Smart card system set up for taxis at airport 'only a partial solution'
Chanon Wongsatayanont
The Sunday Nation

Airports of Thailand traffic control officials prepare to detain a driver who parked his taxi on the departure floor at Suvarnabhumi Airport for too long. The car on the left patrols the floor, chasing away lingering cabs.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/736455-smart-card-system-set-up-for-taxis-at-airport-only-a-partial-solution/

US downgrade move 'wrong'
Kornchanok Raksaseri,
Petchanet Pratruangkrai,
Jeerapong Prasertpolkrung
The Sunday Nation

Sihasak

BANGKOK: - Foreign Ministry says tangible progress not taken into account; vows to continue fight against human trafficking

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/736457-us-downgrade-move-wrong/

Food producers to act on US downgrade
Petchanet Pratruangkrai
The Sunday Nation

BANGKOK: -- Manufacturers may get 'third party' to do labour checks; will seek US advice

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/736458-food-producers-to-act-on-us-downgrade/

Myanmar man held for forced child labour
Supachai Petchtewee
The Sunday Nation

A Myanmar man has been arrested over his alleged involvement in human trafficking and forced child labour after he "bought" three Myanmar children from their mothers for Bt1,800 each, police said yesterday.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/736459-myanmar-man-held-for-forced-child-labour/

Cambodian workers to get passports for $4
The Sunday Nation

Sa Kaew: -- A Cambodian decree slashing the passport fee for would-be migrant workers to only $4 (about Bt120) is expected to lead to an influx of workers from the neighbouring country into Thailand.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/736460-cambodian-workers-to-get-passports-for-4/

Ferdinand says Sumrit's passion brought him here
Kitinan Sanguansak
The Sunday Nation

Anton Ferdinand greets the public at Police United ground.

BANGKOK: -- Former Queen Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand says he has decided to join Thai Premier League club Police United because he was impressed by the owner's vision and project.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/736461-ferdinand-says-sumrits-passion-brought-him-here/

Acoustic tags to be used to monitor dugong behaviour
The Sunday Nation


A Japanese expert shows the acoustic tags used on dugongs in Trang, which people hope will help to conserve the animals.

BANGKOK: -- Japanese and Thai marine biology researchers plan to jointly monitor dugong behaviour via acoustic tags in Trang - home to Thailand's largest dugong population - in the hope of encouraging marine-life conservation.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/736462-acoustic-tags-to-be-used-to-monitor-dugong-behaviour/

Paying rice farmers is junta's best effort: poll
The Sunday Nation

BANGKOK: -- Repaying farmers overdue money from the rice-pledging scheme has been the National Council for Peace and Order's (NCPO) most impressive action to date, according to Suan Dusit, with 89 per cent of respondents stating this.

The survey, conducted on 1,556 people from June 16-20, found that the NCPO's next four most impressive actions were the crackdown on illegal weapons, drugs, gambling and influential "mafia" figures (75 per cent), reducing the cost of living including capping gas and oil prices (74 per cent), the investigation into the transparency of state enterprise boards (71 per cent) and the structural reform of the energy sector (64 per cent).

-- The Nation 2014-06-22

Police arrest 11 working for online gambling group
The Sunday Nation

BANGKOK: -- Crime Suppression Division police have arrested seven men and four women in Sam Roi Yod district in Prachuap Khiri Khan for allegedly working for one of Thailand's major sources of online football betting and baccarat gambling.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/736463-police-arrest-11-working-for-online-gambling-group/

Bank asked to explain how it allowed big transfer
The Sunday Nation

BANGKOK: -- A bank will be asked to explain how an illegal drug network could transfer Bt14.4 million online without raising suspicion.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/736465-bank-asked-to-explain-how-it-allowed-big-transfer/

UPDATE:

Two badly burnt in fire on Chao Phraya cruiser
The Sunday Nation June 22, 2014 1:00 am

BANGKOK: -- Two people were seriously injured in a fire on a luxurious cruise ship on the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok's Bang Phlat district yesterday morning.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/736311-riverside-3-tourist-ship-catches-fire/#entry8003706

EDITORIAL
Change in approach needed in South, not an admin shake-up
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Mistakes of the past may just be repeated if root causes of the conflict are not addressed

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/736468-change-in-approach-needed-in-south-not-an-admin-shake-up/

Drop in Cambodian workers passing through the Chong Jom - O’Smach checkpoints

SURIN, 21 June 2014 (NNT) – There has been a decrease in the number of Cambodian workers traveling home since last week's exodus of workers left from Thailand. Now, some of the workers have come back to Thailand.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/736470-drop-in-cambodian-workers-passing-through-the-chong-jom-osmach-checkpoints/

22-year-old student Nantawan crowned Miss Thailand World

BANGKOK: -- Twenty-two years old student Nantawan "Maya" Thongleng is crowned Miss Thailand World 2014 on Saturday.

She’ll represent Thailand at Miss World pageant this year.

-- The Nation 2014-06-22

Five die in head-on collision in Surat

SURAT: -- Five persons, including a 3-year-old boy, died when a 18-wheel trailer lost balance while entering a curve and rammed at three vehicles coming on opposite direction.
Six other people were injured.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/736472-five-die-in-head-on-collision-in-surat/

PDRC spokesman enters monkhood

BANGKOK: -- Akanat Promphan, former spokesman of the People's Democratic Reform Council (PDRC), entered monkhood Saturday in what he said was to make merits for those who died during the six-month old protest against the previous government.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/736474-pdrc-spokesman-enters-monkhood/

12 injured in Thammasat Hospital van crash

BANGKOK: -- Twelve nurses and medical personnel of Thammasat Hospital were injured late Saturday night when their van crashed into the rear of a pick-up truck in Pathum Thani, police said.

Police said the accident happened on the Bang Khan-Nongsuam Road in Klongluang district.

The van was transporting the hospital officials back from a wedding reception, police said.

-- The Nation 2014-06-22

RT @RichardBarrow: Congratulations to Nantawan Thongleng who was crowned Miss Thailand World 2014 on Saturday #Thailand http://t.co/TcxbyTIEH4

GLO blamed for being the root cause of lottery overpricing

BANGKOK: -- The Government Lottery Office and its monopolistic system of lottery distribution were blamed as the root cause of overpriced lottery tickets at a seminar on the subject of “GLO causes overpriced lottery:

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/736490-glo-blamed-for-being-the-root-cause-of-lottery-overpricing/

Special Report: "Halal Street" project launched in southern provinces

The Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center has said a project, “Halal Street,” has been launched to boost business activities in the three southern border provinces of Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/736511-special-report-halal-street-project-launched-in-southern-provinces/

Five arrested for shotgun mob attack in Phuket
Eakkapop Thongtub

The seized weapons: from left, a combat shotgun, a pump-action shotgun and what appears to be a compressed-air rifle. Top right is the pistol.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/736519-five-arrested-for-shotgun-mob-attack-in-phuket/

RT @RichardBarrow: A Nazi youth spotted at the Grand Palace in #Bangkok #Thailand http://t.co/uhB9HQWcJZ

Survey finds Prayuth preferred as PM

BANGKOK: -- NIDA POLL found 41.3 per cent of respondents nationwide suggested the National Council for Peace and Order propose its chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha as PM.

The survey by the National Institute of Development Administration, known as NIDA Poll, was conducted on 1,259 people throughout the country between June 20-21.

-- The Nation 2014-06-22

PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
To catch a thief
Asina Pornwasin
Jintana Panyaarvudh
The Sunday Nation

BANGKOK: -- A former commander of the Technology Crime Suppression Division, Pol Maj General Pisit Pao-in uses sometimes unconventional methods to catch Internet offenders

It's highly unlikely that Internet crime buster Pol Maj General Pisit Pao-in has ever watched an episode of "White Collar", the American television series that sees FBI Special Agent Peter Burke using an intelligent and multi-talented con artist to catch the criminals he's hunting down.

Yet Pisit's tactics are really not all that different: he too has been known to set a thief to catch a thief, as the saying goes.

He does however prefer to keep mum when asked if he could be described as a white-hat hacker, the name given to computer specialists who break into supposedly secure networks to track those committing cyber-crimes, saying merely that he uses his investigative mind and technological skills to bring down those who commit illegal activities using the Internet and social networks as their portals.

A former investigator who worked his way up through the police ranks, Pisit made the news recently when he successfully tracked down Sombat Boonngamanong aka "Nuling", a popular red-shirt activist who had been very active online organising rallies against the coup.

"Since Sombat was arrested early this month, the anti-coup movement has calmed down considerably," Pisit says.

After retiring as the commander of the Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) last October, Pisit was appointed as the adviser to the-then Information and Communications Technology (ICT) permanent secretary Surachai Srisaracam and tasked with overseeing national cyber security.

Last month, when the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) took charge of administering the country, the ICT Ministry was ordered to set up a committee, with Pisit as commissioner, to monitor and regulate Internet and social-network use.

The committee's task is to curb content that violates the NCPO’s 12th, 17th, and 18th announcements, which cover messages deemed as insulting the monarchy, provocative, inciting violence or critical of the military leaders as well as those causing misunderstanding among the public or disturbing peace and order.

Pisit's team of technological experts and professional investigators monitors the use of the Internet and social media by Thais and examines if their activities or posts insult the monarchy, threaten national security or involve gambling.

Should the team find evidence of wrongdoing, they collaborate with Internet service providers (ISPs) to block the offending pages. Digital evidence is then sent to TCSD for further action.

"Investigating this kind of crime requires the collaboration and integration of resources between several related organisations," Pisit says, adding that a cyber cop's main job is to monitor the suspects. That monitoring is handled is different ways: by the team themselves, through tip offs from partner organisations and from information supplied by the public via both online and offline channels.

"We also get tip offs to our 1212 call centre," he says.

The team then enlists a dedicated working group to undertake data analysis of each case to verify if it violates the NCPO's announcements. If it does, the page in question is blocked and the people who posted the messages will be prosecuted.

Pisit refuses to reveal how he caught Sombat but says it took 12 hours to track him down from the time the first clue was received.

A user of the Internet since its beginning and a keen fan of the social networks, the tech-savvy investigator was an obvious candidate for the Royal Thai Police's High-Tech Crime Suppression Division when it was set up in 2009. He remained there until the establishment of the TCSD under the Central Investigation Bureau and was named its commander in 2012.

He admits that social media are more difficult to monitor than websites, as they tend to be private and not so accessible to the public.

"Line is the toughest platform to monitor because the messages sent over the Line channel, both one-to-one and group chat, are compressed into such small files that we can't examine the content even if we can get to them. To see the messages, we need to see the server and that's located in Japan," he explains, adding that the easiest way to access suspect messages and conversations was through applying to become a member of a Line group.

"We have methods to be where the conversations are and we use both offline and online techniques to ensure we keep in touch with the suspects," he says.

Pisit has been involved in cyber security for both the previous Yingluck Shinawatra government as well as the NCPO and says that while the tasks are similar - online monitoring and investigating - the work is now easier because of the emphasis on national security. "That means we get support from other organisations," he says.

He has also noticed that since the May 22 coup, the number of webpages with content insulting the monarchy has reduced considerably.

No longer an adviser to the ICT permanent secretary, Pisit is nonetheless still working for the junta. Asked about his job, he simply smiles and says he is unable to discuss the nature of his responsibilities.

"When I am working I have always set the target as my priority. The process comes second. I urge my subordinates to do the same and never lose sight of their target. Sometimes it's necessary to adopt a criminal's methods to catch the criminal," he says.

-- The Nation 2014-06-22

Junta receives 8.82 score for performance

BANGKOK: -- The National Council for Peace and Order received a high approval rate of 8.82 out of 10 for its one-month performance after power seizure, according to Suan Dusit Poll.

The poll was conducted on 1,614 people throughout the country between June 17-21.

-- The Nation 2014-06-22

Oxygen Tank Explodes in Pattaya

PATTAYA:--PATTAYA – June 21, 2014 [PDN];- at 21.00 pm. Pol.Lt.Col.Pummipat Namputsa-investigation inspector of Bang Lamung police station- was notified that oxygen tank had exploded in an electric equipment shop in Soi Talad Ban Rong Poh. After notification he was accompanied with Pol.Col.Thammanoon Munkong and Sawang Borriboon rescue team.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/736535-oxygen-tank-explodes-in-pattaya/

Thais hit Cambodia casinos to sidestep junta betting blitz

POIPET - Desperate for a flutter during a junta crackdown on gambling at home, Thais are making a beeline for casinos in a seedy Cambodian border town -- which has already been deluged by migrants also fleeing the kingdom.

For over a decade Poipet, a scruffy, vice-ridden frontier town studded with casinos and online gambling booths, has lured customers from neighbouring Thailand, where betting is all but banned.

Casino staff in Poipet told AFP the chips have been changing hands at an unusually fast rate since the Thai army seized power across the border on May 22.

A junta blitz on organised crime has seen raids on underground casinos, dozens of arrests and access to a number of online gambling sites blocked.

-- The Nation 2014-06-22

RT @RichardBarrow: The scammers are still active at the Grand Palace telling people it’s closed. These ones were camera shy & ran off http://t.co/YgzNSVGA7S

NCPO pushes for energy price restructuring

BANGKOK, 22 June 2014 (NNT) - Deputy Chief of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) ACM Prachin Chantong on Sunday presided over a meeting on national energy prices. After the meeting, the NCPO is expected to start adjusting the price structure of energies in Thailand.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/736573-ncpo-pushes-for-energy-price-restructuring/

NCPO approves financial aid to eastern fruits

BANGKOK, 22 June 2014 (NNT) - The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has approved 50.9 million baht in assistance for fruit farmers in the eastern provinces.

NCPO spokesman Yongyuth Maiyalarp said the NCPO meeting on Sunday assigned the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives to implement its plan to prevent to tackle problems of fruits from the eastern provinces in 2014. The plan, to be bankrolled by the budget of 50.9 million baht, includes the distribution of produce to other areas and promotion of processed fruits.

The meeting also agreed to extend the agricultural loan project for the 2014/2015 crop year so that the Department of Provincial Administration has more time to collect outstanding debt from farmers.