#Cambodia - Tens of thousands of foreigners living illegally

The Ministry of Interior has reported that more than 81,864 out of 182,673 foreign nationals surveyed in the Kingdom are holding invalid Cambodian documents, noting that the majority of them are from Vietnam.

“We have revoked 35,001 irregular Cambodia administration documents held by foreigners,” an Interior Ministry report said yesterday.

It added that last year, the ministry issued visas to 2,782,297 foreigners and collected $87,750 in fines from those who overstayed.

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The report also said in order to reduce the number of illegal foreigners, the government has cracked down on those who have overstayed or who are involved in crimes.

It also said that last year 1,348 foreigners from 52 countries who were involved in crimes were arrested and deported.

Since 2014, Cambodia has deported more than 15,000 foreign nationals from 91 different countries for using invalid immigration documents to live in the Kingdom.

On Thursday General Por Pheak, director-general of the ministry’s general secretariat, said during the ministry’s 2018 Stocktaking and 2019 Directive Settings Conference, that there is a need to strengthen immigration management.

“We need to strengthen immigration management in our country so it can efficiently prevent and curb illegal immigration,” Gen Pheak said . “We need to record the number of foreigners and strictly monitor their activities in order to prevent and crack down on crimes.”

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He said the ministry will cooperate closely with the Labour Ministry and other ministries in order to monitor the foreigners’ activities.

“[We need] to increase investigations into foreigners who migrate to live in the Kingdom illegally, using expired visas – and also any foreigners involved in crimes so they can be arrested and deported,” he said.

Gen Pheak also called for more cooperation between Cambodia and other countries in the region to prevent transnational crimes.

Interior Minister Sar Kheng on Thursday ordered his officials to confiscate invalid immigration documents from foreigners who are working and living in the Kingdom.

“You must increase crackdowns to take back any irregular documents from immigrants who refuse to surrender them to the authority,” he said. “And you must strengthen the monitoring of foreigners and immigrants and take action, based on Cambodian laws, against those who commit crimes.''

Mr Kheng also ordered the General Immigration Department to check on foreign workers, and to remind companies that they are required to report the number of foreigners they have in their workforce.

“The General Immigration Department, National Police, municipal and all provincial governors must cooperate to strictly strengthen border checks and close all illegal corridors in order to prevent the illegal crossings of both people and goods,” he said.

Last month the General Immigration Department reported that since August 2017 police have seized 7,066 counterfeit documents used by foreigners.

Source - Khmer Times

#Thailand - Taxis biggest problem for tourist police

Taxi problems were the biggest issue for tourist police last year among thousands of arrests, the Tourist Police Bureau said on Wednesday. 

Tourist and Sports Minister Weerasak Kowsurat said that from January to October last year, tourist police cracked down on thousands of crimes ranging from overcharging taxis, to illegal entertainment venues.

Last year tourist police beefed up crackdowns on unruly taxis and unlawful tour guides. He said in 2018, police arrested 12,679 taxi drivers - including over 5,668 drivers who refused to pick up passengers, 3,408 drivers who refuse to use meters, and 1,659 drivers who overcharged - up from 1,681, 255, and 120 driver arrests during the same period a year earlier.

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 Police also arrested 1,581 unauthorised tour guides, and 390 so-called “sitting guides”, who use their licenses to accompany an unauthorised guide who can speak foreign languages. The number was up from 132 and nine guides arrested in 2017.

Tourist police also arrested 6,333 low-quality tour operators, 26 vendors who offered overpriced products to tourists, and raided 35 illegal entertainment venues. They also found 1,406 cases of illicit drugs at tourist venues and there were also 161 cases of “influential people” carrying firearms in tourist areas and 9,533 cases where tourists were affected.

Source TheNation

Thai Police announce all Nigerians in #Thailand will be investigated

Bangkok - Police on Friday said they will target ALL Nigerians in Thailand for investigation in a move a top UN human rights official warns could amount to illegal and discriminatory policing.

Tourist Police chief Maj. Gen. Surachet Hakpal made the announcement while displaying people rounded up in the latest mass arrests of 72 foreign nationals from 75 locations nationwide, including Khaosan Road. He said arrests were also made at 18 schools where the foreign nationals were working without work permits.

Eleven foreigners were arrested for overstaying their visas, 46 for illegal entry and 15 for petty crimes. Among them were Russians, Indians, Laotians, Ugandans and Nigerians.

Surachet said the campaign has seen more than 2,000 foreigners permanently banned from entering Thailand.

“This doesn’t mean all Nigerians are bad people,” he said. “Our crackdown so far is to separate the bad guys from the good ones.”

He said the roughly 1,400 Nigerians currently residing in Thailand and recorded by Immigration  will be investigated next week and questioned about their income to prevent further crimes committed by foreigners.

A member of the National Human Rights Commission associated with the UN warned that indiscriminately investigating all Nigerians without evidence of wrongdoing or probable cause could be against the law and is discriminating against Nigerian citizens.

“They should not randomly investigate people just because they’re Nigerians, because it will become a discrimination against their race.” Angkhana Neelaphaijit said, adding that those arrested have the right to legal defense and to file a complaint if their rights have been violated.

Online commentators and individuals responded quickly to the remarks stating that Nigerians are not a race and are a nationality and when the vast majority of foreigners arrested for overstay and crimes since Operation X Ray began were Nigerian it should be permissible to check on every one residing in the country. Those residing legally, not on overstay and with proper permits if working should be allowed to stay the commentators said.

Source - ThePattayaNews

#Thailand - I bought sex, politician admits

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Confession by Ban Mai politician is latest twist in Mae Hong Son underage prostitution case.

THE MAE HONG SON forced-prostitution ring scandal, that had landed numerous policemen and a provincial governor in hot water, took another turn yesterday.

A Nonthaburi local politician was arrested and reportedly confessed to buying sex services from a minor last September and also misrepresenting himself as the governor of Mae Hong Son.

As the scandal has unfolded, nine policemen have been dismissed from civil service and seven civilians have been taken into custody. The then governor of Mae Hong Son, Suebsak Iamwichan, who is accused of buying sexual services from a minor despite his claims of innocence, was transferred on May 2 to an inactive post until the investigation was complete. 

Chuchat Poungchin, a 56-year-old member of the Tambon Ban Mai Administrative Organisation in Nonthaburi’s Bang Yai district, was arrested yesterday morning for allegedly buying sexual services from a minor under 18. He was taken into custody by investigators from Provincial Police Region 5 led by deputy national police chief Srivara Ransibrahmanakul. 

Investigators said Chuchat confessed to paying for sex with a minor, but initially denied that he drunkenly claimed to be the governor of Mae Hong Son. However, while police was talking to reporters following the arrest, Chuchat confessed that he had bought sex services from an underage girl and also admitted he claimed to be the governor. 

“The girl saw my picture in uniform on my cellphone and asked me what I do for a living so I said provincial governor,” he said, adding that he apologized for the damage caused to Seubsak. Three more Ban Mai politicians, accused of buying underage sex services, also met police at the Bang Mae Nang precinct to give testimony and were temporarily released. 

The latest developments backed Suebsak’s claim of innocence and followed the statement by Srivara on Thursday that the ex-governor and several policemen were cleared of involvement in the case. 

Suebsak yesterday also showed photo evidence that he was attending an Interior Ministry seminar in Bangkok from September 22 to 28 last year.

The results of the fact-finding committee’s probe against Suebsak, led by deputy permanent secretary Prayoon Rattanasenee and submitted to Interior Minister Anupong Paochinda yesterday, also found no grounds of the alleged wrongdoing by Suebsak, Anupong said.

After the Interior Ministry investigation cleared his name, Governor Suebsak said he had no plan to pursue legal action against those who had made the allegation against him. 

“No, I consider this case has already ended,” Suebsak said, “What I want to do now is to solve problems in Mae Hong Son, particularly human-trafficking issues”.

Meanwhile, Federation of Assistant District Chiefs of Thailand chairman Boonyarit Nipawanit said that the mother of the teenage girl who reportedly provided sex services to a senior official had claimed she had been asked not to pursue charges against the accused official. She was told that it was for the sake of country’s reputation, he said. 

Boonyarit said the Tambon Ban Mai Administrative Organisation president would request that the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) take up the investigation into the scandal to ensure justice for all sides. 

He added that Provincial Police Region 5 investigators seem to be rushing to close the case involving Ban Mai politicians.

Boonyarit claimed that the ring reportedly sent four girls to provide sex services at a resort on September 22 last year and sent three girls to provide sex services on September 23.

However, lawyer Kerdpol Kaewkerd, representing the teenage victim’s mother who first exposed the ring and another three alleged victims of the ring, said he did not know about Boonyarit’s phone conversation with his client.

Kerdpol also said that the accusation against Suebsak stemmed from a claim by one girl, whom he did not represent, that the man using the sex services resembled the governor. He said it was within Suebsak’s right to sue for defamation but they insisted the accusation came from damaged persons.

He said the damaged persons he represented were content with the result of the police probe that led to punishment of a policeman running the ring and others procuring girls for the ring.

Meanwhile, 20 rights advocates led by Angkhana Inthasa, head of the Women and Men Progressive Movement Foundation’s gender equality promotion, submitted a complaint to deputy police spokesman Pol Maj-General Songpol Wattanachai at the Rights and Liberties Protection Department to pass on to Srivara. 

The complaint came after Provincial Police Region 5 officers showed names and faces of the Mae Hong Son investigation witnesses and interviewed them in front of the media on May 11. 

The witnesses in human trafficking cases must be protected, and police should not identify them.

They urged that the DSI take over the case to ensure justice and prevent criticism, as policemen were involved in the scandal.

Source - TheNation

#Thailand - Pattani bomber suspects identified

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Camera catches images of four ‘linked to BRN’ in the act; at least 80 people injured

A MASSIVE HUNT has been launched for four men who were allegedly involved in the double blasts at a Big C department store in Pattani province on Tuesday after security camera footage caught them in the act. Meanwhile, the number of people reported injured rose to 80, including children.

Colonel Pramote Prom-in, spokesman of the regional Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc), said the footage showed two men park the pickup carrying explosives at the entrance of the Big C store and two others riding a motorcycle waiting for them at the front of the store.

A security source said authorities identified the four after checking files of suspects connected to security-related crimes as well as other evidence.

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 “We believe that the Pattani attackers can be linked to two others suspects, Abdulloh Samae and Harim Dolloh. Arrest warrants were issued for Abdulloh for a car-bomb explosion in Pattani on February 26, 2016 and for Harim after a blast at a Southern View Hotel in the province on August 24, 2016,” the source said.

Investigators said evidence showed the bombers had mixed 100 kilograms of ammonia nitrate with petrol and then packed the mixture in two gas cylinders that were hidden in the stolen pickup. They said preliminary evidence led them to believe that the attacks were the work of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional movement, or BRN, and could be linked to a bomb attack on a market in Pattani’s Muang Pattani municipality on October 24. One person was killed and 20 others injured in that attack.

Pattani police chief Pol Maj-General Piyawat Chalermsri has ordered an investigation into the whereabouts of Nuson Kajornkam, the owner of the pickup, who was still missing yesterday. 

Meanwhile, Isoc Colonel Peerawatch Sangthong said he personally condemned the Pattani attack as being the most wicked act imaginable as women and children were among the injured.

 “Video footage from security cameras at the scene clearly shows the culprits, so it is expected that we will catch them soon,” Peerawatch said.

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Army commander in chief General Chalermchai Sittisart has personally ordered the arrest of the attackers to bring them to justice as soon as possible. Security agencies have been put on high alert and ordered to collect intelligence to prevent future attacks.

The public was required to cooperate with officials in the hunt for the attackers, Peerawatch said, calling for ordinary people to be the eyes and ears for authorities to solve the crime.

He also praised security guards at the Big C store for their decision to evacuate people from the store after the first bomb blast. Their acts helped minimise the number of injured people, he said.

Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre’s secretary-general Supanat Siranthawineti also denounced the attack.

Supanat said the attackers had stolen the pickup of a Thai Buddhist who worked in legitimate jobs, turned it into a car bomb and attacked a store where a large crowd of Thai Muslims were shopping. “What they did ravaged innocent people,” he said.

The centre will compensate people who were injured in the attack according to the law and give two student uniforms to each parent who was affected by the bombs.

Authorities believed the attackers intended “mass killing” since the car bomb was parked at the only entrance of the store and the initial explosion seemed intended to drive shoppers towards the exit. The first explosion was triggered by big firecrackers inside the store, sparking a panic that forced people towards the second bomb.

Meanwhile, students at Prince of Songkla University’s Pattani campus have been warned to avoid crowded places in the wake of the attack.

University deputy rector Imjit Lertpongsombat also offered condolences to the injured and others affected by the bombing. She urged students and university staff to monitor news about unrest in the region but to avoid panicking. People were also told to be more cautious about their surroundings and to avoid crowded places.

One student who asked not to be named said she was saddened by the attack in her hometown. “The people who did this are really mean – they hurt many innocent people,” she said. 

Another student, Rohani Yeedam, said the attackers wanted to demonstrate their ability and create chaos to draw public attention. “They obviously wanted to kill innocent people. Otherwise they wouldn’t have planted the bomb outside a Big C store.”

The Public Health Ministry’s Mental Health Department has dispatched a team of psychiatrists to assist the victims of the bombing.

Dr Boonruang Triruangworawat, the department’s director-general, said Public Health Minister Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn had ordered a team from Songkhlarajanagarindra Psychiatric Hospital and the Mental Health 12 Centre to go to the province.

Boonruang said the team would examine people who witnessed the attack for signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. 

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Source - TheNation

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