Drug Suppression authorities and soldiers of the 3rd army eradicate opium poppy farmlands in the North of Thailand

CHIANG RAI – Third Army commander Lt Gen Preecha Chan-o-cha, who also serves as director of the National Command Center for Drugs Elimination, said the Third Army had found several poppy plantations for producing opium in the northern parts of Thailand.

Lt Gen Preecha was presiding over the 2014 announcements on the regulation of poppy opium plantations and logging at the camp of King Naresuan the great in Phitsanulok province.

About 19 plantations in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son, Tak, Kamphaeng Phet and Nan had been eradicated, he said.

This year, his division had destroyed 2,490 poppy opium plantations — more than 1,900 rai — accounting for 99.51% of the total area of discovered plantations.

The crackdown is taking a toll on the market. With each plantation successfully eradicated, the price of poppy opium goes up.

Related Stories:

Thailand Fighting Poppy Cultivation at its Northern Boarders

Opium Cultivation on the Rise in Northern Provinces

They used a police-marked pickup truck to deliver the pills from Doi Tung district, Chiang Rai province, to a customer in Bangkok but were arrested en route in Ayutthaya province.

CHIANG RAI – Three policemen have been sentenced to life in prison for drug dealing, using a police vehicle to make deliveries, in 2012.

Eight people, five of them policemen, were arrested on Dec 13, 2012 for dealing one million yaba pills and carrying firearms without appropriate reason.

They used a police-marked pickup truck to deliver the pills from Doi Tung district, Chiang Rai province, to a customer in Bangkok but were arrested en route in Ayutthaya province.

The Criminal Court on Tuesday sentenced to death Pol Sub Lt Jittipong Sochai, a former suppression sub-inspector at Uan police station in Nan province, Pol Sen Sgt Maj Attapol Kamsaen and Pol Lt Col Thammanoon Nakbua for dealing drugs.

The court also handed down a 6-month jail term on them for carrying firearms in public places.

But since they gave useful testimony, the court reduced the sentence by a third to life in prison.

As for the other two policemen, the court said it was not clear from the witnesses and evidence of the case that Pol Sen Sgt Maj Sakkapong and Pol Sen Sgt Maj Nonthawat Pansa had been involved in the drug dealing.

However, they were found guilty of carrying firearms in public places and given a jail term of six months, reduced by a third to four months on useful testimony.

Two of the three civilians, Vicharn Laomi and Venjaporn Tiangkinnaree, were sentenced to death while Udomsak Sae Tern was acquitted on unclear evidence that he had been involved.

Eighth Region Police Command commissioner Pol Lt-Gen Panya Mamen identified the first suspect as Mon

KOH TAO – The police on Koh Tao Island have announced they have arrested a suspect in the murder of two British tourists in Koh Tao and are still hunting for a second suspect who has escaped into Bangkok.

A photo taken by a Scottish tourist of two men suspected by police of involvement in the killing of two British tourists on Koh Tao.

Eighth Region Police Command commissioner Pol Lt-Gen Panya Mamen identified the first suspect as Mon.

Investigators Tuesday interrogated Montriwat Toovichien, a 45-year-old bartender at AC Bar on Koh Tao who identified as the man seen in closed-circuit video footage in the hours before the Sept 15 bludgeoning deaths of Britons David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23.

Mr Montriwat, a brother of Koh Tao subdistrict village chief Voraphan Toovichien, was interrogated for almost three hours. He submitted to a DNA test before he was allowed to leave at 1.50pm.

Mr Voraphan, who also owns AC Bar, arrived at police headquarters shortly after his brother began to talk to police. He too submitted a DNA sample for testing.

Pol Lt Gen Panya said a second suspect, who fled the resort island to Bangkok, will likely be taken into custody soon.

He said both suspects were captured by CCTV cameras and the police have gathered enough evidence to implicate them in the murders.

He said the southern police were coordinating with the metropolitan police to hunt him down, and expected to apprehend him today.

The southern police chief also assured the public that there was no arrest of scapegoats in this murder case as it now is a focal attention of the world.

He also dismissed any suggestion of local mafias or influential people that could twist the investigation with promise that local influence would pose no obstacle to the police investigation.

Instead the police will eliminate all these mafias, he said.

Meanwhile a police source said  the police are also looking into the cooperation of those who helped to arrange the suspect to escape. They also will be arrested.

Montriwat Toovichien, a man seen the CCTV footage in the hours before the double murder, arrives to meet with police Tuesday. THITI WANNAMONTHA

A photo taken by a Scottish tourist of two men suspected by police of involvement in the killing of two British tourists on Koh Tao. Police said the image of the man on the left matches that of a suspect captured by a security camera at the time of the killings, right.

Woraphan Toovichien released as suspect in Koh Tao

KOH TAO – Just one day after the announcement that  Eighth Region Police Command commissioner Pol Lt-Gen Panya Mamen, that police had arrested a suspect in the murder of two British tourists on Koh Tao Island in Thailand, things have taken a bazaar twist.

Pol Lt-Gen Panya Mamen has confirmed that they have released the two prime suspects

Police officials interrogated Woraphan Toovichien, 49, a village headman and owner of AC Bar which is located near the murder scene, and his brother, Montriwat Toovichien, owner of In Touch resort and caretaker of AC Bar.

Both cooperated with the police and they denied they had any connection to the murders.

DNA samples of the two brothers were collecting for testing and were later proved to not match with DNA collected from the scene and the victim’s body.

Pol Lt-Gen Panya Mamen  then stated that the suspects were not arrested but were just in police custody and that more test would be conducted.  They are still hunting for another suspect who is the son of the AC Bar’s owner and was reported to flee into Bangkok.

Montriwat Toovichien is one of the two men that appeared on British musician, Sean McAnna Facebook, claiming that they threatened to hang him if he didn’t confess to the murders of the two Brits.

Sean told The Telegraph News he had to run for his life from the island after he was threatened by local mafias, and posted the picture of two men which he took by his mobile phone.

Sean also said he was among a group of people playing guitar on the beach near the scene.

Mr. Montriwat discredited the Briton’s claim saying in fact on the night of the murder an employee of a spa has told him she helped to wash and clean blood from the face and body of Mr Sean who is  a friend of the murdered David Miller.

He said he asked Mr Sean about  the blood on his face and body and insisted on asking where he was that night.

Police freed both Montriwat and his brother Woraphan after blood and urine test came up negative to DNA collected from the scene.

Police also confirmed no drugs were found in either of the samples provided.

Police have confirmed that Montriwat is the man appeared in the CCTV  video footage near the scene and they still did not rule out a possible connection.

Police questioned why Wiraphan’s  son Warot, 22 quickly disappeared from the island shortly after the murders however he stated that his son was studying at a university in Bangkok  and he was returning to study, not running as the police said.

They are also consulting lawyers to consider legal action for such allegations by the police that they were involved.

However the Khaosod News has reported that Mr. Warot is currently the primary suspect as DNA test results have cleared all others previously detained by police.

Police reportedly collected DNA and footprint samples from more than 160 residents on the island, many of them Burmese migrant workers, in an effort to find a match with the DNA traces found on Ms. Witheridge’s body and a cigarette near the crime scene.

Meanwhile, a police source said it was impossible that people on the island couldn’t have any knowledge of what might have happened on the night of the murder. Police believe that people don’t want to come forward as they do not want to have problems with an influential group.

Udom Tantiprasonchai, an executive with Orient Thai Airways, said he will add Bt500,000 to the bounty placed for arrest of the killers, Senee Puwasettathaworn, president of Koh Samui Tourism Association, said.

This sum will bring the total bounty up to Bt713,000.

Though the murders took place more than a week ago, and police have yet to charge anyone, tourism has not been affected too badly as it is still the low season. Local tourism operators, meanwhile, said they would not put any pressure on police, leaving them to focus on the job at hand.

Yannaphon Larp-Apharat Center hold up Gold Metal

INCHEON – Thailand finally struck its first gold at the Asian Games, and the medal came as a big surprise after kegler Yannaphon Larp-Apharat stole the limelight at the Anyang Hogye Gymnasium in Incheon, South Korea, with an impressive performance in the bowling men’s singles.

More than hundred monks reached China on Monday to present ‘sarira’, a bead-shaped object said to be collected from the cremated ashes of Buddhist masters to country’s oldest Buddhist Temple in central China’s Henan Province.

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HENAN- A ‘sarira’ discovered along Indo-Nepal border between 1896-98 and given to Thailand by the then British government in India will be presented to China by Thai Buddhist monks on Friday.

More than hundred monks reached China on Monday to present ‘sarira’, a bead-shaped object said to be collected from the cremated ashes of Buddhist masters to country’s oldest Buddhist Temple in central China’s Henan Province.

The sarira was discovered by A British archaeologist on the Indo-Nepal border between 1896-98, and was said to belong to Sakyamuni (Lord Buddha), the report quoted a member of the Thai entourage adding India gave it to King Rama V of Thailand in 1898.

The sarira will be placed in a Thai-style garden at the 1,946-year-old Baima Temple in Luyong to celebrate the garden’s recent renovation, state run Xinhua news agency reported.

A grand ceremony to welcome the sarira is to be launched this Friday, when the gift shall be shown to visitors.

The Temple, also known as White Horse Temple, was the first Buddhist temple in China and considered “the cradle of Chinese Buddhism” by most believers.

A 7.2-meter-tall bronze Buddha statue in the hall of the Thai garden was also gifted by Thailand.

The mural, covering 248 square meters, was created by a famous Thai artist to tell the life story of Sakyamuni.

Female gorilla Bua Noi (Little Lotus), about 26 years-old, sits behind the bars and glass-surrounded cage at Pata Zoo, situated on the top floor of a shopping centre in Bangkok

BANGKOK – Officials in Bangkok have agreed to meet activists campaigning for the release of a female gorilla which has been on display in a department store’s zoo since 1987, it’s reported.

The campaign to re-house Bua Noi (Little Lotus) from the zoo on the top two floors of Bangkok’s Pata department store has more than 35,000 signatures and has resulted in the director of the country’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) agreeing to speak to activists about the case, the Bangkok Post reports.

Sinjira Apaitan, who organised the petition, told the paper: “I don’t think animals should be locked up in such unnatural habitat. I hope to help all other animals being held captive in this high-rise zoo as well.” Speaking to Bangkok’s Nation newspaper Sinjira hopes that the zoo, which has been criticised for its cramped conditions in the world’s media for several years, would lose its licence.

At the Pata Zoo the cages are small, concrete and some of the hundreds of animals were clearly suffering mental effects from their confinement. In defence of the attraction, zoo director Kanit Sermsirimongkol tells the Bangkok Post that “Bua Noi is very valuable to our zoo and we would not do anything to harm her in any way.” Activists concede that it is probably too late for Bua Noi to live in the wild, but she could probably be housed in an open zoo instead.

Damien Capper 43-year-old Londoner ran an online business and was an occasional amateur DJ

CHIANG MAI – Friends, colleagues and well wishers have paid tribute to a long time resident, British Expat Damien Capper after he was found dead from a fall in Chiang Mai

The body of Briton Damien Capper was found in a car park behind 103 Condominium in Suthep district on September 14. He was wearing only his underpants, and it is believed that he committed suicide by jumping from his balcony.

The 43-year-old Londoner ran an online business and was an occasional amateur DJ. He had rented a room in the condominium for eight years, a maid told police. She said he had been ill and had recently appeared stressed.

A funeral service attended by Capper’s friends was held at Wat Santitham last week, followed by a wake at the UN Irish Pub in Ratchadamnoen Road. Among those present was former CityNews editor James Austin Farrell, who paid tribute to his kindness and generosity.

“Damian had been here a long time and had a lot of friends around town,” Farrell told CityNews. “He had a good heart, but a heart encumbered by some personal problems that in the end took their toll.

“I had personally been on the receiving end of Damian’s acts of kindness many times. I even wore the shoes he’d given me to his cremation. I can speak for his close friends and say that we hold all the good memories we shared with him. He was a son, brother, uncle, mate, and he left an impression on us all. I hope he’s found harmony – and maybe even a DJ-ing slot.”

Thailand is the world’s biggest rubber producer and exporter with around 90% of its output heading overseas

BANGKOK – Thailand’s Military Leaders are bracing for the country’s biggest public protests since a coup four months ago, as farmers frustrated by falling prices threaten to take to the streets in defiance of martial law.

General Prayuth, the 60-year-old army chief who also took the post of prime minister, told farmers last week that they may have to sell their rubber “on Mars” amid a global glut and urged them not to stage protests or demand hand outs from the government. He has pledged to quicken state spending, promote investment and create jobs to spur economic growth.

“We have suffered with falling prices and lower income for so many years without much help,” Perk Lertwangpong, head of the Rubber Holders Cooperatives Federation of Thailand, said by phone from Chanthaburi province, 245 kilometers (152 miles) southeast of Bangkok. “With prices at this level, we aren’t afraid of martial law. We’ll gather to fight.”

Prayuth’s refusal to support prices risks angering the thousands of farmers who played a pivotal role in toppling the government of Yingluck Shinawatra when they left their farms in the nation’s southern provinces late last year to join protests in Bangkok. More than 10,000 rubber farmers may attempt to cut export supply by shutting down processing plants, after prices fell to the lowest level since 2008, Perk said.

“They indirectly paved the way for the military to take over,” said Ambika Ahuja, a London-based analyst at Eurasia Group. “Now, they feel they did not get any share of power or even an ability to negotiate with the current regime.”

Rural Voters

While agriculture accounts for about 8 percent of Thailand’s gross domestic product, rural residents make up almost 87 percent of Thailand’s 67 million population. Yingluck won a parliamentary majority in 2011 after pledging to buy rice directly from farmers to lift rural incomes.

Prayuth has said he was forced to seize power to avoid violent clashes between supporters of Yingluck and opponents who accused her of corruption and buying the support of rural voters with economically damaging subsidies.

Yingluck’s government spent about 900 billion baht ($28 billion) buying rice and rubber at above-market rates, a strategy that was also used by her brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, before he was ousted as prime minister by the military in 2006. The opposition Democrat Party, which took power through a parliamentary vote after the 2006 coup, gave about 115 billion baht to rice farmers in the two years before Yingluck’s election victory.

‘On Mars’

A day after seizing power on May 22, Prayuth pledged to pay 800,000 rice farmers about 92 billion baht owed under the previous government’s program. He’s since ruled out further direct crop subsidies, and rejected demands to guarantee rubber prices at 100 baht per kilogram.

“Who on Earth can we sell it to?,” he said in a policy speech Sept. 15. “We have lots of supply in the country and plantations keep expanding. We might have to sell it on Mars, because there isn’t enough demand in the world.”

Export prices of Thai rubber have dropped 39 percent this year to 51 baht per kilogram, the lowest level since December 2008. Prices, which have tumbled 74 percent from a record in 2011, have fallen for three straight years as production expanded, adding to a global glut. Thailand is the world’s largest producer and exporter, accounting for about 34 percent of global output, according to rubber industry data.

Bangkok Blockade

Yingluck’s government tried to resist similar demands last August. Perk was among the more than 12,000 rubber farmers who responded by blocking roads and railways for two weeks, stranding thousands of passengers and disrupting traffic in the southern provinces that account for 71 percent of the nation’s rubber output.

In the months that followed, thousands of rural families from southern Thailand joined protests in Bangkok, helping to blockade parts of the capital as part of an anti-government group’s push to force Yingluck to resign and encourage the army to stage a coup.

Thailand’s south has historically been the political stronghold of the Democrat Party, which was in opposition to Yingluck’s government and backed the street protests calling for her ouster. Yingluck’s policies were often aimed at rice farmers in the more populous north and northeast, home to the supporters who powered the political machine created by her brother Thaksin.

While Prayuth has said an election can’t be held until late next year at the earliest, alienating rural voters will increase the likelihood that parties linked to Yingluck and Thaksin will return to power, Eurasia Group’s Ambika said.

‘Biggest Test’

“This government is now facing its biggest test: how to keep everyone, whose support they need to successfully reconfigure the political landscape, happy,” she said. “The government is not going to like what they have to do, but populism is going to be unavoidable to some extent.”

Thailand avoided a technical recession last quarter after GDP grew 0.9 percent from the previous three months when it shrank 1.9 percent.

Prayuth’s government, which has 12 military officers in the 32-member cabinet, has vowed to increase economic stimulus, restore fiscal discipline, provide loans to farmers and implement long-term measures to help them cut costs and increase productivity.

His government has no need to use populist policies because it doesn’t need to pander to voters, he said last week. Officials will hold further talks with farmers to “create understanding,” he said yesterday.

Surplus Rubber

The government will encourage farmers to cut down trees to trim production and use stockpiled rubber for road and flood-prevention projects to run down its surplus, Petipong Puengbun Na Ayudhya, minister of agriculture, said last week.

The National Rubber Policy Committee last week approved a budget of 30 billion baht to provide low-interest loans to farmer cooperatives and companies to buy rubber and increase processing. The government will also help defray production costs, a policy borrowed from Yingluck’s administration.

Output from the country may drop as much as 30 percent because of falling prices, fewer tapping days, labor shortages and heavy rains disrupting plantation work, said Perk, adding that farmers will meet on Oct. 8 to discuss the planned protest.

Provincial officials have been assigned to hold talks with farmers, and will urge them not to stage a protest in Bangkok, government spokesman Yongyuth Mayalarp said yesterday.

“Populist policies, we have to forget about it,” as they’re not sustainable, Finance Minister Sommai Phasee said in an interview last week. “But we still have to spend money, especially for the farmers. We can’t ignore farmers. But the mechanism is something else that we have to be careful. We have to come up with a very effective one.”

Asia accounts for about 90 percent of the world’s natural rubber output. The tyre-making industry makes up about 60 percent of global rubber consumption, with the commodity also used to make gloves and condoms. (1 US dollar = 32.1900 Thai baht)

By – Suttinee Yuvejwattana and Supunnabul Suwannakij in Bangkok

The five are Francis Xavier Arulappan, 35, Mageswaran Balakrishnan, 23, Velanraj Vallanrasen, 22, Gunalan Kumaresan, 25, and Kartik  Sinansamy, 25. (photo by Apichart Jinakul)

BANGKOK – The Criminal Court in Bangkok has sentenced five Malaysian men to more than 500 years in prison each for using fake credit cards to pay for goods and withdraw cash throughout Thailand.

The five sentenced were Francis Xavier Arulappan, 35, Mageswaran Balakrishnan, 23, Velanraj Vallanrasen, 22, Gunalan Kumaresan, 25, and Kartik  Sinansamy, 25.

Public prosecutors filed the case with the court on July 21 this year.

The five Malaysians used computerized equipment to make 705 fake credit cards from April 2 to April 26, 2009.

The fake cards were linked to real credit card accounts with commercial banks in countries such as France, Italy, Canada and Denmark.

The thieves used the fake cards 142 times in many provinces, including Krabi, Trang and Songkhla, to withdraw a total of 500,000 baht in cash. Crime Suppression Division police arrested the five men in April this year.

The Criminal Court sentenced each of the five to a total 568 years in jail (four years for each of the 142 offenses). Their confessions convinced the court to halve their jail terms to 284 years.

The court finally capped their imprisonment period at 50 years in accordance with Thai law. It also ordered that they repay the 500,000 baht to the damaged banks.

Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday vowed to tackle influential rackets and illegitimate businesses on the tourist island

 BANGKOK – In the wake of the murder of two British citizens on Koh Tao, off Surat Thani coast, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday vowed to tackle influential rackets and illegitimate businesses on the tourist island, and pledged to punish soldiers or police patronizing these people or their activities.

A fact-finding probe is needed to identify those involved but assigning soldiers to spearhead the crackdown would have been deemed a bit draconian, he said. However, this is the right time to launch the crackdown, as military personnel had been deployed on the island to assist the police in probing the murder, he added.

The Interior Ministry yesterday ordered provincial authorities across the country to work out urgent measures to ensure extra safety for tourists, including surveillance at tourist sites during the risky hours, setting up of road checkpoints and monitoring of people involved in suspicious activities.

The measures and the surveillance will be conducted jointly by the police, soldiers and civilian authorities, Interior permanent secretary Wibool Sa-ngaunphong said. Long-term measures would involve the installation of more surveillance cameras and lights in vulnerable areas.

Meanwhile, a man who had allegedly left the island on September 14 morning after the double murders, spoke to Kom Chad Luek daily yesterday and pleaded his innocence. “I am not afraid [of being implicated], as I have done nothing wrong,” said the unnamed man, 22, who is said to be a son of a village head and owner of a resort where the victims were seen drinking until late at night before they were found killed at Chor Por Ror beach at dawn.

Suspect ‘Not on the Run’

The man was identified yesterday in media reports as Warot Toowichien, a son of AC Resort owner and former village headman Worraphan who has been cleared by the police. Warot came under the scrutiny of police, because he had allegedly left Koh Tao on the morning of the double murder.

Speaking to the Thai-language newspaper yesterday, Warot denied that he was on the run, but was in Bangkok – where he studied at a university – on Sunday when the crime took place.

“I have witnesses – university friends and lecturers who saw me at the apartment where I reside. They include the apartment residents. They are all ready to testify to help me. Also there is surveillance camera footage showing me staying at the university and the apartment,” he added.

He added that he “could not comprehend” why his father had been interviewed and initially suspected by the |police, despite his cooperation and even assistance in providing police with leads and tip-offs.

Police have collected DNA samples from 300 Thai, foreign and immigrant men based on the island in an effort to match theirs with either semen found on the female victim’s bodies, or other evidence found on the murder weapon or at the crime scene.

Deputy national police chief Pol General Somyot Poompanmoung said Worra-phan and the other man, owner of Intouch Pub, were interviewed and had never been apprehended as suspects. He said police investigation into the murder had been plagued by rumours and unauthorised information spread on the social media.

He asked reporters to follow up progress into the investigation or seek interviews with Police Region 8 chief Pol Lt-General Panya Mamen, as the area commander directly supervised the police’s work. Somyot added that there were certainly no influential figures on Koh Tao, as residents and business owners had been helpful in the police investigation.

The baggage allowance will be increased by 10 kilogrammes

THAI executive vice president Suraphon Israngura na Ayuthya said the increase in baggage allowance was aimed at increasing the competitiveness of the flag carrier and at raising the service standard of the airline.

The baggage allowance will be increased by 10 kilogrammes for first class, business class and economy class from earlier 40-30-20 to 50-40-30 respectively.

Passengers with Royal Orchid Plus gold and platinum status will get additional weight in accordance with their membership status, he said.

Pol.Maj.Gen. Panya Mamen, commander of 8th Region Provincial Police, said yesterday that the investigation has been hampered by foreign media coverage

KOH TAO – Thai police are now accusing foreign journalists and social media users of muddling their ongoing investigation into the murder of two British tourists on Koh Tao Island last week.

The Thai police have come under fire in recent days for providing contradictory statements to the press during their effort to find suspects responsible for the murders of David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, whose battered bodies were found on a beach on Koh Tao island ten days ago. Police have yet to name an official suspect.

But Pol.Maj.Gen. Panya Mamen, commander of 8th Region Provincial Police, said yesterday that the investigation has been hampered by foreign media coverage. He referred specifically to a story picked up by the British press about Sean McAnna, a Scottish backpacker who said he was threatened by two “mafia” on the island earlier this week.

According to Pol.Maj.Gen. Panya, police found no substance behind Mr. McAnna’s accusation.

“The officers shouldn’t have believed the foreign press. The time in the investigation was wasted,” Pol.Maj.Gen. Panya said.

Meanwhile, chief of the Royal Thai Police, Pol.Gen. Somyot Pumphanmuang blamed the confusion surrounding the murder investigation on social media.

“Police had to waste their time following leads from these rumours,” Pol.Gen. Somyot told reporters yesterday.

He also cited the case of Mr. McAnna and insisted that his claim was unfounded, as one of the two men who allegedly intimidated him already “showed his innocence” yesterday. The two Thai men, who run the bar where Mr. Miller and Ms. Witheridge were last seen, are no longer being treated as suspects in the case, Pol.Gen. Somyot added.

Pol.Gen. Somyot also blasted the media for reporting that a primary suspect was thought to be in Bangkok after fleeing the island in the wake of the murders. According to Pol.Gen. Somyot, the police never sought a suspect in Bangkok, despite earlier comments from Koh Tao police officers that clearly stated otherwise.

The suspect, Warot Tuwichian, 22, has been cleared of any connection to the murder, police say.

“I am not feeling pressured by the foreign media, but I am not being negligent neither,” Pol.Gen. Somyot said. “I don’t want to talk about [the investigation] to the press right now, lest my statements contradict with the officers in charge of the investigation.”

Junta leader and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha also weighed in on the ongoing investigation by telling the press today to “show some respect” to the police.

“You say police are incompetent. I ask: will they have enough morale to work? What about other cases? Just because of this one case, should the entire police force be damaged, too?” Gen. Prayuth said to reporters at the Government House today. “Of course not. Therefore, whenever you talk, you must give some respect and dignity to the officers. There are good officers and there are bad officers.”

He added, “You’ve been insulting them since the first day. If Thais are insulting Thais, what can they ever hope to achieve?”

Gen. Prayuth asked the press to refrain from “reproducing” the negative views displayed by foreign media about the investigation. “The nation is damaged. We should fix our mistakes. If we don’t fix it, who will help us fix it? Will TIME help us fix it?”

Gen. Prayuth appeared to be referring to a recent article published in TIME titled “What the Murder of Two British Tourists Tells Us About Thailand’s Dark Side.”

When a reporter said the foreign media merely wanted to guide the police investigation in the right direction, Gen. Prayuth responded angrily, “TIME should send their people here to guide us,” he said. “You like to accept other people’s power, I don’t understand. Go ahead. If there’s any information, they should find it and send it to us officially.” –  Khaosod

La Namu, works as a waiter in Chiang Mai, Thailand. (PHOTO: Chaipin Khattiya)

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CHIANG MAI – He didn’t get rich, but a waiter from Burma can at least rest easy knowing he did the honest thing when he returned a bag containing one million baht (US$33,000) to customers at his Chiang Mai restaurant.

La Namu, nicknamed Sairin by his Thai co-workers, was clearing a table at Phet Doi Ngam restaurant in Muang district on Tuesday when he found a brown leather bag left by an elderly Thai couple, Khao Sod Online reported on Wednesday.

La Namu said he grabbed the bag and tried to run after the couple’s car to alert them, but failed to catch up. He said he didn’t open the bag, but believed it must have contained money and valuables, as it was quite heavy.

The waiter then gave the bag to restaurant owner Kaesarapan Petchsri, who opened it to search for the owner’s contact information. But all she found were stacks of banknotes worth more than one million baht.

Kaesarapan said the couple returned to the restaurant shortly after, looking panicked. But they were very happy after getting their money back.

The customers counted the cash and agreed it was all there. They then gave the young waiter a wai [a traditional Thai greeting] to thank him for his honesty.

In gratitude for returning much more than what many Burmese nationals can hope to earn in about five years, the wealthy couple only gave him 1,000 baht, or one-tenth of 1 percent of the sum returned.

Kaesarapan said the couple thanked the restaurant and rushed out, leaving her no time to ask for their names. They only told her they were businesspeople from Bangkok?

Thai Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha

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BANGKOK – Thai Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha has criticized Thai television soap operas for promoting violence and divisions in society, and said he would write them himself if he had to.

“I have ordered that scripts be written, including plays on reconciliation, on tourism and on Thai culture”, he told reporters on Friday.

“They are writing plots at the moment and if they can’t finish it I will write it myself”, he said of a team of government-appointed writers.

The military government has ruled unchallenged since taking over and has cracked down on pro-democracy dissidents and supporters of the ousted government of Yingluck Shinawatra.

It has even warned academics that debate that might “cause misunderstanding” would not be tolerated.

Prayuth slammed hugely popular television soap operas which he said encouraged violence rather than peace.

“In our country, television dramas make people fight and they create divisions so we have much improvement to make in this area”, he said.

“I have ordered that scripts be written,” he said. “One plot will be two foreign families come to visit Thailand, they meet each other and come to love each other.”

It is not the first time Prayuth has shown an interest in the arts.

The straight-talking general also penned lyrics to a patriotic ballad – “Return Happiness to Thailand” – which is played by radio and television stations around the country.

Prayuth, who is also army chief, staged a coup on May 22, overthrowing an elected government after six months of at times violent anti-government protests.

Reporting by Pracha Hariraksapitak; Writing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre