The Department of Corrections’ disciplinary board has fired four officials who allegedly committed “severe disciplinary offences” against prison inmates and their relatives, the department announced on Thursday.
“One official had been terminated for allegedly demanding money from families of inmates in exchange for providing special treatment to prisoners,” department director-general Ayut Sinthopphan said.
“In separate cases, three other officials of the department have been fired for allegedly physically abusing inmates, which resulted in serious prisoner injuries and deaths.”
Ayut said the department is committed to making prison administration transparent and seeing that all officials strictly follow laws and regulations.
“The move to terminate officials will serve as an example for other prison officials that no one is above the law,” Ayut said.
“Those who have been suspected of committing a breach of discipline will be immediately removed from their positions, followed by punishment and applicable legal action,” he added.
To report extortion or abuse by prison officials, please fill a form here
Narcotics Control Board (NCB) secretary-general Wichai Chaimongkhon chaired a meeting with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) on Thursday to hand over seized drug samples in a bid to create a database for investigation of international drug trafficking cases and improve the efficiency to detect drugs.
Wichai said the NCB had provided the AFP with drug samples twice – on October 18, 2018, and September 20, 2019.
The handover consisted of 20 samples of crystal methamphetamine, or “ice”, each weighting 20 grams and 20 samples of amphetamine, making it a total of 400 pills. The drugs were seized from 2017 to 2019.
AFP senior officer Simon Lalic said Australia has a high-tech lab that can analyse the structure of chemical precursors.
Australian experts have also provided knowledge to their Thai counterparts on drug analysis, sources and types of precursors, manufacturing processes, and contamination in drug samples.
Wichai added that the NCB has also cooperated with China in exchanging drug samples. This cooperation will lead to faster drug arrests and classification. It will also be beneficial in finding the source of origin.
Si Rat-Outer Ring Road Expressway fees have increased. The new expressway, which covers Bangkok’s Taling Chan, Bang Phlat and Bang Sue districts, went in for a fare increase on Wednesday. The fee has risen by THB15 to THB35 for various types of vehicles. Here’s how much it would cost motorists.
The current fee for 4-wheeled vehicles is THB65 from THB50, THB105 from THB80 for 6-10 wheeled vehicles and THB150 from THB115 baht for vehicles with more than 10 wheels.
However, you can avail of the old fee if you purchase THB1,000 worth of coupons at the checkpoint building until December 30. The coupons can be used until December 15 next year.
A booklet of 20 coupons for 4-wheeled vehicles costs THB1,000, down from the actual price of THB1,300. A booklet for 6-10 wheeled vehicles costs THB1,600 from THB2,100 and THB2,300 from THB3,000 for vehicles with over 10 wheels.
For more information, please visit any Si Rat-Outer Ring Road Expressway control centre or call 0 2555 0255.
Tai Orathai, or Orathai Dabkham, has become the first luk thung artist to appear on a billboard in New York’s world-famous Times Square.
She went on Facebook on Wednesday to voice her thanks to Spotify Thailand, saying the Times Square mention is her biggest achievement as a singer and a New Year gift.
Tai had made it to this month’s cover of Spotify’s playlist Equal Thailand.
In November, the Spotify cover featured female artist Palmy, or Eve Pancharoen, another GMM Grammy singer.
The Tourism and Sports Ministry launched its “Ease of Travelling” platform on the Entry Thailand website on Thursday to attract foreign tourists amid concern over Omicron outbreaks. The ministry also said some “good news” in the form of a “New Year gift” would be announced on Friday.
Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn told reporters on Thursday that the platform would be a hub to provide essential information and related mobile applications for tourists during their visit to Thailand.
The information and apps will include the Thailand Pass, the MorChana app, Covid insurance purchase, tourist and tourism volunteer information, tax refunds and information dealing with online visa applications.
Phiphat admitted that the spread of the Covid-19 Omicron variant is worrisome.
He said as many as 8-15 million foreign tourists were expected to visit the country in 2022, which should generate up to THB1.8 trillion – if the pandemic situation does not worsen.
Wild baby elephant Fah Sai is going from strength to strength under the care of loving veterinarians after the three-month-old was rushed into intensive care on November 28 following severe injuries sustained from gunshots and a snare in Chanthaburi’s Kaeng Hang Maew district.
Fah Sai is recovering and the little one has increased strength now, Protected Areas Regional Office 2 (Sriracha) veterinarian Dr Sunita Wingwon revealed on Wednesday.
The baby’s rescuers had named her Fah Sai (Clear Skies) before losing no time in transporting her to Nong Nooch Tropical Garden in Pattaya for treatment.
Dr Sunita said staff from the Khao Chi-On Non-Hunting Area and Banglamung Wildlife Breeding Centre have treated the wound on Fah Sai’s right ankle and two millimetres of skin have already regrown.
She said staff also treated the wound on the baby’s left leg with laser therapy, disinfectant and tonic in a bid to boost tissue regeneration.
“The elephant in now happy and in good health with increasing strength,” Sunita said.
She added that staff are cooperating with veterinarians from Nuern Plub Warn Animal Hospital to set up a treatment plan and monitor the baby elephant’s health.
Thailand must create immunity for vulnerable groups such as elders over 60 years old, pregnant women, and people with seven underlying diseases, Weerawat Manosuthi, deputy director of the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute, said at an online seminar organised by the National Vaccine Institute in cooperation with the World Health Organisation (WHO) on how to deal with the Covid-19 Omicron variant.
Weerawat said there were cancer patients, organ transplantation patients, HIV patients and systemic lupus erythematosus patients with weak immune systems who have not received medicines and some patients have to use immuno-suppressant drugs.
This could lead to a lower immunity rate.
Fully vaccinated patients with a weak immune system will have lower immunity than normal. However, a host of studies have revealed that booster doses would help them more than healthier individuals if they received the dose one month after the latest jab instead of 3-6 months.
According to WHO, patients with weak immunity should receive a booster dose within 1-3 months. They should get the jab immediately if they have not received one in the last three months.
The Royal College of Physicians of Thailand has announced guidelines in administering Covid-19 vaccines to vulnerable groups and patients with weak immunity:
1. Those who have received two doses of Sinovac or Sinopharm should wait for a month after their latest dose to receive as many as three mRNA doses, with a one-month interval between each dose.
2. Those who have been administered two doses of Astra Zeneca, Pfizer or Moderna should wait for a month after their latest dose to receive two doses of mRNA vaccine, with a one-month gap between each dose.
3. Those who have been administered a combination of vaccines should wait for a month after their latest dose to receive two doses of mRNA vaccine, with a one-month interval between each dose.
The college also provided guidelines on vaccines for patients with weak immunity who have been infected with Covid-19:
1. Patients who have been administered two doses of Sinovac or Sinopharm should wait for a month after they have been infected and receive two doses of mRNA vaccine, with an interval of one month between each dose.
2. Patients who have been administered two doses of Astra Zeneca, Pfizer or Moderna should wait for a month after they have been infected and receive a dose of mRNA vaccine.
3. Patients who have been administered a combination of vaccines should wait for a month after being infected and receive a dose of mRNA vaccine.
Patients can ask their doctors for vaccines as the Royal College of Physicians of Thailand is cooperating with the Department of Disease Control to distribute vaccines to these groups.
Nora – a form of traditional, folk performing art popular in southern Thailand – is expected to win Unesco’s Intangible Cultural Heritage for Humanity honour on Thursday, the Department of Cultural Promotion announced on its Facebook page.
The post on Wednesday read that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation is listing Nora as a Thai cultural heritage.
The department is set to hold a press conference at the Thailand Cultural Centre on Thursday with a live broadcast of Unesco’s announcement from Paris.
The event can also be watched live via the department’s Facebook page from 1pm.
A chairman of Narathiwat’s Nora group told reporters that people in the South have a strong bond with the traditional dance drama as it encourages good deeds and is also a ritual to worship ancestors, besides a tool to strengthen communities.
Tourists will not be allowed to play in the seawater in Maya Bay in Krabi’s Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park as it would affect blacktip reef sharks and coral reefs, Marine biologist Dr Thon Thamrongnawasawat announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
His post came after an official decision that the crescent-shaped Maya Bay – which became famous after it was featured in the 2000 Hollywood blockbuster “The Beach” – would be reopened from January 1. The beach has been closed to tourists since June 2018.
Thon said three proposals have been approved by provincial government agencies:
1. Boats carrying no more than 375 people will park at the pier located behind Maya Bay which is being constructed.
2. Tourists must make a reservation in advance to enter Maya Bay, while the number of boat trips depends on a decision by the national park.
3. Tourists will not be allowed to play in the Maya Bay seawater as the beach is considered a nursery for blacktip reef sharks, while coral reefs in the area are recovering.
“I would like to emphasise that the reopening of Maya Bay will not affect the coral reefs and creatures in the area,” Thon wrote.
He thanked the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation and Natural Resources as well as Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa for “taking good care of the environment”, which is considered a national treasure.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) ordered district offices to enforce the law banning vehicles from parking or driving on sidewalks to protect residents and property, and instructed City Law Enforcement officers to patrol the area.
Deputy Bangkok Governor Sakontee Pattiyakul said on Wednesday that the City Law Enforcement Department had always been committed to upholding the law. However, officers have had to recently assist in missions related to the Covid-19 crisis and were therefore unable to nab violators, leading to an increase in offences.
Now that the Covid-19 situation has improved, the department has had discussions with the Royal Thai Police to help in enforcing the law.
Sakontee said citizens could assist officers by sending in any evidence of offences via the website http://www.bangkok.go.th/reward, Line account ebn6703w, the City Law Enforcement Department’s Facebook page, or directly at the district offices. He added that citizens would receive half of the fine as a reward.
Meanwhile, Facebook group ‘Chae Chiang Mai V2’ (แฉเฉียงใหม่ V2) posted a photo of a Bhubing Rajanives police car parked on the sidewalk near Chiang Mai University’s Convention Centre on Tuesday morning.
The post asked Provincial Police Region 5 commissioner Pol Lt-General Piya Tavichai to find out if the police were violating the law or not.
On Wednesday, Bhubing Rajanives police superintendent Pol Colonel Manuschai In-thuean ordered an investigation and found that Pol Lt-Colonel Phuwadol Kantha was the driver of the car. Phuwadol admitted that he was ordered by his supervisor to buy supplies for the police station so he parked the car on the sidewalk.
Phuwadol was fined THB500 and will be disciplined.
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