Woman’s Body Parts Found Hidden in Norwegian Man’s House

Body parts of a Thai woman were found hidden in a rubbish bin inside a Norwegian man’s mansion in southern Thailand Wednesday, following her disappearance almost three years ago.

Police officers found a certain amount of flesh and bones wrapped in a plastic bag inside the wheelie bin.

The human remains were believed to belong to Rungnapa Ratchasombut, a Thai ex-girlfriend of 50-year-old Stein Havard Dokset, the owner of the seven-bedroom house on Thailand’s west coast.

According to the police, former pharmacist Dokset admitted his involvement in his ex-girlfriend’s death, claiming they were arguing before he pushed her down the stairs, resulting in the fatality.

Among other items found in his residence were the deceased’s ID cards, watch and handbags. Police also discovered a 9mm pistol and 58 bullets.

The local media reported that the Scandinavian expat first visited Thailand ten years ago, when he got to know the deceased. They were in a relationship for a while before the woman left him to marry another man. She was officially reported missing on July 19, 2009.

Fire Raged Burmese Refugee Camp of Umpiem Mai

A huge fire broke out at the Umpiem Mai refugee camp in the Thai-Burmese border province of Tak Thursday, destroying around 1,000 households but leaving no casualties.

The flames raged through a vast area of the camp, which houses around 15,000 Burmese refugees. Due to its isolated and hilly location, fire trucks could not reach the scene in time, forcing the refugees and local officials to put out the blaze themselves. It took an hour and a half before the fire was extinguished.

However, a lot of smoke can still be seen, along with grief-stricken refugees. Many saw their houses burnt to the ground, including 63-year-old Sayida, who lived in the camp with her daughter and four grandchildren.

“This is terrible. All of my stuff is destroyed. I’ve got only my sarong left, nothing else, not even cups or plates,” she said in tears.

The incident was believed to stem from either a cooking accident or dry weather. However, an investigation is underway to find out the actual cause of this mishap.

According to chief district officer Pot Ruworanan, nobody was killed or seriously injured. The affected victims are being taken care of by NGOs, who provided them with food and tents for temporary stay.

The Umpiem Mai refugee camp is located in a remote corner of Phop Phra district in Tak province. Most of the refugees are reportedly Karen.

Almost 2,000 Illegal Ammunitions Seized in Thailand

Nearly 2,000 pieces of ammunition were seized in Thailand’s northeastern border province of Surin in a joint operation by the army, border police, and the Department of Special Investigation (DSI).

The confiscation took place in December last year, following reports of DSI’s inteligence unit that a number of weapons of war were to be transferred sometime before the 2011 year end. The seized ammo was found hidden in a rough next to a building. However, no suspect was arrested as the authorities found no one there.

According to DSI chief Tharit Phengdit, the ammunition confiscated was part of the illegal arms trade along Thailand’s northeastern borderline, with the real purpose of the ammo confiscated remaining unknown. The DSI chief also mentioned “a person with influence” suspected to be behind these illegal arms, but refused to give further details.

“This case is still under our investigation. There are two possibilities. First, they were aimed to cause insurgency in Thailand. Second, they were to be shipped to another country. But all in all, they can’t be good for humanity. Given their destructive power, they’re surely going to be used in a bad way,” said Tharit Phengdit.

Regarding the recent Bangkok blasts, involving six Iranian suspects, the DSI chief said there is no link between the two events.

Bangkok Bomb Suspect Retraced Steps

Bangkok bomb suspect Mohammad Kharzei was escorted by police officers to sites linked to a series of explosions in Thailand’s capital on Monday.

Among other locations was a two-storey house in downtown Bangkok, where the first explosion was reported.

Wearing a bullet-proof vest and handcuffed, Mr. Kharzei indicated the house to the police and showed how he journeyed from there to Bangkok’s international airport Suvarnabhumi on the day of the blasts.

It remains unknown, however, whether the suspect has admitted his involvement in the explosions.

According to the local media, however, Thai police believed Mr. Kharzei was involved in the three bomb incidents that startled Bangkokians last week.

Five people got injured, including alleged bomber Saeib Morabi, who lost both of his legs and is being hospitalized.

Following the blasts, Mr. Kharzei was detained by Thai authorities at Suvarnabhumi International Airport. He is currently under police custody.

Besides the two bomb suspects detained in Thailand, police believed four more people are involved in the blasts. Further investigation is underway.

Air Australia Goes Bankrupt

More than 2,000 Austrlian passengers were left stranded in Thailand’s southern province of Phuket after their budget airline Air Australia collapsed Friday.

All flights have been cancelled, including international flights from Phuket to Melbourne and Sydney respectively.

Formerly known as Strategic Airlines, the Brisbane-based airline ran out of money and would not be able to afford operational expenses.

As a result, no more bookings would be accepted. According to reports, the company failed to pay for refuelling its planes in Phuket, which were scheduled to depart for Melbourne and Sydney.

Over 1,000 passengers who came to Phuket via tour agents are currently staying in the downtown area, with the expenses being taken care of by the agents.

It is expected that the stranded passengers should be transferred back to Australia within three days if the Australian government provides them with big aircrafts that accommodate around 500 passenger per flight.

Around 4,000 travellers were stranded overseas with the troubled airline’s round-trip tickets.