British Man Deported From Thailand

The government is warning of a fresh risk of flooding in western Thailand with another spell of heavy rain forecast over the coming days. Meanwhile, unusually high tides are slowing the drainage of existing flood water from eastern provinces including Chachoengsao and Prachinburi.

There is some improvement elsewhere. Water is gradually receding in Chainat, Singburi, Ang Thong, Ayutthaya and Suphanburi while conditions in Chonburi are also reported to be improving. Bangkok, however, was hit by more heavy rain yesterday, leaving three major roads underwater, in places reaching around 30 cm deep.

In Prachinburi, the floods have created a rather unpleasant and potentially serious public health problem. Authorities are dealing with around 2,000 dead pigs floating in flood water after a farm was inundated before the animals could be moved to safety. The carcasses have become bloated and are now contaminating the surrounding flood water, creating an obvious health risk for anyone coming into contact with it.

More than 50 livestock and animal control officials have been deployed together with excavators and collection equipment. The carcasses are being recovered, transported to higher ground, and buried safely.

Thailand Monitors Pneumonic Plague Reports Overseas

Thai authorities are keeping an eye on reports of pneumonic plague overseas following concerns about cases reported in Russia and neighboring areas. Immigration officials at Thailand’s land borders and airports have been told to remain vigilant, although there are currently no plans for additional screening specifically targeting travelers arriving from Russia.

Pneumonic plague is a bacterial infection and, unlike some other forms of plague, can spread directly between people through respiratory droplets. Without prompt antibiotic treatment, it can become extremely serious very quickly.

At present, however, there is no suggestion of travel bans or the segregation of Russian passengers arriving in Thailand. Authorities say measures could be reviewed if the international risk changes.

Kanchanaburi Care Center Ordered to Close

In Kanchanaburi, residents at a private care center were found sleeping in beds bolted down by metal cages. The owner’s son has now admitted that he personally designed the cage bed system, claiming it was intended to prevent residents from injuring themselves or others. That hasn’t carried much weight with the Department of Health, which ordered the center closed forthwith and all patients sent back to their homes or, if that is not possible, to either hospitals or registered and qualified care centers.

Thailand’s Department of Health says the center was operating beyond the scope of its license with around 100 people in its care, including 92 residents described as psychiatric patients. The maximum number it was permitted to house was 50.

Under Thai regulations, an elderly or dependent care facility can look after people with psychiatric conditions only when they’re classified as low risk. And that creates an obvious question. If residents were considered dangerous enough to require cages bolted down over their beds, were they suitable to be housed there in the first place?

It’s been clarified elsewhere that the terms applied to the patients likely refer to either Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, with neither condition ever warranting such vile caging.

Several families have already removed relatives following publicity surrounding the case after the owner’s son appeared on television to defend the facility, saying he had studied health sciences at university in New Zealand and developed the cage bed concept himself after assessing incidents involving residents.

During the announcement that the center had been ordered to close, Mayor Pat, a woman who said her children had sent her to the facility and who later left and spoke publicly about her experience in the home over 2 years, broke down in tears.

Whatever the eventual legal findings, the images have prompted a much wider debate in Thailand about the treatment, dignity, and professional care of vulnerable elderly people.

Former Monk Sentenced Over HIV and AIDS Donations

A former monk and his public relations associate have been given extraordinary prison sentences for their involvement in the misuse of money donated to help people living with HIV and AIDS. The pair were initially sentenced to terms running into hundreds of years, although under Thai law, those sentences were reduced to a maximum of 50 years each.

The case involved money donated through a temple for charitable purposes. It has caused considerable anger in a country where Buddhist monks traditionally command enormous respect and comes after a series of recent scandals involving members of the clergy.

Bangkok Call Center Scam Investigation

Thai cyber police have raided a luxury Bangkok home and arrested three suspects as they expand an investigation into a call center scam network blamed for losses of more than 200 million baht. Many of the victims were students.

Police say scammers contacted them pretending to be officers or representatives of mobile phone companies. Victims were falsely told that their names or accounts had become linked to money laundering or other criminal activity. They were then persuaded to transfer their savings into so-called safe accounts so the money could supposedly be checked.

Of course, there is no legitimate police procedure requiring you to transfer your savings to a stranger for them to inspect, but the intimidation apparently worked. One student alone reportedly lost more than half a million baht.

Investigators say the stolen money was moved through numerous accounts. Police have also obtained a warrant for a Chinese national they believe was involved in leading the network.

British Man Deported From Thailand and Jailed in the UK

A British man who fled to Thailand while facing serious domestic abuse allegations has now been jailed back in the UK. Nicholas Cash, aged 26, was sentenced following what prosecutors described as a prolonged campaign of abuse against his former girlfriend, who was 17 at the time.

The court heard deeply disturbing evidence that included cutting her, locking her inside their home, shooting her with a BB gun, and killing her pet rabbit by flushing it down a toilet.

Cash fled Britain around four years ago while facing court proceedings and traveled to Thailand with another girlfriend and their newborn child. He was eventually arrested by Thai authorities and spent around 9 months in a Thai prison before being deported to Britain last month.

He has now received a lengthy prison sentence in the UK.

Nong Prue Armed Robbery and Cryptocurrency Theft

Police in Nong Prue are investigating an extraordinary armed robbery in which victims say assets worth around 30 million baht were stolen. The raid happened at approximately 3:00 in the morning at a large house occupied by several Chinese nationals.

Police were told that three armed men scaled the property’s walls, entered the house, and held the occupants at gunpoint. The robbers allegedly escaped with cash and other valuables, but by far the largest part of the haul was digital.

The victims say they were forced to transfer cryptocurrency reportedly worth around 27 million baht. Detectives have been questioning those inside the property and are investigating the possibility that the attackers were also Chinese nationals.

One particularly important question is how the robbers knew such a substantial amount of cryptocurrency was available to transfer and whether they had prior knowledge of their victims.

Heavy Rain and Flash Flood Warnings in Thailand

The Thai Meteorological Department is warning of heavy to very heavy rain from Friday through to the middle of next week. Thunderstorms, strong gusts, and even hail are possible in some areas along with an increased risk of flash flooding and forest runoff.

The warning covers Bangkok and surrounding areas, central Thailand, the lower northeast, the east, and the south. In the local region today, expect anything from showers to thunderstorms with a high of around 30°C, dropping to 25°C tonight.