AirAsia Jet Turns Back In Thailand Due To 'Irregularity'

BANGKOK: -- An AirAsia flight bound for northeast Thailand turned back to the capital Bangkok shortly after takeoff Tuesday when pilots detected an "irregularity" in the storage compartment, airline officials said.

 

The news comes as search teams  detected debris in the sea from an AirAsia jet that vanished in a storm Sunday en route from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore with 162 people aboard.

 

A body was also sighted.

 

AirAsia Flight FD3254 returned to Bangkok's Don Mueang International Airport soon after departing for Khon Kaen at 11.10 am (0410 GMT). 

 

It was allowed to resume service after engineers ruled out any technical problems.

 

"After departure from Don Mueang, the pilots detected a minor irregularity in the storage area, thus in the interest of safety the flight returned to land at Don Mueang Airport for a detailed inspection," said Thai AirAsia in a statement.

 

"Engineers did not discover any issues compromising the safety of flight FD3254," it said.

 

No passengers cancelled their flights and the plane arrived at its destination an hour behind schedule, officials said.

 

An AirAsia spokesman at Don Mueang Airport said the pilots turned back after "hearing some noise in the luggage compartment". He could not confirm the reason for the noise.

Chinese Passenger Helps Sick Thai Air Steward On Flight To Bangkok

BANGKOK  :  After the infamous noodle attack on an AirAsia flight tarnished the image of Chinese travelers, one Chinese passenger has finally stepped up and restored a bit of China’s reputation over Christmas.

A retired traditional Chinese medicine practitioner came to the aid of a Thai flight attendant on an Orient Thai Airlines flight and her heroic actions have not yet received the praise they deserve.

Qu Yan reportedly rose from her seat as the captain of flight OX618, flying from Nanning to Bangkok on Christmas Day, announced that a male flight attendant was suffering from an abdomen colic and needed immediate help.

Qu Yan said she was a practitioner with 40 years of experience, she then proceeded to lie the man on the ground and check his pulse.

Indonesia: Bodies Found Near Site Where Plane Disappeared

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian officials on Tuesday spotted six bodies from the AirAsia flight that disappeared two days earlier, and recovered three of them, in a painful end to the aviation mystery off the coast of Borneo island.

The bodies were found in Java Sea waters about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Flight 8501's last communications with air-traffic control. The plane with 162 people on board disappeared Sunday on its way from Surabaya, Indonesia to Singapore after encountering storm clouds.

The three recovered bodies, swollen but intact, were brought to an Indonesian navy ship, National Search and Rescue Director SB Supriyadi told reporters in the nearest town, Pangkalan Bun. The corpses did not have life jackets on.

Images on Indonesian television showed a half-naked bloated body bobbing in the sea. Search and rescue teams were lowered on ropes from a hovering helicopter to retrieve corpses.

As family members of the plane's passengers sat together in a waiting room at the Surabaya airport, they watched the graphic details on television. Many screamed and wailed uncontrollably, breaking down into tears while they squeezed each other. One middle-aged man collapsed and was rushed from the room on a stretcher.

The discovery came after several pieces of red, white and black debris were spotted in the Java Sea near Borneo island.

Debris Is From AirAsia Plane': Indonesian Civil Aviation Chief

JAKARTA: -- Debris spotted Tuesday during an aerial search for AirAsia flight QZ8501 is from the missing plane, Indonesia's director general of civil aviation told AFP.

"For the time being it can be confirmed that it’s the AirAsia plane and the transport minister will depart soon to Pangkalan Bun," Djoko Murjatmodjo said.

"Based on the observation by search and rescue personnel, significant things have been found such as a passenger door and cargo door. It’s in the sea, 100 miles (160 kilometres) southwest of Pangkalan Bun," he said, referring to the town in Central Kalimantan, on the island of Borneo.

Indonesian aerial searchers earlier Tuesday spotted items resembling an emergency slide and plane door in the sea as they hunted for traces of the AirAsia plane which disappeared Sunday in a storm over the Java Sea with 162 people on board.

Earlier, Indonesian officials said items resembling an emergency slide, plane door and other objects were spotted during an aerial search Tuesday for missing AirAsia flight 8501.

"We spotted about 10 big objects and many more small white-coloured objects which we could not photograph," Indonesian air force official Agus Dwi Putranto told a press conference.

"The position is 10 kilometres (six miles) from the location the plane was last captured by radar," he said.

He displayed 10 photos of objects resembling a plane door, emergency slide, and a square box-like object.

An AFP photographer on the same flight that spotted the debris said he had seen objects in the sea resembling a life raft, life jackets and long orange tubes.

Objects Found In Sea Linked To Lost Jet

SURABAYA, Indonesia (AP) — An Indonesian helicopter saw two oily spots in the search area for the missing AirAsia jetliner Monday, and an Australian search plane spotted objects hundreds of miles away, but it was too early to know whether either was connected to the aircraft and its 162 passengers and crew.

In any case, officials saw little reason to believe AirAsia Flight 8501 met anything but a grim fate after it disappeared from radar Sunday morning over the Java Sea.

"Based on the coordinates that we know, the evaluation would be that any estimated crash position is in the sea, and that the hypothesis is the plane is at the bottom of the sea," Indonesia search and rescue chief Henry Bambang Soelistyo said.

The Airbus A320-200 vanished Sunday morning in airspace thick with storm clouds on its way from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore.

After the search expanded Monday, Jakarta's Air Force base commander Rear Marshal Dwi Putranto said an Australian Orion aircraft had detected "suspicious" objects near Nangka island, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) southwest of Pangkalan Bun, near central Kalimantan, or 700 miles (1,120 kilometers) from the location where the plane lost contact.

"However, we cannot be sure whether it is part of the missing AirAsia plane," Putranto said. "We are now moving in that direction, which is in cloudy conditions."

Air Force spokesman Rear Marshal Hadi Tjahnanto told MetroTV that an Indonesian helicopter spotted two oily spots in the Java Sea east of Belitung island. Unlike the Australian discovery, the oily spots were within the search area, which stretches 60 kilometers (37 miles) around the point where air-traffic controllers lost contact with the plane.

The last communication from the cockpit to air traffic control was a request by one of the pilots to increase altitude from 32,000 feet (9,754 meters) to 38,000 feet (11,582 meters) because of the rough weather. Air traffic control was not able to immediately grant the request because another plane was in airspace at 34,000 feet, said Bambang Tjahjono, director of the state-owned company in charge of air-traffic control.

By the time clearance could be given, Flight 8501 had disappeared, Tjahjono said. The twin-engine, single-aisle plane, which never sent a distress signal, was last seen on radar four minutes after the last communication from the cockpit.

First Adm. Sigit Setiayana, the Naval Aviation Center commander at the Surabaya air force base, said 12 navy ships, five planes, three helicopters and a number of warships were taking part in the search, along with ships and planes from Singapore and Malaysia. The Australian Air Force also sent a search plane.

Searchers had to cope with heavy rain Sunday, but Setiayana said Monday that visibility was good. "God willing, we can find it soon," he told The Associated Press.

The plane's disappearance and suspected crash caps an astonishingly tragic year for air travel in Southeast Asia, and Malaysia in particular. Malaysia-based AirAsia's loss comes on top of the still-unexplained disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in March with 239 people aboard, and the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in July over Ukraine, which killed all 298 passengers and crew.

"Until today, we have never lost a life," AirAsia group CEO Tony Fernandes, who founded the low-cost carrier in 2001, told reporters in Jakarta airport. "But I think that any airline CEO who says he can guarantee that his airline is 100 percent safe, is not accurate."

Nearly all the passengers and crew are Indonesians, who are frequent visitors to Singapore, particularly on holidays.

Flight 8501 took off Sunday morning from Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city, and was about halfway to Singapore when it vanished from radar. The jet had been airborne for about 42 minutes.

Sunardi, a forecaster at Indonesia's Meteorology and Geophysics Agency, said dense storm clouds were detected up to 13,400 meters (44,000 feet) in the area at the time.

"There could have been turbulence, lightning and vertical as well as horizontal strong winds within such clouds," said Sunardi, who like many Indonesians uses only one name.

The plane had an Indonesian captain, Iryanto, who uses one name, and a French co-pilot, five cabin crew members and 155 passengers, including 16 children and one infant, the airline said in a statement. Among the passengers were three South Koreans, a Malaysian, a British national and his 2-year-old Singaporean daughter. The rest were Indonesians.

AirAsia said the captain had more than 20,000 flying hours, of which 6,100 were with AirAsia on the Airbus 320. The first officer had 2,275 flying hours.

"Papa, come home, I still need you," Angela Anggi Ranastianis, the captain's 22-year-old daughter pleaded on her Path page late Sunday, which was widely quoted by Indonesian media. "Bring back my papa. Papa, please come home."

At Iryanto's house in the East Java town of Sidoarjo, neighbors, relatives and friends gathered Monday to pray and recite the Quran to support the distraught family. Their desperate cries were so loud, they could sometimes be heard outside where three LCD televisions had been set up to monitor search developments.

"He is a good man. That's why people here appointed him as our neighborhood chief for the last two years," said Bagianto Djoyonegoro, a friend and neighbor.

Many recalled him as an experienced Air Force pilot who flew F-16 fighter jets before becoming a commercial airline pilot.

The missing aircraft was delivered to AirAsia in October 2008, and the plane had accumulated about 23,000 flight hours during some 13,600 flights, Airbus said in a statement.

The aircraft had last undergone scheduled maintenance on Nov. 16, according to AirAsia.

The airline has dominated budget travel in Southeast Asia for years, highlighting its low fares with the slogan, "Now everyone can fly." It flies short routes of just a few hours, connecting the region's large cities. Recently, it has tried to expand into long-distance flying through sister airline AirAsia X.

The A320 family of jets, which includes the A319 and A321, has a good safety record, with just 0.14 fatal accidents per million takeoffs, according to a safety study published by Boeing in August.

AirAsia Flight QZ8501 From Indonesia To Singapore Missing

 JAKARTA (Reuters) - An AirAsia flight from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore lost contact with air traffic control on Sunday, Indonesian media said, citing a Transport Ministry official.

Transport Ministry official Hadi Mustofa said the aircraft, flight number QZ 8501, lost contact with the Jakarta air traffic control tower at 6:17 a.m local time. (2317 GMT).

The Airbus 320-200 had 155 passengers and crew on board, another Indonesian Transport official said.

Mustofa said the plane had asked for an unusual route before it lost contact.

The flight had been due in Singapore at 8:30 a.m. Singapore time (0030 GMT). The Singapore airport said on its website the status of the flight was "delayed".

QZ 8501 took off from Surabaya at 5.20 am local time on Sunday and was scheduled to land at Changi Airport at 8.30 am, according to Metro TV.

Transport Ministry official Hadi Mustofa told Indonesian media that the aircraft lost contact with the Jakarta air traffic control tower at 6.17 am local time. 

He said the plane had asked for an unusual route before it lost contact, Reuters reported. 

There are reportedly 162 people on board.

Suspected Skimmer Gang Members Arrested In Phuket

PHUKET :  Two Belarussians were arrested in Rawai area yesterday (December 25) after allegedly stealing B100,000 from local ATM machines.

Today (December 26) Phuket Police Chief Maj Gen Pachara Boonyasit announced the arrest of the two men, Mikalai Romankou and Siarhei Bandarkou, both 35, who, he said, used phony ATM cards to make illegal cash withdrawals from many different ATM machines in Rawai.

The arrests came after Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) reported that it suspected the two men of using cloned cards to raid other people’s bank accounts.

An SCB representative said that bank records showed the suspects making a cash withdrawal from one ATM machine. They then took the cash to a Western Union desk where they had it cabled to an account in Belarus.

Police arrested the suspects yesterday at 5:30pm in the parking lot of the Rawai Beach Hotel. They seized eight fake ATM cards giving access to private bank accounts in Belarus.

Gen Pachara said that both suspects are already wanted in Bangkok for stealing B1 million in the same fashion.

The two men said they found the eight ATM cards in the toilets at Phuket International Airport, each with the PIN number written on the back. They decided to try them see if they worked.

The duo now face charges of fraud and possession of fake cards for criminal purposes.

If found guilty they face jail sentences of one to 10 years, and possibly also fines of up to B200,000.

An SCB spokesperson told The Phuket News that, as a precaution, all ATM cards for accounts in its branches in Rawai have been suspended. Account holders should take their cards, along with ID cards or passports, to any SCB branch to receive replacement cards.

She noted that the Rawai branches have now run out of replacement cards, but new ones can be obtained from any branch of the bank. The nearest to Rawai is at Chalong Circle.

Former CIB Chief And Five Officers Sacked

BANGKOK : Former commissioner of Central Investigation Bureau Pol Lt-Gen Pongpat Chayapan and his five subordinates were too sacked from the police service retroactively until November 23.
 
Pol Gen Somyot Poompunmuang, the national police chief, signed an order expelling Pol Lt-Gen Pongpat, Pol Maj-Gen Kowit Wongrungroj, Pol Maj-Gen Boonsueb Praithoen, Pol Col Wutthichart Luensukhan, Pol Actin Sub-Lt Surasak Chan-ngao and Pol Acting Sub-Lt Chattarin Laothong from police service.

The six police officers were suspended from duty on November 23 after they were charged with lese majeste, taking bribes and other criminal offences.

The expulsion order was a followup of a screening committee’s ruling that they deserved to be sacked.

Guilty Verdict On Spaniard Ignores Police

PHNOM PENH : A judge at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court convicted a Spanish national of intentional murder on Wednesday and sentenced him to 10 years in jail, despite the court prosecutor and police having argued during the trial that the “victim” had not, in fact, been murdered, The Phnom Penh Post reported. 

 

Ricardo Blundell Perez, 40, was arrested on August 11 last year after police found the decomposing body of his British friend, John Peter Connell, at his rental house in Phnom Penh’s Daun Penh district.

Connell died on July 17 of a drug overdose and was not murdered, Police Lieutenant Loeuk Um, who examined the body, told the court during a hearing on November 28.

Perez claims he found Connell dead in his living room after leaving him at his home for a few hours following a drinking session.

He admits to having hid the body for weeks in his apartment but said this was because he was scared of being either charged with murder or arrested for illegally living in Cambodia if he reported the body.

At the conclusion of the trial, deputy court prosecutor Um Sopheak had appealed to the judge to change the charge to “hiding a body”, because he did not believe murder had been committed.

The Post reported on November 29 that the murder charge had been dropped, but Sopheak explained yesterday that the judge had actually not heeded his advice.

Yesterday, judge Chuon Soreasy convicted Perez of intentional murder and sentenced him to 10 years in prison.  Perez said he would appeal the verdict next week.

Illegal Resettlements Along Laos-Vietnam Border Discussed

Laos-Vietnam Border Committees have been having discussions regarding illegal resettlements of Vietnamese people along Laos-Vietnam common borders to build peace border.

 

The committee has agreed to improve the coordination, management, and responsibility of each sector.

The meeting on Dec 15-16 was chaired by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Saluemxai Kommasith who is also the President of the Laos-Vietnam Borders Committee in the presence of 10 Deputy Governors living along the Laos-Vietnamese common border.

At the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, who is also Minister of Foreign Affairs, stressed that all sectors concerned focus attention on resolving the illegal resettlement issue according to the latest agreement between the two governments to ensure the preservation of peace along the border line between the two countries.

All sectors should also create laws and provide a relevant document campaign for the understanding of local people living along borders as well as reaffirming the role of border soldiers and police.

The meeting highlighted the great contributions of all sectors to maintaining security, peace, and sustainable development along the border between Laos and Vietnam.

Indonesia’s Migrant Authority Seeks To Go Home

JAKARTA : The head of Indonesia’s migrant worker authority says he is seeking to repatriate as many as 1.8 million Indonesians who are stuck abroad without work permits, The Jakarta Globe reported.

Nusron Wahid, the head of the Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers, commonly known as BNP2TKI, said related expenses would be covered using the state budget, although he did not elaborate how much it was likely cost.

“There will be a discussion on bringing back 1.8 million illegal migrant workers who do not have a work contract, and we will use the state budget to do it,” Nusron said in Jakarta on Wednesday.

He added the discussion would involve several ministries and cover technical details of the planned repatriation, including legal issues in countries where the undocumented Indonesians worked.

Nusron said a total of 6.2 million Indonesians were working overseas, consisting of nearly 4.4 million documented workers in addition to the undocumented ones.

The International Labor Organization, though, estimates that the number of Indonesians working overseas is at least double the documented figure.

The former lawmaker said most of those without work permits were currently employed in Malaysia, amounting to some 1.2 million workers — most of whom worked for the construction sector or on palm oil plantations. 

The rest are scattered in the Middle East, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Thirty-nine Indonesian domestic workers are on death row in Saudi Arabia.

Cops Nab Suspected Militant At KLIA

KUALA LUMPUR : Just as the hostage crisis in Australia ended, Malaysian police on Wednesday arrested a 30-year-old former National Service trainer linked to the Islamic State terror group, according to The Star Online.

Sources revealed that the man, who hailed from Terengganu, was tasked by a local militant group to open a new safe passage for Malaysian fighters to head to Syria.

“The authorities believe that this suspect wanted to use one of the countries in South-East Asia as a transit point for Malaysian militants before going to Syria.

This move is seen as a new way to evade detection given a spate of arrests of militants this year,” a source said.

After careful surveillance, Bukit Aman Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division personnel were waiting at KL International Airport for the suspect and detained him at about 5.30am yesterday.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said the suspect had planned to board a plane to Turkey.  “The suspect then intended to book a passage to Syria from Turkey. We believe he was on his way to join the IS terror group,” he said.

Commending Counter Terrorism personnel for their success, the IGP said Bukit Aman would always remain vigilant against any possible threat to the country

Koh Tao suspects innocent, says govt investigation Team

MYANMAR : A team formed by the Myanmar government to investigate the Koh Tao case has announced that it is confident the two Burmese nationals accused of the double murder are innocent of the crime, The Irrawaddy reported.

 

Three members of a special support team operating out of the Myanmar embassy in Thailand told a press conference on Thursday that Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, both 21, would be exonerated of the September murder of British tourists Hannah Witheridge and David Miller in Koh Tao, but it will take time, money and effort for the truth to be fully revealed.

“However the Thai judiciary decides on the case, it is our belief that these two kids did not commit the crime,” said Htoo Chit, a spokesman for the investigation. “According to what we know and eyewitness information we have gathered, we believe they are innocent.”

As a longtime migrant rights activist and executive director of the Foundation for Education and Development, Htoo Chit said that the case against the pair had important ramifications for migrant workers in Thailand from across the region.

“This case is not only about Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun,” he said. “This is also about protecting the rights of millions of migrants from Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar who came to work in Thailand due to economic hardship.”

Aung Myo Thant, a lawyer who is part of the embassy’s special support team for the defendants, told the press conference that the translator used during the police interrogation of the suspects falsely claimed to be a representative of the embassy, and told the suspects that they would be subject to a lighter penalty if they admitted their guilt.

Senior Metropolitan Police Officers Facing Charges On Street LED Ads

BANGKOK : More than 70 senior metropolitan police officers are facing questioning after they were accused of allowing private companies to install LED advertising boards on state property with no authorisation and reap  earnings for personal gains.

 

Certain members of the metropolitan police force are facing possible criminal charges for allowing advertising signs to be set-up onto traffic police booths at intersections.

According to  Metropolitan Police Bureau commissioner Pol  Lt-Gen  Srivara Ramsibrahmakul, Commissioner, such offences are punishable crimes and disciplinary committees have been established to investigate any officers implicated in this latest scandal.

Another investigation is being launched against police officers for allowing companies to set-up large LED screens at intersections atop police booths for advertising purposes.

The commissioner said some of these LED screens have been up and running for at least two years now and any officers implicated in authorising them may be charged with criminal offence.

He made clear that such acts are deemed as attempts to earn income through unauthorized means and has ordered each police division   to set up disciplinary committees to investigate these offences within each district.

Anyone found guilty of accepting payment for setting these LED screens up will be charged with criminal offences as authorization of such elements needs to officially obtained from the Metropolitan Police Bureau.

He said the correct procedures for setting up any commercial screens or public signage requires authorization from the Treasury Department as well as the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA).

Advertising companies have been making substantial income from setting up LED screens for commercial purposes from what is considered state properties for years now without obtaining any official licensing and are not even in line with city regulations.

According to the National Anti Corruption Commission (NACC), this is in offence of Article  157 of the Criminal Act which describes this as misuse and/or misconduct of authority of a civil servant.

 This crime is also chargeable under the Anti Corruption Act’s Article 123 where civil servants are prohibited from reaping inappropriate rewards/benefits for personal gain,

“It is absolutely against the law to reap personal benefits from state property and public property. 

This is considered a form of corruption, the commissioner stated.

Although the disciplinary investigation is still being finalized, it is estimated that about 70 high ranking officers from the Superintendent level upward have been implicated in these corruption charges. 

Some of the charges that are being brought against officers include gross negligence for allowing over 40 LED screens in districts that include Huay Kwang, Dindaeng, Thonglor, Phayathai and Tharua. 

The investigation has revealed that advertising companies approached these precincts directly offering revenue between 5,000 baht to 10,000 baht per month for each screen.

The commissioner added that the investigation was launched as far back as two months ago and that the objective of this current initiative was not to target or move any officers in particular.

He also denied accusations that the investigation was to replace offenders with his own people.

White House Views Attack As Security Issue

WASHINGTON: -- A cyber attack on Sony Pictures that forced the cancellation of a major film release is being seen as a serious national security matter, the US says.

A White House spokesman said the US believed the hacking was the work of a "sophisticated actor" - but refused to confirm if North Korea was responsible.

Sony withdrew The Interview, a new comedy film about North Korea's leader, after threats from hackers.

Hackers have already released sensitive information stored on Sony computers.

They later issued a warning to members of the public planning to see The Interview.

Referring to the 11 September 2001 terror attacks, they said "the world will be full of fear" if the film was screened.

Many cinemas scrapped plans to show the film, and Sony then cancelled the release of the film altogether - moves criticised in Hollywood as an attack on the freedom of expression.

Chinese Passenger Opens Emergency Exit 'To Get Some Fresh Air

HONG KONG:  An airline passenger on board an internal flight in China sparked a safety scare by yanking open an emergency exit just before a plane was due to take off to "get some fresh air", according to reports.

The passenger, on board the Xiamen Air flight from Hangzhou to Chengdu, caused amazed fellow travellers to take a series of snaps on their mobile phones, which were later posted on social media.

The airline’s maintenance team rushed to fix the safety door and the flight took off on time, Hangzhou airport staff told the Southern Metropolis Daily.

Passengers' photos showed the middle-aged man wearing a blue hooded coat - a first-time flier - poke his head out of the open door, as a stewaress looked on.

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“It’s my first time seeing a passenger open the safety door,” one photo circulated online was captioned. “He told the attendants he just wanted some fresh air … hope our flight won’t be delayed for too long.”

Sunday’s flight saga triggered heated debate on social media, with many microbloggers saying the man should have been fined for posing a safety risk to other passengers.

But the airline said it did not plan to penalise the passenger as he had not meant any harm.

“It was his first travel by air,” an airline staff member told the paper. “He did not cause delay or any other direct loss to the airline.

Thailand A Hub For Drugs In Asean: Paiboon

BANGKOK: -- THAILAND is the Asean hub for illicit drugs with 1.3 million drug addicts, said Justice Minister General Paiboon Kumchaya.

Presiding over yesterday's launch of a project to force addicts into drug rehabilitation programme, Paiboon said the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) and police reported that 2 per cent of the population were addicts.

He said 250,000 of them had been jailed, while about 1 million had not sought rehabilitation. The youngest addict was seven years old.

The general said that as most addicts returned to their habit after attending rehabilitation programmes, he had instructed the ONCB and ministry officials to formulate a rehabilitation system that clearly separated general addicts from inmate addicts, had clear methods and good follow-up activities.

He said drug-related laws would be used to ensure related agencies were on the same page when tackling the problem.

Since the rehabilitation programme did not guarantee success, the ministry would provide clear training guidelines people such as drill instructors, as sometimes up to 70 per cent of conscripts were addicts.

He said the programme would set an attainable goal to make at least 10 per cent of addicts sober.

"The world also agrees that imprisonment is not the answer to convince drug convicts to give up the habit," he said.

"Some 200,000 drug inmates were not major dealers but drug-ring workers."

Paiboon said he would also arrange for a yearly evaluation on how many big-fish dealers had been caught and how much the ONCB had succeeded in striking at the heart of drug-trafficking organisations.

The arrests of drug-ring workers will not be counted, he said.

Meanwhile, seven tonnes of illicit drugs worth about Bt6.565 billion was burned yesterday as part of the country's 44th official illicit-drug incineration ceremony in Ayutthaya's Bang Pa-in Industrial Estate.

The drugs - seized from 1,059 cases - included 19 million yaba pills worth Bt5.8 billion and 318 kilograms of "ice".

They were destroyed via the environmentally friendly pyrolytic incineration method, which burned the drugs at a temperature of over 850 degrees Celsius.

Meanwhile, in the North, the Provincial Police Region 5 yesterday announced the seizure of 1.2 million yaba pills and 30 kilograms of "ice".

The drugs were found in an abandoned car at Chiang Rai's Mae Sai Hospital parking lot.

The car's owner was identified as Natchanant Mahatthanasitthichok - believed to be a member of drug ring that was allegedly run by Lt-Colonel Yi Se - and has reportedly fled to Myanmar.

In related news, Provincial Police Region 8 yesterday announced the arrest of four members of a drug ring in Surat Thani's Phunphin district along with 13,000 yaba pills, 85 grams of "ice", a shot gun with ammunition, Bt400,000 and three cars.

The three men and one woman reportedly confessed that a Klong Prem inmate had ordered them to distribute the drugs in Nakhon Si Thammarat and Surat Thani.

Over 80% Of Thais Of 25-34 Ages Have Smart Phones

BANGKOK : Thailand is the country where more than 80% of population aged 25-34 own smartphones, a survey by IPG Mediabrands revealed. 

 

The leading global media holding company’s finding was from its online survey from May-July  with a sample size of 10,000 across 19 countries, of whom 500 respondents were in Thailand.

The survey focused on people with  ages of 25-34 which it called “millennials” (ages 18-34)  because of the importance of their spending behaviour. This group is said to have  high-potential purchasing power next year.

These potential buyers were born and raised under a series of financial crises along with the technological revolution in the past decades, so the long recession had a profound impact on them.

Of the Thai participants, 50 per cent said they had their income reduced, while the global figure was 36 per cent.

About 79 per cent of the Thais confessed that they were worried about their personal financial situation, while the global average was lower at 72 per cent. About 29 per cent of Thai participants feared losing their jobs.

Although millennials appear to be more cautious about spending, they are smart consumers, as they appreciate spending money for products and brands that help improve their image and reflect their high social status.

This kind of consumer is able to switch brands and adapt to new products and technology. Brands should treat them with respect and as equals. 

Products and services should give them truth and authenticity.

Millennials are always connected with online communications to connect and share their stories.

According to the survey, 81 per cent of Thais own smartphones, which was higher than the global average of 45 per cent.

Technology has empowered millennials in their relationships.

Of Thai participants, 95 per cent said they used social media every day.

Today 33 million Thais spent 90 minutes per day on various platform of   social media (300% growth),  breaking down to 28 million on Facebook (35% growth), 1,600 million views of Top Channel  on YouTube ( 270% growth).

Thai viewers of You Tube  ranked  second in Asia Pacific while Thai users of Instagram  grew 240% to 1.5 users.

It said 64% of Thais use smartphone in social media communications.

Of the total 67 million Thai population, 27 million are Internet users, 28 million use social medias, 34.6 million use smart phones, and 4.7 million use tablets.

IPG Mediabrands is the global media holding company of Interpublic, and a full-service media network based upon a “Pay-for-Performance” model.

The company manages and invests $36 billion in global media on the behalf of its clients, employs over 8,500 diverse marketing communication specialists worldwide and operates businesses in more than 127 countries.

Most Of Indonesia At Risk Of Land Slides

JAKARTA : A recent landslide in Central Java that has left at least 39 people dead has highlighted Indonesia’s vulnerability to fatal landslides, as well as the government’s inability to adequately deal with chronic catastrophes, according to The Jakarta Globe.

 

Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported on Sunday evening that 39 people are confirmed dead after heavy rain on Friday triggered a landslide in Jemblung, Banjarnegara district, Central Java, burying dozens of homes.

More than a dozen of people are injured and more than 70 others remain missing, while a total of 577 people have been displaced from their homes and are now staying in temporary shelters, the BNPB says.

“Families of identified victims have taken [their relatives’ remains] and held a burial for them.

A police forensic team are still identifying others,” BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said in a press statement on Sunday.  “Refugees urgently need food, blankets, sanitary kits, medicines and clothing — children’s clothing especially.”

A joint team of police, military, BNPB officers and volunteers — 2,000 personnel in total — had been dispatched to search for the missing victims, he added. 

The Ministry of Public Works also has sent in heavy equipment expected to help victim search.

President Joko Widodo visited the site around midday on Sunday. He also visited a shelter for displaced victims and a local community health center treating those who are injured.

Officials blame conversion of lands into farms and illegal logging in Banjarnegara for one of the worst landslide disasters recorded in Indonesia over the past few years.

Five Million Baht Worth Of Contraband Foreign Liquor Seized From Military Truck

HAT YAI : Customs officials today (Sunday) seized over 300 crates of contraband foreign liquors worth about five million baht from a suspected military lorry at a gas station in Hat Yai.

 

The green truck has license plate number 6195, bears the symbolic shield of the military and letters on both sides of the body which read KhorSor 24 BorKhorRor 4.  The truck was covered by a black canvas.

Customs officials found under the canvas over 300 crates of foreign liquor of different brands. 

The seized liquor was later taken to customs office in Hat Yai for further inspection.

Customs officials said they would try to verify whether the truck belong to the military or not and if yes which unit owns the truck.

Lower Southern Coastal Provinces Brace For More Rains And Storms

 

 

NAKHON SI THAMMARAT : Heavy rains,  strong wind and flash floods have hit four coastal southern provincials along the Gulf today as the Weatherman warned of storm and choppy sea in the Gulf.

 

In Nakhon Si Thammarat, flash floods struck parts of NopPitum, Prom Khiri, Si Chon and ThaSala districts cutting off several roads and bridges.  More than 100 houses were inundated.

Villagers whose houses are located on the beaches from Ban ThaPhya to Ban Na Kote in Pak Phanang district started evacuating further inland to stay temporarily with their relatives for fear of the big waves and strong wind. 

Some villagers dismantled parts of their houses to be rebuilt on land plots deeper inland.
The wave protection wall along the road from Ban Na Kote to Hua Sai district was broken at several points from the force of the waves.

In Phatthalung province, people living in TambonKuanKhanoon and TambonChamuang of KuanKhanoon district were today told to move their valuables to higher ground as water in the irrigation canal was steadily rising and was expected to inundate the two tambons late Sunday.

In SuratThani, the public disaster prevention and mitigation office warned people in high risk areas along the northern coast and plains in Tha Chana, Chaiya and Vibhavadi districts to closely monitor weather reports until December 18.

In Krabi, several long-tail boats catering to tourists at NopparaThara beach in TambonAo Nang have suspended operations due to heavy rains and choppy sea.

Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department said that the lower southern region would experience more rains and heavy rains in certain parts as a result of strong high pressure from China.  Small boats were told not to venture out into the sea.

UK Braced Bor Atlantic 'Weather Bomb' Storm And High Waves

(BBC) Severe gales and "exceptionally high" waves are expected to hit coastal areas in the north west of the UK later.

The Met Office says western and northern Scotland and the far north of Northern Ireland should be prepared for "dangerous conditions" during the day.

Train and ferries have been cancelled as a rapidly-developing Atlantic storm - a so-called weather bomb - threatens gusts of up to 80 mph (130 kph).

A yellow "be aware" warning is in place for northern England and north Wales.

Ahead of the forecast storms, ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne warned of severe disruption to its services

German Court Throws Out WWII Oradour-Sur-Glane Massacre Case

(CNN) -- A German court has thrown out a case against a former SS member accused of participating in the massacre of 642 residents of a French village during World War II.

The 89-year-old had been accused of murdering 25 people and aiding the murder of several hundred others at Oradour-sur-Glane in central France on June 10, 1944.

According to the indictment, troops surrounded the village before rounding up all the residents in the town square and separating the men from the women and children.

The men were shot in four barns, which were then burned down. The women and children were imprisoned in a church into which explosives and hand grenades were thrown. Troops then set that building alight, killing any survivors of the initial attack.

There was no doubt that members of the man's Panzer regiment had killed the Oradour-sur-Glane residents and burned down the village, the Cologne Regional Court said in a statement Tuesday.

Lots Of Goodies, A Little Exploitation For Bangkok's Expat 'Models'

BANGKOK: -- Jessica arrived in Bangkok four years ago with empty pockets and no desire to return to the United Kingdom.

Fresh from backpacking across Asia, she took a teaching job she despised just to stick around. That’s when one of her condo neighbors, a casting agent, suggested she try modeling on the side.

“I never considered it before, but I didn’t have any money, and I didn’t have any friends,” Jessica said. “So it seemed like a good idea. I went to my first casting for a Japanese commercial.”

She didn’t get the job, but met a guy who invited her to one of Bangkok’s notorious “models nights” and her first dreamy taste of the expat “beautiful people” scene where skinny, statuesque eye-candy from Eastern Europe and South America bask in free stuff and can find themselves being groomed for prostitution.

“I have to say they were sort of like better-looking backpackers,” she remembers. “They all had three-month tourist visas and just wanted to have fun and party,” said Jessica, who didn’t want her name used because she is still working in Bangkok.

Back when she was the new girl in Bangkok, she started going five nights a week, but not for the pleasant company.
“A lot of time was spent talking about things like, ‘I want to go to Japan, but I need to lose weight,’” she recounted. Instead it was the ready supply of free food and booze – 10 drink tickets up front and free piles of king prawns and sashimi. There was a different bar or nightclub offering free goodies every night of the week, and this crowd loved to get wasted and blow lots of coke.

During that time, not much happened for Jessica’s professional modeling career. She got two jobs as a commercial extra. She wouldn’t have called herself a model, but hey – she had a “comp card” identifying her as such at bars and clubs.

“What defines a real model anyway?” said Jessica, who was 21 at the time and had just graduated from university with honors. “I guess some worked, but maybe just once every three months.”

A nightlife institution

The model scene has long held a warm and fuzzy spot in Bangkok’s nightlife, and so-called “Models Nights” remain a staple of the free-wheeling nightlife scene everywhere from low-rent discos to high-end eateries.

There are model nights almost every day of the week, and almost every upscale restaurant, bar or nightclub has advertised such parties, from Zuma and Limoncello to Maggie Choo’s. A decade after it was pioneered in Bangkok by Bed Supperclub, regular “models nights” can be found Tuesdays at Flix on RCA and Fridays at Circle on Soi Ruamrudee. That’s not to mention Fashion TV’s The Love F Bar in Mixx, which also offers 10 drinks and a free taxi for groups of three models on certain nights, and Koi is perhaps the most well-known model hangout.

Ebola Conference Gets Going

BANGKOK: -- The Ministry of Public Health is staging an international conference on Ebola-response measures in the Asean sub-region.

The two-day event, which began yesterday, is being held at the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel in the capital.

Those attending include the public health ministers from Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, China, Japan and South Korea. Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha presided over the opening ceremony.

World Health Organisation (WHO) director Margaret Chan gave the keynote address via video conference call from WHO headquarters in Switzerland.

The conference aims to raise awareness of Ebola and establish grounds for the handling of any cases of the deadly disease in Asean Plus 3 member countries.

Topics on the menu include prevention measures, the treatment of Ebola patients, laboratory diagnosis, cooperation in terms of medical human resources, and consideration for the possibility of sending aides to nations facing the disease.

Russians Break Into Temple, Dress As Monks

MAE HONG SON — Two Russians have been arrested for allegedly breaking into a temple in northern Thailand and dressing as Buddhist monks, police in Mae Hong Son province say.

Police received calls for help from the abbot of Wat Mae Yen temple in Pai district at around 7 am this morning. Upon arriving at the scene, officers encountered two foreign men dressed as monks sitting inside a chapel with knives on their laps.

After an hour of negotiation, the pair surrendered to police and were taken to Pai Police Station for interrogation.

Pol.Col. Worapol Polmanee, superintendent of Pai Police Station, identified the two men as Russian nationals. He said urine tests have established that the two men were under the influence of narcotics.

Asean Needs South Korea As Strategic Partner, Says Najib

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has asked South Korea to remain as Asean’s strategic partner in working towards a dynamic grouping for Asia and for the world, The Star Online reported.

 

South Korea and Asean were engaged in at least four frameworks namely the Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation, Asean Plus Three Cooperation, East Asia Summit and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

“The RCEP brings life to the concept of the pivot towards Asia. The 10 Asean member states together with the six partners, contribute almost 30% of world trade. 

By the middle of this century, that figure could rise to 50%,” he said at the closing of the Asean-South Korea CEO Summit.

Najib arrived in Busan on Thursday for a two-day visit to attend the Asean-South Korea Commemorative Summit after ending his three-day official visit to Seoul.

The Prime Minister said deeper economic integration through the RCEP could bring significant opportunities for the region’s economies.

Najib said Korean enterprises continued to contribute to the economic advancement of Asean, driving development by supporting fast-growing businesses and investing in the future of the dynamic region.

PM Prayut To Introduce Cost System To Tackle Corruption Efficiently

BANGKOK : Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha reiterated  his government's strong determination to rid corruption off the Thai societies  with call for all people to help.
 

He introduced Cost which he said will be an effective tool to tackle corruption.

He also revealed that a national anti- corruption commission will be set up to tackle the problem in both public and private sectors.

Speaking on his weekly television programme, Gen Prayut pointed out how corruption will ruin the country as a whole, and stressed the reason why his military-led regime had brought in the system to improve the transparency of procurement by state enterprises.

He said corruption is the source of all problems that are undermining the country’s development, reputation and faith.

He then said he would introduce Cost or construction sector transparency system in all government projects, reasoning that it could ensure transparency and prevent corruption.

He said he planned to apply CoST first with the second phase expansion of the Suvarnabhumi airport as a pilot project, before extending to all projects.

But he said prevention could be achieved efficiently only that it was cooperated by all parties.

He said the national anti-corruption commission will draw representatives from all sectors to take part and will tackle  the problem both in public and private sectors.

The committee is aimed at prevention rather than suppression, he said and assures that it will not overlap with the work of other existing graft busting organisations.

It will only enhance their work, he said.

He explained further that the Cost system emphasised on the disclosure of construction information of large-scale projects  which will make them  in accordance with global standards.

He said without disclosure of information,  accusations – both factual and false – will keep being thrown back and forth between accusers and the accused.

Cost system will  reduce the channels available for those in authority for personal gain and will  boost the efficiency of the civil sector’s regulatory and inspection procedures, he assured.

Koh Tao Suspects Seek Suu Kyi’s Help

BANGKOK : Two Myanmar suspects in the murder of two British tourists in Thailand have asked fellow Myanmar national Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi to help their case, reasoning they are innocent. 

 

According to Sein Htay, director of Bangkok-based Migrant Workers Network, the two suspects wanted Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to help them for their justice as she is an international icon and also an influential person in Thailand.

He said they were seeking help from all sectors as they said they did nothing wrong in the case.

Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, both 21, were arrested in October and confessed to the crimes, but later retracted their confessions saying they were tortured and forced to confess.

David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, were found dead on September 15 on Sairee  beach on Koh Tao, 350 kilometres south of Bangkok. Ms Witheridge was also found to be raped and slain.

British and Myanmar envoys have raised concerns about the Thai investigation, with Britain sending a police team as observers.

The National Human Rights Commission of Thailand has also expressed concern about the alleged forced confessions.

But Thai police have denied the accusations of torture or misconduct.

The victims’ families said last week the evidence against the Myanmar suspects is convincing, after British detectives sent to Thailand reviewed the police findings.

 Last week, the Samui prosecutor filed five charges against Zaw Lin – the murder of Miller, the rape and murder of Witheridge, illegal entry into Thailand and staying in the country without permission.

Wai Phyo  faces the same charges and an additional charge of stealing a mobile phone and sunglasses from Miller.

Thai Princess Srirasm Resigns From Royal Title

BANGKOK: Her Royal Highness Princess Srirasm, the Royal Consort to His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, has stepped down from  her royal title. 
 

According to an announcement signed by Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha and  published in the Royal Gazette dated December 11 and released Friday,  the Royal Consort has formally  requested resignation from her royal noble title from His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn. The resignation was referred to His Majesty the King and was royally permitted.

Meanwhile Daily News Online reported that after her resignation from the royal title, the Crown Prince has bestowed on her the title of “Thanphuying” and was given the new name of Thanphuying Busaba Suwadi.

She has also divorced from the Crown Prince at the presence of the privy councillors as witnesses on December 10.

Her son will remain his royal title of Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti and will accompany the Crown Prince on Royal functions.

Thanphuying Busaba Suwadi was born  to a family of modest means.

She entered the service of the Crown Prince at the age of 22. She married the crown prince in February 2001.

She was born in Samut Songkram province and  was the third child of Aphirut and Wanthanee Suwadi. 

She attended college at Bangkok Business College and 1993, at age 22, entered the service of Vajiralongkorn as a “lady-in-waiting.” She enrolled in Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University in 1997 and graduated in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in management science. 

Vajiralongkorn personally bestowed her with her diploma. In 2007 she received a Master of Arts degree in Home Economics from Kasetsart University.

Prosecutors Set To Arraign Myanmar Men For Koh Tao Killings

BANGKOK: -- PUBLIC PROSECUTORS are preparing to arraign two Myanmar suspects today on charges related to the murder of two British tourists on Koh Tao in September.

"Evidence presented by investigators is solid," Tawatchai Seangchaew said yesterday in his capacity as head of the Office of State Attorney Region 8.

He said police had backed their investigation report with witness statements, circumstantial evidence and forensic evidence.

Tawatchai said speculation on social media about the suspects being scapegoats may have stemmed from the fact people did not have access to complete information and full sets of evidence.

"Under the law, some items of evidence can't be disclosed publicly," he said.

Koh Tao, a usually idyllic island near Samui and Pha-ngan, was the scene of brutal crimes in mid-September. The killings of Britons David Miller and Hannah Witheridge made headlines both locally and internationally.

A few weeks later, Thai police arrested two Myanmar suspects and charged them with the murders. But Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun later |complained that they were forced into confessing to the crimes they had not committed.

Their parents have been seeking help from various organisations, including the Myanmar embassy, as they are adamant that their sons are innocent.

In the face of public suspicion that the pair may be scapegoats, Thai police arranged a DNA test for the son of an influential local before the media. Test results cleared the young man named on social media as the real suspect.

Tawatchai said yesterday parents of the victims would be notified of the latest move by Thai officials. "They can become co-plaintiffs if they want," he said.