Bus operators told to remove ads of online lottery vendor under scrutiny for money laundering
FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2023
The Department of Land Transport has ordered the operators of public buses to remove advertisements of the online lottery vendor, Kong Salak Plus, which is being investigated for suspected involvement in money laundering.
The department director-general, Chirut Wisalchit, said on Friday that his agency had told private bus operators to remove the ads from their vehicles within three days of receiving the written notification.
If they fail to do so, the bus operators would be deemed to have displayed advertisements without permission of the department and would be fined 1,000 baht per bus and per sighting.
“We expect the ads to be removed from all private buses within January,” the director-general said.
He explained that the regulation allows bus operators to remove paid ads from their vehicles if the business involved is linked to alleged violation of law.
Kong Salak Plus chief executive Panthawat Nakvisut is being investigated by the Department of Special Investigation for allegedly obtaining money for his business from a money laundering ring.
Investigation by the DSI found that several million baht had been transferred to Kong Salak Plus from a criminal gang allegedly involved in the drug trade, fake call-centre fraud, and online gambling. Many gang members were arrested recently when records of money transfers were discovered. The records reportedly showed a Kong Salak Plus executive as among the recipients of money from the gang, according to police.
450,000 borrowers turn to govt debt-relief scheme for help
FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2023
More than 450,000 people have applied for a government debt relief scheme to help pull them out of the abyss of liabilities worth more than 100 billion baht.
Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said on Friday that most of these debts stemmed from credit card spending, personal loans and home mortgages, among others.
He said this debt-relief scheme was started last year as part of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s policy.
Arkhom said the objective of the scheme is to “improve the debt structure” by refinancing or reducing the repayment set-up, not forgiving the debt.
He added that about half of the debts are in the “debt relief” process, with relevant financial institutions helping to ease the burden on those participating in the scheme.
The minister went on to say that the Finance Ministry has also given lessons on personal finance and financial discipline to those overburdened by home loans.
As part of the programme, the Government Housing Bank is hosting the fourth “debt relief fair” in Chonburi province. The three-day fair wraps up on Sunday.
For the first time, five commercial banks have also been included in the debt-relief scheme.
Avoid these 203 dangerous phone apps to avoid online fraud
FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2023
Thai authorities have compiled a list of over 200 “dangerous malware” mobile applications linked to identity thefts and unsolicited access that can result in criminals gaining remote control of the phones.
Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn warned mobile phone users against downloading those apps or even clicking any suspicious links sent to their phones as SMS, which could allow malware to be installed on their phones without their knowledge.
He said that his ministry and the National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA) have compiled a list of 203 apps identified by experts as malware with the potential to steal personal information and take control of the phone. The apps are for both iOS and Android phones.
A list of the 203 “dangerous malware” apps, compiled by the NCSA, is available at: https://shorturl.asia/pZX0U.
The ministry and the NCSA started publishing the malware list on their Facebook pages last year, the minister said and asked phone users to make sure none of those on the list were on their devices.
“Be careful about downloading any applications onto your phones. They may be dangerous malware, which can steal your personal information or take control of your phones remotely,” Chaiwut said.
He warned that money could be transferred out of the victim’s bank account through the mobile banking app on the phone, noting that many such cases have happened recently.
The minister also said that his ministry had coordinated with the operators of Android’s Play Store and iOS’s App Store to ensure that those malware apps are not allowed in their systems.
Chaiwut on Friday warned mobile phone users to think twice before clicking any links in short messages sent to them by someone posing to represent a credible organisation. The messages often made “too good to be true” offers like a quick loan or attempted to scare the victim by, for example, making a false warning about imminent account termination.
Some online criminals ask to become friends on the Line chat app. They offer fake employment or investment opportunities.
Elderly woman awarded 207 million baht in damages for theft from her bank accounts
FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2023
Bangkok’s Phra Khanong Civil Court on Thursday ordered a Thai commercial bank and four of its employees, including a deputy branch manager, as well as a daughter of the plaintiff to pay her 207 million baht in compensation for stealing 250 million baht from her bank accounts while she was bedridden.
Huai Sriwirat, 83, filed her case with the court in November 2019, accusing the bank, four of its employees, and her second child – Mawadee Sriwirat – of falsifying documents to transfer money from her bank accounts.
In December, the Phra Khanong Criminal Court sentenced Mawadee to 20 years in prison and fined her 123 million baht for falsifying documents to steal more than 250 million baht from her mother.
Mawadee, 56, was found guilty of colluding to falsify documents to siphon money from Huai’s bank accounts. While her mother was seriously ill, Mawadee changed the conditions of withdrawing money from Huai’s accounts at two bank branches with the help of bank staff, according to the lawsuit.
Instead of requiring a signature, Mawadee and her accomplices changed the process so that only a thumbprint was required. This allowed Mawadee to withdraw more than 250 million baht from Huai’s bank accounts, which she did in scores of small transactions.
The criminal court found Mawadee guilty of falsifying documents and 84 counts of theft. The court also ordered her to repay 123 million baht to her mother – the plaintiff in the case.
Regarding the civil case, Huai’s lawyer Ananchai Chaiyadech said that the Phra Khanong Civil Court on Thursday ordered the bank in question to pay 44.6 million baht in damages, plus a maximum interest of 7.5% per year, to the plaintiff.
Other defendants were ordered to pay compensation ranging from 34.8 million baht to 117 million baht, according to the lawyer.
Thailand’s brightest students win trip to Seoul at this year’s Bright Challenge
FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2023
Farida Waller
The 2023 Bright Challenge brought some 250 secondary students from 32 schools across Thailand together to battle it out for the top prize – a weeklong science trip to Seoul.
The contest, held on Wednesday at the Panyapiwat Convention Hall in Nonthaburi, was organised by the Bright Group in collaboration with Nation TV, the Nation and Bangkok Biz News. The Bright Group is a provider of English-language educational programmes to leading government and private schools in Thailand.
The winner of this year’s contest was Suankularb Wittayalai Rangsit School, with team members exclaiming “this is a dream come true”, as they were handed their winnings.
“I believe this [the contest] will not only inspire students to develop their skills but also support them in pursuing further education and succeed in their chosen career,” Adisak Limparugpatannakij, special advisor to Nation Group, (Thailand) Public Company Limited, said.
He added that English-language school curricula should focus on developing students’ proficiency via modern teaching methods and student-centred activities.
Nicolas Newell, managing director of the Bright Group, believes that if an English programme has good resources and is well managed, it can give students all the benefits of an English education within the Thai school system.
This means, students will get to absorb Thai culture and values while studying with native English speakers at the fraction of the cost of an international school, he said.
The contest, meanwhile, had 32 teams with three members each going through four rounds in the competition.
The first round was the Big Quiz, which had the teams answering 60 brainteasers in the subjects of English, maths, science and geography, as well as riddles. The teams had 30 seconds to come up with the correct answer.
The second round presented a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) challenge, with teams being given materials to build a catapult in 10 minutes.
Each team was given three chances to show whose projectile went the furthest. This round was the liveliest with audience members yelling in support of their favourite team.
The third round was Show Time, with each team being required to enter a photo booth and devise creative ways of depicting their team and their school.
Special prizes for the second and third rounds went to Buriram Pitthayakhom School and Panyapiwat Institute of Management Demonstration School (Satit PIM), respectively.
“Make it fun, make it safe, allow yourself to make mistakes and make it about communication,” Parit Wacharasindhu CEO of Education Technology Company Limited, told the contestants. Education Technology is the developer of the StartDee application.
After the first three rounds, judges announced the four finalists, namely Streesmutprakan School, Saint Joseph Convent School, Potisarnpittayakorn School and Suankularb Wittayalai Rangsit School.
The finalists then had to face three rounds. In the first round, the team with the highest number of points got to choose the subject and level of difficulty.
The first two rounds saw teams pressing the buzzer, with the quickest one being given a chance to answer the question. Each question carried 100 to 500 points based on the level of difficulty, and though the contestants had the chance of earning higher points, they also got their points deducted if the answer was incorrect.
The second round, which also lasted about 25 minutes, was similar. Both rounds covered topics like
emoji meanings, uncertainty, being forceful, adjectives, flags of the world and great minds.
In the final round, there was just one question, but each team had to put their total score up as a wager for the correct answer.
However, all four teams answered correctly, so the top prize went to the school with the highest score, which in this case was Suankularb Wittayalai Rangsit School with a whopping 5,600 points.
Krung Thep Aphiwat begins first full day as Thailand’s rail hub
FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2023
Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal in Bangkok (formerly Bang Sue Grand Station) began its first full day as Thailand’s national rail hub on Friday after 52 long-distance services were transferred from the century-old Hua Lamphong Station.
The new 34-billion-baht Bangkok terminus in Chatuchak district is now the hub for all long-distance trains running to the North, Northeast and South of the country. Only 14 long-distance services to the East are still using Hua Lamphong.
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT)’s plan to switch Krung Thep Aphiwat Central was delayed during the Covid-19 pandemic after the new station became Bangkok’s main vaccination centre. However, it is now hosting all 14 long-distance services to the North, 20 to the South, and 18 to the Northeast.
Krung Thep Aphiwat opened as Bang Sue Grand Station in November 2021 and began serving passengers on the SRT’s two urban Red Lines. His Majesty King Rama X granted the new name in November last year.
SRT is still running 62 urban and tourism services from Hua Lamphong – 16 to the North, 22 to the East, six to the Northeast, four to the South, and 14 tourism trains.
The agency insists it has no intention to shut Hua Lamphong, an architectural landmark that has 107 years of history as Thailand’s central terminal. Instead, the Transport Ministry has announced plans to open it as a museum as part of redevelopment of the Hua Lamphong area.
SRT and Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) are providing free shuttle buses between the two stations to help facilitate commuters during the transition period. Buses leave every 30 minutes starting at 4.30am with the last service at 11pm.
Thai botanists discover ‘most beautiful’ species of flowering tumeric
FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2023
A new species of flowering tumeric has been discovered in Ubon Ratchathani’s Buntharik district by botanists from Mahasarakham University.
Researchers from the university’s Walai Rukhavej Botanical Research Institute gave the new species the scientific name “Curcuma pulcherrima (Zingiberaceae)”, explaining that “pulcherrima” is Latin for “most beautiful”.
They also gave it a Thai name, “Krachiew Buntharik”, which refers to the district of the northeastern province it was discovered in.
The discovery was first reported in the international journal of botany “Biodiversitas” late last year, the researchers said.
They announced the Thai name earlier this week.
“This plant is an endemic and rare species found only in Ubon Ratchathani,” the researchers said. The plant blooms from June to August, depending on weather conditions.
More than 70 tumeric species have been discovered in Thailand.
Expanding access to education for children of migrants through learning centres
FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2023
Thailand has become a key destination for migrant workers from neighboring countries, including Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar, due to internal political conflicts and economic uncertainty in the three countries, as well as high demand for workers in Thailand’s labour-intensive industries.
Thailand hosts approximately 3.9 million migrant workers from the three countries, and most of them enter Thailand without valid documents, as unregistered or undocumented migrants.
Some female migrant workers arrive with their children and others give birth in Thailand.
Children of migrants experience barriers to receiving education in Thai public schools due to their undocumented status. However, the 1999 Education for All Policy and the 2005 Cabinet Resolution on Education for Unregistered Persons decreed that all non-Thai children are entitled to enjoy free basic education in Thai public schools.
Despite these favorable education policies, only 35 percent of about 390,015 migrant children are enrolled in Thai public schools, leaving the majority out of school. This may be due to negative attitudes and social stigma towards migrant children and lack of understanding of their right to attend school as well as the changing nature of parental workplaces.
Some Thai public schools refuse to enroll migrant children because they are unaware of the Education for All policy, or because they fear children will require additional resources and create more challenges.
Migrant children living in construction site camps typically stop attending school if their parents move to other construction site camps. In addition, they may not be enrolled in schools because their ages are unsuitable for the classes available to them. Other challenges may include language and literacy barriers. All of these factors create obstacles for migrant children to integrate themselves into formal education.
To mitigate issues of access to education for migrant children, the Thai government and Ministry of Education should work collaboratively with relevant stakeholders, including non-governmental and civil society organisations, to strengthen the migrant learning centres located in many provinces.
Although migrant learning centres are not recognised as formal education sites, they are often the preferred choice for migrant children, especially those from Myanmar. This is due to the cultural sensitivity of service provision at the centres as well as the fact that teaching is done in Myanmar’s language, creating a more effective learning environment for migrant children.
However, these learning centers still face critical challenges, including inadequate financial and human resources. Consequently, the Thai government and Ministry of Education should take enhancement of migrant learning centers into consideration to expand access to education to more migrant children.
Another proposed solution is that all stakeholders should promote initiatives in alternative education and literacy and numeracy programs. This solution may suit migrant children living in construction site camps. These alternative education initiatives may include mobile schooling with rotating teams of teachers in different construction site camps to deliver on-site sessions supported by learning applications (apps). This allows migrant children to learn their national literacy and numeracy, with their parent’s support, from apps after on-side sessions delivered by teachers.
It is increasingly important to actively involve parents in these learning activities. Learning apps should be developed with more than one language and these should include the languages of Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.
Teachers of migrant children should also be able to speak, read, and write the languages of their students. Teachers can be Cambodian, Laotian, and Myanmar students who are currently pursuing higher education in Thailand.
These students are capable of teaching migrant children and can be contacted via student associations at universities in Thailand.
This alternative education may not provide a standardised quality education for migrant children, yet it can be more responsive and effective in providing access to education, especially basic literacy and numeracy, for migrant children.
By Phanna Kov : Faculty of Social Administration, Thammasat University.
Prayut expects Thailand to become top destination for Chinese group tours now that restrictions are lifted
FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2023
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said he expects Thailand to be among the first few countries to welcome Chinese group tours now that all travel restrictions have been lifted.
He was speaking while presiding over the opening of the Chinese New Year celebration at Rat Pracha Pattana Dam in Rachaburi’s Muang district on Thursday. The event will run until next Monday.
Also present at the ceremony were Yang Xin, minister counsellor and deputy chief of mission at the Chinese embassy; Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn; and Ratchaburi governor Ronnapob Luangpairote.
Prayut added that Thailand and China are marking the 48th anniversary of their diplomatic ties this year and thanked Thais for helping boost the country’s tourism sector. He said that thanks to this collaboration, Thailand’s tourism industry has already recovered 65% to its pre-pandemic level.
Prayut Chan-o-cha
“China has been reopened and Thailand is among the first countries Chinese group tours are heading to,” he said.
Beijing lifted travel restrictions on January 8 after more than two years of strict measures to contain the spread of Covid-19. The following day, 269 Chinese tourists arrived in Thailand – a number that is expected to surge over the months.
All SIM card holders required to verify themselves in new bid to fight cybercrime
FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2023
Government agencies have been instructed to help protect people from becoming victims of cybercrimes.
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission (NBTC) has also instructed telecommunication operators to inspect the use of cross-country internet services and penalise those who misuse them.
The NBTC has also asked people who own a large number of SIM cards to verify themselves, government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said on Friday.
According to NBTC’s instructions, the following steps will have to be taken:
• 8,000-plus people who own more than 100 SIM have until the end of January to verify their identities.
• 22,000-plus people who own more than 30 SIM cards have until the end of March to verify their identities.
• 380,000-plus people who own more than five SIM cards have until the end of June to verify themselves.
The Anti-Money Laundering Office has also launched a crackdown against criminals misusing bank accounts, Anucha added.
“Meanwhile, the Digital Economy and Society Ministry is working on a draft decree on prevention and suppression measures to tackle cybercrime effectively,” Anucha said.
He added that government agencies have also been instructed to build awareness of cybercrime in a bid to protect people and their properties.
Anucha Burapachaisri
People have been warned to avoid clicking on links sent to them via SMS, installing any suspicious apps and using unsafe phones to make financial transactions.
Studies show that cybercrime incurred damages worth up to 72.6 million baht in 2,069 cases in 2021. Thailand ranks sixth among Asia-Pacific countries in cybercrime, while Japan ranks the highest in ransomware.
Prayut Chan-o-cha
Anucha Burapachaisri
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