4,000+ Year Prison Sentence for Japan Scam Mastermind

By

Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

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12 September 2018, 14:50

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.

Read: 8 Suspects Deny Links to Alleged Wealth Ever Tour Scam

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 attention April 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 arrested days later in Ranong province.

‘Japan Tour Scam’ Suspect Denies Fraud

Alleged ‘Japan Scam’ Mastermind Arrested in Ranong

Con Job Strands Thousands of Japan-Bound Thai Tourists at BKK

‘Republican Shirt’ Suspect Handed Over to Police

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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12 September 2018, 13:11

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.

Storm, Super Typhoon to Shower Thailand Through Next Week

By

Asaree Thaitrakulpanich, Staff Reporter

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12 September 2018, 12:32

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 unlikely to be impacted by waterworks-related flooding, but warned floods are still possible if Thailand is hit by extreme weather.

wp262018.18091118 e1536730270957 — A projection of Mangkhut’s path across the South China Sea. Image: Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, US Navy

Tropical Storm ‘Bebinca’ to Pound the Provinces

Nordic Film Fest to Set Sail With ‘Kon-Tiki’ Sea Quest

By

Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

-

12 September 2018, 12:08

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 Festival will 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 the LGBT+ Film Festival back 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.

Olivia Munn Finds Little Support From ‘Predator’ Peers

By

Associated Press

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12 September 2018, 12:01

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.”

Proposal to Create Whale Sanctuary in S Atlantic Defeated

By

Associated Press

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12 September 2018, 11:23

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.”

Story: Sarah Dilorenzo

‘Big and Vicious’: Hurricane Florence Closes in on Carolinas

By

Associated Press

-

12 September 2018, 11:08

President Donald Trump looks at a chart showing potential rainfall totals from Hurricane Florence on Tuesday during a briefing in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. Photo: Susan Walsh / Associated Press

WILMINGTON, North Carolina — Motorists streamed inland on highways converted to one-way evacuation routes Tuesday as about 1.7 million people in three states were warned to get out of the way of Hurricane Florence, a hair-raising storm taking dead aim at the Carolinas with 140 mph (225 kph) winds and potentially ruinous rains.

Florence was expected to blow ashore late Thursday or early Friday, then slow down and wring itself out for days, unloading 1 to 2½ feet (0.3 to 0.6 meters) of rain that could cause flooding well inland and wreak environmental havoc by washing over industrial waste sites and hog farms.

Forecasters and politicians pleaded with the public to take the warnings seriously and minced no words in describing the threat.

“This storm is a monster. It’s big and it’s vicious. It is an extremely dangerous, life-threatening, historic hurricane,” North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said.

He added: “The waves and the wind this storm may bring is nothing like you’ve ever seen. Even if you’ve ridden out storms before, this one is different. Don’t bet your life on riding out a monster.”

Some hoped for divine intervention.

“I’m prayed up and as ready as I can get,” Steven Hendrick said as he filled up gasoline cans near Conway, South Carolina.

More than 5.4 million people live in areas under hurricane warnings or watches on the U.S. East Coast, according to the National Weather Service, and another 4 million people were under a tropical storm watch.

President Donald Trump declared states of emergency for North and South Carolina and Virginia, opening the way for federal aid. He said the federal government is “absolutely, totally prepared” for Florence.

All three states ordered mass evacuations along the coast. But getting out of harm’s way could prove difficult.

Florence is so wide that a life-threatening storm surge was being pushed 300 miles (485 kilometers) ahead of its eye, and so wet that a swath from South Carolina to Ohio and Pennsylvania could get deluged.

People across the region rushed to buy bottled water and other supplies, board up their homes, pull their boats out of the water and get out of town.

A line of heavy traffic moved away from the coast on Interstate 40, the main route between the port city of Wilmington and inland Raleigh. Between the two cities, about two hours apart, the traffic flowed smoothly in places and became gridlocked in others because of fender-benders.

Only a trickle of vehicles was going in the opposite direction, including pickup trucks carrying plywood and other building materials.

Long lines formed at service stations, and some started running out of gas as far west as Raleigh, with bright yellow bags, signs or rags placed over the pumps to show they were out of order. Some store shelves were picked clean.

“There’s no water. There’s no juices. There’s no canned goods,” Kristin Harrington said as she shopped at a Walmart in Wilmington.

At 11 p.m., the storm was centered 670 miles (1,075 km) southeast of Cape Fear, North Carolina, moving at 17 mph (28 kph). It was a potentially catastrophic Category 4 storm but was expected to keep drawing energy from the warm water and intensify to near Category 5, which means winds of 157 mph (253 kph) or higher.

Florence is the most dangerous of three tropical systems in the Atlantic. Tropical Storm Isaac was east of the Lesser Antilles and expected to pass south of Puerto Rico, Hispaniola and Cuba, while Hurricane Helene was moving northward away from land. Forecasters also were tracking two other disturbances.

The coastal surge from Florence could leave the eastern tip of North Carolina under more than 9 feet (2.75 meters) of water in spots, projections showed.

“This one really scares me,” National Hurricane Center Director Ken Graham said.

Federal officials begged residents to put together emergency kits and have a plan on where to go.

“This storm is going to knock out power days into weeks. It’s going to destroy infrastructure. It’s going to destroy homes,” said Jeff Byard, an official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Forecasters said parts of North Carolina could get 20 inches (50 centimeters) of rain, if not more, with as much as 10 inches (25 centimeters) elsewhere in the state and in Virginia, parts of Maryland and Washington, D.C.

One trusted computer model, the European simulation, predicted more than 45 inches (115 centimeters) in parts of North Carolina. A year ago, people would have laughed off such a forecast, but the European model was accurate in predicting 60 inches (150 centimeters) for Hurricane Harvey in the Houston area, so “you start to wonder what these models know that we don’t,” University of Miami hurricane expert Brian McNoldy said.

Rain measured in feet is “looking likely,” he said.

The storm forced people to cut their vacations short along the coast.

Paula Matheson of Springfield, Oregon, got the full Southern experience during her 10-week RV vacation: hot weather, good food, beautiful beaches and, finally, a hurricane evacuation.

Florence interrupted her stay on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. It took Matheson and her husband nearly the whole day Monday to drive the 60 miles (100 kilometers) off the barrier island .

“It was so beautiful. The water was fabulous. Eighty-five degrees,” Matheson said, pausing a moment. “I guess that’s a big part of the problem.”

Florence’s projected path includes half a dozen nuclear power plants, pits holding coal-ash and other industrial waste, and numerous hog farms that store animal waste in huge lagoons.

Duke Energy spokesman Ryan Mosier said operators would begin shutting down nuclear plants at least two hours before hurricane-force winds arrive.

North Carolina’s governor issued what he called a first-of-its-kind mandatory evacuation order for North Carolina’s fragile barrier islands from one end of the coast to the other. Typically, local governments in North Carolina make the call on evacuations.

“We’ve seen nor’easters and we’ve seen hurricanes before,” Cooper said, “but this one is different.”

Story: Jonathan Drew

Russia Launches Biggest Ever War Games Involving China

By

Associated Press

-

12 September 2018, 10:54

In this Sunday, June 10, 2018 file photo, Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose for a photo at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Qingdao in eastern China's Shandong Province. Photo: Alexander Zemlianichenko / Associated Press

CHITA, Russia — Hundreds of thousands Russian troops swept across Siberia on Tuesday in the nation’s largest ever war games also joined by China – a powerful show of burgeoning military ties between Moscow and Beijing amid their tensions with the U.S.

Moscow said the weeklong Vostok (East) 2018 maneuvers will span vast expanses of Siberia and the Far East, the Arctic and the Pacific Oceans and involve nearly 300,000 Russian troops – nearly one-third of the country’s 1-million-strong military. They will feature more than 1,000 aircraft, about 36,000 tanks and other military vehicles and 80 warships.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has described the drills as even bigger than the country’s largest Cold War-era exercise called Zapad 1981 that put NATO allies on edge.

A retired Russian general said that the giant war games come as a warning to the U.S. against ramping up pressure on Russia.

“The maneuvers are aimed at deterring the aggressive intentions of the U.S. and NATO,” Ret. Gen. Leonid Ivashov said. He was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying that the drills are “also a response to the U.S. sanctions.”

China is sending about 3,200 troops, 900 combat vehicles and 30 aircraft to join the drills at a Siberian firing range, a significant deployment that reflects its shift toward a full-fledged military alliance with Russia. Mongolia also has sent a military contingent.

Asked if the U.S. is worried about a possible military alliance between Russia and China, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told Pentagon reporters Tuesday that, “I think that nations act out of their interests. I see little in the long term that aligns Russia and China.”

As the maneuvers kicked off, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Russia on Tuesday to attend an economic forum in Vladivostok. President Vladimir Putin treated Xi to pancakes with caviar and shots of vodka in a show of their warm rapport.

Moscow and Beijing have forged what they described as a “strategic partnership,” expressing their shared opposition to the “unipolar” world, the term they use to describe perceived U.S. global domination. However, the military drills they had until now were far smaller in scale, reflecting China’s caution about alliances.

Some experts pointed out that the U.S. helped spawn closer Russia-China military ties by labeling them strategic competitors.

“They feel they need to embrace to deal with the increasingly high pressure and containment from the U.S.,” said Yue Gang, a military expert and retired Chinese army colonel.

He noted that China feels that the Washington’s hostile attitude and actions, such as deploying the THAAD missile defense system in South Korea, relieve it of any need to take U.S. views into consideration when deepening strategic trust with Moscow.

“The war games have laid a foundation for China and Russia to enhance cooperation on international arena and will lift the combat proficiency of both sides,” he said.

The Chinese media touted the Chinese involvement in the maneuvers as the country’s largest-ever dispatch of forces abroad for war games.

Some noted that the People’s Liberation Army, which hasn’t fought a war since the attempted invasion of Vietnam in 1979, is keen to learn from Russia’s experience in the Syrian campaign, where it tested its latest weapons and tactics.

From China’s perspective, the emerging military alliance with Russia sends a strong signal to the U.S. and its ally Japan as Beijing moves to defend its interests in the South China Sea, which China claims virtually in its entirety, as well as Taiwan and the Senkaku and Diaoyu islands controlled by Japan but claimed by Beijing.

Hong Kong-based commentator Song Zhongping said China is anxious to acquire more experience in large-scale operations that might become a factor in a conflict with the U.S. and others over territorial claims in Asia.

“Russia has very strong real combat abilities and the participation of the PLA in such a large-scale military exercise that is specially tailored for an anti-invasion war indicates China’s intention to learn more valuable combat practices and lift its ability for joint combat,” Song said.

For Russia, the increasingly robust alliance with China is particularly important amid the growing tensions with the U.S. and its allies and a looming threat of more biting U.S. sanctions.

“The scale and the scenario of those drills are in line with the current military-political situation,” said Ivashov, the retired Russian general. “They demonstrate the seriousness of our intentions.”

The U.S. and its NATO allies are closely eyeing the exercises for what they reveal about military cooperation between Russia and China and their mounting military might.

“We’re obviously aware of it, we’re watching it closely,” said Army Col. Rob Manning, a Pentagon spokesman. “We’re aware of Russia’s right to sovereignty and to exercise in order to ensure their readiness.”

NATO Spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said that the training “fits into a pattern we have seen over some time: a more assertive Russia, significantly increasing its defense budget and its military presence.”

She also noted that “China has growing military capabilities and is playing an increasingly significant global role,” adding that “it’s important for NATO to engage with China.”

Story: Vladimir Isachenkov, Sergei Grits

Vietnam’s Capital Urges Residents to Stop Eating Dog Meat

By

Associated Press

-

12 September 2018, 10:43

File photo of a Pomeranian. Hopefully still alive and well.

HANOI — Authorities in Vietnam’s capital are urging residents to stop eating dog meat because it hurts the city’s image and improper raising and slaughtering of the animals could spread rabies.

For many Vietnamese, dog meat is a delicacy that is thought to increase stamina.

Hanoi Vice Mayor Nguyen Van Suu said in a message published Tuesday on the city’s website that slaughtering and consuming dog and cat meat are disturbing to foreigners and “negatively impact the image of a civilized and modern capital.”

Suu instructed local governments to raise awareness of the risk of rabies when raising dog and cat meat.

The move is part of a national program to stamp out rabies by 2021.

Nguyen Thi Minh, who has run a dog meat restaurant in Hanoi for more than 20 years, said there are no risks of rabies because her restaurant selects healthy dogs and the meat is properly cooked.

“People eat dog meat and there’s no problem,” she said. “I serve customers from South Korea, the United States and other countries.”

Officials say there are 493,000 dogs and cats in Hanoi, of which more than 10 percent are raised for commercial purposes.

Tesla Cuts Number of Stock Colors to Streamline Production

By

Associated Press

-

12 September 2018, 10:39

This Aug. 8, 2018, file photo shows a Tesla emblem on the back end of a Model S in the Tesla showroom in Santa Monica, California. Photo: Richard Vogel / Associated Press

NEW YORK — Tesla is dropping two of the seven colors it had offered to customers as it tries to streamline production.

In a tweet early Tuesday, CEO Elon Musk said obsidian black and metallic silver will still be available, but at a higher cost.

Tesla fans can still choose solid black and “midnight silver metallic,” as well as pearl white, deep blue metallic and red.

The company, based in Palo Alto, California, has struggled to vault from a niche maker of expensive electric cars into a mass-market automaker. It missed several deadlines to produce 5,000 of its mass-market Model 3 cars per week but reached that milestone earlier this summer. Musk has promised that as it sells more Model 3s the company will turn a sustained net profit starting this quarter.

A Tesla spokesman said dropping the paint colors is not an indication of any production problems. “We occasionally adjust pricing and available options to best reflect the value of our products and to streamline our manufacturing operations,” the company said in a statement.

Customers should check for current pricing and packaging options on Tesla’s website, the statement said.

There is a waiting list of more than 400,000 people who want to buy a Model 3, and some have been waiting since March 2016, when the company first started taking orders.

Shares of Tesla closed down just over 2 percent at $279.44 Tuesday after Nomura analyst Romit Shah downgraded the company from “Buy” to “Neutral” on worries about Musk’s erratic behavior. The stock price has dropped 10 percent since the first of the year. On Monday it rose 8.5 percent on positive analyst commentary.

Shah wrote in a note to investors Tuesday that Musk’s behavior “seemingly flipped” in the second quarter with Twitter posts rising to 15 per day since May from four per day the previous 18 months. Musk has taunted short-sellers who bet against the stock, accused a British diver involved in a cave rescue of Thai soccer players of being a pedophile, cut off Wall Street analysts on a conference call, and smoked what appeared to be marijuana on a video podcast.

The behavior is likely to have contributed to recent executive departures including Chief Accounting Officer David Morton, who left last week after only one month on the job, Shah wrote.

Tesla has potential to grow revenue and post substantial profits because it is vertically integrated, making its own batteries and many of its parts, Shah wrote. “Notwithstanding improving fundamentals, we believe Tesla is in need of better leadership and are moving to the sidelines until we see what happens with management,” Shah wrote.

Tesla did not immediately comment Tuesday on the Nomura note.

‘Is it Treason?’

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