Two Taiwanese arrested for alleged bank scam

PATTAYA: -- Tourist police have arrested two Taiwanese men for allegedly luring mainland Chinese to transfer money to specific accounts in China, and then withdrawing cash from ATMs in Pattaya.

Wang Chen Chieh, 37, and Juan Tai Cheng, 34, were arrested at a Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) ATM in Pattaya on Thursday, Central Investigation Bureau commissioner Pol LtGeneral Thangai Prassachaksattru said at a press conference at the bureau's head office yesterday.

Police were alerted by the SCB that the foreigners had been suspiciously using many ATM cards issued by a Chinese bank to withdraw money from SCB ATMs since last month.

Police found 45 ATM cards on the two Taiwanese, and another 132 cards when they searched their room at the Honey Inn in Pattaya. The cards were issued by China Union Pay Bank.

Police said the two had hired friends in China to open accounts and mail them the ATM cards. They then opened a call centre and lured Chinese to transfer the money to the accounts, before using the cards to withdraw the money in Pattaya.


-- The Nation 2009-07-04

PAILIN, Cambodia -- Don't ever accept an invitation to go fishing in Thailand. You might not come back.

Almost daily, bodies are washing ashore along the coasts of Thailand, Malaysia, Burma, Cambodia. These are unfortunate migrants, most of them from here in Cambodia. These people were sold to Thai fishermen who took them out to sea, worked them until they starved to death and then threw them overboard. It happens all the time.

The problem got so bad that the United States Senate's Foreign Relations Committee and the United Nations both but put out reports in recent weeks excoriating Thai and Malaysian authorities for selling Cambodian and Burmese migrants to Thai boat captains, sending them to a near-certain death. "If they are unable to pay for their release," the Senate report said, "the refugees are sold into forced labor, most commonly on fishing boats."

Once on the boat, "they don't come back," said Maj. Gen Visut Vanichbut of the Thai police. "All they get to eat is the fish that get left over in the net. They aren't paid. If they get sick, they're thrown overboard."

When they die, from overwork or starvation, their bodies are thrown to the sharks. In most cases, no one knew the victim was on the boat, and so no one claims the body if it washes ashore.

The general told me about this last year. But the United Nations report shows that the hideous problem continues at full force even now. It quotes several Cambodians who watched fishermen decapitate captives or throw them overboard. Several governments, not just Thailand's, are at fault. And by all accounts, the economic crisis is exacerbating the problem.

Until just now, the Cambodian law governing trafficking did not even recognize men as potential victims. The laws were written to protect women and children drawn into sexual slavery. But in June, the government in Phnom Penh announced that it was revising the statute.

"Today we change our strategy also to focus on men," Kong Chhan, a deputy director in the Ministry of Social Affairs, told the Phnom Penh Post.

Now we can only wait for Thailand to change its strategy.

Most of the news you hear from Thailand these days involves the riots and demonstrations to overturn whatever government happens to be in power. No one talks about the fishing-boat problem. The fishermen pay off the police. The police then cover up the crimes, and so hundreds of victims continue to die month after month.

If a victim manages to survive, then Thailand is well-equipped to care for him and then use international agencies to help send him home. The Thai government has shelters and administrators whose jobs are to help human-trafficking victims. I have seen them. The shelters are quite nice. And that serves as a stark illustration of a noxious paradox that afflicts human-trafficking enforcement in Thailand, Cambodia and much of the world.

When human trafficking first came into focus for law-enforcement a decade ago, legal and political officials everywhere put primary emphasis on protecting the victims the people who were lured into slavery and abused. Stories a decade ago of police and immigration agents jailing and then deporting the trafficking victims along with their captors horrified human-rights advocates, and their complaints were quite influential when the first human-trafficking laws were drafted.

That victim-oriented approach has held firm all these years, and "it has proved to work perfectly for the Thai," said Lance Bonneau head of the International Organization of Migration office in Bangkok, his tone oozing disgust. His organization works with the Thai government to send trafficking victims back home to Cambodia, Burma just as other IOM officers do all over the world.

"If you 'save' the victim," Bonneau told me, "there's no pressure to go after the traffickers" who are paying off the police. "It doesn't upset any of the arrangements the police have" with the fishing boat captains, the brothel and dance-club owners or others who enslave hapless victims. The traffickers can pursue their unconscionable work; the police can continue taking their kickbacks.

When the State Department researches its annual Trafficking in Persons report each year and asks Thailand what it is doing to fight trafficking, the Thai can point to their anti-trafficking laws and to those lovely shelters for victims. Usually, that's enough to save Thailand from a poor rating.

Thailand officials responded to the Senate and United Nations allegations with angry denials. Maybe in Washington's next report, it will look a little deeper at Thailand.

http://www.mercedsunstar.com/359/story/931422.html

The government is aiming to prevent exports from plunging more than 10% this year, with new export stimulus measures including tax rebates on imports for export-oriented production due this month.

"We expect the plans for cutting import taxes on some raw materials to help exporters reduce costs to go before the cabinet for approval some time after Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij gives them a nod next week,'' said Commerce Minister Porntiva Nakasai.

Mrs Porntiva opened Made in Thailand 2009 on Friday, the 22nd edition of the event featuring 4,699 booths and more than 2,500 companies. The fair at Muang Thong Thani runs to July 12.

continued at http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/14...rb-export-slide
-- Bangkok Post 03/07/09

Red-shirt people throughoutthe country will celebrate former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's 60th birthday on July 26, Jaran Ditha-apichai, a leader of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, said on Friday.

Mr Jaran said hundreds of Buddhist monks will perform religious rites at designated spots nationwide. Preparations had been made for Thaksin to phone in to talk to his supporters simultaneously at every spot.

In Bangkok, there would be a ceremony at Sanam Luang, where 60 monks will chant a prayer for a long life for Thaksin, he said.

continued at http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/14...n-60th-birthday
-- Bangkok Post 03/07/09

Monitor lizard keeps name
 hia.jpg ( 43.21K ) Number of downloads: 36

Monitor lizard

BANGKOK: -- (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has abandoned plans to give the water monitor lizard a new Thai name of "Voranuch" or "Voranus".

Earlier this week, director of the department's wildlife conservation office suggested a replacement should be found for hia (which has many negative connotations).

"We don't plan to change the lizard's name," the department's director general Kasemsan Jinnawaso said yesterday. "We would like to apologise for any confusion".

Kasemsan acknowledged that people named Voranuch and Voranus had contacted the office to complain that they would have to share their name with the reptile.


-- The Nation 2009-07-03

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is launching a new website: www.iLoveThailand.org as an online community promoting national unity on Friday.

"What will you do to show your love for the country?" is a question from the website.

Requiring membership sign up, the website provides its members with live chat and instant messenger where you can chat with your friends, forum and polls.

continued at http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/30106...unches-new-site
-- The Nation 02/07/09

TAT organises shopping contest to boost tourism

BANGKOK: -- The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) on Wednesday launched Shopping Challenge 2009, a shopping contest, at leading department stores in Bangkok to boost Thai tourism.

The competition was organised at nine department stores in the heart of Bangkok linked to the BTS Sky Train by ‘skywalks’ for access.

TAT Deputy Governor for International Marketing Santichai Euachongprasit said the tourism agency had invited 53 celebrities from 11 Asian countries to participate in the event, including actors, singers, models and media professionals.

According to the rules of the game, 23 teams were divided with two or three persons in a group. Each team received a Bt30,000-limit credit card and must shop as many goods under Thai brands as possible within 210 minutes at all routes required. The team buying the right goods with as many as of Thai brands and with the least time consuming was awarded with Bt100,000 cash.

The activity was in compliance with the Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 2009 project, three months from the beginning of June through the end of August, with 20 per cent of travellers’ expenses anticipated from shopping, projected at Bt80 billion per year.


-- TNA 2009-07-02

CLEMENCY BID FOR THAKSIN
Reds hunt a million signatures this month
By The Nation
Published on July 2, 2009

But Democrats say petition improper, opposed by public

The red shirts yesterday set a target to gather one million signatures within a month to petition His Majesty the King to pardon ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

Veera Musigapong, one of the red-shirt leaders, said the petition plan would be scrapped if his group could not gather enough support in one month.

He and other leaders of the Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship (DAAD) called a press conference yesterday to discuss the plan to gather a million signatures in support of a request for Royal clemency for Thaksin.

Forms for the signature campaign would be distributed to the public today, he said.

Veera said Thaksin phoned in during the red-shirt rally last Saturday and complained about being homesick, lonely and wanting his supporters to help him return to the country.

"If we can help him come back and solve economic problems facing the country, it would good for the people,'' he said.

Nattawut Saikua, another DAAD leader, said Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva should be ashamed that Veera rejected his invitation to join his weekly talk show, but the PM still tried to invite other red-shirt leaders to go on the programme.

"All the red shirts don't want to help boost the ratings of Abhisit's programme because they still remember how they were treated by the Abhisit government and the clash with the blue shirts [in Pattaya],'' he said.


Meanwhile, Democrat Party spokesman Dr Buranaj Smutharaks warned the red shirts the move to seek Royal clemency risked deepening divisions in the country. He said his party believed the move was not a desire of the public but simply Thaksin's wish.

"We believe most people in the country want to see Thaksin repent but we have not heard him admit that he was wrong."

He said the red shirts could not say that the public wanted a Royal pardon for Thaksin since Veera and Thaksin's legal adviser Noppadon Pattama were the ones came up with the idea.

"They are using mass support to pressure the institution that is above politics,'' he said.

Buranaj said authorities would have to keep a watch on the red shirts as Thaksin's phone-in indicated he wanted to bring down the government within three months.

"They did it during the Songkran riots and now they have shown intention to do the same thing by using mass support to pressure the government,'' he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said if Thaksin instigated his supporters to try to topple the government as urged in his phone-in, he would be charged with breaking the law.

-- The Nation 2009/02/07

Woman Seeks Police Action against FCCT

A woman has filed a complaint with the police against the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand for selling VCDs of the alleged lese majeste speech by a former PM's Office Minister and translating a red-shirt leader's alleged lese majeste speeches into English and distributing them.

57-year-old Lackana Kornsilapa, who works as translator and adviser to a private company, filed a lese majeste suit at the Lumpini police station against Jonathan Head, BBC correspondent to Asia, and the 13 board members of the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand, or FCCT.

She alleged the accused had conspired to sell VCDs of the alleged lese majeste speech by former PM's Office Minister Jakrapob Penkair, given at the FCCT on August 29, 2007.

Moreover, the group also translated alleged lese majeste speeches by red-shirt leaders Veera Musikapong, and Nutthawut Saigua into English.

Lackana said she filed this complaint as a Thai national who respects and loves the Monarchy. She added that the FCCT may be attempting to smear the image of the Monarchy and damage Thailand with this action and noted a Thai newspaper may be involved.


-- Tan Network 2009-07-01

Link to Sky News


An elephant has stomped three rubber plantation workers to death in southern Thailand, police have said.


(IMG:http://news.sky.com/sky-news/content/StaticFile/jpg/2009/Jul/Week1/15326803.jpg) A female Asian elephant



The female beast attacked a 44-year-old male worker who was working in a farm on Wednesday morning, police Lieutenant Somjit Ma-ou told reporters.

He said: "It then freely wandered into another plantation a few kilometres away and attacked another woman.

"Her husband saw it elephant charging toward her, grabbing her body with its trunk and hurling her on the ground before stomping on her body."

All three victims died instantly after she stamped on their chests and stomachs, breaking their ribs.



Somjit said another victim was found in a nearby plantation later in the morning.

The attacks happened in Trang province, where the animal worked pulling rubberwood.

The 38-year-old elephant, called Natalie, was eventually recaptured by her handler.

"All three victims died instantly after she stamped on their chests and stomachs, breaking their ribs," Somjit went on.

He added that the elephant's owner said it was "violent by nature".

Local reports said the animal had previously killed four people, although police could only confirm that she had killed one person before Wednesday.

Northern villages honoured for efforts in combating pollution

The Pollution Control Department has honoured 11 northern villages for their exemplary efforts in combating air pollutants.

The air pollution in Thailand's North has been worsening since 2006.

"One of the main reasons is that locals are burning dry leaves or garbage, which often spreads into a larger portion of forestland," PCD director-general Supat Wangwongwattana said yesterday.

He said such burning caused smog, which was detrimental to public health and the tourism sector.

"Smog can affect visibility, making it impossible for aircraft to land at local airports," Supat said. "When there's a smog problem, many tourists will not visit the North out of concern for their health."

He said such a scenario was bad for the tourism sector, which used to generate much income for the region.

In a bid to reduce air pollution in the North, the PCD has introduced various activities involving villagers.

"We even have a network of volunteers to watch out for any burning in an open area," Supat said. "The volunteers are trained to prevent the burning from spreading."

The PCD has decided to honour 11 northern villages for their efficient efforts to reduce the incidence of burning in their areas.

The honoured villages are Khor Klang in Chiang Mai's Mae On district, Ban Koh in Chiang Rai's Wiang Pa Pao district, Ban Huai San in Mae Hong Son's Khun Yuam district, Ban Sam Kha in Lampang's Mae Tha district, Ban Pan Pong Chai in Lampang's Chae Hom district, Ban Ta Pa Pao in Lamphun's Mae Tha district, Ban Wo in Phayao's Muang district, Ban Pancherng in Phrae's Muang district, Ban Wang Khong in Nan's Muang district, Ban Sorden Pattana in Nan's Chiang Klang district, and Ban Kwao in Sukhothai's Khiri Mat district.


-- The Nation 2009-07-01

TYPE A (H1N1)
Practise good hygiene : Health Ministry
Officials urged to spread the word, prevent further spread of the virus

BANGKOK: -- As type-A (H1N1) influenza virus cases continue to spread, the Public Health Ministry yesterday alerted health care officers and volunteers to instruct people and communities to practice good personal hygiene - wearing a face mask and frequent hand washing - to prevent flu infection.

Deputy Public Health Minister, Manit Nopamornbodi said most victims had been infected at educational institutions, military camps, and entertainment venues.

The ministry is now reporting three fatalities linked to the influenza which yesterday infected 41 new cases, bringing the total to 1414. Of this number, 1,387 have recovered with only 24 remaining in hospital.

The Public Health Ministry's deputy permanent secretary, Dr Paijit Warachit said two more suspected cases were in a critical condition: a 47-year-old cleaner thought to have contracted the flu virus at his workplace, and a 21-year-old woman suffering from pneumonia and admitted to hospital in Bangkok.

Paijit said confirmation the pair have the influenza A (H1N1) infection is dependent on laboratory test results.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, where more than 27,717 infected cases and 127 deaths had been reported , the H1N1 infection causes a wide range of flu-like symptoms including fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue. Many people also reported nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhoea.

People can be quite miserable in bed for a few days, but complications rarely occur. However, pregnant women or people with underlying medical conditions like asthma, diabetes, can have a much worse outcome.

As symptoms of the new flu virus are similar to seasonal flu, Dr Tawee Chotepitayasunon, chairman of the ministry's influenza academic team, said people suffering flu-like illness with high fever and body aches for more than three days should undergo treatment at hospital.

The World Health Organisation reported the new flu virus has infected in 70,893 cases, killing 311 people in 116 countries worldwide. The global mortality rate was 0.44 percent.


-- The Nation 2009-07-01

3 Thai women convicted for procuring women for prostitution in South Africa

BANGKOK: -- The Ratchadapisek Criminal Court Tuesday sentenced three Thai women - each guilty of procuring two Thai women for prostitution in South Africa - to a seven-and-a-half-year jail term and ordered them to pay Bt300,000 in compensation to the victims.

The lawsuit said the defendants, Jiraporn Butanai, 32, Bangon Sibbold, 35, and Wanpen Phromthat, 32, convinced Ying and Noi (not their real names) that working in a beer bar in South Africa would yield lucrative incomes and asked the pair to pay them Bt30,000 for expenses to arrange a trip to South Africa.

On arrival in the African country, the three women detained Ying and Noi and forced them to provide sexual services on an average of four customers per day. The two women eventually escaped and went for help at the Thai Embassy. This led to the arrest of Jiraporn in Chon Buri and the arrest of the other two defendants in Rayong, the lawsuit stated.


-- The Nation 2009-06-30

Phuket's draconian Internal Security Act

Update edit: The cabinet approved the security law at today's cabinet meeting.

PHUKET: -- The Cabinet will today consider a proposal to apply Thailand's Internal Security Act to Phuket during the upcoming Asian ministerial meeting which will be attended by the US Secretary of State.

An informed source said this morning that the Act, if approved, would task the nation's powerful Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC), which is chaired by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, with the responsibility and authority to take whatever measures are necessary to ensure security for the meeting.

Implementation would put Phuket under the Act from July 10 to 24.

The Asian foreign ministers' meeting is scheduled to be held from July 16 to 23. It has been postponed twice since red-shirted protesters broke into a nearby building at the aborted initial meeting in Pattaya in April.

The Phuket meeting will be attended by ministers of 26 countries, including US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Phuket will also host the 42nd Asean Ministerial Meeting, Post Ministerial Conferences, and the 16th Asean Regional Forum (ARF) on Phuket.

The ISOC reasons that imposition of the Internal Security Act is necessary following the Pattaya disaster which tarnished Thailand's image and reputation as well as inflicting severe damage to its economy.

The ISOC is said to believe that an ill-intentioned group, based both inside and outside Thailand, may again try to stage unrest during the meeting, similar to what occured in Pattaya.

If today's Cabinet meeting agrees to impose the Internal Security Act, it will cover Phuket island as well as a radius of five kilometers out to sea.


-- Phuket Gazette 2009-06-30

2010 TOURISM FORECAST
Foreign visitors expected to surge
By SUCHAT SRITAMA
THE NATION
Published on June 30, 2009

The Tourism Authority of Thailand expects 14 million foreign tourists to visit Thailand next year, and with an expected 90 million trips by domestic holidaymakers, it believes tourism will enjoy total revenue of Bt960 billion in 2010.

The number of inbound tourists will represent a 5.6-per-cent increase over this year's expected 13.2 million visitors. International tourists are expected to generate revenue of Bt540 billion next year, up 6.4 per cent from this year's targeted revenue of Bt530 billion from inbound visitors

Officials in China yesterday withdrew that country's official warning against travel to Thailand, following Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's visit last week. The move is expected to draw more than 100,000 Chinese tourists to Thailand in the remaining months of this year.

Acting TAT governor Pensuda Priaram said the agency would concentrate on attracting tourists from two potential markets next year: South Asia and the Middle East. These regions have suffered less than others from the global economic crisis.

"In 2010, the TAT hopes to attract 823,000 tourists from South Asia, up 13 per cent, generating revenue of Bt25 billion, up 15.4 per cent. As well, 450,000 tourists from the Middle East are expected to visit Thailand, spending about Bt19 billion," Pensuda said.

The TAT hopes arrivals from all over Asia will grow 3.8 per cent next year to 6.9 million visitors, bringing revenue of Bt162 billion.

Some 4.7 million tourists from Europe are expected next year, generating revenue of Bt237 billion. The number of visitors from the Americas and Oceania are also expected to grow, by 4.9 per cent and 4.2 percent, respectively, providing revenue of Bt46 billion and Bt37 billion.

However, visitors from East Asia, particularly Japan, South Korea, China and Hong Kong, are expected to drop 14.9 per cent to 6.7 million. Revenue from this source will fall 21.7 per cent to Bt156 billion. Tourists from Africa are also expected to plunge 17 per cent to only 90,000.

Suraphon Svetsreni, deputy governor for planning and policies, said to deal with Thailand's tourism crisis, the TAT would approach new markets by participating in international trade shows in Russia, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Canada, Japan, Iran, Oman, Jordan, Poland, Syria and the US.

Weerasak Kowsurat, chairman of TAT's board, said packaged tours would be introduced to attract transfer passengers waiting on stopovers at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

The agency is also planning to approach niche markets like diving, youths, weddings, golf, shopping and senior tourists.

The government has extended the exemption on fees for tourist visa applications until next March 31. The exemption will apply to visa applications made on arrival at all international airports and at Thai embassies.

As well, booklets have been released detailing travel programmes lasting only 72 hours in popular destinations like Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Pattaya.

Wansadet Thavornsuk, deputy governor for domestic markets, said the TAT planned to spend Bt500 million to boost domestic tourism next year. One measure will be encouraging public and private organisations to hold meetings and conferences within Thailand.

Santichai Euachongprasit, deputy governor for international marketing, said the TAT planned to open two new offices later this year, in Kunming, China and Mumbai, India. Next year, it plans a new office in Jakarta.

"We also plan to invite celebrities to Thailand to join highlighted events for positive coverage," he said.

Thai Hotels Association president Prakit Shinamourphong said an end to political unrest in Thailand would be a key factor in driving tourism over the coming year.

-- The Nation 2009/06/30