Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej has pardoned Swiss national Oliver Jufer, who was sentenced to 10 years in jail for defacing images of the beloved monarch in the city of Chiang Mai. Jufer has been ordered to leave the country and was due to be deported by the end of the day. "The king in his kindness has granted him a pardon and he has been transferred from prison and is in the process of being deported from the country," said Chiang Mai police Col Prachuab Wongsuk. Jufer, who had lived in Thailand for more than 10 years before his arrest, was recorded on surveillance cameras defacing the portraits on the king's 79th birthday last December. Earlier Jufer had tried to buy alcohol but had been refused, as such sales are sometimes banned on important days.BBC
Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has dismissed concerns expressed by some countries over security in Thailand following Monday's bombing at a Bangkok shopping mall. Tharit Jarungwat, director general of the Department of Information and Spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Thailand's security is sufficient, and that a large number of security forces have been mobilized to maintain peace and order during the Songkran festival. Tharit's statement followed reports that the Australian government had advised Australians planning to visit Thailand to exercise caution.TNA
Thai police on Monday began distributing 140,000 sweets blessed by a Buddhist abbot in the hopes of reducing road accidents this Songkran season by keeping motorists awake with the candies. On Saturday, 2,999 monks gathered at a temple to bless the confectionery, known as "super sours." "The major cause of the accidents is that people get very tired from driving after days of celebration," said regional highway police chief Colonel Panya Pinsuk. "The taste is very sour, which can keep you awake. The candy was also blessed by the monks, which makes people more comfortable and confident when driving." The government hopes to cut the number of road deaths by 15 percent from the nearly 500 who were killed last year.AFP