Thailand News Today | 263 guns seized in 15 days in southern Thailand
263 guns seized in 15 days in southern Thailand
The Royal Thai Police confiscated 263 guns and 1,702 rounds of ammunition in
eight provinces of southern Thailand over a 15-day period this month.
Prime Minister of Thailand Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered a crackdown on illegal
firearms following the massacre at a daycare centre in Nong Bua Lamphu province
earlier this month.
Between October 10-24, police confiscated 263 firearms in Provincial Police
Region 8, which covers Krabi, Chumphon, Nakhon Sri Thammarat, Phang Nga,
Phuket, Ranong and Surat Thani provinces.
Police made 363 arrests and confiscated 260 regular firearms, three war-scale
firearms, and 1,702 rounds of ammunition.
Commander of Provincial Police Region 8 Pol. Lt. Gen. Surapong Thanomjit said
that guns are frequently used in crimes in Thailand. He said firearms are a huge
problem causing loss of life every day. The police officer said the presence of guns
in Thailand is instilling fear into the population.
The officer said the force is cracking down on illegal guns by command of PM
Prayut, who recently ordered the police to prevent gun crime in the kingdom. PM
Prayut also declared a crackdown on drugs, especially methamphetamine.
Yesterday, a SWAT police officer fired 11 shots at a man in a nightclub in Trang
province, southern Thailand, with a 9mm Glock. He killed one man and injured
two more before going on the run.
Thailand ranks 15th among countries with the highest numbers of gun-related
deaths worldwide and 2nd in Southeast Asia, after the Philippines, according to the
World Population Review.
Thailand has the highest gun possession in Southeast Asia because guns are easy to
purchase legally or illegally. Among 10,342,000 guns recorded in Thailand in
2017, 6,221,180 were legally registered and the rest were illegal. Thailand News Today
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Allow foreigners to hold land ownership
The cabinet approved on Tuesday the Interior Ministry's proposal to allow
foreigners to hold land ownership of up to one rai (roughly 0.16 hectares) for
residential purposes, though critics warned the move might trigger land speculation
from foreigners.
According to government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri, the weekly cabinet
meeting approved in principle a draft regulation of the Interior Ministry regarding
land ownership by foreigners, allowing four groups of rich foreign nationals,
wealthy global citizens, wealthy pensioners, people who work from Thailand, and
highly skilled professionals or specialists – to buy and own land for residences.
The proposal marks a departure from long-standing laws limiting land and property
purchases, except condominiums, to Thais or people married to Thais.
Over a period of five years – from now through 2026 – the government hopes to
attract more than a million wealthy expats to Thailand.
The government estimates the scheme will inject more than 1 trillion baht into the
economy, with an uptick of 800 billion baht in investment and 270 billion through
revenue collection.
According to Mr. Anucha, the land slated for foreign ownership should be in
Bangkok, the Pattaya area, the municipalities of all provinces nationwide, and
areas stipulated as residential zones according to the town and country planning
act.
Qualified foreign nationals must invest 40 million baht in Thai property, securities,
or funds to participate in the scheme. They are required to invest in real estate or
infrastructure funds, real estate investment trusts, securities, or enterprises
promoted by the Board of Investment.
If participants withdraw their investment before the designated period, the land
ownership rights must be revoked. The proposed scheme will become effective
after publication in the Royal Gazette. The scheme will be reviewed after five
years. For foreigners applying to buy land or houses must produce evidence of their
investments.
The foreign investor may buy houses and/or land in Bangkok, Pattaya, or another
“residential area” under Thailand’s town-planning laws.
Foreign investors are not permitted to purchase land or houses in military zones.
The land/house must be used for personal use and “must not violate the morals,
customs or way of life in the local community.”
To apply to buy houses or land, the foreigner must submit an application to the
Director-General of the Land Department who will seek approval from the
Ministry of Interior.
Once the application is approved, the investor must inform the local land
department within 60 days.
If the buyer withdraws their investment, they must inform officials within 60 days.
Foreigners are only eligible to buy one rai of land once. The limit will apply even
if the investor sells parts of or all of the land. Thailand News Today
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Chon Buri governor and police chief deny taking bribes from Pattaya nightspot operators
Chon Buri Provincial Governor Thawatchai Srithong (ธวัชชัย ศรีทอง) and the
provincial police commander, Pol Maj-Gen Kittanet Thana-nan-taveesin, held a
joint press conference yesterday (Tuesday) to refute allegations of bribe-taking
from night entertainment establishments in Pattaya.
Both also threatened legal action against those responsible for posting the
allegations on social media.
A recent social media post shows a piece of paper with names of the entertainment
venues in Pattaya scribbled on it, with numbers thought to be the amounts of bribes
paid. Another post shows an image of the police commander eating at a gathering,
which they claim was hosted by the venue operators.
Pol Maj-Gen Kittanet said that the allegations have tarnished his reputation, adding
that he will sue those responsible for publishing the false allegations.
The governor, meanwhile, said that entertainment venues that are found to be
violating the law will be closed down for five years without exception.
He added that he will also take legal action against those who accused him of
taking bribes.
In Bangkok, police raided a pub in Yan Nawa district on Tuesday night and about
40 of the 300 customers, mostly Chinese tourists, tested positive for illegal drugs.
Meanwhile, commander of the investigative division of Metropolitan Police
Bureau, said that the pub had been operating illegally for about four months and
only catered to foreign customers, adding that most customers are on package tours
from China. Thailand News Today
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Drug dealers use license plate flippers to trick police
Officers swooped and arrested a drug trafficking gang that managed to avoid
capture for months by using a car license plate flipper to trick police.
The Metropolitan Police Bureau in Bangkok held a press conference yesterday to
reveal details of the license plate flipper scam and the arrest of a major drug
trafficking gang in the central part of Thailand.
The Deputy Commander of the Metro Police, Jirasan Kaew-ek, revealed his team
arrested a drug dealer last month who confessed that he bought his illegal narcotics
from a bigger fish named Kittisak.
The police had been monitoring Kittisak and his two friends, Jack and Champ, who
rented a house in Nonthaburi province near Bangkok, for months.
Officers eventually tracked down the criminals and raided their drugs den, seizing
in the process some 120 bags of heroin, 162 kilogrammes of methamphetamine,
and 94 kilogrammes of ketamine.
Kittisak made known they were hired by a dealer in northern Thailand and earned
200,000 baht per month for trafficking his drugs.
Kittisak said they made four drug deliveries starting in July. He revealed they
managed to avoid arrest by using the license plate flipper, which they ordered
online for 30,000 baht.
The driver can operate the device from inside the car using a remote control, which
rotates the plate within a few seconds.
The Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, Damrongsak Kittipaphat, ordered
every police checkpoint to focus on the car registration plates to avoid similar
cases.
Damrongsak issued a warning to criminals repeating the trick because they would
be violating Sections 264 and 265 of the Criminal Law. Anyone who fails to
follow the rules faces imprisonment from six months to one year and their car
registration license will be revoked.
Damrongsak also urged the merchants of the gadget to stop selling it. The
commissioner warned license plate sellers face prosecution if the flipper is used
illegally. Thailand News Today
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Miss Grand Thailand, Engfa Waraha, scooped the best national costume prize at the Miss Grand International 2022 final
Miss Grand Thailand, Engfa Waraha, scooped the best national costume prize at
the Miss Grand International 2022 final in Indonesia yesterday. Unfortunately, the
Thai beauty queen had to make do with the first runner-up prize in the overall
competition after being edged out by Miss Grand Brazil, Isabella Menin, who was
crowned Miss Grand International 2022. Thailand News Today
Beauty queens from 72 countries around the world joined the final round of the
Thai-franchised beauty contest at Sentul International Convention Center in Bogor
Regency of West Java province in Indonesia.
Many beauty pageant fans agreed that the 26 year old Brazilian beauty deserved to
wear the crown, commenting on her bright personality and education. Menin can
speak five languages and finished her Master’s degree in finance at University
College London.
As the beauty contest is a Thai-based project, Menin also spoke Thai in a part of
her speech in the final round too.
The runners-up included:
1st runner-up: Engfa Waraha (Thailand)
2nd runner-up: Andina Julie (Indonesia)
3rd runner-up: Luiseth Materan (Venezuela)
4th runner-up: Mariana Beckova (Czech Republic)
Engfa may not have been crowned Miss Grand International 2022 but she made
known that she still fulfilled many of her dreams competing in the competition,
scooping the first runner-up and national costume prize.
The national costume of Miss Grand Thailand this year was inspired by the
nation’s unique Muay Thai sport and the monkey character, Hanuman, from the
Ramayana epic. See Engfa’s national costume here. Thailand News Today
Thai netizens praised Engfa for her performance. Fans were also impressed with
her speech on the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia. The young beauty
queen was worried about her English speaking skills but delivered her point
eloquently.
Meanwhile, Anne Jakrajutatip, a Thai billionaire transwoman, and the Chief
Executive Officer of the JKN Global Group Public Company Limited took over
the Miss Universe Organization yesterday following a US$20 million (760 million
baht) investment in the franchise.
The Miss Universe headquarters and the team will remain in New York City, US,
according to the legal conditions.Thailand News Today
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