Musk Apologizes for Snags in Model 3 Delivery Information

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13 September 2018, 11:16

Elon Musk, the billionaire entreprenuer, founder of SpaceX and Tesla Motors. Photo: JD Lasica/ Wikimedia Commons

DETROIT — Tesla apparently is having trouble informing customers about deliveries of the Model 3 mass-market electric car.

In a Twitter response to a Model 3 buyer Wednesday, CEO Elon Musk wrote that customers “may experience longer response times” because of a large increase in vehicle deliveries in North America. He wrote that resolving the issue is Tesla’s top priority.

Earlier in the day, the customer tweeted to Musk that he couldn’t get a vehicle identification number from his sales adviser even though he is scheduled to pick up his Model 3 on Monday. The customer wrote that his loan for the car is up in the air. Normally vehicle identification numbers are needed for loan paperwork.

The customer wrote that his experience with Tesla has been a nightmare and the adviser isn’t responding to emails.

Musk apologized and wrote that he’s working on the issue. Tesla spokesmen did not immediately comment.

Tesla is counting on sales of the Model 3 to generate cash to make debt and expense payments and turn a sustained profit starting this quarter. The company said it has more than 400,000 orders for the car, which starts at USD$35,000 but can’t be purchased yet for less than $49,000.

Also Wednesday, another executive announced he was leaving Tesla, the fourth departure in the last two weeks.

Justin McAnear, vice president of global finance, wrote in a statement distributed by Tesla that he will leave the company Oct. 7 to take a chief financial officer role at another company that he didn’t identify.

“This was simply an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” he wrote, adding that he loved working at Tesla and has great respect for his colleagues. McAnear wrote that a number of people will step up to fill his role

Last week David Morton, chief accounting officer, stepped down after only a month on the job at Tesla Inc. The company said in a regulatory filing that Morton was leaving due to the level of public scrutiny and the pace at the company but not over any disagreements with Tesla’s leadership or its financial reporting.

That followed a report on Friday that Gabrielle Toledano, head of human resources, would not return to Tesla after a leave of absence. And communications chief Sarah O’Brien confirmed that her last day on the job was Wednesday. She wouldn’t give a reason for her departure, which she said has been in the works for two months.

Late Friday, replacements were named for Toledano and O’Brien, and Musk also promoted Vice President Jerome Guillen to president for automotive, overseeing all auto operations including the parts supply chain.

The departures come as Musk’s behavior has become more erratic in recent weeks. His conduct has been questionable since the first-quarter earnings conference call when he criticized Wall Street analysts for asking “bonehead” questions about the company’s finances. Then he labeled a British diver who aided in the cave rescue of Thai football players a pedophile, and after apologizing, doubled-down on his accusation last week. He also took a hit off what apparently was a marijuana-tobacco joint during a podcast interview that made its rounds on YouTube.

But the most questionable action came when Musk tweeted Aug. 7 that he had secured funding to take the company private at $420 per share to get away from the short-term pressure of Wall Street. The tweets pushed the electric vehicle and solar panel maker’s stock price up 11 percent that day. But it subsequently fell when Musk revealed that funding wasn’t locked down.

On Aug. 24 Musk put out a statement saying the go-private deal was off, drawing scrutiny from the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Shares of Tesla closed Wednesday up 4 percent at $290.54, and they were down slightly in after-hours trading.

On Tuesday, Nomura analyst Romit Shah downgraded his rating on the company’s stock from “Buy” to “Neutral” on worries about Musk’s erratic behavior. The behavior is likely to have contributed to recent executive departures including Morton, Shah wrote.

Story: Tom Krisher

Myanmar’s Suu Kyi to Skip UN General Assembly Session

By

Associated Press

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13 September 2018, 11:10

Myanmar's State Counselor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi speaks to the media during a joint press conference with Japan's foreign minister Jan. 12, 2018. Photo: Hein Htet / Associated Press

HANOI — A senior Myanmar official has confirmed that the country’s leader, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, will not attend the U.N. General Assembly session this month in New York.

Minister for International Cooperation Kyaw Tin, who is accompanying Suu Kyi at a meeting of the World Economic Forum in Vietnam, said “She has no plan to go there.”

He was responding to a report in the Myanmar newspaper 7 Days citing a Myanmar foreign ministry official as saying that Suu Kyi would not attend the U.N. meetings. No reason was given.

Suu Kyi, who took office in 2016, also did not attend last year’s General Assembly meeting.

Myanmar is facing international pressure over human rights abuses allegedly committed by its military against the Rohingya Muslim minority.

About 700,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar’s western state of Rakhine last year after the army launched a brutal counterinsurgency campaign in response to August 2017 attacks by Rohingya militants on security forces.

The army is accused of committing mass rape, murder and setting fire to thousands of homes. A report issued two weeks ago by a specially appointed U.N. human rights team recommended prosecuting senior Myanmar commanders for genocide and other crimes.

The latest speakers’ list for the General Assembly meeting shows Myanmar represented by a minister and speaking on Sept. 28. The annual meeting of world leaders, called the General Debate, starts Sept. 25 and ends Monday Oct. 1. Normally, a country’s foreign minister would speak in the absence of its top leader, but because Suu Kyi also holds the foreign ministry portfolio, Myanmar’s speaker is likely to one of the two Cabinet ministers who 7 Days said would attend the meeting, Kyaw Tin and Kyaw Tint Swe.

Last year, Suu Kyi’s office said her reason for not attending the 2017 General Assembly session was because she had to handle domestic security issues after the attacks that triggered the army crackdown.

Although the violence in Rakhine state has eased, Myanmar has to deal with its aftermath, especially the repatriation of the Muslim Rohingya who fled and the underlying causes of tension that makes them targets of discrimination and repression in overwhelmingly Buddhist Myanmar.

The 7 Days newspaper article said the Myanmar delegation to the General Assembly meeting would “explain about current developments on repatriation and cooperation with international organizations.” U.N. agencies have an agreement with Myanmar’s government to help resettle the Rohingya when they are repatriated.

Vietnam Jails Activist for 12 Years in Crackdown on Dissent

By

Associated Press

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13 September 2018, 11:04

Junta chairman Prayuth Chan-ocha shakes hand with Vietnamese Nguyễn Xuân Phúc on Nov. 11 in Danang

HANOI — A court in central Vietnam sentenced an activist on Wednesday to 12 years in prison after finding him guilty of associating with an outlawed dissident group.

The state-run Quang Binh newspaper said the People’s Court in Quang Binh province convicted Nguyen Trung Truc in a half-day trial of attempting to overthrow the government. The court also ordered five years of house arrest after Truc finishes his sentence.

It said Truc, 44, was the head of the central region branch of the outlawed Brotherhood for Democracy. He was arrested in August last year.

The Brotherhood for Democracy wants to change the leadership of the ruling Communist Party and build a multiparty system.

Truc was the 9th member of the group put on trial since the beginning of this year. The others, including the group’s alleged co-founder, Nguyen Van Dai, were sentenced to up to 15 years in prison in April. Dai and another convicted member were released in June on condition that they go into exile in Germany.

International human rights groups have called for Truc’s release.

“All Nguyen Trung Truc is guilty of is speaking out for human rights and advocating for democracy in Vietnam, ” Minar Pimple, Amnesty International’s senior director of global operations, said in a statement Wednesday. “He has been deliberately targeted simply because he has expressed views and taken up causes that the country’s authorities disapprove of.”

Pimple was denied an entry visa to Vietnam where he was to attend this week’s World Economic Forum gathering in the capital, Amnesty International said Monday.

Last month, a court in Ho Chi Minh City sentenced 12 activists including two Americans of Vietnamese descent to up to 14 years on similar charges.

Despite sweeping economic reforms since the mid-1980s that opened the country to foreign trade and investment and made the country one of fastest-growing economies in the world, the Communist government tolerates no challenge to its one-party rule.

Cambodian Prime Minister Says ‘Let Us Fix Our Own Problems’

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Associated Press

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13 September 2018, 10:58

Prime Minister Hun Sen of Cambodia gestures as he talks about his vision for the Mekong region in the World Economic Forum on ASEAN at the National Convention Center Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018 in Hanoi, Vietnam. Photo: Bullit Marquez / Associated Press

HANOI, Vietnam — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen slammed criticism by outsiders of political issues in the Mekong region, saying Wednesday that the countries should be allowed to solve their own problems.

Speaking at a World Economic Forum gathering in Hanoi, Hun Sen heatedly defended Myanmar against accusations its security forces have engaged in genocide against its Rohingya minority.

Hun Sen said other countries do not understand the problems that Myanmar and its neighbors face.

“The situation in Myanmar is more serious because it has been accused of genocide, but do those who might accuse them know about Myanmar and do they know how to solve the situation up there?” he said, as he sat on the stage with Myanmar’s leader, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, and leaders from Vietnam, Laos and Thailand.

Cambodia’s one-party legislature confirmed Hun Sen for another five-year term last week, cementing his status as one of the world’s longest-serving leaders.

The 66-year-old Hun Sen has been in power for 33 years and declared before the election that he intended to serve two more terms.

Speaking vehemently at the end of a day of seminars and speeches focused on economic and development issues, he said Vietnam and Laos, with their communist, one-party governments, and Thailand’s military-led government should be allowed to be “peaceful politically.” Governments in Europe and elsewhere should not try to impose conditions on them, he said.

“The countries that do not know our countries, please leave us to solve our problems for ourselves,” he said.

Got $1,100? Apple Shows off Most Expensive iPhone Yet

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Associated Press

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13 September 2018, 10:47

Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, speaks about the Apple iPhone XS and Apple iPhone XS Max at the Steve Jobs Theater during an event to announce new Apple products Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018, in Cupertino, California. Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press

CUPERTINO, California — Apple unveiled three new iPhones on Wednesday, including its biggest and most expensive model yet, as the company seeks to widen the product’s appeal amid slowing sales.

CEO Tim Cook showed off the iPhone XS Max, which has a bigger screen than the one on last year’s dramatically designed model, the iPhone X. It’ll cost about USD$1,100, topping the iPhone X, which at $1,000 seemed jaw-dropping at the time. An updated iPhone X, now called the XS, stays at $1,000.

As with the iPhone X, both new phones have screens that run from edge to edge, an effort to maximize the display without making the phone too awkward to hold. The screen needs no backlight, so black would appear as truly black rather than simply dark. The Max model looks to be about the size of the iPhone 8 Plus, though the screen size is much larger.

The iPhone XS Max, which will be available on Sept. 21 – with orders open the week before – represents Apple’s attempt to feed consumers’ appetite for increasingly larger screens as they rely on smartphones to watch and record video and to take photos wherever they are.

By making more expensive iPhones, Apple has been able to boost its profits despite waning demand as people upgrade phones less frequently. IPhones fetched an average price of $724 during the April-June period, a nearly 20 percent increase from a year earlier.

Apple also showed off a cheaper iPhone, called the iPhone XR. It has a traditional, lower-quality screen and an aluminum body; it’s physically smaller than the iPhone 8 Plus but has a bigger screen. It’ll cost roughly $750 and come out on Oct. 26.

All three new models join the iPhone X in getting rid of the home button to make room for more screen. They will have facial-recognition technology to unlock the device.

Although it didn’t sell quite as analysts anticipated, the iPhone X still emerged as the most popular in Apple’s line-up, according to Cook. That emboldened the company to aim an even more expensive device at the affluent households that tend to gravitate to its products, especially in the U.S. and Europe.

For everyone else, many of whom are still using iPhones they purchased several years ago, there’s the XR.

“I am going to go out on a limb and say the XR is going to become Apple’s top-selling iPhone,” said analyst Patrick Moorhead of Moor Insights. “It is a smart strategy to keep more people in the Apple ecosystem and get even more people to come into it.”

The next major update to the iOS will be released next Tuesday, followed a week later by a Mac software update. Both will be free to install.

Apple also announced updates that push its Apple Watch further into medical device territory. It has a larger screen and a built-in heart sensor that the company said can detect irregular heart rates and perform an electrocardiogram. The latter feature has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the company said.

Ben Wood of CCS Insight said getting U.S. regulatory clearance for that is a milestone that underscores the company’s leadership in health and fitness. Typically, smartwatches are marketed as consumer devices, not medical ones needing clearance.

These features will be available to U.S. customers later this year, but Apple did not say when it would make it to the rest of the world.

In addition, Apple said the Series 4 Apple Watch will also be able to detect when someone falls – and can tell the difference between a trip and a fall. If it detects a fall and the user doesn’t respond in a minute, it’ll automatically call for help. This feature may be especially attractive to older people or those with elderly parents worried about falling when no one is around to help.

Story: Michael Liedtke

‘The Predator’ Outstays Its Welcome on Earth

By

Associated Press

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13 September 2018, 10:36

A scene from "The Predator." Image: Associated Press

Predators are personal for Shane Black. He was hacked apart by one of the fearsome alien hunters in the first “Predator” movie 31 years ago and now returns to sit in the director’s chair for the latest saga in the franchise.

Ready for some payback, Shane? More importantly, will you oversee the destruction of Predators or will you accidentally kill off the series, once and for all? The answer is a little of both.

Only a definite article in the title separates the new “The Predator ” from the 1987 debut “Predator” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, and clearly Black is trying to capture the spirit of the testosterone-fueled original with this one led by a decorated sniper played by Boyd Holbrook. Both flicks share a welcome winking humor. If anyone asks “Everything OK back there?” you can be certain it’s not.

The first film featured cartoonishly masculine soldiers in the jungle of Central America tracking and being tracked by a huge and technologically advanced beast with dreadlocks, a face full of mandibles and the ability to both go invisible and humiliate arrogant prey. It echoed the horror of Vietnam and was a clever combination of “Rambo” and “Alien” with humor that would make a locker room blush. (Black played the bespectacled Hawkins and was an early casualty.)

Black has returned – with cowriter Fred Dekker – for another loud soldier-versus-Predator slice in an American forest – well, actually, thanks, Canada! – but with some twists. Although the filmmakers boast about a much-improved alien, the only noticeable update is the addition of their tracking canines – that’s right, “space dogs,” as one character jokes. And this time the soldiers are all suffering from PTSD, along with other problems triggered by Tourette’s syndrome, suicidal tendencies and opioid addiction. Viewers get plenty of decapitations, lynchings, head shots and bowels cut open.

Black’s filmmaking is old-school, grounded in ’80s humor, reveling at its over-the-topness and often gleefully thumbing its nose at political correctness. That might be refreshing, but it also can lead to questionable decisions. Like, is it necessary to set one of the battles – complete with assault weapons and explosions – in an elementary school?

And is it wise to portray hurting soldiers this way? They’ve nicknamed themselves “The Loonies” and they are a foul-mouthed, messy wild bunch who met in group therapy. They’re portrayed by Trevante Rhodes, Keegan-Michael Key, Thomas Jane, Alfie Allen and Augusto Aguilera, who all deliver a strange brew of toilet humor, classic misogyny and aching vulnerability, but laughing at broken men and mental illness quickly grows uncomfortable. To make matters even worse, another character has Asperger’s syndrome, which is cynically used as a plot point. Professional psychologists are not going to like this film.

One change is the addition of some estrogen in the form of Olivia Munn, who plays not just a scientist but a huge one – “I heard you basically wrote the book on evolutionary biology,” she’s told by a guy in a white lab coat. In a matter of hours, she’s gone from literally shooting herself in the foot to blasting an assault weapon with aplomb. She actually manages to make the dialogue work, as does a thrilling Sterling K. Brown, whose CIA honcho positively swaggers with flashes of pitch-dark humor. He steals the film from the ostensible hero, Holbrook, who fails to sparkle.

One welcome cameo is by Jake Busey, who plays a research scientist who studies Predators. It’s an inside joke: He’s the son of Gary Busey, who played a government scientist in “Predator 2” – so Black is keeping the part in the family. Plot-wise, to be honest, not much has changed either – a ragtag group of soldiers face off against an alien hunter. Hardcore fans will welcome the franchise’s return but neutral observers may question why this was committed to celluloid.

“What am I looking at?” Munn’s character asks about some data shown to her, but might as well be addressing the film’s audience.

“It’s exactly what you think it is,” a scientist responds.

The film created headlines after Munn flagged 20th Century Fox that a minor actor was a registered sex offender, meaning a real predator was in the mix. His scenes were soon cut, but, weirdly, she faced a backlash . If there’s ever a hero here, it’s Munn: On film, as in real life, she’s challenged the all-boys’ network.

But Black, who wrote “The Last Action Hero” and several “Lethal Weapon” films, flounders, seeing his gifts as a director tested. Scenes are poorly knitted together, especially toward the end. Time and tempo break down, as if the film were snapping apart at the seams.

Ideas are offered – might Predator DNA be mixed with those of a human? Why do Predators keep coming back to Earth? – but quickly abandoned. Some characters die in underwhelming ways, as if the film stock ran out. At the end, Black somewhat arrogantly offers a clear springboard to a sequel. Whether anyone cares for it remains to be seen.

“The Predator,” a 20th Century Fox release, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America for “strong bloody violence, language throughout and crude sexual references.” Running time: 108 minutes. One star out of four.

Story: Mark Kennedy

JJ Green Market to Stay Open Until Oct. 12: Legal Rep

By

Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

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12 September 2018, 17:29

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.

Read: JJ Green Market to Close Forever in 2 Weeks

“[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.

Election Bill Enacted, Paving Way for 2019 Poll

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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12 September 2018, 17:02

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 election and selection procedures 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.

Prayuth: Election Coming in 2019 – Unless ‘Fight Breaks Out’

Chula ‘Student’ Exposed for Years of False Enrollment Claims

By

Asaree Thaitrakulpanich, Staff Reporter

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12 September 2018, 17:01

Boy Sakol — Sakol “Boy” Aiemsaard. Photo: Tariris Nrohtas / Facebook

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.

DmpOF3NU0AAVjBu — 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, posted a viral album that detailed Boy’s habits and included an open message to him.

DmpOF3KUYAUSf3m — 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.

DmpOF3KVAAAWtvb — A screenshot of Sakol’s deleted Instagram.

The matter was brought to attention through the #BoySakol hashtag 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.

Catch me if you can ver.thaiป้ะ กลัวแล้ววว #บอยสกล pic.twitter.com/wC5iLQusj1

— cash me outside how bow dah (@onnichatang) September 10, 2018

เดี๋ยวจะหาว่าตอแหล5555 #บอยสกล pic.twitter.com/7xRgE78cZo

— zanzapmini (@zanzapzanzap) September 9, 2018

A photo of Sakol, right, wearing a CU-TU football match shirt.

สรุปฉบับย่อ ย่อในย่อ ตามคำเรียกร้องที่เข้ามาเยอะมาก 220ตัวอักษรมันไม่พอจริงๆ #บอยสกล pic.twitter.com/x8l1LTIWMC

— แมวเอีย แม่แดนฮุน🍑🐰 (@Npkmsl) September 10, 2018

@Npkmsl’s tweet of a document that summarizes most of Sakol’s lies, retweeted almost 17,000 times in three days.

#บอยสกล = real-life ‘Catch me if you can’

— mint ❁ ☾ (@minttnims) September 10, 2018

Ex-Monk Activist Confesses to Assaulting Police

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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12 September 2018, 15:18

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.

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