By The Nation Photo Credit: Nation Photo by Korbphuk Phromrekha
Thousands of people swarm both sides of the canal near Wat Suthapoch temple in Bangkok’s Lat Krabang district on Sunday to take part in the tradition of offering alms to 100 monks coming on boats.
This tradition has been preserved by the Thai-Raman people for over a hundred years to mark the end of the Buddhist Lent.
The tradition reflects the Buddhist faith as well as way of life and cultural identity of Thai people who in the past went on their journeys by boats, while monks also came rowing boats to receive alms from villagers.
The chairman of the Zoological Park Organisation of Thailand, Chawalit Chukhajorn, visited Songkhla Zoo on Sunday, in connection with the case of two missing albino barking deer and the alleged murder of the organisation’s director-general.
Last week, an investigation was launched over the missing deer from Songkhla Zoo, after the zoo director reported the animal was swallowed by a python.
The deer had been presented to the zoo by her Majesty the Queen Mother. Seven-year-old Moomoo is currently the only albino barking deer living in the zoo.
On Saturday, the organisation’s director-general was shot deadby a zoo staff, while he was investigating the case of a missing albino barking deer.
Chawalit also suspended the transfer of zoo executives after the alleged murder. An announcement on the missing deer will be made on Tuesday.
Police are in the process of estimating the number of protesters expected to join the Democracy Restoration Group (DRG) rally on October 14, after the group issued an invitation to the public on social media to join the demonstration, Metropolitan Police Bureau chief Pol Lt-General Pakkapong Pongpetra said on Sunday.
“The bureau will deploy officials based on the length and number of participants at the rally. For example, if the rally lasts longer than a day and participants spend the night at the venue, more officials will be deployed to ensure peace and safety,” he said. “Next week the bureau will hold a meeting with subdivisions to draw up a detailed plan.”
The date marks the anniversary of the popular October 14, 1973 uprising, which resulted in the end of the ruling military dictatorship of anti-communist Thanom Kittikachorn, and altered the Thai political system. Notably, it highlighted the growing influence of Thai university students in politics.
The rally will start at 2pm at Democracy Monument in Bangkok’s Phra Nakhon district
“We would like to ask rally leaders to comply with the laws, especially the Public Assembly Act, to minimise impact on the public,” added Pakkapong. “Public health staff will also set up screening checkpoints for rally participants to prevent the spread of Covid-19, while traffic police will direct traffic flow around the areas to facilitate both vehicle users and pedestrians.”
“The deployed officials will be there to ensure public peace and safety. They are not deployed to obstruct the rally or arrest the participants,” he assured.
The baht opened at 31.57 to the US dollar on Monday, unchanged from Friday’s close.The Thai currency is likely to move between 31.45 and 31.65 on Monday, and between 31.25 and 31.75 this week, said Jitipol Puksamatanan, head of markets strategy at SCB Securities.
The strategist said that the baht in the short term would strengthen in line with other Asian currencies. Also, he added that the baht on Monday and Tuesday would move in a narrow range, and in a wider range after the US Federal Open Market Committee meeting minutes are revealed on Wednesday.
The economic fluctuation could decrease if the US president returns to his office, after being infected by Covid-19, he added.
Jitipol said that economic numbers worth monitoring this week included the Thai inflation rate and the US ISM Services Index to be announced on Monday, and the initial jobless claim to be announced on Thursday.
As for the dollar, the strategist said that the currency this week would be supported by less fluctuation in US politics. The dollar index this week was estimated to move at between 93.2 to 94.2 points, from the present 93.8 points.
On Wednesday, there will be a debate between Mike Pence and Kamala Harris, the candidates for US vice president.
A sacked Nonthaburi school teacher, whose physical abuse of kindergartners in the classroom has raised a national debate on violence by educators, has filed a police complaint against the parents of a student for assaulting her.
On Sunday, Decha Kittiwithayanun, a lawyer and president of Thanai Klai Thuk Lawyer Network, brought Onuma Ploadprong, the sacked former teacher of Sarasas Witaed Ratchaphruek School in Nonthaburi province, to Chaiyaphreug Police Station to file a complaint against Charnwit (last name withheld) and his wife, parents of a student, for allegedly assaulting Onuma on September 25 at the school.
Decha said that Charnwit and his wife assaulted Onuma in anger after they saw a CCTV footage of Onuma punishing students in the classroom by banging their heads on their desks, pushing them to the ground or twisting their ears.
Decha also represents the Nonthaburi-based private school as it was being sued by parents for failing to supervise its staff which had led to the alleged assaults on their children. The school announced on September 28 that Onuma and three other teachers related to the incident were fired.
“I admit that what I did was wrong and want to apologise to society and the affected persons,” Onuma told the press. “I have not made contact with any parents since September 25.”
Decha added that he was responsible for around 30 legal cases filed against the school and involving 13 teachers. “We will handle legal actions based on the evidence we have. Some teachers confessed to the assault but some insisted that they were innocent, so we will take this to court and let them decide,” he added.
In a suspected case of suicide, a 47-year-old man was found dead on Sunday at a house in Phuket with a bullet wound on the right temple.
At 5.30pm on Sunday, Muang Phuket Police Station were alerted to the shooting death at a house on Srisena Road in Taladyai subdistrict. The body of Kittichai Musiksong lay on a sofa with a bullet wound on the right temple while a blank gun model Zoraki M 906 TD with a live bullet in the chamber reportedly lay on the floor.
The deceased’s sister reportedly told police that her brother had called her up on Saturday, saying he had a fight with his wife, bidding her goodbye and asking her to take care of things when he is gone. “I called his wife to ask what was going on, but she said Kittichai had not come to their home in Wichit subdistrict since Saturday and suspected that he had gone back to his old house where he was found dead,” she added.
Forensic staff revealed that the deceased could have modified the blank gun to use live bullets and shot himself with it. “Blank guns can normally fire blanks only and are generally used for practice or as a prop in movie shooting,” they added.
Kittichai’s body was sent to hospital for detailed autopsy while police are collecting additional evidence to determine the cause of the suspected suicide.
The Thailand Meteorological Department said on Monday that a monsoon trough lies across the Central and lower Northeast regions while the moderate southwest monsoon prevails across the Andaman Sea, Thailand and the Gulf.
Continuous rainfall and isolated heavy rain are forecast for the North, the Central, the East and the South.
People in risky areas should beware of severe conditions, the department said. Waves in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf are likely to rise more than two metres high during thundershowers. All ships should proceed with caution and keep off thundershowers, the department advised.
The weather forecast for the next 24 hours:
North: Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 60 per cent of the areas; minimum temperature 24-25 degrees Celsius, maximum 33-35°C.
Northeast: Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 60 per cent of the areas; minimum temperature 23-25°C, maximum 33-34°C.
Central: Cloudy with thundershowers in 60 per cent of the areas and isolated heavy rain; minimum temperature 23-25°C, maximum 32-34°C.
East: Cloudy with thundershowers in 60 per cent of the areas and isolated heavy rain; minimum temperature 23-25°C, maximum 31-34°C; waves 1-2 metres high and over two metres during thundershowers.
South (east coast): Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 60 per cent of the areas; minimum temperature 23-25°C, maximum 31-34°C; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers.
South (west coast): Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 60 per cent of the areas; minimum temperature 22-25°C, maximum 30-33°C; waves 1-2 metres high and over two metres during thundershowers.
Bangkok and surrounding areas: Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 60 per cent of the areas and isolated heavy rain; minimum temperature 24-25°C, maximum 32-34°C.
The majority of respondents in a survey said teachers in general were aggressive, and those who abused their students lacked professional ethics.
The Suan Dusit Poll surveyed 1,896 people nationwide from September 29 to October 2 about their views on teachers.
Of the respondents, 78.90 per cent said they had not been punished, while 21.10 per cent said they had been punished, such as hit with a rod, been pinched, had the shirts pulled out, been shouted at, been insulted, had things thrown at them or were locked up.
Teachers have been in the spotlight after recent CCTV footage showed a Nonthaburi school teacher physically assaulting kindergartners.
When asked for their views on teachers who abused students (multiple choice), 84.36 per cent of respondents said teachers were aggressive, 83.41 per cent said they lacked ethics, 79.71 per cent said they felt depressed, and 74.59 per cent said schools lacked care.
When asked what they thought was the reason for teachers’ violent behaviour, 86.77 per cent of respondents said they lacked professional ethics, 73.33 per cent said the guidelines for recruiting teachers were inadequate in finding good teachers and 63.28 per cent said schools lacked care.
Asked what parents should be most concerned about regarding their children, 80.54 per cent said teachers’ punishment, 62.41 per cent said learning, 54.08 per cent said bullying, and 43.11 per cent said eating.
Regarding ways to prevent violence by teachers, 79.80 per cent of respondents said school directors must pay attention to the recent case, 77.32 per cent said guidelines for recruiting teachers must be improved, and 72.31 per cent said teachers and students must be monitored closely.
Pornpan Buathong, a researcher at Suan Dusit Poll, said this survey showed that the majority of respondents pointed at teachers lacking the required ethics for the job, so the Ministry of Education and school directors should urgently tackle this issue, as well as implement preventive measures.
“Also, the government should pay attention to violence in the classroom because it may affect their credibility,” she said.
Meanwhile, Sitthiporn Iamsen, dean of Suan Dusit University’s Faculty of Education, said the fact that 21.10 per cent of respondents had been punished by their teachers was worrisome even if the figure was low.
“However, if teachers punish and teach students to avoid doing bad things, while students admit their wrongdoing, it would not be considered violence by teachers,” he said.
In the case of Onuma Ploadprong, a former teacher in a Nonthaburi school who was sacked for allegedly assaulting kindergarteners, he added that she cannot call herself a teacher because she did not have a bachelor of education degree.
A rescue team on Saturday retrieved the body of a fisherman after his brother raised an alarm over his brother disappearing in a canal in Phitsanulok province.
Noen Maprang Police Station was notified of the situation at 11pm and collaborated with a provincial divers’ association to help pull the body out of the canal.
Thanin Phronraksa, 43, went to catch fish with his brother Supachai Phromraksa, 39.
Supachai had left the scene for a while but when he returned, he did not see his brother. The younger brother then promptly called for help.
A forensic team said that the man had been dead for at least three hours. They believed that he might have become immobilised after falling in the canal due to lack of energy and drowned.
Forensic examination of the bone of an animal found in May, establishes that it belonged to a barking deer but was inconclusive on whether it was albino species.
Investigation began after an albino barking deer in Songkhla Zoo went missing in February. The zoo director has reportedly claimed the deer was swallowed by a python.
Dr Kanita Ouithavorn, chief of the Wildlife Forensic Science Unit, said on Sunday that the National Park Service has been coordinating with Songkhla Zoo since May 25, after they found the bone with remnants of dry flesh.
The results of the examination concluded that it was a normal barking deer, but could not determine the age of the sample or prove if it was an albino. However, the results confirmed this was sample from the first barking deer that went missing.
Deputy Interior Minister Niphon Boonyamanee, along with the Deputy Governor of Songkhla Amphon Pongsuwan, and Songkhla district sheriff Chaiyaporn Niyamkaew entered the area to join the investigation at the scene. Their arrival follows the suspected shock murder on Saturday of Suriya Saengpong, director-general of the Zoological Park Organisation of Thailand, allegedly shot dead by Puwadol Suwanna, head of the conservation, research and animal health at Songkhla Zoo. Suriya was investigating the case of the missing albino barking deer. Puwadol later reportedly committed suicide by shooting himself.
Niphon revealed that Suriya had visited his house on Saturday morning and they had coffee together, and talked about the missing albino barking deer. Suriya wanted to solve the problems at Songkhla Zoo and develop it into a famous tourist destination. Niphon said he acknowledged the problem but did not think that it would escalate to become fatal. He believed the alleged murder occurred due to blind rage since the two knew each other and were students at Mahavajiravudh Changwat Songkhla School.
Suriya’s body was taken for autopsy to Songkhla Hospital. There were multiple bullet injuries on the body and head. Officers found 17 shells of 9mm guns that were likely shot from two magazines.
