Job scam ends in murder

Over two years after a confidence trick played on out of work British shipyard workers relieved many of their life savings, Irishman Colin Martin allegedly vented his revenge on his former business partner who was allegedly involved in the scam.
Colin Martin, a 36 year old Irishman, is now remanded to custody for his alleged involvement in the murder of Brett Holdsworth, a 40 year old New Zealander.
Holdsworth’s body was discovered by Mr. Nit Phatanakul, 60, near National Highway 36 in Ban Huay Kru Village, Sriracha. Holdsworth had been stabbed repeatedly and left to die along side the road.
Martin is also being charged with kidnapping a second man, New Zealander Gerry O’Conner, who Martin held at knifepoint in a Bangkok apartment, demanding the return of money cheated out of the British shipyard workers.
Two years ago, the shipyard workers each handed over a UK7,500 returnable ‘integrity bond’ to Colin Martin, then the director of an employment agency for offshore workers. Martin then passed the money on to Australian Ronald Hydes and New Zealander Gerry O’Conner, who had set up a scam operation in Bangkok, a phoney company called “The Offshore Corporation”. The men had placed advertisements in newspapers offering lucrative work just off the Pacific Island of Guam.
The British workers were flown to Bangkok en route to Guam, but never made it further than Nana Entertainment Plaza where one of the scam artists, Australian Ronald Hyde, nicknamed “The Silver Fox”, offered the men discount deals at the bars while waiting for ‘contracts to be formalised’.
The leaders of the confidence ring Gerry O’Conner and Ron Hydes disappeared after collecting the last of the large deposits from the shipyard workers, some of whom were unemployed and had to remortgage their homes.
Colin Martin and Paul Swift, 37, one of the victims, tracked down Hydes after he disappeared and had him arrested by Thai Tourist Police. Hydes was released by Thai police after paying a small portion of the money back. He then fled to the Philippines.
Paul Swift then returned to Britain, but Martin vowed he would remain in Thailand until he found O’Conner and got the rest of the UK200,000 back. In an interview at the time, he said, “I can’t go home. I’m ruined. I am staying here until I get that *** O’Conner.”
Thai Tourist Police arrested Colin Martin at the home address of O’Conner in Bangkok where Martin was holding O’Conner at knifepoint. He had been holding O’Conner hostage, but O’Conner’s wife managed to slip out of the Sin Sethi Condo in Ramkhamheang 52, Bangkok, to alarm the police.
Police said that Martin had earlier cold-bloodedly stabbed to death an associate of O’Conner, Brett Holdsworth, a New Zealander, Captain of the oil tanker Stella Consit (sic) registered in Panama. His ship was anchored temporarily at Laem Chabang.
“He killed Holdsworth merely to show O’Conner that he meant business and the same would happen to him if he did not hand back the money,” a spokesman for the Tourist Police was quoted as saying.
Holdsworth’s body was found dumped on the side of the road in Sriracha, 20 kilometres north of Pattaya.
Martin and an Australian colleague he identified only as Joe, along with four Thai men, abducted O’Conner and Holdsworth near Map Ta Phut and took them to Martin’s office where they beat them. Holdsworth eventually gave Martin a cheque for 1.2 million Australian dollars, while O’Conner refused to make any payment.
The two were later taken to Martin’s house in Map Ta Phut where O’Conner agreed to return US$6 million dollars, but he said he would have to go to Bangkok to get it. It was on the way to Bangkok when Holdsworth was murdered.
Martin will face charges of kidnapping and murder, while O’Conner is wanted on charges of fraud.

ASEAN committee meets at Dusit

A meeting of the Asean committee for support of agricultural and lumber products was held at the Dusit Resort, presided over by Mr. Pitiphong Pheungboon Na Ayuthaya, the under-secretary of Agriculture and Co-operatives.
The purpose of this meeting was to discuss forestry, logging and agriculture supervision in Thailand. Officials announced that Thailand would host the 4th ASEAN meeting on logging and agriculture in August.

Cinemas ordered closed remain open

After the tragic fire at the Royal Jomtien Hotel, Chonburi Governor Sujarit Pajchimanan, in an attempt to rectify hazardous conditions in public buildings, went on an informal inspection tour and found 8 cinemas in Saen Sukh municipality which were not up-to-standard. The buildings were in violation of fire regulations and a number of other building safety standards. The governor ordered the cinemas closed at once and proper safety measures instituted before they open again.
The governor then inspected an additional 8 cinemas located in shopping malls in Pattaya and found that they, too, were in violation of safety standards. They, too, were ordered closed at once and proper safety measures instituted before they open again.
However, the cinemas were able to re-open immediately due to an outdated national law that states they can only be fined 50 baht per day for as long as they are in violation of safety standards. Cinema operators are now opting to pay the 50 baht per day fine instead of closing down completely to install proper safety measures.
Governor Sujarit also ordered committees to be set up to study the causes of the Royal Jomtien fire. The first committee determined that three people; waiter Chamnien Sutho, dishwasher Khayan Kasiern, and Thawon Ucchin, the owner of the hotel, were responsible for the holocaust which took 90 lives.
A second committee was set up to inspect safety standards at various hotels, shopping centres, entertainment establishments, cinemas and other buildings over three storeys.
As for the inspection of hotels build before 1992 in Pattaya, the City Manager said five teams had been sent out to inspect buildings and hoteliers would be told to give special attention to fire regulations. There are 14 requirements including having a functioning sprinkler system, fire alarms, emergency lights, fire exits and fire extinguishing equipment on each floor.
The inspection revealed that many hotels built before 1992 were deficient in their fire safety measures. The establishments in violation tended to be deficient in the same areas; no sprinkler systems and no emergency lights. Owners were sternly ordered to remedy this immediately.
Chonburi Governor Sujarit Pajchimanan later went to the Montien Pattaya Hotel to hear reports of any new developments in the inspections of tall buildings in the city.
Chatpong Chatphoot told the governor that some hotels in Pattaya had been found to be in violation of certain fire regulations. They had been told to remedy the situation immediately. Mr. Chatpong told the administrators of the various hotels that the teams would be returning to see that the required things had been done. If they had not, the full power of the law would be brought to bear on them. The measures were to be completed within 15 days.
Mr. Chatpong said that hotel and entertainment establishment owners had not been arrested yet, but the 8 cinemas in shopping malls which were in violation of the safety laws had been ordered to close. If the necessary fire precautions were not instituted and they opened again, they would be given no more than 3 warnings before they would be sent to trial and thrown in jail.
Media reports say that after the closings were ordered at the Big C Shopping Centre, the owners flagrantly kept the cinemas open. When questioned, Mr. Somporn Rodkin, the manager of the cinemas, said that 24 fire extinguishers had been installed. Saying that he merely rented the space and did not own it, the job of making it safe was the owner’s responsibility.
The Big C centre has received ‘suggestions’ from the inspection team on how to improve their fire precautions.
Meanwhile, the cinemas remain open.

A message to the Prime Minister from Sutham Phantusak, President of THA, Eastern Chapter

Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh hands his “vote of confidence in Pattaya” statement to Sutham Phantusak, President of the Thai Hotel Association, Eastern Chapter.

During his recent visit to Pattaya, the Prime Minister took time from his very busy schedule to issue a statement regarding his confidence in Pattaya. This statement was in response to concern from the Thai Hotels Association, Eastern Chapter.

Sutham Phantusak
Mr. Sutham Phantusak, President of the association, knew a statement in the English language which affirmed the Prime Minister’s confidence in the city would be extremely beneficial.
Mr. Sutham then approached the Prime Minister in the name of the Thai Hotels Association, Eastern Chapter and His Excellency General Chavalit kindly drew up and issued the statement.
Sutham distributed the news to the local press and the foreign media and wire services.
This statement was printed in the Pattaya Mail and was also picked up by the wire services around the world.
The people of Pattaya are indebted to Mr. Sutham for his initiative. All of us on the Eastern Seaboard wish to thank the Prime Minister for his support of Pattaya and the following letter of thanks comes from Mr. Sutham:
To: His Excellency, the Prime Minister of Thailand.
The Committee of Governors of the Thai Hotels Association Eastern Chapter wish to thank the Prime Minister for his vote of confidence given to Pattaya and all its citizens. Although Pattaya may still have problems, she has been improving her image on an ongoing basis.
The news of the tragic Royal Jomtien Hotel fire was quickly picked up by international wire services and the foreign media took advantage of this tragedy to bring in past problems in Pattaya in a most sensationalistic manner.
This (yellow) journalism damage will have effects on the country’s ‘Amazing Thailand Year’ tourist promotion. This program was designed to promote Thailand, and will play a part in the reviving the economy.
The Thai Hotels Association Eastern Chapter feels great sorrow for those who lost loved ones in the fire.
All hotels which are members of the association wish to assure people that the following has been an ongoing part of its policy.
1. Member hotels are in compliance with all fire safety regulations.
2. Fire drills and basic training for staff are carried out on a regular basis.
3. Leaflets are sent out to all member hotels concerning safety regulations.
4. The Association always co-operates with government agencies in implementing all measures for the safety of hotel guests in Pattaya.
5. The Association has yearly meetings on new requirements in fire safety and information packets are distributed to member hotels.
6. The Association has a committee on safety and member hotels are equipped with emergency equipment.
The Association therefore respectfully requests that the Prime Minister notify all government agencies concerned with tourism that member hotels of the Association have complied with safety regulations.
This letter is offered for Your Excellency’s consideration and to do with as you see fit.
Respectfully,
Sutham Phantusak
President of the Thai Hotels Association Eastern Chapter

Ministry of Education to begin fire training in schools

The Ministry of Education is waking up at last and has decided to form a committee to consider putting a curriculum committee to work to introduce fire prevention methods on the curriculum of Thailand’s schools.
The Ministry of Education has become very concerned with teaching students about proper procedures in fire situations. This is due to the disastrous fires which have been occurring for the past 20 years.
The Ministry said as fires can happen unexpectedly, all students should be aware of what to do and the teaching will be begin at the primary level. The Ministry said that after investigations, they found that this is common procedure in foreign countries.
Sukhavit Rangsitphon said that the methods used will be the same as in foreign countries as the procedures already exist.
Another official said that this training should be on an ongoing basis as people should always be aware of what to do in case of fire.
Mr. Sukhavit continued, saying that most Thai people are not sure of what to do in case of fire as in the past, Thai buildings were only 1 or 2 storeys high. He said the example of the American woman and her daughter showed that in foreign countries, people are taught to be calm and not panic.
The committee is being constituted and will begin work as soon as possible.

AIDS awareness stressed

Mrs. Valailak Sumankollasombat, the Head of the Chonburi Public Relations office, told reporters that as of the 30th of April 1997, the epidemiology department of the Ministry of Public Health has concluded that people suffering from AIDS (those who are known to have AIDS and are being treated at government facilities) from the public and private sectors are as follows:
Total people known to be suffering from AIDS in the Chonburi area who have come for treatment at private and public clinics, 61,382; of these people, the ratio of male to female is approximately 5:1. Of this number, 16,437 people have already died. In Chonburi from September 27th-April 30th, 1997, there were 1,494 people with AIDS, 236 which are already dead.
Officials are concerned about the alarming increase in AIDS in Thailand. Officials are also surprised to see that more people in higher professions are becoming infected and new-born infants also carry the virus.
To totally eradicate the further spread of AIDS, officials are instituting the following measures. They feel that co-operation is now necessary from all sectors of society, as the problem is getting serious. They especially think that the regional people should know something about the virus and should become involved in getting rid of this plague. High risk groups are also of concern, along with young people whose morals have veered from the Thai standard and who are following western examples of sexual promiscuity. Officials wish for young people to change their attitudes concerning easy sex, drugs and not engage in activities which will allow them to get AIDS easily, whether it be sexually, from drug use, through the blood or getting the virus from their mothers.
An atmosphere of tolerance must be inculcated concerning living near those infected, as there are so many and the public will be increasingly facing this challenge in the future.
From all the above facts, Chonburi Governor Sujarit Pajchimanan, in his capacity as head of the sub-committee for the study of, solving of and prevention of AIDS in the province, delegated authority to officials to the various public relations offices in Chonburi.
He told them that workshops should be organised to inform the public of AIDS in villages, municipalities and especially Pattaya. The governor stated that he wants people to be well-informed about AIDS and how to spread information on the condition, and the different techniques for doing this.
He also believes that the people of Chonburi now need to know about the genesis of AIDS and how to keep it out of communities. He wishes to do this through a campaign of informing the public, with the Provincial Public Health Office leading the campaign. He also wishes for people with knowledge of AIDS to be involved as they know about the disease and its symptoms. These people should be able to be found at the Provincial Office of the Ministry of Public Health. They should work at the village level, using various village communications systems with efficiency in the campaign to educate the public on the basics of AIDS. Especially important is telling the public how to prevent and cure the problem. This is directed at target groups and will be continued on a broad basis in a continuing fashion.

Citizen’s Crime Watch workshop

Police General Kongdech Choosri (upper left) and Police Colonel Annop Narkbanphot (upper right) lecture citizen “Crime Watch” volunteers at their workshop.

Police Colonel Annop Narkbanphot, District Regional Commander of the Sattahip Police in Chonburi, told reporters that the Chonburi Central Police Command had issued orders that a workshop should be given to members of the ‘Citizen’s Crime Watch’ volunteer group.
The Central Command said that all efforts should be made to involve the public and give it a role in lowering the incidences of violent crime. Central Command pointed out that public co-operation was very important in helping police work move efficiently.
The Police Department is encouraging the ‘Crime Watch’ volunteers to help educate the general public in their rights and responsibilities in the curtailing of crime. Police officials say that many people have an ‘I don’t want to involved attitude’ when it comes to reporting crime.
The ‘Crime Watch Volunteers’ come from all sectors of society and the Police Department encourages all to join the organisation as it could be considered part of a citizen’s civic duty.
The latest workshop was held in the meeting room of the Thammasirisuksa School in Sattahip.
Police General Kongdech Choosri, Regional Commander of the Police Department for Chonburi, presided at the workshop’s official opening.
After successfully completing the workshop, all ‘Crime Watch’ volunteers were given ID cards.

3rd floor burns in Pattaya shop-house

Narrow streets make fire-fighting difficult in the alcoves of Pattaya.

It took Pattaya fire-fighters just 30 minutes to extinguish a fire on the third floor of the Phinichai Building in Banglamung on July 25th.
No-one was hurt in the fire which began at about 7:30 a.m., apparently caused by an electricity metre which had short circuited. Fire-fighters had ordered four fire trucks as back-up.
The second at third floors of the building had been divided into rental rooms using plywood as dividers. The first floor contained an Isan restaurant.
Most of the residents, being bar workers, were not home from work at the time.

Row houses gutted

Volunteers and fire-fighters work to contain the blaze in a group of row houses in Naklua.

A group of rented row houses in front of the Larn Pho Market in Naklua, just 50 metres from the home of the Banglamung District Chief, were gutted by fire on the 29th of July.
More than 10 fire trucks were quickly dispatched from Pattaya and Laem Chabang, and brought the fire under control within an hour, but not before major damage was done to the area.
The 50 year old row of shop houses were being rented out and used a motorcycle repair shops and many of the vehicles were inside at the time of the fire. This fuelled the blaze, as gas tanks and volatile substances exploded. The buildings also contained many tires and though they were slow to ignite, once ignited were almost impossible to extinguish.
The fire quickly spread to the adjacent building and the wooden houses in back of the building.

Major speed bust in Sattahip

Banjong Pialop and Phong Daoyan take the fall for this large haul of methamphetamines.

On July 23rd, police officers made a major arrest in their war against methamphetamine in Thailand when they confiscated 9 bags of methamphetamine, containing 1,740 tablets of ‘orange speed’, from the refrigerator of a single storey house in Sattahip belonging to Banjong Pialop and Phong Daoyan, both 39.
Police also found a tote bag hanging on the wall containing 100 and 500 baht notes totalling 40,000 baht, a bracelet weighing one troy ounce, and a gold ring.
The couple confessed that the methamphetamine was theirs and their supplier was a man named ‘Tong’, but they did not know his surname. They said this was the first time they had ever sold a shipment of speed.
The husband and wife told police that their usual means of livelihood was selling salted fish in the villages on motorcycle. They did not make enough money, so they were augmenting their income by dealing the schedule one drug.
Complaining that the rising cost of living and the devaluation of the baht had put them in strained circumstances, the couple said that selling the drug earned them a tidy income. They would have sold the ‘orange speed’ at 80 baht wholesale and grossed 139,000 baht on the 1,740 tablets, or at 120 baht retail and they would have grossed 208,000 baht. As for the 40,000 baht found by police, it was proceeds from drugs already sold.
The couple was arrested and taken for charging.
Selling of amphetamines is now a capital crime; the law requires execution for dealing.

Rowdy rascals show no respect

Responding to a call from the owner of the Dream Restaurant on Soi 2, police ran into a ‘loss of face’ nightmare.
The owner of the restaurant had told officers that three young, intoxicated Thai men were causing a disturbance in the restaurant. Arriving at the scene, police found the owner and a customer, Ms. Varint Muadkhosoon, 19, pointing accusingly at the three young men. They had been making lewd propositions to the young woman and showing her things which they should have kept to themselves.
When police ordered the 3 men to come with them they began shouting at officers. ‘Bastards! You Thai police think you can do anything you want! If you weren’t so corrupt, we might go with you.’
They began pounding the table and one man got up and actually shoved a police officer so hard he lost his balance. The police, leaving guns in their holsters, kept their tempers, smiled at the youths and very politely asked them to come with them.
The young men insulted the police again and told them they would have them transferred to ‘inactive posts.’ Police then used their night sticks to convince the young men to come with them.
Later, at the Pattaya police station, Ms. Varint told police that the men had harassed her and among other lewd actions had stroked her inner thighs. She decided not to press charges, though.
The three frisky youths were charged with public drunkenness, resisting arrest, and insulting an officer of the law. The men, who work at a bank, were then sent to the poky to await trial.