Phuket
Teens arrested for bypass stabbings, robberies

PHUKET: Four motorists were stabbed within 20 minutes of each other during a drunken robbery spree by two 17-year-olds in the early hours of yesterday morning.
The two suspects used a motorbike to rob and stab victims in Phuket Town. Another robbery, without a reported stabbing, in Thalang is also being attributed to the suspects.
The first victim, 21-year-old Suraya Sookpen, suffered minor injuries after being stabbed in the stomach at about 2:40am.
“Mr Suraya said he was heading to his house in Soi 7 along the Bypass Road on his motorbike. He said that two men rode up on a bike, stabbed him and robbed him of his mobile phone,” Capt Akkaradet Pongprom of the Phuket City Police said.
“Both suspects then escaped on a Honda Wave motorbike (reported to be white, blue and black) without a license plate, and headed to Pracha Uthid Road. Mr Suraya remembered that both suspects were wearing a helmet and face mask, and one was dressed in yellow and another in light gray.”
The suspects then allegedly followed a 26-year-old man named Apiwat Kiriwong, who was heading back to his home from Patong. When Mr Apiwat was on his motorbike near Boat Plaza in Phuket City at about 2:50am, the suspects reportedly rode up to him and asked him for 20 baht.
“I didn’t get off the bike until I arrived at a 7-Eleven,” Mr Apiwat said. “I then parked my bike and went to into the store and the two men followed me there. I tried to walk away from them and after a while I saw them leave the store. I then decided to leave.”
But the two teenage boys, who police have refused to name on the grounds that they are minors, were waiting for Mr Apiwat by his motorbike. They threatened him with a BB gun before stabbing him. The two then escaped with Mr Apiwat’s wallet, which reportedly had 600 baht in it.
Mr Apiwat’s description to police of the perpetrators matched Mr Suraya’s accounts.
The thieves fled the 7-Eleven on their motorbike and, ten minutes later, again attacked commuters along the Bypass Road. Tulakarn Thamkan, 23, was stabbed in the lower left chest and Suthinan Thongmuen, 23, suffered minor injuries after being stabbed in the left ribs.
“We were driving into town from Thalang,” Mr Suthinan said. “When we arrived at the Bypass Road (near Toyota Sure) at about 3am, two men stopped our bike. They tried to stab us with a knife, but we fought back. Eventually they injured us left with a mobile phone.”
Captain Akkaradet said police received word of the attacks just before 4am.
“This is a very serious case. The two men spent only about 20 minutes and were involved in three robberies,” he said. “We had to act urgently on this, so we rushed to check the CCTV footage and question the victims.”
Shortly before 7am, Phuket City Police received word from Thalang Police about a similar case in the north of the island, but reported that no one was injured in that robbery.
Finally at about 2pm yesterday, police arrested the suspects at their house in Thalang. Both teenagers were charged with robbery using a weapon, and using a vehicle to flee the scene of a crime.
Their victims have since been released from Vachira Phuket Hospital.
— Kritsada Mueanhawong
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Tourism
The Area Hotel Quarantine – tweaking Thailand’s arrival options

We spoke about the new proposal for an Area Hotel Quarantine last Friday and in Thailand News Today. The mandatory 14 day quarantine (magically extended a couple of days at many facilities at the foreigner’s cost) remains the key sticking point for the return of tourists or travellers, in any significant or useful numbers. A number of visas and quarantine programs has done little to increase the numbers of foreign arrivals to Thailand.
The proposal, leaked out as a ‘discussion’ pending cabinet talks and a final decision, has not received much support from the overseas community that are trying to travel to Thailand, or former expats that are trying to get back. Many of the comments believe the 14 days, even restricted to a larger set of walls, is still too restrictive, costly and inconvenient.
“It would also be nice if the two weeks quarantine was not part of the visa! You get a two month visa minus the two weeks.”
“It’s still a prison if you can’t get out. Voting with my feet”
“There’s just not going to be any tourism until Thailand stops this 14-day quarantine nonsense.”
The proposal allows guests to leave their hotel rooms after the first 3 days of a 14 day stay. The proposal is on the agenda for the next CCSA weekly meeting. The proposal was mooted at a meeting last Thursday and chaired by Thailand’s Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn.
After the first 3 days, guests would have another swab test before being able to spend the remaining 11 days meandering around the rest of the hotel complex (so, suddenly, REALLY large hotels in great locations become much more attractive). But they wouldn’t be able to leave the hotel property.
The Area Hotel Quarantine is being seen as an accommodation for the hardest hit tourist zones in Thailand – Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi, Surat Thani (the 3 islands of Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Tao) and Chon Buri (Pattaya). In all cases the key tourist zones are desperate for the government to ease restrictions or do something… anything… to help boost travel to the battered tourist economies that rely, mostly, on the visits from tourists.
After the 14 day AHQ the visitor will be free to travel anywhere around Thailand.
Last Thursday’s conference call says that Ministers are trying to come up with ways to start re-opening up Thailand to more travellers from next month by expanding the options and slowly easing restriction.. They also want to re-open talks with neighbouring countries and other countries deemed ‘low risk’, or with high vaccination uptake, with travel bubble options, hopefully by May.
About vaccinations, the government is also considering plans to have a no-quarantine option for visitors to come to Thailand as long as they’ve been vaccinated. But the Public Health Ministers says they are looking at the lead from the World Health Organisation about how to administer this sort of ‘vaccine passport’ access as there needs to be a greater body of knowledge about the efficacy of various vaccines. The International Air Transport Association is also in discussion with airlines and governments about restricting access to international travel for people who have been vaccinated.
It was also disclosed this week that some foreigners in the first batch of golf quarantine, where they have to stay in their room for 3 days then can roam around the golf course and play golf, have tested positive for the coronavirus after the test on the third day of their stay. Another batch of Villa Quarantine tourists, visiting Phuket at the end of February, have all returned negative test results.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
(The hotel depicted in the main photo may, or may not, be associated with the Area Hotel Quarantine program)
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Crime
2 Phuket Town nightclubs shut down after allegedly violating multiple laws

2 Phuket Town nightclubs are shutting down after allegedly violating multiple laws. The Maldives and H20 on Lim Sui Ju Road, on the south end of Phuket Town were ordered by the Phuket Governor to close immediately, with the Maldives being orderd to close for 5 years.
The order comes after the Phuket City Police inspected the Maldives club, arresting the manager for operating an entertainment venue without a permit, allowing people under 20 years old to work or “use services in the venue,” and for selling alcohol without a permit.
Governor Narong cited his authority under Section 4 of NCPO order 22/2558 to order the Maldives nightclub to be closed for 5 years, from March 5, 2021 to March 4, 2026.
The order also prohibits the operators from opening any other entertainment venues during the same period. The H20 nightclub was ordered to close by a provincial order after Phuket City Police say they inspected the venue and charged the operator for selling or providing shisha, or baraku, without permission.
The owner was also accused of operating an entertainment venue without a permit and violating the provincial order for enforcing Covid-19 safety measures. But it is unknown what penalties were handed down to the operator of the H20 nightclub, unlike the Maldives operator, who received a penalty.
Instead, the governor cited the Revolution Council announcement of 1959, to shut down the establishment for 30 days from March 5, 2021 to April 3, 2021. The orders noted that both operators of the clubs have the right to appeal the closures, having 15 days to file an appeal directly with the Phuket Governor.
Meanwhile, Phuket is set to open its doors to vaccinated, international tourists by October, pending the government’s approval. The local government’s initiative, named Phuket First October, proposes vaccinating a majority of its population over 18 years of age in time for the high season.
The move would allow thousands of vaccinated Europeans to enter Thailand, while locals would be protected from the virus symptoms.
SOURCE: The Phuket News
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Drugs
Early morning drug busts in Phuket yield 9 arrests

An early morning drug bust in Rawai, Phuket has yielded 9 arrests. The first raid yesterday consisted of 30 task force members who raided a sea gypsy shack near the beachfront in Rawai.
43 year old Saroch Homhuan, and 34 year old Juree Bangjak, were arrested and charged with posession of a Category I drug with the intent to sell, after police found 9 pills of methamphetamine, or yaba in Thai, over 6 grams of crystal meth, or ya ice in Thai, and 3 other “items of evidence.”
31 year old Suriyan Na Takuathung, and 29 year old Prathip Areerop, were arrested and charged with possession of a Category 1 drug with intent to sell, and possession of a Category 5 drug respectively. Police say they found 20 pills of methamphetamine, 0.92 grams of dried marijuana and 5 items of drug paraphernalia.
Police also raided 2 houses in Moo 2, arresting 5 suspects, named as 21 year old Vikrom Kongwiriyakul, 32 year old Narunat Chanthamuwong, 18 year old Chanchai Damrongkaset, a woman named Chantha Hansaithong, and 21 year old Warut Rodphan.
Warut was allegedly found with a bottle containing 500 millilitres of kratom juice. Police also say they seized 150 grams of kratom leaf dregs which are used to boil leaves in order to make the juice. Police charged him with posession of a Category 5 drug.
Police say they confiscated a total of 13 litres of kratom juice from 4 other suspects, which was contained in 10 bottles along with other ingredients and equipment to produce the drug cocktail called ‘4×100.’
All 9 suspects were taken to the Chalong Police Station in which only 1 agreed to undergo drug rehabilitation.
The raids come after the Phuket Provincial Government ordered officers of the Muang District Office to target villages where drugs are prevalent. A spokesman for the government said police will continue to remove drug traffickers from the community while working to improve the quality of local people’s lives so they don’t have to use drugs anymore.
SOURCE: The Phuket News
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