Move Forward Strikes Back: Who Is Behind the ITV Scandal?

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12 June 2023, 17:04

The public is beginning to see who is really the mastermind behind the attempt to prevent Pita Limjaroenrat, the Move Forward Party candidate, from becoming Thailand’s next prime minister. So far, only the ‘complainants’ are in the spotlight.

After the election, in which the Move Forward Party won and now forms an 8-party coalition government, Pita is accused of not being qualified enough to be prime minister because he holds shares in the mass media broadcaster ITV, although the broadcaster has not been in operation since 2007.

MFP press1 — Chaitawat Tulathon, general secretary of the Move Forward Party, held a press conference on the issue of ITV at the MFP office on Monday, December 12, 2023.

On Friday, June 9, the Election Commission of Thailand announced that it will investigate the petition to determine whether Pita violated Article 151. The allegation is that he stood for election knowing he lacked the qualifications. This is a criminal offence punishable by 1-10 years in prison if convicted.

On Sunday, however, news reporter Thapanee Eadsrichai, who used to work for ITV, revealed the suspicious attempt to ban Pita from the Prime Minister’s chair on Channel 3’s “3-Dimension News” programme. She presented a video recording of the annual shareholders’ meeting of ITV Public Company Limited held on April 26, 2023, proving that the report of the meeting was edited to make it appear that ITV was still operating as a mass media company.

itv 1 — Cover of a video recording of the annual shareholders’ meeting of ITV Public Company Limited held on April 26, 2023

The crucial moment came when a shareholder named Phanuwat Kwanyuen asked during the meeting, “Does ITV engage in media or television-related activities?” Then, Kim Sirithaweechai, the chairman of the board of directors who chaired the meeting, replied, “Currently, the company is not active. We have to wait for the outcome of the lawsuit first.”

However, in the meeting report, the answer was changed to “The company is currently operating in accordance with its objectives and has filed financial statements and corporate income tax returns as usual.”

Chaitawat Tulathon, general secretary of the Move Forward Party, said the party was confident that the Article 151 allegations aimed at incriminating Pita lacked substantial evidence. The party is also raising questions about the manipulation of the ITV shareholders’ meeting reports and whether this is a breach of the law.

Move Forward also wants to know the extent to which IN-Touch Holdings, ITV’s major shareholder, was involved in manipulating the reports to deviate from the truth during the meeting, as the review and amendment of the meeting reports were carried out by executives from IN-Touch’s legal department and corporate secretariat.

In addition, Chaitawat pointed out an inconsistency in the minutes of ITV’s second board meeting in 2023, where a resolution was suddenly passed recognising the company’s business model as an “advertising provider that started generating revenue in the second quarter of 2023” He stressed that this contradicted information given just two days earlier by Kim, the chairman of the shareholders’ meeting, who stated that “it “would be extremely difficult for the company to do any business until the proceedings are concluded”.

MFP press4 — Chaitawat pointed out an inconsistency in the minutes of ITV’s second board meeting in 2023.

This effort coincides with Pita’s statement that there is a movement to revive the ITV and attack him. Regarding the people behind this process, Chaitawat said that the Move Forward Party is beginning to identify those involved and believes that the public can speculate about the parties involved. However, it is too early to accuse anyone specifically and it is not yet clear if there is a political party behind the scenes.

Srettha Thavisin, Pheu Thai Party candidate for prime minister, said if there was evidence of forged documents, a fair investigation should be conducted. He added that as the second largest party, the Pheu Thai Party’s role was to support and encourage the eight-party ruling coalition to continue its work.

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Mayon Volcano Spews Lava Down Putting Thousands on Alert

By

Associated Press

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12 June 2023, 14:24

Philippines Volcano — Mayon volcano belches red-hot emissions down it's slope as seen from Legaspi, Albay province, northeastern Philippines, Sunday, June 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

LEGAZPI, Philippines (AP) — The Philippines’ most active volcano was gently spewing lava down its slopes Monday, alerting tens of thousands of people they may have to quickly flee a violent and life-threatening explosion.

More than 12,600 people have left the mostly poor farming communities within a 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) radius of Mayon Volcano’s crater in mandatory evacuations since volcanic activity increased last week. But thousands more remain within the permanent danger zone below Mayon, an area long declared off-limits to people but where generations have lived and farmed because they have nowhere else to go.

AP23162589426340 — Mayon volcano belches red-hot emissions down it’s slope as seen from Legaspi, Albay province, northeastern Philippines, Sunday, June 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

With the volcano beginning to expel lava Sunday night, the high-risk zone around Mayon may be expanded should the eruption turn violent, said Teresito Bacolcol, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. Bacolcol said if that happens, people in any expanded danger zone should be prepared to evacuate to emergency shelters.

“What we are seeing now is an effusive eruption,” Bacolcol told The Associated Press. “We are looking at this on a day-to-day basis.”

From a distance, Associated Press journalists watched lava flow down the volcano’s southeastern gullies for hours Sunday night. People hurriedly stepped out of restaurants and bars in a seaside district of Legazpi, the capital of northeastern Albay province about 14 kilometers (8.5 miles) from Mayon, many of them snapping pictures of the volcano that’s a popular tourist draw known for its picturesque conical shape.

AP23162308568835 — Tourists ride ATV’s near Mayon Volcano, hidden in clouds, in Daraga, Albay province, northeastern Philippines on Sunday, June 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Albay was placed under a state of emergency Friday to allow for quicker distribution of any disaster relief funds in the event of a major eruption.

The volcano had been raised to alert level three on a five-step system Thursday, warning that the volcano was in a state of high unrest and a hazardous eruption is possible in weeks or days.

With lava flowing down from the volcano gently, Bacolcol said the alert level would stay at three but it could be moved up higher if the eruption turns perilous.

The highest alert, level five, would mean a violent and life-threatening eruption is underway with ash plumes shooting into the sky and superheated pyroclastic streams endangering more communities at Mayon’s lush foothills.

AP23162587943325 — Mayon volcano belches red-hot emissions down it’s slope as seen from Legaspi, Albay province, northeastern Philippines, Sunday, June 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Mayon is one of 24 active volcanoes in the Philippines. It last erupted violently in 2018, displacing tens of thousands of villagers. In 1814, Mayon’s eruption buried entire villages and reportedly left more than 1,000 people dead.

Many of Albay’s people, however, have accepted the volcano’s sporadic fury as part of their lives.

On Sunday morning, throngs of people jogged, biked and walked their dogs in a seaside promenade in Legazpi. The 2,462-meter (8,077-foot) volcano lay hidden in thick clouds at a distance.

Some locals have grown wealthy from the tourism industry that has sprung from Mayon or the gravel, sand and ornamental rocks and boulders found around the volcano in abundance.

Inside the permanent danger zone, authorities and villagers on Sunday were moving cows and water buffaloes from the high-risk farms to temporary grazing areas a safe distance away.

“It’s not only people that should be brought to safety but their farm animals, too,” Albay provincial veterinarian Manny Victorino told AP. He said authorities were taking steps to avoid a deeper economic impact should the volcano erupt.

AP23162306557276 — A farmer ties his cow as they bring them to a pooling center outside the 6-kilometer “permanent danger zone” near Mayon Volcano in Daraga, Albay province, northeastern Philippines, Sunday, June 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

They gave deworming medicine and vitamins and punched identifying tags onto the ears of several cows and buffaloes for better monitoring.

The cattle evacuations underscore how wide the potential threats are from natural disasters in the Philippines.

The archipelago is lashed by about 20 typhoons and tropical storms a year and is located on the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire,” the rim of seismic faults where most of the world’s earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur.

In 1991, Mount Pinatubo north of Manila blew its top in one of the biggest volcanic eruptions of the 20th century, killing hundreds.

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JIM GOMEZ and AARON FAVILA reported from LEGAZPI. Joeal Calupitan contributed to this report.

Thai Durian on the Upswing: Export Prices to China at Record

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Khaosod English

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12 June 2023, 12:48

Despite the impact of the climate on Thai durian production this year, sales of durian produced in the east reached a record high, which could serve as a model for farmers and exporters in the south of Thailand when the annual harvest begins on June 10 and continues through October.

Nuttakrit Oranhirunrak, vice president of the Thai-Chinese Agribusiness Association in Chanthaburi Province, said Thailand is expected to export more durian to China than in other years. From the start of the harvest season until June 10, 2023, a total of 33,000 containers of durian were shipped to China. The current figure is already much higher than that of 3 years ago, which was 15,000 containers.

The eastern part of Thailand, where the durian is grown, has to deal with climatic difficulties that lead to an irregular shape of the durian. If the climate is good and the durian has a regular good shape, it is expected that Thailand could export up to 35,000 or 40,000 containers of durian.

The average selling price of durian from the eastern region has risen to 130 baht per kilogram, satisfying farmers and market operators as this is the highest selling price ever recorded. Some durian such as the Kadumthong are selling for 300 baht per kilogram, reaching the highest price. For the famous Monthong and Phuang Mani, the selling prices are 250 baht per kilogram.

Thapakorn Chanya, 29, a former engineer turned durian middleman, also known as Lhong, for the Jaepare-Herewat durian, said the price has risen sharply this year. He said that 3 years ago, the selling price was 90 baht per kilogram. This year, the average price started at 100 baht and last month the average price reached 200 baht per kilogram, the highest record.

For him, the rising price is due to the quality of durian. He said that his company is stricter in exporting durian to China to ensure that customers get high quality and tasty durian, which leads to higher demand, which then affects the selling prices as the demand is greater than the supply. He added that the fact that his exported durians are of good quality and bring him profits increases his will to work.

For next year’s harvest season, he wants government assistance with logistics and the market. He wants the government to help set ceiling prices for logistics to ensure that the charges to farmers, exporters and those in the logistics sector are reasonable and that no one in the system is overcharged. He added that it would be ideal to be able to control prices at a reasonable rate throughout the production period.

The cumulative export of fresh durian from Thailand to China from January to May amounted to 480,000 tonnes, worth nearly 63 billion baht, according to the Department of Agriculture.

Using the success of the Chanthaburi Model, the officials advised farmers and exporters in the south of Thailand to implement quality control at the point of production and export screening.

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Ex-Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon arrested by police investigating governing party’s finances

By

Associated Press

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12 June 2023, 00:53

Britain Scotland Sturgeon — FILE - Nicola Sturgeon speaks during a press conference at Bute House in Edinburgh, Wednesday, Feb. 15 2023. (Jane Barlow/Pool photo via AP, File)

LONDON (AP) — Former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who dominated politics in Scotland for almost a decade, was arrested Sunday by police investigating the finances of the governing, pro-independence Scottish National Party.

Police Scotland said a 52-year-old woman was detained “as a suspect in connection with the ongoing investigation into the funding and finances of the Scottish National Party.”

“The woman is in custody and is being questioned by Police Scotland detectives,” the force said, without naming Sturgeon. British police do not identify suspects until they are charged.

A spokesperson for Sturgeon said the former first minister voluntarily attended an interview with police and would cooperate with the force’s investigation.

The SNP said the party had been “cooperating fully with this investigation and will continue to do so. However it is not appropriate to publicly address any issues while that investigation is ongoing.”

Scottish police opened an investigation in 2021 into how more than 600,000 pounds ($754,000) designated for a Scottish independence campaign was spent.

AP23095325172056 — FILE – Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and her husband and current chief executive officer of the Scottish National Party Peter Murrel on June 3, 2022. (Henry Nicholls, Pool Photo via AP, File)

Two former SNP officials, Colin Beattie, who was treasurer, and Peter Murrell, who was chief executive, were previously arrested and questioned as part of the investigation. Neither has been charged.

Murrell is Sturgeon’s husband, and police searched the couple’s home in Glasgow after his arrest in April.

Sturgeon unexpectedly resigned in February after eight years as Scottish National Party leader and first minister of Scotland’s semi-autonomous government. She said then that she knew “in my head and in my heart” that it was the right time for her, her party and her country to make way for someone else.

The first female leader of Scotland’s devolved government, Sturgeon led her party to dominance in Scottish politics and refashioned the SNP from a largely one-issue party into a dominant governing force with liberal social positions.

She guided her party during three U.K.-wide elections and two Scottish elections, and led Scotland through the coronavirus pandemic, winning praise for her clear, measured communication style.

But Sturgeon left office amid divisions in the SNP and with her main goal — independence from the U.K. for the nation of 5.5 million people — unmet.

AP23095325144650 — FILE – Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon poses for the media with husband Peter Murrell, outside polling station in Glasgow, Scotland, on Dec. 12, 2019.(AP Photo/Scott Heppell, File)

Scottish voters backed remaining in the U.K. in a 2014 referendum that was billed as a once-in-a-generation decision. The party wants a new vote, but the U.K. Supreme Court has ruled that Scotland can’t hold one without London’s consent. The central government has refused to authorize another referendum.

Sturgeon’s departure unleashed a tussle for the future of the SNP amid recriminations over the party’s declining membership and divisions over the best path towards independence. Opinion polls suggest support for the party has sagged, though it remains the most popular in Scotland.

An acrimonious leadership contest to replace her saw contenders feud over tactics and Sturgeon’s legacy, particularly a bill she introduced to make it easier for people to legally change gender. It was hailed as a landmark piece of legislation by transgender rights activists, but faced opposition from some SNP members who said it ignored the need to protect single-sex spaces for women

First Minister Humza Yousaf, who won the party contest in March, told the BBC before Sturgeon’s arrest that the SNP had been through “some of the most difficult weeks our party has probably faced, certainly in the modern era.”

“I know there will be people, be it our opposition, be it the media, that have somehow written the SNP off already,” he said. “They do that at their own peril.”

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JILL LAWLESS reported from London.

SEC Lawsuits Against Binance And Coinbase Raise Questions About Crypto’s Future

By

Associated Press

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12 June 2023, 00:34

Crypto Crackdown — FILE - The seal of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission at SEC headquarters, June 19, 2015, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — First came the crypto winter, then the alleged fraud wrought by FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, and now the lawsuits.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed lawsuits last week against the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchanges, Binance and Coinbase, deepening tensions between the government and a volatile industry that has been marred by scandals and market meltdowns.

Binance and Coinbase are both alleged to have violated the law by operating as securities exchanges without registering their businesses with the SEC. Binance faces additional charges, along with its CEO, of diverting customer funds to a separate business, among other accusations. Most recently, the SEC asked a federal judge to freeze the assets of Binance’s U.S. platform.

AP23160727096140 — FILE – The Binance app icon is seen on a smartphone, Feb. 28, 2023, in Marple Township, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

The lawsuits are the latest in an ongoing tussle between government officials who describe the crypto industry as the ” Wild West,” and creators of digital assets who seek to legitimize cryptocurrency as a currency of the future.

Industry leaders say that, with their latest actions, U.S. regulators are more clearly signaling that they seek to ensure cryptocurrency has no room in the traditional financial system.

And leading regulators are more open about their thoughts on the merits of cryptocurrency. SEC Chair Gary Gensler told Bloomberg on Tuesday: “We don’t need more digital currency … we already have digital currency — it’s called the U.S. dollar.”

What results from the legal battle could greatly diminish the growth of the crypto industry or, alternatively, restrict the scope of the SEC’s regulatory authority.

Federica Pantana, an attorney at Davidoff Hutcher & Citron in New York who handles SEC cases, has been watching the episode unfold and is now clear with her crypto clients in the interim: “With the SEC taking a strong enforcement agenda, there is no question that firms have to take the view that crypto assets are securities and platforms that exchange these assets have to accept that.”

Whether companies that trade in crypto decide it makes business sense to register with the SEC, or drop their businesses all together, will determine the landscape of the industry in the future, Pantana said. The reverberations of the litigation could put some companies out of business, she said.

AP23160727060764 — FILE – The Coinbase app icon is shown, April 13, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

The crypto industry already knew it was under a tough spotlight from Washington’s regulators and politicians. The collapse of crypto prices last year as well as the demise of several notable crypto companies — including FTX — exposed investors to billions of dollars in losses. Gensler had repeatedly stated, both to Congress and in public appearances, that he believes the SEC has more than enough authority to regulate the industry.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told CNBC Wednesday that she’s “very supportive” of the SEC using the tools it has to protect consumers and investors.

Despite the increased scrutiny from regulators, the crypto industry was expecting Congress to eventually intervene and help legitimize the industry through new laws. Several bills were introduced last year by Democrats and Republicans that would have put crypto under the authority of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and made other products, including stable coins, more legitimate by standardizing what assets those products could hold.

Yellen said Wednesday that she sees “some holes in the system where additional regulation I think would be appropriate and we would like to work with Congress to see additional legislation passed.”

Crypto lobbyists now believe that those laws are more urgently needed to stop the SEC from moving forward with its lawsuits.

The most viable piece of legislation sits in the House Financial Services Committee, spearheaded by Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., who chairs the pane. The legislation was co-authored by Glenn Thompson, R-Penn., chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture.

Their discussion draft of legislation seeks to delineate agencies’ jurisdiction over certain digital assets and “strike the appropriate balance between consumer protection and encouraging responsible innovation,” McHenry said in a news release.

New legislation would grant digital-asset issuers an exemption from securities laws if they meet certain conditions and would exclude digital commodities and payment stablecoins from the definition of a security under the securities laws, among many other provisions.

“Congress has no choice but to thoughtfully move forward with legislation to clear up this confusion,” said Kristin Smith, CEO of the Blockchain Association.

Perianne Boring, founder of the Chamber of Digital Commerce, one of the top lobbyists for the cryptocurrency industry, said the lawsuits the SEC filed against Binance and Coinbase are “arbitrary and capricious” and “the SEC’s vigorous enforcement in this space is politically motivated, opening up legal risk against SEC.”

She said Gensler’s public comments about the merits of cryptocurrency in the backdrop of the traditional financial system go outside the scope of his role as SEC chair to protect consumers and investors.

“They’re not a merit regulator,” Boring said.

Representatives from the SEC and White House did not respond to Associated Press requests for comment.

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FATIMA HUSSEIN reported from Washington & KEN SWEET reported from New York.

Djokovic Wins His 23rd Grand Slam Title By Beating Ruud In The French Open Final

By

Associated Press

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11 June 2023, 23:53

France Tennis French Open — Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates winning the men's singles final match of the French Open tennis tournament against Norway's Casper Ruud in three sets, 7-6, (7-1), 6-3, 7-5, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Sunday, June 11, 2023. Djokovic won his record 23rd Grand Slam singles title, breaking a tie with Rafael Nadal for the most by a man. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

PARIS (AP) — Novak Djokovic made clear for years that this was his goal. What drove him. What inspired him. The biggest titles from his sport’s biggest stages were Djokovic’s main aim and now he finally stands alone — ahead of Rafael Nadal, ahead of Roger Federer, ahead of every man who ever has swung a racket.

If Djokovic could wait this long to hold this record, he certainly could wait for the half-hour or so it took to straighten out his strokes in the French Open final. And so, after a bit of a shaky start in thick, humid air and under foreboding charcoal clouds Sunday, he imposed himself. The opponent at Court Philippe Chatrier, Casper Ruud, never really stood a serious chance after that.

AP23162598515596 — Serbia’s Novak Djokovic celebrates winning the men’s singles final match of the French Open tennis tournament against Norway’s Casper Ruud in three sets, 7-6, (7-1), 6-3, 7-5, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Sunday, June 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Djokovic earned his men’s-record 23rd Grand Slam singles championship, breaking a tie with Nadal and moving three in front of the retired Federer, with a 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-5 victory over Ruud that really was not in doubt for most of its 3 hours, 13 minutes.

Djokovic, a 36-year-old from Serbia, puts this one alongside the French Open titles he earned in 2016 and 2021, making him the only man with at least three from each major event. He has won 10 trophies at the Australian Open, seven at Wimbledon and three at the U.S. Open.

AP23162566699656 — American former football quarterback Tom Brady, up, second from left, watches the final match of the French Open tennis tournament between Serbia’s Novak Djokovic and Norway’s Casper Ruud at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Sunday, June 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

Also worth noting: Djokovic is again halfway to a calendar-year Grand Slam — winning all four majors in one season — something no man has achieved since Rod Laver in 1969. Djokovic came close to pulling off that feat in 2021, when he won the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon and made it all the way to the title match at the U.S. Open before losing to Daniil Medvedev.

Djokovic will resume that pursuit at Wimbledon, which begins on the grass of the All England Club on July 3.

AP23162597853523 — Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, right, hugs Norway’s Casper Ruud after winning their final match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Sunday, June 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

He has now clutched the trophy at 11 of the last 20 Slams, a remarkable run made even more so when considering that he did not participate in two majors during that span because he did not get vaccinated against COVID-19. Djokovic was deported from Australia in January 2021 before the Australian Open, and he was not allowed to fly to the United States ahead of last year’s U.S. Open under a rule that has since been lifted.

Getting to 23 not only sets the mark for men, but it also lets Djokovic equal Serena Williams, who wrapped up her career last year, for the most by anyone in the Open era, which began in 1968. Margaret Court won some of her all-time record of 24 Slam trophies in the amateur era.

AP23162604686173 — Serbia’s Novak Djokovic holds the trophy as he celebrates winning the men’s singles final match of the French Open tennis tournament. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

At 20 days past his 36th birthday, Djokovic is the oldest singles champion at Roland Garros, considered the most grueling of the majors because of the lengthy, grinding points required by the red clay, which is slower than the grass or hard courts underfoot elsewhere.

Nadal’s 22nd major arrived in Paris two days after he turned 36. He has been sidelined since January by a hip injury and had arthroscopic surgery on June 2.

As if all of that weren’t enough, Djokovic’s triumph on Sunday also means he will return to No. 1 in the ATP rankings on Monday, replacing Carlos Alcaraz. Djokovic already has spent more weeks at the top spot than any player — man or woman — since the inception of computerized tennis rankings a half-century ago.

It was Djokovic who eliminated Alcaraz in the semifinals on Thursday, wearing him down over two thrilling sets until the 20-year-old Spaniard’s body cramped up badly. Alcaraz continued to play, but the scores of the last two sets of the four-set match told the story: 6-1, 6-1.

This was the third Slam final in the past five events for Ruud, a 24-year-old from Norway, but he is now 0-3. He lost to Nadal at the French Open a year ago and to Alcaraz at the U.S. Open last September.

Phuket Police Charge The Kazakh Man Tried To Kill A Russian

By

Khaosod English

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11 June 2023, 20:42

shot russian9 — A Kazakh man was charged with attempting to murder a Russian man in Phuket.

Artur Legay, a 48-year-old Kazakh man, was charged with “attempt to murder, possession of firearms, and ammunition without permission” on June 11 by Phuket police.

Mr. Artur was apprehended by police on June 8 at Phuket International Airport as a suspect in the shooting of 44-year-old Russian Dmitry Aleynikov before noon on June 7.

Mr. Dmitry was shot four times around his chest while parking his car in front of a cafe he regularly visits in the Laguna Phuket area.

shot russian1 — The Russian man was shot around his chest on June 7, 2023.

shot russian2 — The shooting spot was outside the cafe in the Laguna Phuket area.

shot russian12 — The gunman fired four shots through the windshield of the car.

According to CCTV footage, the assailant fled the scene on a motorcycle without a licence plate along Pa Sak-Ban Don Road, Choeng Thale Subdistrict, Thalang District, 700 metres from the shooting location, he paused at the construction site and threw his gun, jacket, sunglasses, gloves, and shoes into the swamp.

The forensics officers then search the swampy area for any evidence the gunman may have left behind. They found eyeglasses, gloves, and footwear at first.

shot russian3 — The police officers search the swampy area for any evidence.

shot russian4 — The shoes that were found in the swamp

Later that day, officers discovered a motorbike with muddy wheels and footrests that the suspect had abandoned at the resort in Soi Pa Sak 1, Choeng Thale Subdistrict. This resort is approximately one kilometre from the location where the belongings of the gunman were dumped into the a swamp. A new licence plate was attached to the motorcycle.

Staff at the resort say that this motorbike was rented by a Kazakh customer. He had been staying at the resort since May 21, but he was two days behind on his payments. So, the police looked at the CCTV video again and decided that this Kazakh man looked like the person who shot the Russian man at the scene.

shot russian5 — A motorbike with muddy wheels and footrests that the suspect had abandoned at the resort.

The next day, immigration officers at Phuket Airport discovered this individual about to depart. Consequently, he was detained based on an arrest warrant, although he has not yet been prosecuted. At that time, the weapon used in the offence was still missing.

shot russian6 — The immigration officers at Phuket Airport detained the suspect on June 8, 2023.

The EOD police officers and Phuket Kusaldhamma Foundation staff discovered a firearm in the swamp on June 9 evening. It is a.38mm revolver with two spare bullets. The Kazakh individual was therefore charged and interrogated by police through an interpreter. He denied all charges and claimed innocence of any wrongdoing.

However, the authorities are confident in the evidence and will wait until the injured Russian man recovers before questioning him. Initially, it was believed that a conflict of interest led to the attempted murder.

shot russian8 — EOD police on Friday night recovered the gun used by a Kazakh gunman who shot and seriously injured a Russian man.

shot russian7 — EOD police and Phuket Kusaldhamma Foundation staff spent two days in the swamp until they found the gun.

Opinion: Nine Years After 2014 Coup, The Charade Continues with Pita The New Target

By

Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

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11 June 2023, 15:00

Pita Limjaroenrat, center, leader and PM candidate for Move Forward Party.

A farce, a charade, a travesty of justice, ludicrous, shambolic, and absurd – these are some of the words described the reactions of some Thais and foreigners upon learning that the Election Commission on Friday has consider to take up the case on whether Move Forward Party PM candidate Pita Limjaroenrat has violated Article 151 of the election laws by holding ITV media shares.

Article 151 criminalized anyone who applied to run for MP knowingly that he or she lacks the qualifications – and holding media shares disqualifies you. Pita could face between one to 10 years in prison, slapped with a fine between 20,000 to 200,000 baht, and banned from voting for 20 years. Basically Pita, who refers to himself as “PM elect” could be kept out of office for 20 years. He is still 42 but when he is back, he will be 62.

The intention of Article 151 was to prevent any candidate from unfairly using mass media to support them in elections and when they are in office. This makes sense.

Everyone knows that ITV has been defunct, not active as a mass media for 16 years and that Pita’s 42,000 shares, inherited from his late father, was insignificant. Yet it has not stopped the Election Commission from taking up the case. Why?

In a normal democratic society, this is just an ordinary part of the check-and-balance system. In Thailand, it is part of an elaborate scheme to prevent voters from choosing their own government, however.

All of the seven commissioners were selected and appointed by the very people who were in turn, selected and appointed by the military junta, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), which was led by the junta and coup leader Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha, who is still nine years after the coup, caretaker PM.

Meanwhile, neither the EC or the court has ever casted doubt that perhaps Prayut, as a former coup maker and junta leader should not be qualified to compete as a PM candidate – never. It is as if these people can only read the letter of the laws and not understanding the spirit of democratic system.

While some said the Pita’s case will drag on for years, since it will go to the Criminal Court, but once charged, Pita would have to vacate his (PM) post (if elected). “If elected” is a much bigger “if” now for many if not most of the 250-junta-appointed senators will likely cite the EC’s taking up of the case against Pita as a justification for not voting for Pita as PM.

If Pita’s supporters take to the streets, some rogue generals are more than ready to intervene and cite a clash between both sides as a pretext to stage yet another military coup. Army Chief Gen. Narongpan Jitkaewthae said just days before the May 14 general election that he cannot promise that the army will stay in the barracks if there is political turmoil.

The only way to defeat yet another possible coup attempt is to have enough people on the streets willing to be imprisoned – 100,000 or more, at least.

This is where Thailand found itself four nearly a month after the general election. The elaborate attempts to subvert the will of the people who casted their votes continue. It is as if those who seized control of the state in the 2014 coup and the men and women they appointed have no shame and the charade will continue to pretend that this is just a matter of the rule of law, and not the rule by law.

Friend Finds Belarus’s Body When A Dog Brings Him His Shoe

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Khaosod English

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11 June 2023, 11:46

A Belarusian man had been missing for two days when a dog came out of the woods with one of his shoes. Then, a friend looked for him until he found his dead body.

At 4:15 p.m. on June 10, the police at Karon police station were told that the body of a foreign man had been found hanging from a tree on Moo 1, Patak Soi 20, Karon Subdistrict, Mueang District, Phuket Province, near the ridge of the dam.

When the body was examined, there were no wounds found. So, the forensic medicine doctor at Vachira Phuket Hospital told the foundation staff to bring the body back to Vachira Phuket Hospital for a more thorough autopsy. At the same time, the police call the embassy to tell his family that the body needs to be picked up for the religious service.

Mr. Alik, who is 24 years old and a friend of the dead man, said that Aleksandr, who was 26 and from Belarus, had been missing for two days and had not been found until today, when the dog took Alexander’s shoe from the hill forest. So he went out to find his friend, but when he got there, he saw that his friend had died. So he asked the local people to help him call the cops.

Mr.Alik revealed that his friend was suffering from depression. He had been hospitalised at Vachira Phuket Hospital for two weeks and just left the hospital on May 30. Before disappearing, he said that he had diarrhoea and asked to rest, but then disappeared.

Girl “Angel” Is Happy She Can See Again After Surgery

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Khaosod English

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11 June 2023, 08:39

Angel, a 9-year-old Thai-British girl who was encouraged by social media, has returned home after undergoing successful right eye surgery on June 8.

She will undergo the left eye operation next month.

Angel had been showing symptoms of diabetic retinopathy for two months. Initially, she did not dare tell her mother that she only saw blurry things and accidentally bumped into a door at her grandmother’s house.

Until one day she came home from playing with friends, and told her mother, “Mum, I can not see well.”

angel new3 — Angel has undergone the right eye operation successfully.

After checking, a doctor at the Bandung Crown Prince Hospital told that she needed and urgent surgery because she also had developed thyroid disease and a cataract.

Angel lives with her mother, Amporn Park, who is 45 years old in an unfinished one-storey house in Non-Sri Thong, Ban Chai Sub-District, Bandung District, Udon Thani Province. Her father left her and mother three years ago and has not contacted them since.

Angel’s mother has to bear the cost of supporting the family, including covering the cost of Angel’s visits to the doctor.

angel new1 — Angel arrived home on June 9, 2023.

Weeraphon Raksamerwong, an admin of the Ban Dung Update page who published Angel’s story, picked her up and took her home. On the way home, Angel said she was happy that she could see again and she hoped to back to school again, after missing since the beginning of the new semester in May.

“Thank you for all the encouragement that you all send to me. I will go to school. When I grow up, I want to be a teacher,” said Angel when the Ban Dung Update Facebook page broadcast live.

While parking at the convenience store, Angel can simply walk in and buy snacks and food, and when she arrived at her house, she rushed to see her own bed. It’s been shown that she can see well.

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