Australian Justice Minister to Boost Police Links

Australia’s Minister for Justice and Customs, Senator Amanda Vanstone, will seek to further promote law enforcement links between Australia and Thailand to help combat organized crime during her visit here this week.

Senator Vanstone, who will visit Thailand and Laos from 19-22 January, will discuss initiatives to fight the illicit drugs trade and people smuggling. Her discussions will be with Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sanan Kajornprasart, Police commissioner-General Pracha Promnog, and other senior Royal Thai Police.

Senator Vanstone said cooperation in drug control with Thailand and other countries in the region had played a major role in the large seizures of heroin and cocaine made by Australian police over the last 2-3 years.

“International cooperation will clearly be one of the main crime-fighting tools in the 21st century, as criminal groups become increasingly sophisticated and further expand their activities across state borders,” Mrs. Vanstone said. “Our law enforcement links with Thailand are a crucial weapon in this war against drugs and the illegal movement of people.”

The Australian Federal Police’s largest overseas police liaison contingent is located in Thailand. While in Bangkok, Senator Vanstone will also call on Minister for Justice Sutasn Ngenmune to discuss bilateral legal relations between Australia and Thailand, and meet Deputy Finance Minister Pichase Panvichatikul, along with customs Director-General Somchainuk Engtrakul to discuss two-way cooperation on customs issues.

Further to a request from General Pracha during her last visit to Bangkok in March 1999, Senator Vanstone has arranged for customs sniffer dogs and training to be provided to local police officers to help detect illicit products entering Thailand.

The Australian Customs Service will next month open an office in the Embassy in Bangkok.

Senator Vanstone will also discuss with General Pracha the Royal Thai Police’s plans to establish dedicated units to handle sensitive sexual assault investigations.

Building on the training provided by both the Australian and British Embassies over recent years, a delegation of senior police will shortly visit Australia to study the operations of similar units in Sydney and Canberra. This will be followed by further training in Thailand by Australian police for local officers earmarked to staff the new units in Bangkok, Pattaya, Hat Yai and Chiangmai.

Senator Vanstone will also announce Australian Government funding for two new Offices of the Narcotics Control Board-staffed positions at Don Muang airport to help fight the illicit trade in drugs. This follows more than a decade of Australian Government support for the ONCB’s sophisticated computer network to track criminal movements across Thailand’s borders.

On anti-money laundering, Minister Vanstone has recently decided to fund a visit to Australia by four senior officials from Thailand’s new Anti-Money Laundering Office under the AFP’s Law Enforcement Cooperation Program (LECP) with Thailand. The officials will complete a brief attachment with Austrac, Australia’s key agency in implementing its proceeds of crime laws, in Sydney. This follows a visit by senior Royal Thai Police and banking industry representatives in late 1999 to study Austrac’s operations, and discuss Australia’s anti-money laundering arrangements with the AFP and Australian banking regulators. Minister Jurin also visited Austrac in November last year in the margins of the Drugs in Sport Summit in Sydney.

Viagra bar bust

No upright citizens arrested

Pattaya Tourist Police last week raided a bar selling Viagra to visitors. Police officers, posing as patrons, purchased four Viagra pills, reputedly for their own use, but after payment the four officers revealed themselves and arrested Keith Ensel Williams from the U.K.

Police confiscated 80 Viagra pills. Williams confessed to buying the pills in South Pattaya Walking Street, and told police the pills were sold to tourists at 500 baht each, attracting a lot of interested customers, but unfortunately also the local authorities.

Williams was charged with illegally selling medications without a license and currently his legal position is hanging in abeyance.

Loophole could keep Thailand from deporting Wolfgang Ullrich

No extradition treaty with Germany

Wolfgang Ullrich remains in Thai prison, but it is unknown how much longer that will be the case.

Ullrich’s present court case convened at 9.00 a.m. on 17 January 2000, with his lawyers questioning the Foreign Affairs Office prosecutor’s case against the 55 year old German defendant.

The criminal case was registered on 15 December 1999, accusing the defendant and others of collectively misappropriating donated funds in Germany for personal use. The extortion includes membership dues and other funds from people who donated to the German Wildlife Preservation Assistance Association and the European Continent Preservation Assistance Association.

Ullrich had his lawyer deny the charges and requested the court consider the fact that Thailand and Germany do not have an extradition treaty, purportedly due to the fact Germany is not interested in acquiring such treaties with what Ullrich’s lawyers termed “under-developed countries”.

In addition, the Thai government is being asked to consider not sending Ullrich back to Germany, using the matter as reason for the two countries to come to terms to create a criminal extradition treaty.

Ullrich’s lawyer also denies the prosecution’s charges, stating that the prosecutor has a lack of supporting evidence. Ullrich’s lawyer also suggested charges are brought against the prosecutor, and requested the defendant, who has already been questioned through an interpreter, be released.

The prosecution petitioned the court to postpone deciding the case due to the absence of witnesses from the Foreign Ministry, who are currently engaged in other urgent matters preventing their presence at the trial.

Ullrich’s lawyer specified further that the defendant has already been held in custody for too long, declaring a postponement is not warranted.

At that point the court adjourned and is scheduled to re-convene at 9.00 a.m. on 3 February 2000.

Sex assault in South Pattaya market

Horrified shoppers save girl’s honour

Police officers arrived at the South Pattaya Grand Hall market in Soi Bua Khao to find a group of shoppers in the market restraining an over sexed 35 year old, Somchai Pheungmuang, from Sattahip. Somchai had just assaulted a 20-year-old woman.

35 year old, Somchai Pheungmuang was arrested for sexual assault.

The assaulted 20 year old woman was standing nearby in tears, still shook up and embarrassed after the incident. The woman told police she was walking through the market with her girlfriend when the crazed idiot came up behind her and with both hands lifted up her skirt right in front of everyone and grasped her private parts.

A number of witnesses confirmed the woman’s story, with some vendors adding it was not the first time they had seen Somchai do something like that. However, this time the victim did not take it and angry bystanders came to her assistance, kicking and beating Somchai and holding him until police arrived.

Somchai was arrested and charged with indecent behaviour in public and will go to trial.

The police officer in charge of women and children’s rights, Pol. Cpt. Naowarat Pramuanyat has been notified.

Amphetamine Suppository

36 year old Sommai Phumpheudphon admitted himself to hospital, complaining of severe rectal pain from a roll-on deodorant bottle he had secreted in his anus.

However, doctors from the Pattaya Memorial Hospital called the Drug Suppression Unit when the detailed case history revealed that Sommai had amphetamine pills in the bottle.

Sommai was still writhing in pain on the emergency room operating table, waiting for surgery to begin, when police arrived to give the doctors the O.K. to begin their dirty work.

A successful 20 minute operation produced a healthy and decidedly large, roll-on deodorant bottle wrapped in black cloth tape. After cleaning up the afterbirth, police confiscated 800 amphetamine (yaba) pills found inside before arresting Sommai and taking him into the station.

Sommai told police he obtained the 800 amphetamines from a dealer in Laem Chabang, selling units of 200 pills for 12,000 baht, which he later planned to sell for 30-40,000 baht.

After purchasing the drugs, Sommai said he was afraid police were going to stop him on his return to Pattaya so decided to conceal the 800 amphetamine pills in a safe place.

When he found he could not remove the deodorant bottle he sat on the problem for three days but his clients started insisting he get it surgically removed. With customer satisfaction being paramount, and by then in agony, he decided to seek surgical help, even though there was the chance he would be arrested.

Sommai will soon find the error of his ways when he realises he really doesn’t have the bottle to be a drug runner!

Supermarket guard arrested

Caught with hand in till

Plain clothes police officers apprehended a thief that had been systematically stealing from the Modern City Supermarket on Pattaya Beach Road.

Long-time Modern City security guard Bunyuan Phakham was caught using his keys to nonchalantly steal from the store he was hired to guard.

The store manager, Miss Yaowanant Saetang, had contacted the police, asking for assistance in catching thieves, because her monthly inventories have been coming up short for the past few months.

The plain clothes officers monitored the store after hours and observed a man driving up and nonchalantly entering the store with his own set of keys. He was quickly arrested as he came out with a bag containing a few bottles of mix and his favourite liqueur, along with a pack of cigarettes.

The mystery thief turned out to be the store guard, Bunyuan Phakham, age 29, and employed by Miss Yaowanant for five years. Bunyuan confessed to stealing from the store for some time though the store manager found it hard to believe it was her guard who was stealing from the store, because he was well trusted and a long time employee.

Elections nearing and candidates are electioneering

Husting or hustling?

The hopeful candidates for city council are actively campaigning, with both the group of 10 independent candidates and the group of 24 candidates from the “Supporters for Pattaya Party” knocking at doors and passing out leaflets.

The independent candidates are looking for a portion of the votes from the 50,000 eligible voters by using a convincing campaign strategy of telling voters that independent members are needed on the city council to balance the decisions and prevent monopolistic influence.

The candidates are busily campaigning for Pattaya City mayor are also knocking at the public’s door hustling up votes as voters get their first opportunity to elect the city mayor and 24 council members in public elections.

This change came about after the 1999 Constitution stipulated the mayor of Pattaya and its council members would have to stand for office.

Voting Day is set for 12 February from 8.00 am until 3.00 pm.

There are four candidates for the city mayor’s job. Pairat Suttithamrongsawat, previous city mayor and leader of the “Supporters for Pattaya Party”, Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from Sripathum University. Aphised Saksek, former Pattaya City Council Member, Masters Degree in Business Administration from Sripathum University. Songsak Yomjinda, former Pattaya City Manager, Bachelors Degree in Economics from Chiang Mai University and a Masters Degree in Political Science from Tarletan University in the U.S.A. Surachai Chuayjaroentham, Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from Assumption University.

The leading candidate appears at this stage to be Pairat Suttithamrongsawat, the most recent mayor, supported by the eastern region’s prominent and well known figure Somchai Khunpleum, mayor of Saensukh Municipality.

All candidates are encouraging voters to go to the polls and exercise their right to vote, thus guaranteeing a fair election to preserve the democratic process.

Provincial Council Election Campaign is heating up

Candidates outnumber positions

Chonburi council candidates are feeling out the voters preparing for the 5 February election. The majority of the candidates are campaigning under the Chonburi Development Party backed by Saensukh Municipal Mayor Somchai Khunpleum, and receiving support from the Thai Rak Thai Party.

Most districts all have more than one candidate with the more populated areas having almost twice the number of hopefuls for the number of council seats.

Chonburi Muang District had four additional candidates registering on the last day of the registration period, with now 12 candidates campaigning for the eight seats.

Bang Lamung has 14 people campaigning for its six council seats, Sri Racha has 10 candidates with six authorised seats, and Sattahip has 10 candidates for its four seats on the Chonburi Council.

Other districts include Phanatnikhom with nine candidates running for its four seats, Phanthong two candidates for its one seat, Ban Beung four candidates for three seats and Si Chang Island has three candidates for its one seat.

In contrast, some areas have no independents entering the race leaving the Chonburi Development Party candidates locked in with no election necessary in Bo Thong, Chan Island and Nong Yai Districts. Bo Thong District has one council seat going to Kamnan Yong’s son Jaruwat Sukaphanthaworn.

Chan Island District candidate Anant Preedasuttijit will take the island’s one council seat while Nong Yai District’s one seat will be taken by Bhinyo Tanwised, the former Chairman of the Provincial Administration Organisation.

New international boxing school opens

Alcazar takes up the gloves

Somphan Phetrakul, the administration director of the “Thai Boxing Pattaya Entertainment Company Ltd.”, along with his manager, Somsak Adulyajit and administration members Somchai Manothaworn and Philai Phanomwan na Ayuthaya announced the opening of their new international boxing school at the Siam Gulf Hotel.

Somphan said that Thai boxing had always been dear to his heart since the years 1952-1957, when he went into the ring 60 times at Lumpini and Rachadamnern arenas, inspiring him towards this new venture.

The current amphetamine (yaba) addiction problem afflicting the country’s youth was another factor driving him on to promote Thai boxing in Pattaya, not just as an alternative to drugs but to train interested boxers as a profession and to be another tourist attraction.

“The Pattaya International Thai Boxing Training School is intended to be the training centre for teaching the art of Thai boxing with qualified trainers of over 10 years experience,” explained Somphan.

The training school has two standardised professional boxing rings with all the required training equipment and another professional ring for competitions having seating for up to 500 spectators.

“The Thai boxing training programs are for all boxing enthusiasts,” Somphan said, “nationals or from overseas. All the equipment needed for weight training, sand-bags, punching bags and a sauna room are available.”

Two daily one-hour shows are held starting at 2.00 pm demonstrating the art of Thai Boxing, the pre-ceremony, fist wrapping and a comedy boxing routine complete with a fight against a King Cobra snake.

Novice boxers are now being sought by the company to train at the facility and box in the different divisions. The proceeds will be split giving the fighters 50% of the take, the company keeping 40% with 10% going to the trainers.

The Pattaya International Thai Boxing Training School is at 193-15 Soi 2 on Thep Prasit Road and it will run from 7.00 am to 9.00 pm. The Thai Boxing Pattaya Company will preview boxing events with future bouts broadcast on the ITV channel.

Copyright 1999 Pattaya Mail Publishing Co.Ltd.
370/7-8 Pattaya Second Road, Pattaya City, Chonburi 20260, Thailand 
Tel.66-38 411 240-1, 413 240-1, Fax:66-38 427 596; e-mail: [email protected]
Updated by Chinnaporn Sangwanlek, assisted by Boonsiri Suansuk.