National

Asia’s prison populations – Thailand #10 in the world

Published

5 months ago

January 11, 2018

The Thaiger & The Nation

China has the largest prison population in Asia, more than four times as large as India. However, when it comes to prison population rates, Thailand has the highest incarceration rate in the region.

Around the world more than 10.35 million people are imprisoned either as pretrial detainees or having been convicted and sentenced, according to the report of UK-based Institute of Criminal Policy Research.

The USA has the highest prison population in the world with around 2.2 million incarcerated. China, which is four times more populous than the United States, is a distant second, with 1.6 million people in prison. The country has the highest prison population in Asia. The report mentions that the figures could be much higher for China since it does not include those in pre-trial and administrative detention.

India’s prison population is second highest in Asia. Although the prison population rate is relatively low, the Indian prisons are overcrowded with 70 per cent of detainees as ‘under-trials’ or remand detainees who are awaiting final decrees in their cases.

Thailand has the third highest prison population in Asia. But with 461 prisoners for every 100,000 people, Thailand has the tenth highest incarceration rate in the world and the highest in Asia. With fourth highest prison population in Asia, Indonesia has 64 prisoners for every 100,000 citizens. Vietnam and Philippines follow at fifth and sixth position respectively.

Read the rest of this report from Asia News Network HERE.

“Due to overcrowding in Thai prisons, none of the cells have beds, nor are prisoners are given any mattresses. Just a thin sheet. If they have any money they can buy extra bedding.”

Further reading about life in Thailand’s prisons HERE.

- The Thaiger & The Nation

National

Pretties, 500 World Cup punters and ‘influencers’ arrested over illegal betting

Published

6 hours ago

June 21, 2018

The Thaiger & The Nation

It was only a matter of time before we’d have some arrests related to illegal betting during the World Cup. Among 500 suspects being rounded up, police are also summoning 20 ‘influencers’ who have been posting on Facebook about the ‘Net Idol’ betting page and attempting to persuade youth to engage in soccer betting.

Police have arrested 484 suspects – including eight bookies, 474 punters and two ticket-runners – and seized evidence including 63,360 baht cash, 17 bank account books showing a sum of 343,000 baht, and some football betting tickets worth 210,860 baht, said Metropolitan police deputy commissioner said on Thursday.

Speaking in his capacity as director of the city’s football gambling suppression centre during the Fifa World Cup 2018 tournament running until July 15, Pol Maj-General Panurat Lakboon says that police had completed legal actions against 11 “Net Idols”. The “pretties” had confessed to reading a script given to them by the people who hired them. Their employers were associated with football gambling websites and the presenters claimed to be unaware that their actions were illegal, said Panurat.

Each of the presenters was sentenced by a court to a one-year suspended jail term and a Bt1,000 fine, he said. Another 20 “Net Idols” would be summoned to face the same legal actions on June 25, he added.

He said police were still trying to identify from their social media accounts some 100 “Net Idols” accused of the same offence.

STORY: The Nation

National

Krabi’s coastline damaged by strong winds and heavy waves

Published

7 hours ago

June 21, 2018

Kritsada Mueanhawong

Strong winds and waves have damaged the Koh Kwang Beach in Krabi during the reason crazy monsoon weather.

Somsak Tabbut, a village head man of the Baan Koh Kwang village in Muang Krabi inspected the beach this morning. The damage runs all along 800 metres of the beach.

Khun Somsak says, “Every monsoon period, every year, strong wind and waves have continued to batter the beach. Before the beach was five metres wide but now the waves have damaged it down to 2.5 metres. Some areas of the beach are down to only one metre.”

“If there is no wave protection wall, we believe that the beach erosion will continue until it reaches the road. This is a danger to motorists as the underlying foundations of the road will slowly get eaten away. Relevant offices should fix this problem urgently.”

“There are many five stars hotels along Koh Kwang Beach. Lots of tourists have visited the beach every year as it is very beautiful. If this problem isn’t fixed it will damaged the tourism image in the future as well.”

National

Summer solstice – the longest day of the year in Thailand

Published

9 hours ago

June 21, 2018

The Thaiger

It’s a special day of the year and we’re glad the sun is out so we can enjoy it. And, if all is well, we’ll see more sunshine today than any other day of 2018. So what will you do with all the extra daylight?

The summer solstice is today (June 21) – the longest day in the northern hemisphere. Meanwhile, a halo appeared around the sun in Chiang Mai for close to an hour yesterday causing much excitement.

Chiang Mai locals rushed to take pictures of the phenomenon yesterday after a halo around the sun was seen from the parking lot of Chiang Mai International Convention and Exhibition Center. Many took the opportunity to make wishes. The halo effect took place between 10:45-11:30am.

The National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand says that the halo was created by cold air in the lowest strata of the earth’s atmosphere causing dew to freeze and fracture daylight shining downwards. The phenomenon is similar to a rainbow after a rain shower.

At this time of year, the period of daylight lasts longer in the northern hemisphere. The sun rose today at 5:51am and is estimated to set at 6:47pm, totaling 12 hours and 56 minutes in Bangkok, meaning the longest day of the year. Sunrise in Phuket (a little closer to the equator, and west of Bangkok) was at 6.10am and tonight’s sunset is listed as 6.46pm.