Thaivisa News

Bangkok: The Thai Red Cross Society has warned potential donors to thoroughly check requests for help for quake-ravaged Nepal, suggesting some calls for assistance may have been parts of scams.

“We at the Thai Red Cross Society have been busy checking some bank account numbers said to be associated with us,” said Soi-sa-ang Pikulsod, a top Red Cross official in Thailand said.

She said those bank account numbers as well as other numbers said to belong to some foundations had been circulating wildly on the social media, where sympathy for Nepal has been so widespread.

“Some bank donation requests cited the Thai Red Cross but we know nothing about them,” she said.

She called on social media users forwarding such information to friends on LINE or Twitter or Facebook to exercise extreme caution.

She admitted that Nepal needed a lot of outside assistance but communication with affected areas has been extremely difficult. Emergency aid is one thing, while those wanting to make bank donations can wait, she said.

The Thai Red Cross is having an emergency meeting Wednesday morning on Nepal and related matters.

According to Reuters, international aid has finally begun to arrive in the Himalayan nation of 28 million people, 3 days after the devastating quake. Disbursement has been slow.

The confirmed death toll stood at over 4,000 Tuesday evening, but high-ranking officials said it could hit 10,000. The UN said up to 8 million had been affected by the disaster. Reuters said a series of aftershocks, mammoth ruins, creaking infrascture and lack of funds were hampering rescue efforts.

Bangkok – The authorities will cancel and repossess land reform plots which have been misused for non-agriculture purpose, Agriculture permanent secretary Chavalit Chookajorn said yesterday.

The land recall is meant to resolve the massive encroachment of national park and land reform areas, Chavalit said. The recall could affect many resort projects or holiday homes.

The gist of the problem is that developers and investors are building scenic resorts and vacation homes encroaching on forest areas. The encroachment is being done by unlawful manipulation of land rights for agriculture purpose.

The Agriculture Land Reform Office has been instructed to launch comprehensive checks on plots designated for agricultural purpose, particularly those located near Khao Yai National Park in Pak Chong district, Nakhon Ratchasima.

A large number of land reform plots in Pak Chong have been developed for non-agricultural purpose and will be targeted for recall.

Under the land reform law, denuded forests are allowed for distribution to landless farmers. Developers colluded with settlers to change agricultural land rights into general-purpose plots.

The misused land reform plots would either be redistributed to landless farmers or restored as national park or forest reserve.

Some 32 million rai of denuded forests have been designated for land reform.

Of the 32 million rai, plots covering 1 million rai have yet to be distributed. And this is the area where most encroachment cases happened.

The distribution delay is attributed to claims by original settlers that they have land rights under the land legislation and not under the land reform and national park laws.

Under relevant laws, those settled before the designation of national park areas are permitted to keep their land rights.

They are liable, however, to present documents to prove their settlement. This has been repeatedly postponed until the plots change hands transforming them into resorts and vacation home.

The authorities said they will rely on the aerial survey to use as evidence for land reform area in order to litigate and evict those encroachers for misusing the plots for non-agricultural purpose.

Chiang Mai – Police have arrested and charged Srimuang Panyasoong, 82, for killing his girlfriend Lalita Thampanya, 41.

Alerted by hotel attendants, investigators from Chang Phuak police station went to investigate the killing at a love motel on Suk Kasem Road, Tambon Pa Tan, Mueang Chiang Mai district.

They found the Lalita’s naked body lying on the bathroom floor. The victim had multiple knife wounds in the chest and body. She was strangled with a brassiere.

The victim’s motorcycle with a bag of fruit and vegetable was left parking in front of the room.

The hotel attendants told police that the victim and her boyfriend would check in at the love motel about once a week.

Before her death, the victim and the boyfriend arrived in separate motorcycles as per usual. Later the boyfriend rode out alone. And the hotel attendants found the victim dead when they opened the room for cleaning.

After checking records and security camera footage, police tracked down Srimuang to his home located near the motel.

They also uncovered the knife, believed to be the murder weapon pending forensic check.

Srimuang admitted to killing Lalita because of jealousy because she tried to break up the relationship for another man.

He said he met Lalita who worked as a waitress at a vegetarian restaurant on Mulmuang Road. He had weekly tryst with her for years. Recently she refused to see him.

Yesterday, he happened to meet her at the market and convinced her to see him for the “last time” at the motel.

The two had heated argument about their relationship and he lost control, he said.

He said he used the brassiere to strangle her. As she was struggling to free herself, he took out the knife to stab her until she “stopped moving”, he said.

After the killing, he rode home to await police, he said.

Nong Khai:- Six Thai policemen and three Thai civilians have been arrested for allegedly collaborating to extort money from a Lao family after making false drug charge against the mother and the son of the family.

Nakhon Si Thammarat – A Buddhist temple has temporarily shut itself down following a dispute with a surrounding community over the installation of a phallus.

Wat Kang Pla abbot Worathamphiphat put up a billboard declaring that his temple would remain closed until the dispute could be resolved.

Worathampipat, also the chief monk of Bang Khan district, said he wanted to get to the bottom of the dispute before resuming the religious service.

He said the temple had commissioned the carving of a log into the phallus object.

The phallus was installed at the roadside leading to the temple.

The chief monk said the phallus was meant to attract attention to the temple, hence boosting the number of visitors to stop by and make merit.

He said the phallus had drawn people to the temple, arguing it served for publicity purpose and did not tamper with the religious belief.

Residents of the community located nearby the temple had a different view, however.

They recently petitioned the temple to remove the phallus, saying it was an eye sore and that it was the object for animistic worship and not compatible with Buddhism.

The temple rejected the petition and insisted on keeping the phallus.

Last week, the phallus mysteriously disappeared from the roadside. It was later found at a dumpsite.

The temple abbot said perpetrators should step forward to claim responsibility.

He said he wanted to know why the perpetrators had intervened in what he said was the temple’s affairs to deal with the phallus.

No one has the rights to override the temple’s decision to install and keep the phallus, he said.

Until the phallus dispute is resolved, some 30 monks at the temple would cease to perform religious activities, such as anointing the new home, giving blessing to a wedding and chanting for the merit-making ceremony, he said.