In a
press conference yesterday, Pol.Col. Naras Savestanan, director of the Rights and Liberties
Protection Department and Pol.Maj.Gen. Viroon Phuensean, the chairman of the House Committee on
Justice and Human Rights, said the bill would be debated by Parliament very
soon.

According to witnesses, Mr. Somwang Ja-er, 23, and his
male friend Mr. Yutthana Jenjaeng, 30, were drinking at the bar in a Bangkok suburb in the early
morning of 17 September. The pair reportedly attempted to flirt with the victim, a 16 year old
waitress, who refused to respond to their gestures.

Suddenly, the patrons said, Mr. Yutthana
and his friend got up and hauled the victim, who struggled in vain against the pair, onto their
motorcycle, then drove away. Friends of the victims immediately mounted their motorbikes and
attempted to chase after them.

Later, the victim′s friend spotted Mr. Yutthana′s motorcycle
in front of an apartment building, so they proceeded to call the police. Once the 2 suspects saw the
police arriving at the flat, they let go of the victim, and Mr. Somwang successfully escaped from
the scene, leaving Mr. Yutthana to be arrested by the officers.

The police also uncovered a
set of instruments used for taking methamphetamines. 

Mr. Yutthana told police he knew
Mr. Somwang from their time in prison, where they were jailed for narcotics crimes. Mr. Yutthana
finished his jail term in April, while Mr. Somwang finished his in June.

The suspect said he
and Mr. Somwang had been taking drugs earlier in the night and became sexually aroused. The pair
wanted to find a prostitute, Mr. Yutthana said, but they had no money, so they attempted to convince
the victim to sleep with them, and decided to abduct the victim once she refused.

A friend of
the victim, who also works at the karaoke bar, informed the police that she had been also kidnapped
and raped by Mr. Somwang, Mr. Yutthana, and a friend of theirs. She said she had been detained in
the room for a day.

The
2006 coup is generally regarded as a turning point in Thai modern history, sparking the turbulent
period which saw the appointments and elections of 5 Prime Ministers in the space of 7 years, and
occasional outbursts of political violence that have claimed more than 100 lives.

Ms. Suda
Rungkupan, a lecturer at Chulalongkorn University and the leader of Redshirts-allied Declaration of
Street Justice group, said her group would gather in front of the Parliament House in Bangkok
tomorrow to attend a rally named Remember the 7 Disgraceful Years.

The rally would
criticise the 2006 coup, Ms. Suda, which she said has led to numerous human rights violations, such
as the military crackdown on the Redshirts protesters in 2010 in which more than 90 people had been
killed and over 1,800 individuals arrested.

She also cited the spike in arrests over lese
majeste (insults of the monarchy) as a result of the 2006 coup, which was supported by the Thai
royalist factions.

Ms. Suda said the Thai public has been forced to swallow the
military-backed 2007 Constitution which greatly limited the power of the electoral institutions. She
called for a swift amendment to the Constitution, especially to allow a fully elected Senate
body.

Apart from Declaration of Street Justice group, the 24 June Democracy network will also
organise an activity to commemorate the fateful day.

Representatives of the group said they
aimed to gather at Ratchaprasong Intersection in downtown Bangkok – the main site of Redshirts
protests in 2010 – where they would be holding candle-lit vigil and laying down flowers.

However, the official leadership of the Redshirts, the National United Front of Democracy
Against Dictatorship (UDD), has refused to organise any street rally to commemorate the coup
anniversary, contrary to previous years.

Ms. Thida Tojirakarn, the chairwoman of UDD,
explained her organisation′s puzzling refusal to stage a rally that he display of the people′s
power is not appropriate in the current situation.

It is better to commemorate the coup by
organising an academic panel discussion, Ms. Thida.

Nevertheless, the chairwoman stressed
that the UDD still condemns the 2006 coup as a grave mistake which has sown deep division in the
Thai society. But, she said, the democratic camp has grown stronger in the past years, while the
Ammart (traditional elite) grows more desperate.

Mr. Sombat Boon-ngarmanong,
coordinator of Red Sunday group, said the Thai public has learned from the 2006 coup that military
intervention cannot solve any problem.

Asked if he believed there would be another coup
in Thailand, Mr. Sombat said he is not so sure, but he expressed his confidence that any potential
coup leader would be deterred by the popular resistance that would follow the coup.

The 2-part video, apparently shot from a hidden camera in a
room, showed the monk, Phra Kru (teacher monk) Boonyapinan entering the room, where he was
welcomed by the woman who obviously owned the place.

The pair sat at the dining table and
talked for a while, before the woman led the monk to another room where they were presumed to be
engaged in sexual acts.

The second part of the video, shot from a nearby angle, showed Phra
Kru Boonyapinan and the woman taking off their clothes, fondling each other, and walking around with
their genitals exposed. Again, the pair disappeared into a nearby room, before emerging later to put
on their clothes.

The woman was also seen offering cash to the monk.

The most closely-watched incident is Luang Puu Nen Kham, the
self-proclaimed reincarnated embodiment of an elder monk′s spirit who has been exposed for amassing a 
vast amount of wealth and luxurious assets, including a private jet plane.

Luang Puu Nen
Kham, now known as Mr. Wirapol Sukphol, is also facing charges of fraud and statutory rape of an
underaged woman. He has not been in Thailand since the controversy began.

Few weeks later, it emerged that
Phra Mitsuo had registered his marriage with a businesswoman who had frequented his monastery during
his tenure there.

Although it is not clear whether their relationship had developed as he
was still the abbot, Phra Mitsuo′s marriage had come as a shock to many because he had preached
about the benefits of a solitary and unmarried life. 

As for the video that announced
Phra Kru Boonyapinan′s sexual affairs to the world, it is believed that the woman′s husband had
installed the camera because he was upset by her affairs with the monk.

The
police were alerted when local fishermen in the Moon River reported of hearing cries for help in
English in the direction of Tarm Forest, on the bank of the river.

The rescue team later
found Mr. Alex Walton, 60, lying unconscious on the ground. He was shirtless and full of mosquito
bites marks when he was found, the police added.

Mr. Walton was sent to Rasi Salai Hospital
for medical check-up. His condition is reported to be stable, but the doctors said they would keep
him in the hospital for few more days in order to ensure he did had not been infected by any disease
in the woods.

The police also found a car owned by Mr. Walton 3-4 kilometres away from the
forest. The car is registered in Kalasin Province. His wife later contacted the police to inform
them that Mr. Walton had been missing since 14 September and his neighbours have been looking for
him ever since.

Mr. Arnant Hiranlai, 21, has reported to the police in
Nakorn Ratchasima Province that his iPhone had been stolen as he was rehearsing for a dancing
contest with his friends at the plaza in front of Lady Suranaree Statue.

He said he had left
his belongings near the Statue, and noticed that a woman was observing him and his friends as they
danced, then left the plaza. Mr. Arnant said he realised later that his iPhone was
missing.

Mr. Arnant then showed the phone-tracking application installed in his friend′s
mobile phone to the police, who followed the location and eventually arrested Ms. Tarn Pittarn, 49,
a resident of Taak Province.

Responding to emergency calls about a deadly
fistfight, rescue workers found the body of Mr. Visan Kamdee, 31, in front of a petrol station in
Mueang District. The police also arrested Mr. Kwanpai Wongkrachang in connection with the crime.

Mr. Kwanpai said he and Mr. Visan were on their way to work in Bangkok, when their car got
into an accident near the petrol station. As the men waited for the insurance agents to show up, Mr.
Kwanpai said, Mr. Visan borrowed his cellphone to talk with his girlfriend.

According to Mr.
Kwanpai, Mr. Visan was taking a long time on the cellphone, so he asked Mr. Visan to hand the
cellphone back. The suspect claimed Mr. Visan became incensed and threw the phone at his face,
breaking the mobile phone, and the pair immediately started fighting with their bare
fists.