Wanted Fraud Frenchman Arrested in Pattaya | Thailand News Today
Researchers from the Prince of Songkla University have discovered a new species of orchid in the Paribatra waterfall in the southern province of Songkhla, Thailand. Led by Sahut Chantanaorrapint, a professor from the Department of Biology of the Faculty of Science at Prince of Songkla University, the team identified the new species and published their findings in an international botanical journal.
In the US, the FBI requested the extradition of 57 year old Tubtim “Sue” Howson from Thailand, who is believed to have hit and killed 22 year old Ben Kable with her BMW 320i in Oakland Township early on New Year’s Day. After fleeing the scene, Tubtim boarded a plane on Tuesday, January 3 and made her way to Bangkok via Dallas then Helsinki on Finnair. Thai police soon tracked her down and found her in Ratcha Buri province, and on Wednesday, February 15, deputy commander–in–chief of the Royal Thai Police Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn held a joint press conference with the accused, in which she agreed to do the right thing and return to the US to face the charges filed against her.
Immigration police in Pattaya also arrested Julien Aubourdier, a Frenchman wanted for fraud and money laundering in his home country. The French embassy and Interpol had issued arrest warrants against him, accusing him of fraud and money laundering in the amount of US$10.6 million or about 370 million baht. Upon his arrest, police charged him with overstaying his visa and are working to extradite him to France to face legal action.
In Phuket, Vice Governor Anuphap reported that over 500 motorbike accidents have occurred in the area involving foreign tourists in the past two months. He said that eighty percent of them did not have driving licenses, some were wearing swimsuits, driving at high speed, and not familiar with routes. He added that the rental businesses were also contributing to the issue by renting motorbikes to tourists without proper documentation.
Meanwhile, a Thai TikToker recently shared a video of foreign tourists enjoying a tubing adventure along the Pai River in Mae Hong Son, a northern province of Thailand. The location was reported to be the Pai River at the Rim Pai Cottage Hotel in the Pai district of Mae Hong Son, and a hotel staff member revealed that 90% of the tourists in the province were foreigners, and almost every accommodation along the river offered tubing activities.
The discoveries of the new orchid species and the influx of foreign tourists to Thailand are signs that the country is well on the way to economic recovery. With the extradition of Tubtim “Sue” Howson to the US to face prosecution for the hit–and–run case that claimed the life of a young Michigan State University student, and the arrest of Julien Aubourdier in Pattaya for fraud and money laundering, Thailand is demonstrating its commitment to justice and law enforcement.
