BANGKOK — Japanese-owned Tokyu Department Store in Bangkok’s downtown shopping area of MBK will close at the end of January, the company said.
The statement released by the firm did not cite any reason for the closure. But a report on Nikkei Asia mentioned several woes, like loss of foot traffic and tourists during the coronavirus shutdown.
The Tokyu MBK has been open since 1985, one of Bangkok’s earlier foreign department stores.
“We sincerely appreciate your patronage for 35 years since opening the store in 1985,” the statement said. “We cordially welcome your shopping with us until the last day of our operation.”
The MBK branch’s closure will mean the end of the department store in Thailand. Tokyu’s branch at Paradise Park mall in eastern Bangkok opened in 2015 and closed in 2019.
Another Japanese department store retailer, Isetan, closed its CentralWorld branch on Aug. 31. Isetan had operated in Thailand since 1992.
Siam Takashimaya at Iconsiam remains the sole Japanese department store operator in Thailand, if one doesn’t count the 24-hour Donki shop in Thong Lor.
Poo Tondee holds hands in apology with relatives of a schoolgirl she slapped for not standing up for the anthem on Oct. 28, 2020 at Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Police Station.
BANGKOK — A woman charged with assault for slapping a schoolgirl who sat through the National Anthem on Thursday received a donation as large as many Thais’ monthly salaries from pro-establishment netizens.
Hardline monarchy supporters fundraised and sent 18,200 baht to the suspect, identified by the police as Poo Tondee, to help her fight the legal action, media reports say. Poo was charged after videos posted on social media show her slapping the 15-year-old victim at Ayutthaya Train Station on Tuesday.
The donation was mostly raised through Cheer Lung, a Facebook page that supports PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and opposes calls to reform the monarchy.
“By popular demand, since our followers want to donate to her,” Cheer Lung posted on Wednesday with Poo’s bank account. “Auntie Poo had good intentions, but bad execution.”
Although police did not release Poo’s full name, Cheer Uncle page publicly posted it, as well as her Krungthai bank account, on their page. The page asked people to donate no more than 100 baht per person.
Donations were closed Wednesday night, but page admins said they would continue helping Poo, who works as a roti seller, if necessary.
Police Col. Prawet Srinak of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Police said Poo is due to appear in court on Nov. 16. Assault carries a maximum punishment of two years in jail and 40,000 baht.
In a meeting with the police, Poo said she attacked the girl after she felt enraged to see her sitting through the National Anthem; the victim said she had menstrual pain and could not stand.
Scores of anti-government protesters also held a brief rally on Wednesday evening at the train station where the schoolgirl was attacked to show their solidarity with the victim.
Pro-democracy activist Patsaravalee “Mind” Tanakitvibulpon addresses the crowd in front of the German Embassy on Oct. 26, 2020.
BANGKOK — The Criminal Court on Thursday turned down a request by the police to arrest five pro-democracy activists responsible for Monday’s march to the German Embassy.
The request was made on Wednesday by Thung Maha Mek police station, who sought to charge the activists with sedition and slap them with arrest warrants. But the court ruled on Thursday morning that the rally took place for a brief time, and there is no evidence that the suspects might flee the country.
The judges also advised the police to summon the activists for questioning before applying for the arrest warrants.
The five people marked for prosecution were identified by court documents as Patsaravalee “Mind” Tanakitvibulpon, 25; Korakoch Saengyenpan, 28; Chanin Wongsri, 20; Chollathit Chotisawat, 21; and Benja Arpan, 21.
They were charged with inciting insurrection, a crime punishable by up to seven years in prison under Article 116 of the Criminal Codes.
The five activists stand accused of organizing Monday’s demonstration from Samyan Intersection to the German Embassy, where they submitted a petition asking the German government to investigate whether any Thai citizen exercised sovereign power on German soils.
The activists also read out the petition to the crowd in Thai, English, and German. Due to legal concerns, Khaosod English cannot republish the statement in full.
The rally concluded peacefully at about 9pm, after German ambassador Georg Schmidt reportedly met with the activists and accepted their petition.
Parina Kraikupt, Jomquan Laopetch, and Patsaravalee “Mind” Tanakitvibulpon on the “Straight Talking with Jomquan” show on Thairath TV on Oct. 29, 2020.
BANGKOK — A pro-establishment lawmaker and an activist recently detained for leading protests against the government met for a rare face-to-face debate in a primetime TV talk show Wednesday.
Phalang Pracharath MP Parina Kraikupt and activist Patsaravalee “Mind” Tanakitvibulpon sparred on the “Straight Talking with Jomquan” show on Thairath TV, moderated by host Jomquan Laopetch.
Parina, notorious for her verbal – and sometimes toxic – attacks on those who disagree with her, repeatedly denounced the activists’ demands and warned them not to touch the monarchy, for which she used the euphemism “the culture that has been passed down to us.”
“Article 112 will not be amended,” Parina said. “We will not touch the culture that has been passed down to us. …Why are you asking for impossible things? …Learn to be respectful of things we cannot touch. Do not be selfish.”
Parina insisted that the pro-democracy activists were only 100,000 in number, a minority compared to the “tens of millions” who wanted absolutely no change in the government or monarchy.
“Don’t act like a revolution. It’s impossible to change the ruling system,” Parina said. “You have to understand what ‘majority’ means. You can’t just chase out people that have been elected into office; we would be in a loop,” said the MP of a party led by a general who threw the 2014 coup.
Parina, 44, constantly interrupted Jomkwan and Patsaravalee, 25, and drove the show into five minutes overtime by countering the activist’s remarks.
Without prompting, Parina also made many mentions to Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit and Piyabutr Saengkanokkul, deposed leaders of the Future Forward movement that the royalist camp often blamed for the nation’s ills.
“Thanathorn would never be able to be PM, even if he was not disqualified. He has no abilities. If he did become PM, and coronavirus happened, everyone would be bankrupt and millions would be dead,” Parina said. “If Thanathorn was PM, would you even come out to protest?
Parina, who had attended a royalist rally on Oct. 14 near the Democracy Monument, said that the pro-democracy protests should try to solve problems in Parliament.
“This demonstration is the worst,” Parina said. “Going on the streets does nothing to accomplish your goals. …Can you go protest in a sports stadium or something so that you don’t cause inconvenience and annoyance? And do not use rude words to attack others and ask for permission from the police before protesting.”
Parina said that PM Prayut Chan-o-cha will not resign – one of the activists’ main requests – and instead said that he would stay for a “long time.”
“There are so many problems right now. With these many problems, he has to stay for a long time. If he wins again, then you must accept it,” Parina said to Patsaravalee. “It’s impossible for him to resign. Everyone wants him to keep working.”
When Patsaravalee talked about how the previous election had 250 senators who tipped the scales and gave Gen. Prayuth power, Parina said “Those 250 senators are not from Gen. Prayuth. This is fake news. They were chosen.”
“Who picked them in the end?” Jomquan said.
“I wasn’t there, so I don’t know,” Parina said.
“According to the process, it was by Gen. Prayut,” Jomquan answered for her.
Patsaravalee also discussed the protesters’ three demands: for Gen. Prayut to resign, a new constitution, and monarchy reforms.
“Problems about the role of the monarchy have been around for a long time, but never talked about in a public space,” she said. “But protesters want this to be talked about. And it must be talked about, so we can find a solution.”
“His legitimacy is completely gone. Gen. Prayut must resign. Citizens do not trust him to work anymore,” Patsaravalee added.
In response to Parina’s criticisms about the protests causing inconvenience for others, Patsaravalee said that their previous rallies in university campuses and other private venues drew no attention from the government.
“Protesting is an international human right allowed in democracies. We should be able to criticize the government,” Patsaravalee said. “For example, my friend who protested in Germany said that police even helped direct traffic away from them to help them.”
“Since society doesn’t allow us to talk, we have to express ourselves through protest, since it is the only way,” she went on. “We have tried asking for permission, but we would never be able to get authorized to protest anywhere.”
“We need there to be a change of society, not to make society chaotic, but to make a stable government, with a new Constitution,” Patsaravalee said. “To viewers watching at home: if you don’t understand why we have come out, come to the protest and we can exchange our ideas.”
Finally, Jomquan asked Parina if she could help get Gen. Prayuth on the show.
“You need to invite him yourself,” she said to Jomkwan.
At the end of the show, Patsaravalee wai Parina and Jomquan, but Parina did not wai Patsaravalee. The gesture could be interpreted as a hostility between the two, or a simple cultural thing – Parina is nearly 20 years older than her rival and therefore is not expected to wai someone younger.
A photo released by the Thai army dated Oct. 4, 2020, shows U.S. soldiers giving a temperature check to a Thai security officer during a joint military exercise in Louisiana, United States.
BANGKOK (Xinhua) — Thailand has extended the emergency rule over the COVID-19 pandemic until the end of November.
The cabinet of ministers, headed by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, on Wednesday approved the one-month extension proposed by Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), to Nov. 30.
The emergency rule imposed nationwide has been extended for eight consecutive months.
Prayut earlier said that no other laws could provide anti-pandemic, public health safety measures as effectively and promptly as emergency rule.
Thailand has so far reported a total of 3,759 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 59 deaths and 3,561 recoveries.
Pro-democracy activists during a protest outside the German Embassy on Oct. 26, 2020.
BANGKOK — Up to 16 people could be charged for organizing a demonstration to the German Embassy in Bangkok earlier this week, a police source said Wednesday.
The source said the suspects include protesters’ representatives who submitted their petition to German ambassador Georg Schmidt inside the embassy, as well as other activists who gave speeches to the crowd and translated the documents.
Pro-democracy activists Patsaravalee “Mind” Tanakitvibulpon and Jatupat “Pai” Boonpattararaksa are among those marked for criminal investigation, though it is unclear what charges will be brought against them.
Deputy Bangkok police chief Piya Tawichai told the media yesterday the police were gathering evidence to prosecute the embassy protesters.
Maj. Gen. Piya said a number of laws were violated, such as the public assembly act and libel.
Demonstrators marched from Samyan Intersection to the German diplomatic mission on Monday. Their petition urged the German government to investigate whether any Thai individual broke the laws by exercising sovereign power on German soils.
Schmidt the German ambassador reportedly accepted the letter and assured the protesters he will forward it to Berlin.
A pro-establishment rally on Oct. 25, 2020 in Bang Klum, Songkhla.
SONGKHLA — A tropical climate rich in wildlife next to the ocean with a vibrant culture with love for football and beauty pageants – wait, are we talking about Thailand or Costa Rica?
An ultraroyalist group in Songkhla was similarly confused, as seen from photos of tier rally in southern Thailand using the Costa Rican flag instead of a Thai flag that went viral over the past week.
“I have been informed of the incident,” Songkhla governor Jaruwat Klaengkla said Wednesday. “Bang Klum district told me that the event was held by citizen groups to show their loyalty. The citizens held the event completely on their own.”
Jaruwat said that Bang Klum district chief Surat Laijun has sent him a report on the incident, which he will forward to the Ministry of the Interior.
The rally was held Sunday in Bang Klam district, one of the royalist counter-protests where typically the older generation come out to show their support for the monarchy, in light of the ongoing pro-democracy protests.
Bang Klum district’s public relations Facebook page posted photos of the rally, but deleted them after backlash about the use of a flag of a country more than 17,000 kilometers away.
“Bang Klum residents bind together to protect the nation, religion, and monarchy,” reads the yellow sign with a Costa Rica banner flag above it.
Costa Rica is a presidential republic known for Central America’s most stable democracy and one of the most economically prosperous. Catholicism and Protestantism are the country’s main religions. The country does not have a monarchy – or a standing army, abolished in 1949.
A pro-establishment rally on Oct. 25, 2020 in Bang Klum, Songkhla.
Left: Poo, in red, after attacking a 15-year-old student for not standing up for the national anthem. Right, Poo wais in apology on Oct. 28, 2020 at Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Police Station.
AYUTTHAYA — A woman was charged with assault Wednesday after she attacked a highschool student in Ayutthaya province for not standing up during the National Anthem, police said.
The suspect was identified by police as a roti vendor named Poo, 45. She was charged following a video of her assaulting a 15-year-old student at Ayutthaya Railway Station that went viral on Tuesday. Poo appeared to be enraged that the girl did not stand up for the anthem, and slapped her face and pulled her hair.
“You’re a student, wearing the uniform,” she shouted at the girl in an attempt to shame her, as another woman tried to pull her away.
The girl later filed a police complaint and got a medical checkup. She said that she did not stand up because she had menstrual cramps, which she proved via medical certificate.
Police Col. Prawet Srinak of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Police said that Poo’s punishment would be decided by the court. Assault carries a maximum punishment of two years in jail and 40,000 baht.
He maintained that the incident was a personal matter and unrelated to politics.
“This is a matter of physical assault. We’re worried that this could be made to be about the [monarchy] institution and politics. This was a misunderstanding,” Prawet said Wednesday. Prawet would not give Poo’s full name.
Poo apologized to the girl’s father and uncle Wednesday. Although they accepted the apology, the family would not withdraw the criminal case.
“I did it because I was suddenly angry,” Poo said. “I ‘m just a working class woman, I don’t follow politics but I grew up learning that we have to stand for the anthem.”
Poo said she usually intervened when someone did not stand for the anthem, but would not do it again.
One of the first to check up on the case was Move Forward MP Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn, who called the police to ask about the case less than two hours after the video of the assault was posted.
“I called to demand justice for her since it’s unfair she was slapped, with her head jerked like that,” Wiroj said by phone. “Both adults and the younger generation have to be mature enough to live with different opinions. We can’t chase away people who disagree with us.”
He added, “We have to be able to coexist and stop using power on each other.”
Wiroj, whose pinned tweet is a complaint form for students to report inappropriate behavior by teachers and school staff, said that “the last generation’s authoritarianism has pressed down hard on the children.”
“We have to try to understand these children, who are rightfully outspoken,” he said. “A society that disrespects each other will continue to have distrust.”
The National Anthem is played at public places at 8am and 6pm everyday. Pedestrians and commuters are expected to stand at attention during the song, even in busy skytrain stations.
The practice is not mandated by any law, but refusal to comply is often frowned upon or even confronted.
Despite popular belief, the National Anthem does not include any reference to the monarchy. It is also confused with the Royal Anthem, which honors the monarchy and is typically played in cinemas.
BANGKOK — Limited-edition tote bags made from life vests and emergency door’s slide rafts are Thai Airways’ next step in an attempt to stay afloat amid the bankruptcy rehabilitation.
The industrial styled bags are the latest innovation from the same airline behind the airplane-themed cafes and deep fried doughs that went viral on social media. Preorders for the bags are available on Thursday, Thai Airways said.
“Help save the world from climate change; Thai Airways International introduces ‘Re-Life Collection,’ the bags reproduced from our disposed life vests and slide rafts,” the airline’s website said.
Bags in the “Project: Re” collection sell for anything from 390 baht for a small pouch, to 4,990 baht lor a large, supposedly heavy-duty bag. The 1,590 and 1,990 baht bags have the pull tabs from life vests attached to them. Each bag is also one-of-a-kind, since vests have different serial numbers.
The airline is apparently anticipating large sales, since customers will be limited to two bags per order when thesales goes onlineon 2:19pm Thursday.
The items will be delivered in two month’s time, on Dec. 20 – just in time for Christmas!
The company, which had total liabilities of 332 billion baht, filed arestructuring planback in May after a continued loss of passengers following the coronavirus pandemic that grounded its operations worldwide.
In September, the airline launched a cafe selling in-flight meals on the ground in a bid to earn some revenues as the court deliberates on its reorganization. Staff also started a food stall operation on Silom Road selling patong go, or deep fried doughs.
Thai Airways acting president Chansin Treenuchagorn said the dough fritters were so popular that they sold out in a couple hours each day, earning the company 10 million baht a month, though some netizens are skeptical at the figures.
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha receives a krathong during an event promoting Loy Krathong festival on Oct. 28, 2020, at Government House.
BANGKOK (Xinhua) — Thailand’s Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Transport said on Tuesday they will step up maximum security as the country celebrates the annual Loy Krathong Festival on Oct. 31.
“With the ongoing protest in many provinces, it is vital that security measures must be heightened,” said Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan. “We need to remain vigil of ill-intentioned perpetrators who may cause harms to festival revelers.”
Safety measures will be imposed at landing piers along the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok and locations arranged for the public to float their Krathong (banana leaf vessels) on the water.
Safety equipment in response to an emergency will be prepared and the Marine Department will set up a command center at the department’s CCTV control room.
Service centers will be set up at five piers, usually crowded on the Loy Krathong day. Patrol boats will be deployed along the river.
Regional marine offices will work with the Royal Thai Navy to ensure safety during the festival in provinces.
Also included in the measures is the requirement to wear face masks should social distancing seem impossible.
