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Defense ministers cool Thai-Cambodia tensions at Pattaya meeting
Gen. Tea Banh, deputy prime
minister of Cambodia and minister of defense,
left, and Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan, Thai minister of defense, insist that the
relations between the two countries are still good.
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
While the prime ministers of Thailand and Cambodia quarrel over
former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, their defense ministers are taking steps
to cool the conflict, agreeing at last week’s General Border Committee
meeting in Pattaya that the armed forces have no interest in making the
current diplomatic war a shooting one.
Thai Defense Minister Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan and his Khmer counterpart Tea
Banh said the Pattaya meeting has brought both countries’ militaries closer
and that they will work for peace inside their governments.
Banh also refused to get drawn into the dispute, declining to answer
questions about a Thai engineer jailed on espionage charges other than to
say he will receive a fair trial.
The GBC meeting Nov. 26-27 at the Dusit Thani Hotel is a regularly scheduled
sit-down between military officials from both sides and usually covers
routine items such as border crossing and joint law enforcement. But as the
first face-to-face meeting since Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen set off a
firestorm with his appointment of the fugitive former Thai PM as an economic
advisor, eyes worldwide were on Pattaya to see if fireworks would explode
among the assembled armed forces.
Instead, the two sides took pains to project a calm, peaceful face. Prawit
said at a post-summit press conference that armies on both sides of the
border have been instructed to maintain good relations and that political
disputes won’t result in armed border conflicts.
Banh said that Cambodia will even soon reopen its territorial waters off Koh
Kong to Thai fisherman after they were closed during the tit-for-tat
diplomatic reprisals. He claimed the area was closed simply due to a change
in fishing concession regulations and that the waters will reopen once a new
Koh Kong governor takes office.
The two sides also handled more mundane business, including efforts to
control border-area crime, sea mine removal and ship-ownership issues.
‘Pangyok the painting pachyderm’ wows visitors with depiction of HM the King
Pangyok, the painting
pachyderm paints a portrait of His Majesty the King.
Patcharapol Panrak
A 6-year-old elephant calf is wowing visitors to Sattahip’s Nong
Nooch Park Elephant Camp with its uncanny ability to paint outlines of HM
King Bhumibol Adulyadej and even caption its artwork with “Love Father.”
Sanguan Boopata, manager of the elephant department at Nong Nooch, is
responsible for training Pangyok, the painting pachyderm. He’s prepped the
calf for an art show to be held in honor of HM the King’s birthday Saturday,
December 5. But even two weeks before its official debut, the elephant was
drawing rave reviews from tourists.
The outlines of HM the King are filled in with some details to the point
even a foreign visitor asked if it was HM the King that Pangyok was drawing.
A skeptical Thai visitor, upon seeing the results, was so impressed he
rewarded the elephant with bananas.
Park Director Kampol Tansajja said people from across the country have come
to see Pangyok paint using its trunk. He also assured that by 11.30 a.m. on
December 5, everyone would be so impressed by its talent.
Negligence blamed for
Laem Chabang chemical leak
Piyawan Khamphala, 23,
collapsed on site,
but was treated without hospitalization.
Theerarak Suthatiwong
Negligence is being blamed for a chemical leak at Laem Chabang Port
that sent nearly 80 persons, one of whom died, to the hospital with
complaints of eye irritation and vomiting.
More than nine tons of sodium persulphate burst into flames Nov. 25, sending
a noxious cloud over neighboring homes, prompting the government to declare
the port community a disaster area and evacuating more than 100 families.
More than 200 families complained about the smell and effects of the smoke.
Deputy National Police Chief Gen. Jongrak Juthanond said the fire was likely
caused by a 22-ton container of the chemical being careless stored in an
open area where temperatures reached 30 degrees. Sodium persulphate should
be kept at 25 degrees or less, he said.
Residents near the port remain angry not only about the accident, but about
the port’s delay in notifying residents about the leak. Some refused to
return to their homes days after the leak, staying instead in tents provided
by the Laem Chabang city government.
While most people who visited the hospital were quickly treated and
released, four remained in serious condition days later and one person,
65-year-old Sunee Phupetch, who was known to have heart trouble, may have
died from the fumes. An autopsy and official cause of death remain pending.
Over nine tons of sodium
persulphate burst into flames Nov. 25,
sending a noxious cloud over neighboring homes.
Laem Chabang municipal head Boonlert Normsilp said
approximately 1,887 people were affected by the smoke and sought treatment.
Dizziness, vomiting and eye irritation were the most-common symptoms.
At Laem Chabang Kao Temple, a medical team from Ao Udom Hospital set up a
makeshift clinic to check students at Ban Laem Chabang Kao School and nearby
residents. Most had throat pain, itchy faces, exhaustion, red eyes,
coughing, and nosebleeds. Some were admitted to the hospital and one
resident, Piyawan Khamphala, 23, collapsed on site, but was treated without
hospitalization.
Ban Laem Chabang Kao was closed as a preventative measure.
After the initial incident, Assistant Public Health Ministry Manit
Nop-amornbordee and Chonburi Gov. Senee Jittakasem visited patients at
Somdej Phra Boromrachadhevi Hospital, giving victims flower baskets. Manit
said 19 chemical-leak patients had been admitted to Somdej Phra
Boromrachadhevi.
The Port Authority of Thailand, which owns Laem Chabang Port, said it will
pay 10,000 to the dead woman’s family and offered 5,000 baht in compensation
to each affected family. Families are also expected to receive financial
assistance of more than 3,000 baht each from other sources.
Operations at Laem Chabang have now returned to normal.
A thick cloud of noxious smoke
blankets the port after the fire.
Pattaya plans day of celebration
to mark HM the King’s birthday
Sawittree Namwiwatsuk
Pattaya will mark His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s 82nd
birthday with ceremonies, meditation and a parade along Beach Road.
Festivities begin at 3 p.m. in front of Tourism Authority of Thailand’s
Pattaya office.
At 4 p.m., at Soi 4 and Beach Road, the Chulee Thai Club is organizing a
ceremony intended to both honor HM the King and attempt to bring unity to an
often-divided Thailand by having attendees close their eyes and meditate
together. All participants are asked to dress in pink shirts with a royal
logo on it. More information is available until Dec. 4 at Pattaya City Hall.
The celebration’s finale will kick off at 5 p.m. with a parade starting at
Royal Garden Plaza and finishing at Bali Hai Pier. There people can offer
well wishes, prayers and pay homage to HM the King. Festivities will be
capped by candle-lighting and songs at 7:40 p.m.
HM the King has been hospitalized for some time and, perhaps as a result,
the Royal Household Bureau announced Monday that, while he will make a
public appearance on his birthday, HM the King cancelled the Trooping of the
Colors ceremony on Wednesday and his birthday speech Friday.
HRH the Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn will stand in for his father for
functions on Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday.
HM the King will appear, however, on Saturday morning when he grants a
public audience to members of the royal family, civil servants and members
of parliament at the Grand Palace’s Amarin Winitchai Throne Hall.
Bay Watch: Dolphins need help
The statue on Beach Road
at the end of Central Road is in need of a little first aid. The statue,
often thought of as the symbol of Pattaya is scratched, discolored and
generally looks woeful. It’s time for the city to send the veterinarian
to patch up Pattaya’s gatekeepers.
Sukhumvit sinkhole swallows motorbike, snarls traffic
A policeman and his helper
show how big the hole is. One motorcyclist sustained injuries when he was
unlucky enough to have crashed into it.
Theerarak Suthatiwong
A broken underground water pipe is being blamed for a 2-meter-wide
sinkhole that appeared in the middle of Sukhumvit Road, swallowing a
motorbike and bogging down traffic for kilometers.
Pachara Luang-On, 21, was injured when his Honda Wave disappeared into the
2.5-meter deep hole near the Rongmaikeed intersection Nov. 28. He was
transported to Banglamung Hospital for treatment and police closed off the
affected lane, slowing traffic to a crawl for hours.
Raiwa Part Ltd., a contractor for the Provincial Waterworks Authority, was
working at the nearby Maikeed intersection digging a meter-wide tunnel to
accommodate new piping under Sukhumvit. As part of the job, workers dug down
3.5 meters to the opposite side of the road so underground cables would not
be damaged. During the process, one worker said he noticed the soil he was
removing was wet and sandy and could easy collapse.
Sure enough, a hole about 30 cm opened in the road and quickly expanded
after a heavy truck rang over it. The truck escaped, but the motorbike
following closely behind plunged into the crevasse.
December 10 is Constitution Day
Thursday, December 10 marks Constitution Day in Thailand.
The holiday is celebrated annually to commemorate the advent of the
Constitutional Monarchy in Thailand.
Constitution Day is a public holiday and as such, all government offices,
banks and many businesses close. Shopping centers and bank currency exchange
booths, however, are open. Places of entertainment are usually open without
restriction.
10 Lions Club members injured when minibus rolls off Koh Larn cliff
Lions officials are brought
into Pattaya Memorial Hospital after a minibus accident on Larn Island.
Theerarak Suthatiwong
Ten Lions Club members in Pattaya for the 48th OSEAL Forum were injured when
their tour bus rolled off a small cliff on Koh Larn.
Former Lions Club District 310A Gov. Monkolwit Tananpapat, his wife and
eight others were taken to Pattaya Memorial Hospital after the Nov. 21
accident near Tawaen Beach. Three were reported in critical condition.
Minibus driver Nara Chuenarrom said he was taking the Lions to Tawaen Beach
when the brakes failed. Faced with a certain accident, the driver chose to
steer the bus into some trees on the left side of the road to avoid a steep
cliff on the right that would have been fatal, he said. The bus crashed, but
then rolled down the embankment and over a small cliff to the beach.
The governor’s wife, Katesirin, said the passengers had just finished
business at the Lions meeting and decided to visit Koh Larn before heading
back to Bangkok. Their plans called for meeting a boat at Tawaen Beach to
take them back to the mainland.
The minibus driver was initially charged with careless driving but police
said passengers need to be interviewed before any prosecution occurs.
Police break up alleged drug, loan shark and gambling ring
Saksit Tor-Rungruangkit and
his gang have been arrested.
Theerarak Suthatiwong
An alleged drug dealer who police say used his fortune to branch out into
loan sharking and football gambling has been arrested along with eight of
his alleged syndicate employees.
Children and Women’s Protection division officers from Region 2 announced
the arrest of Saksit Tor-Rungruangkit, his gang and the seizure of drugs,
paraphernalia, a shotgun, gambling records and lists of borrowers Nov. 24.
Col. Chokchai Luang-On, deputy commander of Children and Women’s Protection
Center in Region 2, said the arrest came after undercover officers who’d
been investigating the 40-year-old Saksit for some time arranged to purchase
crystal methamphetamines from him at a house on Soi Nernplabwan. Once he was
arrested, police stormed the Rung Ruang Village home and found eight others
inside, many consuming the same ya ice officers came to purchase.
Arrested were Tawatchai Sriprat, 28, Chankaew Kaokham, 28, Rittisak
Kitkiatthaworn, 18, Panya Komet, 33, Songwut Thiangsiri, 19, Chaiyaporn
Plabpla, 18, Sompong, 31, and Jennapa Patisaena, 24.
Seized in the raid was 10.68 grams of ya ice, 8.52 grams of dried marijuana,
a 12-gauge shotgun and drug paraphernalia. Police also found two books
containing names of those Saksit was supposedly loaning money to at high
interest rates, 153 lists of football gamblers and five bank books showing
an amassed fortune of millions of baht.
Chokchai alleged Saksit has been operating a football gambling ring since
2007 and used the gang members arrested to collect debts and loan payments,
as well as sell ya ice. He said all the accused have confessed to the
charges.
Police search for bombers of Jomtien condo project who injured 2
Patcharapol Panrak
Police are searching for the people responsible for hiding a bomb inside a
flashlight which exploded at a Jomtien Beach condominium sales office,
injuring two workers.
 Sonsai
Piasura (2nd left), one of the injured workers, talks with Meechai
Taocharoen, the owner of Taocharoen Development Contracting Company.
The Nov. 21 bombing at the Montrari Jomtien Beach View Condo is the second
to strike the project and authorities suspect the incidents may be the work
of a public official who recently had a dispute with the condo owner or one
of the disgruntled owners of a nearby restaurant who’ve complained their
business has been hurt by construction work.
Pamorn Pansamrong, 32, lost part of an arm and sustained serious wounds to
his abdomen when he switched on a flashlight he found lying on an ice bucket
when arriving for work. Another employee of Taochareon Development,
26-year-old Sodsai Piasura, sustained a minor head wound.
 The
site of the blast.
Meechai Taocharoen, owner of the development firm hired by project owner
Taweerat Paianat, said Taweerat - a family relative - had been in conflict
with an unnamed public official and that restaurant owners nearby were
unhappy over the loss of parking spaces and increased traffic due to the
condo’s construction. The sales office was damaged Nov. 13 by another bomb.
Security guard See Bandit said he saw three cars driving around the building
site three times before the first incident and then one of the same vehicles
Nov. 21.
Sonsai told the police he and Pamorn found the new-looking torch on the
workers’ ice bucket in the morning and were not suspicious. But when Pamorn
turned it on, the flashlight exploded. He noted the wife of the construction
foreman usually fetches the ice bucket but she was late that day.
Hasty U-turn sends truck into bus shelter, 2 to hospital in Sattahip
Patcharapol Panrak
A navy officer who pulled too hasty a U-turn ended up smashing his
car, injuring two people and damaging a bus stop.
 The
Toyota Altis was damaged in the crash. The bus stop where students were
waiting and which the pickup truck plowed through is in the background.
Sawang Rescue Foundation rescuers were called to the accident near the front
gate of the Air and Coastal Defense Command in Sattahip around 5 p.m. Nov.
20. At the scene, Lt. Somkiat Katepasuk, 52, was found in the back seat of
his Toyota Altis, of which most the left front side was crushed. He was
taken to Queen Sirikit Hospital.
Nearby, the rescue team found a Toyota Mighty X pick-up truck inside the
damaged bus shelter. Driver Suchol Taenkaew, 62, was unhurt but his nephew
Teerawut Saksalakul, 15, had already been taken to the hospital by
residents.
Somkiat said he pulled a U-turn without being able to get a clear view of
opposing traffic due to another car blocking his line of sight, sending the
truck careening into the bus shelter.
An eyewitness said three students were waiting for a bus at the time but
were luckily able to escape before the truck plowed into their seating area.
Drug sweep continues; lost Thai dealer, suspect Scot arrested
Boonlua Chatree
An alleged drug dealer who tried to deliver narcotics to the wrong
house and a suspicious-acting Scottish national with cocaine in his pocket
are the latest suspects to be rounded up by Pattaya police as part of their
stepped-up efforts to crush the drug trade.
Police were initially called to a row house Nov. 24 on Soi Sophon Cable TV
after Kittipong Sitthiwet mixed up the address of the house he was to
deliver 30 ya ba tablets to. The 38-year-old was arrested was charged with
possession with intent to distribute.
Later on, a Scottish man apparently trying to duck police attention acted
suspicious enough to draw officers’ attention outside a Soi 8 beer bar.
Police confronted Alexander Mitchell, 27, and found he was carrying 0.7
grams of cocaine he said he bought from a Thai woman for 1,000 baht. He was
charged with possession of a Class 2 narcotic.
Far from home, sea turtle finds care, shelter in Sattahip
Nantarika Chansue, the
director of the Chulalongkorn University’s Aquatic Animal Disease Research
Center who is famous for her work with sea turtles,
and assistant Sujarit Intohmong treat Duan, a 9-year-old Olive Ridley
suffering from a number of injuries and illnesses.
Patcharapol Panrak
A sea turtle which has roamed Thailand’s seas since the 2004 tsunami with
one fin is finally recovering from illness under the care of the Royal Thai
Navy’s Sea Turtle Conservation Center.
“Duan,” an endangered Olive Ridley turtle, was brought to the Sattahip
facility after getting snagged in a fishing net in the Gulf of Thailand.
Half of one fin had been cut off and it had various lesions and infections,
including otorrhea, or discharges of pus from the ear.
Nantarika Chansue, the director of the Chulalongkorn University’s Aquatic
Animal Disease Research Center who is famous for her work with sea turtles,
and assistant Sujarit Intohmong treated the 9-year-old turtle but officials
have deemed it unsafe for the reptile to be released again.
Olive Ridleys are generally only found in the Andaman Sea and it seemed
unlikely one-fin Duan could return to its home safely. It’s now being kept
at the Conservation Center and will assist in the facility’s breeding
project.
Navy units give blood, clean schools, sing songs for Father’s Day
Over 200 marines, sailors and
their families donate blood
as a present to HM the King on his birthday.
Patcharapol Panrak
More than 200 Navy conscripts donated more than 800,000 cc of blood
during one of a number of activities organized to honor HM the King for his
82nd birthday Dec. 5.
Nittaya Iamcharoen, director of Thai Red Cross Sattahip, oversaw the Nov. 20
blood drive with technicians from Prapokklao Chantaburi Hospital staffing
the event at the Naval Recruitment Center. The blood will be kept for use by
police and military officials serving in the deep south.
Among other Father’s Day-related activities, Rear Adm. Trikhwan Krairerk,
commander of the training center, led 1,000 sailors and the group from the
Thai Red Cross Sattahip in singing songs in praise of HM the King.
Meanwhile, the Marine Command Unit brought 150 soldiers to help clean public
places and schools in the Sattahip area.
Finally, Nov. 20 was Navy Day in Thailand and local forces received a
message from Navy Commander in Chief Kamthorn Phumhiran that reminded
everyone to always have team spirit, devotion to the public and protect the
monarchy and country.
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