Crime

The Global Initiative to End Wildlife Crime today released details of a possible new groundbreaking legal agreement on tackling wildlife crime that could help avoid future wildlife-related pandemics. The form of this agreement would be a Protocol under the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC), the main international legal instrument in the fight against transnational crime. “The current international legal framework for addressing wildlife crime is inadequate and it leaves us vulnerable to future wildlife-related pandemics,” said John E. Scanlon AO, chair of The Global Initiative to End Widlife Crime (EWC). “We need transformative changes to ensure our international legal framework for addressing wildlife crime is fit for purpose in a post COVID-19 world and today we are releasing details on how we can scale up our collective efforts to end wildlife crime.” Government representatives, crime experts and civil society partners are currently ... » Learn More about Wildlife Crime Trafficking Could be a Source of Future World Pandemics

Police in Thailand are intensifying their efforts on tracking down criminals who run scam call centers and SMS smartphone scams. Cyber criminals send fake SMS messages to trick victims into replying back with their banking information. The widespread adoption of online payment methods in Thailand was highlighted by the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society showing that the number of internet users in Thailand has leapt from about 18 million in 2009 to more than 50 million in 2020. More than one in five activities carried out on the internet involves a financial transaction of some kind. In early December, 29 Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) customers received an SMS after they contacted its call centre. The SMS told them to send back their 13-digit ID number and a one-time password (OTP). The scammers then reportedly used the ID number and OTP to sign up to a mobile banking app which they used to transfer funds from the victims’ accounts. The Money Trap Siam Commercial Bank ... » Learn More about Thai Banks Warn Over Call Center and SMS Smartphone Scams

Bangkok – The Bangkok Criminal Court has denied bail against four prominent protest leaders and a Thai pro-democracy singer today, March 4th, over lese majeste charges after a bail request had been requested for the fourth time for most of the group. Sureerat Chiwarak, the mother of Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, arrived at the Court to request for bail for her son and other pro-democracy activists, namely Anon Nampa, Somyot Pruksakasemsuk, and Patiwat Saraiyae, who were charged for sedition and lése majesté charges over several pro-democracy demonstrations last year. According to her statement, she had prepared 1,000,000 baht for applying for temporary bail in 2 cases, 500,000 baht per case. However, the Criminal Court stated that the petitioner has previously submitted a request for temporary release about four times but the court had issued an order not to grant temporary release against the defendants, reasoning that the defendant could repeat the same offenses (of Lese Majeste) ... » Learn More about Prominent Thai protest leaders and pro-democracy musician denied bail over lese majeste charges

Thailand’s Anti-Money Laundering Office has seized assets over $US 33 Million from a man suspected of running a Ponzi scheme to defraud 8,437 people through his company, Forex-3D. Activist lawyer Ronnarong Kaewphet and the victims praised Justice Minister Somsak Thepsutin and Piyasiri Wattanavrangkul, director of DSI’s Bureau of Illegal Financial Business Crime, after Apirak Kothi, the founder of the Forex 3D company, was arrested last week. Mr Ronnarong said he obtained information that the total damage from Forex 3D Ponzi scheme was estimated at more than $US 66 Million, but the two agencies managed to recover around $US 36.5 million in assets. He said on Monday that he petitioned Mr Somsak to help investigate Mr Apirak’s close aides and associates , noting the suspect must have transferred the rest of the victim’s money and assets to them. Mr Somsak said his officials had been hunting Mr Apirak for a long time. He said Mr Apirak was suspected of fake currency trading ... » Learn More about Thai Authorities Seize Over $US 33 Million in Assets from Forex-3D Boss

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Human Rights will pursue independent investigations on simultaneous crackdown operations conducted by state forces against militant leaders that resulted in the killing of nine activists and arrest of six others in Southern Tagalog on Sunday. CHR spokesperson Jacqueline de Guia on Monday said the commission found the number of deaths “most concerning” considering the pattern of “prevalent red-tagging and escalating attacks against activists.” The police and military conducted several raids on progressive groups in Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, and Rizal on Sunday, which led to the deaths and arrests. “Despite several commitments by the Philippine Government—domestically and internationally—to uphold, respect, and protect human rights, we have yet to see a concrete response to our repeated plea for tangible reduction of violence on the ground,” De Guia said in a statement. “All necessary actions must be done to demonstrate our genuine regard ... » Learn More about CHR to probe ‘Calabarzon 9’ killings, cites concern over Duterte’s kill order

SARAWAK has formed an integrated standard operating procedure monitoring team led by the police to control the spread of Covid-19 cases in Sibu district. The team, which started the task on March 3, will monitor the situation three times a week. It comprises the police, the army, Road Transport Department, Public Works Department (JKR), Domestic Trade and Consumers Affairs Ministry, Immigration Department, Sibu Municipal Council, Agriculture Department, Rela, Unity Department and the Marine Department. Sibu crime prevention and community safety division head DSP Ariffin Bahar said the operation was to ensure the public and business community strictly adhered to the SOP during the conditional movement control order until March 15. “The team members will go around to ensure people use the MySejahtera app to register their particulars, scan their body temperature and wear face mask before entering any shop. “Business premises should have a registry book for customers to note ... » Learn More about Coordinated effort to ensure all sectors in Sibu division adhere to SOP

71 new Covid cases in Thailand today, the generals are being told they’re going to face pay cuts and a Thai doctors has issued a warning about the link between Thai’s love for sugary sweets and life-threatening diseases… there goes my afternoon donut. And don’t worry, I’m not going to sing my way through the news today, it’s just nice and cool in my home studio so you can enjoy the cool with me. We’ve also got a new segment at the end of the news today… you’ll see that soon enough. 71 new coronavirus cases have been announced today, 31 of them from the hotzone of Samut Sakhon, just south of Bangkok. This beings the total number of confirmed cases in Thailand to 26,441. The death toll remains at 85 people. The Thai Army, Navy and Air Force are aiming to trim the number of generals in the ranks by 25% by 2029. But plenty of critics say the plan is probably just more words and won’t ever happen. A Thai doctor is reminding Thais about the clear links between eating sugary foods and ... » Learn More about Thailand News Today | Thai army trim the Generals, sugar making Thais fat | March 8

The Human Rights Watch is speaking up against Thailand’s use of the lèse majesté law after 4 prominent pro-democracy activists were denied bail by the Bangkok Criminal Court and ordered into pretrial detention for allegedly insulting or defaming the Thai Monarchy. The HRW says the activists could be in detention for years until their trials are concluded. At a time of ongoing political protests calling on monarchy reform, Thai authorities have been “abusing” the draconian lèse majesté law by using it to “aggressively clamp down on speech they don’t like,” according to HRW’s Asia director Brad Adams. “Holding people in pretrial detention for peaceful expression portends a return to the dark days when people simply charged with this crime end up spending years in jail while their trials drag on interminably.” The lèse majesté law, under Section 112 of Thailand’s Criminal Code, carries a punishment of up to 15 years in prison for insulting or defaming the Thai Monarchy. ... » Learn More about Human Rights Watch says Thailand abuses lèse majesté law to silence protesters

ZAMBOANGA CITY: A Bangladeshi bulk carrier, the Akij Pearl, escaped pirates who tried to board the cargo vessel while sailing off Sibutu Island in the province of Tawi-Tawi near the Malaysian border, reports said. The incident, which occurred on March 3, was only reported on Sunday by the ReCAAP Information Sharing Center, which immediately issued a warning and urged ship master and crew to exercise extra vigilance when transiting the waters off Eastern Sabah and in the Sulu-Celebes Seas, in particular waters off Sibutu Island. ReCAAP stands for Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia. “While the bulk carrier was underway, an unidentified speed boat with three perpetrators on board attempted to board the ship. The master reported the incident to the Philippine Navy Littoral Monitoring Station,” it said. The 190-meter cargo vessel, built in 2005 by the Mitsui Tamano Engineering and Shipbuilding in Japan, departed the port of ... » Learn More about Bangladeshi boat evades pirates

GUMACA, Quezon: Fourth District Rep. Angelina “Doktora” Helen Tan has urged the public nationwide to submit themselves to inoculation with the Sinovac vaccine CoronaVac made by a Chinese pharmaceutical company in order to fight Covid-19, saying the vaccine is safe and effective. The chairman of the Committee on Health at the House of Representatives made the appeal recently in support of President Rodrigo Duterte’s appeal to all Filipinos to have themselves vaccinated. Tan, a medical doctor, told The Manila Times on Wednesday that mass inoculation was the only solution in order that the economy will be able to return to normal once 99 percent of the population is able to receive the vaccine. She also urged the people to follow the instructions of health workers in their localities and surrender themselves to proper care in order that the campaign of the government will be achieved. Tan did not violate any law when she allowed herself to be inoculated with the Sinovac vaccine at ... » Learn More about Lawmaker vouches for Sinovac vaccine