Coronation to Come After Election, Prayuth Says

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4 December 2018, 17:11

Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha speaks to reporters Tuesday at the Government House.

BANGKOK — His Majesty the King’s coronation ceremony will likely take place after the election, junta chairman Prayuth Chan-ocha said Tuesday.

Gen. Prayuth said after a cabinet meeting that the government hasn’t received orders from King Vajiralongkorn regarding the event to formally elevate him to the throne. Prayuth added that he thinks it will be “soon” without mentioning any date.

“I’m not promising anything. I just wanted to remind people who’re forgetting about this,” he said.

“The election will come first,” Prayuth said when reporters asked if the ceremony would happen after polls slated for February.

Prayuth in June said the election could only happen after the coronation, then said last month that the schedule would be entirely up to the king.

Bearcat Poaching Case Handed to Prosecutors

By

JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI

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4 December 2018, 16:00

A machete and hunting gear discovered along with four bearcat paws Oct. 7 at Sai Yok National Park, Kanchanaburi province.

KANCHANABURI — Police on Tuesday forwarded to prosecutors the case against 14 suspects – including a government official – over poaching a bearcat in a national park.

With the 1,365-page case file delivered, Kanchanaburi police chief said the party were charged with 17 counts related to firearms possession and poaching a protected animal. Among them is Watcharachai Sameerak, permanent secretary of a provincial district, who got 14 charges.

The group was arrested in October at the Sai Yok National Park after rangers found them with hunting gear and severed bearcat paws. An animal jaw and skin, as well as bullet shells and a machete were later uncovered near Tao Dam monastery, where the group claimed to be bound to make merit.

Sompoch Limtrakul, director-general of the regional prosecutor’s office, said he expects the prosecution team to finish reviewing the case by next week.

Another high-profile poaching case against construction mogul Premchai Karnasuta is ongoing. The trial began last month after he was also arrested in a Kanchanaburi national park over accusations of poaching and eating a black panther earlier this year.

Poaching Suspect Says He Lent Rifle to Kill Bearcat: Police

Poaching Suspects Post Bail as Park Rangers Seek More Evidence

Jaw, Skin Found at Park Where 12 Were Charged With Poaching

Govt Official Among 12 Charged With Poaching in Kanchanaburi

EU Court Adviser Says Britain Can Stop Brexit

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Associated Press

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4 December 2018, 15:59

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May sits below a painting of the country's first Prime Minister Robert Walpole in 2017 in 10 Downing Street, London. Photo: Christopher Furlong / Associated Press

LONDON — A top official at the European Union’s highest court advised Tuesday that Britain can unilaterally change its mind about leaving the EU.

Advocate General Manuel Campos Sanchez-Bordona told the European Court of Justice that a decision by the British government to change its mind about invoking Article 50 would be legally valid. The advice of the advocate general is often, but not always, followed by the full court.

The court is assessing the issue under an accelerated procedure, since Britain is due to leave the bloc on March 29. The final verdict is expected within weeks.

Since Article 50 of the EU treaty of Lisbon dealing with departing members is scant on details – largely because the idea of any country leaving the bloc was considered unlikely – a group of Scottish legislators wants to know whether the U.K. can pull out of the withdrawal procedure on its own.

In a much anticipated opinion, the advocate general said that Article 50 “allows the unilateral revocation of the notification of the intention to withdraw from the EU.”

The advice gives British advocates of staying in the EU hope that the 2016 decision to leave can still be overturned. The EU Commission and Council are against a unilateral revocation of a decision to leave and have called for additional unanimous agreement of the remaining.

The case comes as pressure builds from Brexit opponents for a second referendum on the decision to leave the bloc.

In London, British Prime Minister Theresa May is putting the fate of her Brexit deal in Parliament’s hands, saying lawmakers must back it to deliver on voters’ 2016 decision to leave the European Union and “create a new role for our country in the world.”

May is due to address Parliament Tuesday, opening five days of debate before a Dec. 11 vote on the divorce agreement.

Defeat would leave the U.K. facing a chaotic “no-deal” Brexit on March 29 and could topple the prime minister, her government, or both.

Before the debate, May’s government faces another showdown with lawmakers over legal advice about the Brexit deal. Lawmakers are voting on a motion finding the government in contempt of Parliament for refusing to publish the full guidance from Attorney General Geoffrey Cox.

Story: Jill Lawless, Raf Casert

Thai Filmmakers Predict Country’s Future in ‘10 Years Thailand’

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Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

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4 December 2018, 13:26

BANGKOK — A Thai movie which speculates about the future of the country in the next decade was approved by the censor board Monday and will screen at cinemas nationwide next week.

The crew behind “10 Years Thailand” released its official trailer Tuesday, one day after the thought-provoking film passed the state censors rated for audiences over 13.

The 95-minute film is an anthology made by four Thai filmmakers – Aditya Assarat, Wisit Sasanatieng, Chulayarnon Siriphol and the internationally known Apichatpong Weerasethakul – who each offer a speculative episode about how Thailand will look in a decade.

The first episode is Aditya’s “Sunset,” shot in black and white. It shows soldiers visiting an art gallery to make sure there is nothing exhibited that causes conflict. At the same time, an army van driver wants to speak to the gallery’s cleaning lady.

Wisit offers his “Catopia,” circling around the last human who lives in a world dominated by cats.

Chulayarnnon presents “Planetarium,” which explores a world in which The New Youth crews are trained to bring in citizens who do not follow the country’s rules to undergo special treatment to correct their mistakes.

Cannes winner Apichatpong returns to his hometown Khon Kaen when he tells a story through “Song of the City,” where the town is under the watchful eyes of Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat’s statue. People’s pastime is to reminisce about the past and talk about new plans.

Selected to screen at the Cannes Film Festival in May, “10 Years Thailand” will premiere at cinemas nationwide Dec. 13. The film will screen with English subtitles.

In Bangkok, it will show at SF Cinema and Major Cineplex theaters, House RCA and Bangkok Screening Room. Outside the capital it will go to Pathum Thani, Phuket, Nakhon Ratchasima, Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen, Chonburi, Udon Thani and Maha Sarakham.

The movie is a Thai spinoff of “Ten Years” (2015), a dystopian film that speculates about the future of Hong Kong under mainland Chinese rule in 2025.

Images of 2018: Photographers Capture a World in Motion

By

Associated Press

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4 December 2018, 12:51

Donald Trump, Kim Jong Un — President Donald Trump meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Sentosa Island in Singapore on June 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

A human tide of would-be Americans, rolling toward the border. American rockets streaking across the darkness over Damascus. Students fleeing a gunman at a Florida high school, their hands raised in the air.

Associated Press photographers were there to record a world in constant motion in 2018. Some of it was huge, and destructive – lava pouring from a Filipino volcano, the leveling of Indonesian neighborhoods by an earthquake, the wildfires that raced across California. Some of it was human scaled, but no less epic – disgraced comedian Bill Cosby being led in handcuffs from a Pennsylvania correctional facility; an angry crowd carrying a wounded youth during clashes with Israeli troops in Gaza.

But the AP was also there when the world stopped, at least for a moment. President Donald Trump’s hands grasp instructions on what to say to participants at a meeting on school shootings (“I hear you”). Dressed entirely in red, the Queen of Soul rests in her coffin. And girls weep in the aftermath of the rampage at a Pittsburgh synagogue that left 11 dead and countless hearts broken.

AP18336478517561 — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in cross the military demarcation line at the border village of Panmunjom in Demilitarized Zone on April 27, 2018. (Korea Summit Press Pool via AP)

AP18336477621674 — Lava from the Kilauea volcano flows near the Puna Geothermal Venture power plant in Pahoa, Hawaii, on June 10, 2018. (AP Photo/L.E. Baskow)

AP18336472394389 — Members of a migrant caravan bound for the United States rest on a road between the Mexican states of Chiapas and Oaxaca after federal police briefly blocked them outside the town of Arriaga, on Oct. 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

AP18336477721519 — World leaders, from left, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Morocco’s Prince Moulay Hassan, Moroccan King Mohammed VI, U.S. first lady Melania Trump, U.S. President Donald Trump, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Australian Governor-General Peter Cosgrove attend a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris as part of the commemorations marking the 100th anniversary of the Nov. 11, 1918, armistice, which ended World War I, on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)

AP18336475133201 — Lava flows down the slopes of the Mayon volcano in the Philippines, seen from Legazpi city, 340 kilometers (210 miles) southeast of Manila, on Jan. 16, 2018. (AP Photo/Dan Amaranto)

AP18336474059242 — A plane drops fire retardant behind homes along McVicker Canyon Park Road in Lake Elsinore, Calif., as the Holy Fire burned near homes on Aug. 8, 2018. (Mark Rightmire/The Orange County Register via AP)

AP18336473074371 — Hessah al-Ajaji drives her car down busy Tahlia Street after midnight for the first time in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh on June 24, 2018, just minutes after the world’s last remaining ban on women driving was lifted. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

AP18336474038296 — Embers fly above a firefighter hustling to control a backfire as the Delta Fire burns in the California’s Shasta-Trinity National Forest on Sept. 6, 2018. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

AP18336480119726 — A zoo worker plays with a 5-month-old panda at the Malaysia Zoo in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on May 26, 2018. The female panda, which has not yet been named, is the second offspring of giant pandas Liang Liang and Xing Xing, who have been on a 10-year loan to Malaysia from China since 2014. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

AP18336473056126 — Surface to air missile fire lights up the sky over Damascus at the U.S. launches an attack on Syria early on April 14, 2018. U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the airstrikes in retaliation for Syria’s alleged use of chemical weapons. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Pisan Akaraseranee, Symbol of Thai Soap Opera ‘Bad Boy,’ Dies at 73

By

JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI

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4 December 2018, 12:31

BANGKOK — Pisan Akaraseranee, renowned actor-director of Thailand’s ‘80s to ‘90s TV and film industry, died Tuesday. He was 73.

Pisan died of heart failure at about 2am at the Saint Louis Hospital in Bangkok, according to a family representative.

He was best known for his melodramatic acting and directing style, often involving male protagonists abusive toward their female counterparts, only for both to fall in love with each other in the end. He was nicknamed “sadist actor” and “sadist director” for his lifetime works.

Pisan – whose brother Kitti Akaraseranee was also a famed director – began starring in television dramas and films from the 1960s, and started directing about a decade later. He was most active from the 1980s to the 1990s and directed more than 100 TV soaps and dozens of films.

In the Thai entertainment awards, he won Best Director for his 1986 film “Pissawas Satan,” Best Actor for his role in the 1987 Thai adaptation of “Death of a Salesman” and Best Supporting Actor of another TV drama in the following year.

One of his most memorable works as a director was 1985 film “The Last Song” (Pleng Sood Tai), telling the ill-fated tale of a transgender woman’s rise to stardom as a transvestite cabaret artist in Pattaya.

Born June 21, 1945 in Bangkok, Pisan is survived by his wife Sudarak Akaraseranee and four children, including actress Phiyada Jutharattanakul and director Akaraphol Akaraseranee.

Ballon d’Or 1sts: Modric Wins, Hegerberg Takes Women’s Award

By

Associated Press

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4 December 2018, 11:53

Olympique Lyonnais' Ada Hegerberg with the Women's Ballon d'Or, center, poses with Real Madrid's Luka Modric, with the Ballon d'Or, left, and Paris St Germain's Kylian Mbappe with the Kopa Trophy, right, during the Golden Ball award ceremony Monday at the Grand Palais in Paris, France. Photo: Christophe Ena / Associated Press

PARIS — Luka Modric ended the long reign of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo by winning the Ballon d’Or for the first time on Monday, while another first saw Norwegian forward Ada Hegerberg win the inaugural women’s trophy.

Messi and Ronaldo had won every Ballon d’Or since 2008, and usually fought only each other for the greatest recognition among soccer’s elite. Women’s fight for recognition on the biggest stage took a big step with Hegerberg’s award.

Modric won the Champions League with Real Madrid and then guided Croatia to the World Cup final in July. The midfielder was voted player of the tournament.

“As a kid we all have dreams. My dream was to play for a big club and win important trophies,” Modric said. “The Ballon d’Or was more than just a dream for me and it is really an honor and a privilege to hold this trophy.”

Ronaldo was second in the polling followed by France forward Antoine Griezmann. France’s teen star, Kylian Mbappe, was fourth. Brazil star Neymar was third last year but only 12th this time. Messi was fifth in the voting, having been runner-up to Ronaldo the past two years and in the top three every year since 2007. Modric had never previously been in the top three.

“2018 is a dream year for me,” the 33-year-old Modric said. “Throughout my career I realized hard work, persistence and belief in yourself in difficult moments are the foundations of success.”

Modric’s father was shown on the big screen wiping away tears during the ceremony at the imperious Grand Palais in Paris.

Ronaldo missed out on a record sixth award, which would have moved him one ahead of Messi. The last player to win it before those two started dominating world soccer awards was Brazil midfielder Kaka with AC Milan in 2007.

Ronaldo also won the Champions League last season with Modric, before leaving to join Juventus. He scored a hat trick against Spain at the World Cup but he failed to make an impression when Portugal lost to Uruguay in the round of 16.

Mbappe and Griezmann scored in the 4-2 World Cup final win against Croatia. Mbappe earned a domestic treble with Paris Saint-Germain. Griezmann also scored twice for Atletico Madrid in the Europa League final win against Marseille.

France coach Didier Deschamps said a France player should have won the award.

“They deserve it because of what they did with the national team at the World Cup and also because of the trophies they won with their clubs,” Deschamps said.

The 19-year-old Mbappe – the youngest player to score in a World Cup final – won the Raymond Kopa Trophy awarded to the best young player.

France Football magazine has been awarding the Ballon d’Or since 1956, and created a women’s award for the first time this year.

Hegerberg is a three-time Women’s Champions League winner with French side Lyon and scored a tournament-record 15 times last season.

“I want to say thanks to France Football. It’s a huge step for women’s football,” Hegerberg said. “I want to end this speech with a message to all young girls in the world. Believe in yourselves.”

The outspoken 23-year-old Hegerberg said she won’t play for Norway at the Women’s World Cup in France next June.

Taking a stand against what she describes as a lack of respect for female players in Norway, she hasn’t played for the national team since 2017 when it crashed out of the group stage of the Women’s European Championship without scoring a goal.

Speaking in an interview shortly before collecting her Ballon d’Or, Hegerberg told The Associated Press on Monday she has no plans to reconsider her decision taken to preserve her “authenticity and my values, as a person, as a footballer.”

“A lot of things need to be done to make the conditions better for women who play football,” she said. “It’s all about how we respect women’s football. I don’t think the respect has been there.

“Sometimes you have to take tough decisions to stay true to yourself. I let them know, quite clearly, what I found wasn’t working.”

Story: John Pugmire, Jerome Leicester

Bangkok, Phuket Host Film Fest to Raise Awareness About Ocean

By

Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

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4 December 2018, 11:34

BANGKOK — An art space in western Bangkok will screen movies to raise awareness about protecting the sea next week.

Bangkok Ocean in Motion Film Festival returns to the capital for the second year. This year’s event will present features and short documentaries portraying the ocean, its environment and the issues that surround it.

The films include “Scarlet’s Tale,” about a bond between a man and a great white shark who took his leg. “Penguin Protectors” follows a group of dedicated people in South Africa who try to save the African penguin from extinction.

The story of a whale sculpture made from tons of plastic in the heart of Belgium’s Bruges will be told in “The Making of Skyscraper.” The full schedule is available online.

Films will be screened with Thai subtitles.

Organized by non-profit Ocean Recovery Alliance, Tourism Authority of Thailand, UN Environment and more, the festival will start at 7pm on Dec. 14 and Dec. 15 at Bangkok’s Changchui.

Those in Phuket will also get a chance to attend the festival, as it runs Dec. 12 at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort and Spa and Dec. 13 at Cafe Del Mar. Both shows will start at 7pm.

CP Foods Certified World Class IT Standards

By

Khaosod English

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4 December 2018, 11:20

Charoen Pokphand Foods (CP Foods) announced that Charoen Pokphand Malaysia (CP Malaysia) recently certified two ISO standards for IT systems while CP Foods IT center is certified SAM Certificate by Microsoft.

Mr. Praderm Chotisuparach, Executive Vice President – Computer Office of CP Foods, announced that BSI (British Standards Institution) Malaysia, a well-known certification body in Malaysia, has certified CP Malaysia on ISO27001: 2013, a certification for Information Security Management Systems (ISMS) and ISO20000: 2011 that provides the standardization for IT Service Management (ITSM). Moreover, CP Foods IT Center is now certified Software Asset Management (SAM Certificate) by Microsoft Operations Pte Ltd.

Mr.Praderm explained that ISO27001 reflected the operational excellence in information assets security while being certified on ISO20000: 2011 means the quality of company’s IT service has met users and consumers’ expectations.

“Information security is vital for the business. We need to be sure that the company’s information, especially our customer data, remains confidential.” Mr. Praderm said, stressing importance of IT security in a digital economy.

CP Foods IT service is focusing on consumer experience enhancement by moving toward innovative services to provide consumer satisfaction in a timely manner.

Beside ISO standard certifications in Malaysia, the IT center also received SAM Certificate from Microsoft Operations Pte Ltd. for the effectiveness of its software assets management, ensuring the integrity, security as well as reducing cost of operation from software duplications. The company has adopted software management system since 2010.

“Software Asset Management has improved the efficiency of CP Foods’ IT works. It helps us to reduce cost of operation and ensure that CP Foods’ software licenses is compliant,” he said. “The company strives to maintain the standard of software management to make our stakeholders confident in our integrity and good governance.”

Asian Stocks Slip on Worries Over US-China Tariffs Truce

By

Associated Press

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4 December 2018, 10:50

A bank employee stands near screens showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), left, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room in July in Seoul, South Korea. Photo: Lee Jin-man / Associated Press

SINGAPORE — Asian shares were mostly lower Tuesday as investors wondered if a 90-day tariff truce was enough for the U.S. and China to resolve a range of issues from technology development to trade.

Keeping Score

Thailand’s SET was up 0.01 percent Tuesday morning, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index shed 0.7 percent in early trading to 22,418.87 and the Kospi in South Korea lost 0.4 percent to 2,122.53. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dropped 0.2 percent to 27,139.87 while the Shanghai Composite index added 0.1 percent to 2,657.35. Both Chinese indexes finished more than 2 percent higher on Monday. The S&P ASX/200 in Australia gave up 0.7 percent to 5,729.40. Shares fell in Taiwan and Singapore but rose in Indonesia and the Philippines.

Wall Street

A cease-fire in a trade dispute between the world’s two largest economies lifted major U.S. indexes on Monday. The S&P 500 index jumped 1.1 percent to 2,790.37, after gaining close to 5 percent last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 1.1 percent higher at 25,826.43. The Nasdaq composite added 1.5 percent to 7,441.51. The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks picked up 1 percent to 1,548.96.

US-China Truce

On Saturday, a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping ended with a verbal agreement to hold off on further tariffs for at least 90 days. Trump was set to raise tariffs from 10 to 25 percent on USD$200 billion in Chinese goods, starting Jan. 1. In return, the White House said Xi will buy a “very substantial amount” of U.S. agricultural, energy and industrial products. On Monday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told reporters that the leaders had detailed conversations on 142 items and will need to turn pointers into a “real agreement” in the coming months.

Analyst’s Take

“Markets are reflecting a fragile truce between the U.S. and China after an initial sigh of relief. Investors are taking some money off the table as they figure out the details of what the leaders have agreed to and how long the truce can last,” said Song Seng Wun, an economist at CIMB Private Banking.

Energy

Oil prices are rallying ahead of an OPEC meeting on Thursday, where members are expected to cut output in 2019. News that the Canadian province of Alberta will cut production by 325,000 barrels a day also boosted sentiment. Benchmark U.S. crude gained 51 cents to $53.46 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It added $2.02 to settle at $52.95 a barrel on Monday. Brent crude rose 52 cents to $62.21 per barrel. It ticked up $2.23 to $61.69 a barrel in London.

Currencies

The dollar weakened to 113.34 yen from 113.63 yen late Monday. The euro rose to $1.1367 from $1.1353.

Story: Annabelle Liang

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