Thaivisa News

Trat:- A British tourist was found drowned in the swimming pool of a well-known hotel on Koh Chang Sunday morning in what is believed to be a suicide following a quarrel with her husband, police said.

The tourist was identified as Ann Turner Rachel who checked into the hotel with her husband, Peter Stefan Brown, Saturday evening.

Her body was found at about 6 am. Half an hour later, the hotel staffs called Pol Lt Uan-ungkoon Kaewmueangklang, an officer on duty of Koh Chang police station, to inform him of the incident.

The police officer rushed to the hotel with rescuers of the Boon Chuay Lua Rescue Association of Trat.

They found the body facing down at the bottom of the pool at the depth of two meters. She was wearing underwear without a shirt. The husband was crying beside the pool, when police arrived.

A forensic doctor estimated she died about six hours earlier and died of drowning because there was water in her lungs.

Hotel staffs told police that the British couple were staying at the room No 135.

At 9 pm Saturday, the staffs saw the couple quarreling loudly at the room’s balcony before they entered the room and everything became quiet. A hotel staff later found the body at 6 am on the following morning.

Brown told police that he quarreled with his wife between 9 pm to 10 pm and he then went into sleep. He was woken up by the hotel staffs after the body was found.

Police checked the room and found several empty beer bottles.

Bangkok:- A 23-year-old Russian woman was robbed and injured by a pillion rider in front of the Klong Tan railway station in Bangkok early Sunday, police said.

Pol Lt Winit Saegsilar, an officer on duty of the Makkasan police station, was informed of the robbery at 5 am Sunday. He was told that Anastasa Bushiueu was robbed in front of the railway station in North Ekkamai Intersection on Phetchaburi Road in Bang Kapi sub-district of Huaykwang district.

He rushed to the scene with officials of the Ruam Katanyoo Foundation. They found Bushiueu with multiple serious cuts on both arms and on her left shoulder. Rescuers of the foundation performed a first aid treatment and rushed her to the Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital.

Witnesses told police that two assailants on a motorcycle, whose brand and license plate number remained unknown, tried to snatch the Russian’s handbag.

She resisted so the pillion ride cut her with his knife several times until she let go the bag.

Winit said police will further interrogate the woman to find out what valuables she had in the bag.

Police are checking feeds from security cameras in the area to try to see which direction the robbers fled.

A spate of bag-snatching against foreign tourists have been recently reported.

Late last month, a Chinese woman was injured when she held on to her handbag when a pillion rider tried to snatch her bag on North Pattya Road late night. Fortunately, people in the neighborhood came out to see her, prompting the four young men on two motorcycles to flee. They were unable to take the bag away.

Lop Buri: – Somsri Toiam, 63, have won two pairs of lottery tickets, a first prize and a consolation prize, with the total prize money of 4.1 million baht.

As lottery vendor, Somsri said she was worrying about shouldering the cost of unsold tickets when she heard the broadcast of yesterday’s lottery draw and realised she was one of the lucky winners.

Her unsold pair of ticket number 011421 won the first prize for 4 million baht.

Her other unsold pair number 011422 won the consolation prize for 100,000 baht. The consolation prize would be paid to ticket with the closest number to the first-prize win.

The lucky winner made a statement in the daily record at Ban Mee police station, confirming the possession of the winning tickets. The police daily record can be used as legal evidence for ownership pending the claiming of lottery prize.

In her statement, she said she is one of vendors selling lottery tickets in front of Krung Thai Bank’s Ban Mee Branch.

She is a retailer who has been alloted 10 lottery booklets per draw. She would be responsible for selling three lottery booklets while the other seven booklets would be sold by other vendors in her group.

For the past few draws, the lottery sale was slackened because the government was in the process of capping the retail price at 80 baht per ticket while the current selling is at 110 baht per ticket, she said.

She said she had to shoulder the cost of unsold tickets.

Not long before the drawing of lottery prizes, a customer wanted to buy the unsold tickets at 80 baht a piece but she refused because this would not cover the cost, she said.

To her surprise, she made a right decision as she just won first prize for the unsold pair of tickets.

She said she would use her lottery win to repay loans taken out to finance her selling of lottery tickets. The remaining prize money would be saved as education fund for her grandson.

Satun: - The Navy and provincial authorities are monitoring the boat carrying 450 Rohingya migrants and drifting in international waters close to Malaysia’s Langkawi Island and Satun coast.

The migrant boat was first spotted last week drifting due to engine failure some 17 nautical miles off Klang Island, Satun.

The Navy assisted in the engine repair and Satun governor Detrat Simsiri organised the provincial charity organisations to send food, water and medicines for the migrants.

On Thursday, the boat left Thailand’s territorial waters heading toward Malaysia or Indonesia.

As of yesterday, the provincial authorities said they still found the boat prying international waters as Malaysia and Indonesia apparently refused to grant permission for landing.

They said the boat was floating somewhere close to Langkawi Island in Malaysia, located not far from Satun’s Lipe Island.

The Navy is keeping a close watch over the boat movement. The private sector and the charity organisations in Satun’s Langu district have launched a campaign to solicit relief supplies for the migrants.

The authorities said the boat had several children and sick people.

The provincial administration is preparing contingency plans should the boat be allowed to re-enter Thai territorial waters.

Presently, the boat is low on supplies and remains adrift in international waters as no countries would allow entry.

On Thursday and Friday, Malaysian and Indonesian authorities had respectively turned away the boat.

International news reports estimated the number of Rohingya migrants on the boat at around 300. But the provincial authorities quoted the Navy sources involved in boat repair as saying the number should be around 450.

Bangkok:- Bangkok, the now 223-year-old capital, is preparing to rehabilitate its old-town zones for its 250th anniversary.

Kadi Chin – Klong San is the first of the 17 zones to undergo the rehabilitation.

“We launched the efforts since last December,” Deputy Bangkok Governor Jumpol Sumpaopol said, “While we seek to conserve the old town’s way of life, we also take into account the need to improve quality of life and space management. And we are listening to the voice of locals”.

According to him, the rehabilitation starts with the deliberative process in which public consultation takes place and all stakeholders are invited to speak up.

Kadi Chin (Kudi Chin) – Klong San areas sit on the western bank of the Chao Phraya River. With their history tracing back to more than two centuries ago, the zones are a cradle of cultural heritage. Located in the zones are historically-important religious sites such as the Santa Cruz Church, and the residences of historical figures. The late HRH Highness Princess Srinakarin, the mother of the current Thai monarch, spent her childhood in Kadi Chin community.

The community has enjoyed cultural and religious diversity. In addition to the church, the community has also had mosques and temples. Many local residents have had Portuguese descent while others have different ethnicities.

According to Jumpol, forums to gather opinions from all stakeholders regarding the rehabilitation of Kadi Chin (Kudi Chin) – Klong San have attracted more than 295 participants in recent months.

Chulalongkorn University’s Urban Design and Development Centre has been the advisor to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s project to rehabilitate the 17 old-town zones.

CREDIT: khaosod.co.th

Chon Buri:- Several Chinese tourists were injured when their chartered bus heading to Pattaya was cut in front by a truck, causing it to fall to the roadside and crash into a road sign Friday afternoon, police said.

The accident occurred amid reports that thousand of Chinese tourists were descending on Pattaya after a Chinese firm gave a bonus to its over 12,000 staffs by paying for their visit to Thailand. Their destinations include Pattaya.

Pol Lt Thanakrit Nitsaphan, a highway police officer on duty, was alerted of the accident at 1:30 pm. He was informed that the accident happened at the kilometer marker No 28+300 on the Chon Buri-bound motorway.

He rushed to the scene with Ruam Katanyoo Foundation rescuers and found that a bus with Bangkok license plate hit a road sign on a roadside of the motorway. The left front part was dissolved by the impact that also broke the windshield.

When the officials arrived, many Chinese tourists were standing trembling and several were slightly injured. The rescuers rushed the injured tourists to the Chularat 9 Hospital.

The bus driver, Witthaya Phakkaew, 24, said he was transporting 30 tourists from Bangkok to Pattaya when the accident occurred.

He said that after he passed through the Lat Krabang toll gate, a truck changed lane from the leftmost lane to cut into his front while he was driving on the third lane.

He was driving fast so he had to swerve to the roadside and the bus graced the road rail guard before it stopped at the road sign.

Pathum Thani:- Four Nigerian men have found that the same old trick of impersonating handsome farang and parcel of gift mailing still worked on certain Thai women.

The only problem was that the trick led to their arrest by tourist police soon after.

The arrest of the four Nigerians was announced by Tourist Police Division Commander Pol Maj Gen Apichai Thiamart at his division head office at 11 am Friday.

The four suspects were paraded at the press conference. They were identified as Elijah Okuderi, 31, David Chukwudi, 31, Amaeru Chicollins Ndubuisi, 29 and Ibenarima Ejiroghene Owugan, 31.

They were arrested at their rented house in Prueksa 20 housing estate in Tambon Khukod of Pathum Thani’s Lam Lukka district.

Apichai told the press conference that the tourist police made the arrest following a complaint by a Thai woman in April.

The victim, whose name was withheld, told police that she met a man online via chat application and the man claimed to be a white American, called Kelvin David.

After a while, the man told her that he had mailed her a parcel through a transport firm. Later on, a woman called her, saying she worked for an international transport firm that handled a parcel that was sent to her.

The woman also mailed her a photo of the parcel and told her that she needed to pay Bt160,000 for customs clearance. She transferred the money to her and found out later that she was deceived.

Apichai said his subordinates carried out an investigation and found out that the farang David was actually Okuderi. Police obtained an arrest warrant against him and his accomplices on April 25.

Okuderi said he used to play for Angthong AFC, a team of Thai League Division 1, but he later suffered a knee injury so he decided to form an online scam with his three friends.

Police are still hunting for the Thai woman accomplice.

CREDIT: Dailynews.co.th

Chiang Mai: – Mae Rim police have imposed a fine of 1,000 baht for Chiang Mai X-Centre under the charge of allowing a nude bungee jumping last week.

Tipped off by picture circulated in social media yesterday, Colonel Adul Somnuek, superintendent of Mae Rim police station, led a raid of the extreme sports centre, located on Mae Rim-Samoeng Road, Mae Rim district.

X-Centre staff Bancha Chulakul, 37, met the police raid team on the proprietor’s behalf.

Bancha admitted he was the staff member depicted in the picture for assisting a female bungee jumper to jump in the nude.

He said the incident took place last week and that he believed the nude jumper had already left the country.

He said the nude jumping happened without his approval.

Based on his statement, a group of visitors from Hong Kong came to the centre. One of them was a good-looking woman who was later identified as a popular pretty girl, known as Natalie.

The staff member said she wore a bathrobe going up to the jumping tower. After he assisted her to tie the bungee cord, she suddenly took off the bathrobe before leaping off the platform in the nude.

He said he had no time to stop her and that her friends used mobile phones to take the pictures of nude jumping. He said he could do nothing but to help her putting the bathrobe back on after the jump.

He said he understood the nude jumping was meant as a publicity stunt for the woman.

Adul said he would alert the Chinese Consular about the indecent conduct involving a Hong Kong visitor.

Wallop Namwongphrom of the Chiang Mai Cultural Council said he found the nudity unacceptable.

Chiang Mai has been known for its cultural heritage and any act of public indecency would tarnish the provincial reputation, Wallop said.

He urged the provincial authorities to prevent a repeat of such incident.

Bangkok: – The Crime Suppression Division has launched a fact-finding investigation into alleged diamond embezzlement involving a CSD officer.

CSD commander Colonel Akkaradet Pimolsri said he set a seven-day deadline to complete the investigation, vowing to ensure justice for the disputed parties.

CSD officer Lieutenant Somchok Panphim has been targeted for the probe.

Complainant Chiraphan Chulaphan recently petitioned Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha , accusing Somchok of embezzlement, Akkaradet said.

Chiraphan’s compliant is linked another fraud case, he said.

In July 2013, jewellery trader Phatirat Chaiyen filed a complaint charging Chiraphan, also jewellery trader, for conspiring with Woradit Chulaphan for borrowing and refusing to return diamonds and gold worth 11 million baht.

Somchok is the case officer in charge of Phatirat’s complaint for fraud.

In October 2013, Somchok uncovered evidence that Chiraphan had secured a loan from a pawn shop in Bang Khuntian district using borrowed diamonds and gold as collateral.

He forwarded the case to Bang Khunthian police station. Early this year, the case was back to him on ground that alleged fraudulent activities took place over several police jurisdictional areas.

After resuming the investigation, the case officer then summoned and charged Chiraphan.

In March, Chiraphan filed a counter suit charging Somchok for abusing his power. The court threw out the case of lacking merit for the judicial review.

Following the dismissal decision, Chiraphan petitioned the prime minister.

She alleged that Somchok seized 17 items of diamonds and gold, worth 6 million baht, which she had pawned two years ago.

When Somchok notified the charges to her, she found out that the seized diamonds and gold were not included as evidence in the police report, she said.

Although she repeatedly asked him about the evidence seizure, he failed to respond and sent her pictures of decapitated bodies through Line application, she said.

She said she saw the pictures as a threat to silence her.

Nonthaburi:- Police arrested two Chinese men and two Cambodian men Thursday night for having allegedly used fake credit cards to make online purchases worth over Bt1 million.

Channel 3 reported Friday that the four suspects were arrested at 10 pm Thursday by Rattanathibet police who stormed the Much and More Success Company, which operates a language school on Soi Praschachuen in Noonthaburi’s Ratanathibet district.

The two Chinese suspects were identified as Lu Lu and Chen Gao Zo and the two Cambodian suspects as Thon Sayab and Tha Aow.

The Ratanathibet police station was alerted by Kasikorn Bank’s credit card crime division on Tuesday that some foreigners had been using fake credit cards on the bank’s two credit card payment machines at the company.

The bank noticed irregular usage of the cards because they were repeatedly used to make online purchases worth over B1 million.

Then on Thursday, the bank noticed that the cards were used again to make purchases for over Bt375,000 so the bank alerted police who rushed to the language school.

An official of the school told police that the four foreigners were staying in a rented room on a higher floor of the school.

He led police to the room and found the four were making fake credit cards by using stolen credit card information from foreign banks to write on blank electronic cards using their own card writer machines.

Police seized 16 fake credit cards, a notebook computer and two electronic card writer machines. Police also seized two credit card payment machines of the school as evidence.

[photo credit: Sanook News]

Saraburi:- A pair of mentally ill twins have been detained by police after they allegedly cut off the head of their father in Saraburi’s Nong Khae district on Thursday.

Chatchai and Chiewcharn Dejrit, 32, were arrested at their house in the afternoon after their sister, Nueng, 44, learned of the patricide and alerted police.

Pol Maj Phusit Charnsri, an inspector on duty of the Nong Khae police station, was alerted of the murder at 1:30 pm.

He rushed to the scene with officials of the Sawang Ratanatrai Saraburi Foundation and found the body of Boonkert Dejrit, 64, inside a grove just about 500 meters away from his house in Moo 8 village in Tambon Phaitam. His head was cut off and a cleaver was found about 120 meters from the body.

The daughter told police that her father left home to collect wood in the grove in the morning. She noticed that her father did not return by noon so she questioned her twin brothers. The twins followed the father into the grove and returned home earlier.

She noticed that one of the twins had a cut on his left eyebrow so she cleaned the treated the wound for him.

She said the two sounded confusing at first but they later told her that the father had died. She was shocked and told them to lead her to the scene.

Nueng said her twins had mental problem since young and they had to take medicine regularly. The two often quarreled with the father because they did not like him to take them to the Srithanya Hospital. They once stabbed and severely injured him.

Phuket:- More than 100 shiny nails spread along a bicycle lane in the southern province of Phuket on Thursday morning. It remains unclear how these sharp items ended up on the spot.

“We counted them and their number went past 140,” Sukanya Sairaya told ASTV Manager.

Being one of regular cyclists in Phuket, Sukanya has also heard that a bicycle got flat tire on Wednesday morning in the same area.

So far, she has refused to believe that someone deliberately littered the bicycle lane with nails.

“There is no reason to do so,” Sukanya said.

After collecting the nails with her friends, she only suggested that motorists stopped parking their vehicles on the bicycle lanes.

“If you park your vehicles there, you are in effect forcing cyclists to swerve out of the bicycle lane and that may cause accidents,” Sukanya said.

Cycling trend has now caught on in the Thai society. Bicycle shops have mushroomed and bicycle lanes have emerged in many areas across Thailand particularly in big cities like Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket.

However with cycling being more and more popular, social friction is likely to emerge from it.

Many motorists have openly expressed their frustration and anger towards bicycle riders who come to share public roads. They feel these cyclists have slowed down traffic flow and increased the risks of road accidents for no sound reason.

“It’s dangerous on busy street. You know it’s risky. So why you still hit the road with your bicycle?” asks a Facebook user.

Many motorists show no sympathy for cyclists who got hit and killed by cars on street.

The Paveena Hongsakul Foundation, an advocacy group for women’s and children’s rights, has called for police to ensure justice by solving the case in a straightforward manner.

The incident happened on May 8 and family members of the victim voiced suspicion about the lack of progress in the police investigation.

The family members have petitioned the foundation to intervene and ensure justice in the case.

Burn victim Sinithra Kummai, 34, has been dating military conscript and boyfriend Sunai Tanlimsoon, 22, since 2012, according the statement of family members.

Sinithra is a divorcee with two children, a daughter, 14, and a son, 9, from the previous marriage.

After Sunai went into the military service last year, he often had jealous rage because of his suspicion that Sinithra might be seeing another man when he served in the army camp in Pranburi district, Prachuab Khiri Khan.

Sunai would take weekend leave to check on Sinithra.

On the night of the incident, he slept in a couch while she went to sleep with her children.

While she and the children were fast asleep, he suddenly opened the bedroom door, poured a bottle of petrol on her and set fire.

The incident took place right in front of the children. During the commotion as family members tried to put out the fire and rush the victim to hospital, he fled to seek safe haven in the military camp.

Family members filed a complaint at Nong Khang Phlu police station in Nong Khaem district.

Police station superintendent Colonel Narong Thadthapong said he has already activated the legal proceedings against Sunai.

The investigation will proceed once the military agree for the police to take custody of the suspect.

Bangkok: – National police commissioner General Somyos Pumpanmuang yesterday lashed out at international humanitarian organisations for faulting Thailand and for failing to intervene and help Rohingya migrants.

Somyos said he deemed it unfair that humanitarian organisations kept on criticising the country while they did not provide any assistance to the illegal migrants.

Thai police and their Malaysian counterparts have reached an agreement for joint cooperation to resolve the issue, he said.

Thailand has clearly affirmed the determination to ban human traffickers to use its territory as a transit point to transport Rohingya people to a third country, such as Malaysia, he said.

The authorities will provide assistance for the migrants waiting for resettlement as per the country’s obligations under international agreements, he said.

He said humanitarian organisations should provide tangible assistance to these migrants instead of seeking publicity by bashing Thailand.

The burden to take care of Rohingya people is worrisome because the resettlement would take a long time to process while the number of migrant population would keep on multiplying, he said.

Due to strict measures to ban the trafficking of Rohingya people, the migrant boat landing has stopped in coastal areas from Chumphon to the Malaysian borders.

Police reports indicate the growing number of migrant boatsoff Thailand’s coast as they had left Myanmar and headed for a new destination to land.

The national police commissioner said the Rohingya migration issue could not be compared to the Vietnamese boat people at the end of Vietnam War in the 1970s.

Vietnam eventually accepted the boat people to return to their homeland after failing to seek resettlement, he said, noting that Myanmar does not recognised Rohingya people as her citizens.

Bangkok:- At the age they should have been studying for a bright future, so many girls get pregnant in Thailand. The problem, according to latest statistics, is getting more serious.

The Public Health Ministry has revealed that of girls aged between 15 and 19 years old, 5.38 per cent gave birth to their babies in 2012.

The latest figure is so alarming that Deputy Public Health Minister Somsak Chunharas admits teenage pregnancies is now a major problem in the Thai society.

“We will need to seriously tackle the problem,” Somsak told Matichon on Wednesday.

His ministry has now made it a mission to curb the percentage of pregnant girls in the 15 to 19 –year age range.

“It should be no more than five per cent in the next two years,” Somsak said.

According to him, the Public Health Ministry has already been implementing three key strategies in a bid to prevent teenage pregnancies.

The first strategy focuses on sex education to ensure that teenagers understand the risks of premature sex and unsafe sex.

The second strategy is to have “teenagers’ clinics” up and running at state hospitals so that the youth have convenient access to advice, condoms and even intrauterine devices.

“About 51 per cent of state hospitals under the ministry’s supervision have already operated such clinics. We will make sure the rest have the teenagers’ clinic available before the end of 2017,” Somsak said.

The third strategy is to engage local administrative bodies, communities and families in efforts to prevent girls from getting pregnant.

At a too young age, teenagers may not be really be ready to start a family at all and their pregnancies may lead to many social problems later on.

Trang:- An American family offered a reward of US$250 for information that leads to arrest of attackers who stabbed the family’s friend, an American teacher at Prince of Songkla University's Trang Campus.

Maelys Ben Lounas, an American expat in Trang, told reporters in fluent Thai that her family was willing to give US$250 to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest of attackers that stabbed her family’s friend, Buck Glen Blankenship, 45.

Lounas and her family held a press conference at 3 pm Wednesday, urging reporters to tell the Kantang police station to speed up the probe into the attack against Blankenship.

Lounas said her family wanted the attackers to be arrested soon so that the expats could feel safe living in Thailand.

Blankenship, 45, sustained 4-5 stab wounds in the stomach after an argument with youngsters on two motorcycles who cut in front of his motorcycle early Saturday morning.

The English teacher recounted that he was angry at the four youngsters for cutting in front of him so he hurled a four-letter word at them.

The four later sped their bikes after him and crashed into his bike, causing him to fall down. They assaulted him and stabbed him and fled the scene.

The American teacher was still in the intensive care unit at Trang Hospital.

Kantang police chief Pol Col Apichai Krobphet said police were not dragging feet in the case. He said he formed a special team to be in charge of the case and the team was racing against time to try to locate the attackers.

He said several witnesses have been interrogated and the progress of the investigation has been informed to the US embassy.

[Photo credit: Khaosod]

Prachinburi:- A Japanese engineer who appeared under alcohol influence crashed his car to a house’s fence in Prachin Buri’s Si Mahosot district early Wednesday and caught fire.

Police said the engineer, identified as J Misaba, 46, managed to exit the car before it was engulfed by a fire.

Pol Lt Watcharachai Siriwichai, an officer on duty of Si Mahosot police station, was alerted of the accident at 2:30 am.

He rushed to the scene to find the black Chevrolet car with Chon Buri license plate having crashed into a fence of the roadside house in Ban Khok Wat village in Tambon Khokpeep.

When Watcharachai arrived, fire fighters from the Tambon Khokpeep municipality were fighting the fire. They took about 20 minutes to put it out.

Watcharachai found the Japanese engineer apparently drunk with strong smell of alcohol.

The Japanese man works at a factory in the 304 Industrial Estate in Tambon Thatoom in Si Mahaphot district.

The police officer said the engineer initially declined to testify but he later admitted that he drank beer with friends at a restaurant in the downtown of Tambon Khokpeep.

He said when his car arrived at the scene, he lost control and it fell to the roadside before it crashed into the fence. Police took him to the police station for questioning.

Wimol Thamma, 52, who owns the house, said she was sleeping in another house next to it. She said her grandfather, Uthai Thamma, was staying alone at the house whose fence was crashed into.

Wimol said when she heard the loud sound of the crash she got up and saw the driver was trying to pull out his car from the fence and it caught fire. She called for help from neighbors and alerted the fire unit of the municipality.

Bangkok: – The Tourism Authority of Thailand has drawn up a new strategy to promote the country as a “renewed love” destination in order attract and increase the number of European visitors.

Thanet Phetsuwan, TAT’s marketing director for Europe, Africa and the Middle East, said a new trend in tourism promotion is to gear for the personal feelings of tourists.

Thanet said starting next year, the country will aim to become the destination where estranged spouses and those married couples could renew their romantic moments.

Some couples might have drifted apart and forgotten the last time they showed affections for one another, he said. Thailand would like to remind them about being romantic, he added.

Having dinner together and holding hands are some pointers for keeping the couples staying in love, he said.

The TAT’s new strategy is expected to differentiate the country from other destinations geared for honeymooners and the recently-wed couples.

The TAT will next year campaign to boost the number of European visitors by reaching out to potential tourists living in smaller cities of the United Kingdom, France and Germany.

The number of Russian arrivals will likely drop from the peak of 1.7 million visitors for the next few years due to the economic doldrums.

The TAT will carry out a contingency plan to boost visitors from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Ukraine to make up for the drop in Russian visitors.

For the Russian market, the tourism marketing strategy will shift from the mass market to high-end visitors.

In the past, the marketing campaign was geared for the middle-income earners. Although the Russian economy is slowing down, this has not impacted on the big spenders, however.

Rayong: – Provincial police have arrested five suspects, who are ex-convicts released on a pardon last month, for involving in drug trafficking.

Police have also seized 156, 000 tablets of methamphetamine, known as ya baa, and four kilograms of ice or crystal meth as evidence.

The five are to face charges as repeat offenders.

The five comprise Sommai “Bang Meen” Kaewampai, Surachet “Fan” Suwannahong, Wisarut “To” Kiatprasert, Tum Jarawattanatham and Songyot “Aed” Woytaku.

They all met at a prison while serving the sentence together for drug trafficking.

A female gang member, Supaporn “Ploy”Ngamsan, has been nabbed as the sixth suspect. And she has no prior record.

Based on the investigative report, police initially received a tip-off about Sommai’s resumption of drug trafficking soon after he was released from prison.

The investigation led to the discovery of the trafficking gang formed by ex-convicts.

In other news, the Business Development Department has the training programme for convicts to become entrepreneurs so that they could start up small- and medium-sized business following their release from prison.

BDD director-general Pongpun Gearaviriyapun said the training is part of the plans to promote and attract newcomers to the SME businesses.

Pongpun voiced optimism that the government assistance for ex-convicts to start up their own business would help to reduce the number of repeat offenders.

She said the training at Thon Buri Prison would serve as a model for other prisons to emulate on.

Many convicts are undergoing training to horn their professional skills in making furniture, clothings, dress accessories, shoes and food, she said.

The BDD would provide additional courses designed to start up the business based on professional skills.

For example, convicts trained in cooking would be assisted to market their food products. This will, in turn, enable them to save up and have the start-up capital for business following their release.

Kiatisak Kanthawang, 23, admitted to his illegal activities after being confronted with evidence.

Based on the tip-off from Facebook pictures uploaded by the suspect, Colonel Surachai Suphayot-amorn, superintendent of Fang police station, ordered a raid at Kiatisak's home.

In his Facebook page, Kiatisak boasted about his drug peddling activities. He also posed with a shotgun and a large amount of cash.

He is a resident of Fang district.

Following the raid, police uncovered the modified and unregistered shotgun, 249 tablets of methamphetamine, known as ya baa, and an undisclosed amount of cash.

The suspect is under the Fang police's custody pending the completion of police report.

In other news, Chon Buri villagers alerted police about the discovery of decomposed body trapped in a pick-up truck submerged at a water hole on the outskirts of Mueang district.

The villagers were trying to use the fishnet to harvest fish. To their surprise, they got the human body instead of fish.

Lieutenant Suthiphol Klinudom went to investigate the scene, located in a private property which used to be excavated for laterite.

After checking on the vehicle, Suthiphol said he had to wait for autopsy report before deciding the next move of the police investigation.

He said the pick-up truck was reported as missing on May 5.

The body was identified as Kritpanot Chitsirichon, 42, who owned the vehicle.

Kritpanot and his truck disappeared on May 2 and his relatives filed the police complaint three days later.

Phang Nga:- Three Myanmar workers have been arrested for allegedly killing a Thai fishing boat owner and dumping his body into the Phang Nga sea, police said.

Apart from the murder charge, police charged the three unidentified workers with having entered the country without proper documents and working without registration with the government.

The body of the fishing boat owner, Prayong Noochan, 43, has not been located yet. Police are seeking help from fishing boats in the area to search for the body.

Pol Lt Surachart Thongyai, an officer of Kuraburi police station, was alerted at 10:30 pm Tuesday of the alleged murder.

Prayong’s daughter, Paweena Noochan, told police that the three had stabbed her father and threw his body into the sea about 10 nautical miles from the shore.

Paweena said her father took the boat out with the three workers on Sunday. She said her mother could not contact her father at about 8 pm Sunday, so she sought help from other fishing boats to try to locate his boat but it was not spotted.

Paweena said the boat was found anchored at the shore Tuesday morning and the three workers said her father was sleeping inside the boat. She checked and did not find him in the boat.

She said the three workers initially fled so her relatives sought help from police to locate them. They were later arrested by marine police and local villagers.

One of them blamed the two others for allegedly stabbing Prayong and threw him overboard.

[photo credit: ThaiRath]

Bangkok:- Heavy rains caused floods in several districts Wednesday morning, resulting in more than ten road accidents and traffic chaos in the capital.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s Drainage and Sewerage Department reported flooding in Don Mueang, Chatuchak, Lard Prao, Dusit, Din Daeng, Ratchathewee, Pathumwan, Bang Rak, Klong Toey, Bang Na, Sathon and Yannawa districts.

The department said flooding was also reported in Samut Prakan’s Phra Pradaeng district as well as on Rama IX Road.

Manager Online reported that more than ten road accidents happened on Bangkok streets Wednesday morning following heavy rains.

For example, a pileup involving ten vehicles happened at 7:30 am on the Rama IX second-stage expressway about 500 meters to the Srinagarinda Road connection.

Also at 7:30 am, a taxi hit a passenger van in front of Soi Ramkhamhaeng 23.

Five minutes earlier at 7:25 am, two cars collided on the Rama V Road between the Ratchawithee Intersection and Wat Benjamabophit Intersection about 300 meters from the main gate of the Dusit Zoo.

At 7:22 am, Hua Mark police station had to close outbound traffic on the flyover above the Lam Salee Intersection after a pickup truck overturned.

At 7:07 am, a pileup involving eight vehicles happened in the Huaykwang underpass of the Ratchadapisek Road. A motorcyclist was also injured in the accident.

Seven minutes earlier at 7 am, a motorist was badly injured in an accident on the Lak Si flyover on the inbound Chaeng Wattana Road.

Also at 7 am, another accident happened on the Sathupradit flyover.

Manager Online said several more accidents were reported. For example, two were injured when a pickup truck collided with a 18-wheel truck in front of a petrol station on the outbound Kanchanapisek (Chinple-Bang Yai) road. And a motorcycle collided with a taxi near the Udomsuk BTS station and a car crashed into a roadside on the Burapha Withi Motorway about one kilometer from the Bang Na gate.

Krabi:- Garbage and wastewater problems are threatening Krabi’s status as a dream destination among Scandinavians.

A major tour agency based in Scandinavia has already complained about the problems directly with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

“Our office in Stockholm has received the complaint about how tourists are afraid of splashing in the sea because of wastewater,” Wiyada Srirangkul, who heads TAT Krabi Office, said on Tuesday.

She added that Scandinavian tourists, who have visited Krabi lately, were also unhappy with foul smell from garbage piles around tourist sites.

According to the agency, the problems have existed both in Ao Nang area and on Phi Phi Island.

“There are many cancellations of bookings. This has significantly affected Krabi's tourism,” Wiyada said, “Scandinavians have high purchasing power and they usually make a long stay”.

Krabi’s tourism may face even bigger impacts soon. Many other tour agencies have now planned to inspect the province’ tourist sites after hearing about the problems.

“They will come around the middle of May. So, we have to solve the problems fast,” Wiyada said.

Europeans, particularly Scandinavians, are the main tourist group in Krabi. If they stop coming, the southern province will definitely suffer a big blow.

TAT has already raised this issue with Krabi governor, who vows to stop the discharge of wastewater into the sea and improve garbage collection.

Wiyada said she would also ask for help from various agencies in a bid to solve these big problems.

Bangkok:- A 69-year-old man committed suicide by jumping down from the Krungthon Buri station of the BTS skytrain railway Monday.

Pol Lt Thamnong Montha, an officer on duty of the Samreh police station, said Somjit Apiromsri died after he was rushed to the Taksin Hospital.

Thamnong was alerted at 11 am of the suicide. He rushed to the scene and found rescuers providing a CPR for the man for about five minutes before he was rushed to the hospital.

The old man was identified by a patient’s identification card of Siriraj Hospital.

A taxi motorcyclist, Surin Meethip, 35, who was waiting for passengers under the station, told police that he saw the old man climbed over the wall of the station and looked around briefly and jumped down.

The man fell on the road island below the station.

Surin said he ran to the spot and found the old man lying unconsciously so he called police.

Thamnong said he called the man’s daughter, Yupha Apiromsri, 39, to inform her of the incident.

Yupha said the old man was staying alone at a rented house on Soi Krungthon Buri 3. Yupha said she is working and staying in Phra Pradaeng but she visited him regularly.

Yupha said her father has several chronic ailments, including lung problem, kidney problem, diabetes and high-blood pressure.

She said her father has been receiving free treatments at the Siriraj Hospital. But he has no citizen’s identification card because he had no birth certificate record. As a result, he was not qualified for treatments of certain diseases and this might be the main reason for his suicide.

Sri Racha, Chon Buri:- A paraglider sportswoman was blown by a strong wind to be entangled on high-voltage cables in Chon Buri’s Sri Racha district Monday evening. She was injured by short-circuit.

Police said the accident occurred around 5:30 pm when Kanokrat Huanak was taking part in the Sixth Air Sea Land Thailand Open in Sri Racha district. The competition is being held from May 3 o 24 at the Ban Noen Saen Suk sports ground.

Kanokrat was contesting in the category of longest gliding in the air.

While she was about to land, a wind surge blew her to hit power cables along the Nong Khor reservoir. Her paraglider caused short-circuit and explosion of a transformer nearby.

The sound of the explosion prompted the organizer and other sportsmen to rush to the spot to help her. They informed the Sri Racha power office to cut the power supply to the cables.

[Photo credit: Khaosod/Noon Lek, Ton Rescue]

The Sri Racha power office then dispatched a crane to bring the Kanokrat down. She was rushed to the Sri Racha Hospital. She suffered burns on limbs and body and her suit was also torn by the short-circuit.

Doctors declared she was in stable and safe condition.

The Sixth Air Sea Land Thailand Open is a major international competition, which was participated by several leading paraglider sportsmen.

For example, it was joined by Sawananphas Puchong, 27, a national female paraglider sportswoman, who has been ranked top of the list of paraglider sportswomen of the Federation Aeronautique International or FAI. The second FAI-ranked paraglider sportwoman, Chanthika Jaisanuk, 17, also participated in the competition.