Surin Vendor Seeks Help For Her 'Snake-like' Daughter

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6 July 2013, 10:49

(5 July) A vendor
in Surin province has asked Khaosod to publish the story of her disabled daughter in hope that
sympathetic citizens might send her help.

Ms. Somniang Sinsiri, 48, sells
pa tong go (Thai street breakfast delicacy made of flour) at the bus depot in Prasart
district when she is free from seasonal rice-farming works.

When our
correspondent visited her, she was cradling her 10-year old daughter, Yok. Despite her age, Yok can
neither communicate verbally nor walk upright. She crawls around on the floor, earning a nickname
The Snake Girl from her neighbors.

Ms. Somniang said Yok is her 3rd and
youngest child. She told our correspondent she had to feed food and water to Yok as a mother would
do to a toddler. Yok also suffers from regular seizure, Ms. Somniang
said.

The half-farmer, half-vendor said a doctor at the provincial hospital
told her Yok is suffering from slow brain development. However, even with medicine prescribed to her
by the doctors, Ms. Somniang said, Yok′s conditions barely
improved.

My neighbors told me to seek help from channelers instead,
which I did. The necromancers told me my daughter was a snake in her past life, so I let them
conduct karma-cleansing rituals for my daughter, but that did not help neither, Mr. Somniang
said.

Ms. Somniang told our correspondent she′s entitled to 500
baht per month from the local authority for Yok′s medication, but it was not enough and she
had to stop selling food some days as she had to take care of Yok closely. She pleads for financial
help from any sympathetic reader.

Those who wish to assist Ms. Somniang
are advised to contact Nong Yai Subdistrict Administrative Organization.

'Couple Fight' Led To Spectacular Truck Accident

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Khaosod English

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6 July 2013, 10:03

(6 July) Water truck crashed into 3
vehicles and plunged into a canal near a school in Nakorn Ratchasima province after the driver
reportedly argued with his wife while driving.

The accident took place in front of Suranaree Wittaya school on Mittaparp Road. When police
arrived, Mr Suchart (surname unclear), 38, was being loudly scolded by his apparently angry wife who
was being restrained by the school teachers and some locals from lurching at Mr.
Suchart.

Mr. Suchart told police he was delivering
fresh water to customers in the province and had been arguing hotly with his wife on the way. He
said he lost control of the truck when the woman took hold of the steering wheel and drove the truck
madly onto the sidewalk, hitting 3 cars and the school′s fence, then plunged down the roadside
canal.

However, Mr. Suchart′s wife told the officers she thought she saw a motorcycle coming
toward the truck when she took the steering wheel.

Although no injury was reported, a police
officer said it was extremely fortunate that the school session was ongoing at the time of the
accident.

The officer said the road around the school was usually packed with students leaving school
in their parents? cars or buses in late afternoon, and it would have been a tragedy if the accident
had taken place during that
time.

Girl Severely Injured After Fall From Moving School Van

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Khaosod English

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5 July 2013, 15:20

(4 July) 3-year old girl is fighting for his life in hospital after he fell down from a
moving school van and was crushed under its wheels.

Parita Chanmontol who was nicknamed Por
Chai by her parents was on her way home from the kindergarten in Assumption Bangrak College in
Bangkok when she opened the school van′s door as it sped along Soi Charoen Nakorn 18 and tumbled
onto the road.

The vehicle′s back wheel smashed her rib and shoulder. A rib bone also
punctured her lung. She was sent to Samitivej Hospital and her condition is described as very
severe.

Mr.
Wuttipong Suwansirisilpa, 46, the van driver, said a 6th grader was manning the door, opening and
closing the door when the van dropped off children at their houses.

He said he dropped the 6th grader and
other students off to buy food at a 7-11 store in Soi Charoen Nakorn 18 and continued on
his way with Parita onboard. Shortly afterwards, Mr. Wuttipong said, he heard the car door opened,
so he looked into the rear window and saw Parita falling out of the
car.

I
stopped the car and found her under the van′s wheel, Mr. Wuttipong told police, adding that he was
sure the 6th grader has closed the door properly as she exited the van at the 7-11 store. It is not
immediately clear whether Mr. Wuttipong has locked the van door.

Police believe Parita, who was sitting
near the door, opened the door out of her curiosity. Mr. Wuttipong has been charged with driving
with negligence and causing grievous harms to others.

It is the latest addition to series of
shocking incidents in which school children were killed or injured following acts of negligence.
Earlier this year, in 2 separate incidents, 2 young school children suffocated to death in their
school vans after the staff parked the vehicle and forgot that they were
onboard.

Top Govt Officials Satirize 'Ice Cream Gang' Brouhaha

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Khaosod English

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5 July 2013, 12:16

(5 July) Top officials at the Prime Minister office posted a photo of them having ice
cream to mock the accusation from a disappointed former Vice Prime Minister that they are ice cream
gang.

Previously, Mr. Chalerm Yoobamrung, who was transferred from the top job as Vice PM to
relatively low profile post as Minister of Labor, has stated to the press that a certain ice cream
gang has been formed around PM Yingluck Shinawatra to manipulate her into agreeing with their
agenda.

The
accusation is a thinly veiled reference to a group of bureaucrats working closely with PM Yingluck
such as Mr. Suranand Vejjajeeva, the Secretary General to the Prime Minister and Mr. Teerat
Rattanawee, the newly appointed Spokesman of the Prime Minister Office.

The ice
cream gang is understood to mean those who lick the
Prime Minister′s butt. Mr. Chalerm′s remark has caused a stir in the media, but officials in the
government have insisted that Mr. Chalerm had misunderstood the situation and denied there is
neither any rift in the government nor a clique that can influence the Prime Minister′s decision
solely on their initiatives.

Today, Mr. Teerat himself uploaded a photo to his Instagram showing him and Mr. Suranand
having ice cream together during their ongoing trip to Turkey with PM Yingluck. Here′s the
ice cream gang! Mr. Teerat wrote on his Instagram, obviously mocking Mr. Chalerm′s
charge.

Mr.
Chalerm is widely known for regularly making extravagant and incoherent statements to the media,
which might have factored into PM Yingluck′s decision to transfer him away from the position of Vice
PM.

He is
particularly criticized by other governmental officials for making inflammatory remarks about the
Southern insurgents, even as the administration is attempting to organize peace dialogue with the
insurgents to end the series of attacks allegedly by shadowy separatist groups in the Deep South
which have cost thousands of lives.

Thaksin To Attend Meeting Over Cabinet Shakeup 'Resentment' In HK

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Khaosod English

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5 July 2013, 11:58

Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra in Hong Kong in 2007.

(5 July) Former PM Thaksin Shinawatra is due to preside over a meeting with his allied
politicians in Hong Kong this weekend to clear out any disappointment over the recent Cabinet
reshuffle, a source has revealed to Khaosod.

Mr. Thaksin, the former leader ousted by military coup since 2006 but still
wields extraordinary influence over his supporters, is said to talk with those who failed to secure
their coveted seats in the Cabinet and some newly installed Ministers. The source has said Mr.
Thaksin will stay in Hong Kong throughout the weekend.

Politicians slated to meet with Mr. Thaksin included Mr. Chalerm
Yoobamrung, who displayed his resentment openly toward PM Yingluck Shinawatra, Mr. Thaksin′s sister,
after he was demoted from the seat of Vice Prime Minister to Minister of
Labor.

Pol.Maj. Kamronwit Thoopkrachang, commander of the Bangkok Metropolitan Police, is also
said to have submitted his leave to the office and believed to be traveling to Hong Kong with Mr.
Chalerm.

Mr.
Thaksin has been living a life of self-imposed exile for the last few years, traveling between Hong
Kong, Dubai, and other cities to avoid the corruption charges the Thai court convicted him in
absentia. Mr. Thaksin and his supporters argue that the charge was politically
motivated.

Lese Majeste Charge Filed Against Activists' Mock Banknotes

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Khaosod English

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5 July 2013, 11:29

(4 July) A pro-royal group has filed lese majeste – insult of the Royal Family – charge
against a student activist group for distributing mock banknotes with portraits of historic figures
involved in 1932 Revolution which ended the Absolute Monarchy and paved way for democratic regime in
Siam.

The anknotes were in fact postcards
sold to participants of the rally marking the 81st anniversary of the Revolution in Bangkok′s Royal
Plaza on 24 June 2013. The postcards were published and sold by League of Liberal Thammasart for
Democracy (LTTD), a student group based in Thammasart University.

The
postcards came in 4 different versions. In one, it featured Pridi Banomyong, the leader of the
civilian wing of the People′s Party which toppled the Siamese Absolute Monarchy in 24 June 1932. The
others display portraits of Luang Pibul Songkram and Phraya Pahol Polpayuhasena, the 2 key military
commanders of the People′s Party, and Kularb Saipradit, a progressive writer who was greatly
influenced by the events in 1932.

They were considered to be
offensive enough by the group calling itself The
Royal Monarch Alert Protection Network (RMAPN) which filed the lese majeste charge based on Chapter
112 of the Criminal Codes at Dusit police station.

Mr. Udorn
Saeng-arun, representative of the group, said the LTTD has greatly offended the feeling of Thai
people by distributing the mock banknotes since only the faces of His Majesty the King are allowed
to appear on Thai banknotes.

The news was first reported by Prachatai
news website.

The LTTD has written on its Facebook
account that the postcards-banknotes were tribute to the date of 24 June which the group sees as
important day for Thai democracy. 24 June was once so important that the Thai state declared it as
National Day, until it was changed to His Majesty the King′s Birthday, 5 December, under the
military dictatorship regime years later.

The LTTD argues the said
anknotes would help remind Thais of the long-lost significance of 24 June 1932.

Actions deemed as insult toward the Royal Family are punishable up to 15 years
in jail according to Thai laws. Anyone can file the charge against any individual. The number of
lese majeste charges have risen dramatically in the past 6-7 years, corresponding to the
increasingly confrontational politics in the kingdom.

Many civil
rights activists and academics have voiced support for amendment or abolition of lese majeste laws,
calling it an obstacle to development of free speech in Thailand.

German Businessman Found Dead In Udon Thani Flat

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Khaosod English

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4 July 2013, 19:37

(4 July) A German citizen has been found dead inside his
condominium room in Udon Thani province. The police believe it is a possible murder case.

The
police were alerted after the body of Mr. Frank Hartwig, 46, was discovered by one of his friends at
Cabana Condominium. Mr. Hartwig′s body, which was wearing only an underwear, was lying face-down on
the floor surrounded in pool of dried blood.

The back of his head showed wounds caused
by blunt object. Police say he has been dead for half a month.

Mr. Almut Meyer, 69, told
police he had been living in Thailand with his Thai wife for 10 years and had become a friend of Mr.
Hartwig, who worked as a computer parts businessman in the German city of Frankfurt. Mr. Meyer said
Mr. Hartwig had a Thai wife but they later divorced. The woman is now reportedly living with her new
husband in Denmark.

Mr. Meyer said Mr. Hartwig liked to drink beer at local shops, and he
last met Mr. Hartwig on 30 May. Afterwards, he said, he went to Europe and talked with Mr. Hartwig
for the last time via chat program on 17 June. Mr. Meyer told police that once he′s back, many
people told him they had not seen Mr. Hartwig for a big while, so he decided to check on Mr. Hartwig
at his condominium.

Mr. Surayut Netprom, 26, general manager at the condominium, said Mr.
Hartwig lived alone in his room, but brought a Thai girl to sleep with him time to time. Earlier
today, he told police, Mr. Meyer said Mr. Hartwig would not answer the door so he went to his room
with spare key. That was when he discovered the body.

The police say the German Embassy has
already been contacted about the matter. As for the cause for death, the officers said it could be
murder and robbery as some properties of Mr. Hartwig were missing, but details are too murky at the
moment.

Authorities Targets 'World Peace University' For Legal Scrutiny

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Khaosod English

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4 July 2013, 16:44

(3 July) The controversy
surrounding the Louis Vuitton-toting monk that has been raging for weeks has placed the spotlight on
a separate sideshow: honorary degrees from a questionable education establishment which calls itself
World Peace University.

The issue came to mainstream media attention when it has been noted
that the most prominent spiritual follower of the controversial monk Luang Pu Nen Kam holds a
doctoral degree in his title; Thais generally display their Ph.D. by placing Dr. in front of their
names on official documents..

Mr. Sukum
Wongprasit has been serving as a de facto spokesman
for Luang Pu Nen Kam to the press. His education profile claims that he has earned an honorary
doctoral degree from World Peace University (WPU).

However, the establishment does not
appear to exist as a functional college. Its website does not specify where the college building is
located, and it does not list any faculty member or teaching curriculum.

What is most
prominent in the WPU′s website and its media outlets is its boasting of many celebrities and
bureaucrats as its alumni who were decorated with wide range of extravagant degree titles such as
Honorary Professorship in World Peace or Honorary Doctorate in Social Volunteer
Spirit.

In fact, Daily News has reported in December
last year that the authorities have received complaint about the WPU. The complaint said the said
agency might be fake university. However, the incident appeared to lead to
nowhere.

Reinforced by the raging controversy about Luang Pu Nen Kam, the authorities renewed their
efforts to investigate the so-called World Peace University.

In the past
few days, the Office of Higher Education representative says the WPU has never been registered in
its database, and many officials have raised concern that the University might be nothing more than
a degree factory, i.e. an agency that charges high amount of money in exchange with decorative
degrees.

Mr. Kamchon Tatiyakawi, vice secretary of the Officer of Higher Education said
he has summoned the director of WPU for a meeting about the matter. He said had made it very clear
in the conversation that the WPU is not legally allowed to operate under the name university as it
is not a properly registered institution.

By laws, they can?t just hand out papers and call
them degree, Mr. Kamchon said, adding that the action is similar to a private company handing out
driving license to customers on its own.

Those who receive the degree might be misled into
thinking that they are legitimate qualifications, he said.

Mr. Tharit Pengdit, chief of the
Division of Special Investigation, voiced the same concern in a press conference. He said the World
Peace University clearly violated the laws since it is not a registered university. The offenses
included brandishing logo that advertise itself as a university, Mr. Tharit said.

The DSI
chief said he had been informed that an individual must pay 15,000-350,000 baht in order to receive
the degrees.

He told reporters the investigation into the establishment for potential fraud
and false foundation registration is underway. Mr. Sawad Bantoensuk, the director of WPU, has been
summoned to meet with the DSI in near future, according to Mr. Tharit, who added that if Mr. Sawad
resists an arrest warrant will be sought.

A number of WPU alumni contacted by Khaosod
insist that they did not make any payment for their honorary degrees, and many say they were not
aware of WPU′s legal status when they attended the graduation ceremony.

Suthep
Wongkamhaeng, the famed singer who earned the (perfectly legal) title of National Artist in 1990,
said he was contacted by the WPU staff who told him he is eligible for a free honorary doctoral
degree. The ceremony handing out the degree took place 3-4 days after the call, Mr. Suthep
said.

He said he did not pay money to WPU. Asked if he is upset by the news that the agency
might not be a legitimate university, Mr. Suthep said he is not angry because I just take what they
give. That′s all.

Tik Zero, a famous singer and actor, told Khaosod the WPU called him 3
months ago to inform him that he was going to receive an honorary degree on Outstanding
Personality.

I was initially skeptical. People on Facebook told me to be careful because
it might be something wrong … so I sent my driver to visit the ceremony venue. He returned to tell
me there were many celebrities at the ceremony, so I decided to go. Well, I was a bit surprised,
too, but I didn?t think too much, Tik, whose real name is Mr. Manaswin Nantasen, told our
correspondent.

Mr. Somrak Kamsingh, a well-known boxer and the first Thai to win Gold Medal
in Summer Olympic Games, said he received the honorary degree after the WPU offered him the degree.
He said he was the only sport star at the ceremony; the others were MPs and military
officers.

Both Mr. Somrak and Mr. Manaswin insisted they did not pay any money to WPU.

Reds Will Rise Against Yingluck If She Abuses Power: UDD

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Khaosod English

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4 July 2013, 15:17

(3 July) The official
governing body of the Redshirts movement warns the government under PM Yingluck Shinawatra that its
supporters would turn against her if she allowed corruption and abuse of power, insisting that
Redshirts are not objects that could be easily controlled.

The National United Front of Democracy Against
Dictatorship (UDD) also unveiled many new strategies for its movements, including the
launch of English language news sites and expansion of local UDD Schools to inform its local
supporters.

The plans were unveiled during the UDD′s weekly press conference at Imperial
World shopping mall in Bangkok.

At the press conference, ex-MP Jatupon Prompan told the reporters
he decided not to take the position as the new chairperson of the UDD, handing the seat back to Ms.
Thida Tojirakarn. He said he declined the appointment, decided in a UDD conference earlier this
week, because of health reason.

He dismissed allegation that he refused the position out of
anger toward the government for not including him in the new Cabinet shakeup. Although I am not a
Minister, I am willing to stand on the side of the government ,as long as it operates with honesty,
Mr. Jatupon said.

Ms. Thida explained to the press that she
willingly resigned as the chairwoman of UDD during the conference so Mr. Jatupon can take her job
because she saw many potentials in Mr. Jatupon. She said no formal votes were taken at the meeting,
and the offer was relayed to Mr. Jatupon casually. Nevertheless, Ms. Thida said she accepted Mr.
Jatupon′s decline to take the offer.

Mr. Jatupon is not ready for it at the moment … but
in the future, when dire situation arises, Mr. Jatupon might step in and take the helm, Mr. Thida
told the reporters.

She said that the question of who takes the lead of UDD should
be decided by local chapters? election, but the organization is too plagued with conflicts and not
united enough for such procedure.

Ms. Thida said the Ammart (feudal
aristocrats) Regime has the upper hand because of high coordination between different
factions to campaign against the the government, while Ammart-allied media, Senators, political
parties, and military commanders are likewise united in forcing the democratic side to retreat from
the victory gained from the 2011 election.

The UDD chairwoman said there would be major

evamp in its structure to meet the challenge, such as the establishment of academic, financial,
international, legal, and coordinating sections. The UDD would also expand the UDD School lecture
sessions in many provinces and form English language website to offer the news in their perspective,
Ms. Thida said.

Ms. Thida also laid down goals of the UDD: abolition of the 2008
Constitution, drafting of Amnesty Bill for all sides except the leadership along with pursuit of
justice against hose who ordered killing of the people, and speeding up the compensation program
for those affected by political violence in 2009-2010.

She expressed her displeasure at the
government′s misplaced priority; she said the government should have been more focused on helping
the Redshirts who are still imprisoned instead of the 2.2 trillion bat loan program.

Don?t
prioritize money over the people. If you do that, how can I possibly convince the Redshirts to
defend their government when the crisis hits? Ms. Thida said, he Redshirts are not objects that
can be freely manipulated.

Ms. Thida said the Redshirts will be willing to back the
government as long as it refrains from corruption, abuse of power, and betraying the
people.

'Peeping Tom' Arrested For Filming University Restroom

By

Khaosod English

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4 July 2013, 13:16

(3 July) Police have
arrested a man who confessed to secretly filming women in a restroom at Burapha University in
Chonburi province.

Previously on 30 June, a 24 year old woman has told police she was in the
bathroom at the university when she heard strange noises from just outside the restroom. When she
opened the door, she said, she encountered a man who suddenly fled the scene. Nevertheless, she took
photo of the individual and reported to the security guard.

The university guards later
checked the CCTV footage and realized that the man had been at the university for many times, using
his cellphone to record women in the restroom. Police then gathered evidence and hunted for the
suspect.

The police eventually apprehended Mr. Tanakrit Chintaseni, 24, a native of Chonburi
province, who confessed to filming the unsuspecting victims. He said he had committed the crime many
times, but insisted that he had deleted each video before setting out to film new one.

Mr.
Tanakrit told police he was ordained as a monk for 5 months and could not find work after he left
the monkhood. Police records show that he had been previously arrested for marijuana crime and
thefts.

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