Mr. Amphon Tangnoppakul, famously known as ?Uncle SMS?, was accused
and later found guilty in 2010 of sending a secretary of then-Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva
series of messages that the court deemed insulting to the monarchy. Mr. Amphon, who was 62 at the
time of his trial, was sentenced to 20 years in jail.

?Uncle SMS? later died of underlying
health problems on 8 May 2012, sparking uproar among civil rights activists who argued that lese
majeste (insult of monarchy) posed a threat to free speech in Thailand, while others criticised Thai
prison system for its disregard of inmates? welfare.

His wife, Ms. Rosmalen Tangnoppakul,
requested the court to investigate the circumstance of his death. The court has heard that the
autopsy, overseen by Dr. Kittibhumi Juthasmit, the director of Phoo Singha Hospital in Sri Saket
province, revealed plaques formed inside Mr. Amphon′s artery, covering up to 60% of the area. The
blocking resulted in Mr. Amphon′s fatal heart failure.

Dr. Kittibhumi said the prison′s
hospital should have had equipment to rescue Mr. Amphon before he died.

Such condition does
not require any specific equipment at all said Dr. Kittibhummi, They only need a tube and a
syringe to pump out the liquid in Mr. Amphon′s body, yet such basic equipment is somehow
unavailable in the facility.

The judges said they would make further announcement about the
specific cause of Mr. Amphon′s death again on 30 October.

However, for Ms. Rosmalen – Mr.
Amphon′s wife – the testimony is enough evidence that her elderly husband was mistreated and
neglected by the prison officials.

She tearfully told our correspondent she would use the
testimony as a basis of her lawsuit against the Department of Corrections for abandoning Mr. Amphon
to his death. She said she would sue the Department via the Administrative Court.

The royal
family remains highly sensitive subject in Thailand. Individuals convicted of lese majeste can face
up to 15 years in prison per offence.

Meanwhile, Prachatai reports that Asia Books, one of the
largest bookstore chains in Thailand, has ordered 2 book titles that touch on the Thai monarchy to
be withdrawn from their shelves. The decision was reportedly due to political
sensitivity.

Over 250 refugees caused mass
breakout from their quarters in the province′s detention centre, but the police officers managed to
bar the detainees from leaving the facility by holding them behind the main gate. Soon the police
were reinforced by riot control units and rescue workers.

The protesters demanded the right
to perform religious rites marking the end of Ramadan, the Islamic fasting season. The authorities
said they would only allow the group to perform the prayers outside the building in groups of 5 at a
time, but the Rohingya detainees rejected the offer and continued to shake the metal gate, intent on
breaking out.

The police responded by beating the protesting Rohingya with their batons,
while others fetched a local Imaam. The cleric arrived at the centre and convinced the detainees to
stay calm, and later he led a mass prayer with the Rohingyas as they stayed inside the
facility.

However, the detainees tried to break out from the gate again soon afterwards, so
the security forces decided to fire water cannons at the gate to keep the protesters at bay, but the
measure failed as the Rohingya kept surging back at the gate.

A number of officers requested
the tear gas to be fired to disperse the crowds, but the requests were rejected by the commanding
officers who ordered the gate to be reinforced instead. The officers were instructed to stand down
and let the rioting Rohingya become exhausted on their own.

Once the riots subsided, the riot
police moved into the building and sorted out instigators within the groups. The leaders were
separated and sent to other police stations in the province. Nevertheless, the unrest soon erupted
again. Some shouted that they wanted to be transferred to a third country instead of being holed up
in the facility.

Eventually around 17.00, after 8 hours of confrontation, the police finally
secured the facility and resolved the situation. The refugees were separated into groups and
transported to be detained in local police stations.

According to human rights activists and
news reports, the mostly-Muslim Rohingya ethnics suffer routine persecution in Myanmar. Many of the
Rohingya fled the country, and Thai Navy regularly intercepted their boats.

He later used the shovel to lift it up and suddenly the bomb exploded,
severely wounding him in the two legs and the abdomen.

Mr. Kwachai, who serves as the
provincial representative for the National United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), was
not in the area at the time, as he was in Bangkok to observe the anti-government protests. It is not
clear why Mr. Jaroon did not accompany Mr. Kwanchai to Bangkok.

Speaking from Bangkok, Mr.
Kwanchai said that he had heard about the incident and is travelling to visit Mr. Jaroon as soon as
he can.

The Redshirts leader, known for his aggressive and confrontational behaviour,
suggested the incident is politically motivated, saying that he and his fellow activists are only
fighting for democracy but many people are using harmful weapons to eliminate us.

He and
his friends are victims of a deadly political game, Mr. Kwanchai said, and he claimed that a few
days earlier someone has placed a bomb just outside his house, but the explosive was
inactive.

Mr. Kwanchai vowed that he would do whatever he could to bring justice, since Mr.
Jaroon is his personal guard.

After weeks of intense rumours and speculation about their relationship,
Ms. Janie Thienphosuwan and Mr. Chonsawad Assavahame finally spoke out on the matter in a press
conference at Mr. Chonsawad′s mansion in Samut Prakarn Province.

Mr. Wattana
escaped his sentence during his release on bail. His whereabouts remain unknown, and Thai authorities
had vowed in the past to hunt him down.

No question about Mr. Wattana was raised today
throughout the press conference at Mr. Chonsawad′s family estate, where he stunned the nation by
announcing that he and Ms. Janie had just married hours earlier. They showed their wedding
certificates to the press, pointing to the time of 09.09 – a time deemed auspicious by the
couple.

Seated next to Ms. Janie, Mr. Chonsawad also apologised for keeping the relationship
a secret for so long, and said that everything happened because of love. He also denied rumours that
Ms. Janie is pregnant with his child, and showed the document from a hospital about Ms. Janie′s
health as a proof.

As for his ex-wife, Ms. Nanthida ‘Too’ Kaewbuasai, he said they had never officially
registered for marriage in the first place, and they had been virtually separated for 10 years now.
We only stayed together for the sake of our child, he said.

Asked about the dowry, Mr.
Chonsawad said his entire life from now on is the dowry for Ms. Janie. Nevertheless, media reports
indicate that Mr. Chonsawad also gave Ms. Janie a 7 karat diamond ring.

Meanwhile, the first
wedding gift to the newly weds was an order issued by the Division of Special Investigation (DSI) for
the couple to appear before its detectives in order to be questioned about Mr. Wattana′s
whereabouts.

The order came after a few days after a leaked photo showed Ms. Janie and Mr. Chonsawad with Mr.
Wattana at an unidentified place, believed by some netizens to be a hotel in Macau.

Mr.
Tharit Pengdit, chief of the DSI, said that it is his duty to look for fugitive convicts like Mr.
Wattana. If the former minister is confirmed to be hiding abroad, he said, the DSI will seek
cooperation from that nation′s government for extradition of Mr. Wattana.

Mr. Tharit′s
comments came few days after an official at the Office of Attorney General suggested that the police
should do more in locating Mr. Wattana. The case also received notable attention in much of social
network, where commentators grumble that the Thai police are never capable of bringing ig names
to justice.

Not everyone welcomes the attention Ms. Janie and Mr. Chonsawad are receiving, however.
Some anti-government activists complained that the news divert citizens? attention away from the
fierce debate on draft of government-sponsored Amnesty Bill in the Parliament.

The draft
promises legal absolution to protesters charged with or serving the sentences for crimes they
allegedly committed during 2010 Redshirts protests in Bangkok. Opposition party and its allies view
the draft as an attempt to whitewash criminal thugs who attacked soldiers and ?burned down the
city?.

Eventually, Phra
Mahanarong instructed the temple staff to put up a big sign at the temple entrance notifying
visitors that we can discussion any problem of yours, followed by the text in bright yellow, But
please DO NOT borrow money!.

The sign ends with a Buddhist proverb, written in Thai
and Pali, that reads It is best to rely on yourself (the Buddhist version of “God helps those who
help themselves”).

The event gave Ms. Yingluck
a short break from the particularly tough morning, as the anti-government protesters marched
to the House of Parliament in Bangkok and the debate on the controversial Amnesty Bill was about to
rage in the Parliament.

Nevertheless, Ms. Yingluck managed to tease the crowd of waiting
reporters as she arrived at the school, cheerfully telling the reporters not to get so caught up
with the protests that there is no space in the newspapers for the event at school.

Joining
the teachers, students, and other parents, the Prime Minister sang the Royal Anthem, and listened to
a poem praising Her Majesty the Queen written by a student.

Later, Suppasek gave his mother
a jasmine garland, and a little gift he made by himself. He also wrote his mother a short essay
saying that he looks up to her and thinks she is pretty and precious to him like a diamond.

He told the reporters that he is “grateful” that his mother can have some time for him. I
love my mom, Suppasek said shyly.

The Prime Minister said when she had a tough day at work,
he would come to her and give her a hug once she′s home. Ms. Yingluck said she is very proud to see
her son growing up and having good manners. My work is made easier because I don?t have to worry
too much about my son, she added.

Since he considers Ms. Yingluck as his idol, the reporters
asked Suppasek, would he one day become a politician as well?

The 47 year old German, identified simply by officials as ?Sasha?, is believed to
have fallen off the ferry boat on his way to the island, which situated near the coast of Chompon
province in southern Thailand.

The ferry crew told our correspondent they saw the German
smoking on the side of the boat around 02.00 on the previous night. They could not locate him once
the boat reached the island, they said, so they realised that he must have fallen overboard and
immediately alerted the rescue teams.

Mr. Sasha was eventually found 10 kilometres away from
the shore, close to Koh Mattra and Koh Kalok islands. He said he had been swimming for around 9
hours as he waited for the help to arrive. Officials said Mr. Sasha was very exhausted but had
sustained no injury.

According to his friends, Mr. Sasha is originally from Berlin and has
settled in Surat Thani province for 10 years now, where he has been running his hotel business.