Patcharapol Panrak
Police are looking for a woman who together with a friend robbed a British man she had met through an internet chat site, getting away with cash and goods worth more than 100,000 baht.

Roger Stephenson (left) files a report with Sattahip police.

Sattahip Police Station received a complaint on the morning of May 15 from Roger Stephenson, 56, to say that a woman he knew as Jae had stolen money and valuables from his room at Beach Villa Vipawadee Condominium in Najomtien, fleeing with her friend on a motorcycle.
Pol Col Supathee Bunkrong, superintendent at Sattahip Police Station, Pol Lt Col Chettha Kichawan, deputy superintendent of crime suppression, and a number of other officers went to examine Stephenson’s room. They also questioned the condo security guard, who confirmed the building had CCTV. The officers made arrangements to view the footage.
Stephenson stated that he used to have a travel company, and brought tourists to visit Thailand. After he retired he came to live in Thailand. He had made contact with Jae through the internet chat site thailovelink.com. She had asked to meet him at his residence. Two women had arrived on a motorcycle and he had taken them to his room. They had proposed cooking a meal in the apartment, and while the friend was busy in the kitchen Jae asked him to make love to her in the bedroom. They had not finished when Jae asked if she could go outside for a minute to send her friend back to Rayong. She said she would be right back.
Jae had dressed and left the bedroom. Stephenson said he came out and discovered his money and property had disappeared. He called for the security guard but the women had already gone. He said that the theft of his mobile phone was something he greatly regretted, as it had all the numbers of his family and friends overseas.
Police know that the motorcycle has a red license plate bearing the number 1719, issued by Pattaya Police Station, and are pursuing enquiries.

British man who tried to blackmail Tesco is deported

Boonlua Chatree
A British citizen who threatened to put poison into food at a Tesco Lotus store unless the company’s head office in the United Kingdom sent him money has been arrested and sent back to his home country.

Briton Alexander Winstone has been remanded to custody after allegedly trying to blackmail Tesco Lotus.

Alexander John Winstone, 37, was seized by Pattaya police outside the Tesco Lotus store in Pattaya.
Deputy Commander of the Central Investigation Bureau Pol Maj Gen Panya Mamen announced the case at a media briefing on May 14, saying that the British police had worked in cooperation with the Royal Thai Police to track down Winstone and arrest him, after emails were sent by him to the Tesco head office in the UK.
Winstone when arrested had been unable to provide a passport. Taking him in for questioning, the officers discovered that his permission to stay in Thailand had expired one year ago.
Pol Col Noppadon Wongnom, superintendent at Pattaya Police Station said that Winstone had attempted to blackmail Tesco in the UK by saying that he would put poison into the dry food of one of the company’s stores in Thailand unless they sent him money.
Winstone was charged with staying illegally in Thailand before being sent back to his home country.

Police to toughen up on pedophiles after arrest of German teacher

Boonlua Chatree
Police have vowed to curtail the activities of what they estimate is more than 200 active pedophiles in Thailand, following the arrest of a German teacher who was caught in bed with two young boys, one aged 13 and the other 15, when police raided his apartment.
The Central Investigation Bureau says it would also investigate the owners and operators of apartments and hotels in which sex crimes with children take place to see if there is any evidence that they are involved.
A media briefing was held on May 14 with a panel of officers that included Pol Maj Gen Panya Mamen, deputy commander at the Central Investigation Bureau, Pol Maj Gen Surasit Sangkhapong of the Children and Women’s Protection Division, Pol Maj Gen Choochat Suwannakom, commander-in-chief of the Tourist Police, and Pol Col Noppadon Wongnom, superintendent of Pattaya Police Station.
Pol Col Noppadon and Pol Lt Col Suwan Aun-Anan, inspector at Pattaya Tourist Police Station said their investigations had revealed a foreign man was regularly bringing children to room number 209 on the 2nd floor of the Inchat Apartment in Soi Sunee Plaza, South Pattaya.
Officers used a skeleton key to open the room, where they found Wolf Rudiger Engelke, a 66-year-old German national employed as a lecturer at a university in Northern Thailand, in bed with two boys, aged 13 and 15. He was arrested and charged with having sex with a child less than 15 years old.
Pol Maj Gen Panya and Pol Maj Gen. Surasit say there are an estimated 200 or more foreign pedophiles in Thailand, and that police activity is being stepped up to arrest and deport them, after which they would be placed on a blacklist and forbidden from re-entering the country.
There are plans to erect a large signboard in Pattaya City warning visitors of the penalties of having sex with children. The police added that owners and operators of the properties in which the offenses take place would also be investigated to see if there is any evidence of collusion or trafficking.

Illegal Cambodians found at jobsite

Immigration police arrested dozens of illegal immigrants
at a construction site in Jomtien.

Boonlua Chatree
Pattaya Immigration officers rounded up nearly 90 illegal workers from Cambodia during the afternoon of May 7.
Pol Col Ittipol Ittisarnronnachai, superintendent at Pattaya Immigration at Soi 5 Jomtien, went with a team of officers to the construction site of a commercial building on Thepprasit Road, where there was evidence that a large number of illegal aliens were working.
Police officers surrounded the site, while Immigration officers carried out a check, during which they found 53 illegal male aliens, 31 females, and four children aged about five years. All were Cambodian.
Upon being questioned at the Pattaya Immigration office, all admitted to entering illegally at the Aranyapratet border by bus. Groups of five or 10 people came each time, and applied for jobs with the construction contractor. They were able to receive 200 to 300 baht per person per day.
Officers charged them with illegally hiding in the Kingdom without permission, before deporting them. The contractors will be pursued to continue the case, and face charges of illegally hiring aliens. If it is discovered that they were harboring them, then they will be prosecuted.

National police superintendents attend skills training session

Officers who attended the skills development seminar in Pattaya pose
for a group photo after helping to clean Pattaya Beach.

Saksiri Uraiworn
More than 170 police officers of superintendent and deputy superintendent rank from throughout Thailand attended a skills development seminar in Pattaya, which started on May 15.
The Police Officers Development Institute organized the seminar.
Pattaya City Permanent Secretary Sittiprap Muangkoom and Mayor-elect Itthipol Khunplome hosted a reception for the officers at Pattaya City Hall.
The seminar was the 29th in a series that is designed to regularly update senior officers of Thailand’s national police with skills and information, and better ways of interacting with the public.
During the seminar, the officers were taken on a tour of Pattaya and participated in a social service exercise in which garbage was cleared from the beach, the intention being to illustrate ways in which the police force is seen as being part of the community and a friendly help to residents and businesses.

Sattahip police chief says district is undermanned

PBTA asks for greater security

Ariyawat Nuamsawat
The Pattaya Business and Tourism Association has asked for greater security to be provided for visitors to Sattahip District, but the superintendent of Sattahip Police Station says that there is not enough manpower to provide what is being requested over such a large geographical area.

Pol Col Supathee Boonkrong, superintendent at Sattahip Police Station.

Security at Sattahip was discussed during the PBTA’s monthly meeting held on May 14 at the Green Park Resort.
Association chairman Jamroon Wisawachaipan chaired the meeting, which was also attended by mayor-elect Itthipol Khunplome and former mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn.
Pol Col Supathee Boonkrong, superintendent at Sattahip Police Station was asked about the security situation, in light of the increasing number of visitors to Sattahip District.
He said that although protection and crime suppression are dealt with to the full abilities of the police, Sattahip District covers an area of 348.122 square kilometers and has a total population of 135,247 people. Its population density is 389 people per square kilometer. However, there are only 125 police officers at Sattahip Police Station.
Pol Col Supathee said that the police station is located in an area far from the main community, which can affect the relations of the police with the public and have an effect on efficiency. There are plans to build a sub-station, which would be supervised by a deputy superintendent. This would be located in Najomtien Sub-district.
Support has also been requested from the Chonburi Provincial Administrative Organization, which has been asked to supply a patrol car. Many of the vehicles that are currently in use are old, and have been used heavily.
Pol Col Supathee said that cooperation has been requested from the private sector in observing and monitoring the local situation, as this could be an effective means of crime prevention and control.
Itthipol said that the prevention of crime was an urgent matter, for which strategic plans are needed. This is especially so in the area of Jomtien Beach, where more CCTV cameras must be immediately installed to the end of the beach, which is in Sattahip District.

Demented man steals fire truck

Warned police he wanted to be famous

Boonlua Chatree
A Petchabun man who stole a fire truck from Pattaya Fire Station after telling police he intended to be famous, then collided with another vehicle and then a tree, and who was then beaten up by angry villagers, has been described by police as “demented” and charged with theft, dangerous driving, and damage to official property.

Sitthipol Thongpik managed his 15 minutes of fame, the hard way.
Police add that the man is perfectly happy about this, as now he is famous.
The man had earlier gone to Banglamung Police Station, where he told the duty officer: “I would like to be well-known and publicized on TV and in the newspapers.” Officers ejected him from the premises. The next they heard of him was a report filed just after midnight on May 15, saying that a thief had stolen a fire truck that was parked at Pattaya Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Center Station House 2, located directly behind Banglamung Police Station.
The man had driven the six-wheeled truck, number 14, for about half a kilometer before he hit a villager’s car and then drove into a rain tree. Angry firemen and villagers surrounded the truck, as the man struggled to free himself from the crushed cab. He was dragged from the vehicle and beaten up, adding to the bruises he received from the collision, before police managed to rescue him.

It will take some effort to repair the fire engine.
He was identified as Sitthipol Thongpik, age 36, of Lomkao, in Petchabun.
Kongdet Phodam, a 35-year-old guard at the fire station, said that Sitthipol had come from the direction of Banglamung Police Station, and that he looked drunk or deranged and that Kongdet had not paid much attention to him.
However, Sitthipol had a little later crept into the fire station and gone up to truck number 14. The key was in the ignition, as the truck had to be ready for use at any time. Sitthipol started the engine and drove out in the direction of Sukhumvit.
Pol Lt Col Chaiyaporn Thongnapiang said that he was at work in Banglamung Police Station when he saw Sitthipol enter, carrying a wooden stick and shouting very loudly about intending to be famous. The man was clearly demented, and was causing a disturbance. He was told to leave the police station, which he did, briefly.

Joint Thai-US drugs operation brings in 65 dealers and users

Operation Rattlesnake 2008 held May 8 to 11

Operation Rattlesnake 2008 netted 65 dealers and users.

Boonlua Chatree
The Narcotics Suppression Bureau working in association with US narcotics control specialists arrested a total of 65 people during a concentrated campaign named Operation Rattlesnake 2008, held over the period May 8 to 11.
An announcement was made at the end of the campaign on May 11, with a briefing from Pol Lt Gen Wuthi Lippatapallop, commander of the Narcotics Suppression Bureau, Pol Lt Gen Jetanakorn Napeetapat, commander-in-chief of the Provincial Police in Region 2, Pol Col Chamnung Rattanakul, deputy commander-in-chief of the Chonburi Provincial Police, and Pol Col Nopadol Wongnom, superintendent of Pattaya Police Station. Amongst the US officers present were Andre Kellum and Matt Lascell.
Operation Rattlesnake was aimed at clearing Pattaya’s streets of drug dealers and users, and 55 men and 10 women were arrested during the operation.
There were four cases involving ya ba distribution with five people charged, four cases involving possession of ya ba with four charged, one involving distribution of ya ice with one charged, eight cases involving marijuana with eight charged, and 25 individual cases of ya ba use. In total 122 ya ba tablets, 43 bags of marijuana, and 2.2 grams of crystal methamphetamine was confiscated.

YWCA opens donations center for cyclone victims

Located in front of Chaimongkol Temple

The Y.W.C.A. Bangkok - Pattaya Center in cooperation with
the Pattaya Tourist Police and Pattaya volunteers assisting tourists,
 has set up a donation center to aid Burma.

Vimolrat Singnikorn
The YWCA Bangkok-Pattaya Center has established a donations center to receive essential supplies for the Burmese victims of the cyclone Nargis.
Chairwoman Nittaya Patimasongkroh has enlisted the help of Pattaya Tourist Police and a number of volunteers for the center, which is located in front of Chaimongkol Temple and will receive donations over the period May 17 to 25.
Nittaya said that response had been good from both residents and tourists, with many donating money along with food, clothing and blankets.
After the center closes on May 25, the donations will be moved to the YWCA central donations receiving center in Bangkok for transportation to Myanmar, where the objective is to deliver them to the Myanmar YWCA.
The Chaimongkol Temple donations center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Workshop examines problems of Thais married to foreigners

Ariyawat Nuamsawat
A workshop was organized on May 10 for officials of the National Economic and Social Advisory Council to examine the problems facing Thai nationals who have foreign spouses.

Smiles abound from one of the many couples who attended the seminar.

Held at Pattaya City Hall, the workshop was led by Prawin Sujaritkul and Miss Porntip Preeyakanitpong.
Prawin said that the session was designed to examine feedback on the various problems that are encountered by Thais married to foreign nationals, so that officials can brief the government and thereby help to steer national policy.
There are problems and potential problems at all levels, said Prawin. These include finance and banking, schooling for the children, buying and management of property, possession of land, employment, dual nationality, divorce, custody of the children, and inheritance of property and land.
Thailand’s new constitution states that human dignity, rights, liberty, and equality of the people shall be protected. Women have the right to be protected by the State against unfair treatment. Government policy on foreign affairs stipulates that the State must protect and take care of the benefits of Thai citizens in foreign countries.
Ms Pornthip said that the National Economic and Social Advisory Council must follow the constitution and pass suggestions and proposals to the cabinet. Hence the need for the workshop, which was held to evaluate the results of interviews with Thais with foreign spouses conducted in Chiang Mai Province, Udon Thani Province, and Chonburi Province.
Pornthip said that further information was being compiled with the assistance of the Office of the Attorney General, the Department of Employment, the Consular Service, the Department of Consular Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Council of Women of Thailand, the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, and the Ministry of Labor.

Body art on display at Tattoo Festival

Ariyawat Nuamsawat
More than 100 tattoo artists from Thailand and around the world attended the 2nd World Tattoo Arts Festival and Exhibition that was held from May 16 to 18 at Pattaya City Walk in South Pattaya.

A British woman isn’t afraid to have a traditional Thai tattoo drawn on her hip.
The event was organized by Ms Suphatchaya Lattisophonkul, also known as Bell China Dolls, and Rungwipa Sae-Ong, also known as Joy Wong, and was designed to help upgrade the image and skills of the tattoo industry in addition to providing entertainment for a large number of visitors.
The organizers were also adamant that the event was not promoting the idea of tattooing, but that the intention was to provide the right kind of information for those who were considering having body art, rather than opting for a service they might later regret, or, in the case of young people, succumbing to peer pressure.

Tattoo lovers show up in droves to have tattoos done by professional tattoo artists.
Pattaya City permanent secretary Sittiprap Muangkoom conducted the opening ceremony for the festival, which was being held for the second year following its successful first outing last year.
There were 70 booths from participants from around the world, divided into zones that included Thailand, Asia, Japan, Europe, and America. Each booth showcased tattoo cultures, and there were 100 tattoo artists displaying their skills.
Amongst the sponsors of the event were the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau and Boon Rawd Brewery Co Ltd.

Massive police operation nets 113 drug dealers and users

Boonlua Chatree
Police have announced the arrest of 113 dealers and users of narcotics as the result of a massive operation to clamp down on drugs in Chonburi Province.

It was a busy day for police as they arrested 113 drug dealers and users.

The significance of the operation was underlined by a media briefing conducted on May 17, in which Chonburi Governor Pracha Taerat, commander-in-chief of the Chonburi Provincial Police Pol Maj Gen Bandit Khunachak, his deputy Pol Col Chamnong Rattanakuland, the deputy commander-in-chief of crime suppression Pol Lt Col Supachat Piammanat, deputy superintendent of investigation Pol Lt Col Chatchai Ruentawin, Pol Col Noppadon Wongnom, superintendent of Pattaya Police Station, and Pattaya City permanent secretary Sittiprap Muangkoom formed a panel to answer questions from the press.
The police sweep was a concerted action during the hours of 5 a.m. and 11 a.m. on the same day, and which in total involved 354 officers from Pattaya Police Station, Banglamung Police Station and Sattahip Police Station, together with police dogs.
Police moved in on a number of locations on the outskirts of the city, following information received from villagers. Along with the 113 people arrested, police seized four firearms, 11 bullets, eight packs of ya ice weighing 4 grams, 187 ya ba pills, two packs of heroin, two packs of ya K, three packs of marijuana, three packs of liquid glue, 8,000 baht, and nine motorbikes.
The police action came as a result of a directive from the Ministry of Interior and from Pol Lt Gen Jetanakorn Napeetapat, commander-in-chief of Region 2 to enforce the anti-narcotics laws as a matter of urgency by identifying the target communities and destroying the resources for distribution.
One man was arrested for theft of property, four were arrested for infringing upon the Firearms Act, three cases were filed against three ya ba dealers, eight cases were filed for possession of ya ba, two cases were filed against two ya ice distributors, 70 cases were filed against male and female ya ba consumers, three cases were filed against four people in possession of marijuana, one case was filed against one person in possession of heroin, one case was filed against one person in possession of ya K, seven cases were filed against seven illegal workers, three cases were filed against 33 violators, and two cases were filed against eight people who were gambling.