The National Wage Committee (NWC)’s eighth notification of the new wage rate according to skill standard was published in the Royal Gazette on December 26. It will be in effect from January 1.

The 20th NWC meeting passed a resolution on October 17 for the wage rate to be established according to the skill standards of 19 occupations in the fields of mechanical technicians, industrial arts, logistics industry and furniture industry.

Based on skills

Under the new rate, a seamster (skill level one) shall be paid no less than Bt345 a day, while those at level two will get no less than Bt410 and level three no less than Bt550.

An automotive painter (skill level one) shall be paid no less than Bt440 a day, while those of level two shall get no less than Bt550 and level three no less than Bt585.

An auto mechanic (skill level one) will be paid no less than Bt400 a day, while those of level two shall get no less than Bt490 and level three no less than Bt858.

A jeweller (stone setting) who is of skill level one will be paid no less than Bt440 a day, while those of level two shall get no less than B605 and level three no less than Bt825.

A furniture carpenter (skill level one) shall be paid no less than Bt370 a day, while those of level two shall get no less than Bt425 and level three no less than Bt480.

There were no casualties but two blasts on Wednesday night blew off the tail of a mermaid statue on Simila Beach in Songkhla. Five more bombs were found and defused in the vicinity of the beach, a famous tourist attraction in the southern province.

Two other explosions damaged electricity transmission poles in the province’s Khuan Niang district, also on Wednesday night. Meanwhile, officials defused four bombs yesterday in Bang Klam district.

Prawit, who as deputy prime minister and defence minister oversees security matters for the junta-backed government, said he was confident the incidents had nothing to do with the insurgency in the deep South, claiming that security authorities already knew who was behind the Simila Beach attack.

“The aim was to cause chaos during the New Year festival. The attacks may have stemmed from internal political problems in the province, though we cannot rule out separatists,” he said, without elaborating.

The explosions coincided with Prawit’s visit to the province to distribute land-title deeds among local people. The junta, which seized power in 2014, plans to call a general election in February next year.

However, security officials on the ground said operative cells of BRN had triggered the blasts to damage the southern business hub during the New Year season, as foreign visitors from neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia were about to flock to the area.

Evidence found at the scene indicated that the bomb was detonated by an electronic clock, suggesting the work of BRN insurgents, according to officials. Intelligence information also indicated that some operative cells of the group had been active in the area over the past weeks, an official said.

Songkhla is adjacent to the violence-ridden deep South, which has seen a spate of attacks since early 2004, claiming more than 7,000 lives so far.

Authorities in Bangkok have struggled to confine the violence to only the three southernmost provinces – Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat – but districts in Songkhla were attacked occasionally.

Despite Malaysian facilitation, attempts to establish peace talks with the insurgents over the past years have made no progress.

Deputy National Police chief Pol General Srivara Rangsibhramanakul urged the public not to panic over the bomb attack, saying police and other security officers were doing their best to find the attackers and ensure everybody’s safety during the New Year festivities.

“The public should not panic. I have already ordered police reinforcements and stronger screening of people to build public confidence,” he said yesterday.

Unlike Prawit, Srivara reckoned the attack was aimed at causing turmoil during the festive period and did not have anything to do with local politics.

Songkhla Governor Veeranan Pengchan ordered local authorities to step up security measures in risky areas to provide safety to tourists. The explosion could have serious implications for the local economy during the New Year celebrations, he said.

Four recent cases were shared with media by Immigration police chief Pol Maj-General Surachate Hakpal in Bangkok on Thursday. They included the arrest of “Net Idol” fraud suspects, the arrest of an alleged con artist using the lure of jobs overseas, the crackdown on six Chinese beggars roaming Bangkok tourist attractions, and the nationwide searches that netted eight suspects on child pornography-related charges.

In the first case, “Net Idols” Watcharaporn Polsan, 25, and Kannikar Phandu, 19 were apprehended mid-month on an arrest warrant issued by the Udon Thani Court. They were wanted for alleged public fraud and a violation to the Emergency Decree on Loans of Money Amounting to Public Cheating and Fraud.

The duo and one elusive accomplice allegedly duped 300 people – many of whom were the followers of the two women’s high-traffic Facebook pages that made them “Net Idols” – of some Bt50 million for investment with a promise of high returns in July. However, they failed to pay a dividend or return the capital to victims.

In the second case, former university lecturer Prin Sopa was apprehended on Thursday for allegedly milking Bt1.7 million from 20 people with false promises of jobs in Australia. The victims, facing repeated postponements for getting their money back from Prin after they were told their visa applications were rejected in June, filed police complaints in November. Police initially charged Prin with fraud and inputting false information into the computer system accessible by the public.

Police have also warned Thai job seekers to apply for overseas positions via legal agencies, to pay fees only by bank transactions so as to have payment receipt evidence, and to alert the Department of Employment if they still cannot travel within a month.

In the third case, two Chinese women – Lu Kuaineng, 27, and Qin Jianglin, 21 – and four Chinese men – Wang Laibo, 30, Luo Xin, 31, Qin Daoyu, 46, and Ren Hecheng, 29 – were arrested this week for allegedly pandering in tourist attractions in Bangkok. They allegedly earned up to Bt3,000 daily and split the cash between them at a Sutthisarn hotel. They are also accused of overstaying their visas. Police are also investigating if this alleged beggar gang had committed any human-trafficking crimes.

In the fourth case, the Thailand Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (of the Royal Thai Police) joined with the Department of Special Investigation, the UK police and related agencies to arrest eight suspects and confiscate 25 examples of evidence containing more than 100 files of child pornography during the December 26 searches in 18 locations in 12 provinces, said Surachate. The provinces were Chiang Mai, Phayao, Sing Buri, Kanchanaburi, Nonthaburi, Bangkok, Phuket, Roi Et, Surin, Nakhon Ratchasima, Chon Buri and Rayong.

A search team found the body of Jun Yong Sung, 68, on Wednesday about two kilometres from where he fell into the Nan river in Phitsanulok province, while that of Jaseoong Ha, 76, was found on Thursday after the search team was alerted by local villagers who spotted it.

Jaseoong was recovered about 10 kilometres downriver of the accident location.

Authorities took the bodies to a hospital in Muang district and will facilitate the processes of returning them to their country, the governor said.

The police investigation found that both Koreans had just finished playing a game at a golf course and were waiting in separate golf carts to board a ferry to cross the river back to the clubhouse.

Jaseoong was sitting in the first golf cart with his wife on the ferry, while Jun followed with his wife on the second golf cart.

However, the front of Jun’s car bumped into the rear of Jaseoong’s, pushing it through a rope and plunging it into the river. A Thai caddie standing there also fell into the river.

Seeing the accident, Jun jumped into the river to help the couple, but the two Korean men disappeared under the water. Jaseoong’s wife and the caddie were helped out of the water.

Pol General Srivara Rangsibhramanakul said police and other security officers were doing their best to find the attackers and ensure everybody’s safety during the New Year festivities.

“The public should not panic. I have already ordered police reinforcements and stronger screening of people to build public confidence,” he said yesterday.

He was referring to the double explosions that hit Samila Beach at around 10pm on Wednesday night. Nobody was injured, but the landmark statue of a mermaid on the beach was damaged.

Srivara reckoned the attack aimed to cause turbulence during the festive period and did not have anything to do with local politics.

At least five bombs were found in the vicinity of Samila Beach on Thursday morning. One bomb exploded, while the rest were destroyed.

The search was launched after two bomb explosions damaged the tail of a mermaid statue on the beach. Police cordoned off the site and spent all of Thursday afternoon checking the area to ensure safety.

He said he was confident that the incidents had nothing to do with insurgency in the deep South, claiming that security authorities already knew who was behind the Samila Beach attack.

“The aim was to cause chaos during the New Year festival. The attacks may have stemmed from internal political problems in the province, though we believe the attackers were separatists,” he said, without elaborating.

The double explosions on Wednesday night only damaged the tail of a mermaid statue on the beach. The explosions coincided with Prawit’s visit to the province to distribute land title deeds among local people.

The types of bombs are still unknown.

The three explosives were found at the beach during a search after last night’s explosions.

The landmark golden mermaid statue at Samila Beach was damaged by two explosions on Wednesday night. No-one was injured in the blasts that occurred about 10pm. The tail of the mermaid was damaged.