Police Admit to Shooting At, Arresting Wrong Men in NE Thailand

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15 June 2015, 17:05

Weerapol Pansai, 30, and Suriyan Pakkavesa, 26, (L) speaking to officials at the government complaint center in Maha Sarakham province, 15 June 2015.

MAHA SARAKHAM — A police commander in northeastern Thailand has apologized to two men who plain-clothed officers shot at yesterday because they mistook them for suspected drug dealers.

Pol.Col. Anawin Phu-ngoen, superintendent of Borabue Police Station, said officers misidentified the two men as drug suspects because they were driving a similar-looking car.

“After we realized later that a mistake had occured, we contacted the families of the victims and are now preparing to conduct a ceremony to apologize to them,” Pol.Col. Anawin told Khaosod. “We have already compensated the victims for the damaged property.”

He added that police have convened a committee to investigate the officers involved in the case, and will start legal action as soon as criminal charges are filed.

Weerapol Pansai, 30, and Suriyan Pakkavesa, 26, who filed a complaint at a government center in Maha Sarakham province today, said they were driving to the town center yesterday afternoon when the officers, who were not wearing uniforms at the time, shot at the wheels of their vehicle without warning.

Weerapol said he and his friend then ran for their lives but were soon caught by the men, who identified themselves as police officers, and accused them of being drug dealers. According to Weerapol, the officers forced him to admit that he owned a drug package that had been placed in his car after he ran away. He was reportedly kicked several times when he insisted that he had no knowledge of the package.

The two men were later escorted to Borabue Police Station, where they again plead their innocence, and were eventually released after police officers realized they had misidentified the pair. Weerapol and Suriyan said an officer named Pol.Lt.Cpt. Pichet Si-ong apologized and gave them a gift basket and five thousand baht in cash as compensation.

Weerapol said he filed the complaint today because he believes the officers involved in the incident should face legal action.

“If the bullets missed the mark and killed us, who would be responsible for taking care of our families?” Weerapol told reporters today. “I want this group of police officers to be charged in the legal system.”

Lese Majeste Discussion Blocked by Junta: FCCT

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Khaosod English

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15 June 2015, 17:05

File photo of the Foreign Correspondents' Club in Bangkok [Matichon].

BANGKOK — Thailand's Foreign Correspondents' Club has cancelled a discussion on the Kingdom’s draconian lese majeste law after police delivered a verbal order from the ruling military junta.

The law, which falls under section 112 of Thailand’s criminal code, punishes insulting the Thai monarchy with up to 15 years in prison. It is the harshest law of its kind in the world, and has been applied with renewed vigor by the military junta that seized power from a democratic government in May 2014.

The event’s panelists, which included both critics and supporters of the law, were slated to discuss “trends in the application of Article 112” at the FCCT on 17 June.

However, according to a statement released by the club today, the event has been canceled after police informed the FCCT that soldiers would “come and seal off access” to the building if the event goes forward.

The FCCT reportedly requested a written order from the military government, but was told that the junta would “not issue such a letter because they fear it would be used in the media to damage their image.”

According to the club, police said they were concerned the event would sow disunity among Thai people and lead to political unrest.

It is the second time this month that Thai authorities have attempted to block events at the FCCT, which for years has hosted many controversial debates with minimal interference. Two weeks ago, police ordered the club to cancel a discussion on the junta’s human rights violations. The FCCT complied, but the talk’s organizers, the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR), defied police and held a press conference outside the club’s doors.

According to TLHR, Thai authorities have interfered with at least 73 political forums since the coup.

David Streckfuss, a Thailand-based scholar who was expected to sit on this week’s lese majeste panel, called the junta's cancellation a “worrying sign for Thailand’s future.”

“I don’t think anyone is surprised,” he told Khaosod English. “But it’s disappointing that the regime is still so paranoid about allowing discussions about basic rights and a topic that really needs discussion.”

King Bhumibol, 87, is widely revered as a demi-god in Thailand, where he has sat on the throne for more than half a century. He is currently being treated for poor health in a hospital in Bangkok, a cause of anxiety for many Thais who have never lived under another monarch.

After seizing power, junta leader and hard-line royalist Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha granted military courts jurisdiction over lese majeste cases, citing the crime’s “threat to national security.” Nearly 50 people have been charged with lese majeste over the past year, and more than half of them have been denied bail while they await trial, according to iLaw, a watchdog group that tracks legal cases in Thailand. Those who have been convicted have received harsh sentences, including a man who was sentenced to 25 years in prison for posting "defamatory" comments on Facebook.

The military government has also unsuccessfully sought to extradite lese majeste suspects who have fled abroad. Officials say 31 people charged with lese majeste are currently living in exile, with 14 of them residing in neighboring Laos.

(Reporting by Sally Mairs)

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Thailand's Got Talent Producers Apologize for 'Desecrating Buddha's Footprint' [+video]

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Khaosod English

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15 June 2015, 15:51

A screenshot from the controversial opening of Thailand's Got Talent's fifth season.

LAMPANG – The producers of a reality television series in Thailand have formally apologized for filming a scene on top of a mountain in Lampang province where Lord Buddha is said to have left a footprint thousands of years ago.

The controversy erupted when Thailand's Got Talent, an entertainment show based on its British franchise, aired the first episode of the show’s fifth season on 7 June. In the opening segment, the show’s host – famous Thai comedian Kathsepsawad Palkawong na Ayutthaya – is seen standing and planting a flag on top of the mountain near Wat Chalerm Phrakiat Phrachomklao temple in the northern province of Lampang.

Many viewers were offended to see Kathsepsawad standing on a sacred site where some Thai Buddhists believe Buddha left a massive footprint during a visit to Lampang. Although historians say it’s extremely unlikely that Buddha, who is said to have lived between 480 – 400 BCE, ever left the Indian subcontinent while he was alive, Thai Buddhists believe he visited Thailand numerous times and left footprints around the country.

The controversial opening to the first episdoe of Thailand's Got Talent's fifth season.

In response to the controversy, Kathsepsawad and the producers of Thailand's Got Talent climbed back to the spot in Lampang today and held a ceremony to apologize to Buddha's spirit.

"If the show crew has violated this holy site in any way, I and my crew hereby seek your forgiveness," they said together in a prayer. "We implore the divine entities that are enshrined upon this place to have mercy and forgive us."

Speaking to reporters afterwards, Kathsepsawad, who is better known by his stage name Na Nek, said he and the film crew did not notice the sign marking the site of Buddha's footprint while they were filming the show.

"Once we learned that we made a mistake, we traveled here to apologize," Kathsepsawad said. "This will be a lesson for us when we film in other locations. We will be more cautious in the future."

Thailand's Got Talent has been subject of several controversies in the past. The show producers were fined 200,000 baht by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission (NBTC), in June 2012 for airing an episode in which a woman used her naked chest to paint a picture, which the NBTC ruled as obscene.

The NBTC again fined Thailand's Got Talent for 500,000 baht in 2013 after it broadcast an episode that featured the show's judges mocking a mentally-disabled contestant. The NBTC said the encounter damaged the "good morality of the people."

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Isaan Activists Summoned for Collaborating With Anti-Junta Students

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Khaosod English

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15 June 2015, 14:03

Activists from Anurak Baan Na Moon-Doon Sat of Kalasin Province met with military officers and other state officials on 12 June 2015 [Prachatai English]<br /> — Activists from Anurak Baan Na Moon-Doon Sat of Kalasin Province met with military officers and other state officials on 12 June 2015 [Prachatai English]

(Prachatai English)

BANGKOK – The Thai military summoned four leaders of an activist group in Isaan, Thailand’s Northeast, for joining a blessing ceremony for an anti-junta student activist who staged a demonstration to commemorate the 2014 coup d’état last month.

At 10.30 am on Friday, the military officers the northeastern province of Kalasin summoned four activists from Anurak Baan Na Moon-Doon Sat group, a local environmental protection for a talk.

The talk was held at Dumrong Dham Center, a state-ran office to accept complaints and petitions, in Kalasin City Hall, where 10 police, military, and local administrative officers held a dialogue with the group.

Pattaya Restaurant Owner Refutes 'Pesticide-Spraying' Video

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Khaosod English

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15 June 2015, 13:25

Sompong Yaha (R) with the bottle of crisco she uses to spray seafood at her restaurant in Pattaya, 14 June 2015.

CHONBURI — A restaurant owner in the resort town of Pattaya has refuted a video shared on social media that accused her of spraying seafood with pesticide.

The video, which shows a woman spraying seafood with a can whose label cannot be seen, surfaced online on 13 June with the caption: "This seafood restaurant sprays Baygon [a brand of DDT product] to keep the flies away! That is seafood. It needs cold ice to keep it fresh, but this restaurant bathes it in formalin and sprays it with Baygon."

The clip went viral over the weekend, with many commentators calling for food safety authorities in Pattaya to inspect the restaurant.

Screenshot from the vidoe of Sompong spraying seafood in Pattaya.

Sompong Yaha, 44, identified herself to reporters as the vendor seen in the video and said she was spraying the food with Crisco, a popular brand of vegetable oil-based cooking spray.

"I use it to get rid of the smell of seafood and to keep flies from touching the food," said Sompong, who owns the restaurant Paul Thai Food on Pattaya Second Road. "This cooking oil spray is very well known and commonly used by seafood vendors. It is approved by the FDA [Thai Food and Drug Agency]. It can be bought at any shopping mall and supermarket."

She added, "I'd like to ask those who filmed the video and the people who watched it: if you have a question, you can ask me straightaway. I am willing to explain everything. Filming the video in secret and publishing it in a damaging way without knowing the truth has caused much trouble for me and other seafood vendors … I'd like you to think things thorough before posting anything [on social media]."

As of the time of this writing, the video has been deleted.

The use of pesticides and other chemicals on some street food in Thailand has led authorities to launch occasional crackdowns on the practice.

In December 2014, Narong Sahametapat, Permanent Secretary of the Department of Public Health, announced that a random inspection of five markets in Nakhon Sawan province found that a quarter of the food inspected contained formaldehyde.

Narong said some food vendors use the chemical, which is dangerous to consume, to prolong the freshness of their food.

The Department announced in 2011 that it collected 140,000 food samples from markets and stalls in Thailand and discovered that 4 percent of the samples were contaminated with pesticides and other hazardous substances.

The Department of Public Health has advised the public to wash all fresh produce with running water to ensure that the food is not tainted with any preservatives. The penalty for adding hazardous chemicals to food is two years in prison.

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Disgraced Palace Official Faces Death Penalty, Police Say

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Khaosod English

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15 June 2015, 12:49

Montri Sotangkul (R) apologizing to his father for his alleged crimes, 14 June 2015.<br /> — Montri Sotangkul (R) apologizing to his father for his alleged crimes, 14 June 2015.

BANGKOK — A senior police commander confirmed that the assistant to ex-princess Srirasmi, a former wife of Thailand's Crown Prince, is facing the death penalty for allegedly abusing his royal rank for personal gain.

The suspect, Montri Sotangkul, has been charged with a number of offences, including insulting the monarchy (lese majeste), bribing state officials, and malfeasance in office. The latter crime carries a maximum penalty of death, a deputy spokesperson of the Bangkok Metropolitan Police told reporters yesterday.

"The maximum penalty the suspect is facing is execution," said Pol.Col. Ekkarak Limsangkart. "But how he will be punished depends on the judgment of the court."

Montri, 53, was arrested last week after police accused him of claiming close ties to Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn in order to win positions on the boards of several state agencies. Montri also allegedly abused his royal connections to secure the rights to buy and sell land in Bangkok.

Montri is facing up to 15 years in prison for violating Section 112 of the Thai Penal Codes, which outlaws defaming the monarchy, and a possible death sentence for violating Section 148, which criminalizes using one’s position as a state official to seek personal gain.

Yesterday, Montri was escorted by police to his home in Bangkok, where officers searched for evidence of his alleged crimes. Police also interrogated the former chamberlain's parents. Reporters were not allowed to observe the discussion.

Pol.Lt.Gen. Prawuth Thawornsiri, spokesperson of the Royal Thai Police, said police have seized more than 10 million baht worth of assets from Montri as a part of the criminal investigation. He said police are requesting the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) formally freeze and confiscate the assets, which include bank accounts, a condominium, and some vehicles.

"The case will be finalized by 25 June, and then we will separate the files and send them to prosecutors’ offices in each district of the wrongdoing," Pol.Lt.Gen. Prawuth said.

Montri has been held at an undisclosed location since the court ordered on 12 June that he be detained while he awaits trial.

Montri is the latest person close to former Princess Srirasmi who has been charged with lese majeste in the past year. Her brothers, sister, parents, and uncle are all serving time in prison after being convicted of the crime, which carries a heavy stigma in Thai society.

Srirasmi has not been seen in public since she resigned from the royal family in December 2014 amidst the scandal.

Last week, police chief Pol.Gen. Somyot Pumpanmuang told reporters that former Princess Srirasmi personally appointed Montri to her entourage, and that the Crown Prince was not involved in her decision.

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Disgraced Palace Official Faces Death Penalty, Police Say

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Khaosod English

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15 June 2015, 12:49

The residence of Montri Sotangkul, a former palace official facing charges of lese majeste, in southwestern Bangkok.<br /> — The residence of Montri Sotangkul, a former palace official facing charges of lese majeste, in southwestern Bangkok.

BANGKOK — A senior police commander confirmed that the assistant to ex-princess Srirasmi, a former wife of Thailand's Crown Prince, is facing the death penalty for allegedly abusing his royal rank for personal gain.

The suspect, Montri Sotangkul, has been charged with a number of offences, including insulting the monarchy (lese majeste), bribing state officials, and malfeasance in office. The latter crime carries a maximum penalty of death, a deputy spokesperson of the Bangkok Metropolitan Police told reporters yesterday.

"The maximum penalty the suspect is facing is execution," said Pol.Col. Ekkarak Limsangkart. "But how he will be punished depends on the judgment of the court."

Montri, 53, was arrested last week after police accused him of claiming close ties to Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn in order to win positions on the boards of several state agencies. Montri also allegedly abused his royal connections to secure the rights to buy and sell land in Bangkok.

Montri is facing up to 15 years in prison for violating Section 112 of the Thai Penal Codes, which outlaws defaming the monarchy, and a possible death sentence for violating Section 148, which criminalizes using one’s position as a state official to seek personal gain.

Montri Sotangkul (R) apologizing to his father for his alleged crimes, 14 June 2015.