Italian photographer Fabio Polenghi was almost certainly shot dead by government forces on May 19, 2010.

This is the conclusion of the Metropolitan Police Bureau after hearing more than ten witnesses, but they are still waiting for the ballistics report to complete the investigation. Police have re-investigated the case at the request of Polenghi's sister. Polenghi was killed in clashes between red shirts and security forces on Ratchadamri Road.

– Eight hospitals under the Ministry of Health are involved in the smuggling of pseudoephedrine-containing cold pills, which are processed into methamphetamine. This has emerged from a study by the Ministry of Health of the 875 hospitals under the management of the Ministry.

The Ministry of Health has banned the sale of the controversial pills over the counter. They can now only be prescribed by a doctor. Of the 413 pharmacies randomly examined, 29 were still selling them. Their permit will be revoked for 3 months. Disciplinary measures have already been taken against seven hospital directors and pharmacists.

According to the police, 2006 million pills containing pseudoephedrine were seized on 2012 occasions between 48,32 and 40.

– The police investigation into the death of Khattiya Sawatdiphol has not yet been completed, says Deputy Commissioner Anuchai Lekbamrung. Police are also investigating Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung's claim that Khattiya was killed by a police sniper. Khattiya, who was in charge of security at the red shirt protest site at Ratchaprasong Intersection, was shot in the head on May 13, 2010, while talking to a journalist. He died in hospital a few days later.

– Korean companies should invest more in Thailand because it is a friendly country to do business. Prime Minister Yingluck told a forum attended by 450 Thai and Korean investors yesterday. In recent years, 500 Korean companies have invested in Thailand. Last year, trade between the two countries increased by 12 percent to 15,1 billion Korean won; the investment volume increased by 51 percent. One million South Korean travelers visited Thailand last year; in the reverse direction went 310.000 Thais. Prime Minister Yingluck and entourage pay a 4-day visit to South Korea.

– Supoj Saplom, from whose home a large amount of money was stolen in November, has not been able to convince the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) of his innocence. Yesterday, the suspended permanent secretary of the Ministry of Transport was heard by the NACC for the last time. After 3 hours he came out with a face like an earwig. According to the deputy secretary general of the NACC, Supoj has not handed over the necessary (tax) documents that could explain his unusual wealth. The NACC is still hearing the 12 witnesses Supoj has brought in. She hopes to complete her research in May.

– Kasem Wattanachai, member of the Privy Council, warns Thais against helping foreigners acquire land. He responds to reports that many rice fields are being sold or rented to investors from the Middle East. Farmland should be reserved for Thai farmers to work and earn a living from, he says. According to a study commissioned by the Ombudsman, a third of Thailand's land is owned by foreigners through local frontmen.

– The Ministry of Education will investigate irregularities in the purchase of educational resources worth 884 million baht by the Office of the Education Commission. Nineteen vocational training courses received learning materials in the field of electronics and automotive engineering. It turned out that the teaching aids were priced too high. For example, a transformer costs 3.000 to 4.000 baht, but 40.000 baht was paid for it. The matter has been brought to the attention of the office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission.

– A Thai man was one of three people in a pickup truck that caused a power outage in the Burmese city of Tachilek on Saturday, just hours before two bombs exploded on a golf course. The car had crashed into an electricity pole. The authorities in Myanmar suspect the three of them to be involved in the bomb explosions. The Thai was injured in the collision and is now being treated at Chiang Rai hospital.

– Four minelayers were arrested on Saturday evening at the Thai-Cambodian border by Cambodian troops because they were illegally on Cambodian territory. The four were on their way to Oddar Meanchey County to work, but were unable to produce travel documents when they were apprehended. Various Thai services have contacted the Cambodian authorities to help the foursome.

– Four heavily armed men robbed a cash transport in Sing Buri yesterday and made off with 4,1 million baht. They struck when an employee brought bags of money to the money van and opened fire on the van and the man, who was hit in the leg. The thieves then had a look because the driver shot away with the money truck that still had 16 million baht.

– Thirty houses along the Chao Praya River in Bang Ban (Ayutthaya) are at risk of submerging due to erosion. The residents are calling on the authorities to restore the river banks or to build a dike. Since the water has returned to normal levels after last year's floods, parts of the bank have eroded.

– The brother of a police officer's wife has asked the Crime Suppression Division to reopen the investigation into the officer who was suspected of murdering the woman in October 2010. The OM dismissed the case due to lack of evidence. At the time, the officer claimed that his wife had taken poison, but no traces of it were found in an autopsy.

– A woman suffering from Alzheimer's spent three days in their condominium in Pathum Thani with the dead body of her mother (64).

– The body of a young woman who had been beaten to death was found in an orange grove in the district of Muang (Yala). A piece of wood with blood lay next to the body. There were no signs of assault. The woman must be from elsewhere, because villagers could not identify her.

– On Sunday evening, a police officer was shot dead in the district of Yarant (Pattani), when he left his home. Eight insurgents opened fire on him.

– A 62-year-old American, who escaped from prison in the US 25 years ago, has been arrested in Chiang Mai. In 1987 he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for drug possession. After 3 years he managed to escape and in 2008 he came to Thailand for the first time with a false passport. In October last year he re-entered the country and applied for a retirement visa.

– An American couple has returned 30 nang yai (shadow play) dolls. It had bought the puppets from a German woman whose husband had bought them from a Thai puppeteer in 1910. The dolls tell the story of Ramayana and are said to be 200 years old. They are currently being restored in the warehouse of the National Museum in Pathum Thani.

– The Democratic party threatens to withdraw from the parliamentary committee on national reconciliation because the chairman refuses to put the proposals of the King Prajadhipok Institute (PKI) back on the agenda. The opposition believes that the proposals should be reassessed to prevent certain points from favoring certain parties.

The opposition has also asked the KPI itself to withdraw those points. They could be used to grant amnesty to political offenders and to expunge corruption charges during the Thaksin administration. According to the opposition, this could provoke new political conflicts.

The controversial PKI report will be discussed in parliament today and not on April 12, as previously reported. However, it will not be voted on, says the secretary general of the House of Representatives. The point of discussion is whether the report will be discussed in the current parliamentary term (ie before parliament goes into recess).

– Former Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh supports the proposals of the King Prajadhipok Institute. Amnesty is a reasonable solution to the current conflicts, he says. He draws a comparison with the way in which the communist movement was ended in the early XNUMXs. That policy was characterized by a peaceful approach, in which no arrests were made. 'By granting an amnesty to political offenders, the power of the judiciary would be strengthened in a democratic process,' said Chavalit.

– Air conditioners will be 3.000 to 20.000 baht more expensive when the Ministry of Finance will raise an excise duty of 15 percent. The country is then in danger of losing its regional lead in the market, warns the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI). Surrounding countries do not have such a levy.

In 2009, the Abhisit government scrapped the excise duty on the grounds that air conditioners can no longer be considered a luxury item in humid tropical countries such as Thailand. Together with a local tax collected by the Interior Ministry, the levy totaled 16,5 percent.

Thailand produces 17 million air conditioners annually, of which 1 million are for the domestic market. Exports of air conditioners, refrigerators and parts brought in 377 billion baht.

www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post

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