Photo taken on Jan. 19, 2023, in Tokyo shows a police officer investigating the area around a house where the bodies of a missing couple have been found. (Kyodo)
TOKYO – A Filipino woman was arrested Friday for allegedly abandoning two corpses after Tokyo police found the previous day the bodies of a missing couple underneath their home with apparent knife wounds.
Hazel Ann Baguisa Morales, 30, was arrested on suspicion of abandoning the bodies of Norihiro Takahashi, 55, and his wife Kimie, 52, at the house in the capital’s Adachi Ward around Tuesday, the police said.
Morales, believed to have been an acquaintance of the couple, has denied the allegations.
Investigators are looking into whether Morales had any trouble with the couple prior to their disappearance, as well as the causes of their deaths.
They suspect the couple was attacked at their home as blood stains were found near the house’s entrance and in the hallway, among other locations. They said there were also signs of blood stains being wiped away.
The couple’s son, who lives with them, called the police on Tuesday, saying that his parents were missing and there were blood stains at the home’s entrance.
UDON THANI – The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) announced the arrest of Mr. Tony, a Thai-German national suspected of sexually exploiting children in Germany and residing in the northeastern region of Thailand. He subsequently continued to exploit children in Thailand, including his own daughter.
The DSI conducted a search of a residence in Udon Thani Province, northeastern Thailand and executed an arrest warrant from the Criminal Court to arrest Mr. Tony.
This arrest is the result of cooperation between the DSI, the Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt : BKA), Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.), and the Department of Justice’s Institute of Jurisprudence, which led to the execution of the arrest warrant by the criminal court.
A Thai-German national suspect (who wears a red and black shirt) is accused of sexually exploiting children in Udon Thani.The DSI conducted a search of a residence in Udon Thani Province
The research team took an in-depth look at social networks, dark web platforms and other hard-to-access information sources, including targeted dark web sites. They also analyzed and compared various pieces of evidence obtained from internet data and child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Several lines of evidence strongly suggested that Mr. Tony had indeed committed the alleged crimes against underage girls.
Consequently, he was charged with lewd acts, obscenity, possession of child pornography involving children under 13, lewd acts with his own daughters, possession of lewd media for sexual gratification for himself or others, and distribution of lewd media involving children to others, as well as importing data into a computer system with prior knowledge of its lewd nature.
On January 14, 2024, DSI officers arrested Mr. Tony at his house, where a substantial amount of electronic equipment containing files with lewd images of children, over 10,000 photos, was discovered. He was taken into custody and is being held without bail, as authorized by the court.
Political activist Mongkhon Thirakot flashes the pro-democracy gesture of a three-finger salute ahead of going to a court in Thailand’s northern province of Chiang Rai, Thailand, Thursday Jan. 26, 2023. (Thai Lawyers for Human Rights via AP)
BANGKOK (AP) — A court of appeals in Thailand has handed a political activist what is believed to be a record sentence for the criminal offense of insulting the monarchy, giving him a 50-year prison term after finding him guilty of 25 violations of the law, a lawyers’ group said Thursday.
Mongkhon Thirakot, 30, had originally been sentenced last year to 28 years in prison by the provincial court in the northern province of Chiang Rai for 14 of 27 posts on Facebook for which he was charged.
Mongkhon was found guilty by the Northern Region court of appeals in Chiang Rai on Thursday not just in the 14 cases, but also in 11 of the 13 cases for which the lower court had acquitted him, the group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights announced.
The court of appeals sentenced him to an additional 22 years in prison, bringing his total to 50 years. Technically, he had been given a prison term of 75 years, but the sentence was cut by one-third in acknowledgement of his cooperation in the legal proceedings.
The law on insulting the monarchy, an offense known as lèse-majesté, carries a prison term of three to 15 years for each count. It’s often referred to as Article 112 after its designation in Thailand’s Criminal Code.
Critics say the law is often wielded as a tool to quash political dissent. Student-led pro-democracy protests beginning in 2020 openly criticized the monarchy, previously a taboo subject, leading to vigorous prosecutions under the law, which had previously been infrequently employed.
Since those protests, more than 260 people have been charged with the offense, according to the lawyers’ group.
The court of appeals reversed the lower court’s acquittals on the basis that the law applied in instances where it wasn’t the current monarch or his immediate family who was being referred to, which had been the standard for many years. However, as lèse-majesté prosecutions became more common over the last decade, a court case set a precedent by finding that past rulers were also covered by the law.
Theerapon Khoomsap, a member of Mongkhon’s defense team, confirmed the account given by the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights. He said that the verdict didn’t come as a surprise to him, and his team will appeal the case to the Supreme Court. However, Mongkhon’s application to be allowed to continue to be free on bail was denied.
The previous record prison term for the offense belonged to a former civil servant identified by the lawyers’ group only by her first name, Anchan. She was found guilty in 2021 on 29 counts for audio clips on Facebook and YouTube with comments deemed critical of the monarchy. The court initially announced her sentence as 87 years, but cut it in half because she pleaded guilty.
On Wednesday, prominent human rights lawyer and political activist Arnon Nampa was sentenced to four years in prison for three Facebook posts that were considered to be a violation of the law. The sentence comes on top of another four-year term handed to him last year for the content of a speech he gave in 2020.
WEF founder Klaus Schwab gives a cowbell to PM Srettha Thavisin as a souvenir.
BANGKOK – Thailand returned to the forefront of the World Economic Forum (WEF) after a 12-year absence, with Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s participation from January 15 to 18, 2024, in Switzerland.
The leadership labels him as the striker of the ‘Thai team’, but there is still criticism at home.
A Senate recently tabled a motion for a general debate to assess the government’s performance after four months in office. This is the first time in 9 years that a Senate, which was handpicked by the coup, is leading a general debate on the government’s performance.
Srettha mentioned that the Senate has the right according to the constitutional law. As for the propriety, he left the answer to the public.
Thailand returned to the forefront of the World Economic Forum (WEF) after a 12-year absence.
The digital wallet is delayed
There are also political complications, as the National Anti-Corruption Commission does not approve of the digital wallet project. The leak warns of possible constitutional violations and corruption if the government goes ahead with the project.
The leak before the planned meeting led to the unplanned postponement. Finance Deputy Minister Julapun Amornvivat expressed fears for the first time that obstacles could delay the launch of the project in May.
Srettha did not immediately address these issues during his participation in the Davos meeting. Instead, he expressed his condolences to the victims of the bombing incident in Suphanburi province and instructed officials to take care of the injured and all affected people.
PM Srettha Thavisin did not mention the digital wallet project when he was on the WEF in Davos.
Mr. Salesman in 19 meetings
As a businessman turned prime minister, Srettha focused heavily on economic matters and negotiations. Notably, he discussed trade and investment with global leaders in a total of 19 meetings, including Bill Gates of Microsoft, Gautam Adani of Adani, and executives from Dubai World, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Telenor, Bank of America, Merrill Lynch International, DP World, Standard Chartered, and Google.
Srettha presented the “Thailand Landbridge: Connecting ASEAN with the World” project and participated in discussions such as “Learning from ASEAN” and negotiations with political leaders from Belgium, Switzerland, and the European Union. He also spoke with Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, about climate change and human development.
Srettha Thavisin greets Bill Gates at the WEF in Davos.
WEF founder Klaus Schwab also thanked Thailand’s participation after a 12-year absence and saw it as a positive sign for the economy. Somsak emphasized the government’s focus on trade and investment.
Political Football Enthusiast
As a passionate soccer fan, Srettha also supported the Thai national soccer team at the AFC Asian Cup in Qatar. He expressed his joy at Thailand’s victory over Kyrgyzstan on January 16.
In a lighthearted moment, Srettha, who is a Liverpool fan, jokingly asked Avram Glazer, the owner of English football club Manchester United F.C., “When a leading soccer club like Manchester United will sign a good striker to join one of the most globally acclaimed teams in the world’”.
PM Srettha Thavisin says hello to Avram Glazer, owner of Manchester United at the WEF in Davos.
In his response to the well-known columnist’s criticism that referred to the Bank of Thailand as a goalkeeper, Srettha agreed that a goalkeeper plays an important role in economic stability, but asserted that goalkeepers must also contribute to the offense.
“Goalkeepers and strikers can help each other,” said Srettha, after the relationship between this government and the central bank has not been so good.
The police officer shows the chart of an illegal immigrant smuggling ring known as the "Asraf Gang."
BANGKOK – Immigration Bureau officials held a press conference on January 18, 2024, to announce the expansion of the arrest of an illegal immigrant smuggling ring known as the “Asraf Gang,” named after the Bangladeshi leader.
The operation lasted more than a year and resulted in the arrest of two Bangladeshi suspects: Mr. Asraf, 46, and Mr. Abu, 47, on Paknam Road in Pattani city, Pattani province.
Pol. Col. Panupakaya Jitprayurathi, Deputy Commander of the Immigration Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Division, said the case began in January and March 2023 when Immigration Department officers arrested 41 Bangladesh immigrants who had illegally entered Thailand in Songkhla, Pattani and Narathiwat provinces.
Five cases were opened against them. Another 10 people were then arrested, including eight Thai nationals, one Bangladesh national and one Pakistani national.
The analysis revealed that all the immigrants had entered the kingdom illegally via a natural border crossing between Thailand and Cambodia in Sa Kaeo province. They then took a bus to Bangkok where they were handed over to Mr. Abu, a subordinate of Mr. Asraf.
Mr. Abu was responsible for organizing vehicles to take them to a group of Thais waiting in Songkhla to take them to Malaysia for illegal work via a natural border crossing in Narathiwat province.
Mr. Asraf, was arrested in Pattani.The chart shows the network of Asraf’s gang.
The investigation team spent almost a year gathering evidence before they discovered that Mr. Asraf was a Bangladeshi businessman who owned an import-export company. Behind the scenes, however, he was responsible for connecting all the immigrants with agents in Bangladesh and Cambodia to allow them to enter Thailand.
Along with the 10 suspects who had previously been arrested, they demanded a fee of 100,000-150,000 baht per person. The network was found to have over 117 million baht in circulation.
Contract farming, an agricultural production and marketing strategy, establishes mutually beneficial partnerships between farmers and sponsors. It enhances farmers’ access to cutting-edge technology and new skill development, and offers a reliable income by mitigating market volatility through predetermined contract pricing.
Since 1975, Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Limited (CP Foods) has pioneered an integrated contract farming model in Thailand through the “Promoting Animal Husbandry for Small-Scale Farmers Program” involving over 5,500 smallholders in pig, poultry, and layer hen farming.
The initiative emphasizes knowledge sharing, modern livestock farming technologies, and the adoption of Smart Farm and Green Farm Standards. It aims to promote collective growth within the value chain.
CP Foods mitigates market risks for farmers by guaranteeing product purchases at pre-agreed prices, protecting them from market fluctuations.
Aligning with global UNIDROIT standards, CP Foods has revamped its contract farming practices, ensuring modern, transparent, equitable, and traceable agreements.
CP Foods leads in offering insurance for income-guaranteed contract farms, reducing the impact of disasters on farm infrastructure. These measures provide security to farmers, fostering independence and sustainable well-being.
Warakorn Teesoongnern, of Warakorn Farm, appreciates the clarity and fairness of CP Foods’ contract farming. He emphasizes mutual understanding and shared benefits, ensuring career continuity and a stable family life.
“I aim to transform my farm into a Smart Farm, focusing on responsible, environmentally friendly practices,” Warakorn adds.
Thanasak Onkij of Natalee Farm highlights the trust and standard adherence in their triennial contract renewals with the company. This collaboration ensures food safety and security.
Moreover, the contract farming project supports small-scale livestock farmers, offering expertise and technology for Smart Farm practices.
CP Foods continually enhances its contract farming model, enriching agricultural value and passing the trade to future generations.
This initiative ensures Thai farmers stable careers and secures the food production chain and national food security.
Thai rescue members prepare to carry bodies from the scene of an explosion at a firework factory in Suphan Buri province, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Only part of the building frame stood at the site of the devastated factory in an otherwise-empty rice field in rural Suphan Buri province the day after the blast.
The damage to the site and the condition of the bodies made the number of victims difficult to determine.
The province’s deputy governor, Don Samitakestarin, said the death toll was 23 and not expected to rise. The national police chief Torsak Sukvimol, who traveled to Suphan Buri to oversee police operations, said 22 bodies had been found and one more person was considered missing but presumed dead.
A Thai rescue member walks at the scene of an explosion at a firework factory in Suphan Buri province, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024.. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
The cause of the blast has not been determined. Don said it will take time to investigate the cause as there were no survivors to tell what happened. He said the area was sealed off as officers were not done clearing hazardous materials.
The factory marketed small fireworks to scare away birds, a common practice for Thai farmers to protect their crops. Its products looked like what are sometimes called cherry bombs, but it did not appear that the factory manufactured fireworks for entertainment, which would be in high demand to celebrate the Lunar New Year next month.
A relative of a victim by an explosion at a firework factory cries at Rong Chang temple in Suphan Buri province, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)Thai rescue workers carry the body of a victim from the site of an explosion at a fireworks factory in Suphan Buri province, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024.. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Don said the factory had met the requirements for operating legally. It had an earlier explosion in November 2022 that killed one person and seriously injured three others, but Don said there was no regulation that could prevent it from obtaining a new permit.
The remains of the victims were taken to Wat Rong Chang, a Buddhist temple in the province capital, Mueang Suphan Buri, where they were being kept in a refrigerator truck pending confirmation of their identities. The victims’ families and friends gathered at the temple to report about their missing loved ones and provide DNA samples to help identify the remains, but police sought to keep reporters from speaking with them.
Thai rescue member walks at the scene of an explosion at a firework factory in Suphan Buri province, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024.(AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
The government will pay maximum compensation of 300,000 baht ($8,400) per affected household, Don said.
The 16 women and seven men presumed to have died in the blast included the workers and the wife and son of the factory’s owner, Don said.
An explosion at a fireworks warehouse in southern Thailand last July killed 10 people and wounded more than 100. It also damaged about 100 houses in a 500-meter (1,640-foot) radius of the warehouse in a residential area of Narathiwat province. The governor said sparks from metal welding work likely ignited the fireworks in the warehouse and cause the explosion.
LONDON (AP) — King Charles III and the Princess of Wales are both dealing with medical issues that will force them to delay previously planned public engagements over the coming weeks.
Charles will undergo a “corrective procedure” for an enlarged prostate next week, Buckingham Palace said on Wednesday. The palace said the king’s condition is benign.
Moments earlier, the princess’ office announced that Kate would remain at a private hospital in London for up to two weeks after undergoing planned abdominal surgery. The princess, formerly Kate Middleton, is the wife of Prince William, the heir to the throne.
Britain’s Prince William, left, drives away from the London Clinic, in central London, where Kate, the Princess of Wales is recovering after undergoing successful abdominal surgery, Thursday Jan. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Prince William visited his wife Kate Thursday in a London hospital, where she is recovering after abdominal surgery.
British media reported that the 42-year-old Princess of Wales was “doing well” after the operation, details of which have not been disclosed.
Royal officials announced Wednesday that Kate had had surgery and was expected to remain in the private London Clinic for 10 to 14 days. She is not expected to resume public duties until April.
Police officers stand guard outside The London Clinic where Kate, Princess of Wales is recovering from surgery, in London, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
While it is somewhat unusual for members of the royal family to release details about their health, the twin announcements may help to avoid speculation if events featuring Charles or Kate have to be postponed or canceled over the coming weeks.
The publicity around the king’s surgery is seen as an opportunity to encourage other men to have their prostates checked in line with public health advice. The 75-year-old monarch sought treatment “in common with thousands of men each year,” the palace said.
An enlarged prostate is common in men over age 50. The condition affects how one urinates and isn’t usually a serious health threat. It’s not cancer and doesn’t lead to an increased risk of developing prostate cancer.
FILE – Britain’s King Charles III hosts a gathering of young UK community and faith leaders to discuss the challenges their communities face, at Buckingham Palace, in London, Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023.(Aaron Chown/Pool Photo via AP, File)
The U.K. and foreign media have been focused on the health of Britain’s senior royals in recent years, first as the late Queen Elizabeth II faded from public view during the last months of her 70-year reign, then when Charles ascended the throne at an age when most of his contemporaries were long retired.
A series of events on the monarch’s schedule have already been postponed, including plans for a number of foreign dignitaries and members of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Cabinet to travel to Dumfries House in Scotland.
Kate, 42, was admitted to The London Clinic on Tuesday.
The princess’ office at Kensington Palace didn’t offer further details, but said her condition wasn’t cancerous. Though she has generally experienced good health, Kate was hospitalized while pregnant because of severe morning sickness.
Kate apologized for postponing upcoming engagements, and the palace said she wouldn’t return to public duties until after Easter, Kensington Palace said.
FILE – Britain’s Kate, Princess of Wales, arrives to attend the Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, file)
“The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate,” the palace said. “She hopes that the public will understand her desire to maintain as much normality for her children as possible; and her wish that her personal medical information remains private.”
After Prince Harry and Meghan’s stormy departure to California in 2020, the Prince and Princess of Wales have solidified their position as being among the most popular members of the royal family.
Kate, in particular, has remained a reliable royal in the public eye — the smiling mother of three who can comfort grieving parents at a children’s hospice or wow the nation by playing piano during a televised Christmas concert.
FILE – From left, Britain’s Kate, Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte, Prince George, William, the Prince of Wales, Prince Louis and Mia Tindall arrive to attend the Christmas day service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham in Norfolk, England, Monday, Dec. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, file)
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Danika Kirka reported from London. AP journalists Jill Lawless and Sylvia Hui contributed to this report.
Plainclothes police officers arrest two suspects who attempt to sell counterfeit U.S. dollar banknotes at a gas station in Buriram province on Jan. 17, 2024.
BANGKOK — Two men were arrested Wednesday for allegedly selling counterfeit U.S. dollar bills.
Crime Suppression Division commander Montree Theskhan said a sting operation led to the arrest of two suspects, Achirathon Wongchaosirirak, 51, and Somsak Makpoon, 61, who attempted to sell 800 one-hundred-dollar bills, with a face value of 80,000 U.S. dollars or approximately 2.8 million baht, at a price of 200,000 baht.
The pair were apprehended at a gas station in Buriram province. They were charged with counterfeiting.
Police said they began the investigation after receiving complaints that there were counterfeit U.S. dollar banknotes circulating around the province. Investigators found that the fake bills were put on sale on Line messaging application, so they arranged to meet with the suspects to buy the banknotes.
The suspects denied the allegation, saying they were only brokers and that the bills actually belonged to another man identified only as Panya, who stayed in a getaway car during the arrest and fled.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Montree said police are looking for the third suspect.
CHONBURI – Saen Suk Police Station in Chonburi investigated Mr. Deividas, a 27-year-old native of the Republic of Lithuania, who surrendered on January 17 after driving without a licence.
Police tracked him down to his residence in Mueang District, Chonburi Province, and discovered him with a BMW sports car seen in CCTV footage drifting aggressively and spinning around many times in the middle of a red light intersection on Sukhumvit Road, entrance to Wat Ta Lom, Bang Saen Subdistrict, Mueang Chonburi District, at 12:30 a.m. on January 8, 2024.
According to Pol. Maj. Gen. Thawatchakiat Jinda Kuansanong, Provincial Police Commander of Chonburi Province, studying the VDO footage of the incident revealed that a car was drifting at the red light intersection in the area of responsibility at Saen Suk Police Station.
The police conducted an investigation till they identified the offender. He has been summoned to appear before the investigating officer to surrender and respond to the allegations. It is driving recklessly.
A BMW sports car, which was seen in CCTV footage drifting aggressively and spinning around many times in the middle of a red light intersection on Sukhumvit Road in Bang Saen, arrived at Saen Suk police station on January 17, 2024.
The foreign suspect stated that he did not possess a driver’s licence. He said that on the day of the incident, he argued with his Thai girlfriend. So he drove recklessly to spite her.
According to the authorities, the car’s owner will also face charges. As a basis of consent for individuals who do not have a driver’s licence to drive, it indicates to people that acting in this manner could cause insecurity in other drivers. There may be road accidents that result in injuries and fatalities.
