Police briefs

Boonlua Chatree

Local dealer
arrested after
receiving 2200 ya
ba pills from Aranyaprathet

Police officers randomly stopping traffic found 2,200 ya ba pills on a motorcyclist driving past a school in Banglamung on April 24.

Pol Col Wattanachai Srirattanawut, Pol Lt Wisut Chanthong, Pol Maj Khomsorn Mabamrung and other officers were on duty in front of Pattaya 7 School, Moo 11 Tambon Nongprue in Banglamung just after midnight when 26-year-old Boonsong Rakarcha rode past.

They stopped him and discovered 11 plastic bags in his trousers, each consisting of 200 methamphetamine pills. They arrested the alleged drug dealer, who said he had received the pills from a Mr Nuring in Amphur Aranyaprathet in Sakaeo province to sell to customers.

Alleged drug users arrested in raid on South Pattaya
apartment

Pattaya police have had a field day at the Rainbow Apartments in South Pattaya, raiding room numbers 302, 304, 305, 322, and 507.

Led by Pol Lt Col Maetee Preecha of the Pattaya police station, the officers moved in on Soi 17, Moo 10, Nongprue, Banglamung.

They found six alleged drug users who were charged with possession of and using a class 1 illegal substance.

The suspects were identified as Pirote Tiemthong, 29; Samanta Goodwill, 39; Kranokwan Shoorat, 25; Saiphon Malee, 24; Kongkiet Keyen, 22; and Tosapol Boontam, 25. All allegedly admitted to taking methamphetamines.

After that, the officers arrested Miss Wiengping Somsoam, 34, at 235/33 in Soi Nakornchai Air, where undercover police had set up a sting operation.

They confiscated four bags of the drug “ice”, a bag of marijuana and 60,000 baht in cash as evidence. Wiengping was charged with possessing illegal drugs with intent to sell.

Drunk falls down from 4th-floor
balcony

A Pattaya man is in a coma in hospital with multiple bone fractures after falling from the balcony railing of his fourth-floor room, allegedly after drinking too much.

Police were informed late on Sunday night that 36-year-old Chat Chamrusprasert had accidentally fallen from the fourth floor in Soi 2 on Second Road. Officers found him unconscious and bloodied in front of the building.

An eyewitness said, “Chat is a furniture maker. He had drunk a lot and was trying to sit on the balcony railing. Unfortunately, he lost his balance and fell down to the ground.”

He is reported to have sustained serious injuries, breaking many bones.

Gamblers arrested with princely sum of 220 baht

Two dozen people have been caught red-handed in a Naklua gambling den following an anonymous tip-off.

Criminal investigation officers, led by Pol Col Wattanachai Srirattanawutti of the Banglamung police station, raided the New Market location in the early morning hours on April 28. They found people gambling for cash in the game Hi-Lo.

Pranom Pattanasagoon, the house owner and 23 others were charged with taking part in an illegal activity. A deck of cards, a set of dice and other gambling equipment, as well as 220 baht in cash were confiscated.

Police search for killer who cut up man and stuffed body parts into plastic bags

Body parts found in two separate locations

Boonlua Chatree

Forensic experts are searching for clues into the killing of a man whose body was cut up into several pieces and placed in garbage bags.

On April 25, a resident made the initial grisly find 100 meters from the local office of the Ministry of Social Development and Human Services on Sukhumvit Road.

Banglamung police were called out, to discover the severed legs of a person in a plastic bag.

A doctor from the Banglamung Hospital inspected the limbs and told police that the instruments used to cut off the legs were sharp, as there were signs of “a very clean” cut in the flesh and bones.

Police ordered the remains to be taken to the forensic institute for further examination.

Five days later, on the evening of April 30, police received a second call. Laem Sakulchuea reported he found human remains under a bridge 50 meters from his house in Banglamung. Officers and Sawang Boriboon units arrived find more missing body parts of the man whose legs were discovered on April 25. This time, two arms and the torso were discovered in plastic bags inside a water tank.

Officials found the victim’s identification card, tax documents and a bankbook which identified the dead man as 53-year-old Sittiporn Taliengthong from Samut Prakarn. Tax documents showed that he had been the owner of a contracting company in the construction industry.

The items were taken in as evidence in the case.

Later that evening a woman claiming to be the man’s sister turned up at the Banglamung police station.

Pimpar Wongwisetkul, 32, told police that her brother had been missing from home for a number of days and she had just learnt about his gruesome death.

She said she could not understand why her brother was killed in such an inhumane fashion as he did not have conflicts with anyone.

Police took the woman’s statement and questioned her in great detail.

Police are attempting to piece together the evidence and said they expect to make an arrest soon.

Ride-by thieves arrested

Final ride-by attempt goes wrong

Boonlua Chatree

Two men alleged to have carried out a series of ride-by snatches on a motorcycle have been arrested after they tried to steal a gold chain from a foreigner.

Pattaya police arrested Pathatee Sarrarut and Somchart Aiyala, both 25 years old, on April 22.

Pathatee Sarrarut and Somchart Aiyala won’t be stealing any more gold necklaces for a while, unless they try to accomplish the feat from inside a jail cell.

Their final attempt, for now, at stealing a gold necklace went bad, as not only did they not manage to snatch the gold, but they were also arrested in the process.

At about 1 a.m., police went to Soi Bua Khao after a 71-year-old foreigner reported an attempt to steal his gold necklace. He said he had just arrived in front of Mike Shopping Mall on Pattaya Second Road on a taxi motorcycle when a dark blue Honda Wave ridden by two Thai men stopped close to him.

One of them tried to snatch his gold necklace. Fortunately, he could not get it and they fled the scene.

The foreigner then alerted the police who shortly after arrested the two men in front of Toyota Karaoke Restaurant in Soi Buakao.

The investigation revealed that Pathatee and Somchart had allegedly committed the same crime many times in Pattaya and sold the stolen belongings for money to buy amphetamines and to visit venues looking for women to satisfy their lust.

Further investigations into the pair’s activities are underway.

Pattaya travel and tourism stakeholders bubbling with enthusiasm and excitement to host worldwide colleagues

Pattaya is to host the 67th Skal World Congress, a prestigious six-day gathering of over 1,500 international travel professionals and their families that will definitely add to the fame and prestige of this city as a top-class tourist destination.

The big event takes places in 2006, but planning has already begun and local Skal members are bubbling with new ideas to keep their focus on the gathering.

Ingo Rauber, Pinnacle Resort general manager and club secretary, welcomed Skๅlleagues and proposed the Skal toast.

Pattaya and East Thailand members have come up with the idea of International Tourism Awards to whet the interest of all stakeholders and the city.

On April 22, local Skalleagues gathered at the Pinnacle Resort, Na Jomtien. Host Ingo Rauber, general manager and his team laid out a beachside buffet under the stars for Skalleagues and guests. As president Bob Lee is away in Bahrain attending a regional conference, so Rauber announced the idea of the awards for excellence for the tourism and hospitality industry, which got everybody’s attention.

David Smith read through the preliminary outlines and the 15 categories under which awards will be given.

“The details have yet to be approved by Skal International but the event aims to the first in Thailand to honor outstanding service and product as well as contributions to the travel industry. It will be our version of the Academy awards,” Smith enthused.

National board members, Horst Horning & Vitiya Whangpatanathon (Skal Samui), Bessie Samargachan, treasurer (Skal Bangkok); Malai Sakolviphak, president (Skal Bangkok); board member Andrew Khoo (Skal Pattaya), Bob Lee as 2nd vice president (Skal Pattaya) - board member David (Chiang Mai), Brian Sinclair Thompson as 1st vice president (Skal Bangkok); Somsak Kiratipanich, secretary (Skal Bangkok); and Alsatair Carthew, board member (Skal Bangkok) during the national committee meeting in March this year in Pattaya.

“We will be calling for entries from this month, with the awards made to local players in the travel industry in December. In this way, we want to maintain the interest with members and potential members in the Skal movement,” he added.

The national committee met at the Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya in March to begin preparations for the world congress. Skal members from around Thailand were elected to the national committee and organizing sub-committee.

Pattaya Skalleagues elected to the organizing sub-committee were Andrew Khoo, Bob Lee and Peter Malhotra.

Following the national meeting in March, Malai Sakolvipak, Skal Thailand president said, “We have discussed the preparations of the 67th Skal World Congress from October15-20, 2006,which will take place in Pattaya for the first time. This occasion also will mark the 50th anniversary of Skal International Thailand and we are proud to host this congress.”

With the follow-up meeting last month, local Skal members and Pattaya stride towards a bright future and benefits that are associated with hosting this major congress. They will continue to drum up support for the event and prepare for the more than 1,500 international travel and tourism professionals and their families meeting here in Pattaya.

For more information on Skal visit http://www. Skalpattaya.org

Royal Ploughing Day scheduled for May 7

Suchada Tupchai

Farming has been a major career in human history. Food and many essential goods come from agricultural production - including clothes, medicine and other natural everyday needs.

In Thailand, this job is considered to be very significant and beneficial as it brings abundant profit to Thai people and the country. Hence, in May every year we celebrate the benevolence of agriculturists in a day called Royal Ploughing Day (Peuch Mongkol Day in Thai).

On Royal Ploughing Day, a rite is performed in which seeds are the main objects. Apart from the fertility of land and sufficient water, it is believed that special seeds are an essential part in bringing plentiful produce.

It combines two rituals: “Peuch Mongkol” and “Rak Nakwan” (the first field ploughing). In the former, seeds like rice grain, corn, bean, sesame, etc., are blessed to remove all signs of bad luck from them and make them provide abundant produce. The latter is the ploughing ritual, starting to sow the seeds in the ground to signal the beginning of the cultivation season.

The royal ploughing rites originally took place in the Sukhothai period over 700 years ago and continued into the Ayutthaya period.

However, during the reigns of Rama I to III, Buddhist rituals were removed and only Brahman rituals were performed. Later in Rama IV’s time, the Buddhist ritual was rearranged and called “Peuch Mongkol”. So the two rituals combined are known as “Royal Peuch Mongkol Charod Pranangkan Rak Nakwan”, where Peuch Mongkol is the Buddhist component and Rak Nakwan the Brahman.

Today, the rituals are performed in the royal traditional form except for some parts that have been adapted to the modern era. The King and Queen usually preside over the ceremony every year. At the close of the rite, people who come to observe the rituals always hurriedly pick up the seeds sown in the ground. They believe that the seeds will bring them and their families good luck and prosperity.

Royal Ploughing Day is held every year at the Royal Park or Sanam Luang in Bangkok. It is also scheduled as national agriculture day.

EU denies travel ban to Thailand

On April 29 the European Union (EU) dismissed fears that it had issued a warning against EU citizens traveling to Thailand, but admitted that a number of individual EU member states had advised their nationals to avoid traveling to the country’s southern border region unless it is strictly necessary.

In a meeting that was supposed to be focused on the expansion of the EU on May 1, EU representative Klauspeter Schmallenbach found himself hounded by journalists wishing to know whether or not rumors of an EU-wide travel ban were true. Denying the reports, however, Klauspeter said that travel warnings were at the discretion of individual member states.

However, Dutch Ambassador, Gerard JHC Kramer, conceded that a number of EU member states, including the Netherlands, had warned their nationals against traveling to the southern region unless it is strictly necessary. Nonetheless, he stressed that the Dutch ban applied only to the three southern border provinces of Yala, Narathiwat, and Pattani, and not to Thailand as a whole.

Meanwhile, Australia has also warned their nationals to avoid traveling to Thailand’s southern border region and Malaysia’s coastal areas. The warning was seen in the Australian Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministries’ websites, saying that Australian people should avoid traveling to Thailand’s four southern border provinces of Yala, Narathiwat, Pattani, and Songkhla, which are the focus of this year’s spate of violence and unrest.

The on-line warning also said that Australian nationals should also exercise caution when traveling to Thailand’s southern Satun Province and areas along the Thai-Malaysian border. A number of Australian tourists visit Thailand’s southern resort islands of Phuket and Samui in Surat Thani Province every year.

The warning said that Australian people should also be more careful when visiting Malaysia’s coastal areas and the Sabah State, where they are at risk of being targets of kidnapping and criminal gangs, as well as separatists from the Philippines’ southern region. (TNA)

Unrest in Thailand’s south affecting the tourism trade

A statement issued on April 29 by the Pattani United Liberation Organization (PULO) warning foreigners to stay away from Thailand’s southern provinces, has thrown the country’s tourism industry into disarray.

A Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) spokesman told TTG Daily News on April 30 its overseas offices had been flooded with enquiries from anxious travelers wanting to know whether it was safe to visit Thailand.

“We are trying to work out a response. All we can do is to try to make it clear the threat is in the far south of the country, more than a thousand kilometers from Bangkok,” said the spokesman.

Thai Hotels Association (THA) vice president, Prakit Chinamourphong, said violence in the south had devastated holiday bookings even before the tragic events when 107 people, mostly Muslims, were killed.

“But this PULO threat has considerably worsened the outlook because it is not confined to Yala, Pathani, Narathiwat and Songkla; it is also threatening neighboring provinces. We have to take the threat seriously. These people are angry,” he said.

Meanwhile, the US, the UK, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, France, Australia, Canada and numerous other countries have posted advisories warning their nationals against non-essential travel to Thailand’s south.

The US advisory said, “We recommend against all non-essential travel to these four provinces - Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and Songkla.” Further updates to include Phuket and other southern were expected.

The managing director of one of Thailand’s leading inbound tour firms, requesting anonymity said, “Thailand is the cornerstone of tourism to Asia. If the security situation deteriorates here the ramifications will be serious for the whole region.” (TTG Asia)