Crime

Bangkok Post’s Recognizes Good Samaritan US Expat Gerry Rasmus

Gerry Rasmus takes it upon himself to set a good example to others by collecting rubbish on the beach

CHONBURI – There is very little US Expat Gerry Rasmus will not do to make this world a better place. Pattaya’s beaches have not been quite the same since his arrival 13 years ago.

His passion for giving has enabled the retired American expat to garner a string of social accomplishments, some of which include working with the homeless, feeding strays and clearing litter on beaches such as Jomtien, which the 76-year-old is probably best recognised for.

For his dedication, Rasmus has been presented with a number of awards, three of the most memorable being Pattaya’s Expat Greatest Contributor 2013 (by Central Department Group), an award from Pattaya City Hall for protecting the Gulf of Thailand and an award for Waste Management and Recycle, Chon Buri province. All six awards have been priceless for him. Back in 2007, when the Chon Buri governor acknowledged his efforts to clean up Jomtien beach, he knew he was on the right path.

“Thailand needs education to equip locals with the know-how to keep the natural environment around them clean,” said the retired expat. “We need to teach the unknowing, explain to the uncaring and [when needed] impose fines, community service, jail time for anyone who destroys nature.”

The old timer decided to lay down roots in the Kingdom because he found the locals to be down-to-Earth. “Thais seem to be born survivors, they tend to make most out of the least,” he said.

Rasmus, who spent most of his life in Hawaii before deciding to retire in Thailand, has always believed in being a good example when it comes to addressing pollution problems. His goal is to always leave a place looking better, safer and cleaner. The American said that to get to this stage in life he had to go through a spiritual awakening, during which he questioned his existence. During this time of soul searching, he came to the realisation that while he was discovering himself, he would keep his surroundings clean, safer for children and wildlife, making it more pleasurable to the eyes for everyone.

One of the many reasons he became aware of litter and its dangerous effects was due to an incident that occurred some 40 years ago in California. “I heard a mother scream, her one-and-a-half-year-old daughter was choking. So, I picked her up, turned her upside down, patted her back, but she continued to choke. I then reached into her mouth and was able to remove a toxic cigarette butt. From that day on, I quit leaving behind my toxic cigarette butts. I told every smoker what happened, explaining the dangers of ‘toxic butts’, which can take up to 12 years to decompose,” he said.

Rasmus’ socially-conscious side makes him sensitive towards the needs of humans and animals alike. Random acts of daily kindness are priceless and both the giver and receiver are rewarded, he said. ”I’ll be 77 in April, I’m not looking to retire,” he said.

“I’m here to help and get my physical exercise simultaneously. The rewards of helping others is priceless, it keeps me going. The wonderful people that reach out to support my work, to be able to reach out to others, keep the wind in my sails, a smile on my face and power to keep on going.”

Being a good Samaritan is also part and parcel of his nature, so whenever an opportunity arises he lends a helping hand to people that require everything from first-aid to drinking water, food and also clean clothes. He also readily gives a hug, handshake or smile when necessary. He has also come to the realisation that nobody can force people with problems to seek help. “While one can open all kinds of doors for people with problems, unless they want to walk in, there is nothing anyone can do. I was stuck with a sick person for over 40 years, me, so I know what that feels,” said Rasmus.

“I lived a life of vices now for number of years, but have now turned a new leaf. What helped me most through this process was the need to forgive myself and others. I also had to learn to love myself unconditionally. Giving back to Mother Earth in every way possible and counting my blessings daily had become my mantra as I battled a string of illnesses. Thanks to the powers above, I have lived beyond the time doctors gave me. Today, I understand the most important things in life are good health and inner happiness, which can be achieved through a good diet and proper exercise. It is important to give back to society and count one’s blessings. Having respect for oneself and others, being fully responsible for ones actions are a few aspects worth practising.”

If there is anything Rasmus would like to leave behind as parting advice, it is to “be wise with your interactions with locals”.

See Original Article Here

Crime

Police Officer Being Ordained at Temple Arrested for Running Scam Call Center

Police in Northern Thailand have arrested a fellow officer as he was being ordained at a temple in Ngao district of neighbouring Lampang province.

Pol Lt Col Bandit Khonkan chief inspector from the Hang Dong police station was disrobed and taken to the Chang Puak station in Chiang Mai. He was arrested on charges of running a call centre scam gang in Chiang Mai Province.

According to Thai Media Chiang Mai Provincial Police Region 5 obtained an arrest warrant for Pol Lt Col Bandit on Friday from the Chiang Mai Provincial Court for procuring illegal telecom equipment, setting up a station and using public airwaves to run a telecommunications business without permission.

Pol Lt Col Bandit reportedly told investigators that he was not the ringleader and was only a member of the gang with Chinese partners.

His arrest followed the apprehension of his 26-year-old daughter, Miss Wanuchapond, 26, and three others during raids at three housing projects in Chiang Mai on Friday, Pol Maj Gen Weerachon Boontawee, deputy chief of Provincial Police Region 5 told Thai media.

During the raids police police discovered around 12 GSM gateways, or SIM boxes, which are devices used for converting cellular networks into mobile phone numbers used domestically.

The chief inspectors daughter Miss Wanuchapond told the arresting officers that she was paid 8,000 baht a month at each of the three locations for renting thr rooms and monitoring devices.

She claimed she had no idea what the devices were and accepted the job because the pay was attractive.

Police investigators working with telecom regulators used a special tracking device to monitor the gang’s communications and learned that its base was in Myanmar opposite Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai.

The call center gang used the GSM gateways to make calls over the internet to scam people in Thailand out of million of baht.

The GSM gateways transmitting signals via SIM boxes to convert them into domestic phone numbers, duping victims into thinking they were being called from Thai government agencies.

Pol Maj Gen Weerachon said that each SIM box held 32 SIM cards, with a capacity of up to 300,000 calls a month. The seized devices had made fraudulent calls over 3.6 million times.

He said the their investigation is ongoing and they are working to track down the remaining conspirators, including Chinese and other Thai suspects.

Authorities are still deciding whether Pol Lt Col Bandit will be dismissed from the force, he said, adding that so far, no other officers are known to have been involved.

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

Meanwhile, 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.

Related Police 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/

Crime

Thai Immigration Police Arrest Colombian Tourists Over Home Invasions

Immigration police officers have arrested four Colombian nationals in connection with a series of home burglaries at luxury housing complexes in the Bangkok metropolitan area and Chiang Buri Province.

Pol Maj Gen Panthana Nuchanart, deputy commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, told a press briefing that three of the suspects were apprehended in Nonthaburi Province and the fourth in South Pattaya, Chon Buri Province.

According to the Bangkok Post, the Colombians were charged with stealing conspiracy and seized around 3 million baht (US$82,500.00).

According to Pol Maj Gen Panthana, the criminals rode motorcycles through housing estates, scoping out the properties and waiting for the owners to depart before committing their crimes.

He stated that all four of the accused denied any involvement in the home break-ins, but the arresting squad discovered evidence that implicated them.

Police called to home invasion

Meanwhile, police were dispatched to a luxury housing development in Tambon Nong Prue, Chonburi Province, after a Chinese man was attacked during a house invasion.

When they arrived, they discovered the house owner, Mr. Qian Peng Yi, visibly scared and with marks from being tied up with a cable. He informed police that three Chinese males broke into his home at 9 p.m., one of whom brandished a gun at him and directed him to his bedroom.

They bound his hands and feet, gagged him with fabric, taped his head, and forced him into the bed. The intruders then attempted to compel him into transferring 10 million baht in cryptocurrencies to them, endangering the life of his 33-year-old cousin who was in a second-floor bedroom.

While they scoured the house in search of riches, Mr. Peng Yi managed to flee and hide; he subsequently observed them leave with his cousin. Officials investigated the property and analyzed security camera footage from the incident and surrounding areas.

Around 9 p.m., a 30-year-old van driver came at the Bang Lamung police station after being contacted by an agency to carry Chinese customers from Pattaya to Suvarnabhumi Airport.

The driver informed authorities that he was supposed to pick them up at a motel about a kilometer from the Chinese businessman’s home. He then drove them to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport, arriving at 1 a.m. and receiving 1,800 baht.

The driver took a snapshot of the group smoking at the airport gate and identified one of them as the victim’s cousin. Police suspected coordination between her and the three suspects in her cousin’s heist, who all departed Thailand on the same aircraft.

Other Bangkok News:

Police in Bangkok Discover Six Vietnamese Tourists Dead in 5 Star Hotel

Police in Bangkok Discover Six Vietnamese Tourists Dead in 5 Star Hotel

Crime

Son of Thailand’s Leading Legal Scholar on Corruption Arrested for Running Online Gambling Network

The son of a former senator and leading economist and expert on corruption and gambling in Thailand has been arrested for on charges of running an online gambling network and its payment system.

Police from Thailand’s Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) have confiscated assets worth more than (US$ 11.1 million) 400 million baht.

Narote Piriyarangsan, 33, was arrested following crackdowns in three sites around the city, according to Pol Maj Gen Athip Pongsiwapai, commander of the police Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD).

Mr Narote’s father, Sangsit Piriyarangsan, is an economist who has written articles and books about corruption and gambling. He was one of the appointed senators that were investigating the government’s intention to legalize casino gaming before their terms expired.

Police also detained 39-year-old Narayut Narakaew, the owner of the gambling website 69pgslot.com. The Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for the couple for operating an internet gambling service and money laundering.

According to the Bangkok Post, police seized two desktop computers, one laptop computer, 14 mobile phones, 21 bank passbooks, 53 ATM cards, and four high-end cars — a Ferrari 926 GTS, an Aston Martin, a Lexus, and a Subaru — totaling more than 400 million baht.

Police launched the inquiry after discovering the online gambling site, which accepted funds via an automatic deposit-withdrawal system through bank accounts and deposits in the AskMePay system. Players scanned the VPay QR code as well as the QR codes for Heng Online 888 or Heng Pay Company.

Police also discovered that payments received via QR code scans were transferred to the account of Heng Pay Co and then to the gambling website’s mule accounts using AskMePay, which did not use banks’ face recognition scanning. An inquiry indicated a monthly turnover of approximately 5 billion baht.

According to investigators, the website has been up and running for around four years, with the payment mechanism in use for roughly eight months.

According to Pol Maj Gen Athip, Mr Narote owns the gaming website’s payment systems and is the director of Heng Pay Co. After gathering evidence, authorities requested arrest warrants for 14 people.

Thailand does not allow almost any kind of gaming. Even though the law doesn’t say anything specific about online gaming, it is still considered gambling. The country has pretty strict rules about gambling. Thai punters can bet on the national lottery and horse races, but they can’t bet on any other types of games.

But it’s not a secret that there is a huge illegal gaming business in Thailand, even though it’s illegal.

The illegal casinos, online betting shops, underground lotteries, and pop-up bookies that take bets on everything from cockfights to Muay Thai make a shadow economy that is worth billions of dollars every year.