Govt Quietly Halts Election Preparations Nationwide

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8 January 2019, 13:12

Protesters flash the anti-junta ‘three-finger salute’ during a rally to protest another election day Monday at the Election Commission in Bangkok.

BANGKOK — The interior affairs minister confirmed Tuesday a leaked memo instructing officials across the country to halt election preparations is genuine.

The leak sparked fresh outrage among opposition activists, some of whom are set to gather today to protest yet another delay to the poll, while the government and the Election Commission trade blame for not settling on an Election Day.

Speaking to reporters this morning, Gen. Anupong Paochinda said the memo was issued after the government failed to enact legislation that would have set Feb. 24 as the date.

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“Let me confirm again that there will be an election, 1 million percent, no matter which day it would be, and whether it would be sooner or later than we expected,” Anupong said. “We haven’t seen the Royal Decree for this election yet, so we have to wait for clarity.”

The leaked order appeared on social media Monday night. It appears to be an internal memo addressing voting officials in every province. The memo cited the absence of the Royal Decree for its order to declare that “all preparations for elections are hereby halted.”

Many expected the decree to be issued just after New Year’s Day, but the government did not enact it and gave no explanation why.

Anupong went on to say the government is waiting for a cue from the Election Commission on what to do next.

“The Ministry of Interior Affairs is ready to do whatever the [commission] informs us. There is no other agenda,” the general said.

On the same day, commission president Ittiporn Boonprakong said his agency must wait for the government to enact the Royal Decree before Election Day can be set.

“The EC will deliberate and designate the election date as soon as possible, but there is no particular date at the moment,” Ittiporn said. “It’s up to the date [set] by the Royal Decree.”

Although the junta has insisted since early last year that elections would be held Feb. 24, officials in recent days have walked back that promise. Key government leaders suggest the vote might be postponed to make way for a ceremony to crown King Vajiralongkorn, set to take place May 4-6. Election law stipulates voting must happen by May 9.

The growing uncertainty will likely fuel protests such as one planned at 5pm today at Ratchaprasong Intersection. Activists say they want to send a message that another delay is unacceptable.

2 Hungarians Die in Central Bangkok Car Crash

By

JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI

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8 January 2019, 12:39

Rescue workers at the scene of a car crash Monday night in Bangkok that killed two Hungarian men.

BANGKOK — Two Hungarian men died Monday night in downtown Bangkok after crashing their motorcycle into a van with enough force to topple it, injuring a Japanese passenger inside.

Police said the accident occurred at about 10:30pm at Ratchadamri Road in the Pathum Wan district. One 30-year-old man died on the scene, while another, 35, died later at a nearby hospital. The Japanese van passenger sustained serious injuries.

<span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span>The victims, all expats working in Bangkok, were found unconscious inside the overturned van, police said, including the motorcyclists.

Poemsak Yainoi, the van driver, told police that he was taking his Japanese boss home and was hit by a speeding motorcycle while turning right into an alley. He said the two men on the motorbike were propelled into the van through the windows after the crash.

NKorea Leader Arrives in China for Summit

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Associated Press

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8 January 2019, 11:34

In this Monday, Jan. 7, 2019, photo provided on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019 by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walks with his wife Ri Sol Ju at Pyongyang Station in Pyongyang, North Korea, before leaving for China. Photo: Korean Central News Agency / Korea News Service via AP

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is making a four-day trip to China, the North’s state media reported Tuesday, in what’s likely an effort by Kim to coordinate with his only major ally ahead of a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump that could happen early this year.

Kim departed for China on Monday afternoon with his wife Ri Sol Ju and other top officials, the North’s Korean Central News Agency said. It said Kim is visiting China at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

A long motorcade including motorcycle outrides reserved for state leaders has left a Beijing train station at about noon, shortly after the arrival of a train believed to be carrying Kim.

The train consisting of 20 to 25 cars — most of whose windows were blacked-out — pulled by two locomotives arrived in Beijing’s North Station along tracks lined by police and paramilitary troops. That followed the arrival of a three-car advance North Korean train.

South Korean media reported earlier that Kim’s distinctive armored train was expected to reach Beijing on Tuesday morning, which happens to be Kim’s birthday.

China’s official Xinhua News Agency issued a nearly identical report, while Beijing’s North Railway Station was cocooned in security, with dozens of police and paramilitary troops patrolling outside. What appeared to be official cars were seen driving past the security cordon into the station, although journalists on the scene were too far away to identify them clearly.

Kim is expected to stay at the highly secure Diaoyutai State Guest House in the capital’s west, with meetings held at the Great Hall of the People, the hulking seat of the legislature that sits next to Tiananmen Square.

The trip marked a further break with past practice in that it was announced in advance of Kim’s arrival, a possible sign of growing confidence on the part of North Korea and its most important ally, China.

After years of cool relations following Kim’s assumption of power 2011, ties have improved remarkably over the past year as Xi seeks to maintain his influence in the region.

Kim’s trip comes after U.S. and North Korean officials reportedly met in Vietnam to discuss the location of a second summit between Kim and Trump as the two nations look to settle the North’s decades-long pursuit of a nuclear arsenal.

Washington and Pyongyang seemed close to war at points during 2017 as the North staged a series of increasingly powerful weapons tests that got it tantalizingly close to its nuclear goal of one day targeting with pinpoint accuracy anywhere on the U.S. mainland

Possibly fearing the economic effect of crushing outside sanctions imposed because of his weapons’ tests, Kim abruptly turned to diplomacy with Seoul and Washington last year. Three times he visited China, which is North Korea’s most important trading partner and a key buffer against pressure from Washington.

But even after what was seen as a blockbuster summit between Kim and Trump in Singapore last June — the first-ever between the leaders of the war enemies — there’s been little real progress in nuclear disarmament.

Washington is pressing the North to offer up a detailed accounting of its nuclear arsenal, while Pyongyang says it has already done enough and it’s time for the U.S. to ease harsh international sanctions that hold back the North Korean economy.

Despite Trump’s repeated assurances that another summit will allow he and Kim to make a grand deal to settle the nuclear standoff and change a relationship marked by decades of animosity and mistrust, outside analysts are highly skeptical that the North will easily abandon a nuclear arsenal constructed in the face of deep poverty and likely seen by Kim as his only guarantee of regime survival.

Story: Foster Klug

Saudi Woman Leaves Bangkok Airport Under UN Care

By

JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI

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7 January 2019, 20:23

Rahaf Alqunun, at center, is escorted by immigration chief Surachate Hakparn, at right, Monday at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport. Photo: Immigration Bureau

BANGKOK — A runaway Saudi woman who barricaded herself inside a room at a Bangkok airport rather than be deported back to her family has left safely in UN care.

Thai authorities will allow 18-year-old Rahaf Alqunun into the country while the UNHCR processes her case after agency representatives were allowed to meet with her late Monday afternoon, according to Lt. Gen. Surachate Hakparn, immigration bureau chief.

After being allowed to meet Alqunun, the UNHCR on Monday agreed to place her under its care and process her for travel to another country, during which Thailand will allow her entry to the country, Surachate told reporters just after 8pm.

“She has left the airport with the UN,” he said. “She’s not being held by the immigration any longer.”

Read: ‘We Won’t Send Someone to Their Death,’ Thai Immigration Chief Says

He said that UNHCR had taken Alqunun from the airport to other accommodations in Bangkok and it will take about five days to find a country to accept her. Although she’ll be under care of the UN, Surachate said Thai authorities will also provide additional security to guarantee her safety.

He said if Alqunun’s father comes to Bangkok, she will be asked if she wants to see him. He added that Thailand will later hold talks with the Saudi Embassy regarding the situation.

The act of apparent cooperation with the UNHCR on behalf of Thailand is a break from routine policy. Requests for asylum cannot be made in Thailand as it is not a signatory to international conventions on refugees, nor does Bangkok recognize the legal status of those entering the kingdom.

Alqunun has gripped headlines around the world since she began tweeting Saturday that she had her passport taken while transiting through Suvarnabhumi Airport on her way to Australia. She said she had escaped years of abuse and feared for her life if returned to her family, which she fled while on vacation in Kuwait.

Thai immigration officials initially said they were cooperating with the Saudi government to return Alqunun to her family. After she resisted deportation this morning by barricading herself inside a hotel room at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Surachate came out to reverse course and say Thailand would not deport her against her will.

This is a developing story and may be updated without notice.

Students at Elite Bangkok School to Ditch Uniforms – For Now

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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7 January 2019, 19:13

Soon a thing of the past? Bangkok Christian College students pose for a photo in their uniforms in 2014. Image: Fivemorningtalk / Facebook

BANGKOK — Starting Tuesday, students at an all-boys school in Bangkok will be able to leave their uniforms at home and come to class in the clothes they want – once a week.

Bangkok Christian College announced Monday that the new policy is part of an experiment to see whether dress codes – or the lack thereof – would affect students’ ability to study and socialize.

“We’ve been discussing this for more than 10 years,” school director Suphakit Jitklongsub said. “There are studies from overseas that wearing private clothes can reduce pressure and encourage students to be more expressive.”

The experiment is set to repeat every Tuesday for a full semester, after which officials will assess the impact. The new policy applies to all Mathayom-level grades, he added. Supakit said some alumni have opposed the change but he stressed that they are a minority.

Acceptable clothing includes long-sleeve shirts and T-shirts, polo shirts, denim jackets and shorts. Tank tops are forbidden.

Uniforms are enforced in schools across Thailand, including even the “international schools” where Thai and foreign students follow non-Thai standard curricula. Education officials have long argued that uniforms are necessary to maintain order and promote equality, whereas critics say they promote conformity and stunt creativity.

Student activist leader Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal, who has called for uniforms to be abolished since his high school years, welcomed the news.

“I’m happy to see that such thing could happen in this era,” Netiwit, who now studies at Chulalongkorn University, said in an interview. “I didn’t know what changes would come this fast.”

The Sathorn Road campus of Bangkok Christian College – the country’s first private school – isn’t the first to come up with the groundbreaking policy, but it’s the highest-profile institution to take it as far. Satit Thammasat Secondary School started allowing its students to wear private clothing in 2014 but still mandated them every Monday and Thursday.

Chalam Attatham, a government education official overseeing private schools, said Bangkok Christian College is free to make its own policies, though he also urged the school to monitor the consequences of the new approach for any possible negative effects.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly asserted that the uniform-optional policy was planned for every school day through the semester. In fact, it is only on Tuesdays for the duration of the current term.

Army Chief Appointed to Crown Property Board

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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7 January 2019, 16:45

A file photo of Gen. Apirat Kongsompong.

BANGKOK — His Majesty the King has named the current commander-in-chief of the army to the body overseeing royal properties, according to an order published in the royal gazette.

The order, signed by King Vajiralongkorn on Saturday and published yesterday, appointed Gen. Apirat Kongsompong and another longtime civil servant to the Crown Property Bureau’s executive board, which will now number 11 people.

The other appointee is Ampon Kittiampon, a former Thai Airways executive who served as an economic advisor to at least seven past governments.

The bureau is in charge of managing His Majesty the King’s vast wealth and assets. It has undergone several legal changes in recent years. The latest legal amendment made His Majesty the King the final arbiter in disputes over what is considered royal property.

New Crown Property Law Comes Into Effect

‘We Won’t Send Someone to Their Death,’ Thai Immigration Chief Says

By

Todd Ruiz, Editor

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7 January 2019, 16:05

Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun in a still image from a video. Photo: Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun / Human Rights Watch via Associated Press

SAMUT PRAKAN — The head of Thailand’s Immigration Bureau said a Saudi woman who fled her family to seek asylum in Australia will not be forcibly deported.

Speaking at the Bangkok airport where Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun refused to board a flight this morning back to the family she fled, Lt. Gen. Surachate Hakparn said just after 4pm that Thailand has reversed course and will not deport her against her will.

“If deporting her would result in her death, we definitely wouldn’t want to do that,” he said. Asked if about Saudi Arabia’s death penalty for renouncing Islam, he said “their laws are like that.”

“Since Thailand is the Land of Smiles, of course we won’t send someone to their death,” he added.

Representatives from the UNHCR would be able to talk to her at 5pm, he announced.

Thailand’s relations with Saudi Arabia – the two kingdoms have not enjoyed full diplomatic status since 1989 – were important considerations, Lt. Gen. Surachate said.

Update: Saudi Woman Leaves Bangkok Airport Under UN Care

“The important thing we have to keep in mind is maintaining diplomatic relations, and also her safety as well,” he said.

Police have cordoned off the Miracle Transit Hotel at Suvarnabhumi International Airport after Alqunun this morning refused to leave her room and board an 11:15am Kuwaiti Airlines flight.

Alqunun’s father was said to be on his way to Bangkok and expected to arrive tonight.

“Fifty-fifty her father is coming,” Surachate said. “If she doesn’t want to go with her father, we cannot force her to go.”

At 4:50pm, Rahaf live streamed video on Twitter showing the room where she has barricaded herself inside.

I wil still here until UN helps me https://t.co/HUFiSodcFC

— Rahaf Mohammed رهف محمد القنون (@rahaf84427714) January 7, 2019

This morning, Pruettipong Prayonsiri, commander of the Immigration Bureau’s airport division, said police were working with Saudi Arabia’s embassy to send her back to her family.

“Wherever they came from, they have to go back there. If someone came from China, then they have to return to China. If they came from Japan, they have to come from Japan. They can’t go to a third country,” Maj. Gen. Pruettipong said.

Alqunun says she was fleeing years of abuse at the hands of her family and faces death if she is deported. She began tweeting late Saturday after Thai authorities stopped her in transit from Kuwait. She possesses a visa for Australia, where she was planning to seek asylum.

“She’s not a refugee. She’s a child, and her guardians want her back,” Pruettipong said. “The embassy did all the work with us.”

Reporting Asaree Thaitrakulpanich, Jintamas Saksornchai

Pabuk Leaves 4 Dead, Billions of Baht in Damage

By

JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI

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7 January 2019, 14:07

BANGKOK — The first tropical storm to hit the south in decades killed at least four people and left over 3 billion baht of destruction in its wake.

Officials credit the evacuation of roughly 700,000 people in eight provinces for minimizing the human toll of Tropical Storm Pabuk, which battered Thailand’s southern coasts this past weekend. The death toll for now stands at four after a missing fisherman’s body was found Sunday on a beach of Pattani province.

Not counted among the official casualties in Nakhon Si Thammarat and Pattani was a 91-year-old woman who died of an infection yesterday in a Chumphon province shelter awaiting the all-clear sign to return home. A Russian tourist drowned Wednesday on Koh Samui while trying to rescue his daughter swept from the beach by strong waves. The girl survived.

The storm made landfall Thursday before weakening to a tropical depression and crossing over to the Andaman Sea on Saturday.

Nakhon Si Thammarat bore the brunt of the storm after its eye made landfall there Friday, flooding up to 23 districts, while 11 districts in Pattani were under water, according to Chayapol Thitisak, director-general of the disaster department.

Torrential rain, strong winds and high waves caused flash floods, damaged houses and cut power lines. Airports and ferry services were shut down leaving thousands of tourists stranded at popular destinations including Koh Samui, Koh Tao and Koh Phangan.

Nithi Siprae, top regional tourism official, said he expects a minor impact on the industry, as this period is peak season for the Andaman region while the storm mostly damaged the Gulf coast.

Worasit Phongkampan of the Koh Samui Tourism Association said the storm could cost the island over 100 million baht in revenues.

According to Nithi, tourism in the south generated about 800 billion baht last year, a 13 percent increase over last year.

The fisheries sector is estimated to have lost more than 1.2 billion baht over the five days affected by the storm, while the cost to agriculture could rise to 2 billion baht, representatives said.

The Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry promised to compensate farmers and fishers affected by the storm, including damages to crops, fields, livestock and vessels. The Industry Ministry also announced measures including exemption of annual fees to affected factories and special loans with marketing consultation for local businesses.

The Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency predicted that there’s less than a 5 percent chance that Thailand will be hit directly by another tropical storm this year.

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Election Must Come Before Coronation, Protest Leader Says

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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7 January 2019, 13:32

Protesters rally Sunday against possible delay of Feb. 24 election.

BANGKOK — Crowning King Vajiralongkorn is no justification for delaying general elections, a leading pro-democracy activist said Monday while announcing a protest to demand that the poll be held next month.

Though hardline royalists insist the election, initially set for Feb. 24, must be postponed again to make way for coronation ceremonies in May, Nuttaa Mahattana warned that another delay might push it outside the legal timeframe altogether. Election laws require voting take place by May 9.

“If we delay it again, it might go beyond the 150-day timeframe,” Nuttaa said, referring to the deadline based on the law’s effective date of Dec. 10. “If it misses that time frame, there might be complaints, and the election might be voided.”

Read: #DelayMyAss: Thainet Just Can’t With Another Election Delay

Thailand’s last election was annulled by a court in May 2014 on the grounds that voting did not take place on the same day nationwide due to to anti-government protesters blocking many voting booths.

“If this election is voided, we won’t have any time frame to hold to anymore. The delay will become a matter of infinity,” the activist said.

Nuttaa, a leader of the Democracy Restoration Group, said a rally will be held at 5pm on Tuesday at Ratchaprasong Intersection.

Protesters also gathered yesterday at the Victory Monument and today at the Election Commission office to deliver their message.

คนอยากเลือกตั้ง ๑๙๐๑๐๗ 0006 — Protesters rally Monday against possible delay of Feb. 24 election.

The fate of the Feb. 24 election, which seemed set in stone when voting regulations were enacted in December, appeared to drift into uncertainty yet again after the palace announced King Rama X’s coronation would take place May 4.

The announcement prompted some hardliners to advocate delaying the election until after the coronation ceremonies are over.

“In the period leading up to the royal ceremonies, which are great blessings to the country and its people, there should not be a political election, because it will be a cause of conflicts, disputes and a lack of unity and reconciliation,” Rangsit University dean Arthit Ourairat wrote online.

He was joined by royalist general Rienthong Nanna who has lambasted pro-democracy activists for disrespecting the monarchy by calling for an election to be held before the coronation.

“You don’t care when and how the royal ceremonies of coronation … will take place. You only want an election without delay,” Rienthong, who’s director of a private hospital and founder of a royalist group, wrote online. “Let me warn you that this is the Kingdom of Thailand where the king is the head of the state. Please show respect.”

Chulcherm Yugala, a distant relative of King Rama V, also advocated for a delay.

“The Election Commission should postpone the election to May 19, 2019, after the coronation ceremonies are over. This is the most appropriate action,” he wrote online, adding that it’s his “personal opinion.”

Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam told reporters today that the election must be held by May 9 as the law requires, with no possible exception. He also advised the Election Commission to complete ballot counting by that date to avoid any possible legal dispute.

The junta’s promises to stage elections have been made and broken repeatedly since the 2014 coup. Word that voting may not take place next month drew outrage on social media, where many took up the hashtag #DelayMyAss to express their anger.

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Get Japanese Feels as Traveling Film Fest Hits Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket

By

Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

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7 January 2019, 13:11

BANGKOK — Indulge in the unique culture of the Land of the Rising Sun when the Japanese Film Festival returns later this month.

Going strong on the 132nd anniversary of Thai-Japanese friendship, the annual fest will see 12 diverse films, from dramas and comedies to thrillers and anime, hit screens in three provinces: Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket.

Highlights include a dramatized look at a high-stakes photo competition in “Shashin Koshien Summer in 0.5 Seconds,” which portrays dedicated high-schoolers willing to do anything to win. Director Hiroshi Sugawara will join a panel discussion on Jan. 27.

Three live action film adaptations of manga series “Chihayafuru” will be screening with a presence of director Norihiro Koizumi. He will join a panel discussion on Jan. 26.

Cinephiles with a yen for non-fiction can take in “Life is Fruity,” a documentary, which recently won the Kinema Jumpo Award for best film (Cultural Section. It examines the zen-like lifestyle of 90-year-old architect Shuichi Tsubata and his 87-year-old wife, who live harmoniously with nature.

The magic of childhood comes alive in “Mirai.” The anime fantasy depicts a 4-year-old boy who can travel through time with the help of a teen girl named Mirai. It premiered at Cannes last year.

Thrill-seekers can head out for “The Crimes That Bind,” a murder mystery based on a best-selling novel by author Keigo Higashino. After a dead woman’s body is found in an abandoned flat, the investigator becomes personally involved when he is reminded of his own mother’s disappearance.

Take a slice of Japanese humor from dark comedy “The Scythian Lamb.” Six ex-convicts and murderers live in a peaceful, seaside town. Everything goes well until a body is discovered in the water and the new citizens are suspects again.

The festival is also a chance to see Korean-Japanese screenwriter Chong Wishing’s debut film “Yakiniku Dragon.” It’s a family drama centered around a Korean migrant family in the ‘70s that opens a yakiniku restaurant in the outskirts of Osaka.

The festival kicks off in Bangkok on Jan. 24 and continues through Feb. 3 at SF World Cinema inside CentralWorld. After that, it travels to Chiang Mai from Feb. 8 until Feb. 10 at the Maya Lifestyle Shopping Center. From Feb. 22 until Feb. 24, it will have a run at Central Festival Phuket.

Tickets are 120 baht in Bangkok and 80 baht in Chiang Mai and Phuket. They can be booked online starting Jan. 14. Check out the film schedule online.

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