BANGKOK — Look under Bangkok’s Christmas tree to find a little gift for city commuters – the MRT is decreasing some of its fares in December, the metro operator announced Wednesday.
Starting Dec. 25, the maximum fare for MRT Purple Line will be capped from 42 baht to a 20 baht flat rate for rides travelling two stations and above, but only on weekdays during off-peak period (9am to 5pm) and for the whole day on weekends.
For seniors and children under 14, the Purple Line fares will be halved to 10 baht. For students aged between 14 and 23, the fares will be discounted by 10 percent to 18 baht.
“The reduced fares are meant to raise ridership on the Purple Line,” chairman of the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) Sarawut Songwilai said. “We expect 10 to 12 percent increase in the number of commuters.”
Downtown commuters travelling on the MRT Blue Line will also get discounted fares when adding 30-day trips to their prepaid cards.
The fares for 15 trips will be 780 baht (52 baht per trip), 25 trips for 1,250 baht (50 baht per trip), 40 trips for 1,920 baht (48 baht per trip), and 50 trips for 2,350 baht (47 baht per trip).
The trips can be used for rides between any stations on both the MRT Blue Line and Purple Line, but they are only valid for 30 days starting from when the first trip is used.
Although the maximum fare for rides between MRT Blue Line terminal stations of Tao Poon to Lak Song is capped at 42 baht, the metro operator said the promotion targets passengers travelling between the Purple and Blue lines, as they previously have to pay up to 70 baht per trip.
The promotion fares will be run for three months and may continue if the operator is satisfied with the outcome.
Good news for those demanding more stations: MRTA governor Pakapong Sirikantaramas said four more stations along the MRT Blue Line extension from the northern terminus at Tao Poon will be opened to the public for free test rides beginning early December.
The new stations include Bang Pho, Bang O, Bang Phlat, and Sirindhorn.
By early January, another four stations along the line – Bang Yi Khan, Bang Khun Non, Fai Chai, and Charan 13 – will become operational and thus completing the Blue Line loop at Tha Phra.
A nurse bows to the life size statue of Pope Francis as her friend takes a photograph at the St.Louis hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019. Pope Francis arrives in Thailand on Wednesday for the first visit here by the head of the Roman Catholic Church since St. John Paul II in 1984. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
BANGKOK (AP) — Pope Francis arrives in Thailand on Wednesday for the first visit here by the head of the Roman Catholic Church since St. John Paul II in 1984. Some things to know about the visit and the history of the church in Thailand:
IT’S A MORALE BOOSTER
Francis is certain to address some of the major social concerns he often highlights, but his visit is largely a morale-boosting exercise for the Catholic community. His video message ahead of his trip says he will meet Thai Catholics “to encourage them in their faith and in the contribution they make to the whole of society. They are Thais and must work for their homeland.” He also said he wants to highlight the importance of interreligious dialogue and cooperation, especially in the service of the poor and peace.
In this Friday, Oct. 18, 2019, photo, Catholic worshippers lay flowers at the base of a Mother Mary statue at the Christ Church in Songkhon village, Mukdahan province, northeastern of Thailand. There are about 388,000 Catholics in Thailand, representing 0.58 percent of the country’s 69 million population. Photo: Sakchai Lalit / AP
CATHOLICISM HAS HISTORY IN THAILAND
Portuguese-sponsored Dominican missionaries came to Thailand — then called Siam — in 1567, and the church established a formal evangelizing mission in 1669 under the French-led Missions Étrangères de Paris, which would be the main Catholic presence in Southeast Asia for centuries. Catholicism was affected by Thailand’s internal power struggles and colonialism in the region, particularly in World War II, when a nationalistic government sought to convert all Thais to Buddhists. Harmonious relations have been the rule since late King Bhumibol Adulyadej took the throne in 1946.
CATHOLICS TODAY
The predominantly Buddhist country has about 388,000 Catholics, 0.58% of its 69 million people. Essentially there are two Catholic communities in Thailand: urbanized residents of the capital whose children attend prestigious private schools and colleges run by the church, and less affluent members of ethnic minorities in the northeast and north. Many of the rural Catholic communities include descendants of refugees who fled persecution in Vietnam.
In this Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2019, photo, school children gather to rehearse a dance at the Assumption Commercial Collage in Bangkok, Thailand. Catholics play virtually no high-profile role in public affairs, but the church’s influence is indirectly extended through the prestigious private schools and colleges it runs in Bangkok, which are attended by the children of the capital’s upper middle-class and elite residents. Photo: Gemunu Amarasinghe / AP
THE POPE’S FOCUS
Francis often tailors his messages to the venues where he speaks. He will speak publicly at two Masses, one of them at a stadium before a projected crowd of 50,000 where he will talk about human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of women and children, both of which are longstanding issues in the region. Refugees are another relevant concern he may tackle.
The Rev. Bernardo Cervellera, editor-in-chief of the evangelical news service Asia News, said the pope may also express concerns about materialism, one of his frequent topics, and discuss with his Buddhist counterparts the related issue of secularization.
HIS MEETINGS
Francis will meet King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who was crown prince when he greeted St. John Paul II on the only previous papal visit to Thailand in 1984. He will also meet Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and the head of Thailand’s Buddhist community, Supreme Patriarch Somdet Phra Maha Muneewong Ariyavongsagatayana.
His private meetings include an audience with 40 sick and disabled people at Bangkok’s St. Louis Hospital, as well as a meeting with Jesuits working in Thailand. Pope Francis is the first pope from the Jesuit order and makes a point of such meetings during his travels.
He will also meet as well with all the Catholic bishops of Asia, a rare chance for him to address some of the major challenges facing the Catholic Church in the region and the men responsible for dealing with them.
Pope Francis waves as he boards an airplane to Thailand, at the Rome Leonardo da Vinci airport, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019. Pope Francis’ three-day visit to Thailand, followed by three days in Japan, will be a welcome break for the 82-year-old pope. He is enduring fresh opposition from Catholic conservatives in the U.S. over his just-concluded meeting on the Amazon as well as a new financial scandal at home. Photo: Alessandra Tarantino / AP
The sign outside the toilet of Shanghai's LEGOLAND Discovery Center on Nov. 16, 2019. (Xinhua/Hu Wenjia)
SHANGHAI (Xinhua) — A public toilet for parents with young children in Shanghai’s LEGOLAND Discovery Center was declared one of the city’s 20 most beautiful toilets on Tuesday, the seventh World Toilet Day.
Each stall door in the toilet is decorated with a picture of a LEGO character, such as a police officer, cowboy and robot, with LEGO-themed music playing.
The lavatory also features a two-in-one toilet seat, “which combines a standard size adult seat with an integral fold-down child seat,” said Xu Jingzong, manager of the LEGOLAND Discovery Center Shanghai.
Close to the toilet, there is also a nursing room equipped with a chair, a first-aid box and hand sanitizer, providing a private space for mothers to breastfeed or change the diapers of their children.
The signs outside the toilet of Shanghai’s LEGOLAND Discovery Center on Nov. 16, 2019. (Xinhua/Hu Wenjia)
As one of the discovery centers of the Denmark-based toy giant LEGO in China, the center in Shanghai offers an indoor playground for children aged three to 10 to play with LEGO bricks, and has become a popular tourist attraction in Shanghai, with approximately 500 customers visiting each day.
“Customers would complain if we didn’t take care of the toilet environment,” said Xu. “Our toilet here provides comfort for customers and is consistent with the style of the center by incorporating lots of LEGO-themed elements.”
Since 2018, Shanghai has named “the 20 most beautiful toilets” each year as part of its efforts to push forward the “toilet revolution.”
More than 90 public toilets were nominated to participate in this year’s competition, including many toilets managed by non-government parties such as those in shopping malls and tourist attractions.
Supporters surround and hide from view one of two jail guards, center, responsible for monitoring Jeffrey Epstein the night he killed himself, following their federal court arraignment charge for falsifying prison records, Tuesday Nov. 19, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
NEW YORK (AP) — Two jail guards responsible for monitoring Jeffrey Epstein the night he killed himself were sleeping and browsing the internet instead, according to an indictment released Tuesday charging the guards with lying on prison records to cover themselves.
The grand jury indictment provides a damning glimpse of safety lapses inside a high-security unit at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York, where Epstein had been awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
The indictment, leaning in part on images from security cameras on the cell block, also contains new details reinforcing the idea that, for all the intrigue regarding Epstein and his connections to powerful people, his death was a suicide and possibly preventable.
“The defendants had a duty to ensure the safety and security of federal inmates in their care at the Metropolitan Correctional Center,” U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said. “Instead, they repeatedly failed to conduct mandated checks on inmates, and lied on official forms to hide their dereliction.”
Instead of making required rounds every 30 minutes, guards Tova Noel and Michael Thomas sat at their desks just 15 feet from Epstein’s cell, shopped online for furniture and motorcycles, and walked around the unit’s common area, the indictment said. During one two-hour period, it said, both appeared to have been asleep.
Prosecutors said security footage confirmed that no one entered the area where Epstein was housed on the night he died — evidence that might also dampen conspiracy theories by people who have questioned whether he really took his own life.
A lawyer for Thomas, Montell Figgins, said both guards are being “scapegoated.”
“We feel this is a rush to judgment by the U.S. attorney’s office,” he said. “They’re going after the low man on the totem pole here.”
Noel’s lawyer, Jason Foy, said he hoped to “reach a reasonable agreement” with the government that could avoid a trial.
Both correctional officers pleaded not guilty Tuesday afternoon and were released on $100,000 bond. The defendants, hiding their faces with clothing, left the courthouse in separate cars waiting for them in the shadow of the jail where they had worked and Epstein died.
Epstein’s death was a major embarrassment for the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The cell where he died was in a high-security unit, famous for having held terrorists and drug cartel kingpins. Epstein’s death, though, revealed the jail was suffering from problems including chronic staffing shortages that lead to mandatory overtime for guards day after day and other staff being pressed into service as correctional officers.
Attorney General William Barr had previously said investigators found “serious irregularities” at the jail.
Epstein had been placed on suicide watch after he was found July 23 on the floor of his cell with a strip of bedsheet around his neck, according to the indictment.
After 24 hours, he was transferred to the facility’s hospital wing for a psychological observation, where he remained under close watch.
Epstein was moved back to a regular cell July 30 where he was required to have a cellmate, but he was left with none after his cellmate was transferred out of the MCC on Aug. 9, the day before his death, the indictment said.
The indictment said that Epstein was found unresponsive in his cell when the guards went to deliver breakfast. Noel confessed to a supervisor then that they hadn’t done either their 3 a.m. or 5 a.m. rounds, according to the indictment.
According to the indictment, Thomas said: “We messed up.” And then added, “I messed up, she’s not to blame, we didn’t do any rounds.”
Prosecutors had wanted the guards to admit they falsified the prison records as part of a plea offer that they rejected, according to people familiar with the matter. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not permitted to publicly discuss the investigation.
Marc Fernich, a lawyer for Epstein, said: “It would be a shame if minor scapegoats — classic low-hanging fruit, the softest targets — were made to take the fall for this tragedy on what amounts to a coverup theory. Unless it prompts genuine self-reflection from all major participants and stakeholders in our criminal justice system and those who cover it, Mr. Epstein’s death in federal custody — senseless and sad as it is — will have been entirely for naught.”
The city’s medical examiner ruled Epstein’s death a suicide.
Dr. Michael Baden, the forensic pathologist hired by Epstein’s family to observe his autopsy, recently suggested some of Epstein’s injuries were more consistent with homicide rather than suicide, though other experts disputed that.
Baden said Tuesday the arrested officers could have information that’s “going to be critical in determining whether it’s homicide or suicide.”
Kathleen Hawk Sawyer, the new director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday there is “no evidence to suggest” anything other than suicide.
Falsification of records has been a problem throughout the federal prison system.
Sawyer, who was named director of the Bureau of Prisons after Epstein’s death, disclosed in an internal memo earlier this month that a review of operations across the agency found some staff members failed to perform required rounds and inmate counts but logged that they had done so anyway. A copy of the memo was obtained by the AP.
Epstein’s death ended the possibility of a trial that would have involved prominent figures and sparked widespread anger that he wouldn’t have to answer for the allegations.
He had pleaded not guilty and was preparing to argue that he could not be charged because of a 2008 deal he made to avoid federal prosecution on similar allegations.
__
Associated Press writers Michael R. Sisak and Jim Mustian contributed to this report. Balsamo reported from Washington.
Molotov cocktails are left over at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University campus in Hong Kong on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019. Police tightened their siege of the university campus where hundreds of protesters remained trapped overnight Tuesday in the latest dramatic episode in months of protests against growing Chinese control over the semi-autonomous city. Photo: Ng Han Guan / AP
HONG KONG (AP) — The U.N. human rights office is calling on authorities in Hong Kong to do all they can to de-escalate a standoff between security forces and anti-government protesters holed up in a university.
The spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Rupert Colville, said it is concerned about increasing violence by young people “who are clearly very angry, with deep-seated grievances.”
Colville told reporters in Geneva that most protesters have been demonstrating peacefully, and that authorities had “by and large” respected the right to freedom of assembly.
He urged Hong Kong authorities to “address the humanitarian situation” of protesters at Polytechnic University whose situation was “clearly deteriorating.”
He said the rights office remains concerned about a possible further escalation of violence in Hong Kong.
Protestors rest near a road barricaded with bricks in Hong Kong, early Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019. About 100 anti-government protesters remained holed up at a Hong Kong university Tuesday as a police siege of the campus entered its third day. Photo: Vincent Yu / AP
___
6 p.m.
China has accused America of “double standards” after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the Hong Kong government bears the prime responsibility for restoring calm to the former British colony.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Tuesday that while the U.S. has “appeared to be fair” concerning pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, it harbors “ulterior intention to intervene … and double standards on violent crimes.”
Geng said efforts by Hong Kong police to enforce the law should not be compared to the violent behavior of “extremist forces.”
Pompeo said Monday that the government must address public concerns because law enforcement alone cannot stop the unrest.
Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997 under a framework that promised the territory certain democratic freedoms not afforded to the mainland.
___
4:40 p.m.
Hong Kong police spokesman Kwok Ka-chuen says police have not yet decided their next steps to end a standoff at Polytechnic University but are still hoping for a peaceful resolution.
Kwok said at a daily briefing Tuesday, “We will be closely monitoring the situation, will continue to collect intelligence and decide the next step to take.”
Asked whether a deadline had been set for the anti-government protesters inside to surrender, Kwok gave no specifics. He also did not address reports that the authorities are planning to cut power and water to the campus ahead of a final clearance operation.
Estimates of those remaining on campus run from 100 to 300. About 600 have walked out in recent hours, including about 200 minors who were allowed to return home after being questioned and having their photos taken.
Kwok and others said all adults leaving the campus would be arrested on suspicion of rioting and other offenses, based on the degree of violence witnessed at the school and surrounding areas.
Kwok said more than 3,900 gasoline bombs were discovered on another campus, Chinese University, and he expected that large numbers of homemade weapons were also being stored at Polytechnic University.
___
4:30 p.m.
Pro-democracy group Demosisto says a Hong Kong court has rejected activist Joshua Wong’s appeal to change his bail conditions and travel abroad.
Demosisto said Tuesday on its Facebook page that Hong Kong’s High Court denied Wong’s application to leave the territory, citing the risk that he won’t return.
Wong, who heads Demosisto, was an outspoken leader of the 2014 Umbrella Revolution protests.
Wong and Agnes Chow, another prominent Demosisto member, were arrested in August for allegedly participating in and inciting others to join an unauthorized protest. Wong had just completed a 2-month prison sentence in June.
Demosisto said Wong was invited to speak in several European countries including France, Italy and Germany. The court said Wong can give his talks through video recordings.
___
3 p.m.
Parents of some students holed up at a Hong Kong university say their children dare not surrender because the government has labelled them as rioters even though some were merely entrapped by a police siege.
A masked woman, who declined to be named, said her son went to the university two days ago and couldn’t flee since. She said her son wasn’t injured as he is a peaceful protester and that he told her there was enough food supply for a month.
Another mother, who concealed her face, said she was very worried as her son had refused to speak to her since their last conversation Tuesday.
A pastor, who only gave his name as Pang, said he represented the small group of parents to appeal to the government to be more compassionate in resolving the crisis without bloodshed. He said the students are willing to face the law but many are distrustful of police and were upset they were pronounced guilty of rioting by the government even before they were charged.
He said parents urged the government to drop the rioters tag on those remaining in campus.
___
Corrects pastor’s name to Pang, not Phua.
___
2:30 p.m.
Japan’s government says a Japanese citizen was arrested near a Hong Kong university where hundreds of people were arrested in a police siege.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga on Tuesday confirmed the arrest of a Japanese man in his 20s on Sunday near Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Anti-government protesters were occupying the university after retreating from the other campuses where they held demonstrations last week. About 400 people who have left the Polytechnic University campus have been arrested.
Suga said the man is in good health and without injury, but refused to give further details, including his identity and the reason for his arrest. Japanese media identified him as Hikaru Ida, a student at Tokyo University of Agriculture.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told reporters that the man was visiting Hong Kong as a tourist.
___
1 p.m.
China has appointed a new police chief in Hong Kong in a further illustration of the central government’s broad powers over the territory’s institutions.
The new chief, Chris Tang Ping-keung, said rebutting fake accusations against police and reassuring the public about the force’s mission would be among his priorities.
He said following a ceremony Tuesday morning: “We have to maintain the law and order in Hong Kong and there is a massive scale of breaking of law in Hong Kong and there is a certain sector of the community that also condones those illegal activities.”
Tang has been on the police force for more than 30 years and takes over from Lo Wai-chung, who is retiring after 35 years of service.
The Hong Kong government said Tang’s appointment was made “on the recommendation and nomination” of Chief Executive Carrie Lam, but with the final approval of the State Council, or Cabinet, in Beijing.
That’s similar to how Lam herself was put in office. The right to directly nominate and elect the chief executive is among the protesters’ key demands.
Hong Kong enjoys a reputation as one of the world’s safest cities and its police force was long hailed for its professionalism and incorruptibility.
However, the force’s image has suffered badly during the months of unrest amid allegations of excessive violence, harassment of citizens and connections with organized crime.
___
11 a.m.
China’s rubber stamp parliament has criticized the Hong Kong high court’s ruling to strike down a ban on face masks.
A statement from the National People’s Congress’ Legislative Affairs Commission said some deputies had expressed “strong dissatisfaction” with the court’s ruling. The statement said the decision “seriously weakened the rightful administrative powers” of Hong Kong’s leader and doesn’t conform with either the territory’s mini-constitution, known as the Basic Law, or the NPC’s decisions.
The commission said, “We are currently studying opinions and suggestions raised by some NPC deputies.”
The hint that Beijing may move to overrule the decision would possibly fuel further protests. The court ruled Monday that the mask ban infringes on fundamental rights more than is reasonably necessary for the furtherance of its goals. It was aimed at preventing protesters from hiding their identity to evade arrest but has been widely disregarded.
Creeping legal and political interference by Beijing is one of the key concerns driving the protests.
___
10:20 a.m.
Hong Kong’s leader says an estimated 100 protesters remain holed up in one of the city’s main universities that had been blockaded by police.
Leader Carrie Lam said Tuesday that 600 protesters had left the Hong Kong Polytechnic campus, including 200 who are under 18 years old.
Police have surrounded the university and are arresting anyone who leaves. Lam said those under 18 would not be immediately arrested but could face charges later.
XIAMEN, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) — A senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has stressed promoting innovation in the Chinese movie industry to achieve high-quality development of domestic films.
Huang Kunming, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks Tuesday at the opening ceremony of the 28th China Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival.
Noting that domestic movies are experiencing a “golden age,” Huang required film practitioners to practice core socialist values and take a people-centered approach to produce more high-quality films.
Huang said the Golden Rooster Awards will be held annually from this year, responding to the demand of film practitioners. He also encouraged film practitioners to tell China’s stories well.
Held in Xiamen, east China’s Fujian Province, the film festival attracted over 1,000 representatives from the film industry. The Golden Rooster Awards will be awarded during the film festival, which will last until Saturday.
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) — Chinese-funded electric car producer Karma Automotive launched two new electric vehicles at the AutoMobility LA, a four-day press and trade event which kicked off on Tuesday ahead of the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show.
The two new products are the 2020 Revero GTS, a performance version of the company’s luxury electric Revero GT which debuted earlier this year, and the SC2 concept car which features cutting-edge technology and design.
The two electric cars are in production and are expected to enter the market in 2020, Karma Automotive CEO Lance Zhou told XInhua.
Calling China a very important consuming market for electric cars, Zhou said Karma expected to have access to the Chinese market in the future and seek cooperation with Chinese partners such as in joint research and development of extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) technology.
“Karma’s two core technologies include both full-electric vehicle technology and EREV,” Zhou said. “While we fully embrace an all-electric future, we cannot ignore the great benefits extended-range powertrains offer in parallel.”
The company is based in Irvine with manufacturing operations in Moreno Valley, California. It is owned by Chinese automotive supply company Wanxiang Group.
Founded in 2014 and employing nearly 1,000 people worldwide, the automobile company is committed to elevating luxury mobility experience for its customers as well as drawing on global relationships and technology partners to achieve the goal.
BANGKOK, THAILAND – 19 November 2019 – The second edition of the Marriott International Liquid Masters 2019 bartending competition will take place from 19 – 21 November at the stylish rooftop bar of Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park. 19 expert mixologists from 9 Marriott International brands across 10 cities in Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam – The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, W Hotels, JW Marriott, Marriott Hotels, Le Méridien, Westin, Renaissance Hotels and Tribute Portfolio – will go head-to-head in a regional showdown that promises to be an adrenaline-fueled display of skills, talent and showmanship. The competitors will be pushing the boundaries of the mixologist’s art with their signature creations. The event will feature a dazzling menu of premium Craft Collective spirits, including Nusa Caňa Tropical Island Rum, Nouaison Gin, Diplomatico Rum, Mr. Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur, La Quintinye Vermouth Royal and Giffard liqueurs.
“People have always been at the core of our company’s growth and success. We continuously provide opportunities for our talents to evolve and shine, as it translates into exceptional, personalized and elevated guest experiences,” said Petr Raba, Vice President, Food & Beverage Operations, Marriott International Asia Pacific. “Through fun and interactive events such as Liquid Masters 2019, we hope our talented bartenders will leverage this platform to hone their skills, step up their mixology game and showcase bartending mastery for a highly appreciative audience.”
The Marriott International Liquid Masters 2019 will see 19 top bartenders from the five countries take part in three days of workshops, challenges and team building activities, facilitated by some of the industry’s leading professionals. The event aims to develop and educate the bartenders as they revisit the key skills of their craft.
Each day, the bartenders will work in teams to win points for engagement, team work, knowledge, enthusiasm and other criteria. A daily winner will be selected each day, which will conclude with an immersive curated bar crawl across some of Bangkok’s top cocktail bars, where participants will get to discover different styles and techniques of their craft alongside their colleagues and friends. The final showdown on day three will see the bartenders being challenged to craft a new signature cocktail using the premium ingredients, with the theme of innovation and sustainability. The bartenders will have to create a story behind their cocktail, and give it a name. A grand prize will be awarded to the bartender who wins the most points at the end of the three days, and becomes the winner of the Marriott International Liquid Masters 2019.
“Here in Asia-Pacific, we have an excitingly dynamic and diverse dining landscape. The abundant variety of amazing cuisines reflects the cultural importance of authentic foodie experiences in this region,” adds Raba. “With an extensive portfolio of over 2,800 restaurants in Asia, we share locally-relevant F&B experiences through captivating concepts, unique design and of course, world-class talents. This is why we are proud to nurture our outstanding chefs and bartenders, who are the true creative forces behind all the great dining at Marriott International hotels.”
BANGKOK — An appeal court on Tuesday affirms jail sentence for six men – four of which are sons of police officers – who allegedly killed a disabled man in broad daylight back in 2016.
The court found the six men, all of them in their early 20s, guilty of murder, intrusion, and other weapons-related charges for slashing Somkiat Srichan to his death. A 20-year-old woman who was filmed urging the men to kill Somkiat was also convicted of being accessory to murder.
The defendants were Arin Yodponganan, Peerapol Yodponganan, Monmanat Sangpho, Akkaradet Thatsana, Mek Polkraisorn, Jatuporn Chansoph, and Natnicha Ritlamlert.
They were given jail terms that varied from 12 to 18 years. The group was also instructed to compensate Somkiat’s family with a sum of 500,000 baht, plus an annual interest of 7.5 percent.
Somkiat’s relative Methas Polprasert told reporters he’s satisfied with the verdict, and would not make an appeal to the Supreme Court.
“Losing a person we love is a wound to all of us,” Methas said.
Somkiat, who could not use his right leg, was slashed and stabbed by the defendants on the morning of May 1, 2019, in Bangkok’s Ladphrao district following a verbal argument, prosecutors say. Somkiat was a bakery worker.
Although some defendants argued for clemency because they were younger than 20 at the time and had never been convicted of any crime, the appeal court rejected their plea for lighter sentence, saying that their crimes were too serious.
The court also noted that four of the defendants’ connection to the authorities made it extremely unlikely that any witness would dare make false testimonies against them.
The seven defendants have been in jail since 2016, their bail request denied.
BANGKOK — Two years after orange wine arrived at an Asok eatery as the trendy, “natural” drink to drink, a Thai winery is bottling up and serving the country’s first-ever label.
The Thai orange wine – the 2019 GranMonte Elements 2019 Chenin Blanc, first served at About Eatery restaurant on Monday – may not hold its own against either Old World or New World bottles yet. And Thai wines can be pricier than their foreign counterparts due to strict booze laws. But it’s a surprisingly quick development for a country with little winemaking history.
“Of course, wine made in a country that’s been making it for 20 years will be different from countries making it for centuries on centuries,” Giulio Saverino, sommelier of About Eatery said. “They will need to collect some vintage experience, but it’s impressive development for the time.”
In 2017, Saverino set up the restaurant’s first Orange Wine Week to introduce the country to wine that that’s on the scale between red and white: amber-colored with the fruitiness of the whites, the tannins of the reds, and cloudiness from lack of filtration. The orange color is made by having white grapes ferment with their skins.
In accordance with the natural wine movement, orange wines use wild yeast, and don’t use added sugars, colors, or oak chips to boost the flavor. Orange wines are also vegan, and don’t use animal intestines or bladders to filter the wine.
Saverino himself said the GranMonte Thai orange wasn’t quite ready – it still had a very sharp, on-the-nose, angrily citrus dryness, with a verdant scent and bitter aftertaste. However, after a glass was left to breathe a bit the wine was slightly softer, its scent hinting of molasses.
“This was bottled just now. It will taste better with a few more months in the bottle,” he said.
The price is 270 baht for a glass, 1,350 for a bottle. But it’s hard to justify choosing the Thai wine over imported ones, especially if drinking right next to the far-superior 2017 Maturana Torrontel from Chile, an orange wine with a rounded, floral nose of aromatic honeysuckle which goes for 190 baht for a glass, or the robust 2012 Ribolla Gialla Primosic from Italy, for 350 baht a glass or 1,750 for a bottle.
Indeed, Thailand’s alcohol and tax regulations often drive up the prices for locally-made alcohol, making them hard to compete with foreign imports. Local wines are subjected to both production and “sin tax” based on the amount of alcohol used.
The GranMonte wine, for example, is theoretically subject to a 10 percent sin tax, or a 150 baht tax per liter of pure alcohol. That’s on top of a 60 percent production tax, or a 2,000 baht tax per liter of pure alcohol.
“Three and a half years ago, when I first brought orange wine I was very afraid no one would drink it,” he said. Saverino then repeated a statistic he offered in 2017: “Still, the reception is great, especially since 70 percent of orange wine customers are women. It’s an alternative for those that don’t like very strong reds with tannins.”
This year’s third edition of Orange Wine Week will serve 37 different labels, including Old World, New World, and New Latitude wines, such as Thailand’s. Orange wines are food-friendly and can be paired with Thai soups, Indian curries, and so on.
New Latitudes are wines made in areas outside of the traditional winemaking areas between the 30 and 50 latitudes, such as in Thailand, India, and Brazil. Challenges to growing grapes and making wine here include humidity, insect infestations, fungus growth, disease, and so on.
Granmonte is a vineyard near Khao Yai National Park in Nakhon Ratchasima that has been growing grapes and making wine since 1999.
About Eatery is open 11:30am to 2:30pm and 5pm to 1am daily. The restaurant is accessible by foot from MRT Sukhumvit or BTS Asok.
