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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40020929

Wat Rat Samakkhi crowded for final farewell to child victims

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2022

THE NATION

Wat Rat Samakkhi in Nong Bua Lamphu was crowded with people dressed in black on Tuesday, as mourners said final farewells to 18 toddlers and a teacher killed at a nursery in the northeastern province.

Many mourners said they were not relatives of the deceased but were attending the royally sponsored cremation rites out of deep sorrow for the young victims.

The temple in Tambon Uthai Sawan, Na Klang district has built 19 temporary pyres for the victims, 18 toddlers and their 8-month pregnant teacher.

The funeral rites began at 9am and will culminate in the cremations at 8pm tonight.

Several mourners said that they were attending the funeral to lend moral support to parents who had lost children in Thursday’s attack.

The crowd at the temple was so large that it spilled out of marquees specially erected for the funeral. Many mourners simply sat on bare ground under trees waiting for the cremations to begin.

A parallel mass cremation for 11 other victims of the massacre is being at neighbouring Wat Sri Uthai in Na Klang district.

THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40020925

Apec business council urges group’s leaders to support MSMEs, create digital infrastructure

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2022

The Apec Business Advisory Council (ABAC) on Tuesday called on leaders of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation countries, who will come to Bangkok next month for the Apec Summit, to support micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

The call was made in an annual ABAC report, which was submitted to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha by council president Kriengkrai Thiennukul at Government House.

Kriengkrai met Prayut at the Thai Ku Fah Building at 8.30am to present the ABAC annual report for 2022.

Thailand will host the annual Apec Economic Leaders’ Meeting on November 18-19.

The PM’s deputy secretary-general, Anucha Burapachaisri, who is also acting government spokesman, told reporters that Kriengkrai had assured the prime minister the ABAC would support the Thai government in hosting the Apec Summit.

Prayut thanked Kriengkrai for the annual ABAC report that compiled proposals of businesses in the Asia-Pacific region under the concept of “Embrace, Engage and Enable”.

Anucha said the proposals were presented in 69 points. Among other things, members of the ABAC called on Apec leaders to support MSMEs, especially businesses owned by women and local people.

The private sector also called on leaders of the Apec economies to develop digital infrastructure for businesses in the region.

The report noted that supporting the MSMEs and the development of digital infrastructure for MSMEs and other businesses would bring about economic recovery and growth.

The ABAC report also called on the Apec leaders to tame rising inflation and tackle insecurity in food and energy, as well as deal with climate change and environmental issues.

Anucha said the Apec Summit this year would cover five topics: regional economic integration, digital economies, MSME and inclusiveness, sustainability, and finance and economics.

The government considers the ABAC report useful for implementing its economic polices, Anucha said.

Anucha quoted Prayut as telling the ABAC president that the government is developing infrastructure to connect Thailand to other countries in the region.

Prayut also told Kriengkrai that the government was speeding up efforts to overcome obstacles to export and import via bilateral and multilateral negotiations.

Kriengkrai expressed confidence that the government would organise the Apec Summit smoothly under Prayut’s leadership.

Kriengkrai said the ABAC appreciated Prayut’s efforts to promote trade and investments with foreign countries, especially the reopening of trade with Saudi Arabia, which has resulted in bilateral cooperation in four industries — auto and parts, petrochemicals, foods, and construction materials.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40020924

Prayut orders crackdown on fake currency gangs after recent arrests

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2022

THE NATION

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has instructed relevant government agencies to step up crackdowns on criminals circulating fake banknotes after 9,000 US$100 notes were seized from two suspects in Nonthaburi.

A joint sting operation on Monday by the US Secret Service and Thailand’s Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau led to the arrest of a Thai man and woman at Muang Thong Thani and the confiscation of 9,000 fake banknotes.

PM’s deputy secretary-general Anucha Burapachaisri said officials found that many fake US banknotes had been sold to currency exchange shops and some via social media.

Thai officials then sought help from the US Secret Service and planned the sting operation together, Anucha said.

He said the fake notes were very well-made and looked a lot like the actual currency. It has been learned that they were distributed in Thailand and other neighbouring countries.

This raid has prompted Prayut to order all government agencies to crack down on gangs and suppress other types of crimes that are bringing hardship to society.

THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40020923

Thailand targets low-cost meth precursor flooding country with 180,000 pills/hour

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2022

THE NATION

The Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) is calling for controls on sodium cyanide used as a low-cost precursor to flood Thailand with about 180,000 methamphetamine pills per hour.

The call comes after the government launched a crackdown on drugs, specifically methamphetamine, in the wake of Thursday’s mass killing that left 37 people dead, mostly young children. The killer, Panya Khamrab, was an ex-policeman who had been sacked due to methamphetamine possession.

ONCB secretary-general Wichai Chaimongkhon said sodium cyanide is a problem because its legal status allows drug rings to make meth pills at cheaper cost. The street price of a tablet of meth in Thailand is now as low as 20-25 baht, as illicit drug labs use sodium cyanide to pump out about 180,000 pills per hour.

“The ONCB is now pushing for controls on the chemical so that it will not be abused,” Wichai said.

He added that Justice Minister Somsak Thepsutin is in talks with the US Drug Enforcement Agency on how to cut off supplies of the precursor.

Wichai listed the ONCB’s six measures to combat Thailand’s drug problem as prevention, suppression, seizure of assets, rehab for drug addicts, cooperation with foreign governments, and management.

He said prevention helps to suppress the trade because if there are no buyers, then traffickers cannot sell their drugs.

On foreign cooperation, the ONCB is exchanging information with neighbouring countries to intercept drugs smuggled into Thailand.

The cooperation has been expanded to Europe and Australia, he said, adding that Canberra has invited Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam, the justice minister and ONCB officials to observe drug suppression operations there.

On drug rehab, Wichai said ONCB actions were in line with a 2016 UN accord to deal with traffickers as criminals and drug addicts as patients.

THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40020916

Met Dept warns of temperature drop, heavy rain across Central, South

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2022

The Meteorological Department on Tuesday warned residents of lower Central and southern provinces to brace for heavy rain while forecasting a sharp drop in temperatures for Northeasterners.

The Northeast will see the mercury plummet by 2-4 degree Celsius this week, while the North, Central and East regions will experience falls of 1-3C, the department added.

It added that isolated heavy rains would hit the lower Central region on Tuesday. Upper Thailand will also see strong winds.

Meanwhile the South can expect isolated heavy to very heavy rain.

In its sixth variable weather warning issued at 5am on Tuesday, the department explained that temperature drops and heavy rain were the result of a high-pressure system over upper Thailand and a monsoon trough in the South, respectively.

The heavy rain warning for Tuesday covers the following areas:

Central: Ratchaburi and Samut Songkhram.

South: Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon, Surat Thani, Ranong, Phang Nga and Phuket

The department said the Gulf of Thailand will see waves about 2 metres high and all ships should proceed with caution until Friday.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40020914

Temples build makeshift brick pyres for cremation of Nong Bua Lamphu massacre victims

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2022

THE NATION

The lawn of Wat Rat Samakee was cleared to build makeshift brick pyres on Monday for the cremation of Nong Bua Lamphu massacre victims.

The temple, located some 3 kilometres from the scene of the bloodshed in Uthai Sawan district, will cremate 19 of the victims on Tuesday.

“We could not use normal means because there is a large number of bodies, so the idea of makeshift pyres came up. We only have one furnace at the temple,” abbot Phra Khru Adisai Kijjanuwat said. “It’s an old tradition where bodies are burned in an open-air pyre instead of a crematorium.”

The monk said 19 pyres had been built in his temple, and similar arrangements were being made at two other temples nearby. He added that five families have chosen to hold their funeral services separately.

In a gun and knife rampage on Thursday, an ex-cop killed 36 people including 22 young children. The former policeman, identified as 34-year-old Panya Kamrap, later killed himself, so a clear motive for the killings may never be determined. Investigators believe financial and marital problems as well as a history of drug use may have been factors behind the killings.

This is one of Thailand’s worst child death tolls in recent history.

THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40020908

Over THB9 million in cash donations received for families of Nong Ba Lamphu massacre victims

MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2022

THE NATION

More than 9 million baht in cash will be handed over on Tuesday to relatives of victims of the Nong Bua Lamphu massacre, the Royal Thai Police said on Monday.

A 34-year-old ex-policeman went on a gun and knife rampage at a nursery in Uthai Sawan subdistrict on Thursday last week that left 36 people dead, including 24 young children.

National Police chief Damrongsak Kittiprapas said donations from the police, public and private sectors as of Monday amounted to more than 9 million baht.

He added that the police recently had received 2.5 million baht in donations from the public and private sectors.

“The police will hand out the cash donations to the victims’ relatives on the cremation day on October 11,” he said.

He advised people to donate cash to reliable organisations and to beware of criminals who may want to take advantage of this tragedy.

He added that police officers and their families are still able to donate cash to relieve the suffering of the victims’ relatives via the National Police’s bank account.

THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40020903

Nonthaburi levees cave in as runoffs burst Chao Phraya’s banks, causing metre-high floods

MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2022

THE NATION

Surging water from the swollen Chao Phraya River broke through flood levees in many parts of Nonthaburi province on Sunday night, causing flooding as much as a metre high, local residents and officials said.

The temporary levees in Nonthaburi, which were made off sandbags, could not withstand the flow of water from Chao Phraya, whose levels have been continuously rising due to runoffs from upstream provinces. Most of the flooding happened in Muang Nonthaburi Municipality at about 8pm.

Officials reported that the water level at that hour had peaked at 2.88 metres above sea level.

The official residence of the Nonthaburi governor was among the areas inundated after the Chao Phraya overflowed.

The gushing water inundated the lawn in front of the house and also flooded the garage. Municipal officials rushed to fix the levees and drain the floodwater. They took about half an hour to drain the water.

The sandbag levee in front of the Prison Museum also caved in, causing water to gush in and flood Nonthaburi 1 Road in front of the Corrections Department where the water was about 30 to 50 centimetres high.

Municipality officials and Corrections officials fixed the levee and drained the floodwaters shortly.

Residents of the Buri Rangsan housing estate in Tambon Suan Yai and the Nakhon In Temple community also said their areas were flooded after the levees were breached. The roads in the housing estate were about 70 to 100 centimetres under water. The floodwaters then spread to the Phraram 5 intersection, causing inundation about 30 to 50cm deep.

Meanwhile, the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) confirmed on Monday that runoffs from upstream provinces had reached the central provinces.

The GISTDA released satellite images that showed many provinces are being flooded. It said a total of 1.948 million rai (311,000 hectares) of land had been flooded so far, breaking down to:

– Nakhon Sawan, 455,022 rai (72,803h)

– Phichit, 281,349 rai (45,015h)

– Ayutthaya, 253,630 rai (40,581h)

– Sukhothai, 180,187 rai (28,830h)

– Suphanburi, 174,441 rai (27,910h)

– Lopburi, 92,737 rai (14,838h)

– Phetchabun, 64,036 rai (10,245h)

– Kamphaeng Phet, 57,428 rai (9,188h)

– Chainat, 40,738 rai (6,518h)

– Uthai Thani, 40,259 rai (6,441h)

– Saraburi, 39,956 rai (6,393h)

– Ang Thong, 39,164 rai (6,266h)

– Singburi, 28,869 rai (4,619h)

– Chaiyaphum, 11,417 rai (1,826h)

– Nakhon Nayok, 6,452 rai (1,032h)

– Prachinburi, 2,197 rai (351h)

The GISTDA said runoffs from the North are gradually flowing through Ayutthaya to Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi and Bangkok provinces and running into the sea while the runoff in Chi River in Chaiyaphum province is flowing into Mool River and joining the Mekong River in Ubon Ratchathani province.

THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40020900

Two Thais arrested in Nonthaburi with 9,000 fake US$100 notes after sting operation

MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2022

THE NATION

Thai police in collaboration with US Secret Service officials arrested a Thai woman and a Thai man in Nonthaburi province and seized 9,000 fake US$100 banknotes from them.

The joint operation between the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau and the US Secret Service officer of the US Embassy led to the arrests of Monsaji La-ongnual, 49, and Panudet Wongnamnong, 58.

Both were arrested in Muang Thong Thani in Nonthaburi’s Pak Kret district.

The two agencies planned the operation after they received a tip-off that a ring has been selling fake US dollar banknotes to customers via social media.

Thai police and US officials planned the arrest and had an undercover policeman contact Monsaji to buy 2,000 fake notes from her.

The suspect was arrested at her condominium building when she came out of her room to deliver the fake notes to the undercover policeman.

Monsaji later implicated Panudet, saying she got the fake notes from him. The officials then had Monsaji call Panudej to deliver 7,000 more fake notes to her at a shopping mall in Muang Thong Thani and arrested him there.

Pol General Torsak Sukwimol, deputy police commissioner-general, said the printing of the fake notes was high quality and looked very similar to real greenbacks.

The two suspects were charged with collaboration to make fake foreign currency banknotes with the intention to sell.

Torsak said Thai police have detected that fake US banknotes have been spreading in Thailand and sometimes to neighbouring countries. Sometimes, the fake notes were found exchanged at money changers at the Singapore airport.

Torsak said the US dollar fake notes were often found in Laos.

Had the 9,000 notes been exchanged at exchange shops, it could have caused damage worth 34 million baht, Torsak said.

THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40020899

Prayut responds to nursery killings with crackdown on drugs, rehab for addicts

MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2022

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered the police and the Interior Ministry to accelerate action against drug trafficking and the Public Health Ministry to set up proper rehabilitation facilities for addicts.

This was in response to the Nong Bua Lamphu massacre last week by a former cop who was being tried for drug-related offences.

PM’s deputy secretary-general Anucha Burapachaisri said Prayut has instructed Royal Thai Police to coordinate with the Interior Ministry and other state agencies to launch frequent, comprehensive crackdowns on traffickers to rebuild public confidence.

On Thursday, a sacked police sergeant, who was on trial for drug abuse, went on a shooting rampage killing 36 people, mostly children, before killing himself, his wife and child. Initially, it was believed the shooter may have been under the influence of drugs, but no trace of substances was found in the autopsy.

Anucha said National Police chief Pol General Damrongsak Kittiprapas responded to the PM’s order by integrating proactive anti-drug operations with relevant state agencies, including the Provincial Administration Department, local administrations and the Public Health Ministry.

Police has also pledged to step up arrests of traffickers and use legal tools to confiscate their assets as well as act against the laundering of money earned from trafficking. Regular checks for potential users will also be conducted in communities, schools, entertainment venues and factories, police said.

Meanwhile, Anucha quoted Prayut as telling the national police chief to ensure his subordinates at all levels are free of drugs and take strict criminal and disciplinary action if any officer is found guilty.

The spokesman said Prayut is also urging the public to call the 1386 hotline to provide tip-offs on drug trafficking. He said informers will also receive a cash reward.

Prayut also called on the Interior Ministry to launch provincial-level campaigns against drugs. Provincial governors and private organisations will be encouraged to take measures to reduce both the demand and supply of narcotics, the spokesman said.

Anucha added that since the government has made drug suppression part of its national agenda, the Justice Ministry has been instructed to enforce the law stringently so drug dealers can be brought to justice.

Prayut has also called on government agencies to fight the scourge of drugs by focusing on the three measures agreed upon during the 2016 UN General Assembly Special Session on Drugs.

The three measures are providing government rehabilitation facilities, using psychoactive plants for medicinal and business purposes only, and finally, taking criminal action against drug traffickers.

Anucha said the Office of Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) and the Justice Ministry have overhauled the anti-drug law by combining 24 legislations into a single narcotics code, which went into effect on December 9, 2021.

Anucha said the new law empowers authorities to take retroactive action against drug traffickers for as far back as 10 years.

The authorities believe they will be able to seize up to 100 billion baht worth of traffickers’ assets this year alone, or 10 times more than in previous years.

For fiscal 2023, ONCB has been granted funding to carry out several anti-drug missions, including training those at risk to shun narcotics, Anucha said.

ONCB will also seek cooperation from 25 countries and four international organisations to fight drug trafficking next year. The agency has also established an online database for other government bodies to use in their war against drugs.