Thailand & Pattaya News, from Fabulous 103fm (1 June 2022)

Thailand & Pattaya News, from Fabulous 103fm (1 June 2022)

A Thai court yesterday convicted a British man , 52 year old Shane Looker of the 2014 murder of a bar girl. Despite the violent end to her life, which saw her dismembered and packed into a suitcase, later discovered in a Kanchanaburi river,  his sentence? 8 years jail. Looker had fled Thailand but was returned by British authorities, presumably with the guarantee that he would not receive the death sentence here. His actual sentence was 16 years but halved, as is standard for those who plead guilty in court. Of his short jail term, it’s likely that he will be allowed to serve the major part of that in a UK jail, but will for sure spend several years here behind bars first. He was also ordered to pay the dead woman’s family 12.5 million baht, which may delay his repatriation to a more comfortable UK jail cell, as there is no indication that he has the funds to settle that bill.  Fines here, traditionally have to be settled PRIOR to prisoners being allowed to be transferred to prisons in their home countries and MAY just act as a catalyst to keep him here for the full term.  Looker was detained in 2017 on the island of Ibiza as a result of an international arrest warrant. He spent years fighting an exhaustive legal battle against extradition, claiming he would be subject to inhuman treatment in Thailand. Eventually the European Court of Human Rights rejected his challenge

Today’s the day that bars and clubs can legally reopen, albeit until just midnight, AND they can close their sometimes makeshift kitchens, which saw many bi pass the closure orders, during the covid era, by becoming so called eateries.  The good news then is that partying begins, the bad?  Well technically and legally too, all customers are supposed to show covid vaccination certification, staff ATK tested weekly and all staff who have direct contact with customers must be masked.  We are only the piano players in this, so please don’t aim and fire, but..for patrons over 60, or pregnant.. The official recommendation appears to be.. stay at home.  However there is nothing to stop both groups of people going into bars and clubs, THAT at least is just an advisory.

A chinese run boiler room operation in the capital, which saw chinese and Taiwanese employed to sell worthless crypto currency, has been raided by police, seeing 6 arrested. With a pair of them having outstanding warrants for similar crimes in Taiwan, all remain in custody.

And the Governor Elect in Bangkok has finally been confirmed as… Governor.  Taken a while but the election commission was inundated with enquiries by so called concerned members of the public, all of which they had to investigate prior to the announcement

Meanwhile at home and that’s NOT the case for Pattaya’s Mayor elect. With issues raised regarding missing or duplicate voting records from some districts in the city, despite what is seen as a landslide victory for the We Love Pattaya group, ELECTIONS have to be repeated in those districts before our new mayor can safely take his seat in the corner office at City Hall. June 12th will see elections in the two districts which, technically at least, means that a 24 hour booze ban could be implemented around that date in the city.  That’s not been confirmed BUT legally, an alcohol sales ban is effected for any election in Thailand.

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