VERY LATEST NEWS FROM THAILAND in English (12 July 2023) from Fabulous 103fm Pattaya

VERY LATEST NEWS FROM THAILAND in English (12 July 2023) from Fabulous 103fm Pattaya

Germans arrested in Pattaya murder investigation
Thai sources tell us that Tuesday night saw a German man, Olaf Brinkman, arrested by national police, and transported to Nong Prue police station just outside Pattaya and in whose jurisdiction the crime is believed to have occurred.   This following the issuance of three warrants for people considered as involved in some way with the killing of 62 year old Hans Peter Walter Mack at or before the weekend.   The man’s arrest followed that of a 54 year old German Petra Grundgreif who is said to be a primary suspect charged with meditated murder and the concealment of a corpse.  She was questioned for 5 hours by officers.

Mack’s body, divered by police cut up and in a freezer, was likely intended for the fish somewhere had the gang had time to carry out their crime to include disposal.  His car, wiped clean of any evidence, said to have been parked by two THAI women, had been found in a car park and the only location yet to be revealed is that where the killing took place. CCTV shots released to the media show the freezer, presumably by then fully laden, transported on a pickup truck by three people en route to the address where it was later discovered.  Reasons?  Well, numerous are being bandied around. Mack himself had a previous unsavoury history in Thailand involving underage girls, he had a less than salubrious exit from his employment in Germany and had been involved in various dealings here, including a now closed Muay Thai sport centre which he was partners in, with another german who, we are told, ISN’T associated with his demise.  He was also acting as a real estate broker.

Meanwhile another German woman, the occupier of the home where the freezer was found, was also questioned after medics ascertained that her recently self-inflicted wounds had been adequately treated.  She denies involvement but is said to have told police that she was forced to keep the freezer at her address and not allowed to go near it.  That alone raises simply more questions for investigators.

As a previous all persons bulletin had been sent out to immigration officials to ensure that none left the country, so all parties have had their visas revoked, which means that they now stay here at the pleasure of the authorities and cannot officially leave Thailand.  The wife of the arrested German man has also been questioned and a 27 yr old Pakistani man with Thai nationality was also on the list for questioning as he is said to be the man spotted in the back of the pickup securing the freezer as it was transported.  That truck, the property of the arrested German woman, was later driven to a tyre centre where all rims and tyres were replaced. The old ones? They were later collected by another man, presumably for disposal.

This then was without doubt a premeditated affair with considerable planning beforehand, but until those arrested finally make full statements, the reasons, method and location will remain.. unknown to the public.

Thailand’s PM Prayut quits politics
Current caretaker Prime Minister Prayut has announced that he is retiring from politics.  Thanking people for their support, Prayut, who led the military takeover of the country in 2014, saw his United Thai Party come 5th place, way behind the more popular parties.   During his tenure the country did overcome several hurdles, the military takeover was a bloodless coup and slowly he worked to appear less like a general more like a politician. Very little was given to the people during the covid era, seeing many struggle to the Ninth degree without help and that too, alongside other reasons, will have led to his low vote count.

​Thai Parliament to vote on new PM​ tomorrow​
Meanwhile, tomorrow’s debate and vote on who will become PM has been planned clearly and will see senators allowed to debate for 2 hrs, MPs for four and an initial vote around 5PM.  Khun Pita, the leader of the winning party Move forward, is the sole propose from the coalition which holds the majority of seats in parliament, however the auto inclusion of unelected senators, 250 of them, means that the choice is far from decided. Thai media has reported that Khun Pita released a video clip yesterday calling on all to give Thailand a chance to have a majority government, as elected by the people, and to allow the country to move forward in a democratic manner with a return to NORMALCY in politics.

Bad construction blamed for Bangkok overpass collapse 
As the Bangkok governor went to inspect the scene in Lat Krabang where sections of an under construction overpass had fallen onto traffic below Monday evening, so that road has been closed off while attempts are made to secure the new erections.  A local command point was set up to search for any other victims in the rubble, as the governor is quoted as saying that the collapse was far from an accident  but rather due to errors made in construction. Road clearance may take up the week, seeing extra congestion during rush hours.

Thailand to cut internet connections to Myanmar border towns 
As the cut in power from Thailand to neighbouring casino cities in Myanmar had affected the lower income residents, so now plans are afoot to block internet service from Thailand to that area too.  The power cuts saw casinos and other businesses remain lit up as they had already bought generators. That move was at the behest of the Burmese government in a bid to close down illegal Chinese gambling and call center businesses.  One thing is for sure, they are unlikely to find an easy way around the new plans.

Tourist arrested for robbing Pattaya hotel 
And you may wonder just HOW quickly the police machinery can move when need be.. If so, the tale of a Singaporean man who stole 100K baht in cash from a Pattaya Hotel as he claimed to be the room occupier to whom the safety deposit box had been allocated.   Along with the cash, laptop and passport, the man sped off to Bangkok’s second airport, intent on escaping without trace.  That didn’t work as an APB was sent out to all immigration checkpoints, and he was quickly nabbed at the airport, and all goods returned to their grateful owner.  The hotel, unnamed, appears to have failed in confirming the man was entitled to the security box and, had he not been caught, would have been likely liable for the loss.

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