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- Russian Businessman Arrested for Alleged Assault, Illegal Weapons
Picture courtesy of Phuket Express
This past Tuesday, a 38-year-old Russian businessman was taken into custody on Koh Samui. Identified only as Mr. Nikhita, he was arrested by the Bophut Police. He is facing severe charges of assault and illegal weapons possession. The raid on his property was prompted by a tip-off from a local.
The arrest warrant was initiated due to a complaint lodged by Mr. Nikhita's girlfriend, whose identity has been kept confidential. She alleges that he sexually assaulted her and threatened her using a firearm.
While executing their search, the police team unveiled many unlicensed weapons including a commando rifle complete with ammunition and a handgun at the property in the Maret sub-district. Also seized were a luxury BMW sedan, a Ducati motorcycle, and a pickup truck lacking a license plate.
Mr. Nikhita, owner of an Italian restaurant nearby the Baan Bang Rak Pier, confessed to owning the firearms, claiming he has a private liking for guns.
However, he refused to address his partner's allegations. This incident has triggered concerns about domestic abuse and illegal firearms possession among foreigners living in Thai popular tourist areas.
As investigations proceed, Mr. Nikhita will remain in custody at the Bophut Police Station, facing several charges and potential deportation.
-- ASEAN NOW 2024-04-25
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24 April 24 20241325862 - British man arrested for begging to buy drugs in Koh Pha Ngan
Thai police arrested a British man after he allegedly begged for money to buy drugs outside a convenience store in Koh Pha Ngan, an island in the southern province of Surat Thani.
Locals on Koh Pha Ngan reported to authorities after seeing a foreign man begging outside a 7-Eleven convenience store and using drugs in the area. Officers from the Koh Pha Ngan Police Station and the Tourist Police went to the store near the Phan Thip Market and arrested the foreigner yesterday, April 17.
The foreign beggar was identified as a 47 year old Englishman named Nicholas James Hartas. He was found sitting shirtless outside the store with a paper sign that said, “IF YOU CAN. PLEASE! MONEY FOR FOOD.”
Police checked Hartas’s criminal history and found that he had escaped arrest in a drug case in Koh Samui and sought refuge in Koh Pha Ngan. Hartas confessed to fleeing from the arrest in Koh Samui, stating that he resorted to begging for food. However, residents informed the police that the majority of the money earned from begging was used to purchase drugs.
Officers did not report whether they conducted a drug test on Hartas or found any drugs in his possession. According to MGR Online, Hartas faced two charges:Section 13 of the Begging Control Act: illegally begging. The penalty is imprisonment of up to one month or a fine of up to 10,000 baht.
Section 145 of the Narcotics Control Act: possessing Category 1 drug (methamphetamine). The penalty is imprisonment from two to 20 years and a fine of 200,000 to 2 million baht.
A similar story about a foreign beggar in Thailand was reported in February. Pictures showed a foreign beggar performing yoga in exchange for money on a footpath near Mor Chit BTS Station in Bangkok. He did several yoga gestures with a sign written in Thai, “I want money 20 baht or more for a plane ticket back home. Thank you.”
Thai authorities attempted to arrest and question the foreign beggar, but he disappeared from the scene before the authorities launched the investigation.
by Petch Petpailin
Photo via Matichon
Source: The Thaiger 2024-04-19
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19 April 19 20241325339 - British tourist found dead in drain following pub crawl on notorious 'Death Island'
The tourist's body was found outside the Roctapus diving centre in Koh Tao, Thailand (Image: AsiaPacificPress / ViralPress)
Brit backpacker Theo Bailey, believed to be in his 30s, was sadly found lifeless in a shallow water drainage ditch the following day outside the Roctapus diving centre on Koh Tao Island
A British backpacker has been found dead in a drain whilst on vacation in Thailand.
Theo Bailey, believed to be 31, went missing while on a pub crawl with his long-term girlfriend, Chantal Xerri. It is believed the pair got drunk with other holidaymakers on the island of Koh Tao on March 18 before he vanished. He was sadly found lifeless in a shallow water drainage ditch the following day outside the Roctapus diving centre. Police believe he had been in the drain for several hours before he was located. His phone is said to have also been missing.
The couple were pictured laughing while drinking from buckets of alcohol at a local bar. Theo and Chantal had empty shot glasses in one picture while in another, the man had removed his top and photobombed another group. Others at the same event were seen inhaling nitrous oxide, or hippy crack, and there was a raucous drag performance, with drunken tourists joining in dancing provocatively.
Theo Bailey was found dead on March 18 ( Image: AsiaPacificPress / ViralPress)
However, Theo, who had been with his partner Chantal, a teacher from Chelmsford, Essex, went missing at some point during the boozy night out. Tragically, he was found dead the next afternoon. The authorities said that the case "was still open", however, no arrests have been made at this time.
Theo and Chantal were enjoying a night out in Thailand ( Image: AsiaPacificPress / ViralPress)
Thai police said they are waiting for the post-mortem results. Theo's devastated partner Chantal, who is listed as a teaching assistant working for Teaching Personnel based in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, posted several tributes online to her partner. She said: "This is probably the hardest post I will ever have to do in my life. Last week, my best friend became an angel.
By Monica Charsley, News Reporter
Full story: Mirror UK 2024-04-15
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14 April 14 20241324931 - British backpacker murderers make fresh appeal against sentence (video)
The British backpacker murderers have made fresh appeals against their sentence claiming they are innocent of beating an English couple to death in Thailand ten years ago.
Two Burmese bar workers were accused of murdering British couple David Miller and Hannah Witheridge on Koh Tao Island in 2014. The bar workers, Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun, who have consistently maintained their innocence, stated they have spent a decade behind bars for a crime they did not commit.
The alleged murderers, now both 29, penned letters to the Thai authorities appealing against their sentence, claiming they were framed for the two murders on the notorious backpackers’ destination Koh Tao, also known as “Death Island.”
Zaw Lin wrote to his legal team pleading with them to make a fresh appeal.
“I have been in prison [for] almost 10 years for nothing, it’s unbelievable. Could you please retrial again my case? I’ve never seen the people who died on the beach at Koh Tao.”The accused killers criticised Thai detectives for conducting a “botched” investigation. The Daily Mirror disclosed that they have received visits from a delegation of solicitors in prison, which includes a British justice campaigner.
Picture of Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo at the public reenactment of the crime
Zaw Lin has written several letters from Thailand’s notorious Bang Kwang jail, also known as the Bangkok Hilton, demanding he be freed because he claims he is innocent.“I will be 29 this month. It’s so sad to know that I am wasting my young life away for nothing. I think I will get out of prison in a few more years… as I have already been in prison a long time. They should set me free now. I am sad to think I wasted my young life in prison for nothing.”
David, originally from St Helier, Jersey, and Hannah, hailing from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, both travelled independently to Thailand where they crossed paths during their journeys. David embarked on his trip after completing his undergraduate degree in civil and structural engineering at the University of Leeds. Scheduled to start a master’s degree, he was backpacking with a friend following a six-week work placement in Australia.
During a police investigation, the two perpetrators were compelled to reenact the crime. Clad in crash helmets, police vests, and handcuffs, they demonstrated how they brutally attacked Hannah and David with a garden hoe.
Hannah, holding a first-class degree from the University of East Anglia, was pursuing a master’s degree in speech and language therapy in Essex.David and Hannah were last sighted at the AC Bar with friends before departing together after 1 am on September 15, 2014. Their lifeless bodies were discovered on Sairee Beach, close to their hotel, around 4.30 am by a beach cleaner. Hannah had suffered blunt force trauma to the head, while David had sustained head injuries and drowned.
Death Island
The murders brought attention to Koh Tao, a tourist hotspot dubbed “Death Island” due to a series of fatal incidents. Zaw Lin and Zaw Tun were apprehended and confessed initially, but later recanted their statements, alleging torture. Prosecutors presented DNA evidence from cigarette butts connecting them to David’s murder and the rape and murder of Hannah.
However, their trial in Koh Samui revealed that DNA from two distinct individuals was found on the garden hoe believed to be the murder weapon. Advocates argue they were framed by Thai authorities keen on maintaining the country’s tourist-friendly reputation.
Zaw Lin asserted that the forensic evidence connecting him to the garden hoe was flawed.“The DNA they found out is probably from cigarettes and not from the dead bodies [sic]. They didn’t actually have any other concrete evidence to convict and give me [the] death sentence.
“Amnesty is for all who stay with good behaviour in prison. I think just [a] few people were released with the amnesties over the years… and go home. The rest never saw the amnesties which were delivered between 2020 and 2023. I hope the next amnesties won’t be like that as the Government has changed.”
The Burmese migrants were informed that they would face execution by lethal injection in 2015. However, their death sentences were commuted in 2020 due to a royal pardon, and they were instead sentenced to life imprisonment. At that time, David’s family expressed gratitude to the Thai authorities for sparing their lives but stated their wish for the pair to spend “a very long time in jail where they cannot harm other families.”
Release dates
In January of this year, the legal team representing the killers reached out to Thai authorities seeking “clarity” regarding efforts to reduce their sentences. However, they were informed that the release dates would remain unchanged.
Campaigners argue that the pair should be acquitted due to contamination of the crime scene and flaws in the forensic methodology.
Andy Hall, an international affairs adviser for their legal defence team, confirmed that lawyers and translators recently visited the pair in prison to address “their requests for clarity in their sentence reduction.”
“Any further support regarding appeals against their convictions could only be explored if and when new and credible witnesses or evidence came to light or was passed to them, at which stage the legal defence team remains ready to consider such evidence and respond accordingly.”
by Bob Scott
TOP: Picture of David Miller and Hannah Witheridge courtesy of @PodcastRiddle
Source: The Thaiger 2024-04-02
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2 April 02 20241323908 - Reckless Driving: Foreigners’ Beachside SUV Stunt Sparks Safety Concerns [Video]
Surat Thani, Thailand – In a recent incident that has sparked widespread concern, a video surfaced online showing an SUV recklessly racing along Baan Kai Beach on Pha Ngan Island. The footage, posted to a local Facebook group on April 17th, depicts the vehicle performing dangerous drifts close to the shoreline, occasionally breaching into the sea water.
According to the post, the SUV is believed to be rented, with both the driver and passenger appearing to be foreigners. This reckless behavior has raised alarms among the community, particularly regarding the safety protocols and regulations enforced by car rental operators.The individual who shared the video expressed frustration over the inability to reach local authorities, highlighting potential gaps in emergency response systems.
By Goongnang Suksawat
Full story: THE PHUKET EXPRESS 2024-04-18
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17 April 17 20241325212 - Kazakh woman nabbed for illegal online sex services on Koh Samui
Surat Thani immigration authorities recently apprehended a 35 year old woman from Kazakhstan for illegally selling sexual services online.
The arrest occurred in a hotel room on the island of Koh Samui as part of a crackdown on foreign criminal activities in Thailand.
The investigation, led by Police Captain Psathorn Saenyindee, was informed by a tip-off from a concerned foreign national about the suspect, who was using WhatsApp to facilitate her services.
A sting operation was set up, where an undercover officer agreed to pay US$350 (approximately 13,000 baht) for sexual services. The suspect sent photographs of herself to the officer, and upon arriving at the designated hotel room, she was caught in the act of preparing for the illicit encounter.
Upon her arrest, the officers found 10,000 baht in cash, which matched the serial numbers recorded by the undercover agent, and personal items, including a bottle of DUREX lubricant. Further investigation of the Kazakh woman named Anel Toyshubekova, revealed she entered Thailand on a tourist visa, which expired on November 1 last year, thereby overstaying her permitted time in the country.
During questioning, Toyshubekova confessed to working under an agent named Linda, who would contact her with work and take 40% commission, paid in digital currency. This agent, believed to be operating from outside Thailand, manages a network of women selling sexual services online across various websites.Authorities are now expanding their investigation to track down the agent and dismantle the larger operation, reported KhaoSod.
Toyshubekova faces charges of prostitution and overstaying her visa. She has been transferred to the Bo Phut Police Station in Surat Thani for legal proceedings.
In related news, a fourth Russian woman has been arrested in Wichit, Phuket for providing illicit sexual services. The suspect, a 22 year old Russian national, was nabbed on Monday, March 18, during a clandestine operation at a local hotel.
by Puntid Tantivangphaisal
Photo courtesy of KhaoSod
Source: The Thaiger 2024-04-06
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6 April 06 20241324277 - Koh Samui eyes airport expansion plans
Yesterday it was a new cruise ship terminal for the Gulf island. Today it’s an expansion of the Bangkok Airways-woned airport.
The Thai PM has confirmed that a feasibility study to expand Koh Samui Airport is underway, with the hope of boosting tourism on the island.
Srettha Thavisin, who visited Samui airport on Sunday, says expansion of the facility would allow it to welcome larger aircraft and more passengers. It’s hoped the study will be completed by the beginning of 2025.
By Peter Roche
Caption: PHOTO: Samui Island Explorer
9 April 09 20241324533 - Thai Government Aims to Elevate Koh Samui to Top 10 Most Attractive Islands Worldwide
On April 8th, 2024, Ms. Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol, the Thai Tourism and Sports Minister, publicly revealed a Thai government policy to enhance Koh Samui to be one of the top 10 most attractive islands worldwide.
Recently, the Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin inspected Koh Samui, and Surat Thani, and discussed with locals regarding tourism and the economy.Srettha aimed to have Koh Samui ranked in the top 10 globally most attractive islands. The Tourism and Sports Minister, President of the Koh Samui Tourism Promotion Association, and Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) would integrate to publicize its local identities including delicacy and the way of life, according to Sudawan.
Although current tourism in Koh Samui had returned to normal similar to the pre-COVID-19 period, local entrepreneurs such as masseuses and other specialties were in a shortage. Sudawan stated that the current number of specialty workers had been reduced from 120,000 individuals to 50,000 compared to the pre-covid 19 period.
By Kittisak Phalaharn
Full story: THE PATTAYA NEWS 2024-04-10
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9 April 09 20241324574 - Water crisis hits Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Samui, tap water rationed
On Koh Pha Ngan, a water crisis since late March has led to a stringent rationing of tap water which affected both locals and tourists.
The rationing, operating on a rotational basis, leaves some areas parched on certain days while others savour the flow. A meagre 3,500m3 to 4,000m3 of water trickles through the pipes daily, barely meeting the island’s thirst.
With its lifelines strained, Pha Ngan Island relies on two reservoirs, boasting a combined capacity of 740,000m3, and a reverse osmosis water plant, churning out a modest 600m3 of potable water daily from the salty embrace of the sea.
Yet, the parched plight doesn’t end there. Across the glistening straits, Samui Island shivers under the shadow of a similar drought, threatening the hospitality hub’s promise of 2.4 million tourist arrivals this year.
Privately operated water trucks trundle across the island, ferrying precious cargo to thirsty hotels perched on elevated grounds, beyond the reach of the dwindling tap supply. The cost burden trickles down to hoteliers, swelling their operational expenses and leaving them high and dry compared to their counterparts elsewhere.Ratchaporn Poonsawat from Koh Samui Tourism Promotion Association laments the dearth of sustainable solutions. He warns that unless the government addresses the issue with foresight, the very allure of investment in island tourism may evaporate like morning mist.
Meanwhile, on Samui Island, three main water sources, the wetlands of Phru Krajood, Phru Na Muang, and Phru Chaweng, store a modest total of 3,200,000m3, barely sufficient to quench the island’s growing thirst.
A lifeline emerges from the mainland, as a modest flow of 22,000m3 per day trickles through an undersea pipeline from Surat Thani, swelling by an additional 5,000m3 during the parched embrace of the dry season.
In the northeastern province of Ubon Ratchathani, the Pak Mun Dam offers a watery spectacle during the Songkran festival. As the floodgates open, the Kaeng Saphue rapids, long submerged beneath the dam’s embrace, resurface in a jubilant splash, reported Thai PBS World.
Yet, as the waters surge, Governor Suphasit Korcharoenyot issues a cautious plea. The flood must be tempered, and monitored, lest it swell beyond 200,000,000m3, a precarious waste at the cusp of the dry season.
by Puntid Tantivangphaisal
Photo courtesy of Thai PBS World
Source: The Thaiger 2024-04-05
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4 April 04 20241324178 - Son of Spanish actor goes on trial over Thai island murder
File photo : Chef Daniel Sancho Bronchalo//AP
Koh Samui – The murder trial of a famous Spanish actor’s son opened Tuesday on a popular Thai tourist island, where he will face charges of killing another foreigner.Chef Daniel Sancho Bronchalo, 29, pleaded not guilty at a hearing in November to the murder of 44-year-old Colombian plastic surgeon Edwin Arrieta Arteaga on the nearby Koh Pha Ngan island.
The trial opened Tuesday on the honeymoon isle of Koh Samui, with scores of Spanish reporters flying in — despite being barred from the tiny courtroom.
Sancho’s father, well-known Spanish actor Rodolfo Sancho, arrived at court shortly after 8:30 am (0130 GMT).
“He is fine,” he said, declining to answer any further questions.
Lawyer Juan Gonzalo Ospina Serrano, representing Arrieta’s family, said outside court ahead of the trial they hoped that “Thai law will be forceful, that the truth can be told”.“We hope that the family can close this painful stage of their life and that they can begin their mourning,” he said.
Full story: Thai PBS 2024-04-09
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9 April 09 20241324508
