Local News

Moneyed medium

Woman gives away 6 million baht

A woman filed a complaint with police on March 31 that claiming she was duped into transferring 6 million baht to a couple who said they were mediums of Ya Mo, the heroine of Nakhon Ratchasima.

Benyapa Paeosungnoen, 58, a former teacher at a school in Muang district, said that Sumitra Yotanan, 40, and her husband Dao Eerbkoksung, 45, told her three years ago that she would soon die and that they could help her with the power of Ya Mo.

"I believed them immediately," Benyapa told reporters, recalling how she initially spent 40,000 baht making merit to a statue of Ya Mo. The suspects surrendered to police and denied the charges.

More money

BMA to increase taxes

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is increasing local taxes on petrol, alcohol, cigarettes and hotels to increase its revenue during the economic downturn, Bangkok governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra said on March 31.

A five-satang-a-litre tax on petrol will yield the BMA 500 million baht a year, he said. Some provinces have already introduced petrol taxes of 10 satang per litre.

Child labour

Suban Manphae, 7, dozes on the pavement while taking a break from selling flowers near Hua Lamphong station. The student earns 200 to 300 baht a day selling flowers during the school holidays.

Easy news for M1-3

Bad weather

Storms cause chaos

There were bad thunderstorms in Bangkok and other provinces on March 31. The storms killed a woman in Phichit. They also damaged houses, cars and farmland.

People were told not to use mobile phones during storms.

	doze (v): to sleep lightly for a short time dupe (v): to trick or cheat somebody medium (n): a person who claims to be able to communicate with the spirits of dead people surrender (v): to give up somebody or something when you are forced to downturn (n): a fall in the amount of business that is done; a time when the economy becomes weaker chaos (n): a state of complete confusion and disorder