Ex-Official Wanted For Helping Premchai Linked to Italian-Thai

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12 February 2018, 12:29

Noppadol Phrueksawan. Photo: Watchdog Act / Facebook

BANGKOK — A former parks official with financial links to the firm whose CEO was arrested on poaching charges had yet to turn himself in to police as of Monday.

Noppadol Phrueksawanhas is wanted by police for allegedly calling in an order that Premchai Karnasuta, president of Italian-Thai Development, and his hunting party be allowed into the Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary where they are accused of killing rare wildlife including a black panther.

“He still hasn’t shown up,” Maj. Gen. Suthin Suppuang of the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division said Monday. “Police don’t know where he is.”

Read: Forest Ranger: Poacher Premchai Offered Bribe

Noppadol parlayed his conservation role into a paid gig with the developer he once regulated. As an official, he was involved in approving Italian-Thai construction projects during the years he managed protected areas between 1989 and 2011. After he retired, he became a paid environmental consultant for the developer starting 2012.

On Friday, wildlife conservation director Kanchana Nittaya told police that Noppadol ordered her to let Premchai’s party into the sanctuary.

Her version of events have been met with skepticism online, where netizens pointed out that she went to school with Noppadol.

“A government official who serves the rich. You should be ashamed, auntie,” user JoobJang Pannipa said in reply to a news item posted to Facebook.

Kanchana said Noppadol called her Jan. 31 and told her to let his friends into Thungyai Naresuan for wildlife research. She told Noppadol she didn’t have that authority and instructed him to contact the office that did. His request was rejected by that office, reportedly due to incomplete paperwork.

Given low expectations that Premchai, a billionaire from a powerful family, will face justice has prompted concern about retribution against those who cooperate with the investigation, such as Wichian Chinnawong, the head ranger who made the arrest.

“I’m confirming that we have no policy to transfer these two individuals,” Thanya Netithamkul, director of the Department of National Parks said Sunday. “Wichien was adamant in his work, so it’s impossible that he would be moved or pressured.”

Police Maj. Gen. Panya Pisuk told reporters Sunday that a summons was issued for Noppadol the day before. He said a second summons would be issued Thursday if he fails to appear.

Premchai was arrested Feb. 5 in the Kanchanaburi province sanctuary with three other men in hunting gear with firearms and several animal carcasses. The four were charged on nine accounts of poaching and trespassing. Premchai was released on bail and police say they don’t know where he is.

His alleged poaching and eating of a black panther – actually a type of leopard – have incited the Thai public and environmental groups.

“This is Thailand’s natural heritage, and no one, whoever they are, has the right to plunder it and consider themselves above the law,” said a joint statement by the conservation groups Freeland, Green World Foundation, LoveWildlife, Traffic, WildAid and World Wildlife Foundation.

Freeland estimates only 2,500 Indochinese leopards – the formal name for the type of black panther whose skin was found – remain in Southeast Asia.

Hero Worship: Thailand Lionizes Humble Defender of the Wild

Rangers: Premchai Ate the Leopard in a Soup

Rifles, Ivory Found in Construction Magnate’s Home

Italian-Thai President Charged For Poaching Wild Animals

Nicholas Shehadie, Former Wallabies Captain, 92

By

Associated Press

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12 February 2018, 11:59

FILE - In this June 4, 2009, file photo, Sir Nicholas Shehadie poses for a photo in Sydney. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith, File)

SYDNEY — Sir Nicholas Shehadie, a distinguished former Wallabies captain who was also a leading sports administrator and one of the architects of the first Rugby World Cup, has died aged 92.

Shehadie, a tall and powerful prop regarded as one of the best to have played the game, was the first man to play 100 games for the Wallabies during an international career stretching from 1946 to 1958. He captained Australia in four of his 30 tests and played 114 matches in the Wallabies jersey.

He later served as chairman of the New South Wales Rugby Union and was president of the Australian Rugby Union between 1980 and 1987. It was in the latter capacity he played a major role in planning the first World Cup which took place in New Zealand and Australia in 1987.

Shehadie, a former Lord Mayor of Sydney, used his diplomatic and lobbying skills at the International Rugby Board to overcome opposition to the World Cup concept from some northern hemisphere nations.

The Cup has gone on to become rugby’s showcase event and one of the top-10 sports events in the world in terms of revenue and audience.

Shehadie was inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame in 2011.

He was a trustee of the Sydney Cricket Ground trust between 1978 and 2001 and was its chairman from 1990. His time on the trust saw the construction of the Sydney Football Stadium which has a grandstand named in his honor.

In a distinguished public career Shehadie was Lord Mayor of Sydney between 1973 and 1975.

The Australian Olympic Committee on Monday paid tribute to Shehadie’s wide-ranging contribution to Australian and world sport.

“He was a visionary whose long association with the Olympic movement dated back to his time as Sydney Lord Mayor when he proposed a bid for Sydney to host the Olympic Games of 1988,” AOC President John Coates said.

“While that far-sighted ambition was not realized at that time, he can rightly claim credit for transforming rugby as part of a determined group who succeeded in establishing the first Rugby World Cup, held in Australia and New Zealand in 1987.”

‘Peter Rabbit’ Team Apologizes for Making Light of Allergies

By

Associated Press

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12 February 2018, 11:10

FILE - This image released by Columbia Pictures shows Peter Rabbit, voiced by James Corden and Cottontail in a scene from "Peter Rabbit." (Columbia Pictures/Sony via AP, File)

LOS ANGELES — “Peter Rabbit” filmmakers and the studio behind it are apologizing for insensitively depicting a character’s allergy in the film that has prompted backlash online.

Sony Pictures says Sunday in a joint statement with the filmmakers that “food allergies and are a serious issue” and the film “should not have made light” of a character being allergic to blackberries “even in a cartoonish, slapstick way.”

In “Peter Rabbit” which was released this weekend, the character of Mr. McGregor is allergic to blackberries. The rabbits fling the fruit at him in a scene and he is forced to use an EpiPen.

The charity group Kids with Food Allergies posted a warning about the scene on its Facebook page Friday prompting some on Twitter to start using the hashtag #boycottpeterrabbit. The group said that allergy jokes are harmful to their community and that making light of the condition “encourages the public not to take the risk of allergic reactions seriously.”

Kenneth Mendez, the president and CEO of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, wrote an open letter to the studio Saturday asking for the opportunity to educate the company and the film’s cast on the realities of food allergies and urged the studio to “examine your portrayal of bullying in your films geared toward a young audience.”

The studio and filmmakers say that they, “Sincerely regret not being more aware and sensitive to this issue, and we truly apologize.”

Thailand Follows as Asian Markets Rise

By

Associated Press

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12 February 2018, 11:06

A man walks past an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm in Tokyo on Dec. 5, 2017. Photo: Eugene Hoshiko / Associated Press

BANGKOK — The Thai economy enjoyed a smooth day on the markets, despite a small hiccup during the closing hours of the today’s tradings.

The Stock Exchange of Thailand closed the day up a modest 0.73 percent at 1,799.45 while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 0.5 percent to 29,661.79. Seoul’s Kospi added 0.8 percent to 2,382.14 while Sydney’s S&P-ASX 200 shed 0.3 percent 5,819.30. Japanese markets were closed for a holiday. Benchmarks in Taiwan, Singapore and Indonesia gained while New Zealand and the Philippines retreated.

Wall Street: A late rally reversed steep losses Friday and lifted the Dow Jones industrial average more than 300 points. The Dow gained 1.4 percent to 24,190.90. The Standard & Poor’s 500 rose 1.5 percent to 2,619.55. The Nasdaq composite added 1.4 percent, to 6,874.49. For the week, the three indexes finished down more than 5 percent. They’re also now all in the red for the year.

Analyst’s Take: “Higher volatility will likely persist for a little while. Further market downside from here is really a call on upside inflation surprises,” said Gaurav Saroliya of Oxford Economics in a report. “We still think inflation will rise only gradually and moderately. The threat to valuation multiples is unlikely to remain as high as it seemed last week,” said Saroliya. “The current equity market turmoil is unlikely to dent continued strong global economic growth. We still see 2018 as the best post-financial crisis year.”

US Budget Battle: Legislators agreed on a USD$400 billion budget measure after conflicts over immigration and other issues led to the second temporary government shutdown in three weeks. The measure approved Friday increases military spending and provides $89 billion for disaster relief.

Week Ahead: Taiwan is due to report quarterly economic growth on Tuesday. Wednesday brings economic growth from Japan and U.S. inflation and retail sales. The United States reports factory output Thursday.

Energy: Benchmark U.S. crude gained 71 cents to USD$59.91 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract plunged USD$1.95 on Friday to close at USD$59.20. Brent crude, used to price international oils, advanced 66 cents to USD$63.45 in London. It fell USD$1.98 the previous session.

Currency: The dollar declined to 108.68 yen from Friday’s 108.79 yen. The euro gained to USD$1.2282 from USD$1.2251.

Story: John McDonald

Soccer Set to Breach Blockade of Qatar

By

Associated Press

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12 February 2018, 10:59

The Qatar national players pose for a team photo prior to a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Iran at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar.

KUALA LUMPUR — The eight-month long blockade of Qatar by a number of its regional neighbors is to be breached on Monday evening by a soccer team.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt cut all ties, including diplomatic and travel, with Qatar in June 2017, accusing the country of supporting terrorism.

Despite such regional tensions, Al Gharafa of Qatar will play at the Abu Dhabi home of Al Jazira, the champion of the UAE, in the opening round of games in the 2018 Asian Champions League.

Al Gharafa arrived in the Emirati capital on Saturday, with manager Bulent Uygun trying to treat the game as a normal contest.

“We will be playing a strong Al Jazira team on their home ground but for us it is like any other match,” Ugyen told reporters. “We are not looking at it as though it is something out of the ordinary.”

The group stage of Asia’s leading club competition will feature 12 meetings between teams from Qatar and those from UAE and Saudi Arabia.

UAE requests to play those game in a third country was rejected by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), which operates the tournament containing 32 teams split into eight groups of four.

“Clubs from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates should be played on a home and away basis in 2018 as per the AFC regulations,” the AFC said in a statement published on its website on Jan. 28.

The soccer federations of both U.A.E. and Saudi Arabia accepted the decision though expressed reservations about how it had been made.

There is still no solution, however, to the issues between Saudi Arabia and Iran with the two countries cutting diplomatic ties in 2016. On Monday, Tractor Sazi will host Al-Ahli of Jeddah in Oman, rather than Iran.

According to reports in Iran, the president of the country’s federation has asked FIFA president Gianni Infantino to intervene and help settle the dispute.

On the field, teams from the West Asia division will be seeking to win the trophy for only the second time since 2005. The tournament is divided into two geographic zones until the final for travel and financial reasons.

The two losing finalists from 2016 and 2017 meet in the opening round in Saudi Arabia as Al-Hilal hosts Al-Ain of the U.A.E.

In the east, big-spending Tianjin Quanjian is making a first appearance in the eastern half of the draw and kicks off with a home tie against Kitchee of Hong Kong.

The Chinese Super League team has Alexandre Pato of Brazil and Belgian international Axel Witsel. Tianjin’s new coach Paulo Sousa is looking forward to the club’s first continental campaign.

“Quanjian’s Champions League appearance is a huge boost for Chinese football clubs, and we are confident that we can defeat every opponent in the following games,” said Sousa.

Elsewhere Shanghai SIPG, with over $100 million of Brazilian talent in Hulk and Oscar, travels to Japanese champion Kawasaki Frontale.

Jeonbuk Motors returns to the tournament it won in 2016 after being barred from defending its title the following year. The South Korean club was punished after a scout was found guilty of bribing referees in the 2013 K-League season.

Story: John Duerden

Bombings and Crashes Among Russia’s Past Air Disasters

By

Associated Press

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12 February 2018, 10:46

A Russian Tu-95 bomber arrives on Biak Island in Indonesia in a photo released Tuesday. The visit by the bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons seems to underline Russia's resurgent military might and its desire to expand its foothold around the world. Photo: Russian Defense Ministry Press Service — A Russian Tu-95 bomber arrives on Biak Island in Indonesia in a photo released in December. The visit by the bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons seems to underline Russia's resurgent military might and its desire to expand its foothold around the world. Photo: Russian Defense Ministry Press Service

MOSCOW — A look at notable disasters that have befallen Russian airliners, either crashes or bombings:

— Feb. 11, 2018: An Antonov-148 regional jet operated by Saratov Airlines crashes shortly after takeoff from Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport with 71 passengers and crew aboard. No survivors are reported.

— Dec. 25, 2016: A Tupolev-154 operated by the Russian Defense Ministry en route to Syria crashes into the Black Sea minutes after takeoff from Sochi. All 92 people on board are believed dead and the cause of the crash isn’t immediately known.

— Oct. 31, 2015: An onboard bomb destroys a Metrojet airliner soon after its takeoff from Egypt’s Sharm al-Sheikh resort. All 224 people on board die.

— Nov. 17, 2013: All 50 people aboard a Tatarstan Airlines Boeing 737 are killed when the crew sends the plane into a steep dive while trying to land in Kazan.

— May 10, 2012: A Sukhoi Superjet on a demonstration flight for potential buyers smashes into a volcano in Indonesia while carrying 45 people. There are no survivors.

— April 2, 2012: A UTAir ATR-72 crashes shortly after takeoff from Tyumen; 33 are killed, 10 survive. Poor de-icing of the plane is blamed.

— Sept. 7, 2011: A Yakovev-42 carrying the Yaroslavl Lokomotiv hockey team crashes soon after takeoff from Yaroslavl, killing all 44 aboard.

— June 20, 2011: Forty-seven people die when a Tu-134 crashes on a highway in heavy fog while trying to land in Petrozavodsk.

—Sept. 14, 2008: 88 people are killed when a Boeing 737 flying from Moscow crashes as it prepares to land in Perm.

—Aug. 22, 2006: A Tu-154 of Russia’s Pulkovo Airlines crashes in Ukraine. All 170 people on board are killed.

—July 9, 2006: An A310 belonging to Russian company S7 skids off the runway after landing in Irkutsk and bursts into flames. All 125 aboard killed.

—April 24, 2004: 90 people are killed when female suicide bombers blow up two Russian airliners after takeoff from Domodedovo. Chechen rebels claim responsibility.

Royal Wedding Guess List: Who Gets a Nod From Harry, Meghan?

By

Associated Press

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12 February 2018, 10:38

Britain's Prince Harry and his fiancee Meghan Markle pose for photographers in November in the grounds of Kensington Palace in London, following the announcement of their engagement. Photo: Matt Dunham / Associated Press

LONDON — Forget the World Cup kicking off in Russia in June. The real competition right now is who’s going to be invited to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding in May.

Everyone who is anyone in Britain is angling for an embossed royal ticket.

British heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua, who is seeking to add two more world championships to the three he already owns, says he would be happy to interrupt his high-level training for a trip to Windsor Castle on May 19. The ebullient Joshua has not been shy, tweeting a picture of himself and Harry with the question “Need a best man?”

“I’m single,” the 28-year-old told the BBC, expressing an interest in seeing if the elegant, raven-haired Markle’s “got any sisters.”

(For the record Anthony, she has a half sister, 53-year-old Samantha Grant, a divorced mother of three who has called Markle “a social climber.”)

The actual guest list is a closely guarded secret – and details about it may not be released until the event is underway. But that hasn’t stopped speculation about who’s in or who’s out from becoming a national parlor game and the subject of wagers in Britain’s legal betting shops.

Any bride and groom run into parental interference in their guest list, whether it’s adding random cousins or forgotten neighbors. Yet Harry and Markle are enduring this phenomenon at a cosmic level due to the royal expectations that come along with being a grandson of Queen Elizabeth II.

At least Harry and Markle won’t face the 3,500 guests that his parents, Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, welcomed to their 1981 “wedding of the century” in St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. They also avoided the warehouse-sized Westminster Abbey, where Harry’s brother Prince William and Kate Middleton packed in 1,900 guests for a 2011 royal wedding extravaganza televised around the world.

Their wedding venue, St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, holds a mere 800 guests. Even so, it’s going to be tough to cut that list.

The British royals’ close relatives alone number over 50 – and this time Princess Eugenie gets to bring a plus-one, fiance Jack Brooksbank. Harry also won’t forget non-royals like Kate’s sister, Pippa Middleton, her husband James Mathews, and brother James Middleton.

At William’s wedding, 45 foreign royals from 20 countries were invited from nations as diverse as Spain, Norway, Malaysia, Thailand and Saudi Arabia. William also invited governor generals from Commonwealth countries (23 seats); foreign dignitaries (27); U.K. politicians (42); religious figures (31); senior military officers (14) and 80 workers from charities that he backs. Oh – and don’t forget the ambassadors from countries with ties to Britain.

William barely could squeeze in A-listers like David Beckham and TV adventure host Ben Fogle — who may return for Harry’s nuptials.

Britain’s governing elite – Prime Minister Theresa May, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond – would normally expect a Windsor invite. But with turmoil over Brexit roiling the ruling Conservative Party, perhaps the bride and groom should just wait until a week before the wedding, then invite whoever is still left standing.

The juiciest debate has been over invites for rival U.S. presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump. Harry and Obama have obvious chemistry and have worked together promoting Harry’s Invictus Games competition for wounded soldiers. Some British officials, however, fear that an invite to Obama would anger Trump.

The royals could note that Obama, the U.S. president in 2011, was not invited to William’s wedding. And they have a bit more leeway because Harry’s wedding is not considered a state event. Markle, meanwhile, is a Hillary Clinton fan.

“We’ve changed our minds on this. We think Harry is in a position that he does not have to worry about the political implications of an invite,” said Rupert Adams, a spokesman for the betting agency William Hill PLC. “We feel strongly that the Obamas will get an invite.”

As for Trump?

“We’d be very surprised to see him on the guest list,” Adams said.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has a trifecta of ties to the bride and groom: He’s the head of a Commonwealth country, host of Harry’s latest Invictus Games and leader of the nation where Markle had been living.

On the celebrity front, Elton John, who turned his song “Candle in the Wind” into an anthem for the late Princess Diana, is considered a 1-50 lock for an invite (98 percent chance) and singer James Blunt comes in at 1-4. Singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran is also reportedly close to Harry’s royal cousins and his U.K. tour doesn’t start until a few days later.

The betting for wedding performer includes John, Sheeran, Coldplay, Joss Stone and Adele.

Violet von Westenholz who introduced the couple will get a nod, along with Harry’s buddies Thomas and Charlie van Straubenzee, Thomas Inskip and Arthur Landon.

Yet A-listers could find themselves outnumbered by British military members and charity workers. Look for dress uniforms from both the Blues and Royals regiment and the Army Air Corps, because Harry served as a former Apache helicopter co-pilot in Afghanistan.

“You create significant bonds in a war zone,” noted Adams.

Among the 10 guests that Markle is allowed to pick (just kidding) will be her mom Doria Ragland, dad Thomas, half brother Thomas Jr. and possibly Grant. Markle’s friends include tennis star Serena Williams, stylist Jessica Mulroney, “Suits” star Patrick J. Adams and former “Made in Chelsea” cast member Millie Macintosh.

Markle’s ex-husband, producer Trevor Engelson, is not expected to receive an invitation.

But William Hill spokesman Adams admits that British bookies don’t really have a clue about who the 36-year-old American will invite.

“The simple reality is … we have been focusing on Harry over here,” Adams said.

Story: Sheila Norman-Culp

From the Editor: 10 Ways Thai Media Can Fail Less

By

Todd Ruiz, Editor

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11 February 2018, 18:08

I’m an inarticulate mess, and no one should invite me to speak at their anything. A face for radio and voice for print equipped me for success as a composer of prose.

That said, I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to discuss the “Crisis in Thailand’s Fourth Estate.” That’s a self-important term news people use to refer to themselves, by the way. I happily accepted the invitation from the fine folks at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand because the topic consumes my waking hours, sapping my health and robbing me of meaningful human contact.

The following is adapted from what I attempted to say.

The crisis of Thailand’s traditional media is due to self-inflicted wounds. We are failing to serve readers on the fundamentals.

A lot of think pieces about the post-truth era have been written by people much smarter than I. Trust in institutions including journalism has been under assault for decades by those inconvenienced by a truth-based consensus.

But while those global currents are relevant in Thailand, they’re not really to blame.

The crisis in Thailand’s fourth estate isn’t due to bots, Russian trolls or a sustained ideological assault. My pitiable print friends can only blame in part changing technology, behaviors and business models (And now that I’ve heard their solutions, I’m sorry to say they haven’t a clue about what’s happening).

Journalism is about helping people make sense of the world (that consensus thing) and holding the humans who hold the power accountable. Achieving the latter goal flows from successfully executing the former.

Making sense of the world is a powerful thing. Faith and religion did this until supplanted by other human creations, culminating in the mass media. Consider: Why are weather stories so popular? Why would the rained-upon want to read that it’s raining? When Bangkok gets hit with a fuck-you-class monsoon, we rush out photos of wet people and wet cars and wet streets. Every soul slogging through the wet to work slaps their thumb against the headline on their smartphone, and in that moment, they’re not alone. “I’m experiencing this fuck-you rain, and so is everyone else.”

When it’s not raining, we in the Thai media are failing to deliver this. People look at what we’re putting out, and they’re not buying it. We fail to help make sense of the world because we don’t make sense.

Every time we fail to challenge some great wet whopper of a lie, whenever we lose interest in following up on the latest slow-walked “diligent investigation” and nod along to the same tired lies, we drive people away.

Whenever we surrender simple truth-telling for whatever acrobatic reasoning, every time we try to have it both ways, every time we contort or stretch or prevaricate or overgeneralize – we dig our own graves.

Yet the audience is still out there, as is their need.

But they’re not going to endure tortured logic that’s inconsistent with reality. They know a lie when they hear one. When we pretend that we don’t, they begin to believe we are not sincere or useful.

So they’re going to Drama-addict and Queen of Spades and E Jan and Pantip because, whatever those things are are, they’re honest and resemble reality and make sense.

What has been the greatest force of justice in Thailand? Whose scrutiny has forced the hand of justice time and again? Whose investigative effort has brought the second-most powerful junta member to his knees? Not Khaosod English. Not Voice TV. Not Bangkok Post. Not The Nation. (Though NotTheNation is sorely missed).

It’s social media. It’s CSI LA. That’s where the crowd is doing it for themselves.

Sound dire and hopeless?

It shouldn’t be. There’s good news. As a profession, journalism is still something we’re equipped to do better. Would you really trust a Citizen Doctor or Citizen Lawyer?

That means re-embracing the fundamentals. It doesn’t matter whether we’re staining wood pulp with ink or Facebook Live-ing or podcasting or creating virtual reality experiences, the fundamentals have never changed.

Ethics are not passe, ethics are the only future.

The age of automatic trust is gone, but we can work hard to win respect. There are things we can do right now – keep reading.

I get there are cultural complications to professional newsgathering. I know my reporters aren’t going to tell a pushy PR flack who wants us to change something in a story to go to hell. They’re going to translate it, but to the same effect. They’re not going to tell the mendacious public servant they are full of shit. They don’t need to; there are many (more culturally effective) ways to skin a cat.

As with other universal human values such as justice and freedom, Thailand is not such an exceptional place that the truth is unwelcome here. Thailand doesn’t need Thai-style journalism.

Don’t believe the lecturey, pedantic farang editor? You don’t have to. This has nothing to do with comparing Thailand to other countries (nice try!).

Excellent journalism has been practiced before by fine reporters right here in the kingdom.

I started reading the Bangkok Post 18 years ago, before Thaksin Shinawatra’s legacy of weaponized defamation neutered it. Go back into its past and find a bold paper on a mission. I think of what Ajarn Chang founded at Matichon and then Khaosod 20-something years ago as the thread we’re picking up at Khaosod English. I see flashes of brilliance from Voice TV, which is at its best when living up to its name as a voice for the people and not a partisan vehicle. It’s hard to believe, but look at what The Nation was long before its cult of fragile personalities became a cringey mess, when it was young and awesome.

Thai Media will never be what it was. The big buildings will be sold. Most print will fold, the presses auctioned off or melted down. But it can remain relevant and viable in the formats of the future by rediscovering the purpose of its past.

I’ve got great hope for the future. Over the past decade, I’ve had the honor and privilege of working with young Thais whose hearts and courage and desire to do right are unimpeachable. They just need the chance to do it.

I’d ask my colleagues and counterparts everywhere, if you can’t be the change, please get out of their way and let them do it.

So what can we do right now? There’s a lot! Especially if we do it together.

In true 21st century form, it comes in the form of a list.

Top 10 Ways to Make Thai Media Great Again

Stop rewriting press releases and passing them off as stories. Just stop. This is bad for business. Make them buy an ad.
Stop accepting gifts: No junkets, no entertainment, no services, no swag, no paid travel and no VIP access beyond what is necessary to report a story.
Get over yourselves. Stop assuming we are important. We are not special. We are regular folks who are paid to get answers for other regular people.
Be the transparency. When you get things wrong, fix it and write a note to readers explaining what happened. It’s not embarrassing, and they will respect this. When you change things under pressure of a higher power, as happens, tell readers what was changed and why. When you remove things entirely, tell readers what was removed and why. You may not be able to go into every detail, but people aren’t stupid and will understand.
Stop doing favors for your friends or anyone. That’s what corruption is: favors for friends. Don’t make exceptions to principle or cut corners, even for people the people you think are the good guys. As soon as you make exceptions in one case, they will be expected in all others.
Stop letting public relations bully you. We all know the real force censorship comes not from the big bad junta, but from the commercial interests who we let call the shots. This fundamentally betrays our readers and is totally upside down! Remember: We have the power and should be bullying them! The next time some flack wants to see your questions in advance for an interview, tell them to go to hell. And let’s band together in solidarity to to deny coverage unless everyone is granted fair access.
Make more sense. Don’t leave gaping holes in stories. Adequately explain context and background. Identify people and the relationships they have with each other.
Stop producing single-source stories about what the Permanent Secretary of Whatever said today. If you do, remind readers of the entirely different thing he or she said last week and include other voices challenging what he said. Better yet, skip the Permsec of Whatevs and find the people affected by the issue.
Minimize harm: Remember that adage of “comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable.” A lot to list here, but a handy example: Stop publishing names and photos of victims of sexual assault. We can have salacious stories and tabloid fun without hurting people.
Be more human. Stop talking down to people. Have a laugh at what there is to laugh about, even ourselves. Consult dictionaries and don’t be tricked into adopting euphemisms spun to confuse you and the public. If it looks like a duck, if it quacks like a duck, don’t call it thai niyom.

Make sense?

Todd Ruiz
Editor
Khaosod English

Man Punches, Kicks 150-Pound Bear Who Attacked His Puppy

By

Associated Press

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11 February 2018, 15:23

DEDHAM, Maine — A Maine man says he punched and kicked a 150-pound bear, scaring it away after it attacked his puppy in the woods.

Twenty-nine-year-old Dustin Gray said the bear lunged at him and his 11-month-old puppy. The 6-foot-5 man tells the Bangor Daily News that he punched and kicked the bear until it fled and knocked him over in the process.

“I stuck my finger right in its eye,” he told the paper.

Gray suffered scratches and bruises, but his Labrador mix, Clover, suffered severe puncture wounds. The dog was being treated.

Gray said the attack happened near Route 1A in Dedham when he stopped to let the puppy relieve herself. The Maine Warden Service is investigating.

Bear attacks are unusual and even rarer in the winter when bears are supposed to be hibernating.

Philipp Plein Takes NY Fashion Week on Snowy Space Ride (Photos)

By

Associated Press

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11 February 2018, 14:47

A model wears fashion from the Philipp Plein collection during Fashion Week in New York on Saturday. Photo: Craig Ruttle / Associated Press

NEW YORK — Provocateur Philipp Plein descended on New York Fashion Week with a giant spaceship, silvery rock formations and Migos lighting up the crowd Saturday night as fake snow fell and covered the floor of a huge industrial space at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

And there were clothes. Skiwear mostly, lots emblazoned with Plein’s name, skulls and crossbones and some Playboy logos.

The show roared to life with a couple of motorcycle riders and a space utility vehicle that plowed through Plein’s fake wall of rocks. Later came a schmoozy transformer (big person in costume) who greeted Irina Shayk as she slinked out of the ship in a black bodysuit emblazoned with “I Love You Philipp Plein.”

Transformer plus Victoria’s Secret model Shayk walked around the snow and Transformer chatted up some of Plein’s front row guests. Also, a man with two prosthetic athletic legs ran laps around the cavernous runway at some point.

The German designer who calls New York home is known for splashy shows — and splashy clothes. In September, the rapper Future performed while models walked and Dita Von Teese did a strip tease in a giant martini glass filled with liquid at the famed Hammerstein Ballroom.

This time around, Plein’s crowd slogged through a persistent rain to Brooklyn for his spectacle, which started about an hour late, leaving guests to take as many fake snow and space rock selfies as any one human could possibly need.

Spaceship PP (Plein’s logo with the first P reversed) was the true star of the show, making its way down from the ceiling with jets smoking, lights flashing and really, really loud sound effects.

Once Plein’s models, both men and women, strutted in his array of puffers, fuzzy coats and ed sweaters, he parked them under his mother ship. They got to dance there at the end as after-party guests took their turn in the soggy line outside for the bonus round.

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Story: Leanne Italie

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