Cargo ship cuts fishing trawler in half

One crewman dead, one missing

Vichan Pladplueng

A cargo ship registered in Panama named Caspian Sea, carrying 540,000 liters of oil, is under investigation by the Chonburi Port Authority after running down a Thai fishing trawler 5-kilometres from Naklua shores between Larn and Lin islands on the early morning of May 4.

The fishing trawler Jitprarathana 4, owned by Miss Paweena Samanbunwanich from Ban Chang in Rayong, was cut in half before sinking. Sorasak Khiawkhao, age 18, one of the crewmen on board, was saved by a sister boat fishing in the same vicinity, but two other crewmembers went missing. Rescue personnel mounted a search for the two missing crewmen, and on May 7 one was found dead, floating between Larn and Lin islands on May 7. The other crewmember is still missing and is feared to have drowned also.

The rescued crewman, Sorasak, told police investigators that the Jitprarathana 4 left Bang Sere in Sattahip at approximately 6 a.m. along with Jitprarathana 9, the sister trawler. Sorasak said bad weather moved in causing poor visibility just as the two trawlers came across a large school of fish in the shipping lanes, which he said are considered open fishing area. He said the crew saw the cargo ship coming straight at them at high speed but they were unable to steer away in time.

The cargo ship Caspian Sea was carrying crude oil from Malaysia on its way to the Laem Chabang Port in Chonburi. The ship captain, Mr. K.K. Patil from England, said that the bad weather forced them to revert to radar and electronic equipment, which was normal procedure. He said normally only larger vessels were encountered in the common shipping lanes, and very few fishing boats are ever found in the area.

Following the collision, the Caspian Sea began leaking crude oil and was forced to carry on to the refinery for repairs.

The ship has been impounded for a Port Authority investigation.

Sex charges dismissed against Englishman

Chonburi court frees former HSBC executive

Lionel Peter McCarthy, arrested in September 1999 for sexually molesting 3 young boys, had his charges dismissed by Chonburi provincial court last week.

At the time of his arrest, McCarthy was an executive at the Hong Kong bank, HSBC. Police had been tracking McCarthy after receiving information that he was reportedly alluring young boys to his hotel room to perform sexual favours. On September 28, 1999, police tailed him to his Pattaya hotel room, where they found him inside with 3 naked boys aged 12 and 13. Police also confiscated a number of photographs of the boys hugging McCarthy and one used condom.

The three boys, aged 12-13, were taken to the police station where they told police that McCarthy became friendly with them on the street. He invited them to his room, promising to give them toys and video games. But once in the room, they said they were introduced to “other forms of entertainment” to please McCarthy.

The details surrounding McCarthy’s release are unknown.

Gay bar employee robs boss, arrested after shoot out with police

Boonlua Chatree and Vichan Pladplueng

Wirawech Chantsan was arrested for theft on April 28, but not before putting up a dangerous fight.

Peter Kuttner, the German owner of the Banana Bar in Jomtien, had contacted Pattaya’s tourist police to report one of his employees had stolen valuables from his room.

The thief was identified as 19-year old Wirawech Chantsan, a Banana Bar employee well familiar with his employer’s habits and where he kept his valuables. Wirawech got into Kuttner’s box of valuables containing 80,000 baht in cash and a gold chain with nine Buddha amulets cased in gold weighing a total of 8 baht.

Police soon identified a man fitting Wirawech’s description waiting to board a bus at the North Pattaya Road bus station. Wirawech took off running when tourist police officers approached. He brandished a weapon and began firing on police as he ran across the street.

More gunfire ensued and Pattaya police, called to assist, surrounded the area of Ban Santhisuk in Soi S.S.

When police called out for Wirawech to surrender, he responded with three more gunshots. But when police returned a volley of gunfire, Wirawech changed his mind and he came out with his hands raised.

Wirawech surrendered his .38 caliber pistol with 39 more rounds of ammunition. He also had in his possession the gold chain and nine Buddha images, most of the stolen cash and a mobile telephone belonging to his former employer.

Wirawech told police he planned to return with the loot to his home in Samut Songkhram so his parents could arrange a match-up with a local girl. He was charged with misappropriating private property, carrying an unauthorized weapon, resisting arrest and shooting at police officers.

Tiffany star commits painful suicide

Chooses suicide over debilitating disease

Boonlua Chatree

Subharyk Wisuttichai, a 28-year old star at Tiffany’s Show in Pattaya, died in an apparent suicide at his Nirand Grand Condo during the early morning hours of May 3.

Tiffany star Subharyk Wisuttichai committed suicide rather than face a debilitating disease.

Narakorn Puangphayom, a friend of the deceased, told police he received a phone call from Subharyk that indicated Subharyk was in a distraught mood and wanted company. Narakorn said he rushed over but found his friend dead in the room.

Pattaya police officers and Sawang Boriboon Rescue personnel who arrived at the scene had to work their way past a crowd of “girls of the second category” who were all weeping over the loss of a fellow companion.

Subharyk’s body was lying on the floor beside the bed in the middle of the room. The Bang Lamung medical examiner identified two stab wounds in the abdominal area and another fatal laceration at the throat that severed a main artery. Two bloodstained paring knives were near the body along with an empty bottle of highly toxic bathroom cleaner. Valuables belonging to the Tiffany star, including two diamond-rings and a 5-baht gold necklace, were still in the room.

Subharyk was a lead performer in one of the routines at Tiffany’s Show and had recently undergone plastic surgery before visiting relatives in Chiang Mai. Narakorn said his friend’s tone of voice on the phone was urgent, and that he made confusing references about AIDS and losing his beauty from hair loss.

Black magic murder

Woman’s body found floating off Naklua

Vichan Pladplueng

A fisherman found a woman floating in the water off of Naklua’s shore on the morning of May 2. Her hands and legs were bound in a way that police surmise may indicate she was murdered by someone with superstitious beliefs in the supernatural.

Police retrieved the body from the water approximately 500-600 meters from shore near Moo 5 in Naklua.

Police investigators and the Banglamung medical examiner were taken aback when first observing the woman, as she was tied-up in a manner resembling an ancient superstitious position.

She was trussed up in a fashion resembling preparation for a ritual funeral service. Her hands were tied palms together using ritual strings in a position believed to grant the person safe passage into heaven, the next life or wherever the soul wishes to go. The same type of string was also fastened around the throat, and the legs were securely tied together with natural fiber rope.

Over 2,500 baht and the woman’s Thai ID card identifying her as Miss Malee Sarakul, age 34, from Wat Suwan Sub-district, Bo Thong District in Chonburi were found inside the deceased’s pants pockets.

Pattaya Police Inspector Pol. Maj. Thanakryt Lapittisan said he believed the murder occurred on land and the body was later dumped in the ocean about 18-20 hours before being brought ashore.

He said a minimum of two people, and possibly more, were probably involved in the crime, and that the suspects were knowledgeable in ancient ceremonial beliefs. He said perhaps they intended to portray the use of black magic.

Police are now waiting for the autopsy results to learn more about the case.

Community play deters minors from entering the sex industry

Entertainment with a message

Veerachai Somchart

The Gabfai Community Play, coordinated by Amrint Plengradsamee, is a theatrical performance to increase awareness among students and young people on the dangers of being lured into the sex industry. The play was presented each evening from May 4-9 in South Pattaya’s Walking Street.

Gabfai Community Players give an emotional performance in hopes of deterring minors from entering the sex industry.

The play’s theme is to tackle the nation-wide social problem of young girls forced into the sex industry. The play used live drama to convey the powerful message and describe the problem in Thailand.

The first performance was presented in Chiang Mai with 11 actors from the Gabfai group in 1996.

The community play is an educational production by a non-government organization sponsored by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s Council on Children’s Development. Support also comes from the United Nations International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor and the International Labor Organization.

The continuing campaign increases awareness of the problem of children in the sex industry and children’s rights in various tourist areas around Thailand, including Chiang Rai, Phuket, Songkhla, Pattaya, Chiang Mai and Bangkok.

TAT invites tourists to view Royal Ploughing Ceremony on May 16

King Carl Gustaf XVI of Sweden visits Sattahip Scout Jamboree site

Vichan Pladplueng

King Carl Gustaf XVI, the Swedish Monarch and the Honorary Chairman of the World Scouting Foundation, visited Sattahip on April 24 to view the ongoing preparations for the “20th World Scouting Jamboree”. 30,000 scouts from 14-17 years old from 150 countries are expected to attend the Jamboree, which will take place from December 28, 2002 through January 8, 2003.

King Carl Gustaf XVI of Sweden, Honorary Chairman of the World Scouting Foundation, visited Sattahip to view the ongoing preparations for the 20th World Scouting Jamboree.

During the visit King Carl Gustaf participated in a tree planting ceremony at the Jamboree location and watched scout activities involving 2,000 young scouts during “Pre-Jamboree V”, which was held last month from April 21-25.

The deputy minister of education, Chamlong Khrutkhunthod, in his capacity as chairman of the Jamboree Preparation Committee, escorted King Carl Gustaf and members of the World Scouting Foundation. Senior members of the Ministry of Education, Royal Thai Navy officers from Sattahip and members of the National Scouting Organization of Thailand also accompanied the King during the tour.

The area being prepared for Jamboree belongs to the Royal Thai Navy and is located on 7,000 rai of land along a beautiful stretch of beach at Hat Yao in Sattahip. The area is divided into four different community areas called the Indian Ocean, the Arctic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean with six separate and self-contained camps within each that will accommodate 1,000 scouts each.

Each camp will provide a full range of utilities, conveniences and sanitation services including postal and telephone service, money exchange service, dining facilities, bathroom and living quarters, medical facilities with a hospital, stores, exhibition and activity buildings and offices for supervisory staff.

There will be an abundance of activities for the Jamboree, with an emphasis on learning through experience, particularly in the areas of physical skills, scientific exploration, information technology, environmental education and community development.

The extensive preparations for the Jamboree have been ongoing for the past 3 years.

Docking of ‘child slave ship’ in Benin deepens mystery

From the Child Labour News Service

“It was supposed to be a rusting ship filled to the brim with 250 African child slaves, but the vessel that arrived in Benin was freshly painted and its passengers were mostly weary adults.”

The MV Etireno, whose 10-day voyage around Africa’s Gulf of Guinea was closely scrutinised, docked in the coastal city of Cotonou early last week, but the mystery surrounding it only deepened.

Puzzled authorities were trying to determine whether there ever were child slaves on the vessel or whether it was a case of mistaken identity. The 31 children who disembarked the Etireno in the company of 117 adults are being interviewed to determine whether they are victims of West Africa’s booming child-slave trade.

At the same time, officials of the United Nations children’s fund (UNICEF) remained on alert for the possibility the slave ship they had been seeking might dock elsewhere.

“Child trafficking is a byzantine business with byzantine episodes as its hallmark and this episode fits that profile,” said Beth Berton-Hunter, a spokeswoman for UNICEF Canada. “We will not be satisfied until we have a sensible explanation for this set of circumstances - either simple error or subterfuge.”

The anxious wait for the Etireno began early this month amid reports that a boat crowded with children sold into slavery was roaming somewhere in the Gulf of Guinea.

The Nigerian-registered ship left Cotonou for Gabon at the end of March with a manifest that said it was carrying 139 passengers. It was refused entry at Gabon and at Cameroon because authorities in those countries believed the plan was to sell the children thought to be on board as unpaid domestic or plantation workers.

Ramatou Baba Moussa, Benin’s Social Protection Minister, said the Etireno had been confused with a second ship whose name and current location were unknown.

UNICEF workers in Benin, who drew international attention to the plight of the children they thought were on board, are puzzled by the apparent absence of child slaves on the Etireno.

They fear that more than 200 others might have either been dumped overboard or offloaded secretly at one of the numerous small ports in neighbouring Nigeria.

Only one child taken from the Nigerian-registered MV Etireno has been collected after it docked in the West African State of Benin. Thirty of the minors are still being cared for by relief agencies.

A local daily also carried reports that more than 100 names on the departure manifest of March 27 did not match those on the arrival list. The departure manifest also listed only seven children, but UN officials said more than 30 arrived with the ship.

Regardless of how the drama unfolds, the Etireno voyage has focused attention on the flourishing trade in child labour in West Africa. According to UNICEF, each year at least 200,000 children are entrapped by traffickers in West and Central Africa. Boys are typically sold to cotton and cocoa plantations for as much as $340 in countries such as Gabon and Ivory Coast. Girls often end up as domestic workers or prostitutes.

Australian Federal Minister for Justice and Customs and newly appointed Australian Federal Police Commissioner visit Thailand

The Australian Federal Minister for Justice and Customs, The Hon. Chris Ellison visited Bangkok between April 30 and 2 May 2 to meet with the Thai Minister for Justice, Phongthep Thepkanjana as well as senior Thai officials responsible for law enforcement.

The purposes of Minister Ellison’s visit were: to discuss Thai-Australian initiatives to combat narcotics trafficking; to discuss the proposed prisoner transfer agreement between Australia and Thailand; promote further mutual cooperation related to law enforcement on people smuggling issues; and to attend an Australian Federal Police (AFP) regional senior officer liaison conference.

Minister Ellison’s visit coincided with a visit by the newly appointed Commissioner for the Australian Federal Police (AFP), Commissioner Mick Keelty, who was in Bangkok between April 29 and May 3 for an AFP liaison officers’ meeting to discuss transnational crime issues relevant to the region

On Wednesday May 2, Minister Ellison visited the Bangkok Metropolitan Police Headquarters to witness a demonstration by Thai drug detector dogs that were trained by the Australian Customs Service. Last year the Australian government trained a number of drug detector dogs and their handlers in Australia. The Australian Customs Service continues to work closely with K9 Unit of the Royal Thai Police.

For both Minister Ellison and Commissioner Keelty, their visits to Thailand form part of wider programs in the region. Minister Ellison will visit Singapore, Thailand and Hong Kong, while Commissioner Keelty will travel to Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar before returning to Australia.

Pattaya Road Show to Japan to highlight golf, water sports and clean water beaches

Veerachai Somchart

The upcoming Pattaya Road Show to Japan will emphasize positive changes taking place in Pattaya, such as the recently opened 1.8 billion baht water treatment plant, clean beaches, water sports and the many golf courses and other new attractions in the area.

Community leaders held a news conference at the Dusit Resort on May 3 to promote the upcoming Road Show to Japan, which will take place from May 13-20. Taking part were mayor Pairat Suttithamrongsawat, PBTA president Surat Mekawarakul, the Thai Hotel Association (THA) Eastern Chapter president Chatchawan Supachayanont, TAT Region 3 office director Manit Bunchim, vice-president of the Chonburi PAO Rewat Phonluk-In and the Thai Airways eastern region manager Ithiwat Krydsanampok.

Figures from 1999 show the number of tourists from Japan coming to Thailand increased by 5.6%, but only a small portion was drawn to Pattaya. The majority being attracted to Phuket and Chiang Mai prompted new planning in public relations, revising Pattaya’s image.

Destinations in Japan include stops in Osaka, Fukuoka and Tokyo. Seminars will be held in each city, complete with video presentations introducing Pattaya to Japan.

Cocktail receptions for tour operators, travel agencies and conference organizers are planned in each city, with tabletop demonstrations displaying local merchandise.

Japanese business representatives in the tourist industry and the news media will be invited to Pattaya in June to observe the many changes.

Other Road Shows to Singapore and Malaysia are to follow with expectations of increasing the number of tourists to Pattaya by as much as 50%.

Updated every Friday
Copyright 2001  Pattaya Mail Publishing Co.Ltd.
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Updated by Chinnaporn Sungwanlek, assisted by Boonsiri Suansuk.
E-Mail: [email protected]