Warut ‘O’ Woratham, Actor and TV Host, Dies at 48

By

Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

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11 September 2018, 11:24

CHIANG MAI — After two nights in intensive care, former actor-television host Warut “O” Woratham died early Tuesday morning. He was 48.

Warut reportedly fell unconscious at his Chiang Mai home on Sunday and was admitted to a local hospital for treatment. He died at 2:40am at the Nakornping Hospital.

Warut is best known for his role as Kobori, an Imperial Japanese soldier and protagonist of 1988 film “Khu Kam,” which earned him a Phra Surasawadi Award (Golden Doll Award) for upcoming male actor.

Warut then starred in many more films and television dramas, as well as hosting many TV shows. One of his prominent programs was “Ono Show,” which he hosted with Maethanee “Nino” Buranasiri.

Warut was born Sept. 17, 1969. He leaves behind two children.

After his career took a downturn about eight years ago, Warut became a heavy smoker and drinker. He had gone to rehab at least once for his drinking problem.

The Nakornping Hospital has not made a statement as to his cause of death.

Funeral services begin this evening at Wat Phra Singh in Chiang Mai.

US Relationship With International Court Crashes Under Trump

By

Associated Press

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11 September 2018, 10:31

U.S. President Donald Trump in June leaves the G7 Leaders Summit in La Malbaie with White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, left, and National Security Adviser John Bolton. Photo: Sean Kilpatrick / Associated Press

WASHINGTON — America’s long-running reluctant relationship with the International Criminal Court came to a crashing halt on Monday as decades of U.S. suspicions about the tribunal and its global jurisdiction spilled into open hostility, amid threats of sanctions if it investigates U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

National security adviser John Bolton denounced the legitimacy of The Hague-based court, which was created in 2002 to prosecute war crimes and crimes of humanity and genocide in areas where perpetrators might not otherwise face justice. It has 123 state parties that recognize its jurisdiction.

Bolton’s speech, on the eve of the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, came as an ICC judge was expected to soon announce a decision on a request from prosecutors to formally open an investigation into allegations of war crimes committed by Afghan national security forces, Taliban and Haqqani network militants, and U.S. forces and intelligence in Afghanistan since May 2003. The accusations against U.S. personnel include torture and illegal imprisonment.

“The International Criminal Court unacceptably threatens American sovereignty and U.S. national security interests,” Bolton told the Federalist Society, a conservative Washington-based think tank. Bolton also took aim at Palestinian efforts to press war crime charges against Israel for its policies in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza.

He said the U.S. would use “any means necessary” to protect Americans and citizens of allied countries, like Israel, “from unjust prosecution by this illegitimate court.” The White House said that to the extent permitted by U.S. law, the Trump administration would ban ICC judges and prosecutors from entering the United States, sanction their funds in the U.S. financial system and prosecute them in the U.S. criminal system.

“We will not cooperate with the ICC,” Bolton said, adding that “for all intents and purposes, the ICC is already dead to us.”

It was an extraordinary rebuke decried by human rights groups who complained it was another Trump administration rollback of U.S. leadership in demanding accountability for gross abuses.

“Any U.S. action to scuttle ICC inquiries on Afghanistan and Palestine would demonstrate that the administration was more concerned with coddling serial rights abusers – and deflecting scrutiny of U.S. conduct in Afghanistan – than supporting impartial justice,” said Human Rights Watch.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which represents several people who claim they were detained and tortured in Afghanistan from 2003 to 2008 and could be victims or witnesses in any ICC prosecution, said Bolton’s threats were “straight out of an authoritarian playbook.”

“This misguided and harmful policy will only further isolate the United States from its closest allies and give solace to war criminals and authoritarian regimes seeking to evade international accountability,” the ACLU said.

The ICC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Since its creation, the court has filed charges against dozens of suspects including former Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, who was killed by rebels before he could be arrested, and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is accused of charges including genocide in Darfur. Al-Bashir remains at large, as does Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony, who was among the first rebels charged by the court in 2005. The court has convicted just eight defendants.

The court has been hobbled by the refusal of the U.S., Russia, China and other major nations to join. Others have quit: Burundi and the Philippines, whose departure, announced earlier this year, takes effect next March.

The Clinton administration in 2000 signed the Rome Statute that created the ICC but had serious reservations about the scope of the court’s jurisdiction and never submitted it for ratification to the Senate, where there was broad bipartisan opposition to what lawmakers saw as a threat to U.S. sovereignty.

When George W. Bush took office in 2001, his administration promoted and passed the American Service Members Protection Act, which sought to immunize U.S. troops from potential prosecution by the ICC. In 2002, Bolton, then a State Department official, traveled to New York to ceremonially “unsign” the Rome Statute at the United Nations.

Bush’s first administration then embarked on a diplomatic drive to get countries who were members of the ICC to sign so-called Article 98 agreements that would bar those nations from prosecuting Americans before the court under penalty of sanctions. The administration was largely successful in its effort, getting more than 100 countries to sign the agreements. Some of those, however, have not been formally ratified.

In Bush’s second term, the U.S. attitude toward the ICC shifted slightly as the world looked on in horror at genocide being committed in Sudan’s western Darfur region. The administration did not oppose and offered limited assistance to an ICC investigation in Darfur.

The Obama administration expanded that cooperation, offering additional support to the ICC as it investigated the then-Uganda-based Lord’s Resistance Army and its top leadership, including Kony.

On Monday, Bolton effectively turned Washington’s back on the court, accusing it of corruption and inefficiency. Above all, he took aim at the court’s view that citizens of nonmember states are subject to its jurisdiction.

“The ICC is an unprecedented effort to vest power in a supranational body without the consent of either nation-states or the individuals over which it purports to exercise jurisdiction,” Bolton said. “It certainly has no consent whatsoever from the United States.”

Story: Matthew Lee

With Automation, Korean Dumplings Go Global in Business Bet

By

Associated Press

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11 September 2018, 10:23

Workers inspect dumplings on a conveyor belt that are made at an automated factory of CJ CheilJedang Corp. in July in Incheon, South Korea. Photo: Lee Jin-man / Associated Press

INCHEON, South Korea — Move over pot stickers, here comes another Asian dumpling.

South Korea’s largest food company is making a multimillion-dollar bet on “mandu,” developing its own machines to automate the normally labor-intensive production of the Korean dumpling and building factories around the world.

“It will be the next kimchi,” predicted Cho Gun Ae, a senior researcher at CJ CheilJedang Corp. who has spent more than 20 years researching dumpling recipes and production.

The nearly 4-year-old effort is an example of how technology is transforming the food industry, in this case making over the image of frozen dumplings as a cheap and unhealthy product made by small companies. Automation made the quality, the look and the size of each bite-size dumpling consistent and significantly improved productivity, Cho said.

CJ recently opened a factory in New Jersey, its third in the U.S., and has expanded production lines in China and snapped up local companies in Vietnam and Russia so it can churn out more of its Bibigo-brand frozen dumplings.

Few workers could be seen on a recent visit to a CJ factory in South Korea. One picked out defective onions and cabbages from a conveyor belt where machines washed the vegetables with water and chopped them into cubes in seconds. At another conveyor belt, two workers picked out defective chives, while another checked the machines to make sure they were running smoothly.

A series of machines cut the dough into identically sized circles, dropped a dollop of filling inside and closed the dumpling into a crescent shape, onto which another machine put a frill-shaped pattern. Lines of dumplings streamed out on conveyor belts, like a production line of miniature cars. The facility in Incheon, outside of Seoul, produces 100 tons of dumplings a day.

One challenge was designing the machines that make the pattern on the dumplings. Instead of using machines made in Japan for its popular “gyoza” dumplings, CJ developed a new machine for mandu.

Last year, U.S. sales of CJ’s Bibigo dumplings surged 70 percent to 175 billion won (USD$156 million).

Tess Sarosdy of San Antonio, Texas, who reviews ready-made foods on her blog “I Am Tired of Cooking,” praised the mandu for being easy to heat and serve.

“American consumers are more familiar with pot stickers and not the Bibigo-style of dumpling,” she said in an email interview. “My daughter loves them.”

Moon Jung-hoon, a food business professor at Seoul National University, is upbeat about CJ’s dumpling business.

“Its targets are Chinese, Chinese people outside China and others around the world who are familiar with Chinese dim sum,” he said.

Globally, the company aims to triple its dumpling sales to 1 trillion won ($929 million) by 2020, mostly to Koreans, Americans, Chinese and Russians.

It would be an unusual feat at a time when mainstay South Korean exports, such as autos and ships, are struggling to grow and companies are reluctant to expand investment.

Story: Youkyung Lee

Under Pressure, FCCT Cancels Discussion of War Crimes in Myanmar

By

Todd Ruiz, Editor

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10 September 2018, 20:45

Monday night at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand.

BANGKOK — A discussion of whether key figures in Myanmar’s military should be prosecuted for genocide of the Rohingya was canceled at the last minute Monday evening under pressure from Thai authorities.

Coming two weeks after the UN’s top human rights body concluded tatmadaw generals should be prosecuted for genocide, the police came to the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand and told them to not hold the event.

Dominic Faulder, club president, said it was a “sad development,” adding that the club has held 20 or so events discussing the political situation in Myanmar without incident.

Read: Mosque Ceremony for Rohingya Victims Forced Canceled by Authorities

The panel discussion was to feature Kingsley Abbott, a legal adviser with the International Commission of Jurists; former Thai ambassador Kobsak Chutikul, who resigned from a Myanmar advisory panel on the Rohingya crisis; and Tun Khin, the president of a UK-based Rohingya advocacy group.

Police used boilerplate language in a delivered letter to warn the event could affect bilateral relations and possibly be exploited by an unspecified “third party.”

Abbott said there would have been a lot to talk about at the event, provocatively titled “Will Myanmar’s Generals Ever Face Justice for International Crimes?”

He cited Friday’s ruling by the International Criminal Court that it has the authority to look into crimes against humanity over the forced exodus of much of Myanmar’s Rohingya population because part of the alleged crime occurred in Bangladesh, which, unlike Myanmar, is a member of the Hague-based court.

“The situation in Myanmar is of global concern, and tonight’s cancellation by Thailand is enormously disappointing given that they should be taking a position of leadership,” he said, noting that any potential prosecution shouldn’t be limited to what occurred outside of Myanmar.

“The ball’s in the prosecutors’ court to launch an investigation,” he said.

Two weeks ago, Thai authorities forced a mosque to cancel a memorial on the one-year anniversary since violence erupted in Rakhine state last year.

CISSA Group Unveils Luxury Resort ‘Wyndham Naiharn Beach Phuket’

By

Khaosod English

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10 September 2018, 18:20

CISSA Group, a Thailand-based leading investment property developer, today announced that it is holding an open house to unveil its new property project called Wyndham Naiharn Beach Phuket that’s located on Naiharn Beach, Phuket. Set in an 11-rai tract of land and valued at Bt2.8 billion, the project is a partnership between CISSA Group and Wyndham, a world-class operator of renowned hotel and resort chains. Wyndham has been brought in to manage the property to ensure professional guest service. The resort looks set to satisfy property investors’ needs as it guarantees a yield of 6 percent on their investment in the first 2 years of operations together with a discount of Bt350,000 and plenty of special prizes for customers making reservations at the open house that is being held on August 19 at the Radisson Blu Plaza Bangkok on Sukhumvit Soi 27.

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Mr. Autthanop Pandkamnerd, President of CISSA Group Co., Ltd., says, “There has been a proliferation of property development projects in Phuket lately. These projects seek to satisfy both residential and investment needs thanks to Phuket’s sustained tourism growth. As an experienced and expert property developer, CISSA Group has seen Phuket’s potential and growing demand for more properties. As a result, CISSA Group has decided to launch the Wyndham Nai Harn Beach Phuket,that is comprised of a hotel and residences for investment targeting both Thais and foreigners. With its close proximity to Naiharn Beach (only 800 meters away), the property project enjoys the best and worthwhile location. With prices starting at Bt6.5 million, the property guarantees a yield of 6 percent in the first 2 years. Investors can rest assured that they can get a return on their investment as expected and are entitled to a complimentary 30-day stay per year.”

The Wyndham Naiharm Beach Phuket – set in an 11-rai plot on Naiharn Beach, Phuket and valued at Bt2.8 billion – comprises 12 buildings totaling 353 units with a big lobby building. The property’s architectural design has been inspired by a mass of exotic coconut palms on Naiharn Beach bordering an inviting tropical ocean. This idyllic beach vibe is simulated in the decadent swimming pools and lush tropical landscaping complete with the signature coconut palms from where the property’s name is derived.

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The property’s construction contractor is Citic Construction International (Thailand) Co., Ltd., a Chinese construction giant with an extensive portfolio of mega-projects of property development.

“Besides designing projects that meet the ultimate lifestyle and residential needs of tourists, CISSA Group has formed a partnership with a famous global five-star hospitality group like Wyndham, a US-based hospitality management brand with a global portfolio of approximately 8,000 hotels across the world. Thais know the Wyndham brand from its Ramada hotel brand. This Phuket project marks Wyndham’s aggressive expansion push into the Thai market by way of its parent brand in Thailand. Wyndham will operate and manage the property to provide the ultimate relaxation for tourists. It will inspire confidence among investors too,” says Autthanop.

Mrs. Tara Thanakasinveth, Director of Marketing of CISSA Group Co., Ltd., says, “Aside from making a profit from freehold as high as 6 percent in the first 2 years, investors will approximately get a dividend yield of 10 percent from the 3rd to 15th year based on long-term forecasts by the professional hotel management. For outright sales, investors have potential for making a profit as a result of high sales margin right from the first year, given that properties appreciate in value by 3 percent every year especially in Phuket where prices of tracts close to tourist attractions appreciate continually every year. This project is offering a good opportunity to investors to choose a credible expert property developer like CISSA Group. The Wyndham Naiharn Beach Phuket is holding an open house on August 19. At the event, customers will get the highest benefits with lots of prizes up for grabs and discounts of up to Bt100,000 for customers making a reservation during the open house. Customers have a choice of a cash discount on the day of ownership transfer, or an investment in a Long Term Equity Fund (LTF) or gift vouchers from leading department stores.”

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There’s a special promotion for customers with plenty of giveaways and subsidies including furniture, complete interior decoration equipment, electric appliances, a residential juristic person fund, communication maintenance expenses, transfer of ownership fees and electricity and tap water meter installation fees.

The Wyndham Naiharn Beach Phuket is located in the southwestern tip of Phuket, 400 meters from Nong Harn Lake and 800 meters from Naiharn Beach, with a spectacular sunset over Naiharn Beach that has a crescent shape, with powdery white sand, the Andaman’s crystal-clear azure waters. Naiharn was voted one of the most popular beaches in a TripAdvisor survey on March 2015.

Wyndham Naiharn Beach Phuket’s architectural design has been inspired by the ancient limestone Karsts of the mystical Phanga Bay. The property features 12 beautiful asymmetric towers that rise from the inviting flowing swimming pools emulating the crystal-clear waters of the Andaman Sea. The entrance is crowned with a stunning free-form shell-like structure evocative of the home of an exotica sea creature. All the great vibes associated with beach life become have been incorporated into the elements of the home design that is like a coral reef in the deep ocean.

In terms of interior design, the architects have created deep calm relaxing spaces with high ceilings, open-plan living spaces with generous picture frame-inspired windows and a vibrant palette of colors designed to replicate the restorative powers of the sea and beach that can make the residents feel as they could actually bring a slice of this tropical beach paradise home with them.

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Wyndham Naiharn Beach Phuket has the superb comfort and convenience of first-class accommodation with a range of resort amenities available exclusively for the resident’s use.

Facilities include the luxury swimming pools surrounding the property, kids swimming pools, private pool access, family facilities, a lobby and lounge area, fitness center, kid’s club, restaurants, a bar and retail shops. The property provides 24-hour security with security CCTV cameras operating around the clock, parking area, and 24-hour concierge service.

Interested persons are welcome to sign up for the Open House of the Wyndham Naiharn Beach Phuket, which takes place on August 19, 09.00-17.00 at the Grand Ballroom, on the fourth floor of the Radisson Blu Plaza Bangkok. For more information, call 091-229 4070, 0-2026-5300 or visit www.cissagroup.com .

ABOUT CISSA GROUP

CISSA Group CO Ltd is a group of companies that is a leader in investment property development that prides itself on adding a new dimension to freehold property investment. CISSA Group provides prospective buyers with opportunities to own properties for investment. The company’s properties are operated by professional hospitality management companies to provide investors with a worthwhile return on investment and to ensure their financial security in the future. The company specializes in investment property development.

CISSA Group is a company that engages in property business development with expertise and extensive experience in developing various properties in tourist destinations in provinces across Thailand such as EVA Town Nakhon, The EVA, EVA Town, Vanilla and EVA Beach. The company operates a portfolio of recognized property brands in the COCO group such as COCO SEA (which has now been officially rebranded as Wyndham Naiharn Beach Phuket), COCO Chalong, COCO Kamala, and COCO Rawai. The company was formerly known as Con-F, which has been renamed CISSA Group Co., Ltd..

ABOUT WYNDHAM HOTEL GROUP

Wyndham Hotel Group is one of the three principal divisions of Wyndham Worldwide Corporation. Wyndham Worldwide is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: WYN).

Wyndham Hotel Group is the world’s largest and most diverse hotel company, encompassing approximately 8,000 hotels and over 650,200 rooms in 71 countries around the globe.

From the award-winning upscale offerings of its namesake Wyndham Hotels and Resorts brand, to the distinctly comfortable and familiar properties of its iconic Days Inn, Ramada brand, the company prides itself on providing guests and franchisees with exceptional customer service, great value and the most lodging choices around the world.

The company’s loyalty program, Wyndham Rewards, is the largest in the lodging industry, based on number of participating hotels, with approximately seven million active members.

The following brands have been identified as focus brands for growth in the Asia Pacific region:

Wyndham Grand Hotels and Resorts

Wyndham Hotels and Resorts

TRYP by Wyndham

Ramada and Ramada Encore

Days Hotels and Days Inn

Discover Mouth-Watering Taste of Japanese Katsu Curry at Soba Factory (Sponsored)

By

Khaosod English

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10 September 2018, 18:03

BANGKOK — Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park has unveiled a special Katsu Curry promotion to delight Japanese food lovers.

Perfect for lunch or dinner, this classic Japanese dish includes crispy deep-fried pork or chicken, topped with our delicious homemade curry sauce. Dishes can be served with a choice of rice, udon or soba noodles, plus classic Japanese side dishes.

Soba Factory is the traditional Japanese eatery at Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park. Overseen by expert Japanese chef Toshiyuki Okabe, this intimate restaurant prepares authentic cuisine in a vibrant open kitchen environment.

The newly-introduced katsu curry menu uses original recipe Japanese curry paste and the freshest ingredients. Options include “Katsu Curry Rice,” which features deep-fried pork or chicken topped with curry sauce and served with soft steamed rice, salad and pickles.

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Designed for noodle lovers, “Katsu Curry Udon” is served in a traditional Japanese manner, with the udon noodles, deep-fried pork and the curry laid out separately on a tray. Finally, “Katsu Curry Soba” also features the three main ingredients served separately.

Non-beef-eating guests can rest assured that katsu curry is a pork- or chicken-based dish. All our soba noodles are freshly prepared in-house using time-honored methods and the finest buckwheat flour from Hokkaido.

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The Katsu Curry promotion runs from September 1 to October 31 for lunch (12.00–14.30 hrs) and dinner (17.30–22.00 hrs) at Soba Factory, Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park. Dishes start from THB 278++.

For information and reservations, contact email [email protected] or call 02 059 5999.

About Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park

The largest hotel in Bangkok and the first Marriott Marquis hotel in Asia Pacific, Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park is a new landmark in heart of the Thai capital. The resort offers extensive facilities, including more than 1,388 rooms and suites, over 5,000m² of function space across more than 37 venues, two swimming pools, the Quan Spa and a collection of restaurants and bars. Centrally located on Sukhumvit Road, in Bangkok’s vibrant business and entertainment district, the hotel is the perfect choice for all travelers to this pulsating city.

Thai Compassion For Rohingya Wins Big in Venice

By

Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

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10 September 2018, 17:52

‘Manta Ray’

BANGKOK — A Thai movie dedicated to Rohingya refugees scored a premier prize at the world’s oldest film festival on the weekend.

“Manta Ray,” or “Kraben Rahu,” won the Orizzonti Award for best film Saturday night at the 75th Venice International Film Festival. It’s said to be the first Thai movie to win the prestigious award.

The film, which was the directorial debut of Phuttiphong Aroonpheng, is set in a Thai coastal village where a boat carrying Rohingya boat people founders, drowning many. It focuses on a fisherman who rescues an unconscious stranger who turns out to be mute, and nurses him in his home.

The film is now on its way to the Toronto Film Festival. It’s still unknown when the movie will show in Thailand.

Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that the announcement took place on Sunday. In fact, the announcement occurred on Saturday. We’re sorry about the error.

Junta ‘Afraid’ to Lift Politics Ban, But Why?

By

Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

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10 September 2018, 17:40

Protesters prepare for a march to the Government House in May 2018 to mark the fourth anniversary of the 2014 coup. They were blocked from reaching their destination.

BANGKOK — The powers that be who’ve bottled expression and dissent for five years fear the resumption of regular political life, a top official says.

Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam admitted for the first time Monday that the reason the military regime hasn’t lifted the ban on political activities is because the ruling junta known as the National Council for Peace and Order is “afraid.”

Keeping it cryptic, the junta adviser did not elaborate on what it is afraid of. The admission comes as calls grow for completely revoking the ban with elections promised just five months from now.

Last week Wissanu said the lifting of the ban on political activities would occur in mid-December, allowing parties to begin campaigning. The two major parties, Democrat and Pheu Thai, have called for it to be revoked entirely.

Two junta critics speculated on what the junta fears.

Pro-democracy activist Rangsiman Rome said it’s simple: prosecution. Should junta leader Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha fail to retain power after the election, Rangsiman said its self-indemnification for overthrowing the government in 2014 could be overturned.

“They also know that they are on the way down. Many people are talking about taking revenge on them,” Rangsiman said by phone Monday.

Another activist, Nuttaa Mahattana, thinks the junta is afraid of the people. She said the ban that’s been in place since the coup affects not just politicians but ordinary citizens including protesters such as herself, who’s been charged multiple times with violating the junta’s ban on political gatherings.

“They are afraid of the people… They are afraid that people will be able to speak. They are afraid of people’s expressions,” Nuttaa said.

Desperately Seeking: Owner of Victory Monument

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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10 September 2018, 17:19

Sayompoo Setabhrahmana / Wikimedia Commons

BANGKOK — The government Monday said it’s working to answer a bizarre question that has left historians and officials baffled: Who owns Bangkok’s Victory Monument?

Though millions of Thais and foreigners are familiar with the sight of the busy landmark – which also serves as a commuter hub – no agency claims ownership of the monument, which has been standing for over 70 years.

“Every relevant agency has to attend a meeting to decide who will be assigned responsibility for the Victory Monument,” deputy junta chief Prawit Wongsuwan told reporters today.

Prawit’s call came after chief of the Ratchathewi district, where the monument is located, proposed building a museum and pedestrian tunnels beneath it. The proposal ran into a wall when it became unclear which agency’s permission would be needed. While it keeps the grass trimmed and monument cleaned, the district office said it does not own the site.

735086 10156460705730416 1960809892749283590 n — Thai and Japanese military officers attend an unveiling ceremony of Victory Monument in Bangkok, which marks Thailand’s victory over French Indochina.

“It’s a no man’s land,” district chief Teerayut Phumisak said in July.

And that’s how the latest pillar of bureaucratic SNAFU unfolded.

The veteran’s association, which organizes a ceremony every Veterans Day at the site, said it’s only responsible for the event and referred inquiries to the city planning department, who in turn said it did not own the building and passed the baht to the treasury department, who likewise denied ownership and suggested asking the highway department.

To the surprise of no one at this point, the highway department said it had no information about the monument and passed the ball to fine arts department. The latter said it will search its archive of historical records to settle the issue.

Prawit, the junta No.2, said he had no idea when the conclusion will be reached.

A historian expressed surprise that no government agency has claimed Bangkok’s most iconic war memorial. But he also notes that ownership of a historical site has always been something everyone took for granted.

“We never asked ourselves this question before,” Thamrongsak Petchlertanan said in an interview. “Because we always knew it was government property. We never observed who actually owns it.”

The monument was built in 1941 to celebrate Thailand’s victory in its conquest of French colonies in Indochina. Inspired by modernist aesthetics at the time, it features an obelisk rising from a base guarded by five hulking statues representing the four branches of the armed forces and civilian volunteers.

The victory it marks did not last. After the end of World War II, Thailand – who joined the Axis powers following Japanese invasion in December 1941 – was forced to return the territories to the French government.

Thamrongsak urged the government to settle the issue quickly.

“No one in these agencies would step forward because it means they would have to spend money and people on it,” the historian said with a laugh. “It’s a mission for the government to decide who will be responsible.”

NHK news report of the monument’s grand opening in 1942.

Parties Stake Out Positions on ‘SOTUS’ Hazing

By

Asaree Thaitrakulpanich, Staff Reporter

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10 September 2018, 16:58

SOTUS — From left, Treerat Sirichantaropas of the Pheu Thai Party, Pannika Wanich of the Future Forward Party, Kanawat Chantaralawan of the Democrat Party and Phumjaithai Party’s Sathit Thepwongsirirat on Sunday at Thammasat University in Bangkok.

BANGKOK — A representative from Thailand’s newest progressive party said it would work to ban freshmen hazing at universities and schools if it comes to power in the next election.

Speaking Sunday at Thammasat University, Pannika Wanich of the Future Forward Party staked out the most aggressive position on practices commonly called SOTUS – Seniority, Order, Tradition, Unity and Spirit – among counterparts from several parties who alternately described it as abusive or merely a flawed tradition.

“SOTUS is a Nazi, authoritarian system. There is nothing democratic about SOTUS values,” Pannika said. “It creates a culture of submitting to authority to aid in your own survival and in hope of benefiting later. The status quo is preserved while only the people at the very top benefit.”

Read: SOTUS 2018: Hazing Hits High Schools

โซตัส 180910 0012 — ‘[SOTUS] creates a culture of submitting to authority to aid in your own survival and in hope of benefiting later’ – Pannika Wanich, Future Forward Party

The Pheu Thai party rep agreed that other than abuse of freshmen, SOTUS contributed to a favoritism-filled civil service in society that cowed underlings to superiors. The Democrat and Phumjaithai parties, however, wrote the hazing tradition off as a neutral system that has occasional flare-ups of abusive behavior.

Though all four party reps agreed that abuses – a student who was beaten until his spleen burst in July – should end, they differed on whether it should be reined in or outright abolished.

Hazing activities under SOTUS, which often go into the realm of physical, verbal or psychological abuse of freshmen by upperclassmen, have come under fire over the last six years, most visibly through Anti Sotus, the online advocacy group which hosted Sunday’s talk.

At the other end of the spectrum, the representative from Thailand’s oldest political party saw no connection between university hazing and broader social issues.

โซตัส 180910 0023 — ‘It doesn’t mean that we have to destroy the whole system by submitting letters to the Ministry of Education’ – Kanawat Chantaralawan, Democrat Party

“SOTUS is a neutral system. But I do not agree with using it in a bad way, with ridiculous and strange punishments like kissing each other or beating each other,” party spokesman Kanawat Chantaralawan said. “It doesn’t mean that we have to destroy the whole system by submitting letters to the Ministry of Education. That won’t work.”

Kanawat, 29, said that hazing activities should be voluntary, with no repercussions for students who do not want to participate.

Sathit Thepwongsirirat of the Phumjaithai Party, a former Surin MP, described hazing as a neutral system that is over and done within the first year of college.

“If SOTUS falls out of favor generation after generation, then the system will just disappear gradually,” he said, arguing no legislation was needed as “the government already makes too many laws.”

โซตัส 180910 0009 — ‘There are many more ways for upperclassmen and underclassmen to get to known each other rather than rubbing each other’s nuts’ – Treerat Sirichantaropas, Pheu Thai Party

Without going so far as Future Forward, the representative of the political party that’s won every open election since the turn of the millenium said the century-old practice is outdated and limits the kind of free thinking vital to a democratic society.

“There are many more ways for upperclassmen and underclassmen to get to known each other rather than rubbing each other’s nuts,” said Treerat Sirichantaropas of the Pheu Thai Party, referring to rampant sexually and physically abusive practices.

Treerat said that universities should have rules against coercion from upperclassmen, and that high school students should be informed of their rights and told they can walk away from hazing.

Treerat agreed with Pannika’s assessment that SOTUS persists in Thai society at large, especially the civil service, leading to government workers who take better care of their superiors than civilians.

Read: Parties Eye Millions of Young Thais Who’ve Never Voted

โซตัส 180910 0019 — ‘If SOTUS falls out of favor generation after generation, then the system will just disappear gradually’ – Sathit Thepwongsirirat, Phumjaithai Party

But it was the newly established progressive party’s spokeswoman who presented the most extreme view, calling SOTUS a parasitic force that abuses youth, inculcates a culture of subservience and establishes cliques of lifelong privilege and cronyism.

“SOTUS retards the nation’s development,” she said, citing common practice at the Interior Ministry to hire from the political science faculties of the elite Chulalongkorn and Thammasat universities.

Pannika, 30, said SOTUS should be abolished and replaced with normal welcoming or open house activities.

She called on new voters to come out against SOTUS in the next general election, when 7.4 million young, first-time voters will be eligible to cast ballots.

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