Burst Drug Packs Found in Stomach of Canal Body

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5 April 2016, 11:53

Police and rescue workers inspect items found inside a bag containing a corpse discovered in a Bangkok canal Sunday afternoon.

BANGKOK — A man discovered floating in a Bangkok canal died of a drug overdose when the meth packets in his stomach burst, forensic police said yesterday.

Although police have yet to identify the body found Sunday, they found about 800 grams of ice, a powerful type of methamphetamine, in 58 packets in its stomach. Director of Institute of Forensic Medicine Pornchai Sutheerakhun said the man died from an overdose.

Police are uncertain as to the deceased man’s nationality.

“We never said he is not Thai,” Pornchai said. “But this type of ‘body packing’ technique is mostly used by foreigners.”

As to the wounds originally thought caused by stabbing, Pornchai said they were likely caused by postmortem animal bites. The man was believed dead at least three days when he was found floating in a black bag stuck to a waste filter in Khlong Ong Ang near Bangkok’s Wat Saket.

Police said they will continue investigating the case, which they believe could be linked to transnational drug trafficking.

Dozens of wrapped packets found inside a dead body discovered Sunday in a bag floating in a canal in Bangkok. Photo: Matichon

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Data of Nearly 50 million Turks Allegedly Leaked Online

By

Associated Press

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5 April 2016, 10:38

A Turkey national flag is hung on a balcony in Istanbul, Sunday, March 20, 2016. Photo: Emrah Gurel / Associated Press

ISTANBUL — Hackers have posted a database online that seems to contain the personal information of nearly 50 million Turkish citizens in what is one of the largest public leaks of its kind.

The Associated Press on Monday was able to partially verify the authenticity of the leak by running 10 non-public Turkish ID numbers against names contained in the dump. Eight were a match.

The leaked database contains 49,611,709 entries and divulged considerable private information, putting people at risk of identity theft and fraud. Entries include data such as national ID numbers, addresses, birthdates and parents' names.

The hackers spotlighted the information for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his predecessor Abdullah Gul, and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

The leak came with the message: "Who would have imagined that backwards ideologies, cronyism and rising religious extremism in Turkey would lead to a crumbling and vulnerable technical infrastructure?"

In a message on the lessons to be learned by Turkey, the hackers said "Bit shifting isn't encryption."

Turkish officials didn't immediately comment on the leak.

The site appears to be hosted by an Icelandic group that specializes in divulging leaks, using servers in Romania. In an era where hackers frequently gain access to sensitive information, the Turkish government is not alone in facing a major breach.

Among the most serious recent incidents, the U.S. government's Office of Personnel Management revealed in April 2015 that hackers gained access to the personal information of more than 22 million U.S. federal employees, retirees, contractors and others, and millions of sensitive and classified documents.

U.S. officials believe a Chinese espionage operation infiltrated OPM's records.

Story: Dominique Soguel and Desmond Butler / Associated Press

Expat Personal Records Posted to Govt Site

Red Bowls Distributors May Get Sent to Junta Re-Education 'Course'

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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5 April 2016, 10:34

One of thousands of red plastic water scoops to be distributed to Redshirts in the north of Thailand in an undated photo.

BANGKOK — Three former MPs allied with former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra may be the first taken in for seven-day, re-education sessions on military bases.

Their qualifications for what the junta euphemistically describes as a “class?” The trio was responsible for distributing red-colored water scoops to Thaksin supporters on behalf of the influential former premiere, junta spokesman Piyapong Klinpan said Monday.

“Officials in the legal section of the National Council for Peace and Order are deliberating whether the politicians in Nan province who handed out red bowls to the people will have to undergo the course,” Col. Piyapong said, using the full name of the junta.

The course lasts for 168 hours, or seven days, Piyapong said.

On Saturday soldiers raided the homes of former MPs Sirintorn Rammasute, Poonsuk Lohachote and Cholnan Srikaew in Nan province where they confiscated more than 10,000 red bowls, which were supposed to be used later this month in the Songkran water festival.

Each of the bowls bears a printed message and signature of former Prime Minister Thaksin, the de facto leader of the Pheu Thai Party, which led the civilian government until the May 2014 coup.

“Happy Songkran, Thai New Year 2559,” the message says. “Although the situation may be hot, I wish that you, brothers and sisters, will receive coolness from the water in this scoop.”

Meanwhile, police spokesman Dechnarong Sutticharnbancha said police are expanding the investigation to net more people involved in distributing the red bowls.

“Right now, the country wants to see peace and order and moving forward to reform the country,” Gen. Dechnarong was quoted as saying by Thairath on Monday. “If any group of people violates it, we have to prosecute them in accordance with the law.”

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Woman Charged With Sedition For Posing With Red Bucket

Teeranai Charuvastra can be reached at [email protected] and @Teeranai_C.

Follow Khaosod English on Facebook and Twitter for news, politics and more from Thailand. To reach Khaosod English about this article or another matter, please contact us by e-mail at [email protected].

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New Recruit Beaten to Death As Draft Season Begins

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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4 April 2016, 19:14

Potential recruits at a drafting station Monday in Nong Khai province.

BANGKOK — A 23-year-old soldier died today in southern Thailand after suffering a severe beating at his army base two days ago, according to his family.

The death of Private Songtham Moodmud coincides with the start of the annual military conscription, in which around 100,000 Thai men are selected for two years of service in the military, an institution with a reputation for corruption and occasional brutality.

According to a report by Manager, Pvt. Songtham was assaulted by a group of soldiers at the 1st Infantry Battalion base in Yala province on April 2 and later sent to hospital. After two days in ICU, the private died this morning from internal bleeding, Manager says, citing his family. Songtham is described in the news as a recruit who was drafted into the service some time ago.

The report adds that Songtham’s family has filed a complaint with the army command in the region.

Col. Phakphumi Ruechai, head of Batu Tamong Police Station, said Songtham’s relatives have not yet filed any charge with the police.

Although Phakphumi said his station has jurisdiction over the army base where Songtham was reportedly assaulted, police could not enter the base and launch an investigation until the military alert his station about the incident.

“The military has to notify us first. Police cannot enter the base on their own,” Phakphumi said. “At this moment, they still haven’t reached out to us.”

Cruel Training

Songtham is far from being the first draftee to suffer abuse during their conscription period.

Last month, a 21-year-old recruit was beaten by two soldiers in an army base in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, breaking his jaw.

In June 2011, more than 10 officers brutally assaulted a 25-year-old draftee, which resulted in his death in Narathiwat province.

Other tales and videos of abuses against draftees are occasionally shared on social media, sparking an ongoing debate about whether to reform, or even abolish, the country’s conscription system.

Under the law, men over 21 must report for two years of mandatory service, unless their physical or mental condition prevents them from doing so. Those who underwent military training in high school are also exempt.

This year’s conscription season started on Friday. The military says it needs around 100,000 recruits to fill the positions as privates.

While some men volunteer for the tasks because of free accommodation and steady income – some districts already report 100 percent fulfillment – others dread the draft, fearing hardship in the military and the loss of civilian careers.

Chinawut ‘Chin’ Indracusin, a 26-year-old singer and actor, openly wept in front of reporters when he was drafted in Bangkok today. Chinawuth already postponed his conscription for several years on health reasons. He is due to report to the army for his two-year service on May 1.

Chinawut ‘Chin’ Indracusin talks to reporters at a drafting station in Bangkok

“My first feeling, to be frank with you, I’m not gonna lie to you, is shock: Holy shit, I have to be a soldier?” Chinawuth told reporters.

He also said he wasn’t upset by the prospect of a hard life in the army, but by concern for his mother and siblings, as he’s the main breadwinner in the family.

“I have to cancel [my work]. In fact, there were two TV dramas waiting for me, and one film,” Chinawuth said as he wiped away tears. “I’m not crying because I don’t want to be a soldier. I’m worried about my mom and siblings. If I were not the pillar of my household, I wouldn’t be worried at all.”

Reserve Act Opens 12 Million to Summary Military Conscription

Flower Market ‘Cleanup’ Conflict Continues

By

Sasiwan Mokkhasen, Staff Reporter

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4 April 2016, 18:38

Vendors selling flowers along the roadside on Valentine's Day, 2016 at Bangkok's Pak Khlong Talad.

BANGKOK — The campaign to clean up and reclaim public space from Pak Khlong Talad, Bangkok’s iconic flower market, is still not settled four months after it began.

As staff from Bangkok City Hall were cleaning the sidewalk in Pak Khlong Talad this morning, dozens of flower vendors, gathered again in front of Government House, asking the junta to postpone the schedule of eviction.

“Some vendors tried moving to sell [flowers] at the new Yodpiman market,” Pirome Chitkorn a representative of the vendors told Matichon. “They found that people don’t like to shop there since it is not convenient and it’s small. Also the rent is pretty expensive.”

Since the campaign aimed at returning walkways to pedestrians and solving traffic congestion began to target Pak Khlong Talad in December, vendors and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, or BMA, have been involved in a prolonged conflict. With roots as a market stretching back to the late 1700s, the market has operated 24 hours a day for six decades.

Following several discussions, the deadline has been pushed back a number of times. Most recently the BMA announced that all vendors were to remove their stalls from the street by April 1st. Vendors ignored this order and sold flowers over the weekend.

Vallop Suwandee from the BMA said this morning, during his visit to the area, that vendors are still allowed to sell from the sidewalk from 8.30pm to 4.30am until the end of June. From July 1, no stalls will be permitted on the street at any time, day or night. Those who violate the ban will be fined up to 2,000 baht.

Pirom said he and his group of fellow vendors are willing to cooperate with the reorganization campaign only when City Hall is able to find a place that can accommodate all vendors.

On March 28, BMA opened a new market building a few minutes walk away from the site currently used by sellers. The new site is called Pak Khlong Triphet and some vendors are willing to move there. The 24-hour market has 74 stalls and can accommodate 148 vendors. This falls short of being able to accommodate all of the hundreds of flower sellers presently operating in the area.

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Animal Rights Activists Target China Dog Meat Festival

By

Associated Press

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4 April 2016, 16:00

In this June 21, 2015, file photo, dogs in cages are sold by vendors at a market during a dog meat festival in Yulin in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Photo: Chinatopix / Associated Press

BEIJING — Animal rights activists are seeking to shut down an annual summer dog meat festival in southern China blamed for blackening the country's international reputation as well as fueling extreme cruelty to canines and unhygienic food handling practices.

Activists from a coalition of groups said Monday that they will continue press for the festival to be banned as well as legislation outlawing the slaughtering of dogs and cats and the consumption of their meat.

While an estimated 10-20 million dogs are killed for their meat each year in China, the June 20 event in the city of Yulin has come to symbolize the cruelty and lack of hygiene associated with the largely unregulated industry.

Yu Hongmei, director of the VShine Animal Protection Association, said China needs to follow the example of the vast majority of developed nations that have banned eating dog and cat.

"China needs to progress with the times," Yu said. "Preventing cruelty to animals is the sign of a mature, civilized society."

Restaurant owners say eating dog meat is traditional during the summer, while opponents say the festival that began in 2010 has no cultural value and was merely invented to drum up business. Since 2014, the local government has sought to disassociate itself from the event, forbidding its employees from attending and limiting its size by shutting down some dog markets and slaughter houses.

Still, as many as 10,000 dogs, many of them stolen pets still wearing their collars, are slaughtered for the festival held deep inside the poor, largely rural Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Some are trucked in hundreds of kilometers (miles) stuffed six or seven to a crate or small metal cage without food or water. Slaughtering takes place in front of the animals, usually with a club to induce the pain and fear that restaurant owners claim makes their adrenaline-rich meat tastier.

"Psychologically and mentally, they have already died many times," said Peter J. Li, Humane Society International's China policy specialist.

Dog meat also poses a risk to human health by spreading diseases such as trichinellosis, rabies and cholera, the Humane Society says. Guangxi is already one of China's five worst areas affected by human rabies, and Yulin ranks as one of the top 10 Chinese cities in terms of cases, the organization says.

Activists said rallies held around the country to oppose dog eating, as well as outrage on social media from the growing ranks of dog lovers, are already having an effect. Dog meat restaurants have been forced to take the festival indoors and large-scale open air dog meat consumption is no longer seen.

However, a draft animal cruelty law remains mired in China's legislature and prosecution of dog thieves and those violating animal transport laws remains lax, activists complain.

Yu Dezhi, secretary general of Animal Protection Power, said he was confident that shifting consumption habits will eventually help build the necessary groundswell against the Yulin festival and dog eating in general.

"There is simply no market for dog meat among young people," Yu said.

Story: Christopher Bodeen / Associated Press

Thaksin’s Red Bowls Incite Division, Junta Says

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

-

4 April 2016, 14:49

Red bowls at the home of former Pheu Thai MP Sirintorn Rammasute on Saturday in Nan province.

BANGKOK — The ruling junta today justified its ongoing crackdown on Thai New Year gifts from former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to his supporters by claiming the presents risk creating conflict in society.

A day after soldiers raided the home of a former politician and confiscated more than 8,000 red bowls, junta spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said Monday that Thaksin was trying to “exploit” the festive season for his own political agenda.

10,000 'Red Bowls' Confiscated, Deemed Threat to National Security

“This is exploitation of the upcoming Songkran festival to mask his agenda,” Maj. Gen. Sansern said at a news conference. “Which is unacceptable behavior, because it is intended to incite and instigate division among the people, to separate them into different colors and sides.”

Thaksin planned to distribute the bowls to his supporters in the north, where he enjoys significant support, for the upcoming Songkran festival.

Although Thaksin has been living in exile since being ousted by a coup in 2006, he retains immense popularity among his supporters, known as the Redshirts. He’s also the de facto leader of Pheu Thai Party, which led the government until the May 2014 coup against the government of his sister, Yingluck Shinawatra.

Gen. Anupong Paochinda, a member of the ruling junta, also said Thaksin has a “hidden agenda” behind his plan to distribute the red bowls.

“I think there’s an agenda. If you ask anyone, they will say he has an agenda, too,” said Gen. Anupong, who also serves as Minister of Interior Affairs. “It doesn’t benefit the country. If he has innocent intentions, there wouldn’t be his photo or his name on the bowls at all.”

The water scoops contain a printed message saying: “Although the situation is heated, it’s hoped that brothers and sisters would be soothed by the water in this bowl,” and come with a printed signature of Thaksin.

Hunt for Red Bowls

The military reacted to the red bowls with zero tolerance.

On Tuesday, a 57-year-old woman was arrested and charged with sedition for posting a picture on Facebook of herself posing with the controversial water scoop. Theerawan Charoensuk, 57, will be tried by a military tribunal. She faces a possible prison term of seven years if found guilty.

And then on Saturday, soldiers raided the home of former Pheu Thai MP Sirintorn Rammasute in Nan province and took away 8,862 red bowls before they could be handed out. A further 1,500 red buckets were later seuzed in a raid on the office of another former Pheu Thai MP in the same province, according to a Matichon reporter.

Sirintorn said Monday that the military has summoned her for interrogation later this week, at which point she expects to be charged with sedition.

“They haven’t filed any charge against me so far, but I believe they will definitely do that,” Sirintorn said by telephone. “They told me in advance that they have to file the charge. They say they have to do their duty.”

Meanwhile, Sansern, the junta spokesman, hinted that further action may be taken against Pheu Thai politicians behind the red bowl distribution, as the junta is running out of patience.

“In the past, the government has tried to be patient and tolerate these questionable behaviors in order to give everyone a chance to repent and look forward to the [benefits] of the country, instead of looking at the interests of their own people,” Sansern said.

He then referred to a recently announced plan to detain junta critics for seven days of “re-education.”

“One measure that will be used in the near future is to bring in politicians or people who still cause unrest for a discussion under the supervision of [the junta]. It will take seven days per session, in army bases throughout the country … we hope this will help reduce and decrease the kind of behavior that incites trouble in the country.”

Police Confiscate 'Red Bowls' From Yingluck Supporters

Thai Rath Reporter Taken to Army Base for 'Red Bowl' Report

Woman Charged With Sedition For Posing With Red Bucket

Teeranai Charuvastra can be reached at [email protected] and @Teeranai_C.

Viral Video Leads Police to Alleged Ringleader of Minor Sex Ring

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

-

4 April 2016, 12:51

Still images from a video posted online Thursday showing a teen girl being beaten by a mob in Buriram province.

BURIRAM — A video shared on social media as a "cat fight" between teen girls led to the arrest of a 21-year-old woman suspected of running an underage prostitution ring, police said Monday.

After video surfaced of a woman and several accomplices beating a girl later identified as a 14-year-old student in Buriram province, her family told police the beating came from those forcing her into prostitution. Local police chief Col. Somchai Sophonpanyaporn identified the alleged ringleader only as Sawitri, 21.

Somchai said Sawitri and seven underage suspects were arrested Thursday, shortly after the video was posted to social media. The incident occurred March 27.

The eight suspects were initially charged only with physical assault, Somchai said. On Sunday, the victim and her family told police that she was a victim of Sawitri’s prostitution ring, and so police charged Sawitri with procuring an underage sex worker, the colonel said. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.

Somchai also said that Sawitri, who had been released on bail, is back in custody because she sent threatening messages to the victim for speaking to police.

The other seven underage suspects were being held at a juvenile detention facility while investigators determine whether they were also victims of the alleged sex ring, Somchai said.

Sawitri declined to comment on the charges to police, Somchai said.

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Teeranai Charuvastra can be reached at[email protected] and @Teeranai_C.

Thaksin Tells Junta to Mind the Drought, Not His New Year Gifts

By

Reuters

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4 April 2016, 11:59

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra looks on as he speaks to Reuters during an interview in Singapore Feb. 23, 2016. Photo: Edgar Su/ Reuters

BANGKOK — Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said on Sunday the military government should focus on dealing with the country's problems after soldiers seized thousands of red plastic bowls he and his sister sent supporters as a New Year gift.

The junta led by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who toppled Yingluck's government in a 2014 coup, has reacted skittishly as Thaksin has become more vocal in his opposition to the military government this year.

On Saturday, troops took the bowls from the offices of three former members of parliament of the Shinawatra-backed Puea Thai Party in the northern province of Nan.

"I give gifts every year," Thaksin, who lives in self-imposed exile and was ousted in a 2006 coup, posted on his Instagram thaksinlive from Guangzhou, China.

"I don't think it will cause any trouble or undermine the country's security. They should spend more time dealing with problems facing Thai people, such as drought, violence in the south and drugs."

The bowls carry a message in white lettering, saying "Happy New Year" – according to a picture posted on Thaksin's Instagram.

Local media showed a message in Thai on the other side of the bowl which reads: "Even though the situation is hot, I hope you will keep cool with water flowing from this bowl."

Last week, a woman was charged with sedition for posting a picture of herself on Facebook holding one of the bowls.

Police spokesman Dejnarong Suthichambancha told Reuters authorities are investigating the red bowls seized at Nan and has not charged the former MPs.

Thailand is facing its worst drought for over 20 years, hurting a rural economy already struggling with debt and the removal of the generous subsidies Yingluck paid farmers.

In the Muslim-majority provinces in the south, the number of attacks by insurgents has risen in recent months after falling to a decade-low because of increased security efforts in the region.

Police Confiscate ‘Red Bowls’ From Yingluck Supporters

Thairath Reporter Taken to Army Base for ‘Red Bowl’ Report

Woman Charged With Sedition For Posing With Red Bucket

To reach us about this article or another matter, please contact us by e-mail at: ks.english@khaosod.co.th.

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Follow @KhaosodEnglish

Dead Body Found Floating in Bangkok Canal

By

Sasiwan Mokkhasen, Staff Reporter

-

4 April 2016, 11:35

BANGKOK — When a factory worker tried to remove a bag stuck in a Khlong Ong Ang waste filter yesterday, he was surprised to find the head and shoulder of a man spilling out of it.

Inside the black bag found Sunday in the water about 20 meters from Samranrat Junction, police found the dead body of an Asian man believed to have died at least three days ago. More than eight stab wounds were found on the body.

Deputy police spokesman Maj. Gen. Songpol Wattanachai said after examination police were unable yet to identify the nationality of the man, but they believe he is not Thai.

The body, about 160 centimeters in height, was found inside the 90×60 centimeters black bag. Inside the bag, a package of tobacco and a bag of white powder was also found. The substance has yet to be identified. The bag was stuck on a bamboo screen used to obstruct waste flowing through the canal.

Police said their investigation will continue while the body has been transferred to medical examiners.

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