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Thaivisa News
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Bangkok:- A total of 233 Thai tourists have been left stranded at the Don Mueang International Airport as their charter flight has not received a permission to fly to Japan.The Thais were scheduled to leave the airport at 1:40 am Saturday on Asian Air’s Flight DM464 to Sapporo but the chartered flight has not been approved by the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB).By 1 am after the plight was shared on online social networks, reporters rushed to the airport and found most of the passengers gathering on the third floor of the airport in front of the out-passenger international terminal.They were complaining and cursing the airline and the tour company. They said they bought a tour package from Pro Asia Travel for Bt55,000.Later on, Asian Air president David Srichai-udom came to the scene and the passengers swarmed him, asking for explanation and compensation.They used harsh words to criticize David because they said the airline officials had confirmed with them that the airline had got the permission from the JCAB to fly the flight to Sapporo.Chartered flights to Japan have been affected after the International Civil Aviation Organization has concluded that the Thai Civil Aviation Department failed to meet international safety standards.David promised to pay compensation to the passengers for the waste of time and offered hotel accommodation for them. He offered to repay the fare within seven days.Wichit Ua-wirawat, 65, one of the passengers, said he and ten friends bought the package.Wichit said he was told by the tour company to check it at 9 pm Friday but no airline officials turned up to process the check-in. They leaned at 11 pm that the airline did not get a permission to fly the chartered flight.
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Bangkok:- Soaked passengers and those who appear drunk or carry loaded water guns are prohibited from using the subway service, the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRT) announced Saturday.To avoid other passengers from being disturbed, the MRT will provide towels at all stations for soaked passengers to dry themselves after they have joined Songkran water splashing fun, the MRT announced.They need to use the towels to dry themselves and remove powder before they will be allowed to enter the stations to use the subway.Those who carry water guns with water will be required to empty the guns first.The MRT added that drunk people will not be allowed to enter the stations at all.The MRT expects a lot of passengers during the long holidays from Saturday to Wednesday as well as on the next Thursday, Friday and Saturday so it will have all the 19 trains run in full capacity with three minutes interval during the period.It announced that security officers have been deployed to keep security around the subway stations on around the clock basis.Security will especially beefed up around the Hua Lampong, Silom, Sukhumvit, Chatuchak, Kamphaeng Phet, and Bang Sue stations as these stations can be linked to other mass transport systems.It said the MRT has sought cooperation from the Royal Thai Police to dispatch police dogs from the K-9 unit to help check suspicious items around the stations to ensure safety for passengers.As a gift for the elderly, the MRT will also allow passengers, who are at least 60 years old, to ride the subway free of charge from April 13 to 15.
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ฺBangkok:- The Disease Control Department has now warned people to be cautious about eating Somtam, the country’s famous Spicy Papaya Salad.With rising temperature, foods are quick to rot and some dishes carry a higher risk of causing gastrointestinal tract disease than others. The issue is quite a big deal given that 247,212 people already came down with diarrhea in Thailand during the first quarter of this year. Of them, three died.To address the risks, the Disease Control Department has now identified 10 dishes that people should beware.In addition to Somtam, the list also includes Spicy Minced Pork with Vegetables, Dessert with Coconut Milk, Spicy Small Raw Prawns, Spicy Cockles, Fried Rice with Crab Meat, Thai Vermicelli, Oily Rice with Chicken, Salads, and Substandard Ice.“Summer has always seen the highest incidences of gastrointestinal tract diseases. That’s why people should now be more careful about their food,” Disease Control Department’s director general Dr Sopon Mekton told Thairath.He said last year, food poisoning caused one death and diarrhea killed eight others.Sopon added that to avoid food poisoning and diarrhea, people should eat food within four hours since it was cooked.This means people should check well when buying ready-to-eat food too.“Due to the long holiday period of Songkran, restaurants usually stock a huge amount of food,” Sopon warned.Dr Opart Karnkawinpong, deputy director general at the same department, advised people to heat the ready-to-eat food they had bought before starting their meal.
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Chiang Mai:- Nok Air has come under fire especially from wheelchair users after its staffs failed to provide a wheelchair to help a disabled man get down from its plane at the Chiang Mai International Airport.The incident prompted Nok Air CEO Patee Sarasin to apologize to the man and his wife and promise not to have a similar incident happen again.The wife of Wanat Nakpha-in posted the photos of her husband climbing down the ladder from a Nok Air plane. The photos were posted on Tan Pattaya Facebook page on Thursday.Wanat is a well-known coached of disabled athletes so the photos infuriated many disabled people and many vowed to boycott Nok Air flights. So far, the post has been shared over 110 times.The wife recounted via comments on the post that when she and Wanat reached the Chiang Mai airport, the crew told them to wait for other passengers to get down first.Wanat joined in the comments, saying he agreed to wait with hope that the staffs of the airline have been trained to provide proper care for the disabled passengers.But it turned out that the staffs offered to carry him down the ladder. Wanat said he protested, arguing that the proper practice is that he had to be seated in a wheelchair first and the staffs would have to carry him and the wheelchair down.According to the couple, the staffs replied that they did not have a wheelchair for the service. When the couple asked for Wanat’s own wheelchair, which was boarded to the cargo compartment, the staffs replied it has been sent to the arrival passenger terminal.So, Wanat decided to climb down the ladder on his own while his wife took the photos.Initially, Patee posted a message on his own Facebook wall that Wanat was stubborn and refused help. But after he exchanged commented with the couple on the wife’s Facebook wall, Pattee apologized and promised to improve the service.
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Bangkok:- Tourist police have arrested five Chinese men for having allegedly used fake cards to buy luxurious goods and draw cash in Bangkok.The five were identified as Mao Suhai, 35, Yin Longjing, 32, Yang Bangsu, 47, Fang Khisu, 35, and Chang Wansu, 53. (The spellings were based on names in Thai language provided by police.)Their arrest was announced at the Tourist Police Division at 5:30 pm Friday by the division chief, Pol Maj Gen Apichai Thi-amat. Evidences displayed at the press conference included two magnetic card writers, three notebook computers and 24 magnetic cards.Apichai said his division was alerted by the Siam Commercial Bank that a group of foreign criminals had stolen credit card data of some foreign customers to make fake credit card that were used to withdraw cash and buy luxurious goods in Thailand.Apichai said his officers conducted an investigation and learned about the group and later found that the Chinese men were staying at a hotel in Ratchapisek area.Mao was arrested in front of the hotel at 11 am Friday. Police found a fake credit card and five sale receipts on him.Police searched his room and found some evidences and he implicated four other Chinese who were arrested in their rooms in the same hotel. More evidences were found in the rooms.They said they got the magnetic cards and data of credit cards of Americans from an unknown American.Apichai said the five had entered Thailand twice in October to use the fake credit cards.
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Bangkok: – Police yesterday conducted a raid at the office of UFun Store located on Ramintra 61 Road and shut down the company’s pyramid scheme.Reacting to complaints filed at Damrong Tham Centre, police have sought and received the court-approved warrants of arrest for eight executives, comprising three Malaysian nationals and five Thais.The money laundering authorities have impounded 250 million baht as suspected ill-gotten gains from defrauding the public involving 14,700 victims.Three Malaysian suspects are Tay Kim Leng, 41, Lee Kuan Ming, 38 and Won Sing Hlia, 42.The five Thai suspects are Arthit Pankaew, 47, Apichanat Saenkla, 40, Ratthawit Thitiarunwat, 34, Chaithorn Thonglolert, 41 and Rithidet Warong, 39.During the raid, Rithidet, who holds 51 equity stakes in the company, was present. Police took him into custody pending the remand hearing.National police assistant commissioner general Lt General Suwira Songmetta said the company was registered for direct sale.But in practice, the company was the front for the scam because there was no genuine business transaction, Suwira said.Online customers fell prey to the pyramid scheme by agreeing to pay the fee of 17,000 per membership. Then the members of the scheme would make illusory transaction with one another and their recruited newcomers based on an online currency called utoken.After uncovering evidence of defrauding the public, the authorities revoked the company’s registration on Wednesday ahead of yesterday’s raid.Following the raid, police seized financial records and a large number of documents as evidence.In his statement, Rithidet denied the fraud charges, saying his company acted as an online market place for customers to buy and sell their products directly to one another.The offence for defrauding the public is penalised by imprisonment from five to 10 years and a fine between 500,000 baht to one million baht.
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Surat Thani: – A car bomb exploded last night at a shopping mall in Samui, inflicting injuries to six people and causing damages to about 10 cars, provincial governor Chatpong Chatphuti said.The incident happened in the underground parking lot of Central Samui Festival, Chatpong said. The shopping mall was still opened at the time of explosion around 10.30 pm.Injured victims are shopping customers who have admitted for treatments of shrapnel wounds at two hospitals on the resort island.Initial checks indicated that the car bomb was assembled in a stolen vehicle with fake license plate number.Police, the bomb squat and the crime scene investigators are scheduled today to conduct the full checks at the scene.At the time close to the car bomb explosion, there was a separate fire at the warehouse of Surat Thani Cooperative in Mueang district, Chatpong said.The authorities have noted the curious coincidence of the two incidents but have not drawn any conclusion about the linkage.Fire fighters took about an hour to put out the warehouse blaze. They managed to contain the warehouse fire not to spread to a nearby store and food court.The fire caused total destruction of the warehouse and consumer goods stored inside. There was no casualty report. The fire took place after the closing hour. And staff had left.Witnesses said they heard two loud explosions before the eruption of fire. They said the noise might have come from faulty transformers.The authorities will investigate the cause of fire at daybreak.In another development, a fire broke out at a local convenience store in Phang Nga’s Takua Thung district, causing damages to the store and three nearby shophouses.The district authorities said the fire started on the second floor of the store where supplies were kept.Police are investigating the cause of fire.
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Kamphaeng Phet:- A poor girl student who cannot afford the study cost after she was admitted to a university’s faculty of pharmacy has received overwhelming support from both Thais and foreigners.Khaosod reported that many Thais and foreigners have credited a bank account opened to provide scholarship for Jiraporn Phaksuwan.As of Friday, Khaosod said the bank account has some Bt1.17 million.Jiraporn graduated from the Kamphaeng Phet Provincial Organization School. She was accepted by Naresuan University to study in the Pharmacy Faculty.The girl lives with her 86-year-old grandmother and younger brother as her parents have separated and her mother has a new husband. The mother who lives in Roi Et sends her only Bt1,000 a month for the living cost with her grandma and brother. The girl has to work part time as a farmhand to earn enough for the family.After the girl managed to score high enough to be admitted to the faculty, her mother had to borrow Bt20,000 from relatives for her enrollment but the girl looked ahead and saw that the chance is dimmed because she would need about Bt100,000 a year to finish the six-year course.Her story has been published by Khoasod. After the publicity, many kind-hearted people in Thailand and abroad called her to find out about the bank account’s number, Jiraporn said.The mother, Jarinya, said she was grateful to all who helped her daughter. She promised not to touch the scholarship money.The school director, Supachai Sringarm, said the girl asked him to form a committee to monitor the spending from the bank account to make it transparent.
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Pattaya, Chon Buri:- A 34-year-old Thai man has been arrested for allegedly collaborating with four other men to rob a drunk Indian tourist, police said.Pattaya police chief Pol Col Sukthat Pumphanmuang held a press conference at 10:30 am to announce the arrest of Somchart Aiyala, alias Od, a resident of Surin.Sukthat alleged that Somchart took part in the robbery of Narandr Rajoo at 1 am Thursday.The Indian man was robbed of a gold ring worth Bt15,000, a mobile phone worth Bt2,000 and Bt35,000 in cash. The robbery took place in front of Soi 7 off the beach road in Tambon Nong Plua of Bang Lamung district.Sukthat said police checked the footage of a security camera at the spot and found that the five men who robbed Rajoo were members of the Nipa Lord Intersection gang that is led by a leader known only as “Off the big foot”. Sukthat said Off is still on the run.Somchart was arrested near the robbery scene.Sukthat quoted Somchart as admitting that he, Off and other gang members were drinking at the spot when they saw Rajoo walking alone and appearing drunk.Somchart said he walked to talk to Rajoo and then punched his face several times until he became unconscious. Then, the five men took his valuables and money. Somchart claimed that he got Bt200 from the gang leader.Somchart has been released from the Chon Buri prison for months ago after he was jailed in a drug charge.Earlier police said the robbers were teenagers.
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Tak:- A so-called death road in Tak province is going to shake off its notoriety.Relevant authorities have now decided to go ahead with a plan to boost the road’s safety by increasing the number of its traffic lanes from two to four along two of its portions.The move means this road, officially known as Highway 12, will be four-lane throughout its 87-km stretch.At present, two portions of the highway are just two-lane. Users describe the road as rather narrow and dangerous particularly around Doi Ruak.Accidents on the road killed more than 50 people in a month last year.According to Thairath, the Transport Ministry is thus now preparing to improve the road. It will spend Bt2.4 billion on increasing the number of traffic lanes along two portions of the Highway 12. These two portions will have a combined stretch of 40 kilometer.Constructions will begin this year.Once the constructions are completed, Highway 12 should provide greater convenience and safety to motorists.In a related development, the government approves the project to construct a bridge across the Moei River to link Tak’s Mae Sot district to Myanmar’s Myawaddy.It will take Bt3.9billion and two years to build this bridge.“The bridge will facilitate development from the Tak Special Economic Zone,” Tak Governor Somchai Hatayasanti says.With the ASEAN Economic Community to materialize before the end of this year, several border provinces including Tak look set to enjoy economic boom.
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Phuket:- Phuket immigration police have arrested a British tourist and an Australian tourist for having used fake credit cards to draw cash from ATM machines.Jamie Steven Mckee, 31, a British citizen, and Darrin John Willams,48, an Australian, were arrested late Wednesday night in Tambon Karon.Their arrest was announced at 3:30 pm Thursday by Phuket Immigration chief Pol Col Sanchai Chokkhayai.Evidences displayed at the press conference included 40 fake credit cards, 20 Bt1,000 banknotes and a magnetic card writer.Acting on tip-off, immigration police staked out near a Siam Commercial Bank ATM machine in front of a convenient store at the Karon Roundabout in Mueang district.Police spotted the two drawing cash from the ATM machine. When they walked to the Karon Plaza, police asked them to show their passports.The two did not carry passports, so police searched them and found 11 fake credit cards hidden in a cigarette packet on Mckee and found five fake cards in Williams’ wallet.Police found more fake cards in Mckee’s rented room in Patong. They also found a magnetic card writer and a notebook computer in the room. No illegal items were found in Williams’ room.Sanchai said Mckee got data of other people’s credit cards from a gang via Internet. He used Williams’ notebook computer for the data transfer after he persuaded the Australian to join the scam.Sanchai said Mckee bought the magnetic card writer and blank magnetic cards from Bangkok.After having written the cards with real credit card data, the two have been using the fake cards to draw cash from ATM machines, mostly of the SCB.
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Pattaya, Chon Buri:- A 33-year-old British man fought off six Thai teenagers who tried to rob him of his motorcycle early Friday, police said.The Bang Lamung police station was alerted at 3 am that Danny Dauiels was attacked in front of the Charuporn gold shop on Liab Thang Rotfai Road next to Soi Khao Noi in Tambon Nongplua.Police officers rushed to the scene to find an injured Dauiels standing next to his red Honda PCX motorcycle.The Briton, who owns a beer bar on Soi Bua Khao in Central Pattaya, told police that when he was riding to his bar, six Thai teenagers on three motorcycles caught up with him and cut across his way.Dauiels was startled and fell down. Then, the teenagers rushed in to hit and beat him with their crash helmets. The teenagers tried to snatch his motorcycle away but he fought off out and held on to his bike with all-out efforts.The Briton said the teenagers fled the scene after they saw that he would not let go his motorcycle.Pol Col Chanapat Nawalak, commander of the Bang Lamung police station, has ordered his officers to check footage of security cameras in the area. He also formed a team to try to hunt down the six teenagers.The robbery attempt came just a day after a 50-year-old Indian tourist was robbed by five Thai hooligans on Pattaya Beach road early Thursday. The five teenagers were described by local people as hooligans who have extorted money from local residents and foreign tourists on the Pattaya beach.
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Bangkok: – The Metropolitan Police Bureau has launched the campaign to enforce the ban on driving under the influence of alcohol around the capital during Songkran festival.Motorists and passengers of public transportation would be targeted for Breathalyzer.Police expect the campaign to help reducing Bangkok road accidents caused by drunk driving.Police Colonel Yuthaphong Intharaphong said police would conduct breath tests for all drivers of outbound buses from Bangkok to various provinces from Thursday to Sunday.Police checkpoints will locate at main bus terminals, including Ekkamai, Mor Chit and Sai Tai (south-bound). Checks will also include outbound trains.Drivers of public services will have to undergo and pass breath tests before being allowed to drive.Police will conduct selective tests for bus passengers who appear intoxicated.Inebriated passengers will not be allowed to board the bus. They have to be sober before they can continue their trip. This is meant to reduce the complaints for nuisance caused on the bus.If police suspect drug abuse, then they are authorised to ask certain passengers to undergo urine tests for illicit drugs.The State Railway of Thailand and the Transport Company are co-sponsors for the police campaign.Police have reminded Songkran revellers and motorists that breath tests will be conducted at popular venues for water splashing like Silom and Khao San roads.Checkpoints for DUI would be set up at for motorists entering or leaving Silom areas.The DUI offence is penalised by a jail term of up to one year and/or a fine from 5,000 baht to 20,000 baht. DUI motorists will also have their driving license suspended for at least six months.
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Roi Et: – Provincial police have no clue how and why a 12-year-old girl ran away from home after online chatting.Before her disappearance, the girl was in contact with the man with assumed online name.After checks, police found the records for 30 men having the same first name and family name as the online identity.The girl’s father Od Saengrung, 38, filed a complaint alerting police about his daughter disappearance.He said early this year his daughter received a smartphone as a gift from her aunt, Surisa Sripakdi.His daughter used the phone for social networking through Facebook and Line applications, he said.He said he noticed that one man with the online name of Thawatchai Suwannarat was in constant contacts with his daughter for the past three months.On the morning of her disappearance, his daughter asked a girl in the neighbourhood to ride a bicycle taking her to a local road before taking a songthaew bus into Roi Et town.She told the songthaew driver that she was going to visit Surisa in Samut Prakan.In the evening, Od called Surisa and found out that his daughter did not go to see the aunt as claimed.He and his wife Sukanya tried repeatedly to call their daughter but she turned off her phone.After missing for more than 24 hours, the father alerted police.He said he suspected the online man might be involved in the disappearance of his daughter.Police have asked members of the public to call Roi Et hotline no. 082-312-6681 if they know the girl’s whereabouts.
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Chiang Mai:- The Chiang Mai University has joined hands with local government agencies and private sector to develop 14 routes of buses to cover all major areas of the northern city as part of a preparation for the ASEAN Economic Community.Prof Dr Poon Thiangburanatham, a lecturer of Chiang Mai University’s Faculty of Engineering, said four of the 14 routes have been being operated on a pilot project since February 2015.He said the bus operators use a flat fare of Bt15 throughout the route and the four routes have received warm welcome from Chiang Mai residents because the northern city earlier lacked regular buses that are reliable.The lack of buses with reliable services prompted local people to use private vehicles that caused heavy congestion in Chiang Mai downtown, he added.Poon said the university decided to cooperate with the Nakhon Chiang Mai Municipality, the Chiang Mai Land Transport Office, Lanna Bus Cooperatives and private firms to develop reliable bus services because the northern city is expected to be visited by more tourists after the AEC integration is completed later this year.Poon said earlier bus services in Chiang Mai are notorious for uncertainty of frequencies and the bus routes do not cover all important areas.Poon said the buses are equipped with GPS devices and the university has developed an app for commuters to check the current location of their bus.He said the bus fare will be paid by coupons which have been printed in four languages – Thai, English, Chinese and Shan.Once the AEC integration is completed, there will be a type of coupon that allows tourists to use one coupon to take al buses during the day, he added.
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Krabi:- The Harbor Department Thursday held an urgent meeting of directors of the Krabi, Phang Nga, Phuket Ranong, Satun and Trang harbor offices following a ferry fire in Krabi.Wichai Khamkhong, the Phuket Regional harbor chief, who is charge of the five southern provinces, said he held the meeting to order the provincial harbor chiefs to step up security measures – especially during the long Songkran holidays when revelers flock to visit popular islands and beaches.On Wednesday, a Krabi-Phuket ferry caught fire and sank shortly after it left the Nopparat Thara beach heading to Phuket. All passengers were rescued except a 12-year-old Israeli who was trapped inside the boat and drowned.Wichai said he instructed all the provincial harbor offices to order all kind of passenger boats and ferries to check life-saving gears and extinguishers to make sure that they will not malfunction when an accident occurs.The harbor offices will also have to make sure that the ferries and passenger or tourist-sightseeing boats will not be overloaded, Wichai added.Boats that violate these safety measures must face drastic actions to ensure the safety of tourists during the Songkran holidays.Boonchao Tuangsiriphaisal, the director of the Krabi harbor office, said he will soon call a meeting of operators of passenger boats and ferries in his province.Boonchao said the operators will be told to make sure that their boats are equipped with life-saving gear and fire extinguishers.He said if any boat does not have fire extinguishers or the extinguishers have not been certified and if they do not have enough lifebuoys or lifejackets, the boat operators will face drastic legal actions. The boats will also be required to provide lifejackets for children, Boonchao added.
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Chon Buri: The Chon Buri Hospital Thursday denied that a 48-year-old German woman who lived in Pattaya for two years has died of the fatal communicable disease of Meningococcal Meningitis.Rumor and fear of the disease prompted Chon Buri deputy director Doctor Sawan Kwanjaiphanit and his team of doctors who have treated Lieder Silvialuisgeingeborg, to hold a press conference at 10:30 am at the hospital.Earlier, some Thai newspapers have reported that Silvialuisgeingeborg has died of Meningococcal Meningitis.Sawan said the German woman was infected with gram-negative bacteria, which is a different type with the one that caused the fatal disease.A preliminary check found that the woman had never been treated at any hospital until she was sent to the Bang Lamung district hospital in the night of April 3 and was forwarded to the Chon Buri Hospital on Monday. She died that day.Sawan said the woman had been living alone in an apartment room in Pattaya for two years and she later suffered from chronic diarrhea. She did not go to see doctors but her friend bought antibiotics for her.But her condition got worse and she fainted because of dehydration prompting the manager of the apartment building to rush her to the Bang Lamung Hospital. She also had a rash all over her body.The deputy director said the laboratorial test after her death confirmed that she did not get the Meningococcal Meningitis.Sawan added that the German woman did not have inflammation in the brain and did not have stiff neck, which are common symptoms of Meningococcal Meningitis.He said the bacteria that infected her blood system could be cured by antibiotics.
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Pattaya, Chon Buri:- A 50-year-old tourist was robbed by five Thai hooligans on Pattaya Beach road early Thursday.The five teenagers were described by local people as hooligans who have extorted money from local residents and foreign tourists on the Pattaya beach.Pol Lt Siraphudet Chamnarnkit, an officer on duty of Pattaya police station, was alerted of the robbery at 1 am.Siraphudet was informed that the tourist, who was later identified as Narandr Rajoo, was robbed in front of Soi 7 off the beach road in Tambon Nong Plua of Bang Lamung district.Police rushed to scene and found Rajoo, who appeared drunk, with head wound and broken nose.Rescuers of Sawang Boribun Pattaya Foundation provided first aid treatment for the tourist.Rajoo told police that he was walking back to his hotel when the teenagers assaulted him and knocked him unconsciously. He said the teenagers took his cash in Thai and US bank notes worth Bt75,000 and his mobile phone while he was unconscious.Wiphada Laosaeng, 35, who witnessed the robbery, told police that the five teenagers in black suddenly attacked Rajoo while he was walking at the spot.Wiphada said one of the teenagers beat Rajoo until he collapsed while the four looked on. She saw the one, who assaulted Rajoo, pull out bank notes and mobile phone from the tourist’s trouser pockets.The five fled the scene after they got the money and the mobile phone.Local residents told police that the five teenagers often drank around the area and acted like hooligans to demand money from local people.The gang is led by “Off the big foot” whose real identity has yet to be identified.
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Bangkok:- The Moral Promotion Center is trying to reduce road accidents during the so-called Songkran’s Seven Dangerous Days through an unusual campaign.The center seeks to promote seven virtues, as the dangerous period starts Thursday this year.“We believe that road casualties will reduce if people embrace these seven virtues,” the center’s director Sin Seusuan says at a press conference.These virtues are: discipline, tolerance, kindness, sacrifice, responsibility, mindfulness and carefulness.Millions of people hit the road in Thailand during the Songkran period either to visit their home provinces or to enjoy their vacation. The festive season, however, is not all about happiness as hundreds of people have also lost their lives in road accidents during the Songkran period each year.For example, the Songkran 2014 saw 322 deaths during its seven dangerous days. This is in addition to the number of injured victims.Relevant authorities, therefore, have tried hard during the past many years to raise public awareness of accident risks and to nudge drivers to be more careful.Anti-alcohol networks have waged campaigns against drunk driving, while police promise to strictly enforce laws. Many other organizations have also joined such efforts.Sin says the Moral Promotion Center also pitches in this year as it hopes to reduce road tolls.“We hope people can celebrate Songkran safely and mindfully,” he says.His center, a public organization, also launches the “Return Home, Hug, and Show Respect” campaign that encourages Songkran revelers to show their love and gratitude towards their elders during the Songkran Festival.Songkran is the traditional Thai New Year.
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Bangkok: – Thailand will likely see the exports dropped by about 4 per cent from January to March due to weak demands in key markets, Deputy Prime Minister MR Pridiyathorn Devakula said.January saw the decline in exports by 3.7 per cent. The following month saw the drop of 6.1 per cent. And the downward trend would continue for last month’s exports.The persistence of economic slowdown in Europe, the United States, Japan and China is the primary cause for the contraction of Thai exports, Pridiyathorn said.Following the implementation of exports boosting strategy, the country should see the rebound of demands for Thai products within two to three years, he said.The government is pinning its hopes to boost exports through the granting of the investment privileges for production technology designed for value added products.In regard to the projection of Thai economy for the remaining of 2015, the authorities believe the downward trend has already bottomed out, he said.The projection is based on two indicators – the increase of VAT revenues by 9.75 per cent in this year’s first quarter and the 51 per cent disbursement of government spending for the first half of fiscal year 2015.The deputy prime minister said he expects the government spending will be accelerated for this fiscal year’s second half, expecting to further spur the economy.He also stated that the government had cancelled tax on business earnings generated abroad.This is to encourage Thai companies to transmit the money back to the country which will, in turn, boost the GDP growth.
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Bangkok: - The Transport Ministry has braced for facilitating the travels by 6.3 million Thais during Songkran festival.All systems of public transportation are ready to provide safe and convenient services in light of expected surge of travelers from today to April 19, Transport Minister Prajin Juntong said.In the 10-day period, the people are expected to vacation and to visit their hometown to celebrate Thai New Year.Inter-provincial bus services will increase from 6,000 scheduled trips to 7,959 per day. The daily bus passengers are projected to surge to 1.6 million around the country.Bus passengers can call hotline no. 1356 for bus information and for voicing complaints about services.Train services will add two to three extra carriages per trip. Some 30 extra trains will be scheduled from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani and Sila At in order to accommodate 1.18 million passengers.The Airports of Thailand said some 290 extra flights would be added to the holiday schedule.During Songkran, there would be 21,744 flights to serve 3.5 million passengers.THAI Airways will revise the daily schedule for Bangkok-Phuket flight to 26 and Bangkok-Chiang Mai to 18.For Bangkok, the BTS train operator will increase the service frequency during the holidays. BMTA bus will provide 215,750 services.There will be two free shuttle bus services from Mor Chit 2 to BTS Chatuchak Station and from Mor Chit 2 to Wat Saket from April 12 to April 14.To mark the Day of the Elderly on April 13, senior citizens can avail themselves to free services for Airport Rail Link, MRT train and BMTA bus.Motorists will be allowed free pass for motorways to and from Bangkok.Toll exemption includes Bangkok-Chon Buri motorway and Buraphavithi express way.
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Ayutthaya:- Some residents of Ayutthaya have posted Facebook messages, pleading for urgent help for some 300 starving long-tailed macaque at a temple in Bang Pahan district.They said the monkeys were starving and do not have enough drinking water because a nearby canal is dry and no one takes care of them.According to posts on Ayutthaya Residents’ Bulletin Facebook page, the Hansung Temple has built a shallow and small concrete pool for the monkeys to drink and bath but the pool has cracked, causing it to run dry.The drought prompted the monkeys to rely on foods handed out by monks but the temple is not a tourist spot so the monks could not afford feeding all the monkeys.Thairath Online said many of the monkeys have starved to death or suffered from dehydration.Thairath said some local residents have given some foods and brought some water for the monkeys but the foods and water was inadequate for the 300 monkeys.A couple, Ekkorn and Napaphat Khiensuwan, rushed to the temple on Tuesday with some vegetables, fruits and bread as well as five large bowls, to help the monkeys. They poured water for the monkeys to drink and bath in the bowls.Napaphat said she learned about the monkeys’ fate from the Facebook page and tried to help some.“I have never known that a lot of monkeys are living here because it is not a tourist spot,” Napaphat said.She said the drought caused a nearby canal to run dry so the monkeys could not help themselves.After their story was reported by Thairath and Manager, the Tambon Thator Administrative Organization dispatched officials with a water truck to the temple.The officials fixed the pool and filled it with water to the delight of the monkeys that drank and swam in it.
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Pattaya, Chon Buri:- Three Thai men have been arrested for assaulting a British tourist in Pattaya on Sunday.Pattaya police chief Pol Col Sukthat Phumphanmuang held a press conference at noon Wednesday to announce the arrest of Piyaraj Ketpratoom, 26, Patiphan Thuekwamsue, 28, and Pattana Muensaeng, 24.They were identified by Lee Huntingdon, 36, as his attackers. The incident was caught on a security camera of a Family Mart shop.The three admitted that they had assaulted Huntingdon early Sunday but because the Briton had allegedly molested an elder sister of Patiphan at 3 am Sunday.Sukthat said Huntingdon, who was drunk, was walking back to the Nature View Hotel on Soi Bua Khaw when he stopped by at a hamburger shop in front of the hotel and spotted Patiphan’s sister.Sukthat said Huntingdon then molested Kulthida Thuekwamsue, 32, by grabbing her bottom and hugging her. The act infuriated Mika Tapio Sauren, 44, a Finnish boyfriend of Kulthida.When Sauren cried foul, Huntingdon punched him in the face so Kulthida called her brother to help.The three said when they arrived at the scene, they found Sauren and Huntingdon quarrelling so they tried to intervene.They said Huntingdon would not stop so Pattana slapped his face once.The Briton then walked away and turned to shout abuses at the three before he ran inside the Family Mart shop.The three then ran after him and beat him and fled the scene.They said they did it out of anger and they were sorry for their act that might affect the Pattaya tourism.Kulthida also filed a complaint against Huntingdon and police promised to investigate and take an action against him.
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Krabi:- A shuttle boat between Krabi and Phuket caught fire Wednesday afternoon and sank. Officials and fishing boats managed to rescue 103 tourists but one Thai girl was believed to go missing.
[Photo credit: @Nalinee_PLE ]The accident happened to Ao Nang Princess 5 Boat of Ao Nang Travel and Tour Co Ltd at about 3:30 pm near Koh Med, which is about 8 kilometers away from the Nopparat Thara Beach.The boat was taking the tourists form the Nopparat Thara beach to Phuket. The fire broke out not long after it left the beach.After alerted of the fire, Krabi marine police, the Krabi Harbor Office, and the Hat Nopparat Thara Park dispatched speed boats to rescue the tourists. About 10 small fishing boats of local people, which were nearby, also rushed to help pluck the tourists out of water.The fire engulfed the entire boat that sank. Black smoke from the boat could be seen very far as it was a sunny day in Krabi.The blaze prompted the captain to announce to tourists to put on lifejacket and jump overboard to wait for rescue.A total of 94 adults and 9 children were rescued and sent back to Nopparat Thara beach.Officials said no one was injured. But they found that a 12-year-old Thai girl might be missing.Officials were still checking information about the girl and were trying to establish the cause of the fire.Boonchao Tangsiriphaisal, director of the Krabi Harbor Office, said it was believed that the fire started from the engine room and quickly engulfed the two-deck boat.Harbor officials checked the spot and did find any trace of oil after the boat sunk.
Ill-gotten wealth of drug gang seized
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