PATTAYA: — Chonburi Immigration Police announced on Thursday the arrest of a Russian and British National wanted in connection with a case of theft and extortion from March 2015. 

Police Colonel Prapansak, the Superintendent of Chonburi Immigration, based in Jomtien, announced the arrest of Mr. Denis Zabodaev aged 31 from Russia and Mr. Thor Hallan (sic) aged 45, a long-time expat residing in Pattaya. 

Both were arrested based on arrest warrant numbers 250/2558 and 251/2558 dated 19th May 2015 and issued by the Pattaya Provincial Court. They are accused of theft and extortion from Mr. Laurent Thery (Thierry) aged 51 from France who runs an import/export Halal Food Factory at the Egmongkol Village 4 Estate in Soi Kaotalo in East Pattaya. 

On 26th March a group of 4 men are alleged to have entered his factory and removed assets totaling 50,000 Baht in value. Mr. Thery was then escorted to his apartment at the Royal Thai Residence in Soi 7 off the Thepprasit Road in Jomtien where a further 50,000 Baht’s worth of assets were taken, including computers and phones. CCTV from the apartment complex was obtained by Police who will submit this to court as part of their evidence against the two arrested men.”

Noyes under arrest - later convicted

Halland as 'Scrooge' in Dicken's 'Christnas Carol"

Halland second left - Paxman four from left

Machielsen back row far left - Halland back row far right next to Noyes. Front row a friend and retired US civil pilot - all three were to become in long running and bitter feuds with Noyes The 14-year-old got the samw award.

Drew Noyes' revenge blog - after it was deleted by Google Blogger

Noyes employed the wife of Pattaya Court Police at his office

Yes Noyes is in there on Wan Rapee Day at Pattaya Court

 “If the Buddha's words were not important to them when they took to the streets, then what was? 

“The answer is quite simple: racist nationalism. The monks do want justice for people, but just for their own kind. Aren't empathy and non-exploitation the key words in Buddhism? Aren't monks supposed to devote their lives to deepening spiritual practice in order to see through the different layers of we-they prejudice so that compassion prevails in their hearts, words, and actions? 

“Many people outside Myanmar were asking these questions because the anti-Rohingya monks were the same ones who dared challenge the government in 2007 to champion the people's cause, and who themselves faced a violent crackdown by the military junta.
“If the Buddha's words were not important to them when they took to the streets, then what was? 

“The answer is quite simple racist nationalism. The monks do want justice for people, but just for their own kind.”

"I went to Koh Tao in 2001 and did my open water. I fell in love with the island, the lush green coconut plantations stretching down to the sea , with the diving culture , the beautiful fish, the holiday atmosphere , but along with the buzz that comes from a shared interest and newfound energy of many people learning about beautiful natural things .  

It was all i ever wanted. It seemed like paradise , I had to find a way to stay, so I became a diving instructor. This was a big step for me . I was afraid of the water and was by no means a strong swimmer. 

But with some hard work and dedication eventually bit by bit I passed all the swim tests and exams up through rescue and divemaster. I did an amazing snorkel test and all that stuff then maybe after a year’s training and every penny I had I became a PADI instructor. 

While spending some time on the island I obviously made friends with some of the locals . One of these locals was a pretty but powerful looking Thai lady who was involved with the running of the dive shop. 

Lets , for the sake of anonymity call her Pee. So as time went on I became even more in love with Koh Tao but the Thai politics and the tsunami had greatly reduced the amount of tourists coming so diving work became a bit thin on the ground.

To cut a long story short , Pee , who was , i had learned by now , a respected member of the community with some considerable sway with the authorities and the local high flyers (local mafia ) offered me the position of running the dive shop bar.

It was a small bar but with so many instructors on Koh Tao and so little diving work , i jumped at the chance. So that went well. We had all sorts of fun, but after about a year Pee said that the dive shop bar was getting too loud and too big and had to close and offered me another bigger more expensive venue.  

 I was apprehensive. Running the bar hadn’t been easy and this was a bigger bar with double the rent and without the passing custom of the dive shop. I would have to build it from a blank canvas .Lay on the water , electric Get a sound system . It was a big risk and a huge project it would take every last penny I had but pee assured me that she would encourage and support me all the way but it turned out to be the worste deal i ever made in my life.  

So we opened the new bar on the third of December 2003. it was a beautiful rooftop bar in Mae Haad . looking out over the sea at where the sun would set every evening. It was such a beautiful place . We would play all the classics from 'up on the roof' to 'bomb the bass' while sitting on the roof looking out over the sea and having that early evening beer and watching the amazing sunsets every night. 

There were parties, chillout nights. I was worried though. Tourism was dropping off and businesses were slowly starting to disappear. The politics were getting worse and everyone was starting to struggle . By now I had a Thai girlfrind who i was very in love with she was the sweetest most beautiful thing I have ever met and the only way i was going to stay with her, was to make this work.  

I was in love with the island , in love with the diving, in love with the bar, but most of all I loved that girl . By now I’d been on the island for 4 years my business was there; my girl was there; it was more of a home to me than anywhere i had ever been. 

So everything seemed to be perfect . I would spend my days thinking up themes for ' nights ' in the bar, organising the promotions and doing my best to build up a following. My wonderful girlfriend spent her time learning new recipes and organising staff. I would watch in the evenings while she cooked. I was so proud and happy. Everything was going ok . Things were not easy financially but we were eating and paying the rent. Then came the military coup. 

From there tourism dropped off again - drastically . It took 6 months but soon we were struggling for the rent. 

The stress was starting to wear us down after a year or so and we were also well behind with the rent. It was about that time that the police started to come up. 

They would hang around on the hammocks and look at me. After a while they started suggesting that we started to sell some weed. They told me because i was struggling and I had been there a long time and I was their friend they would protect me. At first I refused.  

But after a few months of getting more and more behind with the rent and I felt intimidated by them because i knew they were good friends of Pee and she was also trying to convince me to do the same.  

I felt I was under pressure and pushed into a corner and they were offering me a way out. So I started to pay and I allowed weed to be sold in the bar. Things went ok for a year. I paid every month through my girlfriend and gradually we got the debts paid off. Then one day the police came up and arrested me and my friend for selling weed. The police found NOTHING on my person but found a small amount of weed downstairs OUTSIDE the bar. We were thrown into thai jail. They were friendly enough but we had to sleep on the floor with no bedding 8 to a cell. Food was terrible. You’ve heard all the stories.  

So I managed to buy my way out after a week for £1000 but they still had my passport so I couldn’t leave. 

I had to go to court every 12 days on Samui island. They had taken everything worth any money from the bar.  They had stolen all my money I was stranded and skint and without a passport.  I couldn’t go home.  

So there I am overjoyed to be out but standing in my deserted bar with not a penny no music, no TV, computer, they even took the decorative money that was stuck on the wall in the bar.  I’d had to borrow the £1000 because the police took all my money so I was even more in debt than before. I was also looking at 4 years in a Thai jail . My friend was still in jail and I didn’t have the money to get him out. 

So the embassy were telling me there is no way out you will have to do the 4 yrs.  I’m not liking that one.  

The pressure was getting unbearable I’m finding it difficult to get enough to eat. The worry is immense. I’m not sleeping and, the biggest tragedy of all, the stress starts to affect my relationship with my girl . Its too much for us both we start to crack under the pressure.  

Being constantly reminded but also confused by the regular court trips and having to constantly find the boat fare with no way of earning a living; not being able to sleep at night or forget about it in the day. Living on the smallest of rations day in day out and loosing so much weight ,the pressure was too much. 

My paradise was there in my face but I just can’t touch it or feel it or live in it. But its there , all around me. I think it was about then I started to feel like i was going mad . Then just to throw another spanner into the works Pee introduced me to this lawyer who said she could get us off for £3000. 

 I kept on trying to hold on to the plot but as me and my girl grew further apart , the less i could focus on why I was there and what i was supposed to be doing. 

This went on for well over a year.  It was really taking its toll on me and my poor girlfriend but she had to appear in court with me. Those were my bail conditions so we were locked in this dance of death watching each other fall apart and not being able to get closer or run away. 

Then of course i was asking the Embassy if they thought it was possible that this lawyer was telling the truth and she could get me off. They said it was impossible. Time and time again I spoke with them and they advised me not to pay. So I was looking at 4 years. Would my girl wait for me after all that had happened I knew the answer to that. So I was in a lose lose situation . My only chance was to try to get the money somehow so I did. 

My head was in such a state by now I was drinking too much and I was a mess but things got worse. Some days I just didn’t know what to do I was hungry scared.  I started selling coke and pills to get the money. The police were already on my case but it was either that or do the 4 years. 

The stress was killing me it had been going on so long and I was putting myself under so much pressure, not eating, not sleeping, getting off my head all the time to try to escape the pressure. 

Koh Samui Court

It went on for months. At one point I was sleeping on the sofa in a go go bar in Pattaya waiting for my passport for two months begging food from the girls . I had nothing.This story ends well Somehow I paid the money and it worked.  I got a not guilty.  I was given my passport and now I’m back in the UK planning my next adventure.  

What I want to say is that the stories are all true, so be carefull.  In some places westerners are just considered a walking wallet and no matter how friendly you get with the natives , you are still a foreigner. 

 I made some stupid mistakes but I feel I was led down a path on purpose for the benefit of certain other people. I loved Thailand and Koh Tao. Its one of the safest places I've ever been but don’t fall into any of the foolish traps I fell into and coming soon with more of my living on the edge stories which are 100 % true and 100% real I grew up in a children’s home nr Guildford.  I’ve had the maddest life. Live your dreams."

"In July 2014 Drew Noyes was elected President of the Lions Club Int'l of Bangkok Silom. He is the first westerner elected.

Convicted burglar  jailed for extortion and  former pimp and man on racketeering charges at Lions Club Silom 310D

AMAZING THAILAND!
For 17 years American Drew Noyes has used his legal, investment (sic) and real estate experience in Thailand to build a leading law firm for English speaking clients providing them with contracts, wills, mediation, divorce, real estate, civil, criminal and family court attorneys.
His firm One Stop Service Center Co., Ltd. In the One Stop Legal Services Division also registers Thai companies of foreign ownership.

Drew Noyes is one of Thailand's leading experts on foreign investment in businesses and property as well as an expert on Thai law. Helping clients build successful businesses is his personal specialty.
 

CONSIDER THIS OPPORTUNITY-
Foreigners can still open their own Thai Company with the same benefits as Thai citizens IN BUSINESS AND LAND OWNERSHIP! 

The secretary behind Warichya  Pharawet was best known at the Buffalo Bar, Pattaya

They are being romantically linked (this picture is NOT photoshopped)

"But for how long? 

The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) forms in December 2015 with 600 million consumers, surpassing the European Union (EU) as the world's third largest population.
The EU has 503 million inhabitants — the world's third largest population after China and India. 

Two AEC member countries, Bruni (sec) and Singapore, have much higher GDP per capita than America and any EU country.

Use American Drew Noyes who had been building businesses in Thailand since 1997 and his Thai legal experts at One Stop Legal Services in Pattaya Thailand.

“The last two years working with Leicester City have been an amazing adventure, filled with aspiration, incredible people and some wonderful memories – qualities for which the Kingdom of Thailand itself is much loved for, making our relationship a perfect fit."

Hotel stairway to heaven? More like running the gauntlet

But a footballer still has to get through security

In 1972, Idi Amin announced that the entire Asian community in Uganda had 90 days to leave the country. Shortly thereafter, the Leicester City Council launched a campaign aimed at dissuading Ugandan Asians from migrating to the city. The ads did not have their intended effect, instead making more migrants aware of the possibility of settling in Leicester. Nearly a quarter of initial Ugandan refugees (around 5000 to 6000) settled in Leicester, and by the end of the 1970s around another quarter of the initially dispersed refugees had made their way to Leicester.

From the 05-06-10 to 17-04-15 the police in Phuket and Bangkok have steadfastly refused to allow my Dad file police reports against the criminals who stole his company, our family home and attempted to murder him.  

Due to the ongoing corruption, intimidation and threats to our lives by police officers, lawyers and illegal moneylenders in Phuket my brother and I appeal to you to intervene and right the wrongs that have ripped our family apart and shocked hundreds of thousands of people on social media not just in Thailand but all over the world. We have lost everything we own.  

We have nowhere to live and no money to fight the injustice and corruption in Phuket. Our past, present and future is in tatters. 

We made our home in Phuket and lived in accordance with the laws of the Kingdom. Laws intended to safeguard law-abiding citizens not support corruption. As far as we know the law does not differentiate between the rich and the poor. 

The rule of law and the reassurance it must provide has cruelly forsaken us. All we are asking is that the interpretation and implementation of the law in Phuket be apparent and transparent.  

Who are the greater criminals we ask? Those who stole from us or those who are protecting them? We only ask for justice and the law of the Kingdom to be upheld. We are children. 

From the Mail

Are we mistaken in thinking that the law can be bought and sold in Phuket?  Children all over the world are taught in school that good always wins over evil? We have nothing now so I guess that the teachers are wrong and that crime pays in Phuket.   

Does that make Thailand evil? No because honest Thai people are tired of corruption. Thai’s young and old in their thousands have confided on my Justice for Jessie Facebook page that they loathe being associated with corruption and that silencing, obscuring and blocking the truth does not solve the problem it just encourages it. 

When I talk of criminals I include the Phuket police, lawyers and public officials involved in the corruption against my family. 

How else can they be described? In fact they are worse than common criminals because they are in positions of trust. They are employed to uphold the law and to identify and imprison criminals not protect them. 

When the law of the land breaks down so does society. We just want the criminals to know that while their threats and intimidation have indelibly scarred our childhood that our morals and resolve for justice is far greater than their corruption and we will not run away. We are young and truly hope and believe that justice is possible in Phuket and that all those who doubt it will be proven wrong by the actions taken by the National Council for Peace and Order. 

My Dad has been threatened, racially abused and forced to pay bribes to the police in Bangkok, and Phuket. When my brother was kidnapped and a 5 million Baht ransom demanded for his safe return the police in Phuket and Bangkok refused to try and locate him. In fact the brutes found humor in our heartache. 

Good people in Thailand and the world over would be shocked and ashamed if they knew the truth of how my Dad, brother and I have been treated. Eighteen months ago I was abducted and abused by a taxi driver in Bangkok. I was deeply traumatized. The police and court denied all my human rights. 

Indeed I was even forced to sit next to my abductor and abuser in open court and then was further humiliated by the judge who laughed at my victim impact statement? I felt totally degraded and worthless. 

On the 31-01-11 a Bangkok lawyer who claimed to work for the Thai government and the Royal Family was recommended to Dad after he had discovered that his Phuket lawyer had been conspiring with the local police and illegal moneylenders. For 3 years through fraudulence, treachery and trickery this Bangkok lawyer successfully obscured the fact that he too was working with the criminals in Phuket. 

This unscrupulous lawyer filed hopeless court submissions while extorting large sums of money from Dad through threats and deceit. The Bangkok lawyer broke almost every Lawyers Council regulation and should be severely punished for such unpardonable exploits. 

On the 18-05-11 Pol Maj Gen Dr. Prawut Thavornsiri in a Daily Mail news article syndicated around the world assured that our case would have priority and that the criminals involved be they police or lawyers would be interrogated and brought to justice immediately. His order was ignored by the police in Phuket. And four years on not one single corrupt lawyer or policeman has been questioned. 

On the 06-01-14 my Dad filed a complaint with the Royal Thai Police at their headquarters in Pathum Wan, Bangkok. The report detailed how the Chalong police had refused to allow Dad file criminal reports since the 05-06-10. 

On the 10-03-14 the commander in Karon police station charged with investigating Dad’s claim joined with the Chalong and Phuket City police in stating that he too was not interested in helping a foreigner. 

Four days later on the 14-03-14 Dad returned to the Royal Thai Police headquarters in Bangkok where he was advised to make the reports with the Crime Suppression Division in Ladphrao. From the 14-03-14 to the 04-02-15 Dad attended the Crime Suppression Division in Ladphrao five times and failed to file a single criminal report. Words from the Thai police are cheap. Actions cost a lot more. 

On the 25-10-14 my Dad travelled to Phuket alone and insisted on making criminal reports in Chalong police station. On the 21-01-15 three months later he found the reports that he had managed to file discarded on the floor in Phuket City police station. More alarming Dad discovered that vital evidence had been removed from the criminal reports rendering them useless. My Dad went immediately to the Phuket Chief of Police Major General Patchara Boonyasit who promised that an investigation would be carried out immediately and that my Dad would be contacted. Dad is still waiting. 

On the 20-03-15 and again on the 17-04-15 Dad returned to Phuket City police station this time with two officers from the Ministry of Justice who witnessed at first-hand how the Phuket City police obstructed my Dad from making criminal reports and how the existing reports filed on the 25-10-14 and the 21-01-15 had not been opened never mind investigated. Not a single criminal was called to give evidence. 

At the Ministry of Justice - but nothing happened

The senior officer from the Ministry of Justice was so angered and ashamed by what he witnessed in Phuket City police station that he immediately filed a report with the Ministry of Justice stating that my Dad could never hope to file criminal reports in Phuket. 

On the 11-02-15 Dad met again with Pol Maj Gen Dir. Prawut Thavornsiri in the Royal Thai police headquarters in Pathum Wan. Dad begged Dir. Prawut to intervene.
At this time one Phuket civil court had ordered Dad pay 362,000 Baht ($12,000) compensation to the illegal moneylenders who stole his land while another had ordered him pay 15,000,000 Baht ($500,000) plus interest to the Thai bank that stole our family home? Worse still. 

The only one jailed - country girl

The Phuket criminal court had already tried, convicted and imprisoned the woman who admitted that she, the bank manager and the moneylenders had carried out the fraudulence against my Dad. 

These are the same people that the Phuket police have refused to file criminal reports against since 2010. How we ask can business and investment hope to flourish in Phuket under these troubling circumstances? 

In Phuket the illegal moneylenders operate with impunity supported it seems by the entire legal system; Police who refuse to file criminal reports and lawyers, banks and land office officials who knowingly launder the stolen properties.  The lawyer in my Dad’s case broke 8 of the 21 Lawyers Council clauses while the bank broke 102 sub-clauses of the Anti-Money laundering Acts of 1999, 2012 & 2013 while it’s manager was complicit in a failed abduction and murder attempt. 

Dir. Prawut contacted and charged Pol Maj Gen Apichat Suriboonya commander of Interpol with overseeing our cases. Sadly again no contact has been made. 

General Prayuth Chan-o-cha the corruption against my family started in 2010. This is 2015 and the criminals remain on the streets of Phuket carrying out their crimes protected by the Phuket police. We are children and don’t fully understand why? 

What we do know is after five years of death threats and 9 attempts on my Dad’s life and the Phuket civil courts seemingly making judgments at odds with the law and the criminal courts we have nowhere to live and no money. 

We ask you to please intervene. We want get on with our lives and ask that you to show that justice is part of the new Thailand under the watchful eye of the National Council for Peace and Order. 

Jessie and Daire Vard

"The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand regrets to announce that the scheduled event for tonight, the launch of the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights report on the human rights situation after the coup, has been cancelled on the orders of the NCPO and the police. The FCCT has received a written order from the police instructing us to stop the event."

All major civil rights found to have been grossly violated 

Today (4 June 2015), Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) launches a report, “Human Rights One Year After the 2014 Coup: A Judicial Process in Camouflage Under the National Council for Peace and Order.” 

The report highlights how during the past year, in addition to failing to be a ‘neutral party,’ the military has violated fundamental rights, including the right to freedom of expression. 

Criticism has been stifled, including complaints about difficult day-to-day living conditions and efforts to suppress any movement by the people to participate in issues that affect their lives have been increased. 

The military has interfered in the judicial process has from the stage of arrest to the prosecution in the Military Court. The only solution promoted by the military is for the people to undergo attitude adjustment in the hope of making them think like soldiers. 

On 4 June 2015, TLHR launches the report which highlights five major issues including:
Freedom of expression under the lack of national security purported by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) – It was found that at least 751 individuals have been summoned including at least five who have also been indicted on violation of Article 112 of the Criminal  Code (lèse majesté). 

As to the right to freedom of assembly, at least 71 public events including public discussions and others have been subjected to intervention by the military. It was also quite alarming that a number of individuals have been held in custody arbitrarily and their personal information has been recorded by the authorities. 

This has resulted in a climate of fear and persecution. Meanwhile, 67 individuals have been indicted on violations of Article 112 and insofar, the Military Court has sentenced some of them to ten years per count; this is a penalty rate which is much higher than those previously handed down by civilian courts. Most of the convicts were indicted on offences stemming from their posting or sharing posts in social media including Facebook. 

The justice system in camouflage, Martial Law and trial against civilians in the Military Court –  At least 18 civilians have complained to TLHR about being subjected to torture in custody. 

172 individuals have so far been tried by the Military Court. TLHR is concerned about the lack of impartiality of the military judges and the single-tiered system of the court as well as its unique adjudication procedure. Despite the lifting of Martial Law, by virtue of the Head of the NCPO Order No. 3/2558, military officials have the power as an inquiry official, a power which is in breach of the rule of law. 

Impunity by virtue of Section 44 – After the enforcement of the 2014 Interim Constitution, the Head of NCPO has invoked its Section 44 to decree at least 18 orders including amendment of existing laws, the management of personnel and maintenance of peace. All in all, the exercise of the legal provision aims to reinforce the absolute power of the military in terms of the prevention, suppression, arrest and investigation of all criminal offences. Section 44 basically bestows sweeping power on the Head of NCPO without any liability, legislatively, administratively and judicially. They cannot be held liable by anyone. 

It has simply perpetuated the culture of impunity. In addition, a constitutional provision has been enforced to exonerate them from all possible culpability. This will certainly deepen the roots of the culture of impunity in Thailand. 

The “encroached” resources –  It was found that NCPO Order No. 64/2014 and the Forestry Master Plan on reforestation are aimed at suppressing and evicting people from their land causing grave impacts on the poor and landless while favoring the business of investors. 

All measures have been made without consultation with local people. Stringent suppression and sweeping powers have been waged without consideration of the contexts, cultures and traditions of local communities. The Royal Thai Police has declared the arrest of 1,622 suspects, while their methods of arrest and prosecution have terrified local people all over. For example, the officials would simply raid and cut down the crops of the villagers and dismantle the houses of local people. 

The court was simply used as a pretext to justify the use of sheer and harsh treatment against people breaking their bargaining power while increasing the leverage of the investors. 

The justice that has never been there, intervention of inquiries and prosecution to bring to justice those involved with the crackdown in April-May 2010 – After the coup, TLHR was informed by injured persons from the crackdowns in 2010 that they had received letters from the Department of Special Investigation asking for interviews with them about the events in 2010. 

At the same time, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha and the official in charge of the military forces during the events in 2010 has appointed a new inquiry committee to investigate the event. Such information has caused concerns as to how the investigation will be conducted impartially. 

In sum, TLHR deems that though the NCPO has claimed to enter the game as a neutral party, but since 2010, the military has been a party in the dispute with the people since they have been involved with suppressing demonstrations, carrying out forced evictions, forcing people to undergo attitude adjustment, and using the Military Court to try civilians, which could just be called a “A Justice System in Camouflage.”  

TLHR insists that the NCPO must:

• Stop trying civilians in the Military Court 
• Stop exercising Section 44 of the 2014 Interim Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand
• Provide for the drafting of the Constitution with public participation and ensure that a general election be held to return power to the people as soon as possible.
• With respect in the rights and liberty of the people

The Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR)

Chang (back left) Wang (right)

Raymond Nobu Chang

“Today day I learned that my brother is being held in jail on feeble, misdemeanour charges brought upon him by the defendants Raymond Tony Chang and Ryan Yunshang Wang; a ploy clearly tactical in nature, designed to detract from the severity of charges against them.  

"He was pushed to the ground by prison guards once in the cell. He was put in the cell with a paedophile who raped little girls and killed them, and an ice dealer. It was reported to me via a proxy at the court that a settlement was offered by the defendants’ legal team, and that the figure promulgated was meagre and offensive, and was subsequently rejected by our legal counsel.  

‘My brother faces years of reconstructive surgery and rehabilitation, and requires a formidable amount of money to complete his treatment. 

”The defendants are spineless, and their families lack integrity whilst they continue to deny culpability. We will be going after them, their families and Tiffany Mariko Turner – the perfidious female antagonist who remains at the centre of this situation. We will continue to pursue legal justice for Jack. It is fortunate that there is a new public prosecutor assigned to our case (the old one was allegedly corrupt).

Tiffany Turner and Ryan Wang

Vard with the RTP top echelon dream team

My dad would like to say something.

It is easy to criticize. Harder to be humble and that is how we feel today. Humbled by the support and kindness of the Thai people. It is impossible not to be encouraged by so many young voices supporting us and demanding an end to corruption. While our Government and embassy abandoned us the Thai people have taken us to their hearts. Something we had no right to expect. 

Thank you.

"While I have spoken openly of the corrupt police in Phuket I have to say that over the past three days I have sat and spoken with the three most important policemen in Thailand namely; Commissioner Pol Maj Gen Somyot Poonpanmoung, Pol Maj Gen Kokiat Wongvorachart and Pol Maj Gen Dr Prawut Thavornsiri and I believe that they are decent and honest policemen. Every conversation was cordial and productive. Where in the world under the circumstances would this happen especially after we disrupted the center of Bangkok on Tuesday? 

In my country we would be in a prison cell now facing police charges. 

Instead we were taken to meet with Commissioner Pol Maj Gen Somyot Poonpanmoung who listened to what we had to say, expressed his concern and issued instructions that our cases were to be investigated immediately and an experienced detective task force was to be set up. 

The situation now is that Pol Maj Gen Kokiat Wongvorachart reviews our cases every morning with four Interpol detectives under the leadership of Pol.Lt.Col.Chai Sanguansin who has assured me, and I believe him, that he and his staff will investigate thoroughly and that everybody guilty will be punished. 

Investigation begins

While we have been ignored by our embassy and government, Pol Maj Gen Kokiat Wongvorachart ordered six Phuket police officers to fly to Bangkok over night to file and complete the outstanding police reports under the supervision of Pol Col Werawat Chantarawijit the Phuket Deputy Commander who also assured me today that my cases will be investigated thoroughly. 

Deputy Commander Pol Col Werawat Chantarawijit in Phuket will co-ordinate with Pol Lt Col Chai Sanguansin from Interpol and the Ministry of Justice's senior lawyer Khun James in Bangkok to insure that the corrupt police, lawyers, banks, money lenders and land office officials are investigated, charged and justice is served. 

After working with them for two days I have to say that this is one team I would not like to come up against. 

Our sincere thanks to you the kind and caring Thai people and the Royal Thai Police for acting so quickly and decisively."

Irish Consular official did not even know that the Vards were no longer living in Phuket - says Colin Vard

Chea Sim

Hun Sen satirised on a Cambodian webiste

(New York, June 9, 2015) – The death of Chea Sim, a former Khmer Rouge official and longtime president of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), should spur renewed efforts to bring remaining Khmer Rouge leaders and others most responsible for Khmer Rouge crimes to justice, Human Rights Watch said today. 

Chea Sim, who oversaw districts where numerous atrocities occurred and then presided over a police state after the Khmer Rouge was ejected from power, died on June 8, 2015, in Phnom Penh. 

Chea Sim was among the many former officials of the Khmer Rouge who have never been investigated for serious international crimes, including possible charges of genocide and other crimes against humanity, committed during the Khmer Rouge regime from 1975-1979. 

“Chea Sim’s passing is a reminder that virtually all former Khmer Rouge officials have gone unpunished for the millions of deaths and incredible suffering of ordinary Cambodians during Khmer Rouge rule,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “It is a mockery of justice that Chea Sim could serve in the post-Khmer Rouge Cambodian leadership for decades without ever facing an investigation, much less arrest or prosecution.” 

Research conducted for Human Rights Watch in 2005 found evidence that Chea Sim was implicated in serious crimes in his capacities as secretary of the Khmer Rouge Party Committee for Ponhea Krek District of East Zone Sector 20 and as a member of that Committee from 1975-1978. 

These include the arbitrary arrest, torture, and execution of 1) former Khmer Republic officials targeted on political grounds; 2) members of Cambodia's prerevolutionary upper classes targeted on sociopolitical grounds; 3) fellow Khmer Rouge accused of political dissent; and 4) members of the Vietnamese, Cham, and Chinese ethnic groups targeted on racial, ethnic, national, and religious grounds. 

Chea Sim, like other Khmer Rouge district party secretaries, oversaw a district security office and exercised authority over commune militia forces that directly committed torture and execution of people who were arrested on these various grounds and held without charge or trial. As a district party secretary and member of the higher-level sector committee, Chea Sim was implicated in the alleged enslavement of the population in these areas of the Khmer Rouge East Zone. 

This and other evidence against Chea Sim was presented to the United Nations-supported Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), the tribunal created in 2006 to bring to justice “senior leaders” and others “most responsible” for Khmer Rouge crimes from 1975-1979. 

However, the evidence was not seriously pursued because of the political control exercised over the court by Prime Minister Hun Sen, himself a former Khmer Rouge member, and the CPP, in which many former Khmer Rouge play significant roles, especially in the armed forces and local administration. This same political interference continues to stymie prosecution of other former Khmer Rouge who held positions of responsibility similar to Chea Sim from 1975-1979. 

After the Khmer Rouge government was overthrown in January 1979 by a Vietnamese invasion, Chea Sim was named minister of interior in the newly installed Cambodian government. He held this post through 1981 and in this capacity helped oversee the creation of new security forces, including police and intelligence units, and the establishment of new prisons throughout Cambodia. 

The objective of this new system was to repress all opposition to the new government, including armed insurgencies, nonviolent opposition groups, and individuals engaging in peaceful dissent. 

Arrests on political grounds were routinely carried out, detention was almost always without charge or trial, and prisoners were often held indefinitely on the basis of unsubstantiated or false allegations. Confessions were frequently obtained through torture. Torture was facilitated by holding prisoners incommunicado while undergoing interrogation, completely isolated from the outside world and even from fellow inmates, and often in “dark cells.” 

After officially leaving his post as minister of interior, Chea Sim remained among the most important officials in Cambodia for the next decade, identified by ruling party colleagues as the most powerful leader of the faction of the party in charge of internal security, the police, and prisons. 

As minister of interior, Chea Sim also helped to protect and place fellow former Khmer Rouge into positions of authority in his ministry, the security forces, and the local administration. This was part of a process of protecting those responsible for Khmer Rouge crimes from scrutiny, which Chea Sim himself enjoyed and embodied. 

“Chea Sim was best known among Cambodians for running the police state in the 1980s that imprisoned and tortured people for peaceful political activities,” Adams said. “His legacy continues to this day, with unreformed security forces run for the interests of the ruling party instead of the public good.”

British aim

From 'The Embassy' Channel 9 (Aus)

Hong Kong (HKSAR) - Regarding media enquiries on the fatal traffic accident in Thailand, the Immigration Department (ImmD) today (June 8) responded as follows:
After learning the fatal traffic accident in Thailand, the ImmD had immediately contacted the injured and family of the deceased, the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in Hong Kong (OCMFA) and the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Thailand (Embassy) to render practical assistance according to their wish. 

Flying Sporran's Midweek Diary

Officers of the ImmD deployed to Thailand had visited the injured at the hospital today. They discussed with the injured and family of the deceased regarding matters of medical transfer, corpse handling and issuance of relevant documents, and provided appropriate advice and assistance. 

The ImmD will continue to keep contact with family members, OCMFA and the Embassy to render assistance. Hong Kong residents travelling outside Hong Kong who need assistance may call the 24-hour hotline of the Assistance to Hong Kong Residents Unit of ImmD at (852) 1868.

  "The ASEAN Way refers to a working process or style that is informal and personal. Policymakers constantly utilize compromise, consensus, and consultation in the informal decision-making process...it above all prioritizes a consensus-based, non-conflictual way of addressing problems. Quiet diplomacy allows ASEAN leaders to communicate without bringing the discussions into the public view. Members avoid embarrassment that may lead to further conflict." Masilamani and Peterson.

Alan and Oi

There's the Immigration Policeman

“In what is the first initiative of its kind in Thailand, one property developer has partnered with the Tourism Authority of Thailand to offer 20-year visas to foreigners who purchase one of its Pattaya condominiums. 

Buyers at Kingdom Property’s Pattaya Southpoint development will be entitled to a 20-year visa, which amounts to five-year, multiple-entry visas which can be renewed every four years. 

The visa will entitle its holders to benefits including fast-track immigration clearance, assistance with driving licences, discounts and a bilingual helpline. 

‘The long-stay solution will overcome many of the barriers that we see when selling our properties overseas. 

Generally unless you have a business visa, retirement visa or marriage visa, you are not permitted to stay for any length of time,” Nigel Cornick, Chief Executive Officer of Kingdom Property said. “This exciting partnership is akin to Malaysia’s My Second Home (MM2H) program and has massive potential.’ 

The visa will come as part of the purchase of a unit at Southpoint and owners can sell the unit and the visa together if they wish. 

“The target demographic for this initiative is very wide,” Cornick added. 

The Thailand property-with-visa initiative is only applicable to Kingdom’s Southpoint project now, but given the possible impact on overseas buyers, it may not be too long before other Thailand property developers adopt similar initiatives for their developments. 

The promotion is made possible by Thailand Elite, which is fully owned by The Tourism Authority of Thailand, which, in turn, is under the control of the Thai government.
“As part of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, this exclusive club has access to privileges that money alone cannot buy,” its website explains. “Thailand Elite is the world's first country membership programme with benefit for immigration, leisure, business, and much more.” 

Cornick predicted the plan would make property in Thailand more attractive to overseas buyers. 

“The fact Thailand Elite is working with Kingdom Property is a sign of confidence in itself,” he said. 

Southpoint Pattaya is a two-tower freehold condominium in Pratumnak. It boasts 655 units ranging in size from 30sqm to 97sqm. Completion will be in the second quarter of 2016.

• This is nothing like Malaysia’s ‘My Second Home’ Programme. The exclusive club does not have privileges money cannot buy.  You’ve already paid with your Thailand Elite Card. For 20 years you will need to pay 2 million baht. Now if Kingdom are paying 2 million on your behalf I would be very surprised.

• Property in Pattaya has been facing a slump but to offload property in the past developers have been paying realtors staggering commissions – from 12 to 18 per cent!

• Nobody can guarantee any foreigners stay in the kingdom apart from the Immigration Department and this department is as honest as the officer you are dealing with.

• You cannot sell Visas. But I guess you can transfer ownership of a Thailand Elite card.

• The Thailand Elite card is bit of a turkey – and I know of at least one case of a card-holder being robbed of ALL of his properties and another who was forced to flee Thailand.

“Kingdom Properties have joined forces with Thailand Elite in order to create this unique offer. The 20 year visa is in fact a 5 year multiple entry visa that is renewable 3 times, thus giving you a hassle free stay in Thailand for up to 20 years.”

Ok, what’s the catch? 

The only one we’ve seen so far is that if you sell your condo at Southpoint, you lose your 20 year visa. This is because the visa will come as part of the purchase of a unit at Southpoint, but you can sell the visa to a new owner with the unit as a part of the deal! 

Seems fair enough really.

All condominiums in Thailand have 49% foreign quota and 51% Thai quota. Is it possible to by a unit at Southpoint in Thai company name and still qualify for the 20 visa? Yes, as company director with company ownership of a Southpoint Condominium it will be possible to apply for the 20 year visa. 

Nigel Cornick, Chief Executive Officer of Kingdom Property, said: “The long-stay solution will overcome many of the barriers that we see when selling our properties overseas. Generally unless you have a business visa, retirement visa or marriage visa, you are not permitted to stay for any length of time.”

Nigel Cornick - finger crossed behind his back?

Threat to seal off Maneeya Centre

Andrew MacGregor Marshall fled for his own safety

“We received a letter last week from the police asking for our cooperation in cancelling the event, stating that the 112 event would sow disunity in Thai society, and encourage people to break the law and stir up unrest. We told them these fears were groundless, and declined their request. 

“The police informed us there were no regulations prohibiting us from proceeding. So we asked for a written order from the NCPO before we could justify cancelling the event. The NCPO has now told us they will not issue such a letter because they fear it would be used in the media to damage their image.”

Thai army cancelled military escort back to airport for this foreigner and his colleagues after they refused to meet the army's demanding entertainment bills.

Alan and Chutima

Jonathan Head

Jessie Vard

NCPO officers discuss Hansen-Bartel case with Samui police

These are not directly army connected but indicative of where the army’s loyalties are. They had also closed their ears to complaints. Similarly the army has given up on the idea of instigating reforms of the corrupt Thai police.