Phuket Customs warns of foreigners cheating Thai ladies

Thai Customs have issued a warning for Thai ladies to beware of cheating foreigners.

PHUKET: — Thai Customs officials at Phuket International Airport have issued a warning for Thai ladies not to be deceived by foreigners asking for money to help pay for import or customs duties.

“Customs have received many complaints from victims explaining that the ‘thieves’ are foreigners they made friends with on the internet,” said Customs officer Monthira Cherdchu.

“For awhile, they send the victims presents, but then they phone or email the victims asking that they transfer money to their accounts to pay for VAT [value-added tax] or import taxes at the airport,” she added.

Ms Monthira explained that one foreigner asked a Thai woman to send him money because he said he was being held at Phuket Airport by Thai Customs for trying to bring into the country too much foreign currency.

“Instead, the lady contacted Customs officers here at Phuket Airport. The officers checked but then told the lady that no foreigners with the name she gave were being held at the airport. The officers suggested she report the problem to the police,” she said.

Mrs Monthira urged anyone who receives similar pleas for help to contact the Customs Office at Phuket Airport by calling 076-327435.

– Phuket Gazette 2011-06-29

American fugitive nabbed in Chon Buri
By The Nation

Chon Buri police have arrested an American fugitive who is wanted in the United States on charges of sexual abuse and rape of boys under the age of 12.

Police identified the American as Dennis Gale Catron, 60, who jumped US$500,000bail on two arrest warrants issued by an Illinois Court. If found guilty, he could face jail terms of up to 36 years.
He escaped from the US to Thailand and lived in a condominium in Nonthaburi’s Pakkret district.

The arrest was conducted as a result of collaboration between the Thai police and the US embassy in Thailand, which asked for the cooperation of the Thai immigration police in locating Catron.

Police said the fugitive, a former director of a US school, fled to Thailand several months ago before taking refuge in Pattaya and Bangkok.

He was hired as special lecturer at some universities and private schools.

Police said that he confessed that he was issued with arrest warrants in the US and entered Thailand on a tourist visa.

– The Nation 2011-06-29

New work permit requirements from The Labor Department

The Labor Department has instructed Sunbelt Asia lawyers that starting from today there are new requirements for all new applicants for work permits and also new criteria for existing work permit holders for renewals. They have issued new forms for work permit applications in several classes.

New applicants for work permits will now be required to provide proof of their Education Certificate (eg: BA, BS, MA, MS, PhD) and a reference letter from the previous employer confirming employment.

The photo size has also changed from 5cm x 6 cm to 3cm x 4 cm.

Extensions of work permits (WP 5) will now also require a map to the office and a medical certificate. The medical certificate is valid for only 6 months so annual renewal of work permits will now require a new medical certificate including the exam for the usual diseases and the syphilis test. (Previously only new applicants needed to provide the medical certificate)

Additionally the medical certificate will also need to indicate the applicant’s blood type.

New forms are now available and can only be used:

WP 1.: new applications for work permits
WP 3. (files include wp.3 and 3.1): petition treated as a pre-requisite while the applicant is outside the country applying for a non-b visa
WP 5.: extension of work permit
WP 6.: changes in the current work permit, such as adding a company, change in job title, change in office location (misc changes that do not require the issuance of a new work permit).

The new forms are attached.

 WP.1.pdf (1.13MB)
Number of downloads: 389

 WP.3 ???.pdf (53.08K)
Number of downloads: 186

 WP.3.pdf (436.06K)
Number of downloads: 165

 WP.4.pdf (236.74K)
Number of downloads: 139

 WP.5.pdf (422.17K)
Number of downloads: 329

 WP.6.pdf (358.46K)
Number of downloads: 162

 wp3.1.pdf (47.15K)
Number of downloads: 135

 Cancelled WP..pdf (517.15K)
Number of downloads: 140

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Swiss son finds mom’s suicide note

PHUKET: — A son of 61-year-old Swiss woman Ursula Balzan, whose body was found floating off Phuket’s east coast last week, has confirmed the handwriting in a suicide note as that of his mother, say police.

Roman Balzan, 36, one of Mrs Balzan’s two sons, flew to Phuket from Switzerland last Sunday, Phuket City Police duty inspector Sien Keawthong told the Phuket Gazette.

He chose to stay overnight at the bungalow on Koh Maphrao where his mother had been staying, and found a suicide note under a computer monitor in the bedroom.

Mr Balzan verified the handwriting as that of his late mother.

The letter revealed that Ms Balzan intended to commit suicide at sea after taking sleeping pills, Lt Col Sien noted.

“Citing a cardiac disease, she wrote that she didn’t want be a burden on her sister and sons,” he added.

Considering the new evidence, officers suspect the broken neck and bruises to her body were sustained after she had died. They were probably the result of waves crashing the body into the rocky coastline, he said.

“During our investigation, we checked the house for evidence and missing property, but did not thoroughly inspect the bedroom. We didn’t want to make the family feel uncomfortable by invading their privacy,” explained Lt Col Sien.

Mrs Balzan’s other son, Kevin, flew to Phuket from Taiwan on Wednesday, he said.

In respect of their late mother’s wishes, the sons told police they do not want the body transported to a police forensic facility in Surat Thani for an autopsy. They just want her to rest in peace, he said.

Mrs Balzan’s body was cremated at Ladthiwanaram Temple (Wat Tai) in Chalong on Wednesday.

– Phuket Gazette 2011-06-24

Nationwide ban on alcohol this weekend

Phuket’s tourist-popular Soi Bangla in Patong will be
dry Saturday night through Sunday – maybe.

PHUKET: — The sale of alcohol will be banned throughout Phuket this weekend ahead of the polls opening for the absentee and early voting on Sunday, Phuket Police Commander Pekad Tantipong has confirmed to the Phuket Gazette.

“The sale of alcohol will be prohibited from 6pm on June 25 [Saturday night] through to midnight on June 26 [Sunday night],” Maj Gen Pekad said.

“We will have police teams checking whether shops adhere to the ban,” he added.

The ban is nationwide as people across the country who cannot travel home for the July 3 election cast their ballots early.

Patong Police Superintendent Arayapan Pukbuakao explained that the ban would be very similar to what is planned for the July 3 election day, the only difference being that candidates will still be allowed to campaign during early voting.

“All bars in Patong can stay open and sell food, but there must be no alcohol sales at all,” he added.

In Phuket Constituency 1, which comprises all of Muang District except for Rassada and Koh Kaew subdistricts, 1,008 people have registered for advance voting, which will take place at Phuket City Hall on Narisorn Rd in Phuket Town on June 26.

In Phuket Constituency 2, a total of 669 people have registered for advance voting that will take place at Phranangsang School in Thalang on the same day.

There are 110,135 eligible voters in Phuket Constituency 1 and 113,986 eligible voters in Phuket Constituency 2, according to the election commission.

– Phuket Gazette 2011-06-24

Mystery tourist death sparks E coli alarm
By THE NATION

The Public Health Ministry is investigating the death of a 66-year-old British man at a hotel in the northeastern province of Udon Thani after developing severe diarrhoea for two days.

The health agency has taken samples from his body and sent them to Udon Thani Medical Science Centre for laboratory testing for the European strain of E coli.

The result is expected to be released in two days, the ministry’s permanent secretary Dr Paijit Warachit said.

British native Daniel Forges arrived Thailand on June 5 and developed acute diarrhoea 12-13 days later .

“Preliminary results showed the cause of his death was not Escherichia coli O104 [the deadly European strain],” Pajit said.

“If this man was infected with E coli O104, his severe diarrhoea would have developed within 10 days of his arrival in Thailand,” Paijit added.

Meanwhile, an investigator, Police Lieutenant Veerachon Khonthai, who had conducted the investigation into the death of Daniel, developed acute diarrhoea on Monday night after eating at a restaurant in Udon Thani.

He had contact with Daniel’s personal documents, such as his passport, but frequently washed his hands and took medicinal drugs.

Doctors told him he might have been suffering from food poisoning. If a victim of the new strain of E coli, he would have developed the symptoms three to four days after infection.

Udon Thani provincial public health office has placed people such as hotel staff under surveillance in case of infection by bacteria from the restaurant Veerachon visited.

To control the spread of E coli bacterium in Thailand, the Disease Control Department will meet today to evaluate the E coli situation and investigate measures to prevent the spread of disease around the country.

Good hygienic practices when cooking and eating are recommended to prevent the infection, Paijit said.

To date, 633,206 people are reported to have been stricken by digestive system disease. Of this number 583,501 fell ill from severe diarrhoea and 44,555 cases were suffering from food poisoning.

The infections were from bacterium such as shigella, vibrio parahaemolyticus, and a harmless E coli strain. The deadly E coli O104 strain has not been reported in Thailand.

– The Nation 2011-06-22

Subway Fare to be Raised Soon

The Bangkok Metro is considering raising the fare for subway tokens, which it believes will not drop the number of commuters using the subway.

It also expects a rise in total revenue as the number of commuters continues to increase.

The Bangkok Metro Public Company Limited or BMCL Managing Director Sombat Kitjalak said the company will propose a plan to the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand or MRTA, to increase transportation fares starting around October or November this year.

He said an increase in transportation fares is to be in line with the contract and to correspond to the rising inflation.

The current fare ranges between 15 to 41 baht per trip.

He said if the hike is approved, it will become effective on July 3, in compliance with the contract which states that the rate should be adjusted every two years.

He expressed confidence that the fare hike would not reduce the amount of subway users.

Sombat said the BMCL is expecting a revenue expansion of 8 percent, which would generate up to 1.7 billion baht this year.

The rising profit is hoped to cover their 7-billion baht debt by the year 2015, before their dividend payment period in 2016.

He said the number of commuters is expected to expand by 4 to 5 percent this year.

Meanwhile, Sombat said he believes any political party that is elected will support Thailand’s subway and sky-train project, which will open investment opportunities for more construction companies.

He added that the BMCL is currently preparing for the auction of their Blue Line subway extension project.

The company hopes to open for auction at the end of this year.

– Tan Network 2011-06-21

Red-shirts Commemorate 13-Month Anniversary of Rally Crackdown

Yesterday evening the red-shirt group gathered at the Ratchaprasong Intersection to commemorate those who lost their lives during the crackdown on the group’s gathering 13 months ago.

Several red-shirt group factions gathered yesterday evening at the Ratchaprasong Intersection to conduct activities to remember those in their group who were killed during the dispersal of their protest 13 months ago.

One of the activities was planking, intended to serve as a reminder of the victims who lost their lives in the dispersal and as a way to encourage Thais to go out and vote on July 3.

For those of you still new to the latest fad, planking is when a person lies flat on his or her face in a private or, many times, public places.

There were also speeches, musical performances, and poetry recitals on stage before the group finally dispersed at around 8 P.M.

The Pheu Thai Party had earlier coordinated with the red-shirt group, asking that it not hold activities on June 19, as it may dampen the party’s election campaigning in the lead-up to the election.

The group compromised by limiting its activities, keeping them to a smaller scale.

– Tan Network 2011-06-20

Russian found hanged in Phuket police cell

The motorbike rental operation where the young
Russian threatened to self-immolate on Saturday night

PHUKET: — Phuket Police are investigating the apparent suicide of a Russian tourist while in a detention cell at Patong Police Station on Saturday night.

Patong Police duty officer Pattapee Srichay confirmed the identity of the deceased as Evgeny Otrubyannikov, a 26-year-old Russian national.

Mr Evgeny apparently took his life at about 10pm by using his shirt to hang himself by the neck from an iron bar inside a cell where he was being held in solitary confinement.

“We do not yet know what caused him to commit suicide. We intended to question him the following day, after he calmed down,” Lt Pattapee said.

Mr Otrubyannikov’s detainment followed a report earlier the same day by a motorbike rental operator on the beach road, opposite Burger King.

Under the condition of anonymity, the operator said that the man appeared at about 5:30pm with two gasoline-filled bottles – and a cigarette lighter.

“He just walked up and poured the gasoline onto my rental motorbikes and onto himself, while holding a lighter. I pushed him away from my motorbikes, and some tuk-tuk drivers helped me grab him and seize the lighter,” said the operator.

“He seemed quite drunk and smelled of alcohol. Meanwhile, he said something about his passport that I didn’t understand very well,” he added.

The operator denied having rented a vehicle to the Russian, who was in possession of the passport when taken into custody by Patong Police.

“He may have had a problem with another rental outfit and got confused,” said the operator.

Arguments between motorbike rental operators and their clients are a common source of problems in the Phuket tourism industry.

Although required by law to be able to be able to produce their passport at any time when requested to do so by authorities, many tourists willingly hand over their travel document as a form of surety when renting out a bike.

Problems inevitably result when there is a motorbike accident, injury, arrest or the passport is accidentally lost.

Although the issue has been raised repeatedly in recent years at meetings among the island’s honorary consuls and sitting governor, little has changed in how the motorbike rental industry operates.

Renting a motorbike is a dangerous but financially attractive option for tourists in Phuket.

A good-quality motorbike can be rented out for a whole day for about 150 baht, about half the cost of a short ride in a tuk-tuk.

– Phuket Gazette 2011-06-20

Five arrested in Taiwan-based international call centre scam

BANGKOK, June 18 — Police on Friday arrested four suspects in relation to a call centre scam, deceiving victims in Thailand to transfer money to them with more than 50 people falling victim to the gang, according to Central Investigation Bureau deputy chief Pol Maj Gen Panya Mamen.

Gen Panya said that Tan Chen Hang, 29, a Malaysian, and four Thais were arrested at an apartment in Khlong Nueng subdistrict in Pathum Thani’s Khlong Luang district.

He said the gang’s centre is in Taiwan, but they made long distance telephone calls to deceive Thai nationals here informing them of having outstanding credit card debt. If the victims insisted they had no such debt, the gang told the victims that their accounts may have been hacked for financial information.

The scammers advised them to withdraw money from their accounts and deposit the funds in a central account at the bank via ATM to ‘protect’ their money.

Unwitting victims are tricked into transferring money by ATM into accounts opened by the gang, he said, adding that more than 50 victims were misled to transfer money to them.

They suspects confessed that they were responsible for withdrawing cash from banks and received Bt1,400 daily while the Malaysian who headed the gang would responsible for coordination and got a Bt80,000 monthly salary.

Initially the five will be charged for illegally processing and using other people’s electronic cards, causing damage to others and the general public. (MCOT online news)

– TNA 2011-06-18