In this Tuesday, June 18, 2019, photo, a woman jokingly poses with large poop-shaped figurines at the Unko Museum in Yokohama, south of Tokyo. In a country known for its cult of cute, even poop is not an exception. A pop-up exhibition at the Unko Museum in the port city of Yokohama is all about unko, a Japanese word for poop. The poop installations there get their cutest makeovers. They come in the shape of soft cream, or cupcake toppings. Photo: Jae C. Hong / AP
YOKOHAMA — Japan’s culture of cute makes no exceptions for poop. It gets a pop twist at the Unko Museum in Yokohama near Tokyo.
Here, the poop is artificial, nothing like what would be in a toilet, and comes in twisty ice cream and cupcake shapes, in all colors and sizes.
“The poops are colorful and come out nicely in photos,” said Haruka Okubo, a student visiting part of the museum devoted to all-important selfies. “The shape is so round and cute.”
In Japan, little poop-shaped erasers with faces and other small items have long been popular items collected by children, and sometimes older folks. As elsewhere, scatological jokes are popular and bodily functions discussed openly: a recent morning variety show by public broadcaster NHK featured tips on how to deal with farts.
Visitors to the museum get a short video introduction and then are asked to sit on one of seven colorful, non-functional toilets lined up against the wall.
Music plays as a user pretends to poop, then a brightly colored souvenir “poop” can be collected from inside the toilet bowl, to be taken home after the tour.
A ceiling-high poop sculpture in the main hall erupts every 30 minutes, spitting out little foam poops.
The “Unstagenic” area of Instagram-worthy installations includes pastel-hued flying poops and a neon sign with the word “poop” written in different languages.
In another room, players use a projection-mapping game like “whack-a-mole” to stamp on and squash the most poops they can. In another game, participants compete to make the biggest “poop” by shouting the word in Japanese, “unko,” as loudly as possible.
A soccer video game involves using a controller to “kick” a poop into a goal.
Toshifumi Okuya, a system engineer, was amused to see adults having fun. “It’s funny because there are adults running around screaming ‘poop, poop,'” he said.
At the end of the tour, visitors get a bag to carry home their souvenir poop. If they want still more, the museum’s gift shop abounds with more poop-themed souvenirs.
The museum attracted more than 100,000 visitors in the first month after its opening in March. It will remain open until September.
In this Monday, July 1, 2019, photo, visitors laugh as they jokingly motion to give a push while sitting on colorful toilet bowls at the Unko Museum in Yokohama, south of Tokyo. In a country known for its cult of cute, even poop is not an exception. A pop-up exhibition at the Unko Museum in the port city of Yokohama is all about unko, a Japanese word for poop. The poop installations there get their cutest makeovers. They come in the shape of soft cream, or cupcake toppings. Photo: Jae C. Hong / APIn this Tuesday, June 18, 2019, photo, a couple shares a light moment while sitting on toilet bowls at the Unko Museum in Yokohama, south of Tokyo. In a country known for its cult of cute, even poop is not an exception. A pop-up exhibition at the Unko Museum in the port city of Yokohama is all about unko, a Japanese word for poop. The poop installations there get their cutest makeovers. They come in the shape of soft cream, or cupcake toppings. Photo: Jae C. Hong / APIn this Tuesday, June 18, 2019, photo, a visitor reaches into a toilet bowl to pick up a toy poop at the Unko Museum in Yokohama, south of Tokyo. In a country known for its cult of cute, even poop is not an exception. A pop-up exhibition at the Unko Museum in the port city of Yokohama is all about unko, a Japanese word for poop. The poop installations there get their cutest makeovers. They come in the shape of soft cream, or cupcake toppings. Photo: Jae C. Hong / AP
Story: Jae C. Hong. Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.
Fireworks seen from the Lincoln Memorial explode over the Potomac River for Independence Day, Thursday, July 4, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
NEW YORK — The national holiday to mark America’s birth as a country has been filled with parades, concerts, competitive eating and, of course, fireworks.
Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, New York and other places around the country are holding massive celebrations with big name artists like Jennifer Hudson, Luke Bryan and Carole King.
But Independence Day won’t be free from politics, as President Donald Trump’s plan for a celebration in Washington featuring a display of tanks , fighter jets and a stealth bomber is garnering support from some and protests from others.
Highlights from celebrations around the country:
THE BIGGEST SHOW
Fireworks over New York’s East River lit up the Brooklyn Bridge, a display said to be one of the biggest in the country. As they waited for the show to start, people watched New York Police Department helicopters in a procession along the river.
Carmela Serino, a college student from Queens, said she liked how the crowd in Brooklyn Bridge Park reflected the diversity of the city. People were wearing everything from tank tops to burkas and chatting in Spanish, Japanese, Telugu, and a host of other languages.
Christina Garza, a flight attendant from Maine, agreed.
“With what’s going on with politics these days, it’s so nice to see this. No one’s arguing, no one’s fighting. We’re just gathered on this turf,” she said.
As the sun set, red, white, and blue lights shone from several buildings in Lower Manhattan and along the Brooklyn waterfront.
The fireworks spectacle, plus concert, is broadcast on NBC and this year features country powerhouses Luke Bryan, Maren Morris and Brad Paisley, as well as Jennifer Hudson, Ciara, Khalid and Derek Hough.
Fireworks light up the sky above the Brooklyn Bridge during Macy’s Fourth of July fireworks show Thursday, July 4, 2019, in New York. Photo: Frank Franklin II / AP
POPPING OFF
Boston is marking Independence Day with a traditional procession, speeches, a Boston Pops concert and fireworks.
Festivities began Thursday morning at City Hall with a brief speaking program. Marchers then set off for the Old Granary Burial Ground where Samuel Adams, John Hancock and other prominent colonial leaders are buried.
They also made a stop at the Old State House, where the Declaration of Independence is read out from a balcony by a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company — just as it was in 1776.
The procession ended at Faneuil Hall where Boston University Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore delivered a speech in a tradition dating to 1773.
The Boston Pops orchestra performs at night with fireworks over the Charles River as a backdrop.
HISTORIC CELEBRATION
The nation’s oldest continuous Fourth of July celebration took place in Bristol, Rhode Island. The events began on Flag Day and culminated with a parade on July Fourth that drew tens of thousands. The annual celebration began in the seaside town in 1785.
THE NATION’S CAPITAL
A soggy, cheering crowd of spectators listened to President Donald Trump pay tribute to the U.S. military on the grounds of the Lincoln Memorial.
Trump’s speech unfolded in occasional rain, and the warplanes and presidential aircraft he had summoned conducted their flyovers as planned, capped by the Navy Blue Angels aerobatics team.
Supporters roared, but protesters also assailed the show, saying it put the president center stage on a holiday traditionally devoted to unity.
By adding his own, one-hour “Salute to America” production to capital festivities that typically draw hundreds of thousands anyway, Trump became the first president in nearly seven decades to address a crowd at the National Mall on Independence Day.
Earlier in the day, Washington held its traditional Fourth of July parade.
PBS is broadcasting a concert from the West Lawn of the Capitol featuring host John Stamos and performances by the National Symphony Orchestra, Carole King, Vanessa Williams, Colbie Caillat and Lee Brice.
Fireworks light the sky near the Lincoln Memorial, Thursday, July 4, 2019, in Washington. Photo: Alex Brandon / AP
NEW CITIZENS
Around the country, more than two dozen naturalization ceremonies will be held to welcome in the newest Americans in places like the Liberty Bell Center in Philadelphia and George Washington’s home in Mount Vernon, Virginia.
Vice President Mike Pence celebrated Independence Day by welcoming 44 immigrants into “the American family” in a naturalization ceremony in the nation’s capital.
Pence said it was “deeply humbling” to stand on “the hallowed ground” of the National Archives in Washington before the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. He told the new U.S. citizens, who hail from 26 other countries, that he and President Donald Trump were extending to them “the welcome of the American people.”
“Congratulations to you all,” he said.
FOR THE KIDS AND KIDS AT HEART
At Legoland in Winter Haven, Florida, children can help create a giant United States flag out of LEGO bricks on July 4 as part of the Red, White and Boom celebration. Once the sun goes down, special viewing glasses will allow guests to watch “a gazillion bricks explode from the sky” above Lake Eloise during the theme park’s largest fireworks display of the year.
In Orlando, Walt Disney World is hosting a special show called Celebrate America! A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky on Thursday night.
AMERICA’S BIRTHPLACE
In Philadelphia, the celebrations begin with a parade near Independence Hall and culminate with a concert featuring Meghan Trainor and Jennifer Hudson on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The annual fireworks show blasts off after the concert around the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Police say 33 people protesting treatment of migrants and asylum seekers were cited after briefly interrupting the Salute to America parade in Philadelphia. The protesters, assembled by a group called “Never Again is Now,” were demanding closure of border detention centers and the abolition of the immigration and customs agency.
A DIFFERENT KIND OF BOOM
Thousands watched Willimantic’s annual Boom Box Parade in Connecticut. In what’s become an offbeat tradition, participants and spectators carry radios all tuned to the same local station, which provides traditional marching music.
The parade dates to 1986, when the town couldn’t find a marching band for its annual Memorial Day parade. Organizers approached radio station WILI-AM for help. Station officials said it was too late to organize and publicize an event for that holiday, but began planning for July Fourth, and the tradition was born.
EXPLODING ROCKETS
Firefighters in South Carolina had to dodge exploding rockets to douse a spectacular fire that destroyed at least two containers of fireworks stored for sale on the Fourth of July.
The blaze early Thursday provided for an impressive, though sparsely attended show as shells and rockets burst through the metal containers, sending colorful showers into the air above the Davey Jones Fireworks and the House of Fireworks stores in Fort Mill.
BIG DOGS
In New York City, Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo defended their titles to once again win at the annual Nathan’s Famous July Fourth hot dog eating contest on the Coney Island boardwalk.
Chestnut ate 71 franks and buns while Sudo chowed down 31. Both fell short of their records but easily took home the trophies.
A ‘KEY’ WINNER
A Key West man has won the Mile-High Key Lime Pie Eatin’ Contest on the subtropical island where the pie originated.
David Johnson plunged face-first into a 9-inch pie smothered with whipped cream during Thursday’s challenge. The rules forbid contestants from using their hands.
He consumed it in 58.2 seconds, besting 24 rivals in the kickoff of the annual Key Lime Festival.
A TOXIC FOURTH
Thousands of people were expected on Mississippi’s beaches for the July Fourth holiday even though they can’t go into the water because toxic bacteria are flourishing along the coast.
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has warned that polluted Midwest floodwaters have fed an outbreak of cyanobacterium. Popularly known as blue-green algae, it can cause rashes, diarrhea and vomiting.
Karen Miller rests with Dr. Bernard Harris on his Bugatti classic car during the Santa Monica Fourth Of July Parade on Thursday, July 4, 2019 in Santa Monica, Calif. Photo: Richard Vogel / AP
In this photo provided by Adam Graehl, food and other merchandise lies on the floor at the Stater Bros. on China Lake Blvd., after an earthquake, Thursday, July 4, 2019, in Ridgecrest, Calif. The strongest earthquake in 20 years shook a large swath of Southern California and parts of Nevada on Thursday, rattling nerves on the July 4th holiday and causing injuries and damage in a town near the epicenter, followed by a swarm of ongoing aftershocks. Photo: Adam Graehl via AP
LOS ANGELES — The strongest earthquake in 20 years shook a large swath of Southern California and parts of Nevada on Thursday, rattling nerves on the July 4th holiday and causing injuries and damage in a town near the epicenter, followed by a swarm of ongoing aftershocks.
The 6.4 magnitude quake struck at 10:33 a.m. in the Mojave Desert, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles, near the town of Ridgecrest, California.
Multiple injuries and two house fires were reported in the town of 28,000. Emergency crews were also dealing with small vegetation fires, gas leaks and reports of cracked roads, said Kern County Fire Chief David Witt.
He said 15 patients were evacuated from the Ridgecrest Regional Hospital as a precaution and out of concern for aftershocks.
Kern County District Supervisor Mick Gleason told CNN there were some structural issues with the hospital and some patients had to be moved from one ward to another and that others were taken to a neighboring building.
Gleason did not say what the structural issues were.
Ridgecrest Mayor Peggy Breeden said that utility workers were assessing broken gas lines and turning off gas where necessary.
The local senior center was holding a July 4th event when the quake hit and everyone made it out shaken up but without injuries, she said.
“Oh, my goodness, there’s another one (quake) right now,” Breeden said on live television as an aftershock struck.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for Kern County. The declaration means that the state will help the county and municipalities in it with emergency aid and recovery efforts.
Ridgecrest Mayor Peggy Breeden praised Newsom for declaring the emergency. She also noted at a news conference that other nearby governments have offered to help the recovery effort.
President Donald Trump said he was fully briefed on the earthquake and that it “all seems to be very much under control!”
Police and fire officials said at a news conference Thursday afternoon that they have enough resources so far to meet needs in the wake of the earthquake. Ridgecrest Police Chief Jed McLaughlin said at a news conference that “we have plenty of resources.”
California Highway Patrol Lt. John Williams says officials have found cracks on several roads in the county, but overpasses and underpasses are in good shape.
A series of aftershocks included a 4.5 magnitude temblor, according to the United States Geological Survey.
“It almost gave me a heart attack,” said Cora Burke, a waitress at Midway Cafe in Ridgecrest, of the big jolt. “It’s just a rolling feeling inside the building, inside the cafe and all of a sudden everything started falling off the shelf, glasses, the refrigerator and everything in the small refrigerator fell over.”
Video posted online of a liquor store in Ridgecrest showed the aisles filled with broken wine and liquor bottles, knocked down boxes and other groceries strewn on the floor. Flames were seen shooting out of one home in the community.
Lucy Jones, a seismologist with the California Institute of Technology’s seismology lab, said the earthquake was the strongest since a 7.1 quake struck in the area on October 16, 1999.
“This has been an extremely quiet abnormal time,” Jones said. “This type of earthquake is much more normal … The long term average is probably once every five or 10 years somewhere in Southern California.”
Jones said that the 6.4 quake centered near the town of Ridgecrest was preceded by a magnitude 4.2 temblor about a half hour earlier.
She said vigorous aftershocks were occurring and that she wouldn’t be surprised if a magnitude 5 quake hit but that they were striking in a remote area, sparsely populated area. “This is an isolated enough location that that’s going to greatly reduce the damage,” she said.
People from Las Vegas to the Pacific Coast reported feeling a rolling motion and took to social media to report it.
Local emergency agencies also took to social media to ask people to only call 911 for emergencies.
“We are very much aware of the significant earthquake that just occurred in Southern California. Please DO NOT call 9-1-1 unless there are injuries or other dangerous conditions. Don’t call for questions please,” the LAPD said in a statement published on Twitter.
There were no reports of serious damage or injuries in Los Angeles, the department said.
The quake was detected by California’s new ShakeAlert system and it provided 48 seconds of warning to the seismology lab well before the shaking arrived at Caltech in the Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena but it did not trigger a public warning through an app recently made available in Los Angeles County.
USGS seismologist Robert Graves said the ShakeAlert system worked properly.
Graves said it calculated an intensity level for the Los Angeles area that was below the threshold for a public alert. The limits are intended to avoid false alarms.
Ashleigh Chandler, a helicopter rescue EMT at Fort Irwin, California, said the quake happened as she was getting ready for a July 4th party.
“I was just in the living room getting everything ready, we start to feel the shaking, so then I look up and then the wine bottles start rattling and I thought, ‘They’re going to fall.’
“My stepson was in the house and my dog, so we just got everyone outside and then it ended. It was like 15, 20 seconds, maybe. It was pretty good shaking, so I’m out of breath.”
“Everyone’s OK.”
Glenn Pomeroy, the head of California’s Earthquake Authority, said the earthquake is “an important reminder that all of California is earthquake country.”
Pomeroy urged the estimated 2,000 people in the region hit by the quake who have California Earthquake Authority insurance policies to contact their residential insurance agencies as soon as possible. Information on how to file a policy claim is on the agency’s website: EarthquakeAuthority.com, he said.
Story: John Antczak and Olga R. Rodriguez. Rachel Lerman in San Francisco and Shelly Adler in Washington, D.C., contributed to this story.
Daikin, the world’s leader in air conditioning technology from Japan, brought innovative air condition system to BASIS International School Bangkok and strengthened its position as the leader in environmentally friendly energy efficiency by giving pure and safe air to the children.
Currently, due to ambient air quality problems and heat from outdoors, most of city people spend more than 90% of their time in a day indoors or closed environment. However, a study by World Health Organization (WHO) reveals that 30% of buildings around the world have poor air condition with possibility to have 100 times more pollution than the air outside, which may cause various adverse effects to the people who live in that environment. Poor air ventilation is one of the main causes of many indoor air quality issues which may results on pollutant buildup, especially in congested buildings. Other causes of indoor pollution include transportation of outside pollution into indoors environment or the specific indoor sources e.g. uses of chemicals indoors, uses of some office equipment, building materials, deteriorated air condition system, and unsuitable air condition system. Ideally a building should have efficient and high-quality air-conditioning system to prevent indoor pollution buildup that can seriously harm the health of the tenants. Daikin, the manufacturer of air conditioners that are energy efficient and environmentally friendly, is entrusted by BASIS International School Bangkok to provide air conditioning system in the school, covering 10,000 square meters of space.
Mr. Bundit Srivallapanondh, Managing Director of Siam Daikin Sales Co., Ltd., revealed that, “We’re delighted and proud to provide clean and safe air for the students of a world-renowned school who will grow up to be valuable citizens in the future. What Daikin carefully considers when installing air conditioning systems in schools with small children are safety, functionality and the cleanliness of the air. Children need pure and safe air to develop and grow. The system installed at BASIS is our latest innovation that harnesses both excellent cooling system and energy efficiency.”
The chosen air conditioning system for the project to cover 9,960 square meters is the VRV System (Variable Refrigerant Volume system) that includes Air-Cooled and Water-Cooled features. The indoor fan coil is a cassette type that is easy to maintain. The Air Handling Unit, which can purify the air and increase clean air, is operated with a MERV13 filter standard that can reduce PM2.5. The air that is added to the building is adjusted to cooler temperature and less humidity, providing a comfortable environment and energy saving for air conditioners. In addition, this system can reduce PM2.5 as well as protect PM2.5 from outside into the building. BASIS is the first school that will use Daikin’s latest innovation.
This is also the first time Daikin will use a Water-Cooled system in school. The heat from the condensing unit is used to heat the water in the swimming pool. Once the swimming pool is at the desired temperature, the system will then divert the heat at the Cooling Tower. Automatically operated with Daikin central control, the system is convenient for the building superintendent and also energy efficient.
“The reason we chose VRV system for this project is to stress Daikin’s standpoint in energy savings. Other technologies of VRV that include VRT and VRT Smart, also boost efficiency of the system’s performance and at the same time save energy,” Mr. Bundit said.
Mr. Jonathan Schwimmer, Co-Founder and Board of BASIS International School Bangkok, revealed that, “Besides globally recognized curriculum, what BASIS International School Bangkok considers the first priority is air quality that has to be pure and clean for the children. Children at this age do not have immunity that adults have, and that makes them sensitive to change in the air quality. This is why the school opted for an innovative air conditioning system that adds fresh air into the building, decreases indoor air pollution problem and uses high efficiency filter to decontaminate pollutants from outside. The air conditioning system that we use also has temperature control precision to maintain comfortable environment for the children.”
BASIS International School Bangkok offers a course of study that is connected through every grade level, starting with a student’s first preschool lessons, and ending with grade 12 Capstone courses. The academic year begins in August 2019 with capacity to accommodate 1,500 students. Located next to Central Plaza Rama II, the school’s facility spans 25,000 square meters with black box theater, art studio, comprehensive science and technology complex, 25-meter salt-water swimming pool and 12 rai of land dedicated for extracurricular activities and sports. Designed under the environmentally friendly concept with emphasis on energy efficiency and creative design, the concept in incorporated into the building structure, air conditioning system, high indoor air quality, swimming pool, garden and landscape, water management, electricity and energy system, road traffic as well as a mission to the community.
Daikin’s innovative air conditioning system at BASIS International School Bangkok raises the standard of energy saving and environmentally friendly air conditioning system that provides pure air for the children’s healthy and safe wellbeing.
Australian student Alek Sigley arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, Thursday, July 4, 2019. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
CANBERRA, Australia — An Australian student released after a week in detention in North Korea described his condition to reporters in Beijing on Thursday as “very good,” without saying what happened.
Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced to Parliament that Alek Sigley, 29, had been released hours earlier following intervention from Swedish diplomats on Wednesday, and had been taken to the Australian Embassy in Beijing.
Sigley looked relaxed and gave a peace sign when he arrived at Beijing airport. He did not respond to reporters’ questions about what had happened in Pyongyang.
“I’m OK, I’m OK, I’m good. I’m very good,” Sigley said. Asked how he was feeling, Sigley replied: “Great.”
Australian student Alek Sigley arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, Thursday, July 4, 2019. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
His father, Gary Sigley, a professor of Asian studies at University of Western Australia, said his son would soon be reunited with his Japanese wife Yuka Morinaga in Tokyo.
Later Thursday, Sigley entered the departure area at Beijing airport, apparently on his way to Tokyo.
“He’s fine. He’s in very good spirits. He’s been treated well,” the father told reporters in his hometown of Perth.
Sigley’s friend and fellow student of North Korea, University of Technology Sydney academic Bronwen Dalton, said she had recently spoken to Sigley’s wife, who was thrilled by the news.
“We were jumping up and down and we love Sweden,” Dalton said.
“He’s a fine, young, emerging Asian scholar, he is very applied to his studies. I really doubted whether he did actually anything wrong by the regime,” Dalton added.
Swedish diplomats had raised concerns about Sigley with North Korean authorities in Pyongyang, where Australia does not have an embassy.
Australian student Alek Sigley arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, Thursday, July 4, 2019. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
“Alek is safe and well. Swedish authorities advised the Australian government that they met with senior officials from the DPRK yesterday and raised the issue of Alek’s disappearance on Australia’s behalf,” Morrison said, using the official acronym for North Korea.
Morrison thanked Swedish authorities for “their invaluable assistance in securing Alek’s prompt release.”
“This outcome demonstrates the value of discrete behind-the-scenes work of officials in resolving complex and sensitive consular cases in close partnership with other governments,” Morrison said.
In an interview with Swedish public radio Thursday, Sweden’s Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom said she had been in contact with Australia and Sweden’s special envoy to North Korea, Kent Harstedt. She said Sweden had “raised the issue of this case at highest level” in North Korea and the release happened during Harstedt’s visit to Pyongyang.
“Happy for the release of Australian citizen Alek Sigley today! Sweden has done its utmost to work for Mr Sigley under our bilateral agreement with Australia. Relieved that the situation was resolved,” Wallstrom tweeted. She also welcomed “Korean authorities’ rapid action in connection with the visit of Sweden’s special envoy for the Korean Peninsula,” according to the Swedish Foreign Ministry.
President Donald Trump meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the border village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone, South Korea, Sunday, June 30, 2019. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said the Swedish delegation led by Harstedt headed back home on Thursday after a four-day visit. The agency said the Swedes visited a stamp museum and shoe factory during their stay in the North, but made no mention of Sigley.
The Pyongyang university student and tour guide had been out of contact with family and friends in Japan and Australia since Tuesday last week. He had been active in social media about his experiences in North Korea and had boasted about the extraordinary freedom he had been allowed as one of the few foreign students living in Pyongyang.
Morrison’s announcement was the first confirmation that he had been detained.
Morrison said he discussed Sigley’s disappearance with other world leaders attending the Group of 20 summit in Japan last week and accepted offers to find out what happened to him. Morrison had dined with President Donald Trump in Osaka but declined to say with whom he had discussed Sigley’s disappearance.
North Korea has been accused in the past of detaining Westerners and using them as political pawns to gain concessions. Australia advises people to reconsider their need to travel to North Korea and warns that foreigners have been subject to arbitrary arrests and long detentions.
Leonid Petrov, an Australian National University expert on North Korea and friend of Sigley, last week speculated that Sigley had been “deliberately cut off from means of communications” temporarily because Trump was in the region.
Petrov said on Thursday that he had not been able to contact Sigley since he had been freed, but still suspected his disappearance was linked to Trump meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Sunday.
“It was as time of sensitivity in North Korea after the visit of (Chinese President Xi Jinping) and before the visit by Donald Trump,” Petrov said.
“I expected this to happen a couple of days earlier, but it was a good thing to see the Swedish government delegation arrive on Monday just after the summit. It was the right time to be there,” Petrov added.
___
Associated Press writer Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, contributed to this report.
Laksika Piyasuntornsup, a caretaker of Pae Kong Shrine on Tuesday.
BANGKOK — Unable to bear the melodic wailing of Chinese opera, condo residents called the police on a performance at a city center shrine Tuesday night.
The Sing E Lai Heng Chinese opera troupe was on its last scene at a performance held at the Pae Kong Sa Tee Chiang Hok Tua Shrine in Soi Naradhiwat Rajanagarindra 14 when cops came to halt the show due to a noise complaint from the neighboring Bangkok Horizon Sathorn condo.
But shrine regulars insist the condo residents should have known about the temple’s regular opera performances, given the temple has been standing for half a century.
“We were here first. You came afterwards, and chose to build next to a shrine. You should have expected that we would sometimes have celebrations,” Laksika Piyasuntornsup, 48, a shrine caretaker told Khaosod Thursday.
The ngiew stage at Pae Kong Shrine.
The shrine had launched five days of Chinese opera, or ngiew, performances starting last Saturday for the Teh Krajaad festival. Laksika said they received a call from the police Monday asking them to lower the volume due to complaints from the condo. On Tuesday the troupe scaled down their sound system to a few mics, one speaker, and drums, but it still wasn’t enough – the cops came and shut down the performance.
“We’ve backed up in every way. They told us to shorten the ceremony, and we did. They told us to lower the volume, and we did immediately,” Laksika said. On Wednesday night, the troupe used no microphones.
The shine had already received official permission from Sathorn district officials and police to hold the ngiew performances, which Laksika says have been held at the shrine for more than 40 years. Unlike years before, they shortened the performance to start at 7pm and end at 10pm, even though ngiew is traditionally held later at night. The shrine, called Pae Kong for short, holds celebrations thrice a year but their mid-year, five-day Teh Krajaad festival is their biggest ngiew showcase.
The Pae Kong Shrine, with Bangkok Horizon Sathorn condo in the background.
Much of the shrine is an open-air courtyard. The 24-story condo with 268 units towers next to it.
As modern lifestyles clash with old timetables and sounds, condo residents aren’t just complaining about ngiew performances – traditional celebrations such asBuddhist temple bellsand mosque calls to prayer have received complaints from high-rise Bangkok condos in recent years. Complaining as a condo resident also offers more anonymity than complaining as a house resident.
Laksika says it’s the third time the ngiew performances have been complained about, with the first coming in 2017 when the Bangkok Horizon Sathorn condo filled up after its construction was completed in Dec. 2015. She told Khaosod that she wants the person submitting the complaints to come talk to the shrine directly.
The issue first came to light when Charlie Lew, a Facebook account known for promoting ngiew events in Thailand, wrote a widely-shared public post on Wednesday about the cops shutting the performance down.
“The condo was only finished a year or two ago, but this shrine and the performances have been here for decades,” Charlie wrote. “It was the last scene and would have ended in only five to 10 minutes. The troupe wanted to perform for the audience. But the police forced us to stop immediately.”
Charlie wrote that he finds it unfair that locals are unwilling to put up with ngiew but would gladly participate in merit-making parades that close the streets with police aid.
“What double standard is being used? If the complaint is from an influential person, do locals who’ve lived in the community for years immediately lose to the power of money?” he wrote. “How shocking that after material wealth comes in, spiritually helpful customs have to back off.”
Most of the commenters on Charlie’s post agreed that the ngiew show should not have been interrupted, as it is a dying art.
“If I lived there, I would come down and watch the entire ngiew show. Nowadays they’re very rare performances. Society nowadays is so selfish,” wrote user Rung Aung.
The condo was developed by CMC Group which also owns other building projects such as the Chateau in Town, Bangkok Horizon and Bangkok Feliz condos.
Laksika Piyasuntornsup, a caretaker of Pae Kong Shrine on Tuesday.
See our video feature on the disappearing art of ngiew here:
UTHAI THANI — People should be careful about sharing their lives on social media – especially if you’re a fugitive running from the law.
Uthai Noisakul, 26, was apprehended by police on Wednesday night for doing just that, according to police in Uthai Thani province. Police said Uthai had avoided an arrest warrant for exactly a year when he joined a local fair last night.
Not content with enjoying a carabao rendition on his own, Uthai reportedly asked a friend to film him dancing in front of the stage on Facebook Live.
Unfortunately for him, police officers also saw his 2.30-minute live broadcast and rushed to the scene, where Uthai was arrested.
Investigators said Uthai was wanted on a charge of selling drugs under an arrest warrant issued on July 3, 2018 – precisely a year prior to his arrest last night.
Anant “Nat” Kumsawang and Chutima “Yui” Panpong massaging another employee of Perception Massage.
BANGKOK — After finishing giving a herbal ball massage, Nat puts on sunglasses and steps out of his workplace onto the busy road, cane in hand tapping the street.
He stops by the closest food market, drawn to the smell of a khao gaeng stall, where an auntie is ladling hot curries into plastic bags. He asks what’s on the menu.
“Can’t you see for yourself? They’re right in front of you,” she says back.
“Auntie, I can’t see!” he says.
“If you can’t see, then go buy food somewhere else,” she said.
Such is a typical lunchtime for Anant “Nat” Kumsawang, 43, an employee at Perception Massage Studio, which hires only visually impaired or blind masseuses.
Suwatt Pathompakawan, co-founder, decided to open the Perception franchise in 2015 after he received a blind massage near a vocational training school. Not only was the exterior “scary-looking” and uninviting for spatime, he wasn’t allowed to give tips for the 70-baht-per-hour massage.
“It was so cheap and I knew the masseuse would only get a cut. I asked the receptionist if I could give a tip, but they brushed it off saying, ‘What for?’” Suwatt said. “It wasn’t fair.”
By opening Perception, he hoped to open a career option with a good environment for the blind.
A recent visit to their year-old Silom branch showed a refurbished townhouse with polished concrete walls and floors, decorated in a calming gray motif. They’ve got two older branches in Sathorn and in Thapae, Chiang Mai.
About a fourth of each massage goes to the masseuse, a slightly higher cut than most regular massage joints. Prices are higher than Health Land, but lower than Let’s Relax. For example, a one-hour Thai massage costs 450 baht, or 800 baht for two hours. A Thai herbal ball massage is 900 baht for 90 mins, or 1,200 baht for two hours.
“I love getting massages and I’ve always found the blind to be better at massages. They have a better sense of muscle pains,” Suwatt said.
New hires are taken to register for an official disability card if they don’t already have one, and train to massage a la Perception. Many already have some massage training from vocational schools.
The masseuses are given free food and lodging on the top floor of each branch. At the Silom branch, there were two shared bathrooms and one dorm room each for the men and women. In their free time, workers usually stay inside and listen to music, audiobooks, and textbooks, and use Facebook through the voice-to-speech function.
Chutima “Yui” Panpong.
The author decided to try a Thai herbal ball massage with Chutima “Yui” Panpong, 41, who had a meticulous and firm hand, patiently rubbing sore muscles. To keep track of time, she listened to the ticking of her wristwatch.
Nat, a native of Nong Khai and Bueng Kan, wants to see more blind Thais take up a trade for self-fulfillment, rather than staying indoors.
“Step outside,” Nat urged. “Use your trade and skills. Don’t let it die with you. Don’t think of yourself as a burden, but make yourself useful to others.”
The Unseen Abuse of the Blind
But unlike Nat, Yui doesn’t want to brave the streets of Silom at all.
“I don’t go outside at all if no one’s taking me,” Yui said. “Cars never watch out for us, and they can scrape your arm.”
The visually impaired in Thailand officially number 197,635 people, of 2,024,460 registered disabled citizens, according to May 2019 statistics from the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities. Half of the visually impaired reside in Isaan.
Under Thai law, public and private institutions must either hire one disabled person for every 100 employees, or contribute to a state rehabilitation fund – most opt for the latter. Unsurprisingly, many disabled citizens are mired in poverty and cannot find work. According to Phillip Cornwel-Smith in “Very Thai,” 87 percent of the disabled “languish as rural recluses.” The rest busk and sing in cities to get by.
Anant “Nat” Kumsawang and Chutima “Yui” Panpong.
Abuse of the disabled, and their regular lack of proper care and education, partially stems from deeply-rooted beliefs in Thai society that the disabled are born so due to bad karma.
“Many don’t even think of stepping outside of their houses, and just live off the 800 baht disability stipend,” Nat said.
He explains that many blind people, like Yui, are afraid of verbal abuse if they go out in public.
“Back home, when I bumped into things at the market, they would yell at me. When I was studying for my masseuse license in Pak Kret [Nonthaburi] I would step on veggies and eggs and my professor had to run behind me to pay the vendors.”
Even now, Nat usually has to walk on the side of the road, since there are no mechanisms on sidewalks to assist the blind, with braille-block installation largely uneven.
“Please just let us have a small part of the sidewalk to walk, like a bike lane,” he said.
For Yui and Nat, working as a masseuse at Perception was not only a way out financially, but a venue of self-actualization.
“There are only a few career paths available to the blind, such as selling lottery tickets or performing in public,” the articulate Nat said. “But for me, being a masseuse is dignity. As a masseuse, people don’t call me ‘you cripple,’ or ‘you so-and-so.’ Here, customers call me doctor.”
More than a decade ago, Yui lost her vision due to macular degeneration. Formerly an office worker, she stayed home without employment and her ex-husband left her for another woman. She only started working at Perception in August.
“I really wish I had been brave enough to step outside of my house earlier than this. I wasted ten years,” she said.
“Before, I had to borrow money from my family. Today, it’s the other way around.”
This article is unsponsored and the author paid for a massage herself.
The exterior of Perception Massage’s Silom branch.
Perception Silom branch is a short walk from BTS Sala Daeng and is open from noon to midnight.
Perception Sathorn branch is reachable from BTS Chong Nonsi and is open every day from 10am to 10pm.
Update: Deputy House Speaker Supachai Phosu apologized on Thursday for his remark.
BANGKOK — A house speaker caused an uproar on Wednesday when he warned of a similar fate for a politician who demanded justice for an activist assaulted by masked men last week.
The spat between Deputy House Speaker Supachai Phosu and Pheu Thai MP Jirayu Huangsup broke out during a parliament session when Jirayu urged the authorities to swiftly find the perpetrators behind an attack that left pro-democracy activist Sirawith “Ja New” Seritiwat in critical condition.
“This incident, it happened in the same soi that you live in, right?” Supachai interrupted Jirayu as he was haranguing parliament. The MP confirmed this was the case.
“Then you should watch yourself, Mr. Jirayu,” the deputy speaker said with a smile. “I’m worried for you.”
His remark immediately prompted a murmur of anger from the Pheu Thai bench, while Jirayu accused Supachai of making a threat against him.
Deputy House Speaker Supachai Phosu
“Mr. Speaker, if you say things like this, if the House Speaker says things like this, I think we can no longer live in Thailand,” the politician shot back.
“No, no, I only said I’m worried for you,” Supachai said.
Jirayu was among opposition lawmakers who called upon the authorities to investigate last week’s assault on Sirawith, who is still recovering in hospital with facial injuries. Jirayu faulted the police for failing to identify a suspect despite footage from multiple security cameras.
“Even though the constitution is already in place, activists are still intimidated,” the Pheu Thai MP said. “The people want to know how the government will safeguard their safety.”
Future Forward MP Rangsiman Rome holds Sirawith’s bloodstained shirt at a news conference on June 3, 2019.
In response to the criticism, Assistant Defense Minister Charnchai Changmongkol said the authorities are doing their utmost to track down and arrest the assailants. Gen. Charnchai also said pro-democracy campaigners can request police escorts to guarantee their safety whenever they go outside.
But an activist has expressed skepticism over whether such measures would really help, given that Sirawith was attacked while under police monitoring.
“As activists, we all know how closely the Special Branch Police trail Ja New,” Ratthapol Supasopon, who currently faces a charge of sedition in court, wrote online. “They were close to him like leeches on his legs, yet this incident still happened. What confidence can you give us?”
Bangkok police chief Sutthipong Wongpin also told reporters that investigators have ruled out robbery as the motive behind the attack, but said they have yet to pinpoint a cause.
BANGKOK — The state mental health department has issued tips for people who just can’t stop hearing Chip ‘N’ Dale chirp in their heads.
Ever since Disney released the Thai-themed animated short “Our Floating Dreams” late June, a song about hawking nuts at a floating market sung by Chip ‘N’ Dale has been wiggling into Thai ears – so much so that the state mental health department is taking notice.
“Earworms may disturb the mind, but they are not a psychological symptom. They will go away on their own if something else interesting takes it place,” the notice posted Tuesday says. There’s no other song the psychiatrists could be referring to: the poster has images of Chip ‘N’ Dale, mentions the song’s lyrics, and even links to the cartoon.
The five tips prescribed by the mental health department are: listen to the entire song rather than just the part stuck in your head, listen to other songs, distract yourself with a game or puzzle, ignore it and believe that it will go away, and chew gum.
Although the last tip might seem strange, Forbes corroborates that chewing gum can help get those pesky chipmunk voices out of your head – apparently the motor activity interferes with the recollection of auditory memories.
Many commenters were surprised at the speedy work of usually turtle-like bureaucrats. In two days, the notice has been liked more than 2,500 times and shared more than 2,900 times.
“Good job, PR team of this department. You’re so trendy and finally won citizens’ hearts,” wrote user Aon Manman. Facebooker Tom Jaidee Kris wrote, “I’m so happy government workers are being proactive.”
Other comments are from people still suffering from a terrible case of Chip ‘N’ Dale-itis.
“Are you trying to help me or make it worse?” lamented commenter Thanikul Sriuthis.
Witchaya Aintip illustrated how we’re all feeling.
The nuttiness continues on Twitter in the #Chip’N’Dale hashtag – with no signs of anyone wanting to abate the symptoms.
— SANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNZA (@Stark_Sansa2) July 2, 2019
Meanwhile, @Stark_Sansa2 noticed that Chip ‘N’ Dale sell their nuts for upwards of 500 baht. Even worse, the elephant selling ice cream from a boat at the beginning of the cartoon collects one purple and one green banknote – which means that a cup of ice cream cost 520 baht!
Finally, @iamthinkfine observed that the Chip ‘N’ Dale song is just the latest in a string of recent torturous earworms: coming after K-pop girl group Red Velvet’s “Zimzalabim” song released on June 19, and Thai rapper Diamond Mqt’s”Gucci Belt,” on May 16.
