Botched Gun Store Heist Not Terrorism, Police Say

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7 March 2016, 18:35

Scene from the attempted robbery at Inter Arms gun store in Bangkok on Friday

BANGKOK — A group of Chinese nationals who attempted to rob a gun store in Chinatown on Friday had no known links to any terror groups, the commander of Bangkok police said today.

Instead the botched robbery, which left one of the assailants dead and two others injured, was an attempt to acquire firearms for resale on the Chinese black market, said deputy police spokesman Songpol Wattanachai.

“This has nothing to do with politics,” Gen. Songpol said by telephone Monday. “We checked with the Chinese Embassy. None of them was on the blacklist of Chinese authorities. No national security issue. No terrorism.”

Three of the suspects and their alleged mastermind, Yang Zheng, were brought before the Criminal Court on Monday to be indicted and remanded into custody. The judge agreed the suspects pose a flight risk and denied them bail.

Friday’s bizarre attack, in which three of four Chinese men were shot trying to hold up a gun store with airguns and knives, brought to mind the August bombing of the Erawan Shrine, which was allegedly carried out by a group of Chinese Uighurs. The attack killed 20 people, including Chinese tourists, and is believed by some analysts to have been revenge on Beijing and Bangkok for persecution of the Uighurs.

Crime scene photo of officer Thawatchai Pewpong, who police said shot and killed robbery suspect Wu Xingjun.

Songpol said Yang confessed to plotting the robbery with his friend Wu Xingjun, who died from gunshot wounds sustained during the attempted robbery. They reportedly hired three other men for the job, identified by police as Lin Kunpeng, Ma Geng and Sun Junwei.

Yang and four other suspects scouted the location, a gun shop named Interarms near Chinatown, two days before the robbery, Songpol said.

Yang said he wanted to steal the guns and then smuggle them into China for sale on the black market, where one weapon can fetch up to 1 million baht, Songpol said.

“Some brands are worth 1 million baht in the black market, even though they only cost 50,000 to 100,000 baht normally [in Thailand],” Songpol said.

According to Songpol, Yang watched from afar when the four suspects tried to hold up the Charoen Krung Road shop. The shopkeepers open fire, and the four were forced to retreat. Although earlier media reports said the shop owner shot one of the robbers dead, Songpol said it was a police officer in the area who killed Wu.

“They ran into police on their way out, and the officers assumed they were holding real guns,” Songpol said. “They couldn’t just let the robbers shoot at them, right?”

Yang allegedly fled the scene and attempted to travel back to China but was later arrested near the border with Laos.

Songpol said the Chinese Embassy confirmed that all suspects are Chinese citizens. Two are from Inner Mongolia, an autonomous region in China, which likely contributed to erroneous reports identifying them as Mongolian.

Songpol also said the four suspects do not have legal representation because “they said don’t need a lawyer.”

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Five Injured After Attempted Robbery at Chinatown Gun Shop

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

Taliban Suicide Bomber Kills 11 Outside Pakistani Court

By

Associated Press

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7 March 2016, 17:00

Volunteers carry an injured man to a hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan, Monday, Mar. 7, 2016. Photo: Mohammad Sajjad / Associated Press

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A suicide bomber attacked the entrance to a court in northwestern Pakistan on Monday, killing 11 people, police said.

The blast in the town of Shabqadar also wounded another 15 people, said police official Ali Jan Khan. Two policemen and a policewoman were included among the dead, he said.

The attacker tried to enter the court premises where police stopped him, said another police officer, Saeed Khan Wazir. The bomber opened fire at the officers and started running toward the courtrooms where a large number of lawyers and their clients were present, he said. A policeman began fighting the attacker, who then detonated his explosives, Wazir said.

A group affiliated with the Pakistani Taliban and calling itself Jamat-ul-Ahrar claimed responsibility. The local Taliban branch or its allied militant groups have been waging a war against the state for over a decade, killing tens of thousands of people.

The town of Shabqadar is located in the Charsadda district, where four suicide bombers from a Pakistani Taliban-linked group killed 21 students and teachers on Jan 20.

The town sits on the edge of the Mohmand tribal region bordering Afghanistan, where two Pakistanis working with the U.S. Consulate in the northwestern city of Peshawar were killed by a roadside bomb while on a mission to eradicate drug cultivation on March 1. That attack was also claimed by Jamat-ul-Ahrar.

The court bombing was an attack on the judiciary which gives verdicts against God’s divine laws, said Ahrar’s spokesman Ahsanullah Ahsan in a statement emailed to an Associated Press reporter.

It was a revenge for the hanging of Mumtaz Qadri who was executed last week for the 2011 killing of a provincial governor.

Story: Riaz Khan / Associated Press

Constitution Debate To Be Televised

By

Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

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7 March 2016, 16:27

Election Commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn in an undated file photo.

By Pravit Rojanaphruk
Senior Staff Writer

BANGKOK — Opponents of the junta-sponsored draft charter will be limited to pre-recorded studio debates which will be televised nationwide, an elections official said.

In order to ensure a free and fair referendum, the Election Commission will provide a TV platform for debates, Election Commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn said Monday. No public gatherings or forums will be held as the commission fears they are “too risky” and could turn violent, however.

“Sometimes we cannot control the situation. Using a studio, we can broadcast it throughout the country, however,” said the 57-year-old Somchai, who has served on the five-member commission since 2013. He argued that only a few hundred people could attend an open forum, and he believes a studio debate could reach a much wider audience.

Groups to Defy Ban on Debating Draft Charter

“If everything goes as planned, the forum to be provided by the Election Commission will be an open forum for all sides to equally express their views,” he said.

The programs will be pre-recorded and edited for content, Somchai said, but only to remove any offensive or defamatory statements.

“Let me insist that there will be no such editing that will be done in order to benefit a particular side,” he said.

Those who want to participate will have to register with the commission. Applicants will have to register as a group of at least 15 people, a process that should open around mid-April, Somchai said. Somchai boasted the debate will allot 30 minutes to each of 10 major topics related to the draft charter, and will be aired during prime time on a rotating schedule.

Somchai said those thinking of defying the junta’s ban and organizing their own public debate on the merits of the proposed constitution can go ahead but must be prepared to face the consequences.

“It must not be something that causes political chaos or is a tool for a particular political side,” the commissioner said. Somchai said the commission hasn’t considered asking the junta to relax its ban on political gatherings of five or more people for the sake of a free and fair vote.

Citizens should however have the right to wear T-shirts in support or opposition to the charter in public, as long as their messages don’t call for rejecting the referendum process.

Aware that some people have been removed by police and soldiers from public areas during the past few weekends for merely wearing T-shirts opposing the draft charter and giving away campaign stickers, Somchai said these people should have informed the commission in advance and registered with them for their own legal protection.

The Commission also plans send brochures to all voters with a brief summary of the draft charter and four pages positing major reasons to support or oppose it.

Somchai, who is in charge of organizing the July poll, said foreign election observers are welcome, and a budget might be allocated to cover lodging and domestic travel costs for up to 200 observers.

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'Supreme Honor’ for Junta Charter Salesman

Pravit Rojanaphruk can be reached at [email protected] and @PravitR.

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].

Follow @KhaosodEnglish

See Film Trump Fought to Suppress for Decades

By

Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

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7 March 2016, 15:20

BANGKOK — Long a fixture of oversized American personalities, Donald Trump has become a household name around the world with his say-anything, demagogic quest for the U.S. presidency.

Beyond today’s headlines and soundbytes and hands debate, the story of the man known as The Donald was the subject of a documentary never shown due to legal threats from Trump.

See another side to the Republican party front-runner in “Trump: What’s the Deal,” a 1991 documentary screening every Saturday evening this month at theFriese-Greene Club.

“The film-makers uncovered an empire that was built on exaggeration, distortion, extortion, and financial mismanagement,” the club said in its announcement. “But then the Trump legal machine kicked into action, and [financier Leonard] Stern cancelled the series after threats of lawsuits.”

Made at a time when television or movie theaters were the only means of reaching the public, the documentary Trump succeeded in suppressing for almost a quarter of a century resurfaced on the internet this past July.

It’s title is a play on the title of Trump’s first and most famous book “Trump: The Art of the Deal” published in 1987. The book, both memoir and business success how-to, was a bestseller.

The Trump-umentary will screen at 8pm on Saturday, and again on March 19 and March 26.

Club screenings are usually free, but due to licensing costs a 150 baht entry fee will be charged. Seating in the theater is very limited, but features typically show concurrently on screens in the downstairs lounge and bar area.

The Friese-Greene Club is located on Soi Sukhumvit Soi 22. The private cinema can be reached by foot from BTS Phrom Phong.

Chayanit Itthipongmaetee can be reached at[email protected] and @chayaniti92.

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].

See Film Trump Fought to Suppress for Decades

By

Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

-

7 March 2016, 15:20

Photo: Trump: What's The Deal? / Facebook

BANGKOK — Long a fixture of oversized American personalities, Donald Trump has become a household name around the world with his say-anything, demagogic quest for the U.S. presidency.

Beyond today’s headlines and soundbytes and hands debate, the story of the man known as The Donald was the subject of a documentary never shown due to legal threats from Trump.

See another side to the Republican party front-runner in “Trump: What’s the Deal,” a 1991 documentary screening every Saturday evening this month at the Friese-Greene Club.

“The film-makers uncovered an empire that was built on exaggeration, distortion, extortion, and financial mismanagement,” the club said in its announcement. “But then the Trump legal machine kicked into action, and [financier Leonard] Stern cancelled the series after threats of lawsuits.”

Made at a time when television or movie theaters were the only means of reaching the public, the documentary Trump succeeded in suppressing for almost a quarter of a century resurfaced on the internet this past July.

It’s title is a play on the title of Trump’s first and most famous book “Trump: The Art of the Deal” published in 1987. The book, both memoir and business success how-to, was a bestseller.

The Trump-umentary will screen at 8pm on Saturday, and again on March 19 and March 26.

Club screenings are usually free, but due to licensing costs a 150 baht entry fee will be charged. Seating in the theater is very limited, but features typically show concurrently on screens in the downstairs lounge and bar area.

The Friese-Greene Club is located on Sukhumvit Soi 22. The private cinema can be reached by foot from BTS Phrom Phong.

Chayanit Itthipongmaetee can be reached at [email protected] and @chayaniti92.

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].

Follow @KhaosodEnglish

Taxi Fares to Rise After Songkran

By

Sasiwan Mokkhasen, Staff Reporter

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7 March 2016, 13:47

BANGKOK — While competition in the taxi app market is driving prices down, the Ministry of Transport approved a fare increase for traditional taxis of at least 5 percent.

The new adjustment expected to go into effect mid-April includes the meter rate and airport service charge. The second phase of a long-delayed adjustment first approved in late 2014 should help bring fares in line with actual costs, transportation officials said following a meeting Friday.

“The Department of Land Transport approved the first fare adjustment [in December 2014] for 6 to 8 percent higher,” said the department’s Sanit Phromwong. “The second adjustment in late April is expected to add 5 to 7 percent more which is still under 13 percent approved.”

The changes approved in 2014 were the first increase to fares in nearly two decades.

Though the airport fee will also be increased, Sanit said it will not reach the approved maximum, as those offering airport service will already benefit from the fare increase.

The new meter rate and airport fee have not yet been finalized.

Officials said that when the meter rate comes into effect, strict enforcement will be enacted to prevent taxi drivers from not using the meter or refusing passengers. The department also said it will increase monitoring by ordering every taxi to install GPS devices this year.

For years, officials have sought to reduce the number of complaints about Bangkok’s taxi service with cyclical crackdowns and enforcement efforts, all to little effect.

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Thai Govt Releases Taxi Rating App

Dread Grips Nation as Uranus Enters Astrologically Perilous Position

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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7 March 2016, 13:26

Worshipers linked through ‘sai sin’ to the chedi of Wat Traimit pray Sunday in Bangkok.

BANGKOK — Prayers were offered and merit made across the country Sunday in a frantic effort by some to ward off any evil influence a planet 2.5 billion kilometers away may have on the nation.

As Uranus completes its 84-year journey around the sun, the ice giant arrived Sunday to a portion of the sky designated by Thai astrologers as the Aries zodiac – upon which Thailand’s collective fortune, or duang muang, is widely believed to rest upon.

An astrological phenomenon commanding far greater interest than the pending astronomical novelty of Wednesday’s solar eclipse, Uranus is causing widespread anxiety. That’s because the last time Uranus entered Aries 84 years ago markedthe revolution that overthrew the absolute monarchy.

According to Thai astrological schools, Uranus is a harbinger of doom; the name of the planet itself is dao maruet ta yoo, or “Star of Death.”

“The shifting of the Star of Death doesn’t happen often,” Phra Phrom Mangalajarn, deputy abbot of Bangkok’s famed Wat Traimit told reporters last week. “The upcoming shift on March 6 will be the first in 84 years from the last time the Star of Death shifted itself in 1932, which was the year of the regime change.”

To appease the planet’s alleged demonic influence as it intruded into Aries, Wat Traimit and other major temples across the Kingdom held mass prayer sessions on Sunday.

The most high-profile ceremony took place at Wat Traimit. It was attended by VIPs such as commander of Thai police Chakthip Chaijinda, Minister of Tourism Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul and executives of CP Group, one of the world’s largest conglomerates. The event was live-streamed via Facebook by Matichon newspaper.

Feeding the hype in the run-up to March 6, Thai-language media ran apocalyptic analyses by numerous astrologers who said the kingdom is heading toward inevitable doom and chaos because of Uranus.

Even more bad news: It will take Uranus seven years to traverse Aries, which means Thailand’s bad luck streak will run until 2023.

“There will be conflict and political upheaval,” Boonlert Pairin, a former Democrat MP and senator turned astrologer told Khaosod newspaper on Sunday. “It includes reforms in education, religion, culture and laws. And the country’s leader will be changed.”

Famous astrologer Tossaporn “Ajarn Chang” Sritula also wrote online that though Uranus may not always cause bad luck, every Thai should still make merit, pray and donate to charity to reinforce the duang muang.

“Apart from asking for blessing yourselves, don’t forget to pray for blessing to strengthen Thailand’s duang muang and ask for positive change in the next seven years,” Tossaporn wrote on his Facebook Feb. 29.

Thailand is deeply superstitious. Belief in astrology, feng shui and supernatural powers is common among rich and poor alike. Ordinary Thais consult temple monks and street fortune tellers, while many government officials and business executives have their personal feng shui masters and astrologers.

There is some earthly basis for a national mood of anxiety. The country is still ruled by a junta which has made it clear that democratic rule will not be restored for several years, the economy appears to be ailing, and two prominent Buddhist factions have clashed over question of who will be elevated lead Thailand’s Buddhists as Supreme Patriarch.

Many people share anxieties over the possibility of royal succession as widely revered King Bhumibol, who has reigned since 1946, is recovering from several illnesses in hospital.

Astrologer Warns of 'Political Chaos' As Comet Zips By Mars

Thai Govt Chides Astrologers for Earthquake Predictions

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

Dread Grips Nation as Uranus Enters Astrologically Perilous Position

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

-

7 March 2016, 13:26

BANGKOK — Prayers were offered and merit made across the country Sunday in a frantic effort by some to ward off any evil influence a planet 2.5 billion kilometers away may have on the nation.

As Uranus completes its 84-year journey around the sun, the ice giant arrived Sunday to a portion of the sky designated by Thai astrologers as the Aries zodiac – upon which Thailand’s collective fortune, or duang muang, is widely believed to rest upon.

An astrological phenomenon commanding far greater interest than the pending astronomical novelty of Wednesday’s solar eclipse, Uranus is causing widespread anxiety. That’s because the last time Uranus entered Aries 84 years ago marked the revolution that overthrew the absolute monarchy.

According to Thai astrological schools, Uranus is a harbinger of doom; the name of the planet itself is dao maruet ta yoo, or “Star of Death.”

“The shifting of the Star of Death doesn’t happen often,” Phra Phrom Mangalajarn, deputy abbot of Bangkok’s famed Wat Traimit told reporters last week. “The upcoming shift on March 6 will be the first in 84 years from the last time the Star of Death shifted itself in 1932, which was the year of the regime change.”

To appease the planet’s alleged demonic influence as it intruded into Aries, Wat Traimit and other major temples across the Kingdom held mass prayer sessions on Sunday.

Worshipers linked through ‘sai sin’ to the chedi of Wat Traimit pray Sunday in Bangkok