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Officials Say Prison Cameras Were Hacked, Broadcast on YouTube

Image: BigBrother’s Gaze / YouTube

BANGKOK (AP) — Authorities in Thailand say they are investigating an apparent online break-in by a computer hacker that allowed him to broadcast surveillance video from inside a prison in the country’s south.

Thai media reported that the video was broadcast live on YouTube for several hours Tuesday by an account with the name BigBrother’s Gaze. It showed prisoners’ activities from several different security cameras.

A Corrections Department official confirmed that the security camera system at Lang Suan Prison in the southern province of Chumphon was hacked by an unknown person from outside Thailand.

Many surveillance cameras, along with other gadgets, are linked online in what has become known as the Internet of Things, or IoT. Security for such items is often neglected by their users, allowing access by unauthorized parties.

The official, who asked not to be identified because she was not authorized to release such information, said the department learned of the incident from a reporter who stumbled on to the broadcast.

Corrections Department Director-General Police Col. Narat Sawettanan ordered the prison to turn off the surveillance camera system and investigate the incident. He also ordered the prison commander to file a complaint with the police.

The video, which incorrectly described itself as showing a Bangkok prison, was not available Wednesday on the YouTube channel, which did contain video from security cameras at a Thai company’s office, street views of Salt Lake City, an office in Australia and a café in Amsterdam.

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Netizens Defend Men in ‘Nazi Uniforms’ Condemned by Israeli Embassy

Adolf Hitler with senior Nazi leaders in 1937.

BANGKOK — Photos of two men who cosplayed as a wartime German army drew condemnation from Israeli Embassy in Bangkok – and much support from Thai netizens.

The unidentified men were photographed wearing the uniforms, which bore swastika signs, as they were posing for photos in front of a Christmas tree in Bangkok. The Israeli ambassador called it an “insult” to millions of Jews and other victims murdered by the Nazi regime during the Second World War.

“I am disappointed to see the sad reoccurrence of incidents in which Nazi symbols are displayed on random occasions in Thailand,” Meir Shlomo wrote online. “There is yet a lot to be done in Thailand through proper education and public awareness.”

The embassy later removed the photos because one of the two men reached out and apologized to the embassy, it said.

But many comments on the post were sympathetic to the men, and accused the Israeli embassy of overreacting.

“Why are you so thin-skinned? They are historical reenactors. They know well what good and evil the background of those uniforms implies,” user Peerawit Insang wrote. “Don’t think your Jewish brethren were the only ones who were hurt.”

“When it comes to what Israel did to its neighboring countries in history, how it violated sovereignty and humanitarian principles … you didn’t take any action or care at all,”  Pongsakorn Chatsri wrote.

“The past happened so long ago. Stop whining and move on already,” Thanwa Mormuang commented. “When Jews were killing Islamic nations, you were silent.”

“You are Jews. Don’t mess with us. Mind your own business, and Thailand will mind ours,”  Kitti Rojjana wrote.

Public displays and even glorification of Nazi symbols are a recurring issue in Thailand.

In 2016, Silpakorn University students cosplayed as Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler. Chulalongkorn University graduates in 2013 performed Nazi salutes for photos in front of a mural of “superheroes” which also included Hitler.

In early 2018, an idol singer also wore a Nazi war flag shirt during a rehearsal onstage. She later apologized and engaged in campaigns to raise awareness about the Holocaust.

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Reporter Gets Jail in Libel Case Filed by Poultry Farm

Suchanee Cloitre. Image : National Union of Journalists Thailand

BANGKOK (AP) — A court in Thailand on Tuesday sentenced a reporter to two years in prison for criminal libel for a comment she tweeted about a labor abuse grievance at a poultry farm.

The case against Suchanee Cloitre, then working for Voice TV, is one of 20 lawsuits launched by Thammakaset Co. against 25 workers, activists and journalists.

Critics such as Human Rights Watch say these types of libel cases are meant to deter lawsuits filed in the public interest, such as by labor activists and environmentalists. They decry criminal libel laws as especially open to abuse. So-called “strategic litigation against public participation” lawsuits are meant to intimidate, since they often pit corporations with strong financial and legal resources against individuals and groups operating on shoestring budgets.

The Lopburi provincial court in central Thailand freed Suchanee on 75,000 baht ($2,490) bail after sentencing her. She will appeal the verdict, said her lawyer, Waraporn Uthairangsee.

“I am so shocked. I never thought that it would be such a very harsh verdict,” Suchanee, who now works for a Thai television station, told The Associated Press. “I was doing my duty as a journalist in reporting what has happened, I didn’t intend to harm anyone.”

“I think the verdict will have an effect on Thai media. They have to be much more careful when reporting any story,” she said.

The case began in 2016, when workers at the Thammakaset farm filed a complaint to the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand. It charged that they had been forced to work up to 20 hours per day without a day off for 40 or more days in a row. It also charged that they had been paid less than the minimum wage, were provided with no overtime compensation, and had their freedom of movement restricted and their identity documents confiscated.

Thammakaset sued the workers for defamation, alleging that their complaint had damaged the interests of the company, which was a supplier of poultry to Thai agribusiness giant Betagro. It later sued two workers and a labor activist for theft for taking their time cards to document their allegations of labor law violations. Thammakaset lost both cases.

In August 2016, Thailand’s Department of Labor Protection and Welfare ordered Thammakaset to pay the workers a total of 1.7 million baht ($56,000) in compensation and damages, though the money was handed over only this year.

Suchanee tweeted about that decision, saying the court had ordered compensation in a case involving slave labor.

Reports of the labor protection department’s ruling and its aftermath triggered the flurry of lawsuits by Thammakaset.

The latest lawsuit was launched by Thammakaset in October, when it charged Angkhana Neelapaijit, a Magsaysay Award winner and former Thailand Human Rights Commissioner, with criminal defamation. It claimed that she defamed the company with two posts on Twitter offering support for other human rights defenders facing lawsuits by the company.

If found guilty, Angkhana could face up to three years in prison. A Bangkok court has scheduled a mediation session for the case in February.

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Court to Rule on Case Linking Future Forward to Illuminati, Republicanism

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s Constitutional Court says it will rule on a sedition complaint that claims a popular opposition political party is linked to the Illuminati, which conspiracy theorists say secretly seeks world domination.

The complaint filed in July by lawyer Natthaporn Toprayoon charges that the Future Forward Party seeks to overthrow Thailand’s constitutional monarchy. The new party, which won the third highest number of seats in a March general election, denies the allegation. It could be dissolved if convicted.

The court’s statement, made public Sunday, said no hearings would be held in the case because the court already had enough evidence. No date for its ruling was specified. Party spokeswoman Pannika Wanich said its request for a hearing was refused, but that it had sent the court documents in its defense.

The opposition party has been a strong irritant to Thailand’s conservative establishment — led by royalists and the military — in whose favor the courts have consistently ruled. The party is disliked by officialdom not only for its anti-military stance but also because of its strong popularity. There is a widespread belief that the deck is stacked against it and it will end up being disbanded, with its leaders banned from political office for several years.

The July complaint listed statements by party officials critical of Thai traditions, and pointed out that its logo is an inverted triangle, which if turned right-side up resembles the alleged symbol of the Illuminati. It claimed the Illuminati had sought to overthrow European monarchies and influence the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

No serious scholars give credence to the conspiracy theory, which claims that a small elite seeks to manipulate events to foment chaos and create what they call a “New World Order.”

Natthaporn alleged that the resemblance of the party’s symbol to that of the Illuminati showed its hidden purpose, and when its leaders’ other behavior is taken into account, it shows they “do not trust in conventional thoughts.”

Sunai Phasuk, a senior researcher based in Thailand for the group Human Rights Watch, said that by not holding a hearing the court was preventing the party from mounting a proper defense.

“No hearing means the loss of transparency in the Thai judicial system,” he said.

The Future Forward Party is already at risk of dissolution because of a separate case that has been sent to the Constitutional Court by the state Election Commission. Earlier this month, the commission ruled that the party had broken election laws by accepting a loan from its head, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit.

The Constitutional Court ruled last month that Thanathorn could not keep his lawmaker’s seat because he violated an election law barring owners of media companies from running for Parliament. The court rejected Thanathorn’s claim that he sold his holding in a media production company before the deadline needed to be a candidate.

Police have also summoned Thanathorn and another party leader to appear Friday to acknowledge charges against them related to a demonstration in central Bangkok.

Police accused Thanathorn and the other leader of failing to inform police about the rally in advance, blocking a mass transit station, failing to control protesters and using a megaphone without permission.

Several thousand protesters showed up on Dec. 14 to express their anger against the government and to support Thanathorn after the Constitutional Court’s ruling that stripped him of his lawmaker’s status.

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5 Times Princess Ubolratana Delighted (and Surprised) Us in 2019

Princess Ubolratana at the Yaowaraj Road walking street on Dec. 14, 2019.
Princess Ubolratana at the Yaowaraj Road walking street on Dec. 14, 2019.

The King’s elder sister, Princess Ubolratana, made a huge splash in 2019, grabbing headlines with her short-lived bid for top government as well as various viral social media posts.

Right on the heels of her Christmas surprise – where she posted a video of her singing carols in an elf costume Tuesday – here’s five times in 2019 the princess, actress, singer, and viral sensation surprised and delighted us. #LongLiveSlender! 

1The Princess and the Election

The moment Thai Raksa Chart Party leader Preechapol Pongpanich presented the nomination of Ubolratana Mahidol as prime minister to the Election Commission on Feb. 8, 2019 in Bangkok.

In February, Princess Ubolratana shocked the nation by revealing she was running for office – by a party aligned with fugitive former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, no less. For the first time in the kingdom’s 86 years as a constitutional monarchy, a close member of the royal sought political office.

Despite having relinquished her titles, however, the King said she still could not run. The princess was disqualified, and Thai Raksa Chart disbanded shortly after.

“I wish all Thais have rights and opportunities, are well off and happy,” Ubolratana wrote on her Instagram after her 14 hours of candidacy ended abruptly. “I thank you with my sincere love – all people. I wish you all happiness and luck. #ILoveYou.”

2#HowComeIt’sTheWayItIs

Ubolratana Mahidol receives a gift from a student Feb. 12, 2019 while visiting Nakhon Sawan province to promote her anti-drug abuse foundation. Photo: Nakhon Sawan Public Relations Department

Soon after her disqualification from running for office, the princess expressed her disappointment that her political dreams were cut short.

“I’m sorry that my honest intentions to work for the country and the Thai people have caused problems that shouldn’t have occurred in this era,” she wrote on her Instagram, with the hashtag #HowComeIt’sTheWayItIs.

In replies to comments on her Instagram, she also said that she found her party’s dissolution “very sad and depressing.”  Discussions and speculations soon ensued…

3Dropping Movie Spoilers

Photo: Nichax / Instagram

A few highly-anticipated movies opened in 2019, including the big show-down film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and one of the most talked-about, “dangerous” films of the year.

Princess spoiled the entire plot of “Joker,” as well as several major spoilers of “Avengers: Endgame” with no warning.

4The Princess and Her Gowns

Princess Ubolratana wears a Maleficent costume in an Instagram post on Oct. 21, 2019. Photo: Nichax / Instagram

Her cinephile tendencies don’t just extend to watching the popular films – she dressed up as a clown in her Joker post in October, a few days after she donned an entire Maleficent getup while “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” was in theaters.

“How do I look? Do I hold a candle to Angelina Jolie? #BusyButStillPretty,” the caption said.

5Happy Halloween in Sampeng!

Photo: Nichax / Instagram

While shopping for Halloween gear, the princess posted a photo of her holding up a fake bloodied head of President Donald Trump.  

The item looked like it could be either a trick or treat bucket or rubber head. The post came on the day of the ASEAN summit in Bangkok, which Trump did not attend. Instead he sent a national security adviser Robert C. O’Brien and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, in what could be viewed as a snub in the region. 

Bonus: Although they didn’t make the list, the princess also received a new royal honor and title, posted condolences about the Notre Dame fire, and said she was denied from boarding a British Airways flight

Prayuth Slams Reporters’ Nicknames Satirizing Gov’t

PM Prayuth Chan-ocha cooks pad thai at an event showcasing Thai street food on Dec. 24, 2019.

BANGKOK — Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said Monday night he was not amused by a list of nicknames mocking his government released by a media club.

Prayuth was giving a speech at a conference when he veered off script to express his discontent with the nicknames, which were compiled by a group of Government House correspondents per annual tradition. Though Prayuth stressed he “didn’t feel anything” about the list, he said it was inappropriate.

“Our work is not something to joke about,” Prayuth said at a conference about digital economy. “Otherwise, the officials wouldn’t have morale to work. Good people would give up and not work anymore. Why do their work when you give them nicknames like this?”

Prayuth was bestowed with the nickname “Angry Pot Calling the Kettle Black” by the reporters, while his Cabinet was collectively derided as “Siangkong State,” a reference to a neighborhood that sells cheap, second hand auto parts known for their unreliability.

In his speech, Prayuth challenged the correspondents to criticize him directly instead of relying on mockery.

“If [you believe] I’m not committed to my work, then scold me right away. Scold me right here, in front of me,” the general said before giving a frustrated sigh.

Reaction from other ministers featured by the nicknames was milder than their boss.

Read: Prayuth Unamused by Reporters’ Nicknames for Gov’t 

Thammanat Prompow, who was called “Thammanat the Grey” due to his shady past, laughed off the title. Speaking to reporters today, Thammanat said he might not have a “clean” record, but he is dedicated to working for the public.

Mananya Thaises, who earned the nickname “Madam Ban-Not-a-Ban” for her flip-flop on pesticide ban, teased the reporters, “How do you know I wouldn’t be able to [ban them]?”

Even pro-government Democrat MP Theptai Seanapong also said he agreed with the journalists’ assessment.

“The nicknames were very witty. They really reflect the personality and working styles of each minister,” Theptai wrote online.

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Goodbye Plearn Wan: Nostalgia-Inducing Tourist Trap to Shut Down

Photo: yokiyokk / Instagram
Photo: yokiyokk / Instagram

PRACHUAP KHIRI KHAN — A nostalgic open-air shopping arcade in Hua Hin will soon be just a memory after its company announced Tuesday that it is going out of business.

Plearn Wan, or “Joy of the Old Days,” will close on Jan. 31 after nearly a decade of business, according to a memo sent to vendors Tuesday morning. The company cited financial problems as a reason for the closure, though the popularity of the venue has been waning among its Bangkokian client base for some years now.

“We have to close Plearn Wan Hua Hin due to economic downturn and losses the company has suffered,” the statement wrote.

The attraction opened its doors in 2009. In its heyday, Bangkokian families would flock to Plern Warn to take photos among the retro architecture, fueled in part by the hit film “Fan Chan” (2003).

Drawing inspiration from the vibes of 50s Thailand, when people raved about rock ‘n’ roll and gangsters ruled the streets, Plearn Wan features two-storey wooden buildings with shops selling vintage toys, ultra-sweet milk tea, snacks, and clothing. It was an instant hit for the social media-obsessed Bangkokians.

The complex also houses an outdoor cinema, and a 20-room guest house surrounded by the festive atmosphere that resembles a temple fair from decades ago.

However, its clientele shifted from the young and fashionable to everyone’s middle aged-and-up aunties in its later years. Some visitors are known to go in to take photos without purchasing any of the goods.

The company behind Plearn Wan also owns retro-themed cafes “Plearn Wan Panich” at several locations across Bangkok.

 

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Princess Ubolratana Sings Christmas Carols in Elf Costume (Video)

BANGKOK — What’s red and green and royal all over? Why, a video of Princess Ubolratana wishing us a Merry Christmas, of course.

Princess Ubolratana, the eldest sister of King Rama X, posted a video of her dressed up as an elf and singing “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” on Christmas Eve to her Instagram.

“#BusyButStillPretty,” the caption to the 1:15 minute-long clip said, including one of her signature hashtags.

The princess, 68, is an active social media user, especially on her private but widely-followed Instagram handle, @nichax.

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China’s Largest Snow-Ice Theme Park Opens

People visit the 21st edition of Ice-Snow World in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Dec. 23, 2019. (Photo by Zhang Tao/Xinhua)

HARBIN (Xinhua) — Harbin Ice-snow World, China’s largest ice and snow theme park, opened for its 21st winter season Monday in Harbin, capital of northeastern province of Heilongjiang.

Covering an area of 600,000 square meters, the park features 21 sites of snow and ice carvings and sculptures this year. It is estimated that 220,000 cubic meters of ice and snow were used in its construction.

The park will also hold over 20 interactive entertainment programs and host two international ice carving competitions this year, the organizer said.

Harbin Ice-snow World was established in 1999. Various activities are held in the park each winter for around three months.

Ice and snow have become a magnet for tourism in Harbin, which is known as “the Oriental Moscow” for its Russian-style buildings such as St. Sophia Cathedral.

Harbin Ice-snow World received over 116,800 visitors and brought in 29.91 million yuan (4.28 million U.S. dollars) in revenue during the three-day New Year’s Day holiday in 2018.

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Japan Gov’t to Decorate Doctor Killed in Afghanistan

Image: Kyodo

TOKYO — The government said Monday it will bestow a decoration on Tetsu Nakamura, the Japanese aid worker who was killed in a shooting earlier this month in Afghanistan.

The 73-year-old physician will be awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said in a news conference.

Continue reading the story here

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