Update Sept. 14: JJ Green Market’s vendors must move out by Sunday, Sept. 16, according to Bangkok Metropolitan Administrative.
BANGKOK — Despite a Bangkok Metropolitan Administration order calling on all vendors to vacate JJ Green Market property by Wednesday, the market representative said its last day will be postponed by a month.
On Wednesday a legal representative of JJ Green Market said the capital city’s famous night market will remain open to the public until Oct. 12.
“[Bangkok Metropolitan Administration] cannot just order us to leave on a certain date because we already made a deal with the contractor that we will return the property to them on Oct. 12,” said a lawyer who represents V Multimedia company, the market’s operator. He declined to give his name.
“Every vendor agrees to move out but it must be done humanely,” the lawyer said. “Along with the demolition, the vendors should be able to sell things to earn some money too.”
According to the representative by phone, the market at the moment opens at night on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Although it’s the rainy season, he said it’s still worthwhile for visitors to go to the market due to the clearance sales.
“A T-shirt that’s usually 200 baht is now only 50 baht. Even the furniture is being sold at a very low price because owners doesn’t want to carry it out of the property,” the man said.
The 21-rai (3.1 hectares) space will be returned to the Queen Sirikit Park Foundation for the construction of a much larger park which will combine Wachirabenchathat Park (Suan Rodfai), Queen Sirikit Park and Chatuchak Park. The three parks combined will stretch over 727 rai (116 hectares.)
Hundreds of vendors sell genuine vintage items and secondhand clothes at the iconic flea market. The venue also offers street food stalls, restaurants and bars with live music.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha speaks to reporters in September in Bangkok.
BANGKOK — His Majesty the King on Wednesday signed into the law the regulations governing the upcoming general election, bringing Thailand one step closer to next year’s poll.
Published on the Royal Gazette, the laws on the electionand selectionprocedures for MPs and Senators, respectively, dictate that an election date must be formally announced between 90 days and 240 days from now. The government has previously said the next election could take place as early as Feb. 24, 2019.
The two bills will come to effect 90 days from now, or Dec. 11.
It’s the closest Thailand has come to holding an election since the military junta seized power in 2014. The ruling regime repeatedly postponed all previous pledges to a poll.
Correction: Information about when an election date must be set has been revised.
BANGKOK — His name is Boy. He seems the typical, school activity-loving Chulalongkorn University student. At the recent Chula-Thammasat annual football game, he was even at the parade in formal garb, holding a “Long Live the King” sign.
Except Sakol “Boy” Aiemsaard isn’t really a student at the economics faculty. In fact, he isn’t a Chulalongkorn student at all.
Following a coordinated online effort, the public uncovered that Sakol had been pretending to be enrolled in various elite educational institutions since 2011 – wearing uniforms, going to class and making friends. However, his lies have caught up with him, as impersonating state university students is a criminal offense.
“There’s a lot of viral stuff going on. I understand why. I can admit to some of it, but not all of it. Give me some time to gather some evidence to so that I have some weight for my trustworthiness, and I will answer your questions,” Sakol wrote in a message to a Channel 3 talkshow at noon on Wednesday.
Calls to Sakol went unanswered as of Wednesday afternoon.
Sakol “Boy” Aiemsaard, left, in 2017 at the Chulalongkorn University-Thammasat University football match parade.
Among the institutions he claimed to have attended are Suan Kularb and Triam Udom schools, Burapha University and Thammasat University.
According to Thai law in Section 69 of the Chulalongkorn University Act of 1998, wearing Chula uniforms, graduation attires or accessories without “having the right to” is punishable by up to six months in prison and a fine of up to ฿50,000. The university said it plans to take action.
A photo from Sakol’s deleted Instagram of him doing school activities as a third-year economics student at Chula.
“We found no evidence that a person by the name of Boy Sakol is a Chula student,” Chaiyaphat Phuprasert, vice president of university student affairs said Tuesday. “He registered for some activities, but he used the student codes of other students.”
Chaiyaphat said the university was gathering evidence to file a complaint against Sakol for impersonating a student and damaging the university’s reputation.
Noppharat Thammatatto, a fourth-year science Chula student, used to be Sakol’s roommate, and told the press on Monday that he wore the uniform and went to class every day for years.
“I don’t know why he’s lying,” Noppharat said.
A Chula friend of Sakol’s, Tararis Nrohtas, posteda viral album that detailed Boy’s habits and included an open message to him.
Sakol with a group of Chula students at the university’s central library.
“Boy, does doing this make you happy? Did you ever think of the fallout from doing this?” Tararis wrote. “Is it worth it for the compliments based on fake, temporary things in your imagination? It’s good to be called rich or smart, but your real personality is more important.”
Noppharat also said Sakol told him an elaborate story about his education record: he had moved from Thammasat to Burapha to Chula after being accused of stealing hundreds of thousands baht worth in class funds. At Chula, he said he changed faculties from accounting to economics after a year.
Sathian Puranawit, vice president of student affairs at Burapha University, confirmed that Sakol had enrolled at the engineering faculty in 2014, but was dropped after a year due to poor grades. “We do not have any policy for students to collect money from each other,” he said, referring to the class funds that Sakol allegedly ran off with.
A screenshot of Sakol’s deleted Instagram.
The matter was brought to attention through the #BoySakolhashtag on Twitter and legal watchdog Facebook page Drama Lawyer. Twitter users, including students from the institutions he claimed to have attended, came together to say he had tricked many into believing he was one of them.
“He is a kid from Chachoengsao who went to a local provincial school and didn’t do especially well in middle school, so he didn’t have a chance to go to high school there. Then he gained this need to climb up the ladder to the stars and be accepted,” @thewayar_ wrote in a widely-disseminated tweet. “Think of how many groups of people he’s lied to, and the effects of each lie.”
Sakol has since deleted all of his social media channels.
While the internet waits for Sakol to share his side of the story, they’ve given “Boy Sakol” a tagline: “Catch Me If You Can,” after the 2002 crime film that stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a conman.
Suwit Thongprasert waves to his supporters Wednesday at the court.
BANGKOK — A former monk known for leading an anti-government campaign in 2014 entered a guilty plea Wednesday to the allegation that he ordered two policemen beaten during the protest.
Suwit Thongprasert, formerly known as Buddha Issara, was charged with numerous offenses for the assault, which took place during the height of the protest to topple then-Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. The 59-year-old is due to be sentenced in October.
Prosecutors said Suwit, who was leading a hardline faction of protesters at the time, ordered his guards to blindfold and beat up two undercover policemen after they were caught spying on their camp in February 2014.
For the attack, Suwit was charged with assaulting law enforcement officials and illegal detention. A verdict will be read Oct. 29.
The former monk arrived at the court on a wheelchair, with a patch over his right eye. His aides said he has severe backaches and recently underwent eye surgery.
Suwit also faces a separate trial for allegedly forging a royal emblem on the amulets he sold to his supporters.
Buddha Issara interrogating Pol.Lt. Somkid Koeykamol and Pol.Sen.Sgt. Sompong Unnuan, 10 February 2014
Pasist Arinchayalapis on Wednesday at the Criminal Court in Bangkok.
BANGKOK — The mastermind of a tour scam that left thousands of holidaymakers bound for Japan stranded at an airport last year was sentenced to more than 4,000 years in prison Wednesday.
The Criminal Court sentenced Pasist Arinchayalapis, or Sinsae Shogun, to 4,355 years in prison for 871 counts of indictment carrying a five-year jail term each, after his company scammed thousands of tourists last year.
He was convicted of fraud and violating the Computer Crime Act.
However, according to the law, Pasist will serve 20 years in prison and pay a 20,000 baht fine. His multi-level marketing firm Wealth Ever was fined 435 million baht.
Pasist’s girlfriend Tatdao Samukkasikun and suspect Parinthorn Honghirun Duckor also received the same jail terms.
The court also ordered that Pasist, Tatdao, Parinthorn and Wealth Ever company repay the 871 victims with a yearly interest of 7.5 percent starting July 6, 2017 – the date the victims filed the police complaints.
The con job led by Pasist gained attentionApril 11, 2017, when more than 1,000 holidaymakers expected to fly to Japan’s Osaka prefecture were left stranded at Suvarnabhumi Airport. Each of them paid roughly 10,000 baht for the tour.
Pasisit’s no-show that night urged several hundreds to file complaints to police. Pasist was arresteddays later in Ranong province.
Wannapha is brought to the Crime Suppression Division on Tuesday night.
Update: Wannapha was released on a 200,000 baht bail Wednesday night.
BANGKOK — A woman held in army custody since last week for possessing a T-shirt linked to an underground republican movement is now in police custody, a rights group said Wednesday.
Investigators are expected to charge the woman, named Wannapha, with sedition later today, according to Sorawut Wongsaranon of Thai Lawyers for Human Rights. Junta leaders on Tuesday called the group “treasonous” and pledged to seek the extradition of its leaders, who are believed to be in Laos.
Although the military and police have only acknowledged Wannapha’s arrest so far, Sorawut said three more people have also been detained by the military and charged with sedition for the same alleged offense.
“We have information confirming that they were arrested because of their connection to the T-shirts,” he said.
Soldiers raided Wannapha’s home without any warrant Thursday, where they confiscated black T-shirts bearing an emblem of the anti-monarchy group. They took her to the 11th Army Circle base for questioning.
The military handed her over to the police at Crime Suppression Division on Tuesday night.
Three days prior to Wannapha’s arrest, Sorawut said, soldiers also detained three people in their homes and took them to the same army base. They were later transferred to the police, charged with sedition and ordered jailed by the court.
The three are a woman named Praphan, a man named Krissana and a man who did not wish to be identified by name, Sorawut said.
Praphan and Krissana remain behind bars as of today, while the unnamed man had secured release on bail yesterday, the rights activist said.
‘Is it Treason?’
Military officials said the black T-shirts belong to an underground group called Organization for a Thai Federation, which seeks to secede a part of Thailand and install a federal republic.
In a statement released online Monday, the group confirmed the shirts as theirs, and accused the military of trying to intimidate its supporters. The organization says it will keep fighting for its cause.
“Ultimately, the people of the Thai Federation do not have fear or waver in the face of the assault by evil soldiers who arrest those who possess the black T-shirts with the red and white flag,” the statement says.
The organization has called for an armed uprising to replace the monarchy with a federalist government.
The junta on Tuesday said it will stamp out the group and have its leaders brought back from Laos to face trial.
“If you don’t want the monarchy, it’s treason,” deputy junta chairman Prawit Wongsuwan told reporters. “Whoever is linked to it must be arrested. We have asked Laotian authorities to help investigate and arrest them.”
His boss, junta chairman Prayuth Chan-ocha, also slammed the federalists.
“Let me ask you, is the Thai Federation legal? Can Thailand be a federation?” Prayuth said. “What is the meaning of this federation? Is it an attempt to overthrow the [current] political system? Is it treason?”
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly said Wannapha was taken to police on Thursday night. In fact, it was Tuesday night.
BANGKOK — Two tropical storms – mild and strong – will gain strength tomorrow through next week, bringing rains and possible flooding, meteorologists said Wednesday.
While tropical storm Barijat is expected to bring mild rains to Thailand through Friday, super typhoon Mangkhut will be stronger as it barrels into mainland China.
“Barijat will have the same route as that last storm, Bebinca, but with weaker strength. So expect what you had then, but with less rain,” Seree Supratid, director of the Climate Change & Disaster Center at Rangsit University said by phone Wednesday, referring to a mid-August storm.
He said Mangkhut, however, is the one to watch out for.
“The second one is scarier. It is a super typhoon. We are not sure where it will go after it picks up strength over water. If it goes into Southern China, over Guangdong, we will definitely be impacted.”
Seree said residents should continually check updates about Mangkhut. In Bangkok, expect a 70 percent chance of rain through Tuesday.
Tropical storm Barijat will move across Hong Kong and Hainan Thursday through Friday, reaching mainland China by Sunday. Its approach will give strength to the southwest monsoon, resulting in nationwide rains especially along the Andaman Sea and the Gulf coast.
Super typhoon Mangkhut is expected to bring rains to Thailand through Tuesday, as it moves over Luzon in the Philippines and Taiwan from Friday through Saturday, and then into China through Tuesday. The state meteorological department warned people to stay alert of flash floods and mudslides.
Meteorological and environment experts said Bangkok is unlikelyto be impacted by waterworks-related flooding, but warned floods are still possible if Thailand is hit by extreme weather.
A projection of Mangkhut’s path across the South China Sea. Image: Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, US Navy
BANGKOK — The epic journey of a Norwegian explorer who sailed on a raft 8,000 kilometers across the Pacific Ocean will be among the top eight films from Nordic countries to screen in Bangkok later this month.
After it debuted last year in Bangkok, the Nordic Film Festivalwill return with the screening of eight films at a downtown shopping mall.
The highlights include “Kon-Tiki,” an exciting feature of real-life explorer Thor Heyerdahl, who in 1947 sailed on a handmade wooden raft from South America to the Polynesian islands.
Another Norwegian film is “The King’s Choice” which chronicles three dramatic days during which King Haakon VII must make a decision after Nazi Germany invades Norway.
A Swedish documentary will feature female power-duo Martha Nabwire and Niki Tsappos, who battle against their rivals – mostly men – in the hip-hop dance industry.
Catch a screening of the lovable family of trolls in “Moomins on the Riviera” as Moomin, Snorkmaiden and Little My explore the sights and sounds of the vacation town away from their valley home.
Nominated best foreign-language film for the Oscars, “Land of Mine” highlights a little-known post-World War II story – when German prisoners of war were forced to find and defuse thousands of land mines in Denmark.
After showing at theLGBT+ Film Festivalback in July, “Tom of Finland” – the biopic of a Finnish artist who is one of the world’s prominent gay icons – will show again.
All movies are free with English subtitles available. Tickets are given on a first-come, first-served basis.
The event, organized by the embassies of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, will start at 6pm Sept. 28, then it will run through Sept. 30 at Quartier CineArt located on the fourth floor of EmQuartier. The shopping mall can be reached from BTS Phrom Phong.
TORONTO — Actress Olivia Munn says she has found little support from some of her “Predator” co-stars and director after a Los Angeles Times report revealed that Twentieth Century Fox had removed a scene that featured a man who is a registered sex offender. Munn alerted the studio to Steven Wilder Striegel’s status and the scene was cut within 24 hours.
In a round of press at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday, Munn described feeling lonely and isolated in the wake of the report. Munn told Vanity Fair that she has not heard from director Shane Black, who apologized in a statement for casting his friend.
Some of her cast mates also backed out of interviews with her, according to The Hollywood Reporter. One of her co-stars, Keegan-Michael Key, was never booked to do that interview as he departed the festival early for the Jewish new year holiday. His publicist says Sunday that he reached out to Munn privately last week to express his admiration for her.
The initial article was published hours before the TIFF premiere of “The Predator.”
A Southern right whale glides in the waters off El Doradillo Beach in 2017 Patagonia, Argentina. Photo: Maxi Jonas / Associated Press
FLORIANOPOLIS, Brazil — A proposal to create a whale sanctuary in the South Atlantic was defeated Tuesday at a meeting in Brazil of the International Whaling Commission, amid a clash between countries that think whales can be hunted sustainably and others that want more conservation measures.
Opponents of the plan argued the science didn’t support the case for a sanctuary and said that it wasn’t necessary because there isn’t any commercial whaling occurring in the South Atlantic.
The measure received support from 39 countries Tuesday at the meeting in Florianopolis with 25 opposed – falling short of the three-quarters majority to pass.
Countries like Brazil, which proposed the measure, said it would have addressed threats to the mammals beyond whaling. Humane Society International called the defeat a “bitter disappointment” and said it would have helped protect whales from entanglement in fishing gear and ship strikes.
Edson Duarte, Brazil’s environment minister, said he would not be deterred, even though the measure which has repeatedly been defeated.
“We will work in other meetings of this commission this year to ensure that the sanctuary will finally be created,” said Duarte. “It so important for the conservation of whales in the entire world but especially in the South Atlantic.”
But some have suggested that the conservation bloc won’t be able to push through such measures until they compromise with those countries that are asking for the return of at least some commercial whaling.
The commission banned commercial whaling in the 1980s, but Japan is proposing this year to reinstitute it with catch limits. Japan has hunted whales for centuries as a traditionally cheaper alternative source of protein.
“The sanctuary had some merits,” said Daven Joseph, ambassador-at-large for Antigua and Barbuda, which voted against the measure. But “the sanctuary is failing year after year because there is a lack of respect for the views of everyone in this organization.”
Joseph said sustainable commercial whaling could provide an important food source in developing island nations, and other countries simply have a cultural preference for whale meat that should be respected.
Conservationists say commercial hunting has proved difficult to manage in the past and repeatedly threatened whale populations, while some countries say there is simply no place for it in the modern world.
But Joseph predicted progress on many conservation measures would remain deadlocked until more overtures were made to countries that want commercial whaling.
“I think that the ghost of Moby Dick is haunting a lot of countries” that had previously engaged in industrial whaling that led to the near extinction of some populations, said Joseph. “That does not mean that we should deprive people’s cultural and nutritional preferences for whales, as long as we can guarantee that they can be taken in a sustainable manner.”
Several indigenous people also spoke Tuesday in favor of their own subsistence hunting, which is allowed under commission rules. Catch limits for such hunting are up for renewal this year.
“Since childhood, I have been trained to hunt,” Vladimir Piny, a native Chukchi whaling captain from northern Russia, said through a translator. “I cannot grow tomatoes or bananas – the Arctic would never allow me to do so.”
