(The Phuket News)
PHUKET – Some residents Phuket received a shaking this morning as shock waves from an earthquake to the north of Aceh Province in Indonesia arrived.
The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) in Phuket said that there was no likelihood of a tsunami from the 5.3-Richter temblor at 7am. Read more here.
Note: Khaosod English is not responsible for content on other websites.
SURAT THANI – The governor of Surat Thani has ordered a ban on all beach parties in the southern province, except for the world-renowned full moon party, to minimize crimes against tourists after two British backpackers were brutally murdered on a resort island last month.
On September 15, the bodies of Hannah Witheredige, 23, and David Miller, 24, were found beaten to death on a beach on the idyllic island of Koh Tao.
The governor of Surat Thani, Chatpong Chatraputi, decided to ban all beach parties in the province, including the Shiva Moon, Black Moon, and Half Moon parties, in an effort to curb the crimes that he says have damaged the tourist industry’s reputation.
However, the notorious full moon party – one of the Kingdom’s biggest tourist draws – will be permitted to take place every month on Koh Phangan’s Haad Rin beach, the governor ordered. The full moon party was also one of the only events exempted from the evening curfew imposed by the military after it declared martial law and staged a coup d'etat in May.
Wannee Thaipanich, chairman of Phangan tourism association, said the order will hurt the local tourism industry but agreed that beach parties need to be safer.
She suggested authorities set up surveillance cameras and deploy security officers around the parties to improve the image of the islands in the wake of the murder.
Last month, Thailand’s tourism minister also proposed giving out wristbands to help identify tourists who are lost or in trouble, and floated the idea of using an electronic tracking device to monitor them.
The murder of Witheridge and Miller turned a global spotlight onto what many were calling the “underbelly” of Thailand’s popular resort islands, which are flooded with illegal drugs and allegedly run by “powerful families.” Police's investigation also became an international controversy after the two Burmese migrant workers they arrested recanted their confessions and accused police of torturing them.
Over the weekend, British police arrived on Koh Tao to inspect the crime scene and evaluate Thai police's investigation. The United Kingdom decided to dispatch its own police personnel after numerous human rights organisations called for an independent investigation into the murder, citing Thai police's history of scapegoat arrests and the two suspects' allegations of torture.
The UK government says its delegates will focus on two issues: whether forensic tests implicate the Burmese suspects as claimed by the Thai police, and whether the suspects have been mistreated while in police custody.
Prior to the Koh Tao murder, Thailand’s tourist industry was suffering a prolonged slump from months of political protests and a military coup in May.
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SURAT THANI – The governor of Surat Thani has ordered a ban on all beach parties in the southern province, except for the world-renowned full moon party, to minimize crimes against tourists after two British backpackers were brutally murdered on a resort island last month.
On September 15, the bodies of Hannah Witheredige, 23, and David Miller, 24, were found beaten to death on a beach on the idyllic island of Koh Tao.
The governor of Surat Thani, Chatpong Chatraputi, decided to ban all beach parties in the province, including the Shiva Moon, Black Moon, and Half Moon parties, in an effort to curb the crimes that he says have damaged the tourist industry’s reputation.
However, the notorious full moon party – one of the Kingdom’s biggest tourist draws – will be permitted to take place every month on Koh Phangan’s Haad Rin beach, the governor ordered. The full moon party was also one of the only events exempted from the evening curfew imposed by the military after it declared martial law and staged a coup d'etat in May.
Wannee Thaipanich, chairman of Phangan tourism association, said the order will hurt the local tourism industry but agreed that beach parties need to be safer.
He suggested authorities set up surveillance cameras and deploy security officers around the parties to improve the image of the islands in the wake of the murder.
Last month, Thailand’s tourism minister also proposed giving out wristbands to help identify tourists who are lost or in trouble, and floated the idea of using an electronic tracking device to monitor them.
The murder of Witheridge and Miller turned a global spotlight onto what many were calling the “underbelly” of Thailand’s popular resort islands, which are flooded with illegal drugs and allegedly run by “powerful families.” Police's investigation also became an international controversy after the two Burmese migrant workers they arrested recanted their confessions and accused police of torturing them.
Over the weekend, British police arrived on Koh Tao to inspect the crime scene and evaluate Thai police's investigation. The United Kingdom decided to dispatch its own police personnel after numerous human rights organisations called for an independent investigation into the murder, citing Thai police's history of scapegoat arrests and the two suspects' allegations of torture.
The UK government says its delegates will focus on two issues: whether forensic tests implicate the Burmese suspects as claimed by the Thai police, and whether the suspects have been mistreated while in police custody.
Prior to the Koh Tao murder, Thailand’s tourist industry was suffering a prolonged slump from months of political protests and a military coup in May.
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KRABI — A park official in southern Thailand has cleared a local shrine of the sex paraphernalia that visitors were leaving in place of garlands and other traditional offerings.
The shrine is located in Pranang Cave near the idyllic Railay Beach in Krabi, a popular tourist destination. Yothin Kaewkardee, a security official at Railay Beach, said the cave’s reputation was ruined after photos of the sex objects began circulating online.
A park official was recently dispatched to clear the cave of hundreds of phallic-shaped wood carvings and sex toys, which local authorities said were disrespectful to the people who want to worship at the shrine.
It's unclear how the trend of leaving phallic offerings began; some say it's because the cave, considered the home of a mythical sea princess, became associated with fertility.
Wiriya Srirangkul, director of Krabi’s tourism office, urged locals and tourists to report to officials if they see any more inappropriate offerings in the cave.
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BANGKOK — Academics and members of the post-coup government have founded a civic group to participate in the reform process directed by Thailand’s military junta.
The “Thailand Reform Institute” was launched by academics, conservative political activists, and members of the junta-appointed National Reform Council, which has been tasked with reforming all sectors of Thai society over the next year.
Sangsidh Piriyarangsan, the chairman of the institute and a dean at Rangsit University’s College of Social Innovation, said the group will act as a liaison between the NRC and the public, seeking to “reflect public opinion” on reform issues.
He also said the institute will advocate for reforms that develop “dhammocracy” in Thailand, or a democracy based on Buddhist principles.
However, coup-leader and now Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha distanced himself from the new civic group today, insisting that it was not connected to his government in any way, state media reported. Gen. Prayuth reportedly insisted that the NRC is the only national reform body affiliated with the government.
Gen. Prayuth and the rest of the military junta, known as the National Conucil for Peace and Order (NCPO), suspended democracy in Thailand to pursue a year-long reform effort after seizing power in a coup in 22 May.
The NCPO says elections will not be held until the reforms are completed and a new constitution has been drafted, which will take at least a year.
The NRC is widely expected to enact reforms that make Thailand’s political system less democratic, as was the case in the reform process that followed the most recent coup in 2006. In 2006, the military appointed a committee to draft a constitution that replaced Thailand’s fully-elected Senate with a half-elected, half-appointed body.
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SAMUT PRAKAN – Police say a taxi driver has confessed to murdering the 79-year-old Japanese teacher whose remains were found in a canal this week, as well as the Japanese man his girlfriend was previously living with in 2003.
Somchai Kaewbangyang told police he smothered 79-year-old Yoshinori Shimato to death with a pillow and then dismembered his body into pieces, says Pol.Gen.Somsakchai Armonsongcharen. Yoshinori’s remains were found in a canal in Samut Prakan on Tuesday.
Somchai was first linked to the murder through his partner, Pornchanok Chaiyapa, who was initially arrested for allegedly using the Yoshinori’s ATM card to steal money from his bank account after his death. She was later named a suspect in the murder case, along with her partner Somchai.
The murder case also spurred 31-year-old Keiko Matta to ask police to re-investigate the death of her father, who was previously married to Pornchanok.
In 2003, Keiko Matta’s father Katsutoshi Tanaka was found dead in his home at the bottom of a flight of stairs. Pornchanok, who was living with him at the time, said Tanaka was drunk and suffered from a heart attack, causing him to fall down the stairs.
But yesterday, Pornchanok’s husband Somchai reportedly told police that he pushed Katsutoshi down the stairs because he wanted to take over his car company. It is unclear whether Pornchanok has confessed to being invovled in the two murders.
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(UN News Centre)
GENEVA – To be effective, an investigation into torture must be prompt, impartial, independent and thorough, but that seems to be the exception in many countries, where forensic services are closely linked with law enforcement agencies, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture told the General Assembly.
Presenting his latest report to the Assembly’s main body dealing with social, humanitarian, and cultural issues (Third Committee), Juan E. Méndez noted yesterday the conflict of interest out of fear of jeopardizing their employment or other reprisals.
“If medical staff, including forensic doctors, serve under law enforcement or security agencies or the prison sector, they may have conflicted loyalty between their employer and their professional obligation to report torture or ill-treatment,” he warned.
“In the context of allegations of torture or other ill-treatment, the provision of forensic services from within the police force and lack of independent oversight has been criticized by me on previous occasions and my mandate has recommended that systems be reorganized to ensure independence from the police,” Mr. Méndez said.
“In those cases,” the Special Rapporteur stressed, “it should be mandatory to submit the person to an independent assessment, external from prison medical services.”
In his report, the human rights expert urges Governments to undertake effective investigations whenever there are indications of torture or other ill-treatment, even without an express or formal complaint.
“Forensic science has a key role to play regarding the obligation of States to investigate and prosecute allegations of torture or other ill-treatment, especially with regard to individual responsibility and the fight against impunity,” he said.
“During my visits, I often observe that States are reluctant to carry out criminal investigations into torture allegations and that accurate statistics on the incidence of torture are difficult to obtain. The lack of investigation, together with the lack of accountability, perpetuates the practice of torture and other ill-treatment,” the UN expert cautioned.
Torture may cause physical injury such as broken bones and wounds that heal slowly, or may leave no physical scars. It often takes place in secret, behind closed doors where there are no witnesses, and many torture methods used are becoming increasingly sophisticated and designed to be as painful as possible without leaving physical marks.
The same applies when torture is predominantly of a psychological nature, such as sexual humiliation and threats to the life or physical integrity of the person detained or of his or her family.
States have an obligation to put in place and apply an effective process of evidence collection in line with the Manual on the Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
It is an exception that victims are examined shortly after the torture actually happened. More commonly, while the victim is in custody, the State often is the only one in a position to undertake examinations, he noted in the report.
In these circumstances, Mr. Méndez warned, “examinations are frequently conducted that are neither independent nor impartial or victims are examined only after alleged victims manage to get released from detention and some even flee the country, in which case the lesions have healed, leaving no scars or only a few.”
During his country visits, the Special Rapporteur has reviewed samples of medical certificates by State health experts and forensic assessments and found the majority of those reviewed of very poor quality and accuracy, not performed in accordance with the minimum international standards for clinical forensic assessment of victims, and unacceptable as forensic evidence.
“Governments often argue that a high standard of forensic evidence is out of the reach of States with limited resources,” he said. “However, in my report I noted that the diagnosis of torture is usually not based on ‘high-tech’ methods or cost intensive equipment and that forensic assessment of torture is less a question of financial resources than of training and commitment by the authorities to ensure effective investigation into allegations of torture.”
Independent experts or special rapporteurs are appointed by the Geneva-based Council to examine and report back on a country situation or a specific human rights theme. The positions are honorary and the experts are not UN staff, nor are they paid for their work.
BANGKOK — A 24-year-old British woman died during a corrective hip operation in a Bangkok beauty clinic, police say.
The woman was undergoing a second cosmetic surgery following a liposuction operation when she died on the operating table yesterday, said Pol.Maj.Gen. Ittipol, deputy commissioner of the metropolitan police. The clinic, called SP Cosmetic Surgery Clinic, is located in Northern Bangkok and has been operating with a valid license for over ten years.
Somphop Saensiri, the doctor who performed the operation and is currently in police custody, said the woman died while under anesthesia. Somphop was not certified to perform the surgery, Thai authorities told the AP.
The Ministry of Public Health has ordered the clinic to shut down for 60 days pending further investigation into the woman's death.
Police have notified the British embassy and ordered an autopsy of the body to determine the cause of death and whether the doctor is guilty of negligence. Khaosod English is withholding the name of the deceased until it is confirmed that her relatives have been notified.
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BANGKOK – The daughter of a Japanese man who "fell to his death" in 2003 has asked police to reopen their investigation after his former wife was recently charged with killing a 79-year-old Japanese teacher.
In 2003, Keiko Matta’s father Katsutoshi Tanaka was found dead in his home at the bottom of a flight of stairs. Police ruled his death an accident after Tanaka’s then-wife Pornchanok Chaiyapa said he was drunk and suffered from a heart attack, causing him to fall down the stairs.
However, Matta asked police yesterday to re-investigate the case after Pornchanok and her current husband were recently charged with killing and dismembering a 79-year-old Japanese man named Yoshinori Shimato, whose body parts were found in a Samut Prakan canal on Tuesday.
"We always believed that our father's death was not an accident, but murder," Matta told the Bangkok Post.
According to Matta, 31, Pornchanok took her father – who she says was in good health and never drank to excess – to buy life insurance only two weeks before his mysterious death. She also said Pornchanok convinced her to sign documents in Japanese that she could not read, which ultimately authorised Pornchanok to claim life insurance money on behalf of the children and give it to them later.
On Thursday, the Criminal Court approved arrest warrants for Pornchanok and her husband Somchai Kaewbangyang on charges of premediated murder, false imprisonment, and concealing a body in the case of the 79-year-old Japanese man whose remains were recently found.
Pornchanok was also previously charged with stealing 700,000 baht from the man’s bank account using his ATM card after his death.
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SONGKHLA — A Buddha statue in Songkhla province has garnered international attention after some observers noticed its unusual hand gesture: a thumbs up that looks similar to the ‘Like’ symbol on Facebook.
The red ‘Like’ Buddha is 1.5 metres tall and one of several hundred other Buddha statues located in the Talod cave temple in Saba Yoi district.
Temple abbot Prakru Yankoso said the statue has always been popular among locals, but started drawing visitors from around the globe after images of the statue’s likeness to the Facebook icon began circulating online.
“The ‘Like’ Buddha has never occurred in the history before,” said Prapas Chuvichien, an Art History professor at Silpakorn University. He speculated that the hand may have been positioned that way to hold a palm leaf fan, which are commonly used by Buddhist monks while they recite prayers.
“You can see a hole in the middle of the right hand of the Buddha statue – so, there must have been something inside before,” he told Khaosod.
According to Wannotai Srifa, one of the temple’s wardens, the statue was declared an antique by Thailand’s Fine Art Department nearly ten years ago and thought to have been built in the middle of the Ayuttahya era, when Talod cave was frequently used as rest-stop for travelers.
