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DSI Seeking Arrest Warrants For 'Fake University' Directors

One of the participants at a recent 'graduation ceremony' organized by the WPU inspects a WPU-issued gown.

(23 July) Division of
Special Investigation (DSI) is seeking arrest warrants on charges of fraud and computer crime for 3
individuals who identified themselves as rectors of the so-called ?World Peace University?
(WPU).

The ?University? has drawn much attention from the public, and the laws enforcement
agencies, after it emerged that it has been giving out honorary degrees to many recipients, even
though the establishment is not registered as a proper university.

There are also reports
that the WPU charges the ?graduates? some money in return for these degrees – the allegation denied
by the directors of the WPU.

The WPU has previously clarified to the media that their
degrees merely served as ceremonious certificates handed out to individuals who had committed noble
deeds, and that they had no intention to advertise their degrees as legitimate academic
titles.

However, the DSI remains unconvinced. Pol.Maj.Gen. Sakkapol Sukparn, an official at
the DSI, insisted that the 3 WPU
directors – Mr.
Sawasdi Banterngsuk, Mr. Suppanat Donchan, and Mr. Rewat Chatrivisit – clearly violate the laws
because they try to imitate an educational establishment and misled people into making payments for
the fake degrees, hence the charge of fraud.

As for the computer crime charge, Pol.Maj.Gen.
Sakkapol said that the WPU has been advertising and disseminating misleading information on the
internet.

He said the DSI has sufficient evidences of wrongdoing and he expected the court
would approve the arrest warrants for the 3 WPU directors in near future.

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Editorial 23 July 2013 : Transparency from all sides

Many are calling for
transparency assessment of the the government’s rice pledging scheme, which allowed all Thai farmers
to sell rice to the state at higher rate than market price. Topics concerned are the production and
selling of the rice.

However, the attempt to inspect the program must be on the basis of
factual information, aiming to protect the interests of the public, and is not intended to be a tool
for political smear campaign. Otherwise, the process itself will lose its reliability, as what
happened in many so cases.

Recently, Consumer Protection Foundation and its networks
conducted an assessment on quality of rice in the government program, and claimed that of 46 brands
available in market, 1 brand contained chemical toxic above standard.

Meanwhile, another 33
brands found traces of anti-degradation chemicals, though the level of such contamination is well
under the standard limitation.

The Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Agriculture promptly
questioned the legitimacy of the assessment, asking whether the inspection was conducted in standard
laboratory, and whether it had been overseen by relevant experts.

In reply, the networks
insisted that their inspection was done with good faith, as they have been doing for the last 10
years or so.

Unfortunately, their lab result had turned into a part of the deeply divisive
political issue, with the anti-government critics seizing on the results to attack the government.
The intention to offer consumers? protection by the networks risk being lost in the shouts of
political bickering.

On one hand, the government should react to the inspection conducted by
these private agencies with grateful attitude; after all, the inspection of the rice program offers
a critical assessment of the said program for the sake of the public.

The private
organisations, on the other hand, need not feel offended by challenges from the government and other
related agencies. They should openly discuss question and concerns about the rice verification
process raised by any party, to prove the sincerity behind the inspection.

Ultimately,
this issue should remind us that transparency is demanded of all parties involved in the
dispute.

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Man Confesses To Murdering Girl Who 'Insults His Dysfunction'

(21 July) Affairs between
a married man and a friend of his daughter ended up in a murder case after the woman reportedly made
joke about her partner′s erectile dysfunction, enraging him so much he drowned her to
death.

The dead body of the woman, identified as Ms. Siripon (surname unclear), 22, was found
floating in a pond in Mueang District, Bueng Kan province, on 12 July. The autopsy showed that she
was drowned. Since the body had been in water for 10 days, the police could not find any bruises or
marks indicating that she was attacked.

However, relatives of Ms. Siripon were convinced she
was murdered because some of her belongings, including her Samsung Galaxy mobile phone and her
sandals were missing from the body.

After days of investigation, the police said they had
arrested Mr. Don Nakua, 43, in connection with the crime. He reportedly confessed he murdered Ms.
Siripon.

Mr. Don told police he had been in
affairs with Ms. Siripon, a friend of his daughter, despite the fact that both he and Ms. Siripon
were married. He said he had tried to have sexual intercourse with Ms. Siripon twice, but both
attempts failed because of his erectile dysfunction, and Ms. Siripon had derided him about
it.

On the day of the crime, 2 July, Mr. Don
reportedly met Ms. Siripon as she was drinking beer in her village and later invited her to do drugs
at the scene of the murder, which is next to the pond in his rubber tree plantation. 

After they had taken some drugs, according to the suspect, both he and Ms. Siripon were
turned on. Nonetheless, Mr. Don suffered from erectile dysfunction yet again and could not perform
sexual intercourse, prompting his partner to insult him like previous times.

Enraged, Mr.
Don allegedly kicked Ms. Siripon into the pond. He later charged into the water, grabbed Ms.
Siripon′s neck, and drowned her to death, according to his testimony.

Mr. Don also told the
police that after he committed a crime, he fled the scene on his motorcycle and slept with his wife
as though nothing happened. On the next day, he said, he went back to scene to retrieve Ms.
Siripon’s belongings and buried them 100 metres away from the scene.

During the crime
re-enactment session, the angered relatives of Ms. Siripon tried to attack the suspect several
times, and the police had to keep him away from the crowd.

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14 Year Old Girl Raped By Father, Grandfather, Granduncles

(21 July) Police in
Chonburi province rescued a 14 year old girl after receiving reports that she had been repeatedly
raped by 4 relatives in the family, including her  father and grandfather.

Ms. A, a
resident of Bang Saray District told the police that her grandfather first raped her when she was 9.
She was too scared to tell her parents, the girl recalled.

Several months later a younger
brother of her grandfather reportedly found out about his brother′s sexual abuse of the girl,
but he ended up raping her too. Later, the youngest brother of the 3 elder men also raped her,
according to the victim.

The alleged tragedy did not end there, as the girl told police that
her father raped her as well. The victim claimed that the man would even rape her when her mother
was sleeping in the same room. Ms. A said she had no way out and had to endure living in the same
house with the 4 rapists.

She said her youngest granduncle treated her as his own mistress,
which eventually led to the violence that prompts police intervention. The 4 men were said to have
ended up fighting each other because of jealousy over the girl. Her father and her youngest
granduncle reportedly went as far as engaging in knife fights, which scared the girl so much she
told her ordeals to her mother.

The mother later reported the issue to the sheriffs, who in
turn contacted the police to search the house and rescue the girl.

Her mother later told our
correspondent that once she heard the tragedy, she was unable to stomach the story of what her
husband had done, and even grabbed the knife to attack him. She also expressed her regrets that she
had been so focused on the family financial income that she did not spend time with her daughter as
much as she should.

Police said they had arrested all 4 suspects, who denied all allegations.
In the meantime, Ms. A was sent to the hospital for medical check-ups. The police investigation into
the matter is underway.

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Former PM Thaksin To Assist Ailing Country Music Star

(20 July) The nation is
being gripped by the news that the country music superstar Sayan Sanya might be suffering from
pancreatic cancer, after the legendary singer was admitted to hospital in Bangkok with severe
condition.

The doctors have not yet confirmed that Mr. Sayan, 60, is the victim of the said
cancer, but persons close to him have suggested that it is the case to the media in last few days.
He remains at the hospital, where he gave brief interviews to Channel 3 talk show on Friday, with
his wife and daughters at the bedside.

Ms. Wannapon Samrit said the doctors will confirm
whether her husband is suffering from cancer soon. She said she wants to limit number of visitors to
Mr. Sayan because he needs rest, but he is cheered up a lot to see his friends visiting him at
hospital.

Hinting at the severe condition inflicting upon Mr. Sayan, Ms. Wannapon he told our
correspondent the doctors had administered 4 packs of blood to the singer already and will continue
to do so due to his failing pancreas.

Today, Mr. Sayan had received the most high profile
visitors yet: the envoy dispatched by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra who sent him her regards in
a large bouquet. The envoy was led by  Mr. Supon Attawong, deputy secretary to the Prime
Minister and a former Redshirt leader.

Mr. Supon told Mr. Sayan he also bore a personal
greeting from the former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra – Ms. Yingluck′s brother who was deposed
in the 2006 military coup – who reportedly wanted Mr.
Sayan to know that I will not abandon you
because we have struggled together in the past. The simple message somehow made Mr.
Sayan′s eyes well up
with tears.

Using Mr. Supon′s iPhone, he recorded a video to thank Mr. Thaksin, saying that
he felt very grateful to receive regards from both the Prime Minister and Mr. Thaksin. He said in
the footage that he hoped Mr. Thaksin would be able to return from his self-imposed exile
soon.

You are my knight, Mr. Sayan said.

Mr. Supon later told our correspondent the
former Prime Minister will help pay for Mr. Sayan′s medical care and has instructed him to tell the
singer not to worry.

A son of farmer family in the rice-growing province of Suphan Buri, Mr.
Sayan Pao Sanya was interested in the country music since his childhood.

Later, during his
work as a car-washing staff at a petrol station, a country musician, Mr. Chonlatee Tarntong,
happened to stop by the petrol station to use restroom there and coincidentally heard Mr. Sayan
singing. Mr. Chonlatee instantly recognized the young man′s talent and introduced him to the
professional country music career soon afterwards.

The news of Mr. Sayan′s possible cancer
particularly touched on the hearts of many Thai country lovers because another prominent country
superstar Mr. Yordrak Salakjai, who was Mr. Sayan′s longtime friend, also passed away with
pancreatic cancer in 2008.

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Chinese Tourists In Pattaya Angered By Choice Of Hotel

A group of Chinese
tourists complained to the police station in Pattaya that they had been offered a
lower-than-expected accommodation from their tour leaders.

The tourists told the police that
a Thai tour guide had promised that the group would be accommodated at a 5-stars hote in
Pattaya.

However, once they have seen the hotel that has been arranged, they were
disappointed and tried to seek help from the police, whom later transfer the issue to tourism police
authority.

Our correspondent reported that the tourists thought that the hotel seemed
“unsafe” for their lives and their belongings.

Later, the tourists and their luggages were
transported to another accommodation, which ultimately satisfied them. The new arrangement was
coordinated by Pattaya Tourist Police.

The tour guide cannot be reached throughout the
negotiation between the tourists and the police, our correspondent added.

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Hairdresser Adorns Her Beauty Salon With 'Lottery Wallpaper'

(19 July) Owner of a
beauty salon in Suphanburi province plastered the walls of her workplace with thousands of lottery
tickets, none of them yielding any win, to remind herself and her customers the low chance of
winning the prize.

Ms. Wassana Lek Indrakaew, 39, the owner of Lek Beauty in Mueang
district, told our correspondent that she has been posting lottery tickets on the wall of  the
establishment since 2001.

Initially, she only posted the tickets on the salon′s back door,
but the ?lotto wallpaper? later crept into other spaces and eventually filled up the 4 walls of the
4×4 metre room.

Ms. Wassana said she is a big fan of a lottery. She usually buys around 20
lottery tickets each month, depending on how much money she had on that day, Ms. Wassana added. Ms.
Wassana lost count how many tickets she had bought, and estimated that the wallpaper in her salon is
composed of about 10,000 pieces of lottery.

Customers and neighbours in the area are highly
amused by her idea, turning her salon into some sort of local tourist attraction, drawing many
people who have heard about the lottery wallpapers. Many of them took photographs with the wall to
show their friends.

As she never won a single prize from these lotteries she had
bought, she said, she had the idea to post the tickets on these walls to  remind herself and
other customers that the chance to become rich overnight by lottery winning is just too
slim.

“There were millions of lottery tickets printed out, but there were only numbers of
prizes you can win”, Ms. Wassana said gravely.

However, she said she had never given up on
the hope to win the lottery one day.

“I will probably keep on buying lottery tickets”, Ms.
Wassana said, explaining that she has been repeatedly buying the tickets that feature her house
numbers in Ying Ruay Village.“The prize will be mine someday.”

State-sanctioned lottery is
one of the very few gambling sports allowed under Thai laws. The draw comes every 1st and 16th day
of the month.

 Lottery is also very big deal in Thai society, merging the desire to get
rich quickly with the deeply rooted superstition in Thai nation. Many Thais believe that lucky
lottery numbers can be found in abnormal animals or plants, news of big accidents, ghosts, and other
paranormal activities.

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'Deep Sleep' Driver Causes A Scene In Pattaya

(19 July) A driver fallen
asleep in his parked car on a busy Pattaya road became centre of attention from other motorists and
police officers who thought he was dead.

The stir was caused by a black car parked in the
middle of the road in Central Pattaya, Chonburi province, near a red light intersection. The engine
was left on and a man, believed to be around 30-35 year old, could be seen slumping on the driver
seat.

As the road is a busy one, usually crowded with cars entering Pattaya, the parked car
caused much traffic problem. Some motorists, racing toward the green light, almost hit at the
vehicle and managed to swerve away at the last moment. A large traffic jam soon formed around the
intersection.

Traffic police were alerted by some locals and motorists. At the scene, many
methods were attempted to wake the driver up, like police officers blowing their whistles and bus
drivers honking their loud horns around the car, to no avail. Some people also knocked and shook the
car, but the driver remained deeply asleep.

An hour later, the police officers decided to
forcefully open the car window to reach the man. Yet the man did not respond to the officers. The
crowd started to fear that the man has passed away when he finally woke up.

The driver, who
was in confused state, simply asked for wet towel to wipe his face. All he would say is that he had
a residence in the area. He sped away in his car shortly afterwards, leaving the crowd of locals and
police officers somewhat baffled by the incident.

 

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Buriram Doctor Offers Free Services To Commemorate King's Mother

(18 July) Over 1,000
people in Buriram province lined up for health check-ups by a former doctor who offered free medical
service to commemorate
the late Princess Mother of Thailand and celebrate the greatness of His Majesty the
King.

The locals gathered at Sonthaya Medical Clinic on Niwat Road in Mueang District to
receive medical services and medication, free of charge, from Dr. Sonthaya Wattanakosol, the owner
of the clinic. Many in the crowd are rural villagers and farmers who suffered illness from their
hard works.

Dr. Sonthaya, who once worked at Buriram Hospital around a decade ago, said he
had been offering his service on every 18 July and 5 December since 1995, when Princess Mother
Srinagarindra, the mother of His Majesty the King, passed away on 18 July.

As for 5 December,
it is the birthday of His Majesty the King, and also the national day of Thailand.

His former
colleagues, doctors and nurses from Buriram Hospital, also came to assist Dr. Sonthaya in his
charity day, providing medical advices and basic medication. Meanwhile, some locals donated drinking
water and food to accommodate the patients.

Dr. Sonthaya told our correspondent that he uses
his own money to pay for the medication. “I think I would keep on doing this until my last breath”,
Dr. Sonthaya said.

Asked about what he expected from his charity, Dr. Sonthaya replied that
he wished his attempt would influence other Thais to do good things as well, especially in
dedication to His Majesty the King, because, Dr. Sonthaya said, “His Majesty has always been working
hard, for the wellness of all Thai people”.

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Phrae Derailment Typical Of Train Accidents In Thailand

(19 July) Over 30 passengers, mostly foreign tourists, were seriously injured when their train derailed in the northern, mountainous province of Phrae earlier this week.

The train, which was carrying around 290 passengers, derailed in the night of 17 July as it was travelling in Denchai district. The rescue workers managed to remove the 7 fallen train compartments and cleared the busy Chiang Mai – Bangkok rail a day later. The cause of the accident is still pending investigation.

The incident was widely reported – including by some international news outlets – perhaps due to the fact that so many injured passengers were foreign tourists, but it is merely the latest addition to the long list of train accidents in the kingdom.

Just earlier this month, on 1 July, a train fell off its track near a train depot in Bangkok. Fortunately, no one was hurt as the train had already dropped off all passengers before the accident happened. The engineers said a flawed mechanism at the train junction caused the train to derail.

9 days later, another train carrying 800,000 litre of crude oil derailed as it was leaving an oil storage which belongs to the state-owned PTT Company in Klong Toey district of Bangkok. Since the train was an industrial vehicle, no passenger was injured by the accident.

There are conflicting reports about the the cause of the derailment. While the train engineers insisted that the soil around the rail track that was soaked with rain after a night of thunderstorm caused the accident, the national rail authority disputed that report and launched a separate investigation.

A passenger train also derailed on 5 April near Vibhavadi Road in northern suburb of Bangkok. 4 passengers were injured by the crash, including a pregnant woman. Initial investigation points to the rail track that becomes overheated and expanded by summer weather.

It should be noted that railway system in Thailand is very limited and poorly maintained. The system mostly employed diesel trains that would have been displayed in museum in some countries. No major extension nor overhaul of the railway has been completed for several decades now.

The infamous Hopewell project which was authorized in 1990 and aimed at building an elevated railway in Bangkok eventually failed some years later; its failure was owed in large parts to rampant corruption at the time. 

However, the government of PM Yingluck Shinawatra recently approved a mega project, costing around 2.2 trillion baht, that featured construction of modern high-speed rail. The plan was nevertheless met with opposition from anti-government critics who feared the that project would lead to nowhere except mires of corruption.

Indeed, the remains of the Hopewell project – the Stonehenge-like slabs of concrete intended to house the futuristic high-speed trains – still stood along the stretches of functioning train tracks in northern Bangkok as a testimony of the gloomy past hanging over the present day Thai railway.

 

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