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DSI Targets 'Fake' Investment Fund

(5 September) The
Division of Special Investigation has announced an inquiry into a Bangkok-based fraudulent
investment fund.

The investigation followed a complaint by the Security and Exchange
Commission (SEC) that over 300 investors had lost around 500 million baht to the bogus
company.

The company in question is named Standard Morgan.  It claimed to have headquarters
in Switzerland and boasted an operational history of 35 years. The fund alsocelebrated the grand
opening of their intangible business on at Centara Grand Hotel, Bangkok, on 23 October
2012.

According to the company′s advertisement, investors would gain 9% profit each
month from planned investment in Oil, Gold and Stock in the company’s global portfolios. Some of the
customers may earn more – up to 12% a month, the company claimed – if they lured in more
investors.

Former customers of Standard Morgan told the SEC that they are provided with
username and password to log in to the system, where they can then withdraw the interest gained from
their capital.

However, since August 2013, they could not withdraw the money. The company′s
office (believed to be in Bangkok) and phone number then became unreachable.

According to the
DSI, 8 Singaporeans and 1 American were registered as the board of the company. 
The DSI said it is moving to freeze 15 million baht in dozens of
bank accounts owned by the company.

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TrueVisions Told To Drop 'Channel-Switching Ads'

(5 September) The cable
TV giant TrueVisions has been ordered to stop airing brief commercials displayed during
channel-switching because they potentially annoy the viewers.

The National Broadcasting and
Telecommunication Commission (NBTC) noted that the approximately 10 seconds advertisements which
appear at the lower bar of the TV screen whenever the users change the channel cannot be disabled by
the users, therefore forcing them to watch the intrusive contents.

According to
NBTC, the practice violated the customers? rights, as commercials also obstruct parts of the screen
and limit the viewers? access to the service.

The NBTC allows TrueVisions 90 days to dispute
the measure to the court. In the meantime, the cable company must immediately drop the commercials
per NBTC′s order, or risk facing a fine of 5 million baht plus additional 100,00 baht per day for
violation.

Audiences are encouraged by the NBTC to alert the agency about any violation by
calling 1200.

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New Rating Guideline For TV Announced

(5 September) The
National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has announced a new rating system for
state-owned TV channels.

Under the new guideline, the so-called ?Free TV? channels have to
label their programmes and reschedule their shows to comply in the following
categories:

?Primary? – content suitable for pre-primary school aged
children

?Children? – content suitable for children between 6-12 years
old

?General? – content suitable for general audiences

?PG 13? 
–  content suitable for people aged 13 and above, but can be watched by those who are under the
recommended age if parental guidance is provided. Under this category, the content can be shown on
TV between 20.30 and 05.00.

?PG 18? – content suitable for people aged above 18 years
old; those who are under 18 must be provided with parental guidance. The programmes can be shown on
TV during 22.00-05.00.

?Exclusive? – content unsuitable for children and youngsters,
and can be viewed on TV only after midnight.

It should be noted that TV programmes in
Thailand are already labelled by certain system of categories, a practice criticised by rights group
as nanny-state censorship and ridiculed by some Netizens for its confusing standards.

For
instance, many on the social network have been left scratching their heads after an obviously
harmless cartoon series was rated ?PG18? by the NBTC, whereas a soap opera featuring a rape scene
wore the label ?PG13?.

The NBTC has not publicly commented on the incident, which is being
circulated widely on the Thai social network.

Correction: The original version of this
article has incorrectly identified the Primary rating as applied to primary school-aged children.
It should have read pre-primary school-aged children.

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Various Motives Behind Shooting Of Controversial Referee

 (5 September) As police are hunting for the individuals who shot and wounded a famous football referee, his
controversial profile is brought back under the media spotlight.

Mr. Tanorm Borikut, 40, was
shot by assailants on motorcycle as he left the residential building in Rajamangala Stadium in the
early morning of 4 September, according to witnesses. He was reportedly on his way to an exercise
session, as he was scheduled to oversee an upcoming Thai League match.

Police said Mr. Tanorm,
nicknamed ?Pao Norm?, was shot twice in his ribcage and once in his arm. He remains in the ICU; his
condition is described as severe.

A senior police officer expressed his belief that, in spite
of the severe injury, the assailants did not appear to have the intention to kill Mr. Tanorm since
they had the time to deal a deadly blow to the referee as he was down on the ground but did not do
so.

Meanwhile, investigators are struggling to find a lead into the case. The detectives are
checking the CCTV footage and establishing a possible motive for the attack – a daunting task
considering Mr. Tanorm′s history.

A referee with a long experience in the field, Mr. Tanorm
is a well-known figure in his trade. His nickname, Pao Norm, is a play on the names of Mr. Tanorm
and Justice Pao, a historical Chinese judge known for his sharp judgement.

However, while Justice Pao is universally praised by the Chinese as an incorruptible judge, Mr. Tanorm′s reputation in the
field is somewhat more dubious.

He has been criticised for his alleged bias which favours the
more powerful football teams when they play against the smaller ones. Some Thai football clubs have even
boycotted any game refereed by Mr. Tanorm.

The referee also made the headlines in August when
he dispatched a number of guards to bar observers from entering the meeting room in which debate
over enforcement of the FIFA constitution in Thai football leagues would be
discussed.

A scuffle between the guards and incensed members and staff of some football teams
soon broke out, before the officials eventually let the observers into the meeting room.

The
most notorious incident surrounding Mr. Tanorm is perhaps his alleged link to the bombing of the
Municipality Office building in Saraburi Province on 6 November 2009 in which a high-ranking
official was killed.

Mr. Tanorm was arrested after the police uncovered evidence of the
conflict between him and some officials, but the courts later acquitted him of any charge.
Nevertheless, many still suspect him of having some role in the bombing.

To complicate the
matter even further, reports suggest that the shooting might have resulted from Mr. Tanorm′s connection
with underground football gambling trade, and some police officers said they had not ruled out a
love-triangle motive either.

His wife, Ms. Paiwan Borikut, is convinced her husband is
targeted because of his roles as a referee in the games.

I don?t think his job is safe
anymore, Ms. Paiwan said, I want him to quit.

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Police To Probe Another 28 Deaths 'Caused By Military'

(4 September) The
Division of Special Investigation is pushing for further investigation on the 28 deaths which the
agency believes were caused by the Thai security forces during the 2010 crackdown.

The violence in
April-May 2010, which saw the Redshirts protesters occupying parts of Bangkok and the subsequent
military operations to dislodge them, has claimed over 90 lives.

Most of the deaths were
civilians including the protesters, foreign journalists, volunteer medics, and rescue workers, while
some soldiers were also killed.

Although the military has repeatedly denied any involvement,
court inquests have so far linked the military to several deaths in 2010, such as the 6 individuals
who were shot dead inside a safe zone temple and the Italian photojournalist Fabio
Polenghi.

Now, another 28 deaths might be confirmed as result of the military operation, as
the DSI has already forwarded the cases to the Bangkok Metropolitan Police for a more thorough
investigation, according to a senior official.

The move reportedly follows an internal
investigation by the DSI which have found evidence that the military had shot these victims to
death.

Once the additional investigation by the Metropolitan Police is completed – estimated
to be within next week – the prosecutors would bring the cases to the court for the inquests about
the circumstances of the 28 deaths, the official said.

Of the 28 cases, 11 deaths occurred
around Ratchadumnern Avenue when the military attempted to disperse the protesters? encampment there
on 10 April 2010.

The rest of the deaths took place during the clashes between the Redshirts
and the military as the security forces were besieging the Redshirts? camp sites in central Bangkok
in May 2010; 8 were killed around Rama IV Road and another 9 were killed in the vicinity of
Ratchaprarop Road.

Meanwhile, a witness testified to the Criminal Court during an inquest on
a Redshirt killed on 14 May 2010 that he was shot dead by soldiers in Lumpini Park.

Mr.
Nattapol Tongkul told the court he was serving as a security guard for the Redshirts, and he was
standing with the victim, Mr. Prachuab Silapan, when they heard series of gunshots from the
direction of the Japanese Embassy.

The witness said he and Mr. Prachuab rode on motorcycle
along Wireless Road toward Lumpini Park, where he saw large number of the soldiers armed with M16
rifles.

Upon hearing that someone had been
shot in the park, Mr. Nattapol told the court, he and Mr. Prachuab decided to rush to help the
wounded victim, but the soldiers shot at them, causing them to fall off from the motorbike. Mr.
Nattapol was injured in the hand, while Mr. Prachuab scrambled to take shelter behind a
tree.

Mr. Nattapol said he shouted at Mr. Prachuab to run away, but he was shot dead by the
soldiers as he attempted to flee. The witness insisted he saw no ?Blackshirt? militant in the area,
and said neither he nor Mr. Prachuab was armed at the time.

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Naked American Holds Woman Hostage In Pattaya 7-11

(5 September) Pattaya
police have arrested a naked well-built American man after he briefly held a woman hostage in a
convenience store.

When the police arrived, a large crowd of locals and tourists were
watching the bizarre event unfold at a 7-11 store opposite Bangkok Bank on Pra Tamnak Road. The
officers took 10 minutes convincing the foreign man to let go of the woman he was
holding.

The hostage taker eventually released her and the police immediately arrested the
man. However, he was in a confused state as though he was on drugs; all he could tell the police was
that he is an American citizen named Kenwell. The police then took Mr. Kenwell to a police station
for further interrogation.

The woman told our correspondent she worked as a cashier at a bar
in Pattaya′s Walking Street. Earlier that night, she said, she was returning home from work when
suddenly the naked Mr. Kenwell ran maddeningly toward her and dragged her into the 7-11
store.

When she resisted, the American punched her face, breaking a tooth. But she managed to
scream for help until someone alerted the police.

It is the second strange incident taking
place at Pattaya 7-11 stores in 2 days. Previously, a Russian man exposed his genitals to the
cashiers in one of the stores, and was later arrested.

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Wife 'Bitter At Husband's Partying' Hangs Herself

(4 September) A woman in
Nakorn Ratchasima Province hanged herself to death, reportedly because she was bitter that her
husband had left her at home alone while he went out drinking.

Ms. Yanee Detchkhuntod, 31,
was found dead inside her house hanging herself with an electrical cord. Next to her body, police
found a letter addressed to her husband, expressing how much she loved him.

Police then
interrogated Ms. Yanee′s husband, Mr. Boonyard Bamroongkul, 50, who said that he went out for
a party with his friend and did not allow his wife to go along.

He believes that his wife
drank alone in grief, then committed suicide.

Police said they will perform a postmortem
examination over Ms. Yanee body in order to establish a clear cause of death.

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Russian Man Shows His Penis To 7-11 Cashiers

(4 September)
Seven-Eleven shop assistants in Pattaya were shocked when an unidentified Russian man showed off his
penis in front of them in the convenience store.

According to a shop assistant, the Russian
tourist, presumed to be between 35-40 years old, went inside the middle-size convenience store late
at night. The man, according to the witness, seemed confused and pretended to search for items on
the shelf.

The man waited until crowds left the store, before exposing himself in front of
the assistants.

A passer-by chased the man away, before police arrested him as he was
loitering in his neighbourhood.

Police obtained a CCTV record of the man′s behaviour in the
convenience store for evidence, and charged the Russian with sexual misconduct.

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Tony Jaa's Manager Threatens To Sue 'Fast & Furious 7'

(4 September) The motion
pictures tycoon Somsak Techarattanaprasert threatened a lawsuit against the producers of that
upcoming movie ?Fast and Furious 7? if they featured the Thai action star Tony Jaa in the
film.

Mr. Somsak, the president of Sahamongkol Film International, said the actor, whose real
name is Panom Yeerum, is still under a contract with his company,
therefore requiring his consent for any projects

Mr. Panom became famous after he starred in the action-comedy films Ong Bak
and Tom Yum Goong, which were produced by Sahamongkol. The actor also was reported that
he would also star in a sequel to the international hit Fast and Furious series.

Mr.
Somsak, known to the Thais as Siah Jiang, was speaking in a press conference alongside
Pratchya Pinkaew and Panna Rittikrai, directors of the movie ?Tom Yum Goong 2?, in which Mr. Panom
reprised his role.

According to the tycoon, Mr. Panom told him he would be featured in an
advertisement and did not inform him anything about a movie. A few days later, Mr. Somsak said, he
received a letter from Mr. Panom′s lawyer saying that the contract the actor has signed with
Sahamongkol is now terminated.

Mr. Somsak insisted that is not the case, as Tony Jaa has
recently signed a new 10-year contract with the company. He said he had submitted a notice to the
production company of Fast and Furious 7 that Sahamongkol would proceed with a lawsuit if the
upcoming film features Mr. Panom without consent.

If he [Mr. Panom] wants to star in a
foreign film, he must have our permission first Mr. Somsak said.

Asked if he has talked to
the actor, Mr. Somsak answered that he had hard time trying to contact Mr. Panom. I guess he is now
too famous to talk to us, the tycoon quipped.

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Authorities Plan Turning Prison Into Transport Hub

(4 September) Finance Transport
Kittirat na Ranong has announced a plan to develop a prison in northern Bangkok into a bustling
transport complex.

According to the plan, Klong Prem Central Prison would become a hub for
the planned monorail train routes linking Khae Rai district with Lam Salee. The lines will be laid
along Ngarmwongwan Road to Kaset Nawamin Road at the length of 21.9 kilometre.

The project
is expected to cost 45 billion baht, Prachachart has reported.

As for the hub, it would
include commercial assets such retail shops, a community mall, hotels, and serviced apartments, Mr.
Kittirat said. Klong Prem Prison is sitting on an area of 5 million square metres.

The
Finance Minister, who also serves as Deputy Prime Minister, expects to rezone the areas. The
vicinity around Ngarmwongwan Road will become residential zone instead of the current governmental
offices district.

Governor of the Mass Rapid Transit Authority (MRTA), Mr. Yongsit Rojsrikul,
said that he wishes to create a  Transit Oriented Development, to develop the area at the train
stations to increase profit for MRTA.

The new monorail line will link to other lines under
construction, e.g. Pink Line (Khae Rai – Meenburi), Red Line (Bangsue-Rangsit), Green Line (Mo Chit
– Saphan Mai), Orange Line (Taling Chan – Meenburi), Yellow Line (Ladprao – Samrong).

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