Four Uzbek women were rescued in Pattaya yesterday by Uzbekistan embassy officials and Chon Buri Provincial Police after allegedly falling victim to a human trafficking scam. A team of police raided a condominium in South Pattaya near the entrance of Phra Tamnak hill.

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The raid comes after Chon Buri police learned from Uzbekistan’s embassy that an Uzbek woman was tricked into coming to Pattaya with the offer of a high paying job, but upon arriving discovered that the work was not as described and she was essentially held against her will. The Embassy was alerted to the woman’s plight by a concerned relative. Police did not disclose the exact nature of the work.

One of the women told police that she had been offered “a lot of money” for working in Pattaya but she didn’t receive the cash and was being held against her will. Her name is being withheld.

A total of four Uzbek women were found in the condominium, including the woman who had come to the attention of the Uzbekistan embassy. All were rescued and will return home with the help of the embassy.

Chon Buri police are continuing their investigation and looking into the individuals who lured the women to Pattaya and offered the alleged employment.

SOURCE: The Pattaya News

The body of a Chinese man, with arms and legs bound, stuffed into a suitcase, has washed up on a sandbank in the Ping River in northern Thailand’s Kamphaeng Phet province. The body was doubled over and the ankles were tied with plastic cable ties. Red rope encircled the arms and legs.

Police believe the man was 30 year old Jun Wang, who had arrived on February 12 with a group of fifteen other Chinese nationals who visited Pattaya. The remainder of the group left the country on February 14, but Jun stayed on.

Police are investigating the connections the man had with the group and his reported residence in Pattaya.

A one kilometre stretch of the river was searched for an hour for additional clues.

An autopsy is being carried out at a forensics center in a hospital in Phitsanulok province and the cause of death is expected to be announced soon.

SOURCES: The Pattaya News | Thai Rath

Hua Hin, long considered a bucolic backwater compared with other resort destinations in Thailand, may be about to morph into something quite different; local media reported on Saturday that the Thai government has approved a major expansion of Hua Hin’s Airport, which could turn the sleepy resort town into a genuine international tourist destination rivalling other more established destinations in Thailand like Pattaya, Phuket or Chiang Mai.

The 350 million baht expansion comprises two projects, with 250 million baht being spent to extend the runway in order bring it up to the standards required for larger aircraft, and another 100 million to be spent extending the passenger terminal.

The project is expected to take 2-3 years, and when complete will enable Hua Hin to welcome not only more domestic flights but also international flights from destinations like mainland China, South Korea, India and Hong Kong, as well as other locations across Southeast Asia. Officials say a fully operational international airport will be a huge boost for Hua Hin’s economy and neighbouring Phetchaburi province.

Under the new plans, Hua Hin Airport’s runway will be expanded by up to 45 metres to accommodate larger aircraft, and the parking area for planes will also be expanded. Currently the airport has capacity for two B737s, but when the improvements are complete it will have capacity for up to five B737s at any one time.

The airport terminal will also be expanded three times its current capacity. The present structure can handle only 300 passengers an hour: this will be trebled to 900 passengers per hour.

The expansion of the airport is a major part of measures to develop the Thai coast from Hat Chao Sam Ran in Phetchaburi south to Chumphon.

The initiative to transform the coast has been dubbed “Thai Riviera” project – with the aim to the coastline becoming an alternative to more established tourist areas like Phuket in the south and Pattaya on the Eastern Seaboard.

SOURCE: Thaivisa