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A most happy birthday to Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn
The entire Pattaya Mail staff joins the Kingdom of Thailand in humbly wishing
HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn a long, healthy and happy life on this
occasion of the Royal Anniversary of Her Birth. (Photo courtesy Bureau of the
Royal Household)
The Kingdom of Thailand on April 2 celebrates the most
auspicious occasion of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s
55th birthday. We at the Pattaya Mail join in
with our most humble wishes for HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn for a
long, healthy and happy life.
Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn was
born on April 2, 1955, the third child of Their Majesties the King and Queen
of Thailand.
HRH the Princess studied from kindergarten to high school
at Chitralada School in Bangkok. She ranked first in the National School
Examinations in the primary level (grade 7) in 1967 and in upper secondary
level (grade 12) in 1972.
Ranked fourth in the National University Entrance
Examination, HRH the Princess enrolled in the Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn
University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree, first class honor,
and a gold medal in History in 1976.
She continued her studies in two graduate programs
concurrently, obtaining an M.A. in Oriental Epigraphy (Sanskrit and
Cambodian) from Silpakorn University in 1978, and an M.A. in Pali and
Sanskrit from Chulalongkorn University in 1980. She enrolled in a doctoral
program at Srinakharinwirot University (former College of Education) in
1981, and was awarded a doctoral degree in Developmental Education in 1987.
The principle of using education as a means for community
and social development, which HRH the Princess acquired during her doctoral
studies along with her former experiences in the field, has provided her
with a solid base for her subsequent involvement in community development
activities.
HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn shows keen interest
in the students’ projects at the exhibition zone during the opening of a new
multi-purpose building at Pattaya Redemptorist Vocational School on February
15, 2007. After, she laid the foundation stone for the HRH Princess Maha
Chakri Sirindhorn Building at the Pattaya Redemptorist School for the Blind,
which is under the patronage of Her Royal Highness. (Photo courtesy Bureau
of the Royal Household)
In addition to her formal degree programs, HRH the
Princess has attended several training courses and workshops to enhance her
knowledge and skills in effective integrated development. These subjects
include computer, cartography, meteorology, survey and photogrammetry,
remote sensing and geographic information system and nutrition.
HRH the Princess holds honorary degrees in Geography,
Chinese Studies of Humane Letters, Agriculture, Botany, Chinese, Pharmacy,
Information Technology, Rural Technology, Public Health, Humane Letters,
Regional Development Strategies, Environmental Science, Veterinary Medicine,
Physics, and Laws.
HRH the Princess has acquired first-hand experiences in
working on development projects initiated by Their Majesties the King and
Queen. These projects involve a number of diversified fields including
health and hygiene, education, water resource development, agriculture and
cottage industry by regularly accompanying Their Majesties on visits to
remote areas since the age of sixteen.
From these experiences, HRH the Princess has developed
special interests in agricultural extension to improve school children’s
nutritional conditions; supports education from pre-school to tertiary
levels; and mother and child care. She has also concentrated on helping the
handicapped, especially in using information technology (IT) to develop
independent living and learning skills.
HRH the Princess runs several philanthropic organizations
and foundations. She has been Executive Vice President of the Thai Red Cross
Society since 1977; Executive Chairman of the Chaipattana Foundation (in
charge of His Majesty’s development and environmental preservation
projects), Ananda Mahidol Foundation (to promote higher education), the King
Rama II Foundation (to conserve and promote Thai Culture); President of the
Sai Jai Thai Foundation (to support disabled veterans), Prince Mahidol Award
Foundation (to award prizes annually to members of the international
community for outstanding performances in the fields of medicine and public
health); and Adviser of the Committee of Thai Junior Encyclopedia Project by
Royal Command of H.M. the King.
HRH the Princess began her teaching career in 1979 when
she started teaching the General Education Program at Chulalongkorn
University. A year later, she joined the Department of Law and Social
Sciences, in the Academic Division of Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy.
Presently she is Director of the Department of History, and has played an
active part in revising its curriculum. She also supervises the Thai Music
Club at the Academy. Occasionally HRH the Princess gives special lectures at
several other institutions and regularly attends academic conferences and
seminars both in and outside the country.
In addition, HRH the Princess represents Their Majesties
in various royal functions. She also presides over ceremonies as well as
other social and charity functions all through the year. In 1991, HRH the
Princess was awarded the Magsaysay Award for Public Service.
HRH the Princess likes to travel around the Kingdom and
abroad to obtain knowledge of physical geography and peoples’ varied
lifestyles. One of her favorite pastimes is writing articles, poetry and
short stories. Proceeds from her written accounts of her overseas travels
are the main source of income for the Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn
Foundation which was set up in 1979 to support needy students in schools,
vocational colleges and universities.
In March 2005, HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn
received the UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador title for the “Empowerment of
Minority Children through Education and through the Preservation of Their
Intangible Cultural Heritage” from UNESCO Director-General Koichiro
Matsuura.
HRH the Princess loves Thai literature and studies
literature of other countries. She enjoys playing classical Thai instruments
and practicing Thai classical dancing. She also paints and is keen on
sports, including jogging, swimming, biking and trekking - which gives her
an opportunity to learn about plants, trees and geographical features of the
areas.
In addition to her knowledge of Pali, Sanskrit and
Cambodian, HRH the Princess is communicative in both English and French and
has been learning Chinese, German and Latin.
Most recently, on March 7, 2010, HRH the Princess was
selected by Chinese people to receive the ‘Chinese Connection - Top Ten
International Friends of China’ Award. Chinese people on line voted HRH the
Princess as one of the ten best international friends of China. The survey
was arranged by the state-run CRI. HRH the Princess is the only figure in
the Southeast Asian region to receive such an award and is among the few
living awardees. She has visited China 28 times since 1981 and she has been
playing a vital role in fostering relationships between Thailand and China.
Happy Birthday
HRH Princess Ubolratana
Pattaya Mail humbly joins the Kingdom of Thailand in
wishing Her Royal Highness Princess Ubolratana a most happy birthday on
April 5.
Her Royal Highness Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Phannavadi was
born on April 5, 1951, in Lausanne Switzerland. She is the eldest child of
Their Majesties the King and Queen.
HRH Princess Ubolratana is a very devoted leader of young
people in the campaign against drugs, and as such has instituted and keenly
watches over the To Be Number One project, encouraging family values, music
and sport as alternatives to drug use. She has also set up the Khun Poom
project to assist autistic children in Thailand.
In 2008, HRH Princess Ubolratana played the main role in
the Thai film Where The Miracle Happens.
HRH Princess Ubolratana has also shown a keen interest in the way
Thailand is being promoted by the TAT, and regularly attends the
International Tourism Bourse (ITB) in Berlin.
Police chiefs meet to review
security and protocol during royal assignment in Pattaya
HRH Princess Bajarakitiyabha
(photo courtesy Mahasarakham University)
Boonlua Chatree
On March 22, Col. Supathee Bunkrong, deputy commander of the
Chonburi Provincial Police, called a meeting of police superintendents,
station chiefs and lead investigators to review security measures during the
next two years that HRH Princess Bajarakitiyabha will work in Pattaya.
At the meeting all top officials at all 22 Chonburi
police stations were brought together to review security, procedures and
protocol.
HRH Princess Bajarakitiyabha will begin her duties as
Public Prosecutor at the Pattaya Prosecutor’s Office on April 1where her
main assignment will be cases involving Family and Youth.
HRH Princess Bajarakitiyabha, daughter of His Royal
Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn has a bachelor’s degree in Law
from Thammasat University, and has earned a bachelor’s degree in Political
Science from Sukhothai Thammatirat University with first class honors. HRH
the Princess continued her studies, gaining her master’s degree and doctoral
degree at Cornell Law School in New York State and received her J.S.D.
degree (Doctor of Juridical Science or Doctor of the Science of Law) from
Cornell in 2005.
Col. Supathee Bunkrong, deputy commander of the Chonburi
Provincial Police.
On completion of her doctorate Princess Bajarakitiyabha
was employed at the Thai permanent mission to the United Nations, in New
York City.
She was appointed Attorney of the Office of the Attorney
General in Bangkok in September 2006, and currently works at the office of
the Attorney General in Udon Thani province.
The princess initiated the “Kamlangjai” or “Spiritual
strength” project to reach out to Thai women in prison and more especially
the pregnant inmates and inmates’ newborn babies. The project also assists
young mothers to prepare themselves to join society upon their release.
HRH the Princess has also initiated a project called ELFI
(Enhancing Lives of Female Inmates) to ensure that the women prisoners are
treated with dignity. This is supplementary to the 1955 Standard Minimum
Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners.
HRH Princess Bajarakitiyabha is also the president of the
Princess Pa Foundation which she jointly founded with her mother Princess
Soamsawalee in 1995 to help the victims of the big flood which hit Bangkok
in 1995. The objects of the foundation are to give aid to underprivileged
people in the rural areas and to those who are affected by natural
disasters.
HM Queen Silvia of Sweden to preside over
the inauguration of new Blind School building
Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden.
Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden will arrive in Pattaya
on April 8, 2010 to preside over the inauguration of the Pattaya
Redemptorist School for the Blind, Building B (Vocational Section) on behalf
of His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, the Honorary President of The
World Scout Foundation. On this most auspicious occasion HRH Princess
Chulabhorn will also be present to graciously welcome the Queen and join in
the ceremonies.
Aurora Sribuaphan, director of the Pattaya Blind School
said, “The Pattaya Redemptorist School for the Blind, under the patronage of
Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, was licensed by the
congregation of the Most Blessed Redeemer in Thailand to construct two
buildings for teaching blind people.
“Part of the budget for the two buildings being
constructed came from money donated through the HRH Princess Sirindhorn
Foundation which was established after the Princess came to inaugurate the
school building in 1993 and donated 5,000 baht towards the development of
education for the blind. The school used that amount to set up the
foundation with the aim of receiving donations from kind-hearted people.
“The two buildings to be connected in an L shape consist
of the HRH Princess Sirindhorn Building, completed with a budget of 17
million baht and the Father Ray Building which was for the past few years
still under construction at a cost of 14 million baht.”
On one of his visits to Pattaya recently, Sven Philip
Sorensen, advisor to the Swedish Executive Scout Board, observed that the
construction of the second building had begun and the building itself was
completed at a cost of 7 million baht. The second phase of architectural
work required a total of another 7 million baht or one million baht for each
floor of the seven-story building. “But due to lack of funds, construction
and completion of the interior had to be postponed until more money could be
raised to complete the project,” he said.
When Honorary President of the World Scout Foundation,
His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden visited the Pattaya Blind School
on February 17, 2009, to inspect the school’s scouting educational course
and to induct blind children into the Scout movement, he was invited to
inspect the construction site of the new building. The benevolent King
understood the urgency of the need to finish the project, so together with
HM Queen Silvia pledged US$30,000 from Her Majesty’s very own “Queen Silvia
Fund” towards the building project. The fund is operated by the World Scout
Foundation which raises funds for Scouts with disabilities.
Sven Philip Sorensen consulted with Sutham Phanthusak,
International Commissioner of the National Scouts Organization of Thailand,
to explore ways of raising funds to complete the new building at the Pattaya
Blind School, the construction of which had begun but had to be slowed down
due to budget constraints.
A committee to complete the ‘17th February Pattaya School
for the Blind’ building was immediately established with Sven Philip
Sorensen serving as chairman and Sutham Phanthusak as vice chairman. Other
committee members appointed to help facilitate the completion of the
building project were, Stephane Bringer - secretary, Alisa Phanthusak -
treasurer, Jan Olav Aamlid - fund raising, Suchai Rujivanitchkul - director
in charge of construction, Father Lawrence Patin – director, Aurora
Sribuaphan - director and Pratheep Malhotra - public relations.
Sven asked the committee to help find generous donors
saying, “Initially we sought 7 donors of US $30,000 (one million baht) for
each floor. But the response and generous donations was overwhelming and
funds poured in making it possible to finish the building.”
Her Majesty Queen Silvia is scheduled to preside over the
inauguration of the Pattaya Redemptorist School for the Blind, Building B
(Vocational Section) on Thursday April 8 at 11 a.m. HRH Princess Chulabhorn
will be on hand to accompany the Queen where they will be welcomed and
entertained by the blind children.
To commemorate their visit, the HM Queen Silvia and HRH
Princess Chulabhorn will both plant trees in the school grounds.
The elegant buildings of the Pattaya School for the Blind.
Tuesday, April 6 is Chakri Day
Banks, government offices will be closed
April 6 commemorates the founding of the Chakri Dynasty in 1782 by King
Rama I. Government offices, banks and some businesses will be closed.
Highway 7 finally completely open
Pattaya moves 8 km closer to Bangkok
The final phase of Highway 7 is finally open, as can be
seen here by cars and trucks taking the entrance to the overpass on
Sukhumvit Road from Central Pattaya to Bangkok.
Phasakorn Channgam
Pattaya is now 8 km closer to Bangkok with the opening of
the final phase of Highway 7, which offers motorists a shorter,
less-congested route to the expressway.
The four-year, 6.6 billion baht project came to a close
March 25 with the opening of the new bypass behind the International School
of Pattaya. Lane painting and the installation of signs and lights were
completed this month.
It’s hoped that Highway 7 not only makes it faster and
more convenient to reach Pattaya from Suvarnabhumi International Airport,
but also reduces traffic congestion during peak holiday seasons, such as
Songkran.
The highway serves two provinces, three districts and
eight sub-districts from Nong Plalai to Rayong. It is one of five motorways
being built quickly around the country to solve urgent traffic problems.
The project began with a 14 million baht study of the
economics, engineering and environmental aspects of the highway. Following
four years of study, construction began in four phases.
The first two phases were finished in June 2008 by
Sahawit Construction Co., Ltd. This started at the Chonburi Bypass and ended
at the Route 36 junction near the International School of the Regents, a
distance of 39 km. It features four lanes 3.5 m. wide and 8 U-turn overpass
bridges.
The final two phases were started in January 2006 by
Naowarat Patanakarn (Public) Co., Ltd. and Kit Rungruang Construction Part.
Ltd. This constitutes four lanes with reinforced concrete 7.2 m. wide
starting where the last two phases stopped, at the Route 36 junction near
the International School of the Regents, and now continues for 7.7 km where
it meets Sukhumvit Road between north and central Pattaya.
This final stretch of highway has 2 connecting points,
one at the new Local Road near the Pattaya City wastewater treatment plant
and another at Chaiyapornwithi Road.
City officials step in
to settle beach chair issues
Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh (left) meets with the beach
bed and umbrella operators on Pattaya Beach.
Boonlua Chatree
Following a complaint by the chairman of the Pattaya
Beach-Bed and Umbrella Union, Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh along with his
advisors, municipality police officers and city officials met with beach bed
and umbrella operators on March 11, to listen to their grievances and to
ensure fairness for all vendors regarding their allocated spaces.
Bunsong Thipsuk, a beach-bed and umbrella entrepreneur
filed a complaint with Deputy Mayor Ronakit about impartiality concerning
management of the area. She said that for the past 18 months she occupied 2
lots measuring 7x7 meters each for beach-beds and umbrellas. She claimed
that she paid 5000 baht rent per month for both lots. But now with the new
city beach order regulations, she is left with only one lot but still had to
pay the same amount of 5,000 baht per month. Bunsong protested that this was
not fair and had caused her much distress.
After investigations the deputy mayor admitted that the
complaint was accurate. Therefore, he has ordered re-managing of the entire
area from the Dusit Hotel curve all the way to South Pattaya Beach, a
distance of more than 3 kilometers.
Ronakit said, “In order to ensure order is maintained on
the beach, regulations and a service area were setup for the benefit of
tourists and vendors alike. This also included recreation areas along the
beach.
“We are following through with the strict management
policy set by the laws of Chonburi Province, which is to provide space for
the public on the beach, so that the public and tourists can have more
convenience in conducting recreational activities and relaxing. Currently,
there is carelessness, which has resulted in a lack of some of this space.”
Deputy Mayor Ronakit went on to say, “Everything is being
done for impartiality concerning the beach-bed and umbrella entrepreneurs in
the division of operating space. But we also don’t want to overcrowd the
beach, because we want our tourists to be able to enjoy the sea, sand and
sun without too many obstructions.”
At the end of the city hall team’s visit to the beach,
one could see happy faces all around as the beach vendors were satisfied
with the outcome of the negotiations and went about their business in
providing tourists with the service and the smiles that Thailand is so
famous for.
City begins work on
master plans for 3-10 years
Vimolrat Singnikorn
Pattaya officials have begun work on strategic plans to
map out development over the next three to 10 years.
About 500 public- and private-sector leaders and
residents attended a Pattaya City Hall hearing March 19 to learn about the
scope of the 10-year Master Plan, five-year Strategic Plan and three-year
City Plan, as well as provide input into the goals specified in each.
Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome presides over a meeting to determine the future
of Pattaya.
Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome said the roadmaps should aim to
make Pattaya a “livable tourism city” that also becomes an economic engine
for the entire country. Experts will gather opinions on the direction of the
city and compile them into reports to be presented at the end of May.
Supachai Yawapat, project director for the 2011-2020
Master Plan, said the project should focus on betterment of the economy,
society and environment but include supporting goals about basic city
structure, management and politics.
Master Plan advisor Cholatis Theerathiti said the
five-year Strategic Plan will focus on five areas: the economy, society,
politics, management and the environment.
Wanit Nuanbunruang, a senior Advisor at the Institute for
Consultation Concerning Development of State Efficiency, said the three-year
Pattaya City Plan, which she is coordinating, is the most-specific, as its
goals must be completed by 2013. The plan will focus on public safety, drug
use, transportation, tourism information, education, utilities and
information technology, sports and recreation, use of HM the King’s
“sufficiency economy” principles, public heath and the environment, morality
and religion, water and power development, population density and
bureaucratic efficiency.
Business leaders welcomed the forward planning, but noted
basic infrastructure needs to be considered in economic-development plans.
For example, Jamroon Vitsavachaipan, president of the Pattaya Business &
Tourism Association, said that while the city monitors tourism development,
it must also address problems related to the water supply, traffic and
security.
Elderly Finnish woman
dies in apparent fall
Boonlua Chatree
An elderly Finnish woman died from an apparent head wound
when, evidence suggests, she slipped, fell and hit her head after leaving
the shower.
The nude body of 75-year-old Lilja Sisko was found March
18 lying outside the bathroom of her View Talay 2 condominium. She suffered
a 2 cm cut to her head and dried bloodstains were found on a small table
near her, as well as her eyeglasses and a nearby swimsuit.
Police were called after security guards were informed of
a smell coming from the woman’s 12th-floor apartment. She had last been seen
about two days previously.
Sisko and friend Timo Vartiainen, 75, had rented the
condo for about three years from fellow Finn Randoll Juhani. Vartiainen was
away when the tragedy occurred. Sisko was described as being a good tenant
and generally healthy.
Pattaya Police Superintendent Col. Nanthawut Suwanla-Ong
said there were no signs of a struggle at the condo, but police are
continuing to investigate.
Long-sought alleged Sattahip
drug dealer behind bars
Patcharapol Panrak
Royal Thai Navy narcotics officers and Sattahip police
used accused local drug users and dealers as dominos to finally take down a
major alleged methamphetamine trafficker long sought on drugs and weapons
charges.
Wrapped up by police, Pariyapat points to the drugs
police allegedly confiscated from him.
Pariyapat “Pai Taothan” Somwasri, 21, was captured by
Sattahip Police at a gas station about a kilometer from a highway overpass
near the Ambassador City Hotel in Jomtien Beach March 22. Officers also
recovered 40 ya ba tablets that Pariyapat allegedly tried to dispose of
while fleeing police on foot.
The arrest came at the end of a string of drug busts that
began earlier with the arrest of an unnamed 17-year-old girl who was caught
by police with a small quantity of ya ba. Police persuaded her to give up
her dealer and set up a meeting staked out by officers.
Alleged dealer Kritsada “Ting” Ratanachotsuk, 25, got
tipped off to the string operation, however, and tried to ditch district
authorities by heading into the navy base. However, Navy Narcotics Control
officers nabbed the fleeing man in the parking lot of the Royal Thai Fleet
and confiscated 50 ya ba tablets and his black Isuzu pickup truck.
Police again flipped their latest arrest and Kritsada
agreed to set up his own alleged supplier, Pariyapat. A police-monitored
meeting was setup at the Jomtien overpass but officers, afraid of again
being detected, had Kritsada change the rendezvous to a Shell station, which
officers could more clandestinely stake out. When the 21-year-old arrived on
a Honda Wave motorbike with passenger Witawat Thamdee, 18, on the back,
officers moved in.
Sattahip District Chief Chaichan Iamcharoen said
Pariyapat has been long wanted by police for drug dealing and allegedly
firing a gun into groups of teenagers. He also assaulted this Pattaya Mail
reporter at a local entertainment venue and put a gun to his head.
Web-surfing college student
electrocuted by laptop PC
Theerarak Suthatiwong
A Sattahip Technical College student died after being
electrocuted by a damaged computer electric cord.
Satipat Chounkam, 19, was found by his sister lying on
his bed in his mother’s Nong Plailai home March 20. His mother was away in
Phuket and Satipat appeared to have been dead for about three days. His
right thumb showed a severe electric-shock burn and the cable to the battery
charger was in his hand.
Monthira Chounkam, 25, said she’d gone to check up on her
brother after her mother called to say she couldn’t reach him by phone.
Monthira knocked at the door, but despite a light being on inside, no one
answered. She left for a meal and returned later, finally scaling a fence to
get inside the yard, where she noticed the smell of decay.
Police said there were no signs of violence inside the
house and family members said Satipat was a good student who generally
returned home from school to spend time chatting on popular
social-networking website Hi-5, which was still on the screen on the laptop
that apparently killed him.
Swiss-German motorcycle gang allegedly beats, tortures fellow member for 9 hours
Boonlua Chatree
Four German and Swiss members of a local motorcycle club
have been arrested for the alleged nine-hour beating and torture of a fellow
gang member.
Lone Brothers Motorcycle Club leader Gabriel Frey of
Switzerland, and Germans Manfred Decker, 52, Heinz Adam, 42, and Peter
Marzog, 46, were taken into custody March 19 by Banglamung Police and
Chonburi Immigration officers for assault on 37-year-old Michel Spindler
four days before. An alleged fifth attacker, 42-year-old Sven Vehma of
Germany, is still at large.
Who me? Gabriel Frey denies charges before being brought
in for questioning.
The brutal attack by the alleged perpetrators came amid a
dispute over Spindler’s purchase of a motorcycle from the 40-year-old Frey
and, according to other published reports, an alleged sexual encounter
between the victim and the motorcycle club leader’s wife last year. Frey
allegedly demanded 120,000 baht as compensation for both the bike purchase
and the dalliance with his Thai wife, then reportedly imprisoned the man in
his home own as the five gang members blindfolded, beat him, broke bones and
inflicted skin burns.
Spindler was hospitalized with serious injures after
reportedly being threatened with death if he complained to police. Upon
being released from Bangkok Hospital Pattaya he then decided to press
charges and an arrest warrant was eventually obtained with the involvement
of Immigration Police.
The four motorcycle club members have denied the charges.
Trash scavenger finds bomb, sparking memories of past tragedies
Patcharapol Panrak
A Sattahip man digging for valuables in a Khao Petch
(Diamond Hill) garbage dump instead uncovered a live military mortar round
that set off memories of past tragic finds which ended in tragedy for other
area scavengers.
This youngster callously holds the mortar round at the
garbage dump before authorities were called in to dispose of it.
Chaiwat Panwet, 40, alerted reporters to his find March
18. He said he was rummaging through the dump where military waste has been
dumped for years when he found the 65 cm mortar round. It still contained
gunpowder and a warhead.
Chaiwat said he was afraid the bomb would explode if the
garbage in the dump was burned. That, he said, could lead to more deaths
similar to what happened in the past.
He recalled an earlier case when a scavenging father and
son found a brass-plated bomb near Nongtakian Reservoir and broke it apart
to recover the valuable brass. When they did, the bomb went off killing them
both. In another case, another man also tried to remove the brass from the
end of another bomb and fragments shot into his eye, blinding him.
Chaiwat said that it is common to find leftover weapons of war in the
Sattahip area. He warned people who find any suspicious objects to call the
Naval Ordnance Department immediately to dispose of them.
Twice-arrested British drug
dealer busted again
Boonlua Chatree
An Englishman twice arrested for drug dealing who fled
Thailand and was subsequently blacklisted from the country has again been
captured after somehow sneaking back into the Kingdom.
Nigel William Dicken, 48, was arrested March 19 for
illegally entering the country when Chonburi Immigration Police finally
caught up with him.
Blacklisted Nigel Dicken (right) was arrested for
entering the country illegally.
Dicken was busted twice in 2009 for allegedly slinging
methamphetamines with the help of Thai accomplices. The most recent arrest
came Sept. 2 when he was caught with 100 ecstasy tablets in his room at LK
Apartment on Soi Batman. Two Thais working with Dicken - Samart Chaibamrung,
32, and Thanathorn Chaoraina, 32 - were later arrested on Soi Siam Country
Club holding 6.3 grams of ecstasy. Both men confessed they’d been selling
drugs for Dicken for years.
Released again on bail, Dicken fled Thailand for the
United Arab Emirates but arranged through a female lawyer acquaintance on
Thepprasit Road in Jomtien Beach to somehow re-enter the country despite him
being blacklisted by immigration. He made it through Passport Control at
Bangkok International Airport and back to Pattaya unmolested.
Immigration police raided the law office and recovered 32
pages of documents relating to his illegal re-entry into the kingdom and now
both the thrice-arrested alleged drug peddler and his legal eagle have been
caged.
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