Crime
Over 50 Chinese youth arrested for running scam call centre from Samui hotel

PHOTOS: CTN News
54 enterprising teenagers, most from China, have been arrested for running a call centre scam from a Koh Samui resort. The Chiang Rai Times reports that the arrests happened after police received a tip-off from a Chinese person who had worked for the call centre.
Police say the Chinese teenagers were enticed to come and work for the gang, which was running over 100 chat rooms tricking victims into parting with their cash. Workers at the call centre were given a target of 5 million baht to be raised from each person they spoke to.
Part of the con consisted of persuading other Chinese nationals to invest in fake stocks. Once the victim fell for the scam and transferred the funds, the app being used was closed down.
The gang leader is reportedly still at large and in possession of the Chinese teenagers’ passports. Police believe he has not left Thailand. Meanwhile, the 54 workers have all been charged with working illegally in Thailand.
In another bust in Bangkok yesterday, 24 Chinese people were arrested for running another call centre that duped fellow nationals into investing in a cryptocurrency-style scam. It’s understood the scam had been running since March.
The workers were arrested at various rental properties around the capital, with more than 500 mobile phones and dozens of computers seized. Immigration Police say they’re working to identify any Thai nationals who may have been part of the operation.
SOURCE: Chiang Rai Times
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Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Celebrity’s birthday “Covid-19 cluster” organisers and partygoers may face charges

With more infections linked to the “birthday party Covid-19 cluster” and some concealing their timeline, the Disease Control Department is urging the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to take legal action against people involved.
Thai media are calling it a “super spreader” party. So far, 26 cases are linked to the birthday event for the 33 year old Thai actor Techin Ploypetch, aka DJ Matoom, at a Bangkok hotel. 113 people are at risk and another 53 are considered low risk, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration.
The event organisers could face charges for violating the ban on crowded gatherings. Partygoers could face charges for violating the Emergency Decree. Covid-19 patients who attended the party and concealed their timeline from health officials could also be charged under various laws.
A singer, a government official, and a PR manager, who all went to the party and later tested positive Covid-19, hid crucial parts of their timelines from health authorities, according to Thai PBS.
The department says those people could face charges under the Communicable Disease Act for allegedly concealing personal information and may be fined up to 20,000 baht. They could also be charged under the Criminal Code for allegedly giving false information to government officials.
The department’s director-general Opas Karnkawinpong says concealing or delaying the provision of information increases the spread of the virus and makes it harder for authorities to control the pandemic.
SOURCES: Thai PBS World| Bangkok Post
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Bangkok
Norwegian man arrested at Bangkok airport for allegedly faking Certificate of Entry

Thai immigration police arrested a Norwegian man at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport for allegedly faking his Certificate of Entry, a document issued by the Thai Embassy to allow foreigners to enter Thailand during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The man presented the document to immigration officers at the Bangkok airport. Officers were suspicious and contacted the Royal Thai Embassy in Oslo, Norway who then confirmed the document is fake.
The man told immigration officials he travelled from Norway to Thailand to see his girlfriend and that he planned to undergo the mandatory quarantine period at an ASQ hotel off Sukhumvit Soi 57.
To enter Thailand, travellers need to provide a Certificate of Entry issued by the Thai Embassy, health insurance, a Covid-free medical certificate issued 72 hours before departure and a Fit to Fly medical certificate issued 72 hours before departure.
SOURCE: Thai Visa
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Thailand
27 migrants allegedly disguised as monks arrested on illegal entry charges, Bangkok abbot under investigation

Immigration police arrested 27 Cambodians for allegedly entering Thailand illegally and impersonating Buddhist monks. Police say the migrants allegedly disguised themselves as Buddhist monks at Wat Talom in Bangkok’s Phasi Charoen district. The temple’s abbot is also under investigation for allegedly assisting and hiding illegal migrants.
Police searched the temple after receiving a tip that hundreds of monks lived in crowded rooms, conditions that officials worry could lead to a cluster of Covid-19 infections.
“We received a tip-off that the temple had several hundred monks living in a crowded space that could become a hotspot for Covid-19… People also reported that some monks from this temple were selling food they received from the public in the morning to merchants at nearby markets for reselling.”
Police asked for identification documents from the more than 200 migrants at the temple. 181 monks from Myanmar, India, Cambodia, Laos and Bangladesh had proper documents, but police say 27 Cambodians had no identification documents. The 27 Cambodians were arrested and charged with illegally entering the country and impersonating Buddhist monks.
SOURCE: Nation Thailand
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