Chiang Rai News

Six Mekong Countries to Intensify “Safe Mekong Initiative” as Drug Production Increases

CHIANG RAI – The Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) secretary-general Niyom Termsrisuk announced yesterday that a heightened cooperation between six countries as part of the anti-drug Safe Mekong initiative has contributed to the interception of large drug hauls entering Thailand from neighboring Mekong countries.

Mr Niyom, who was promoted to the post of ONCB chief at the beginning of last month, came to the job during an important period when a five-year action plan for the Safe Mekong initiative, which would be implemented from next year, is being formulated.

Six countries that have joined the initiative are Cambodia, Laos, China, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.

Mr Niyom stressed the exchange of intelligence between the countries played a part in seizing drugs that have been smuggled into the country.

Niyom Termsrisuk took over as head of the prime minister’s Office of Narcotics Control Board on Oct 1, 2018

He said information sharing led officers to determine areas where the drugs were expected to be shifted across border into the country.

The cooperation is also instrumental in hindering the smuggling of drug precursors across borders.

The information sharing, he said, also sheds light on people associated with drug syndicates and leads drugs authorities in each country to bring fleeing drug suspects to justice. This benefits the manhunt of those people, Mr Niyom said.

“Over the past three years, our ways to address [drug] problems are clear in various aspects, particularly joint action plans with neighbouring countries to intercept chemicals and precursors [used to make drugs] in risk areas,” Mr Niyom said.

Officers also exchanged information about Thai drug suspects holed up in Myanmar as well as producers and chemists involved with drug production, he said.

“This resulted in more busts of chemicals, speed pills [ya ba], crystal meth [ya ice] and marijuana as well as targeted individuals,” Mr Niyom said.

According to him, intelligence sharing among the six countries and a series of crackdowns on major drug syndicates does not only highlight trust between the members but also shows the international community that the group is united in its bid to tackle drug problems in the region.

It shows that this group of countries has played an active role in dealing with the problem, which could help allay accusations by the international community that the region causes the spread of the drugs.

Thai Marine Border Police patrol the Mekong river near Chiang Saen in northern Chiang Rai province.

He said the Golden Triangle, where the borders of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet, is still seen by the international community as the source of drug production.

“We try to exert greater leverage for negotiation. Mekong river basin countries have united in seriously addressing the problem,” Mr Niyom said.

According to the secretary-general, it is also important to acknowledge that the spread of drugs is also caused by drug users.

The enforcement of the laws to deal with drug traffickers remains important but a move to take drug users to undergo rehabilitation is also necessary, he said.

“It is not enough to deal with drug suppression alone. The drug problem in relation to users must also be addressed,” Mr Niyom said.

He said Myanmar border areas of Thachilek and Nong Ta Yang that are adjacent to Thailand’s Chiang Rai in the North were frequently used by drug smugglers to transport drugs across the border into Thailand, adding Myanmar authorities are now working with Thai counterparts to deal with the problems.

Police and navy officers display packages containing 200,000 speed pills seized following a shootout with suspected drug traffickers near the Mekong River in Chiang Rai Province.

However, Myanmar authorities still face trouble with reaching out to some areas controlled by armed ethnic minorities, he said, giving an example of Shan State, which is seen to be a source of drug production and is next to the northern region of Thailand.

Referring to anti-drug cooperation from Laos, he said the land-locked country has deployed 800 personnel to patrol their border areas in Bo Kaew and Bolikhamxai provinces, which are believed to be the key locations where drugs are smuggled across the border.

He said the drug problem does not lie in only ya ba, ya ice and cannabis, but also chemicals and drug precursors smuggled from China and India. “We have to figure out how to prevent them from being shifted to Chiang Rai’s Golden Triangle,” Mr Niyom said.

He said Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son and Phayao are Thailand’s northern provinces prone to drug smuggling and the situation remains critical.

Police and ONCB officers arrest suspects who were attempting to deliver the drugs from Chiang Rai to Bangkok using their two private cars.

The ONCB found that drugs are shifted across the border and planted in 47 villages in those provinces first before being transported to upper northeastern provinces — Loei, Nakhon Phanom and Nong Khai — as well as other areas.

“The information that we have obtained makes it possible to map out strategies for drug prevention and suppression in the country as well as those that serve Safe Mekong initiative in targeted areas,” Mr Nikom said.

The ONCB is now working with security officers and army regions to formulate plans to tackle drug smuggling, he said.

Asked if he is worried about how to deal with drug problems, Mr Niyom conceded the issue had significantly concerned him because it has not yet been put under control.

However, several countries are paying attention to the drug problem and standing ready to support Thai authorities by sending experts to help as well as sharing in-depth information and equipment necessary for related tasks.

“The [drug] problem has a broad impact on countries around the globe, not only particular nations,” Mr Niyom said.

Mr Niyom started his career at the ONCB as an investigator and later became a policy and planning analyst at the policy and planning office.

In 2007, he was transferred to work as a special case investigator at the Department of Special Investigation (DSI). A year later, he was promoted as an investigator in the senior professional level.

In 2010, he was made a policy and planning analyst at the ONCB’s Bangkok Area Narcotics Control Office and became the chief of the office in October that year.

He was later made the director of the Drug Demand Reduction Bureau before being promoted to serve as deputy secretary-general of the ONCB in 2016 and narcotic control adviser for the agency this year.

By King-oua Laohong
Bangkok Post

Chiang Rai News

Chiang Rai Man Kills Woman’s Infant Daughter When She Refuses His Sexual Advances

Police in Wiang Kaen District of Chiang Rai Province have arrested a 50 year old man after the threatened to rape a 20 year-old woman and the proceeded to murder her 2 and half month old baby.

Police with doctors from Wiang Kaen Hospital and the Chao Luang Wiang Kaen Welfare Association were summoned to the scene of the incident to a 2-story cement house, Village No. 2, Tha Kham Subdistrict, Wiang Kaen District of Chiang Rai

On arrival they found Ms. Chanikarn, age 20, in a state of distress crying uncontrollably beside her 2 and a half month baby girl (Linlada) that was dead on the floor.

After calming Ms. Chanikarn, the child’s mother, said that at approximately 2:30 p.m she was out to collect diapers that had been dried in front of the house, while her 2 and a half month old daughter was sleep on the ground floor of the house.

She said she was suddenly approached by a Mr. Lee, about 40 years old, who lived on the opposite side of the road. He came towards her and grabbed her arm and threatened her saying if she didn’t sleeping with him he will go and kill his daughter.

Miss Chanikan refused and ran away, then Mr. Lee then walked into the house and grabbed Ms. Linlada’s leg, smashing the child’s head against the cement floor of the house. The infant died immediately.

Mr. Lee then just walked away and returned to his own home, leaving Miss Chanikan and her dead baby.

When police went to Mr. Lee’s home he immediately confessed killing the infant and was taken to Wiang Kaen Police Station for further questioning. Under caution he told police that he was sexually attracted to Miss Chanikan‘s and when her husband leave for work he took the opportunity to approach her.

He said when he saw her husband leave he crossed that road and found Miss Chanikan in the yard alone, he then threatened her to sleep with him, saying he would kill her child if she didn’t have sex with him. However when she refused he flew into a fit of rage walked into her home and murdered he baby. He said he was out of control with rage.

After killing the infant he walk across the street to his home and waited for the police to arrive. The police have charged him with premeditated murder and attempted rape. He is being held without bail at the local remand center.

Meanwhile, Miss Chanikan and her family were preparing a religious burial ceremony for the child.

Other Chiang Rai News:

Machete Wielding Man Shot an Killed by Police in Chiang Rai

https://www.chiangraitimes.com/chiangrai-news/machete-wielding-man-shot-an-killed-by-police-in-chiang-rai/

Chiang Rai News

Police in Chiang Rai Launch Crackdown on Cyber Criminals in Golden Triangle

CHIANG RAI: Prime Minister Settha Thavisin has authorized the establishment of an emergency cyber center operated by the Royal Thai Police to combat transnational crimes committed by call center gangs along the Thai border in Chiang Rai province.

On July 19, Prime Minister Settha Thavisin directed the Center to combat information technology crimes. The Royal Thai Police (Royal Thai Police) will crack down on call center gangs in Myanmar, Laos, and along the border.

His directive comes as call center gangs ratchet up their scams to defraud people of their money, causing concern among Thais and jeopardizing the country’s economic and social stability.

Pol. Gen. Kittirat Panphet, Deputy Commander and Director of the Police Crime Suppression Division, Assigned Pol. Lt. Gen. Thatchai Pitanilabut, Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Police/Deputy Director of the Police Crime Suppression Division, has launched the operation ‘Bombing the Thieves’ Bridge’ in collaboration with the CAT Office, G., mobile phone network operators AIS DTAC TRUE NT, and local security agencies to cut the mobile phone signal and WiFi internet that criminals illegally use to deceive Thai citizens.

Pol. Gen. Kittirat Panphet, Deputy Commander and Director of the Police Crime Suppression Division

Pol. Lt. Gen. Thatchai stated that they will begin pressing the first action of the ‘Explosion of Thieves’ Bridge’ in Chiang Rai Province toward the thieves’ base of operations in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone.

The territory surrounding King Roman in Laos. King Roman is now a full-service entertainment destination with an airport that welcomes travelers from Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar, he explained.

According to Pol. Lt. Gen. Thatchai, this operation will have no influence on honest people along the Thai border, and it will only target cyber criminals.

They will also increase the arrest and prosecution of unlawful service towers, such as SIM booths, which allow gangs register SIM cards to swindle the people. Dealing with criminal organizations of foreigners and Thais who band together to deceive and damage Thais.

Pol. Gen. Kittirat Panphet, Deputy Commander and Director of the Police Crime Suppression Division

The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) suspended more than three million SIM cards on July 16 because the holders had not verified their identities with their mobile phone operators by the deadline, in accordance with the NBTC’s measures to combat alleged fraudsters’ mule accounts.

The names of the holders of 80 million mobile phone numbers used for mobile banking transactions did not match the names associated with the mobile banking accounts.

The NBTC would require mobile phone companies to authenticate SIM card holders and the names of their mobile banking accounts. The verification procedure is expected to be completed by the end of September this year.

In addition, the NBTC and Royal Thai Police have collaborated to combat illegal telecom towers throughout the country’s borders, disconnecting signals at 465 places, altering antenna direction at 470 towers, and dismantling antennas at 179 locations.

They are certain that the move will disrupt contact center gangs and other types of technology-based crime.

Other Chiang Rai News:

Machete Wielding Man Shot an Killed by Police in Chiang Rai

https://www.chiangraitimes.com/chiangrai-news/machete-wielding-man-shot-an-killed-by-police-in-chiang-rai/

Chiang Rai News

Machete Wielding Man Shot an Killed by Police in Chiang Rai

Police in Mae Chan, Chiang Rai, shot and killed a 28-year-old man who allegedly attacked a police officer with a machete. The officer was slashed in the right leg with the machete.

According to police, the culprit, known only as Mr. Toon, had been harassing local villagers in Mae Chan district, Chiang Rai, threatening them with a knife and using violet insults.

The village headman arrived on the scene to try to calm Mr. Toon, but he was shouting hysterically and taking swipes at him with the machete, so he contacted the police.

When the responding officer arrived at the site about 9 p.m., he attempted to calm the man, but he instead assaulted the officer, slashing his right leg with the machete. In self-defense, the cop had to fire his gun at Mr. Toon, striking him in the chest.

Mr. Toon and the policeman were taken to Mae Chan Hospital, where Mr. Toon died of a gunshot wound. Pol Sgt. Sutthikiat Phanomphraisakul was released from the hospital after receiving numerous stitches for his injuries.

Local police received a tip around 9.30 p.m. yesterday that a guy was causing mayhem in the village. When authorities arrived, they discovered 28-year-old Toon strolling along a public road, holding a large knife and threatening people. Mae Chan district officials attempted to contain the incident.

During a search of Mr. Toon’s home, authorities discovered methamphetamine consumption equipment. Locals told authorities that the man was addicted to Yaba (Methamphetamine) and an alcoholic.

The authorities are conducting an inquiry to determine Toon’s motivations and whether any underlying issues contributed to his violent outburst.