One visible change in the aftermath of the Siam Paragon luxury shopping mall shooting by the 14-year-old gunman in Bangkok which led to two deaths and injured five, two serious, is the reintroduction of bag search for customers entering shopping malls and other semi-public venues. It is an inconvenience for sure, but will (like other things Thai) most likely be quietly phased out within months and life is then “back to normal” and it is “business as usual” (Thais just cannot let a lone gunman slow down their shopping experience).
Opinion: Siam Paragon Shooting a Tragic Lesson for Many
Death Toll From Strong Earthquakes That Shook Western Afghanistan Rises To Over 2,000
ISLAMABAD (AP) — The death toll from strong earthquakes that shook western Afghanistan has risen to over 2,000, a Taliban government spokesman said Sunday. It’s one of the deadliest earthquakes to strike the country in two decades.
A powerful magnitude-6.3 earthquake followed by strong aftershocks killed dozens of people in western Afghanistan on Saturday, the country’s national disaster authority said.
But Abdul Wahid Rayan, spokesman at the Ministry of Information and Culture, said the death toll from the earthquake in Herat is higher than originally reported. About six villages have been destroyed, and hundreds of civilians have been buried under the debris, he said while calling for urgent help.
The United Nations late Saturday gave a preliminary figure of 320 dead, but later said the figure was still being verified. Local authorities gave an estimate of 100 people killed and 500 injured, according to the same update from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The update said 465 houses had been reported destroyed and a further 135 were damaged.
“Partners and local authorities anticipate the number of casualties to increase as search and rescue efforts continue amid reports that some people may be trapped under collapsed buildings,” the U.N. said.
Disaster authority spokesperson Mohammad Abdullah Jan said four villages in the Zenda Jan district in Herat province bore the brunt of the quake and aftershocks.
The United States Geological Survey said the quake’s epicenter was about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of Herat city. It was followed by three very strong aftershocks, measuring magnitude 6.3, 5.9 and 5.5, as well as lesser shocks.
At least five strong tremors struck the city around noon, Herat city resident Abdul Shakor Samadi said.
“All people are out of their homes,” Samadi said. “Houses, offices and shops are all empty and there are fears of more earthquakes. My family and I were inside our home, I felt the quake.” His family began shouting and ran outside, afraid to return indoors.
The World Health Organization in Afghanistan said it dispatched 12 ambulance cars to Zenda Jan to evacuate casualties to hospitals.
“As deaths & casualties from the earthquake continue to be reported, teams are in hospitals assisting treatment of wounded & assessing additional needs,” the U.N. agency said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “WHO-supported ambulances are transporting those affected, most of them women and children.”
Telephone connections went down in Herat, making it hard to get details from affected areas. Videos on social media showed hundreds of people in the streets outside their homes and offices in Herat city.
Herat province borders Iran. The quake also was felt in the nearby Afghan provinces of Farah and Badghis, according to local media reports.
Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban-appointed deputy prime minister for economic affairs, expressed his condolences to the dead and injured in Herat and Badghis.
The Taliban urged local organizations to reach earthquake-hit areas as soon as possible to help take the injured to hospital, provide shelter for the homeless, and deliver food to survivors. They said security agencies should use all their resources and facilities to rescue people trapped under debris.
“We ask our wealthy compatriots to give any possible cooperation and help to our afflicted brothers,” the Taliban said on X.
Japan’s ambassador to Afghanistan, Takashi Okada, expressed his condolences saying on the social media platform X, that he was “deeply grieved and saddened to learn the news of earthquake in Herat province.”
In June 2022, a powerful earthquake struck a rugged, mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan, flattening stone and mud-brick homes. The quake killed at least 1,000 people and injured about 1,500.
The PM Orders Preparations For The Evacuation of Thais After Israel Was Attacked
At least 40 people were killed when Israel was attacked with weapons, and Thai citizens were injured and possibly kidnapped. The Prime Minister of Thailand, Srettha Thavisin, condemned the inhumane attack that resulted in the death and injury of innocent individuals.
“I would like to express my deepest condolences to the government and people of Israel. This incident should not have happened. Thailand would like to join the international community in condemning such actions,” he tweeted.
The Prime Minister also stated that he has ordered the Royal Air Force to prepare Airbus A340 and C-130 aircraft for the evacuation of Thais from Israel immediately. Air Chief Marshal Phanpakdee Pattanakul, Commander of the Royal Air Force, has acknowledged this and is ready to take action.
“I am following the situation closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and I am concerned to see reports that two or more Thai workers have been kidnapped. We are now confirming the information from the Israeli authorities. The army and emergency medical units are preparing. I want all Thai people to return home safely,” he said.
He has asked the Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv to urgently set up a hotline for and assist Thai people in Israel. They can contact the Embassy Tel Aviv number at +972 54 6368150 24 hours a day.
A report from the Royal Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv indicated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that a Thai worker at Moshav Mishtakim was attacked, shot, and injured in the leg.
The Embassy has been in contact with this Thai worker, who is in good spirits, and has arranged for an online consultation with a physician. In the Gaza Strip, there are approximately 5,000 Thai citizens.
The Israeli government has proclaimed an emergency zone of 80 kilometres around the Gaza Strip, including Tel Aviv, opened public bunkers in multiple cities, and mobilised additional reserve troops. The Israeli Ministry of Tourism issued a traveller advisory.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a statement on the incident in Israel on 7 October 2023, saying as follows:
“Following the unfortunate incident involving the deployment of unmanned combat aircraft and rockets from the Gaza Strip to attack Israel on 7 October 2023, the Royal Thai Government wishes to express our deepest condolences to the Government and people of Israel on the unfortunate loss of lives and injuries from this inhumane and indiscriminate act.
The Thai Government is deeply concerned with the safety of Thai nationals working in Israel who have been affected by such violent incidents.
Thailand calls upon all parties involved to refrain from any actions that would further escalate tensions and joins the international community in condemning any use of violence and indiscriminate attacks. We hope that the situation in Israel will soon return to normalcy.”
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Related article:
Hamas Kills 40 In Unprecedented, Wide-ranging Incursion Into Israel. Netanyahu Says ‘We Are At War’
Myanmar Mother Forgives Parents of the Teenage Gunman
The father of the 14-year-old gunman and the mother of the Myanmar worker who was among the two shot and killed by this youngster at Siam Paragon met on Saturday at the latter’s daughter’s funeral.
The gunman’s father went to the funeral of Moe Myint, or Tawan, a 31-year-old Myanmar worker at Phasukmanijak Temple in Pak Kret, Nonthaburi. He met Khin Win, the mother of Tawan, and kneed down to apologise to her.
She accepted it and forgave him despite her difficulty coping with her grief. She also stated that it was not his fault but his son’s, as she had previously stated that the gunman’s parents must be similarly heartbroken over their son’s actions.
As initial relief, the boy’s father brought her an envelope of money, but she refused to receive it because she knew that money could not replace her daughter’s life. Therefore, he informed her that he was willing to assume responsibility and do his best to aid in the recovery of any losses.
Simultaneously, officials of the Institute of Forensic Medicine, Police Hospital, disclosed that a representative of the family of Miss Zhao Jinnan, 34, mother of 5-year-old twins, who was another victim of this incident, would come to the Institute of Forensic Medicine, Police Hospital, to claim the body after coordinating with the embassy to return the body to China for the funeral ceremony.
Families of each of the two fatalities killed by the 14-year-old gunman at Siam Paragon will receive a combined compensation of 6.2 million baht, of which 5 million came from the mall. Those five injured will receive 350,000 baht each.
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Hamas Kills 40 In Unprecedented, Wide-ranging Incursion Into Israel. Netanyahu Says ‘We Are At War’
JERUSALEM (AP) — The ruling Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel at daybreak Saturday, firing thousands of rockets as dozens of fighters infiltrated the heavily fortified border in several locations by air, land and sea, catching the country off guard on a major holiday.
Several hours after the invasion began, Hamas militants were still fighting gunbattles inside several Israeli communities in a surprising show of strength that shook the country. Israel’s national rescue service said at least 40 people have been killed and hundreds wounded, making it the deadliest attack in Israel in years.
At least 561 wounded people were being treated in Israeli hospitals, including at least 77 who were in critical condition, according to an Associated Press count based on public statements and calls to hospitals.
There was no official comment on casualties in Gaza, but AP reporters witnessed the funerals of 15 people who were killed and saw another eight bodies arrive at a local hospital. It was not immediately clear if they were fighters or civilians.
Social media was replete with videos of Hamas fighters parading what appeared to be stolen Israeli military vehicles through the streets and at least one dead Israeli soldier within Gaza being dragged and trampled by an angry crowd of Palestinians shouting “God is Greatest.”
Videos released by Hamas appeared to show at least three Israelis captured alive. The military declined to give details about casualties or kidnappings as it continued to battle the infiltrators.
“We are at war,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised address, declaring a mass army mobilization. “Not an ‘operation,’ not a ‘round,’ but at war.”
“The enemy will pay an unprecedented price,” he added, promising that Israel would “return fire of a magnitude that the enemy has not known.”
At a meeting of top security officials later on Saturday, Netanyahu said the first priority was to “cleanse the area” of enemy infiltrators, then to “exact a huge price from the enemy,” and to fortify other areas so that no other militant groups join the war.
The serious invasion on Simchat Torah, a normally joyous day when Jews complete the annual cycle of reading the Torah scroll, revived painful memories of the 1973 Mideast war practically 50 years to the day, in which Israel’s enemies launched a surprise attack on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.
Comparisons to one of the most traumatic moments in Israeli history sharpened criticism of Netanyahu and his far-right allies, who had campaigned on more aggressive action against threats from Gaza. Political commentators lambasted the government over its failure to anticipate what appeared to be a Hamas attack unseen in its level of planning and coordination.
The Israeli military struck targets in Gaza in response for some 2,500 rockets that sent air raid sirens wailing constantly as far north as Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) away. It said its forces were engaged in gunfights with Hamas militants who had infiltrated Israel in at least seven locations. The fighters had sneaked across the separation fence and even invaded Israel through the air with paragliders, the army said.
Israeli TV broadcast footage of explosions tearing through the Gaza-Israel border fence, followed by what appeared to be Palestinian gunmen riding into Israel on motorcycles. Gunmen also reportedly entered on pickup trucks.
It was not immediately clear what prompted Hamas to launch the attacks, which would have likely required months of planning.
But over the past year Israel’s far-right government has ramped up settlement construction in the occupied West Bank, Israeli settler violence has displaced hundreds of Palestinians there, and tensions have flared around a flashpoint Jerusalem holy site.
The shadowy leader of Hamas’ military wing, Mohammed Deif, announced the start of what he called “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm.” The Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem is the third holiest site in Islam, and is located on the holiest site for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount.
“Enough is enough,” Deif, who does not appear in public, said in the recorded message, as he called on Palestinians from east Jerusalem to northern Israel to join the fight. “Today the people are regaining their revolution.”
In a televised address, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned that Hamas had made “a grave mistake” and promised that “the state of Israel will win this war.”
Western nations condemned the incursion and reiterated their support for Israel, while others called for restraint on both sides.
“The U.S. unequivocally condemns the unprovoked attacks by Hamas terrorists against Israeli civilians,” said Adrienne Watson, spokeswoman for the U.S. National Security Council. “We stand firmly with the government and people of Israel and extend our condolences for the Israeli lives lost in these attacks.”
Watson said Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, has spoken with his Israeli counterpart, Tzachi Hanegbi.
Saudi Arabia, which has been in talks with the U.S. about normalizing relations with Israel, released a statement calling on both sides to exercise restraint. The kingdom said it had repeatedly warned about “ the dangers of the situation exploding as a result of the continued occupation (and) the Palestinian people being deprived of their legitimate rights.”
The attack comes at a time of historic division within Israel over Netanyahu’s proposal to overhaul the judiciary. Mass protests over the plan have sent hundreds thousands of Israeli demonstrators into the streets and prompted hundreds of military reservists to avoid volunteer duty — turmoil that has raised fears over the military’s battlefield readiness and raised concerns about its deterrence over its enemies.
The infiltration of fighters into southern Israel marked a major escalation by Hamas that forced millions of Israelis to hunker down in safe rooms. Cities and towns emptied as the military closed roads near Gaza. Israel’s rescue service and the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza appealed to the public to donate blood.
“We understand that this is something big,” Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, an Israeli army spokesman, told reporters. He said the Israeli military had called up the army reserves.
Hecht declined to comment on how Hamas had managed to catch the army off guard. “That’s a good question,” he said.
Ismail Haniyeh, the exiled leader of Hamas, said that Palestinian fighters were “engaged in these historic moments in a heroic operation” to defend the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and the thousands of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
In the kibbutz of Nahal Oz, just 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the Gaza Strip, terrified residents who were huddled indoors said they could hear constant gunfire echoing off the buildings as firefights continued even hours after the initial attack.
“With rockets we somehow feel safer, knowing that we have the Iron Dome (missile defense system) and our safe rooms. But knowing that terrorists are walking around communities is a different kind of fear,” said Mirjam Reijnen, a 42-year-old volunteer firefighter and mother of three in Nahal Oz.
Israel has built a massive fence along the Gaza border meant to prevent infiltrations. It goes deep underground and is equipped with cameras, high-tech sensors and sensitive listening technology.
The escalation comes after weeks of heightened tensions along Israel’s volatile border with Gaza, and heavy fighting in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Saturday’s wide-ranging assault threatened to undermine Netanyahu’s reputation as a security expert who would do anything to protect Israel. It also raised questions about the cohesion of a security apparatus crucial to the stability of a country locked in low-intensity conflicts on multiple fronts and facing threats from Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group.
Hezbollah congratulated Hamas on Friday, praising the attack as a response to “Israeli crimes” and saying the militants had “divine backing.” The group said its command in Lebanon was in contact with Hamas about the operation.
Israel has maintained a blockade over Gaza since Hamas seized control of the territory in 2007. The bitter enemies have fought four wars since then. There have also been numerous rounds of smaller fighting between Israel and Hamas and other smaller militant groups based in Gaza.
The blockade, which restricts the movement of people and goods in and out of Gaza, has devastated the territory’s economy. Israel says the blockade is needed to keep militant groups from building up their arsenals. The Palestinians say the closure amounts to collective punishment.
The rocket fire comes during a period of heavy fighting in the West Bank, where nearly 200 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military raids this year. In the volatile northern West Bank, scores of militants and residents poured into the streets in celebration at the news of the rocket barrages.
Israel says the raids are aimed at militants, but stone-throwing protesters and people uninvolved in the violence have also been killed. Palestinian attacks on Israeli targets have killed over 30 people.
The tensions have also spread to Gaza, where Hamas-linked activists held violent demonstrations along the Israeli border in recent weeks. Those demonstrations were halted in late September after international mediation.
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Adwan reported from Rafah, Gaza Strip. Associated Press writer Isabel DeBre in Jerusalem contributed to this report
Bella Does Not Want To Be Dragged Into Moss Iceland Controversy
Ranee Campen, also known as Bella the actress, explains her stance on the incident where she was photographed in the famous Icelandic moss lava field, similar to the recent controversy surrounding Senator Khunying Porntip Rojanasunan, a doctor and member of the Thai Parliament.
Bella expressed that she does not want to be dragged into this controversy because it is a sensitive issue and if people do not know all the facts, they might see it negatively.
Bella clarified that her trip to Iceland was in 2016 and Thais and local Icelanders accompanied her group on the trip. They took photos just like any other tourists. As far as Bella knows, the “No Entry” signs appeared after that, around 2018, and that seems to be in a different time frame.
“At first I was confused, and as I said, I didn’t want to be associated with it because it could be seen negatively. But many people helped me explain my situation. When I asked if we could enter the area, I was told that this area is for tourists. It is a special zone.”
When asked if she needs to be more careful when she travels in the future, Bella said that she is already careful because she is a person who gets scared easily, especially in these situations. Bella mentioned that she had the opportunity to visit Iceland again and saw the “no entry” signs and did not enter the restricted area.
Bella, 33, is a half-English-Thai actress. She is best known for her roles in television dramas, especially Love Destiny on Channel 3. Her latest work, which is about to be released on October 18, is Love Destiny 2.
Jailed Iranian Activist Narges Mohammadi Wins The Nobel Peace Prize For Fighting Women’s Oppression
Imprisoned Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday in recognition of her tireless campaigning for women’s rights and democracy, and against the death penalty.
Mohammadi, 51, has kept up her activism despite numerous arrests by Iranian authorities and spending years behind bars. She has remained a leading light for nationwide, women-led protests, sparked by the death last year of a 22-year-old woman in police custody. Those demonstrations grew into one of the most intense challenges ever to Iran’s theocratic government.
Berit Reiss-Andersen, the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, began Friday’s announcement with the words “Woman, Life, Freedom” in Farsi — the slogan of the demonstrations in Iran.
“This prize is first and foremost a recognition of the very important work of a whole movement in Iran with its undisputed leader, Narges Mohammadi,” Reiss-Andersen said. She also urged Iran to release Mohammadi in time for the prize ceremony on Dec. 10.
For nearly all of Mohammadi’s life, Iran has been governed by a Shiite theocracy headed by the country’s supreme leader. While women hold jobs, academic positions and even government appointments, their lives are tightly controlled. Laws require all women to at least wear a headscarf, or hijab, to cover their hair as a sign of piety. Iran and neighboring Afghanistan remain the only countries that mandate that.
In a statement released after the Nobel announcement, Mohammadi said she will “never stop striving for the realization of democracy, freedom and equality.”
“Surely, the Nobel Peace Prize will make me more resilient, determined, hopeful and enthusiastic on this path, and it will accelerate my pace,” she said.
Mohammadi, an engineer by training, has been imprisoned 13 times and convicted five, according to Reiss-Andersen. In total, she has been sentenced to 31 years in prison. Her most recent incarceration began when she was detained in 2021 after attending a memorial for a person killed in nationwide protests sparked by an increase in gasoline prices.
She has been held at Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison, whose inmates include those with Western ties and political prisoners.
Her brother, Hamidreza Mohammadi, told The Associated Press by telephone from Norway where he lives that he has not been able to speak with his sister but knows the prize “means a lot to her.”
“The prize means that the world has seen this movement,” but it will not affect the situation in Iran, he said.
“The regime will double down on the opposition. … They will just crush people,” he said, adding that he knew immediately his sister had won when he heard the slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom,” in Farsi.
Mohammadi’s husband, Taghi Rahmani, who lives in exile in Paris with their two children, 16-year-old twins, said that although he hadn’t been able to reach her, she “would be very glad to know she has won an award and she will re-state her determination like always.”
“She has a sentence she always repeats: ‘Every single award will make me more intrepid, more resilient and more brave for realizing human rights, freedom, civil equality and democracy,’” he said.
Rahmani hasn’t been able to see his wife for 11 years, and their children haven΄t seen their mother for seven, he said.
Their son, Ali Rahmani, said the Nobel was not just for his mother: “It’s for the struggle.΅
“This prize is for the entire population, for the whole struggle from the beginning, since the Islamic government came to power,” the teen said.
Narges Mohammadi is the 19th woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize and the second Iranian woman, after human rights activist Shirin Ebadi won in 2003.
It’s the fifth time in its 122-year history that the Nobel Peace Prize has been given to someone who is in prison or under house arrest. Last year, the top human rights advocate in Belarus, Ales Bialiatski, was among the winners. He remains imprisoned.
Mohammadi was in detention for the recent protests of the death of Mahsa Amini, who had been picked up by the morality police for her allegedly loose headscarf. More than 500 people were killed in a heavy security crackdown, while over 22,000 others were arrested.
But from behind bars, Mohammadi contributed an opinion piece for The New York Times last month. “What the government may not understand is that the more of us they lock up, the stronger we become,” she wrote.
In a first reaction from Tehran, the semi-official Fars news agency dismissed Mohammadi as someone who “persisted in creating tension and unrest and falsely claimed that she was beaten in prison.”
Fars is believed to be close to Iran’s hard-line paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which answers only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Abuse in Iranian prisons — something Mohammadi has campaigned against both outside of and behind bars — has been widely reported by the U.N. and human rights groups.
In Tehran, people expressed support for Mohammadi and her resilience.
“The prize was her right, She stayed inside the country, in prison and defended people, bravo!” said Mina Gilani, a girl’s high school teacher.
Arezou Mohebi, a 22-year-old chemistry student, said the prize was “an award for all Iranian girls and women,” and described Mohammadi “as the bravest I have ever seen.”
Political analyst Ahmad Zeidabadi wrote online that the prize might lead to more pressure on Mohammadi.
“The prize will simultaneously bring possibilities and restrictions,” he wrote. “I hope Narges will not be confined by its restrictions.”
Before being jailed, Mohammadi was vice president of the banned Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran. Nobel laureate Ebadi, who Mohammadi is close to, founded the center.
The Nobel Prizes carry a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor (about $1 million). Winners also receive an 18-carat gold medal and diploma at the award ceremonies in December.
Unlike the other Nobel prizes that are selected and announced in Stockholm, founder Alfred Nobel decreed that the peace prize be decided and awarded in Oslo by the five-member Norwegian Nobel Committee. The independent panel is appointed by the Norwegian parliament.
The Nobel season ends Monday with the announcement of the winner of the economics prize, formally known as the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel.
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Parents of a 14-Year-Old Shooter Release an Apology Statement
The Situation Command Center (SCC), which was established by the government of Thailand in response to the mass shooting at the Siam Paragon department store on October 3, 2023, which killed two foreign women and injured five others, released a statement on October 6, 2023, involving the parents of the 14-year-old shooter.
SCC stated that it has been contacted by the parents of the perpetrator who have requested to convey their message expressing deep regret and profound apology regarding the incident on October 3, 2023.
Therefore, the SCC wishes to circulate the aforementioned message, along with the unofficial translations, in English as follows:
“My family and I feel a profound sense of regret. We offer our deepest apologies to the
victims, the families of the deceased and the injured, from the recent shooting incident that occurred as the result of our son’s actions at the Siam Paragon department store.
This includes the public, tourists, business and store owners and those involved in the incident or nearby who were evacuated and troubled in any way. It also includes the medical staff, nurses, police, government officials, whether Thai, Chinese, Myanmar, or Lao and all parties affected by this incident. We greatly regret also the damage and impact to the country as a whole.
My wife and I apologize for not communicating to the public sooner.
During this time, my family and I have been in the middle of a legal process. Our son is detained in the Juvenile Observation and Protection Center according to an order issued by the Juvenile Court. My family and I did not apply for bail because we intend to cooperate fully with the authorities in search of the facts and to ensure that there will not be a repeat of the same violent incident.
We are deeply saddened and shocked by this incident and accept responsibility as fully as we can. We would also like to promise that we will cooperate with the police, government officials and every agency necessary regarding these legal proceedings as well as support any mitigation and efforts to remedy the effects of this event as best as possible.
My family and I would like to humbly ask for forgiveness and extend our profound apologies to the family of the deceased, the injured and their families who were most affected by this event, and to everyone from the deepest recesses of our hearts, with our utmost respect,”
signed by the father/legal guardian of the juvenile offender.
Tunisian Man Says Chinese Girlfriend Jumped From Phuket Hotel
A 34-year-old Chinese female tourist died after falling from the 10th floor of a five-star hotel on Karon Beach, Phuket Province. Her Tunisian boyfriend told the police that she had previously attempted to leap.
At 4 a.m. on Oct. 6, officials were informed of the incident and contacted a forensic pathologist at Vachira Phuket Hospital to participate in the autopsy. Her body was taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital for an autopsy in order to determine the exact cause of death.
Phuket Tourist Police investigated the deceased’s travels and discovered that she was originally from Jilin Province. Her surname is Zou. She entered and exited Thailand a total of 18 times. According to hotel personnel, she came to access the room alone before the incident, using a personal car driver’s licence as a document to open a room on the 10th floor.
However, there was a person who was last seen with a Chinese woman named Hamrouni, 35 years old, Tunisian nationality, who entered Thailand on a non-B visa. He is Zou’s ex-boyfriend, with whom she was reuniting.
Hamrouni told police that he and Zou arrived at the hotel on the 10th floor about 3:00 p.m. on October 5 and then ate supper and drank wine together at the hotel restaurant. They went up to her room until approximately 10:00 a.m. The woman then said that she wanted to die. He didn’t pay much attention because she said things like this often.
Zou walked out onto the balcony and attempted to jump down, but he stopped her in time and took her back into the room to discuss. Zou then calmed down. However, approximately an hour later, she ran out onto the balcony and leaped off. He ran in close pursuit, attempting but failing to grip the legs. After that, he rushed downstairs and called the hotel staff to notify the police, who sent an ambulance.
Officers investigating the case first suspected that the Chinese woman wanted to end her own life, but they will wait for the autopsy results to confirm and will coordinate with the Chinese Embassy to notify relatives to come pick up her body.
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CP Foods Launches Cervical Cancer Self-Screening Initiative in Workplaces to Promote Employees’ Well-being
Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand – Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Limited (CP Foods) is dedicated to promoting wellness in the workplace and has announced the launch of an intensive campaign on self-screening for cervical cancer (HPV Self Sampling) for women employees.
In a recent visit to CP Foods’ poultry processing plant in Nakhon Ratchasima, Dr. Cholnan Srikaew, the Minister of Public Health, accompanied by the Secretary-General of the NHSO, marked the start of this important initiative, aligning with the government’s 100-day Quick Win strategy.
The visit focused on endorsing self-collected cervical cancer screenings, also known as HPV Self Sampling. Dr. Cholnan expressed concern over the rising number of cervical cancer cases and emphasized the importance of early detection and self-screening. While Health District 9 is actively screening for cervical cancer, there are still many women in the target groups who remain untested. Therefore, this collaborative initiative aims to support the broader cancer policy and bolster the 30-baht healthcare strategy, which emphasizes health promotion and prevention for every Thai citizen.
“Early detection and self-screening for cervical cancer allow Thai women of working age to address and treat precancerous stages promptly. This is not only cost-effective compared to late-stage treatments but also reduces overall healthcare expenses. Ensuring the health of Thai women contributes to Thailand’s economic growth,” commented Dr. Cholnan.
CP Foods’ COO, Siripong Aroonratana, expressed gratitude to the health entities for allowing CP Foods to take a leading role in this initiative. He emphasized that the company highly values and cares for its female employees and stated that this collaborative project aims to enhance health awareness and improve the quality of life for female staff.
Dr. Jadej Thamthajaree highlighted the fact that cancer remains the leading cause of death in Thailand, with breast and cervical cancers being most prevalent among women aged 45-50. Many cases are detected at advanced stages, leading to high treatment costs and affecting livelihoods. In line with the 100-day Quick Win policies, the introduction of self-collected HPV DNA Tests allows for faster screening and treatment, with cure rates of 80-90%.
To facilitate screenings for a significant female workforce, the Provincial Public Health Office will provide facilities at different sites. This includes the distribution of cervical cancer self-testing kits, guidance on their usage, and immediate testing of collected samples. Positive results will lead to further examinations and treatments, with plans to expand the initiative to more factories in the future.
