'World's Tallest Spirit House' Found In Ayutthaya

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14 June 2013, 17:37

(14
June) For Ms. Laksana Ekkatin, the glory should always be in the highest.

That is what was on
her mind when she ordered the construction of her 3-storey house in Sena district of Ayutthaya
province, Ms. Laksana told our correspondent, so she decided to erect 10 meter tall Spirit House to
hallow it.

Spirit House is a common sight in Thailand. Almost every residence, shop, office
building, and even governmental agency places it in front of their building, as Thais believe that
every place is inhabited by spirits so they should build a separate housing for those supernatural
entities as well.

However, a typical Spirit House is only few meter tall. Ms. Laksana, 57,
said she did not want to go along with the tradition because she felt it inappropriate to force the
spirits to live below her family′s abodes. Ms. Laksana′s choice echoes common Thai idea of
altitude: heads are to be respected, feet are reserved for making rude gesture.

Ms. Laksana
told our correspondent the workers constructed the tall Spirit House by placing the house figurine
(made of the expensive teak wood, she said) onto an electric cable pole painted with golden color.
She said the Spirit House costs her 70,000 baht, but insists that the price is worth it because her
career has been successful and her family living in peace ever since the Spirit House was
installed.

She said the house used to be a 2-storey wooden structure, but after the Great
Flood in 2011, she decided to renovate the damaged house completely. She said nowadays her family
can give offering and pray to the Spirit House on the 3rd floor balcony.

I think it must be
the tallest Spirit House in the world, Ms. Laksana said, I have not seen such thing anywhere
else.

Aussie Reporter Testifies To Court He Did Not See Any Armed Redshirt

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Khaosod English

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14 June 2013, 15:54

(13 June) The Australian
journalist who was taking shelter in Pathumwanararm Temple after the military forces dispersed the
main encampment of the Redshirts on 19 May 2010 testified to the court today that he had seen no
armed elements among the protesters.

Mr. Steve Tickner added that the temple, designated as
?Safe Zone? for the protesters by the authorities at the time, came under hails of gunfire for
hours.

Mr. Tickner was testifying as a witness to the Criminal Court in Bangkok, which is
attempting to establish who was responsible for 6 deaths in the temple, including some volunteer
medics.

Redshirts have accused the military as firing at the temple from overlooking BTS
track, citing video of the incident as evidence, but the army and members of the former government
under Mr. Abhisit Vejjajeeva have always denied the allegation.

The Australian reporter told
the court that he visited the Redshirts main camp at Central World shopping mall on 15-17 May,
wearing green armband to signify his press status. He said most of the protesters were farmers,
children, and ordinary people. He said he saw no armed group in the protest site.

Nonetheless, on 18 May he saw group of men equipped with homemade bombs standing around
Lumpini Park, but they were standing apart from the protesters, according to his
testimony.

On 19 May – the
day of final assault by the military – Mr. Tickner said he returned to the shopping mall around
06.00-07.00, which was very difficult task because the military have besieged the area. He said he
saw soldiers armed with M-16 rifles, sniper rifles, and shotguns around the
perimeter.

He told the court that after the Redshirts leaders announced their
surrender at 13.00 some of the protesters took shelter in Pathumwanararm Temple (also known as Wat
Pathum). He said he was walking in front of the temple around 18.00 when he heard gunfire from
direction of Siam Paragon shopping mall, and saw around 20 people – unarmed – ran toward the
temple.

Mr. Tickner said he saw a man falling down, helped himself up, and slumped onto a BTS
pillar. When Mr. Tickner went to investigate, he said, the man was bleeding profusely from the
bullet wound in his chest, so he and a monk helped carry him to the temple. The man was later
identified as Mr. Atchai Chumchan.

Mr. Tickner told the court that he later met a British
journalist inside the temple called Andrew Buncombe. Mr. Buncombe reportedly told Mr. Tickner he saw
guns being fire from the BTS track, but Mr. Tickner said he did not see anything. Nonetheless, he
said the temple came under attack from gunfire unceasingly for hours, sending people inside the
temple scurry to shelters.

During the moment of sustained gunfire, he said, Mr. Buncombe was
shot in the hip but he did not see the actual moment when the Briton was hit.

He said he took
some photos of the shooting, which started again around 21.00-22.00. Mr. Tickner said he left the
temple around 08.00 on the next day.

A lawyer asked him whether he saw any weapons around the
Redshirts stage when he was observing the scene, and whether he saw any ?Blackshirt? militant on 19
May 2010. Mr. Tickner answered no to both questions.

Ayutthaya Locals Pray To 'Magical' 100-Bud Banana Tree

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Khaosod English

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14 June 2013, 14:37

(14
June) 100-bud banana tree at Pu Seu (Grandfather Tiger) Shrine in Maharaj district of
Ayutthaya province has drawn crowds of pilgrims who believe the banana tree is sign of good
luck.

The tree is 2.5 meter tall surrounded by over 100 small buddings, 4 of which started to
grow as trees. The worshipers light their incense and pray to the tree – 16 incense sticks for each
person. Some took pictures of the buddings with their camera or mobile phone, whereas determined
lotto number hunters lay on the ground and try to discern the number from the buds.

Mr.
Nattapon Ob-orm, 55, the overseer of the shrine, said that the buds started appearing around a month
ago. Locals then visited the site, saying that they had never seen such ?miracle? before, so they
believed it would bring good luck.

Mr. Nattapon said 16 incense sticks are required to pray
to the tree because locals believe it resembles the great banana trees that grow in the mythical
city of Lub Lae. He said he had to warn the worshipers not to touch the tree lest the tree becomes
bruised. As for the lotto hunters, Mr. Nattapon warned that they should not take it too seriously
because they might end up losing a lot of money.

Ms. Ubol Tiamsuk, 58, a local in the area,
told our correspondent she′s a regular worshiper at the shrine so she joined the crowd in praying to
the banana tree as well. She claimed she had won many lottery rounds because of the tree.

Last time I won 80,000, so I donated parts of it to the shrine staff for extension project.
Today the banana tree suggests to me that I should play the lotto with number 633 and 12, she
said.

As for Ms. Pom (she didn?t give her surname) who came all the way from Ang Thong
province, she said she′s also a regular pilgrim to the shrine because the supernatural entities that
reside in the site give her good fortune. She said she′s certain she would win the lottery on the
next draw (16 June) as well, but declined to say which numbers she has seen from the
tree.

Cop Narrowly Survived Heart Attack After Chasing Cable Robber

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Khaosod English

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13 June 2013, 22:16

(13 June) A policeman
with heart disease almost died after he gave chase to the man who stole telephone cables in
Ayutthaya province.

Pol.Sen.Sgt.Maj. Damrong
Tahuaykaew, 46, was manning the checkpoint on Uthai-Pachi Road with other police officers when Mr.
Sompon Saeku, 48, drove a motorcycle toward the checkpoint without wearing safety helmet.

Sgt.Maj. Damrong directed Mr. Sompon to stop his motorcycle and wait as he signed the fine
order. Then, he spotted large telephone pole cable stowed on the motorcycle, so he inquired Mr.
Sompon about it, but Mr. Sompon quickly ran away. Sgt. Maj. Damrong chased him down until he managed
to arrest the suspect.

However, just as he arrived at the police
station with the suspect, Sgt.Maj. Damrong fainted. Other police officers had to bring him to Uthai
hospital. His heart stopped as he arrived in hospital, but the doctors managed to bring him back
within 5 minutes.

Nonetheless the doctors say his condition is severe, and he was transferred
to the provincial hospital.

Meanwhile, the suspect confessed he stole the cables
from a nearby construction site, in hope that he could sell the material for
money.

Pol.Col. Puwadit Chanakotpatri, vice commander of Ayutthaya police,
said that Sgt.Maj. Damrong is known to have heart disease and he had electric heart pacer installed
recently. He said Sgt.Maj. Damrong is hardworking policeman and he must have forgot about his heart
condition when he decided to chase down the suspect.

Activists Protest Constitutional Court With Black Veil

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Khaosod English

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13 June 2013, 21:28

(13 June) Around 150
Redshirts protesters led by a group called People′s Radio For Democracy arrived in front of the
Constitutional Court office at 11.30 today to protest its 9 judges, whom the protesters say
interfere with politics and harbor political bias.

The protesters veiled part of the entrance
to the Court office with a large black banner which was spray-painted with the words Constitutional
Court Belongs To The People. The protesters then shouted slogans accusing the judges of meddling
with politics, and dispersed peacefully shortly afterwards.

Later, around 20 activists of the
group showed up at the Royal Thai Army headquarters to send an open letter to the Army chief Gen.
Prayuth Chan-ocha. The letter was received by a captain-rank official.

The letter said Thai
people are very anxious of rumor that there might be military coup to overthrow the government in
near future, so the group demands the Army to promise – in press conference – that they will protect
the democratic rule in Thailand.

Death Of Elephant By Electric Fence Prompts Warning

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Khaosod English

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13 June 2013, 19:15

(13 June) Officials warned that ranch owners should keep the power volume of electric fences in nonlethal level after an elephant was killed by such fence on a ranch in Petchaburi province.

The ranch, which situated in Pa Teng district near Kaeng Krachan National Park, belongs to Mr. Naruenart Ketrat, 55. Rangers from the nearby National Park received the report from a local official and arrived at the scene to find dead body of a male elephant, estimated to be 5-7 year old, lying next to the electric fence.

Officials discovered that the electric fence, powered by 220 volt generator, had entirely covered the entire 25 Rai ranch owned by Mr. Naruenart. The rangers confiscated the generator to investigate whether the equipment meets standards required by laws.

Mr. Naruenart later told the rangers that he installed the electric fence to guard his ranch from wandering cattle and elephants which had destroyed his crops before. He said he was certain his equipment did not generate enough power to kill elephants. Nonetheless, he admitted that the fence has previously killed 2 cows from nearby ranch.

He said he heard the electric fence going off at 04.00 and inspected the site at 06.00 to find the dead elephant, which prompted him to report the matter to local official. Mr. Naruenart expressed his regret at the incident, saying that he had no intention to kill the elephant, and said that he is ready to take responsibility according to the law.

Mr. Monthian Tongnit, governor of Petchaburi province, said Mr. Naruenart will be charged with offense of killing an endangered animal. He said he has given warnings to ranch owners in the province to make sure their electric fences are not set at lethal level.

"What if it was human that touched it?" Mr. Monthian said.

'Mad Man' Threw Stone At Tourists In Pattaya

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Khaosod English

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13 June 2013, 14:51

(13 June)
Drunken individual has been detained by police in Pattaya after he was seen throwing a brick at
tourists.

Police received report about the individual and arrived at the beachside road to
find the man, believed to be a Thai national and aged 30-35, topless and in the state of intoxicated
madness.

The police had to struggle greatly to wrestle the suspect on the ground, but
eventually overwhelmed him and brought him to the police station.

Mr. Pratchaya Uppara, 41, a
local volunteer, said when he was patrolling the area he spotted the man walking out of nowhere with
large brick in his hand. Mr. Pratchaya said the man looked very angry, then he threw the stone at
nearby tourists, but missed twice, so the volunteer called the police.

Police say the suspect
was still drunk when the police interrogated him, claiming that he has parents overseas and that he
had been in Pattaya for 3 days for travel when he lost his luggage. The man told police he filed the
report but no action was taken so he came very stressed.

The police detained the suspect at
the police station to wait for him to sober up.

Full Plot Confession Of Controversial Entrepreneur's Murder

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Khaosod English

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12 June 2013, 23:34

(12 June) Suspects
involved in the abduction and subsequent murder of controversial businessman Akeyuth Anchanbutr have
revealed in details how the extraordinary saga unfolds.

When it first emerged on 9 June that Mr. Akeyuth Anchanbutr, a self-proclaimed Yellowshirt
supporter, disappeared from his residence, conspiracy theories that he was abducted and possibly
murdered by politically-motivated assailants immediately followed, due to his longtime opposition to
Former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, whose sister is currently serving as Prime Minister.

Mr.
Santiparp ?Ball? Penduang, the driver of Mr. Akeyuth and the prime suspect in the case, has
previously suggested to police that his boss got off his car on the highway in Prachuab Kiri Khan
province and disappeared with the convoy carrying unidentified individuals. His statement fueled the
speculation even further.

However, Mr. Santiparp eventually changed his statements and
confessed that it was he who kidnapped Mr. Akeyuth, extorted 5 million baht from the man, and
subsequently killed him as he struggled to run away. Mr. Akeyuth′s body was found later
in

Mr. Santiparp confessed to investigators that he planned the abduction for
months. He said he wanted the money and was angered by the fact that his girlfriend had been fired
from Mr. Akeyuth′s company for embezzling the company money.

Mr. Santiparp then gathered his
friends from Phattalung, which is his home province, for the plot. 3 friends showed up in Bangkok
days before the incident for preparation. They are Mr. Chawalit Boonchoom, Mr. Tivakorn Kuethong,
and Mr. Suttipong Pimpisarn. Mr. Chawalit and Mr. Tivakorn are now under arrest, while Mr. Suttipong
is still at large.

However, the sources say, Mr. Santiparp also invited a friend whose
father is a police officer to join the plot. This friend declined the offer and later told his
father about Mr. Santiparp′s plan after he heard the news about Mr. Akeyuth′s disappearance, which
eventually led to Mr. Santiparp′s arrest.

According to Mr. Santiparp′s
statement, he acted when Mr Akeyuth was dining in a restaurant in northern Bangkok. He called Mr.
Santiparp to pick him up, so the driver met with Mr. Suttipong, hid him in the backseat, and drove
to meet with Mr. Akeyuth. Once the businessman got into the car, Mr. Suttipong reportedly threatened
him with a handgun.

After Mr. Akeyuth was driven home, where he was held in handcuffs, other
conspirators joined with Mr. Santiparp and Mr. Suttipong. During his captivity, Mr. Akeyuth′s son
phoned him to ask about the house key, so Mr. Akeyuth tried to send a signal in the conversation
while the kidnappers watched him closely.

Sensing something suspicious, Mr. Akeyuth′s son drove to the house, but did not enter
the property. He observed the house from outside for a while, then drove
away.

In the meantime, the kidnappers
destroyed servers of the residence′s CCTV to hide their trails. On then next morning, they forced
Mr. Akeyuth to write 3 cheques, totalling 5 million baht. Mr. Akeyuth was then forced to hand the
cheques to one of his unsuspecting employees who went straight away to the bank to get the
money. They appointed Suvannabhumi Airport as the
place to meet and pick up the money.

The bank staff called Mr. Akeyuth to confirm it is his
consent to let the employee withdraw the money on his behalf. Mr. Akeyuth, threatened with the gun,
gave the consent. As Mr. Akeyuth had withdrawn his money in this manner before, the bank staff did
not become suspicious.

The team drove Mr. Akeyuth to pick up the money at the Airport.
Details grow murky after this point. According to what Mr. Santiparp told the police, the group
intended to let Mr. Akeyuth go on the highway, but the businessman broke free from the car and
attempted to run away as the kidnappers were still talking.

Mr. Santiparp said they rushed
out to hold down Mr. Akeyuth and killed him in anger by holding his throat to death. Reportedly, Mr.
Suttipong was the one who strangled Mr. Akeyuth with shoelaces afterwards to make sure he was
dead.

Police sources say the investigators are not convinced. They hypothesized that Mr.
Santiparp might have planned the murder to cover up their kidnapping all along.

The body was
dumped near Jingjo (Kangaroo) Mountain in Phattalung province. Mr. Santiparp attempted to convince
his friend – the policeman′s son – to help him clean up the mess, but the man reportedly refused.
Mr. Santiparp was later arrested in Bangkok suburb.

Mr. Santiparp and 2 other suspects are
facing numerous charges, including robbing and killing, forcing the victim to sign financial
document, and unlawful detention of the victim.

Bomb Damages Replica of Historic Pattani Cannon

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Khaosod English

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12 June 2013, 20:34

(11 June) For years, some
residents and activists in Pattani province have been demanding the return of the Great Tani Cannon,
the cannon that defended the city-state of Pattani during its wars with Siamese invaders. It was
carted off to Siamese capital city around 200 years ago by the victorious Siamese troops after they
finally conquered the sultanate.

Before it was incorporated into modern-day Thailand, Pattani
was an independent Islamic state, and the the echoes of fierce independence is still found in the
insurgency movements that have plagued the region for decades.

On 2 June, the Thai
authorities responded to call for Great Tani′s return by sending a replica of the cannon to be
installed in front of Pattani′s historic Krue Se mosque, but the actual Cannon is still displayed in
front of Ministry of Defense in Bangkok. The bizarre move puzzled and even angered some locals, who
saw it as an arrogant gesture from the Thai authorities.

Today, in an attack that might
represent that sentiment, a bomb exploded and broke the replica cannon in half.

The bomb,
which was hidden under the replica, was detonated around 18.30, while daily evening Islamic prayer
was being held in nearby Krue Se mosque. The explosion also damaged the base of the replica
cannon.

Reports indicate that shortly after the
bombing, banners bearing pro-independence slogans were hung in many parts of Pattani town center.
One banner reads The Siamese imperialists are liars. They do not own this land.

Maxim Cover Girl Told Police She Was Drugged

By

Khaosod English

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12 June 2013, 19:30

(12 June) A well-known
sexy idol reported to police that she woke up half naked in a motel room with a man after a
night-out during which she might have been drugged.

Ms. Pilawan
Arirorb, 30, pressed charge of sexual harassment and unlawful detention against the man, who was
identified simply as Mr. Got.

The idol, who′s better known by her nickname Muay Maxim after
she graced the cover of the adult magazine in 2010, told the police that some time ago she had been
given a job offer from a fellow model called Joy.

The job, she said, was to attend a
birthday party of a young businessman and held the birthday cake for him. She said she was promised
a payment of 5,000 baht.

Ms. Pilawan told the police that on 7 June she showed up at the
appointed venue but could not see any birthday cake. Only 5-6 people were there, according to Ms.
Pilawan, so she stayed and talk with them. She said she drank one glass of alcoholic beverage,
became bored of the lackluster party, went out for smoke, and felt very dizzy when she came
back.

She was certain she was drugged, because the next thing she knew was waking up in a
hotel room with someone from the party, Mr. Got. She said she wore only her underwear when she woke
up, so she phoned her friends for help. Meanwhile, Mr. Got reportedly tried to flee, but she held
him back until her friends arrived.

According to the former Maxim cover girl, Mr. Got
insisted to her that she willingly came to the room with him. However, she said, the hotel staff
showed her CCTV footage of her, unconscious, being half carried to the room.

Ms. Pilawan told
police she was afraid to file the charge at first, but she became worried that Mr. Got might
sexually violate her and film her when she was naked, so she decided to seek help from
police.

The police said they would investigate the matter.

?Muay Maxim? was the center
of a scandal between her and the singer ?Howard Wang? who was alleged to have repeatedly physically
abused Ms. Pilawan.

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