A Naked Woman Disappears

Photo Courtesy of Matichon Online

ANG THONG - Radio communication officer from Ang Thong police station reported seeing a naked woman jogging on Asia Line road. The officer feared that the woman may have been sexually harassed so informed a head police officer. Traffic police went to the road to search for the woman.

Every corner was searched from top to bottom and police even ventured into other districts: Chaiyo, Maharat, and Bangprahan in Ayudthaya province but found no trace of the naked woman. It was suspected that someone had helped her but no reports were received by investigative offices or police stations.

Lieutenant Colonel Raweeroj Khongkhanphai from Ang Thong police station said that the story of the naked woman may be true but police found no clues. The search took place during the night which made gathering information difficult.

The Lieutenant said, “She could have been out of her mind, or was forced. I don’t think she would take off her clothes in the middle of the night just to run on the road for the sake of it. The team is still in search of her.”

Courtesy of Matichon Online

Writer: Adrian Tse & Chet Chetchotisak

Monk Reincarnated As Crocodile?

Photo Courtesy of Daily News

CHAIYAPOOM – A two meter long crocodile resides in Wang creek behind Don Phai Temple in Chaiyapoom. The crocodile has lived in peace with people for many years.

The crocodile usually comes out of the water to sunbath and then high-walks through the village without harming villagers that pass by. Villagers believe that that crocodile is the reincarnated Grand Monk Kham, an ex head monk and an eminent religious practitioner. The crocodile was first adopted by Grand Monk Kham.

People from all over the region have come to see the crocodile and Mr. Khunthong Wongkham, 55-years-old, chief of Nondaeng village brought incenses and candles to perform a special ritual in an attempt to connect with Grand Monk Kham’s spirit.

As the ritual took place the crocodile floated up from the depths of creek and swam towards the bank - it then belly-walked along the ground among the people as though in greeting. This caused a stir of excitement among the villagers. Many people weren’t scared and fed the crocodile raw chicken as seen in the photo above. Some even patted the old croc on the head like they were playing with a dog.

Mr. Khunthong said that after the media covered the story of the crocodile, a number of television programs contacted him and came to see and examine the crocs so-called friendly and intelligent nature.

Khunthong further said that everybody in the local area have paid great respect to the crocodile. Even students competing in local sports events would come to greet the crocodile and wish for good luck and always win their tournaments.

Others would go as far as to collect water from the creek to drink, believing it to be sacred holy water. Some shower in the water at home, trusting it will cure all kinds of diseases.

Courtesy of Daily News

Writer: Adrian Tse & Chet Chetchotisak

New Sex Change Regulations!

Doctor Samphan Komlit, the secretary of administration from the ministry of public health introduced new regulations today regarding sex change. Doctors and medical experts from a number of backgrounds, as well as transsexuals attended the event.

The ministry of public health showed great concern for the safety of procedures in sexual transition and the secretary spoke with care of the correct procedures in carrying out precise operations; and the need for professional and qualified surgeons. In the past, problems had arisen in a number of post-surgery cases, leading the ministry to create new regulations to protect the third gender.

Candidates for sex change surgery must now pass psychological and compatibility examinations before undertaking hormone therapy: a preventative measure against harmful aftereffects. Patients must also live with their desired orientation for one year.

The secretary, Doctor Samphan, continued that surgeons in all fields are allowed to perform the operations due to having sufficient ground knowledge. After the operation, doctors must follow-up with their patients to monitor undesired side-effects or changes to their physicality and mentality. The law states that people can receive surgery if they are the age of 18 or above. For those younger, a parent or guardians signature will suffice.

If surgeons fail to comply with these regulations, they can receive penalties ranging from warnings to imprisonments and the confiscation of their licenses.

Doctor Samphan also stated the importance of establishing third gender rights for the future, ensuring equality and freedom. Details of this proposal include legal marriage, equal job opportunity and the right to change name titles. Samphan believes that even these will take time to bring about. He also suggested that the third gender population will increase in size in the future and sex change will become more and more common. This growing group will eventually claim their rights in the future.

“I think the issue of freedom and rights and societal acceptance of the third sex population will need to be addressed by the department of human rights. It is important to encourage these people and avoid marginalizing them. This can greatly damage their lives.” Doctor Samphan stated.

Writer: Adrian Tse & Chet Chetchotisak

Game Store Imprisons Children

Photo Courtesy of Khaosod

NAKORN SRITHAMMARAT – Police officers barged into a 24-hr game store offering accommodation, change of clothes, and meal services to students gaming day and night. The discreet front entrance was tightly sealed off and officers had to climb over a neighboring wall to break a few windows before they could enter. They found four primary school students playing computer games in a hypnotic state.

The owner of the store argued it was normal for gaming businesses to provide loyal customers with special treatment.

The kids usually played games until late or until dawn; the owner responded by providing accommodation and hospitality services like food-on-demand, spare clothes and the occasional back rub. The kids would lie to their parents and say they were sleeping over at a friend’s house.

At 10.30a.m. on September 9th, Mr. Theerawut Singto, 30-years-old, and Mr. Phisit Surachan, teachers from the student administration approached officer Somphong Yuthao for help. Several students were believed to have been living inside the P-Net Internet Game Store and had not returned home or attended school for a number of days.

When officer Yuthao arrived at the three-storey building where the shop was, he discovered a darkly tinted glass door obscuring the shops interior. Two heavy duty pad locks secured the entrance; the shop space appeared empty but Yuthoa questioned people in the building and confirmed that the students were inside.

After two hours of knocking and no reply, the officer climbed a concrete wall onto a balcony. He broke through a window on the 2nd floor and entered the shop space. There, he found 25 desktop computers and four kids, along with Mrs. Pornthip Thongphanang, the owner, who was shocked by the sudden entry.

The second and third floors of the facility were divided into bedrooms with wardrobes which stored a variety of boys and girls clothing.

The rooms were for VIP gamers to sleep in and get changed. The officer also found a large supply of cup noodles and a variety of soft drinks.

After interrogating the students, it was revealed that the owner, Mrs. Pornthip, would wait for the kids to finish school before she opened the doors to her shop. She would lock the entrance as soon as they entered to avoid suspicion. Every day a variety of students of both sexes, from elementary to secondary school, would use the service. Kids spent as much time as they wanted playing games - for many it was a second home – kind of like Starbucks.

Mrs. Pornthip said that when the officer knocked on the door, she did not come to open it because she knew she was violating many laws. As for imprisoning the kids and keeping them in a torpid daze for prolonged periods, Pornthip said it was all part of the unique experience. “Most shops do it as well,” she insisted.

Police officers are investigating to see if drugs, sex and or sexual services involving the children took place.

Courtesy of Khaosod

Writer: Adrian Tse & Chet Chetchotisak

Parents Disappear Leaving Behind Two Girls

Photo Courtesy of Khaosod

AYUDTHAYA – Two girls, Wanphen Saelao, 12-years-old, and Ghanjana Saelao, 2-years-old, were abandoned by their parents in a rented home in Ayudthaya. The parents said they were going to the hospital but never returned. The two sisters nearly starved but ate from a monk’s share of food as he happened to pass by. This went on for four days and exhausted, the children began hallucinating, seeing wood fairies and ghosts.

Extremely scared, the young girls cried day and night. Villagers heard them and decided to contact the police for help.

Mrs. Bualoy Sukasem, the aunt of the two sisters, who had lost contact with the family for many years saw her nephews on television. She decided to help track the parents and heard from the villagers that they had gone to Pichit Hospital.

The police caught up to the parents, Mr. Somkiat Saelao, 42-years-old, and Mrs. Unruen Sukasem, 34-years-old, who were admitted to Pichit hospital. The father is in ICU, in a deep coma and hooked to a life support machine. The mother is also sick but her condition is not as severe.

When police arrived, she was sitting next to her husband, looking after him and denied that she had abandoned her kids. Their illnesses are at this point unknown.

Courtesy of Khaosod

Writer: Adrian Tse & Chet Chetchotisak

Another Baby with No Anus

Photo Courtesy of Thairath

LAMPHANG – Little 14-day-old Fifa was born without an anus and his heart to the right side of his chest. Doctors had to relocate his intestines and pin a hole on the side of his stomach for waste drainage. They will perform a heart operation in three months time.

On September 6th, a journalist went to the home of Mrs. Boonthong Gaewthip, 46-years-old, in Lamphang after being informed of the case. The baby male was born on August 19th and is now two weeks old. His name is Fifa or Nuttapol Gaewthip. After the mother gave birth, she was informed by the nurse that there was something wrong with her child. Other than the fact that he had no anus, the doctors x-rayed him and found that his heart was on the opposite side.

In three months time, doctors will perform heart surgery for the child in order to mend a damaged heart valve. The mother pleads to kind hearted people who want to help the baby. Money can be transferred to Agricultural Bank, Lamphang branch: Mr. Gaew Gaewthip – Account number: 029-2-3 4628-9

Doctors also said the relocation of the baby’s heart is possible but will have to wait for the child to grow up first.

Courtesy of Thairath

Writer: Adrian Tse & Chet Chetchotisak

The Scorpion Man and His Son

Photo Courtesy of Daily News

UTTARADIT – More than thousands of scorpions creeping around the house, father and son meditate and let the scorpions crawl on them. People in the area are calling them the Scorpion Duo. At first, the family bred scorpions for sale but decided it was morally wrong and switched to selling woodworks at the OTOP product festival. They use the scorpions to attract customers and have been making good sales. The wife was scared at first but now finds the scorpions to be comforting although she does not go anywhere near them. The man’s 6-year-old son is following in his father’s footsteps.

A journalist arrived at the man’s home in Uttaradit to find a two-storey wooden home on a one acre block, decorated dark like a cave in a deep mountain valley. In the house were a variety of creations made from wood such as models of spiders, ants, scorpions, and grasshoppers; there was also a face statue of the Bodhisattva made from sawdust – and all were beautifully placed around the house.

In the middle of the home, a white sleeping tent was set up. Mr. Suang Phuangsri aka the Scorpion Man, 38-years-old, the owner of the house, and his 6-year-old son were meditating inside the tent. Inside the tent were over a thousand of scorpions crawling around. Some of the scorpions climbed onto Mr. Suang and his son, but they showed no signs of fear or discomfort, which the journalist found quite shocking.

After an interview, Mr. Suang Phuangsri said that in 1996, he had been a scorpion breeder and merchant, selling and wholesaling scorpions for both locals and foreigners to be used in stir-fried dishes. Some bought scorpions to extract medicines to mix with alcohol or liquor. Some just simply grilled them in barbeques. Many people believe that scorpion extracts are a remedy to intestinal gas and belching, and that they help to release poisons out of the body and improve blood-flow.

After being in the profession for almost 10 years, the man began to observe and understand scorpion behavior and personality traits. Suang says he became enlightened to the Dharmic truth and decided to stop selling scorpions to be killed as food. In 2005 he turned to woodworks making sculptures using raw materials from the forest. His new direction proved to be successful and his products made it to the OTOP shelf. He has also lived with over thousands of scorpions since then and meditates daily to pray for the scorpions as well. Every time he has a product display at a festival, he brings several scorpions along as friends, and usually attracts many customers.

On the other hand, Mrs. Lampoon Pimphum, Suang’s wife, says she has been with Suang for seven years. She admits that in the first few years, she did not understand the things her husband was doing, and why he brought a dangerous creature into the home let alone thousands of them. But after a while, she began to understand and accept it. The Scorpion Man’s son has also started to take interest in the scorpions and usually joins his father in meditation and prayers.

Courtesy of Daily News

Writer: Adrian Tse & Chet Chetchotisak

Chinese Pastry Kills Old Man In Boxing Match

Photo Courtesy of Thairath

SAMUT PRAKARN – A 65-year-old old man was devouring a Chinese pastry as he watched a Championship Boxing match on television. He got a little too excited and choked. The old man gripped his throat and writhed along the ground for a minute before he died.

At 5.30p.m. on September 4th, Police Lieutenant Colonel Somphong Sripetch from Samut Prakarn was informed of the old man’s death. Officers and medical personnel went to his premises, a one-storey wooden home; and in the middle of the home found Mr. Kuet Onsaeng, lying on the ground with an odd look of excitement set to his face. He was wearing a white shirt and long grey pants. Relatives gathered around the corpse, crying their eyes out.

Mrs. Charoensuk Onsaeng, 67-years-old, the wife, explained that she lived with her husband and ten nephews. An hour and a half before the incident, her husband had gotten up to get a slice of Chinese pastry bought from a Chinese temple; a snack to accompany the old man through an important Championship Defense Title Boxing match on television. As boxers on the screen threw fierce punches at each other, the old man choked and rolled to the ground. The family tried to give him first aid but it was too late.

Investigative officers concluded that the pastry had blocked his passage way as he watched TV. So much for a boxing match.

Courtesy of Thairath

Writer: Adrian Tse & Chet Chetchotisak

A Grim Day for the Elephant Lady

Photo Courtesy of Thairath

AYUDTHAYA – Oun (meaning fat) is a local lady from Ayudthaya who suffers from a disease that causes the excessive swelling of the body. She weighs 200 kilograms and has been compared to an elephant. Doctors said her lymph glands are blocked and that she has a rare blood disease. Other ailments are also impacting on her condition.

At 10.00a.m. on September 3rd, Doctor Surachai Chokhanchitchai, an assistant chief of Ayudthaya Hospital examined Mrs. Sombat Padungkhan, or Oun, 51-years-old. Her body was extremely inflamed, especially her left leg. She is no longer able to walk and was sent to hospital because she was unable to breathe.

Oun is divorced and has three children. Five years ago, she owned a gift shop and weighed 65 kilograms. One day she started to get bubble rashes around her arms and thighs – it was then that she started to gain weight. She was admitted to several hospitals but no one could find a cause to her illness. Her weight continued to double, even triple until she was referred to as the elephant lady.

Unable to move and take care of herself, Oun's personal hygiene is a problem and her rashes often rot inside the creases of her fat because she is unable to reach them.

Oun said that her family is very poor and she has had to look after three kids but now she cannot because now she is a burden. “I don’t know what sin or karma I have with me,” she expressed.

Recently, she has found it hard to breathe and has felt constant pains in her limbs. Trying to keep clean has been difficult too.

Mr. Surachai said that he had received the patient from Bangphain Hospital. The possible cause for Oun’s illness is the blockage of her lymph glands and veins which are preventing proper blood flow. As the body becomes overweight, breathing becomes difficult, and the heart has to work harder. Oun also has diabetes and high blood pressure. The only approach doctors can take is to try to reduce her weight.

Courtesy of Thairath

Writer: Adrian Tse & Chet Chetchotisak

What Is A Miniature Water Elephant?

Photo Courtesy of Nation Group

THAK – An ex-merchant discovered a weird creature said to be a miniature water elephant. He said a Burmese man had found it dead and had given it to him.

The x-ray image of the creature shows a distinct elephantine structure.
On September 1st, Police Sub-Lieutenant Phongsak Theptian during his shift in Thak said that he had met Mr. Chuyot, an ex-merchant who used to trade wood with the Burmese.

Mr. Chuyot currently owns and runs a papaya plantation and a corn farm. Chuyot told the sub-lieutenant that he had in his possession an extraordinary creature: a tiny elephant or what Chuyot has now called a water elephant. The water elephant was allegedly found dead by a Burmese man who had gone fishing in a deep jungle river.

Mr. Chuyot brought the elephant in for the Sub-Lieutenant Phongsak to inspect. It was seven centimeters in length and had ivories, a trunk, a long tail and four webbed feet. They took the elephant to be x-rayed at Phawo hospital. The creature has an authentic skeleton and bone structure similar to those of elephants.

Sub-Lieutenant Phongsak has sent x-ray films and photographs to the press and the story has generated interest in the scientific community.

What is a miniature water elephant? We still don't know.

Courtesy of Nation Group

Writer: Adrian Tse & Chet Chetchotisak