Thailand
Banned politician says government silencing him by invoking Lese Majeste law

A banned politician, who criticised the government’s Covid-19 vaccine plan, is claiming the government is silencing him (again) by invoking the Lese Majeste law against him. The alleged defamation case concerns his questioning of using one of the king’s companies as part of the Covid-19 vaccine strategy that he says will slow down the process of inoculations.
Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit accused the government of PM Prayut of relying too much on Siam Bioscience to help in the vaccine plan, and pointed out that it is owned by the Crown Property Bureau, the organisation that manages billions of dollars in investment under the king’s personal control.
Siam Bioscience agreed to manufacture AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine and supply it domestically and across Southeast Asia. but Thanathorn says the deal “lacked transparency” and it was given an unfair advantage over other companies after the government ordered 61 million doses of the vaccine.
He says the government is slowing down the process by relying on just 1 company and points to other countries as they are already starting to inoculate residents. Both AstraZeneca and Siam Bioscience have not commented on his allegations, while the government has filed a complaint against Thanathorn citing the royal insult law under article 112 of the criminal code that can send law-breakers to prison for up to 15 years.
“The deals were not negotiated independently of each other. There was no selection process or comparison so questions must be raised.”
But a government spokeswoman, Ratchada Dhanadirek, maintains the filing of the criminal complaint was not politically motivated. Last year, Thanathorn was banned from politics for 10 years after a court dissolved his Future Forward Party for illegal loans, charges which were upheld by the Constitutional Court.
Meanwhile, others are criticising the government’s announcement to allow local municipalities to pay for vaccines as they say it coincides with upcoming elections. They point out that the government should pay for the vaccinations, especially in Bangkok, as they say the government has the funds to do so.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
Crime
Gunman kills mayoral candidate, injures 4 other municipal candidates at funeral

A gunman shot and killed a woman running for mayor and wounded 4 others at a funeral in Ratchaburi, a province west of Bangkok near the Myanmar border. Police say they suspect the shooting was politically motivated. Out of the 4 people injured, 3 were running in the March 28 municipal election while another was the kamnan, a government official of a tambon, which is a sub district.
The gunman is still at large, but police say they suspect the shooter is Wanchart Niamraksa, a member of the Ratchaburi provincial administration organisation.
The gunman opened fire just as the kamnan of tambon Don Sai, Yingpan Kanket, was lighting candles and incense sticks under a Buddha image to start the ceremony, witnesses say. Shots were fired from behind the main Buddha image at the temple’s open prayer hall, witnesses say.
Bullets hit 5 people, including Yingpan who is in critical condition. Varaporn Niamraksa, who was running for mayor of the municipality, was shot and died at the hospital. Nakhon Wanpen, Somthawil Srirat and Monthien Jaitham, who are all running for the municipal council of tambon Don Sai, were shot.
Police found 2 spent .22 cartridges and a 11mm spent shell at the scene. The suspect faces charges of murder, attempted murder, carrying firearms and ammunition without permission and carrying them in public without a proper reason.
SOURCES: Nation Thailand | Bangkok Post
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
Phuket
Police investigate reports of women’s underwear stolen from Phuket homes

Police in Phuket are looking for a suspect who residents say has been stealing women’s underwear. Surveillance camera footage from a resident’s home shows a teenager driving through a neighbourhood, then stopping and stealing ladies panties that were hanging up to dry.
One resident told Phuket News that numerous residents in Thalang’s Baan Lipon area have reported missing underwear.
“Recently neighbors have been reporting that many items of their underwear have been stolen. Many residents are worried about the man hovering around here trying to steal underwear.”
A man told the Phuket News that his wife’s underwear was stolen and he’s now worried about his family’s safety. Another resident says he’s also concerned.
“As a resident in this area, I am worried about the safety of the local residents. Underwear has been stolen, something else could happen as well.”
In a similar case back in October, a 46 year old man was arrested for allegedly breaking into homes in Ratchaburi and stealing women’s underwear. Police says they seized 70 pairs of panties.
SOURCE: Phuket News
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
Crime
Suspect arrested in Hat Yai murder and rape of schoolgirl

The suspect of a schoolgirl’s disturbing rape and murder in Hat Yai is now under arrest. The alleged criminal, 49 year old Prathom Iadkhao, known as Bangmad Kongra, was already a convicted sex offender who spent 1 year in prison back in 2002. He was convicted of taking a young girl from her parents for lewd purposes in Songkhla.
Now, a top police officer in Songkhla province has given details of how the 15 year old girl on her motorbike was allegedly hit from behind by the suspect who then beat, robbed, raped and murdered her at around 12:30am last Saturday morning. Her body was found by police under her motorbike in a ditch in the middle of a local highway in Hat Yai.
Police tracked her last movements to a local petrol station where she filled her motorbike at 12:30 am approximately on Saturday morning. Prathom had pulled into the station just minutes before the girl arrived.
Prathom was arrested in the Kongra district of neighbouring Phattalung province, and was brought to the crime scene to stage a crime reenactment. Local residents were in tears with some being restrained by police from attacking the suspect.
Police say the suspect confessed to hitting the girl with his car, beating, raping, stealing and murdering her. His account matches the police’s description of what happened along with his DNA matching DNA found under the victim’s fingernails.
Prathom told police that when he saw the girl at the petrol station, he waited for her on the road and let her overtake him on her motorbike. Then, he rammed the girl’s motorbike from behind sending her into the ditch. The suspect told police he pummelled her 3 times in the stomach before raping her and stealing 1,300 baht from her bag.
He then allegedly used a tyre wrench from his car to hit the girl on the head 2 or 3 times to kill her. Then, he used the girl’s clothing to wipe off the semen from his body. He said he then put the motorbike on her body to make it look like a traffic accident.
Prathom has been charged with premeditated murder and rape of the girl as well as one count of theft.
SOURCE: Thai Examiner
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)3 days ago
International travellers allowed to transit Thailand from Monday
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)4 days ago
PM Prayut postponing Covid‐19 vaccination citing paperwork issues
- Bangkok4 days ago
Bangkok police raid house where model died after playing hostess
- Bangkok2 days ago
Woman talks about the life of a Thai “pretty” after model’s death
- Myanmar4 days ago
Myanmar’s representative to UN urges strong action against military after increasing violence against protesters
- Events4 days ago
Phuket Monopoly game creators need your help with token designs
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)2 days ago
Public Health Minister gets first Covid-19 vaccine shot in Thailand
- Bangkok2 days ago
At least 22 people arrested at Bangkok protest, officer dies of heart failure
Gosport
Thursday, January 21, 2021 at 6:30 pm
Show your followers your own three fingers
Hitchhiker
Thursday, January 21, 2021 at 8:24 pm
From what I’ve read on the Khaosod site the contract awarded to Siam Bioscience is for just 2 million doses. Hardly enough to vaccinate the whole population. Also, since protection requires two vaccinations a month apart it means only one million will benefit.
No doubt the Poor will be left to fend for themselves while the Thai elite can languish in their villas and palaces in the knowledge that they’ll be protected from this deadly disease for the foreseeable future.
Pretty disgusting whichever way you look at it.
Issan John
Thursday, January 21, 2021 at 8:49 pm
Wrong, completely wrong.
The only “2 million doses” confirmed is from SinoVac, in China.
zig
Thursday, January 21, 2021 at 9:00 pm
Im not 100% sure but I thought the AZ was a one shot deal
zig
Thursday, January 21, 2021 at 9:00 pm
Im not 100% sure but I thought the AZ was a one shot deal
Issan John
Friday, January 22, 2021 at 3:20 pm
No. There’s an initial purchase direct from AZ, imported, then production here by Siam BioScience.
Ian
Friday, January 22, 2021 at 2:19 am
Does it matter zig the poor will have to suffer or 1 million or 5 million along with IJ even .uk vaccinating quicker than they can get the vaccines ,Yorkshire has been told to slow down as we ate going to fast lol and the scary thing coming out today is that the 2nd vaccine should be given within 3 weeks not 12 as people catchi g it again and being sent back to hospital and a few are still dieing but this could be that they are old it’s all sketchy at the moment so maybe there’s no miracle cure for the old ,take care issan john in your adopted land of the free and free speech not
Issan John
Friday, January 22, 2021 at 3:31 pm
The “scary thing” hasn’t come out “today” but it came out as soon as the politicians in the UK decided they knew better than the vaccine manufacturers, who told them very clearly that the vaccine wasn’t effective enough to rely on one dose for three months.
What’s “scary”, though, is that while the manufacturers said it was only 52% effective after 14 days, with the second dose needed a week later, and the politicians guessed it would be 89% effective but the figures in Israel comparing 200,000 vaccinated with 200,000 unvaccinated (so the only real mass trial so far) show beyond any doubt that it’s only 33% effective after 14 days.
That’s THIRTY THREE PER CENT EFFECTIVE ….. so SIXTY SEVEN PERCENT COMPLETELY USELESS!!!
That’d be fine, or at least workable, if it was only for three weeks … but for three MONTHS ???
kenny
Friday, January 22, 2021 at 5:42 pm
you are do full of shit issan John ! get a life !!
Social Observer
Friday, January 22, 2021 at 10:10 am
The Lese Majeste law is simply a legal tool to get rid of people the government doesn’t like.
Issan John
Friday, January 22, 2021 at 3:33 pm
As is now being made very clear, which may well have been what some people were trying to prove.
Andre
Saturday, January 23, 2021 at 2:28 am
Christ – maybe not politically motivated but it clearly shows that he is correct. I think we all know exactly how the deal went down – just as any other deals done by the current government.
Toby Andrews
Saturday, January 23, 2021 at 10:30 pm
They are really stretching a ban on this justification, but it has become the government ace in the pack.
If they cannot stop them any other way, quote this corrupt excuse.
Roger
Sunday, January 24, 2021 at 7:11 am
Sorry I think we are all doomed
Thailand has no hope
Only good from that is the rich and corrupt will be doomed as well
Good Luck Thailand
I think time to forget about I will ever see my wife again in this life