Controversial union: Thai man’s marriage to older Chinese woman stirs debate
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Crime Liverpool Fan Arrested for Selling Illegal Firearms to Celebrate Premier League Title
Picture courtesy of Khaosod. A 29-year-old man, known by the alias “Owen” in homage to Liverpool FC legend Michael Owen, has been arrested in Chonburi province after attempting to illegally sell a firearm online to fund a celebration of Liverpool’s Premier League title win. At 11:00 on 28 May, The Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) held a press conference announcing the arrest of Mr. Suliphon, a Laotian national, who was found in possession of a converted .380 calibre handgun, seven rounds of ammunition and a magazine. The arrest was led by senior officers including Police Lieutenant General Trirong Phiwphan and Police Major General Sirawat Deepor, as part of an ongoing operation to dismantle illegal firearms networks operating through social media platforms. Officers from the Special Intelligence and Cyber Tools Division had discovered an active illegal weapons trade within a Facebook group boasting over 20,000 members. An undercover officer contacted a seller using the Facebook alias “Oven Ven” and arranged to purchase a handgun for 18,000 baht. The transaction was set to take place near a temple in Bo Thong district, Chonburi. At the appointed time, police intercepted a man on a motorcycle at the rendezvous point. A search revealed the weapon and ammunition. The suspect, later identified as Mr. Suliphon, admitted that the firearm was his and that he had been involved in buying and reselling weapons online for profit. He claimed to earn between 3,000 and 5,000 baht per gun. He further stated that he had bought the seized weapon for 15,000 baht and intended to sell it at a profit. He also confessed that he had adopted the nickname “Owen” out of admiration for the former Liverpool striker Michael Owen. He planned to use the proceeds from the sale to buy beer to celebrate Liverpool’s recent Premier League triumph. Police have charged him with illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition without a permit, as well as carrying a firearm in public without authorisation. The suspect has been handed over to local investigators for further legal proceedings, and authorities are expanding their investigation to trace the origin of the weapon and identify others involved in the trafficking network. Adapted by Asean Now from Khaosod 2025-05-29. -
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Finance Foreign Nationals Face Account Bans in Bangkok Bank Crackdown
But agents can still open accounts most likely, so anyone dodgy will just use an agent -
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Ethics Icon to Academic Scandal: Harvard fires professor of honesty for being dishonest
Francesca Gino, a prominent behavioural scientist once celebrated for her research on honesty and ethics, has been dismissed from Harvard University after a five-year investigation concluded she had falsified data in multiple academic papers. The decision marks the first time since at least the 1940s that Harvard has revoked the tenure of a faculty member, stripping Gino of her indefinite employment. Gino, 47, rose to international prominence for her work on ethical behaviour in the workplace. She published over 100 academic articles, authored the 2018 book Rebel Talent: Why it Pays to Break the Rules in Work and Life, and regularly spoke to Fortune 500 companies and U.S. government departments. At her peak, she was among Harvard’s highest-paid professors, earning more than $1 million per year. The allegations of misconduct first surfaced in 2020 on the behavioural science blog Data Colada, centering on a 2012 study Gino co-authored about reducing tax fraud. The paper claimed that having individuals sign an honesty pledge at the start of a form—rather than at the end—led to more truthful responses. The findings were influential, but the study was retracted by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) in 2021 after it was found to contain fabricated data. In 2023, Data Colada published additional analyses accusing Gino of data manipulation in four other academic papers. These revelations prompted Harvard to conduct a thorough internal investigation, including interviews with Gino and other collaborators, and the hiring of an external forensics firm to analyze the research. As the controversy deepened, Gino was placed on unpaid administrative leave from her position at Harvard Business School. She responded by filing a $25 million lawsuit against Harvard, the business school dean, and the Data Colada bloggers, alleging defamation, gender discrimination, and invasion of privacy. On a website dedicated to her legal battle, she insisted on her innocence. “There is one thing I know for sure: I did not commit academic fraud. I did not manipulate data to produce a particular result,” she wrote. “I did not falsify data to bolster any result. I did not commit the offence I am accused of. Period.” Although a federal judge dismissed the defamation claims, the court allowed her allegations that Harvard had violated its own tenure procedures to proceed. According to reporting by the Harvard Crimson, the student newspaper, Gino contends the university breached its contractual obligations during the disciplinary process. A Harvard spokesperson declined to comment on the termination, and Gino has not responded to recent requests for comment. Her dismissal comes at a tumultuous time for Harvard, which is currently facing significant legal and political pressure from the federal government. The university has been accused by the Trump administration of failing to address antisemitism on campus. In the last six weeks, the government has threatened to revoke over $2 billion in federal funding, stripped Harvard of its tax-exempt status, and suspended its ability to enroll international students. As one of the most dramatic academic scandals in recent memory unfolds, Gino’s fall from grace is a stark reminder of the high stakes of academic integrity—especially when the subject of study is honesty itself. Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Times 2025-05-29 -
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Met Police Chief Warns: Ambitious Crime Cuts Need Matching Investment
Met Police Chief Warns: Ambitious Crime Cuts Need Matching Investment Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has warned that the UK government’s ambitious pledges to reduce crime cannot be achieved without significant increases in funding. In an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Sir Mark acknowledged the strength of the new government's commitment to halving knife crime and violence against women and girls, as well as improving neighbourhood policing. However, he cautioned that "ambition and money go alongside each other." While praising what he called the government’s “great ambition,” Sir Mark made it clear that police forces across the UK are still grappling with the long-term consequences of years of austerity. "We want to do all the things the government committed to a year ago," he said. "We cannot do that without more money as well." The current administration, led by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, has made crime reduction a top priority. Last month, the Prime Minister announced the recruitment of 2,500 neighbourhood police officers and nearly 400 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) over the next 12 months. This is part of a broader effort to hire 13,000 officers by 2029. The Home Office echoed the commitment, saying it is "backing the police to protect our communities and keep our streets safe." But according to Sir Mark, the reality on the ground is more complex. "Police forces are much smaller when you compare the population they're policing than they were a decade or 15 years ago," he said, pointing to the cuts imposed during the austerity years under previous governments. He highlighted that police forces are still recovering from that period and continue to operate under strained conditions. Sir Mark, along with five other senior police leaders, recently expressed their concerns in a letter to The Times, warning that years of underinvestment have left police departments overstretched and reliant on "broken" infrastructure and "outdated" technology. The letter cautioned that failure to inject new funding would "bake in the structural inefficiencies" of police forces for another three years and put necessary reforms at risk. "Police chiefs are more joined up than they've ever been before about the need for wholescale policing reform," Sir Mark said. He also outlined the increasing scope of modern policing, citing not just traditional crime but also new and evolving threats such as global cybercrime, online exploitation, and episodes of social unrest like last summer’s riots. Another pressing issue for the police is the recent emergency release of prisoners to alleviate overcrowding in the UK’s prison system. The Met chief noted that these releases are already placing new demands on police resources. "A proportion of them will commit crime [and] a proportion of them will need chasing down by the police," he explained. As the country approaches the next spending review, Sir Mark’s message is clear: without a serious financial commitment, even the most ambitious crime-cutting goals will be difficult—if not impossible—to achieve. Related Topic: Top Police, Security Chiefs & MI5 Warn Early Prison Releases Could Jeopardize Public Safety Adapted by ASEAN Now from BBC 2025-05-29 -
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Top Police, Security Chiefs & MI5 Warn Early Prison Releases Could Jeopardize Public Safety
Plans by Sir Keir Starmer’s government to release thousands of prisoners early have sparked serious concerns among Britain’s top police and security officials, who warn that such measures could significantly undermine public safety and diminish trust in the criminal justice system. In a joint letter to the Ministry of Justice, the heads of the Metropolitan Police, MI5, and the National Crime Agency expressed alarm over the proposed changes, cautioning that the impact could be a “net detriment to public safety.” According to The Times, the concerns come in response to government plans that would allow prisoners to be released after serving just a third of their sentences. Senior law enforcement figures stated plainly, “We have to ensure that out of court does not mean out of justice, and that out of prison does not mean out of control.” The letter, which predates the formal announcement of the policy, was sent to the Ministry of Justice’s permanent secretary on May 16. Despite being briefed in advance, sources close to the signatories have indicated that the core of their concerns remains unchanged. The letter was signed by high-ranking figures, including Sir Mark Rowley, head of the Metropolitan Police; the deputy director-general of MI5; Graeme Biggar, director-general of the National Crime Agency; Gavin Stephens, chairman of the National Police Chiefs’ Council; Vicki Evans, the national lead on counter-terror policing; and Sacha Hatchett, the national lead on criminal justice at the NPCC. These officials fear that the government’s strategy could increase pressure on frontline policing. They also warned that without adequate investment, law enforcement would struggle to fulfill the Prime Minister’s key commitments—such as halving knife crime, reducing violence against women and girls by 50 percent, and recruiting 13,000 additional officers. In a joint piece for The Times, six senior police chiefs emphasized that unless “serious investment” is made, the country could face “the retrenchment we saw under austerity.” The call for funding is particularly urgent given that the police have requested an additional £300 million in the upcoming June 11 spending review to manage what they term the “additional offending population at large.” Meanwhile, Chancellor Rachel Reeves is reportedly preparing to implement real-terms cuts to the Home Office budget, compounding the challenges faced by law enforcement. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood confirmed the early release plans last week, warning that the UK’s prison system is nearing collapse due to overcrowding. However, the policing and security community has pushed back strongly, urging that certain high-risk categories of offenders—such as those convicted of domestic abuse or child abuse—should not be eligible for early release. They further insisted that “hyper-prolific” offenders should remain behind bars, even if short-term imprisonment does not significantly alter long-term behavior, arguing that incarceration provides both a sense of justice and a temporary reprieve for communities. There were also pointed criticisms of the current electronic tagging system. The letter states, “We have concerns on the existing contract for the provision of electronic monitoring and the performance of that service,” raising doubts about its effectiveness as a tool for supervising early-release prisoners. Of equal concern is the potential early release of individuals convicted under national security legislation, including actors linked to Russian, Iranian, and Chinese state interests. “It is vital we retain sentencing that provides a strong deterrent to those who may be tempted to work on their behalf, and robust arrangements for managing these high-demand risk cohorts in prison and post-release,” the letter warned. The government has responded by stating that several key concerns have been addressed. Offenders convicted under terrorism legislation and domestic abusers, where a period of separation is deemed necessary, will be excluded from early release. Judges will also retain the discretion to impose short sentences in exceptional circumstances. In addition, the government highlighted a £700 million boost to probation funding, which it claims will support intensive supervision of those released early. Still, the coordinated warning from some of the most powerful voices in UK policing and intelligence underscores the scale of the challenge facing Starmer’s government as it attempts to balance prison overcrowding with public protection. Related Topic: Met Police Chief Warns: Ambitious Crime Cuts Need Matching Investment Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Times 2025-05-29 -
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New Green Rules May Hike Rents by Thousands, Ministers Admit
New Green Rules May Hike Rents by Thousands, Ministers Admit Tenants across the UK could face sharp rent increases as landlords are legally allowed to pass on the costs of energy efficiency upgrades required under Ed Miliband’s net zero housing policy. The Government has admitted that the upcoming rules to improve insulation in rental properties could lead to rent hikes, despite earlier assurances that tenants would benefit financially in the long run. The policy, which mandates that all rental properties must meet a minimum Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of C by 2030, has been promoted as a way to reduce tenants' energy bills. The Government claims that renters could save an average of £240 annually on heating costs. However, the cost of implementing these upgrades—particularly in older or historic homes—may be significantly higher than the savings, with the Conservatives warning that rents could surge by as much as £4,000 a year. Although Energy Secretary Ed Miliband previously claimed the changes would not increase housing costs, a recent statement by justice minister Sarah Sackman tells a different story. When asked by Shadow Housing Secretary Kevin Hollinrake whether courts could allow rent increases to offset net zero upgrade costs, Sackman responded that “expenditure on the upgrading of an energy performance certificate to a higher level of energy efficiency is a material consideration, which may result, in certain circumstances, in a higher market rent being determined.” This confirmation is fueling growing concerns among critics of the policy. Mr. Hollinrake lambasted the plan, saying, “Red Ed promised to reduce everyone’s bills but his mad dash to net zero is picking people’s pockets. Not content with sending bills skyrocketing, hardworking families’ rents are now in his crosshairs. Maybe this confession will make him finally realise that Labour’s war on landlords just leaves renters worse off. He needs to heed our calls to abandon net zero by 2050 and fast, or working families and Middle England will continue to be clobbered by his eco cult.” The financial impact could be particularly severe in older properties, many of which are less energy-efficient and would require substantial investment to meet the new EPC standards. Some landlords have indicated they may opt to sell their properties rather than shoulder the cost of costly renovations, further shrinking rental supply. Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, voiced concern earlier this year, urging the Government to reconsider the feasibility of the policy. “The chronic shortage of tradespeople to carry out energy efficiency works needs to be addressed, alongside a targeted financial package to support investments in the work required,” he said. As the debate over the balance between environmental responsibility and affordability intensifies, renters and landlords alike are left grappling with uncertainty over how these green mandates will play out in real terms. What is becoming increasingly clear, however, is that the cost of reaching net zero may not be as straightforward—or as painless—as originally promised. Adapted by ASEAN Now from Daily Telegraph 2025-05-29
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