Chiang Mai police dispersed the red shirts on Thursday's night following a five-hour confrontation at Phuphing police station in Mueang district.
There was no official report on casualties although one woman was seen to have sustained minor injuries after a ping-pong bomb exploded during the commotion on Huay Kaew Road.
Provincial Police Region Five chief Lt General Somkid Boonthanom said he was responsible for ordering the crackdown on the red shirts who he claimed had turned unruly.
Somkid said police followed prescribed steps on crowd control, including the five-minute warning to disperse. The anti-riot forces were equipped with shields and batons. Water canan was deployed.
The tension started in the evening when the red shirts tried to hold a rally at Chiang Mai Airport to protest against Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij and Commerce Minister Porntiva Nakasai.
Korn and Porntiva arrived at the northern city for an inspection trip.
One of the rally organisers, Niyom Luangcharoen, was detained by police after the discovery that he was carrying a pistol without a license.
Niyom was brought for questioning at the police station and hundreds of the red shirts rallied to demand his release. They also blocked traffic on Huay Kaew, a main thoroughfare.
Although a majority of protesters voluntary dispersed after hearing that police agreed to grant bail to Niyom, about a hundred red shirts carried on protesting.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Police clash with red-shirt protesters
Nine people killed in blasts at Jakarta luxury hotels
Two powerful explosions hit the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels Friday morning in the Indonesian capital, killing at least nine people and injuring dozens of others, police and the security minister said.
Six bodies were found in Jakara's Marriott hotel, two in the nearby Ritz-Carlton and another victim died in hospital after the blasts, which took place during the hotels' busy breakfast time, chief security minister Widodo Adisucipto said.Four foreigners were killed, including the president of the local unit of Swiss cement maker Holcim Ltd, Timothy Mackay, local media reported.More than 40 people were injured in the blasts and were taken to nearby hospitals, Widodo said.Television footage showed severely injured victims, including foreigners, being taken out of the Marriott hotel.Smoke was rising from the hotels, and glass from broken windows and other debris were scattered on the ground.Jakarta police spokesman Chrysnanda, who like many Indonesians uses only one name, confirmed that the blasts came from "high-explosive bombs.""An investigation is under way by bomb experts," he said.The first explosion hit the Ritz-Carlton, destroying its facade, and the second blast hit a restaurant in the nearby Marriott a few minutes later."I was having a breakfast in the nearby restaurant when I heard a very strong blast," said Intan, an officer worker."I saw several foreigners covered in blood taken out of the hotel," she told the TV One channel.The hotels, connected by an underground tunnel and located in a business and diplomatic district, were popular with foreigners as a venue for business meetings because they were thought to be well-protected.The blast was the second bombing on the Jakarta Marriott. In August 2003, a militant drove a bomb-laden truck into the lobby of the hotel and set it off, killing 12 people and injuring 150."The only group that has the ability to carry out such attacks is Jemaah Islamiyah," terrorism expert Rohan Gunaratna told Channel News Asia.Until Friday, Indonesia had not had a major bombing since October 2005 when militants belonging to Jemaah Islamiyah, a regional terrorist group affiliated with al-Qaeda, blew themselves up at three restaurants in Bali, killing 20 people.Jamaah Islamiyah is also blamed for the October 2002 Bali bombings, which killed 202 people, mostly foreign holidaymakers.Analysts have said that the group's violent faction has been severely weakened after the arrest of scores of operatives in recent years but determined militants were still capable of mounting a deadly attack.Meanwhile, a car caught fire near a toll road gate in northern Jakarta, leaving two people dead, but it appeared to be an accident and unrelated to the blasts, Metro TV reported.The hotel bombings came a little more than a week after the July 9 presidential election, in which incumbent Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono appeared set to win a second five-year term although the final results have yet to be officially confirmed.Yudhoyono has been credited with restoring security after a spate of deadly attacks blamed on Jemaah Islamiyah since the start of the decade.Presidential spokesman Andi Mallarangeng said Yudhoyono would make a statement later in the day."This is something very disconcerting," Mallarangeng told Metro TV.English Premier League champions Manchester United were due to stay at the Ritz-Carlton for their friendly match with an Indonesian All Stars side Monday.
Source: The Nation
42nd Asean foreign ministers' meeting starts in Phuket
in Phuket on Thursday. They were among
thousands of security personnel deployed during.
Cambodia tries to tame traffic chaos
PHNOM PENH (AFP) – Student Chhin Sothea found out the hard way that it's not enough just to take care when crossing the street in Phnom Penh -- a motorcycle ploughed into him from behind as he strolled down the sidewalk.
"Now I keep an eye on street traffic all the time and when I get on a fast motorbike, my stomach turns," says the 23-year-old, who spent most of his savings recovering in hospital.
Stories like Chhin Sothea's are common in Cambodia, a rapidly developing country where traffic fatalities have more than doubled over the past five years, becoming the second-biggest killer after AIDS.
"The construction of smoother roads, an ever-increasing number of cars and motorbikes, and bold but often uneducated drivers will become a deadly mix in years to come," says Sem Panhavuth from Handicap International.
A report by his organisation, which monitors Cambodian road safety, found the country saw around 4.5 fatalities per day in 2008, and the number spiked to five per day in the first two months of 2009.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has recently used speeches to implore drivers to take more care, and the government is making greater efforts to bring order to chaotic roads.
The capital Phnom Penh got its first five speed detectors in March and traffic police are now frequently seen out in force, cracking down on motorcyclists who drive without helmets or rear-view mirrors.
Traffic police chief Tin Prasoeur says the compulsory helmet and mirror laws have helped reduce injuries.
"Most of the deadly traffic accidents are usually caused by Cambodian youngsters who race each other through the streets," Tin Prasoeur told AFP. "No traffic police want their money (fines) but we want to draw attention to dangers from not following the law or respecting their own safety," he adds.
However, few are optimistic Cambodia's surging traffic accident toll will soon fall.
"I've seen some improvement on the streets, and little by little we hope to see a new shape in Cambodia," says Pheng Saly, a driving instructor for nearly two decades, who is seeing an increase in clients every month.
"But the issue now is that people don't really respect the traffic laws. Many don't care to know the rules, and they break them," he adds.
Phee Khorn, a motorcycle taxi driver in Phnom Penh for the past five years, says the new road rules are not working and the problem lies with lax law enforcement.
"We see traffic police on the streets daily. They often play cat-and-mouse games by stopping bikes or cars all of a sudden, sometimes for no apparent reason," Phee Khorn says.
"When police fine us for not having a helmet or rear-view mirrors, they just take money and let us go," he adds.
For his part, traffic cop San Sophorng says he is learning how little respect his occupation gets as he tries to bring order to dangerous streets.
"When I stop people without helmets or rear-view mirrors, I always tell them their mistakes and, you know, fine them," he says, adding he gets to keep twenty percent of the money.
As he watches drivers weave, honk and jockey for position around one of Phnom Penh's bulging markets, San Sophorng says accidents are increasing because drivers don't care about the rules.
"A lot of people don't obey the traffic laws, and I can't control them all," he says, taking a short break in the shade with a few other blue uniformed policemen. "I'm becoming more tired every day."
Source: AFP
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Police leaked secrets, top cop admits
"This case could have been wrapped up sooner but has been slow because some police do not have the spirit of being law enforcers. Some act as whistleblowers and leak secrets. Some are afraid to work after being threatened. So we ended up having few investigators working on the case," Thanee said.
Police had launched a manhunt for two suspected gunmen involved in the attempted hit, amid fears the two might be targeted for killing themselves to ensure they keep silent on the person or persons behind the case, Thanee said.
"The two should report themselves to police because their lives might be in danger," he said.
A court approved arrest warrants on Tuesday for Pol Cpl Worawut Mungsanti and Master Sergeant first class Panya Srihaera.
The two are wanted on charges of premeditated attempted murder and possessing guns in public places without permission.
If police can arrest the two, they could issue more arrest warrants for those involved, Thanee said, adding that police believed the suspects were still in the country.
Worawut is a police officer assigned to the Narcotics Suppression Bureau who was seconded to work at the Department of Special Investigation.
Panya is a non-commissioned Army officer from the Special Warfare Command in Lop Buri.
The charges relate to the bid to kill Sondhi, co-leader of the People's Alliance for Democracy and founder of ASTV, early on April 17.
The Army has not commented on Panya's whereabouts. The police anti-drug unit said
Worawut was absent from work for 14 days. He faces a mandatory disciplinary probe with the threat of a dishonourable discharge, if he fails to report for work today.
Thanee said police did not think Rassami Mekchai, who was found to own the dark-purple pick-up suspected to be used in the attack, was involved in the shooting.
Police are also searching for a Mazda pick-up the assailants used to follow Sondhi's car from his home. They had found there were 800 of this model in the country and links to five of these were still being probed.
Police had yet to find guns used in the attack but said this was not a worry as they had other circumstantial evidence and witnesses that make the case solid.
Thanee said this case was actually the responsibility of the Metropolitan Police Bureau and deputy Bangkok Police Chief as chief investigator but he had had to handle it to make progress. He has not been intimidated or threatened, as he knew how to carry himself.
Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban praised police for making progress on a case that was tough.
Asked if he thought police would be able to link high-ranking military officials or police that might be involved in the attack, Suthep said the case was the work of individuals not an institution. He said the fact the two suspects were a soldier and a police officer didn't mean both institutions were involved.
New Politics Party secretary-general Suriyasai Katasila called on the government not to isolate the police team working on the case, saying it must draw a clear line between not interfering and leaving them isolated.
Thanee's team had taken the right path in finding the culprits in the attack of Sondhi, who also believed his attackers were men in uniform, Suriyasai said.
"What we worry about is whether the government will support this police team and make sure that this is not a phoney fight, especially when Thanee has revealed that some investigators let out secrets and there have been high-powered groups trying to intimidate investigators," he said.
"Although Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan have vowed this case is not a phoney fight, we have to see if they give cooperation and support to police. Just before police went to arrest the gunmen, informants leaked the news to the media about the arrest warrants, causing the suspects to become aware and able to escape,"
Suriyasai said.
He said the PM always reiterated about the rule of law and moral principles, so Sondhi's case would be test whether the PM acted as he preached. "By letting Thanee's team be intimidated and threatened, the PM is blurring the line between not interfering and leaving them isolated,'' he said.
Matubhum Party spokesman Muk Sulaiman questioned the timing of the police news on the case, saying news broke just when the government faced adverse publicity about swine flu and the foreign minister.
Thailand registers 412 new A (H1N1) cases, raising total to 4,469
Deputy Public Health Minister Manit Nopamornbodi said Wednesday that 412 new cases of type-A (H1N1) influenza have been confirmed, raising the total cases in Thailand to 4,469.
No more fatalities were reported, he said.Ten patients are still in critical condition in hospitals, the minister said.
The Nation
Thaksin's defence to call first witness on the Bt76 billion asset seizure case
The Supreme Court will on Thursday convene to hear the first batch of two defence witnesses on the Bt76 billion asset seizure case involving ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra and his family.
At the trial conducted in absentia, the defence team has summoned Kanchanpa Honghern, secretary to Thaksin's ex-wife Pojaman, and legal adviser Chatchai Tanthaprasart, to testify.Public prosecutors contend Thaksin's fortune is ill-gotten amassed from conflict of interest.The defence will call 56 witnesses and the prosecution has lined up 58 witnesses. Each side is allocated 25 hearings for testimonies.
The Nation
Thaksin was never here: KL's top cop
Fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra was never in Malaysia nor was he given protection by the Special Branch as he has claimed, Malaysia's Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said.
Musa said Malaysian police had no knowledge of any visit by Thaksin, despite earlier reports quoting Deputy Interior Minister Thaworn Senneam as saying Thaksin had been spotted in Malaysia recently but left the country before he could be arrested by local authorities.
Thaworn said Thai embassy officials had informed the Malaysian authorities to seek Thaksin's arrest and extradition.
But Musa said: "We were only alerted by the Thai embassy here of the fugitive's supposed presence early this month fol-lowing a news report in Bangkok.
"As far as we are concerned, he was never in the country and we did not send 20 Special Branch officers to protect him. We have checked with local hotels, Immigration and other sources, and there is no evidence to show he was ever here."
Thaksin told a community radio station in Udon Thani that his private jet stopped in Kuala Lumpur on July 4 for refuelling and that 20 Special Branch officers were sent to protect him. "They love and care about me,"Thaksin said.
Musa was responding to a report in The Nation on Tuesday.
Source: The Nation
