investment period has been lowered from five to three years to make it easier to apply, but I fear this will only attract shady businessmen wishing to launder money by buying property in Thailand.”

“These people often have trouble with authorities in their countries, so they flee to Thailand and hand money to local politicians in exchange for protection,” he said.

Nipit also criticised the inclusion of government bonds under the 40-million-baht investment requirement, saying it was “unnecessary” since these bonds usually have no trouble finding domestic buyers.

Related Stories

LTR, 40m baht investment necessary for foreigners to buy land in Thailand: govt

Wealthy foreigners can now buy land, houses in Thailand

Four groups of foreigners will be allowed to own residences, land

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40021593

China Daily to co-host ‘Changing Asia’ photo exhibition in Thailand

MONDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2022

China Daily and Asia News Network – an alliance of 21 national media organisations in 20 Asian countries – will hold a five-day pan-Asian photography exhibition in Thailand next month to celebrate the opening up of countries in post-pandemic Asia.

The “Changing Asia – New Normal” exhibition, to be held at CentralWorld will display up to 80 high-quality photographs. The five-day event will take place from November 16 to 20, coinciding with Thailand’s hosting of the Apec (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) 2022 Summit.

The organisers have invited professional photographers from Asia to submit photos taken in the past three years under the theme “Changing Asia – New Normal”.

Hundreds of photographs have been received so far, documenting the changes in daily lives in Asia, including work and living conditions, recreation, creative endeavours, health and beauty, animals, festivities, art, eateries, sport and education.

The organisers will collect the best photographs for the exhibition and book publications. The exhibition will be one of the most ambitious and comprehensive undertakings on the subject to date.

Here are some of the submissions so far for the exhibition from across Asia:

China Daily

Asia News Network