‘Amazing Thai Concerts’ postponed to February 2000

Superstars’ schedules too tight

The superstar concert festival, dubbed as the Millennium Concert, has been delayed from December this year to February 2000 due to tight schedules of the world’s superstars. The festival, which is being organized to celebrate the Amazing Thailand Years and HM the King’s 72nd birthday, will be definitely held, sources said.

The most important factor attributed to the delays was the fact that the organizer will have to wait for confirmations from superstars and pop stars of the world, and several of them will be available only after the New Year, according to the sources. Official sponsors of the concert festival will also have more time to allocate the budgets, he said. The organizer sees February a much better month, for it is the month which starts the lunar new year.

Accomplice in tourist’s murder surrenders

Denies involvement

Wicha Paophimpha (aka Tee Lek), 31, the alleged boss of the man suspected of committing the murder of a British tourist and seriously wounding his friend, turned himself into Pattaya police authorities at 4:00 p.m. on 26 October 1999.

Wicha Paophimpha turned himself into Pattaya police authorities.

Police arrested Wicha and are charging him for collusion and instigating the murder of Terrence Paul Shaun Morley and the shooting of Dean Brendan Sheerin at the White Horse Bar in North Pattaya on 19 October. The two tourists from England had just arrived a few days earlier.

Terry Morley was shot four times and was later pronounced dead at the hospital. Dean Sheerin sustained one gun shot wound to the stomach and is recovering in the hospital.

Saichon Lomkan turned himself in on 21 October and confessed to committing the murder. He said he received orders from Wicha Paophimpha to go and collect a 300,000 baht debt from the owner of the White Horse Bar. He said he was told to do whatever it took to get the overdue payment or take over the bar if the debt was not paid.

Saichon said he went the bar intent on creating a disturbance to intimidate the owner into paying off the debt. He said the two tourists sitting at the bar got involved and confronted him. He claimed he tried to convey to the two men to stay out of the matter, but one of them wrapped his arms around his head. Saichon said he then pulled out his gun and shot the two men. Saichon tried to defend his actions by saying he had no intentions to shoot the two men.

During the ritual reenactment of the crime for police and the press, Saichon Lomkan demonstrates how he gunned down the two British tourists.

Wicha also protested innocence, although he admitted to police that Saichon was his employee. Wicha denies ordering, or any responsibility for the shooting. He said he went into hiding after the tragedy due to fear the police would arrest him for having his underling intimidate the bar owner, which ended in the murder of innocent victims. He said he disappeared in order to think about his involvement in the incident and to prepare for his surrender.

Wicha was allowed to post 200,000 baht bail, as police believe he will not disappear from the area again until the trial is completed.

Saichon was denied bail.

Dutch bar owner stabbed to death

Cashier angry over being fired

On the morning of the 29th of October at 9.30 a.m. a very distressed Malika Butsate, 19, called police at the Banglamung police station to report that her step father had just been stabbed to death at their residence.

Mrs. Petch Jaritsrivibool

Arriving at the scene of the crime police found a foreign national identified as Adrianus Pieter Van Wijk, 47, lying dead in a pool of blood on the bed.

On questioning, Malika said that the deceased was a Dutch national who married her mother and adopted her as his stepdaughter. He operated a beer bar on Walking Street called The Wooden Shoe.

He had hired her aunt, Mrs. Petch Jaritsrivibool, 36, as his cashier. It didn’t take Van Wijk too long to discover that Mrs. Petch was embezzling more than 1000 Baht every night. The upset businessman strongly reprimanded the women and categorically fired her.

Adrianus Pieter Van Wijk was murdered last week.

Ms. Petch was not to take this treatment lightly. Arming herself with a knife she headed for Van Wijk’s house on that fateful morning. Arriving at the Wijks’ residence she asked Miss Malika whether her stepfather was home. When told that he was in his bedroom sleeping, Mrs. Petch went straight for him. Five minutes later Malika heard her stepfather scream out in pain. Malika rushed to see what had happened, only to see Mrs. Petch rush out of the bedroom holding a bloodied knife.

Van Wijk was bleeding profusely and crying out in agony. Malika rushed her fatally injured father to the hospital, but in vain. Mr. Van Wijk died of a stab wound to the heart.

A police posse was able locate Mrs. Petch at a house in Huay Yai. She still had the blood stained knife in her possession.

Mrs. Petch confessed to the premeditated murder of Mr. Van Wijk. Showing no sign of remorse she said that the reason for her actions was because she was very angry at being fired from her job and she wanted to take revenge. She is now in custody awaiting trial.

Bumps and scratches

Discussing the facts under the influence

The unidentified foreigner shown here, who appeared to be somewhat fluent in the Thai language, is making demands on the Song Taew driver of vehicle number 100. The argument occurred at the intersection of Soi 3 and Pattaya 2nd Road.

The incident began when the driver hit the brakes a little too hard, causing the passengers in the rear to slide forward. The intoxicated foreigner slammed into the rear framework, injuring his head.

The foreigner, mad as hell, had the driver stop the vehicle. He paid the fare then kicked the side door, scratching the paint. An argument ensued between the two men with the driver demanding 100 baht to buy rubbing compound to remove the scratches. The foreigner refused to pay, citing the injuries he suffered during the driver’s sudden stop.

The confrontation attracted a lot of onlookers in the hot spot area, along with a news photographer from the Pattaya Mail. The foreigner was obviously inebriated and appeared unperturbed by the appearance of police officers at the scene. The shove he gave the news photographer didn’t leave a lasting impression, either, so a picture was taken.

The police had the two men brought into the police station to settle the dispute, ending with the foreigner finally agreeing to pay the driver 200 baht, which appeased both the driver and the police.

The news photographer is used to such treatment during this type of assignment and didn’t get involved. Instead, he returned home after another day’s work complete.

Police mobilize crackdown

All police departments sent into action

Chonburi Police Commander, Major-General Phanuphong Singhara Na Ayuthaya mobilized the 3 Pattaya police departments to step up actions against crime and to achieve visible results in accordance with National Police directives.

The Chonburi provincial police received the directive from the office of Royal Thai Police on 28 October, ordering a crack down on criminal activities from 28-30 October. The action emphasized attention in the areas of illegal weapons, narcotics, foreign involvement in criminal activities and illegal activities in the entertainment districts of Pattaya.

The directives were issued to all members of the Chonburi provincial police. Police agencies in Pattaya responded by assembling all 210 members from the Pattaya police force, 70 members from the Banglamung police force and 30 members from Sattahip, including 17 volunteer members from the community crime reporting committee.

The assembled police officers received the directives and were dismissed into action with groups patrolling in vehicles, motorcycles, and on foot throughout area’s entertainment districts, and in the residential areas with road blocks and check points.

After the three police agencies departed for their duties the Chonburi Police Commander Police Major-General Phanuphong Singhara Na Ayuthaya told news reporters a special communications site was set up in Sriracha. The center was designed to receive all incidents reported directly to the center and monitored by Chonburi police authorities and himself. The Sriracha communications center is prepared to dispatch further directives and set up additional intercept points along the main roads out of Pattaya if necessary.

Criminal cases involving foreigners is a main issue and a list of 42 names of suspects from six different countries is maintained. The movements of the 42 suspects are being monitored.

Assistance is requested from residents of the area to report any signs of criminal activity. “They can contact me direct if so desired,” the Chonburi Commander said, guaranteeing results will be seen during his tenure as Police Commander in Chonburi.

Pakistani “butterfly” suffers wife’s revenge

Sex organ nearly severed

Pakistan tourist Ahmed Munir was caught cheating on his wife and nearly lost his favorite appendage by his wife’s jealous rage.

The Pattaya police responded to a call reporting a domestic disturbance at the Al-Firdous Restaurant in South Pattaya. The owner of the restaurant reported that one of his employees had taken a knife and attempted to cut off her husband’s penis. It appeared as if she had been successful.

Police rushed the man to hospital and later identified the victim as Ahmed Munir, age 32, who arrived in Thailand in July this year. The owner of the restaurant, Awdisak Sedthametha, identified Miss Thadsani or Ann, last name unknown, a 39 year old waitress known as Munir’s wife, as the person causing the injury. Awdisak told police Thadsani ran from the restaurant and disappeared before police arrived.

Awdisak described to police what he knew of the incident, explaining that Thadsani found out Munir took another women to a hotel in South Pattaya in the early hours of the morning. She had followed them, confirming her suspicions with her own eyes. When Munir returned home, he found Thadsani extremely annoyed. An argument ensued as soon as he walked in the door.

Police later collected the rest of the story from Munir at the hospital. Munir explained that the argument went on and on with her verbal abuse and accusations until he became so tired he fell asleep from exhaustion. Munir said he later felt a painful sensation in his lower region disturbing his sound sleep. He said he woke up to find Miss Thadsani straddling him with a knife in her right hand and his organ in her other hand as she commenced to violently slice.

Munir said he screamed out in pain, throwing her body from him. In the process the knife struck him again in his thigh. Thadsani fell to the floor, then got up and ran from the room.

Doctors at the hospital said Munir’s appendage was seriously injured. It incurred a very deep incision, almost severing the organ completely.

The other cut on his leg has been stitched up and will soon heal. As for the severed organ, the doctors said it is going to take a long period with much attention in the hospital to repair the damage before anything close to proper functioning is realized.

Miss Thadsani is still at large, knowing she is wanted for this crime of passion, a feeling which she has taken away from Munir for some time to come, if not permanently.

Deputy Prime Minister opens Food & Hospitality Show

His Excellency Korn Dabbaransi, Deputy Prime Minister was the guest of honor at the joint opening of the International Food & Hospitality Show 99 (27-30 October) and Thailand’s Inaugural Hospitality Industry Congress “Challenge 2000: People, Products, Profit” (27-28 October). Both events took place at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center and were organized by Bangkok Exhibition Services Ltd. and the Thai Hotels Association. Other guests included Minister to the Prime Minister’s Office Mrs. Pavena Hongsakula, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand Pradech Phyakvichien, President of the Thai Hotels Association Chanin Donavanik, and Chairman of Bangkok Exhibition Services Pattrapee Chinachoti.

Guatemala’s brothels are another workplace

by Ann Birch

Guatemala’s Human Rights Ombudsman, this September, published a report revealing the extent of child prostitution in the provinces of San Marcos Escuinita, Huehuetenango, and Alta Verapaz.

Entitled ‘Ninez prostituida: objetos sexuales o sujetos sociales?’ (Prostituted Childhood: Sexual Objects or Social Subjects?), the report brings to light the existence of some 83 brothels in Tecun Uman which use girls between 13 and 16 years old. It says that Malacatan has 100 such brothels.

The report, based on a study by the Children’s’ Defence Department attached to the Human Rights Ombudsman, says that girls were sold for $2,100 US in Tapachula, Mexico. It also unearths an international network prostituting young girls from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Panama for enormous profits.

These findings on the eve of the tenth anniversary of the adoption by the United Nations General Assembly of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) on November 20th are a commentary on the increase in the commercial sexual exploitation of children and adolescents - besides child labour in general - in Guatemala in recent years.

For Guatemala’s children, a fundamental part of their rights under the CRC remain either unimplemented or under threat, though it is almost a decade since the country ratified the CRC in 1990, obliging itself to implement and legislate for new child and youth codes designed to uphold the rights of children.

To the contrary, Guatemala’s child and youth code has been under attack, having been changed and postponed thrice. It is now hoped that it will come into force after upcoming presidential elections in March 2000.

Article 32 of the CRC states that children should be protected from economic exploitation and from work which is likely to be hazardous, interferes with the child’s education or is harmful to their physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development. It also stipulates that the State provide for a minimum age, regulate working hours and penalise those found to be in breach of these standards.

However, while both child prostitution and child labour as a whole have been demonstrated to be on the increase in Guatemala, the country continues to fail its exploited children by refusing to offer them the full rights and increased protection.

According to the 1994 census, there are some 130,802 child labourers aged between 10 and 14 in Guatemala. These figures are thought to be conservative. Again no one knows the full extent of the commercial sexual exploitation of children in the country.

Some 5,000 children aged between six and 14 were recently found working in secret and illegal workshops in the country’s capital. They were engaged in the manufacture of fireworks and other explosive products thus exposing them to highly toxic, flammable and explosive materials in workshops lacking safety and hygiene measures. As of June of this year nine children had died as a result of injuries sustained while working in the industry, a further four survived their injuries. Hundred such sweatshops are thought to exist throughout Guatemala - and we are talking about just one industry!

The CRC is considered a giant step for child rights because it represents a departure from previous declarations and conventions that deal with children’s rights. Not least as it moved from simply ensuring the care and protection of children to in addition guaranteeing their civil and political rights. Conversely, it requires individual State parties to meet their end of the bargain and implement and ensure children’s rights contained in the CRC.

The Juvenile Code marks a significant step forward in the country’s effort towards building democracies based on human rights. Nevertheless, the country’s ratification of the CRC will be meaningless in the absence of its implementation of a Children’s and Adolescent’s Code.

Ann Birch works for Casa Alianza / Covenant House Latin America which is a non profit organization caring for street children in Mexico and Central America. The headquarters of Casa Alianza is located in San Jos้, Costa Rica and can be contacted on 506 253 5439 or by writing to [email protected]. Casa Alianza has an extensive web page outlining its work and child related issues at <http://www.casa-alianza.org>

Health Ministry working to eradicate polio

Announce vaccination drive

The Ministry of Health announced they are launching two new campaigns to get vaccines to children in order to eradicate polio. The vaccination drives are scheduled for 17 December this year and 14 January 2000.

Deputy Minister of Health Doctor Sujarit Sripraphan headed a discussion panel at the Montien Pattaya Hotel on October 26 on the eradication of polio.

The announcement came at a discussion panel at the Montien Pattaya Hotel on October 26, headed by Deputy Minister of Health Doctor Sujarit Sripraphan. The focus of the panel was the eradication of polio. Vice-Governor of Chonburi Thawachai Anantkul and provincial health officials also took part in the conference.

The elimination of polio in the world is now nearing completion, with all countries making a concerned effort to wipe out the disease by the end of this year. Numbers have been steadily decreasing from 35,251 cases in 1988 to only 2,179 cases in 1998. The three remaining areas of concern are central Africa, Asia Minor and Southeast Asia.

Thailand has not recorded any cases of polio in the last two years; however, there still remains concern for small groups located in remote border areas where the vaccines are not reaching some people. These areas include people without a permanent residence or other reasons to have no contact with health departments, which makes it possible for the disease to continue.

Other factors preventing the total elimination of the disease include people from neighboring countries not receiving the vaccine. This year Burma reported six cases, but in the previous three years there were none reported.

The Health Ministry is suggesting parents take advantage of the campaigns to ensure children receive the complete series of the vaccine in order to prevent any further cases and wipe out the disease entirely.

Lions Club announces charity programs

Lions Club Pattaya President Lion Wisit Ek-Ak announced that a set of encyclopaedias were presented to the Banglamung Primary Education Office as part of the educational assistance plan offered by the many Lions Clubs in Thailand.

The announcement came at the club’s monthly meeting, held on October 26. Lion Wisit chaired the meeting. Former Regional Chairman, Lion Chanyut Hengtrakul was also among the members present during the review of activities and planning of coming events.

Also mentioned during the meeting was the artificial kidney project being implemented by the Lions and the lack of available funds to support the project.

Lion Chanyut reminded the club of the charity bowling tournament the Pattaya community has scheduled for November 14 to raise funds for various charitable functions. Lion Chanyut suggested the Lions should participate. The idea was discussed and it was decided to send five teams to participate in the tournament to help raise the funds.

Lastly, members at the meeting discussed the upcoming Lions meeting in Singapore during 4-7 November to plan and establish an international Lions committee. Any Lions Club members interested in attending are welcome to do so.

Copyright 1999 Pattaya Mail Publishing Co.Ltd.
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Updated by Boonsiri Suansuk