Inmates attend a religious class led by convicted militant Arif Syaifudin, right in 2011 in Porong Prison in Sidoarjo, East Java. Photo: Achmad Ibrahim / Associated Press
JAKARTA — A new study has found Indonesia’s overcrowded prisons are ill-equipped to deal with Islamic militant inmates, hampering efforts to prevent the spread of violent radicalism.
The study adds to years of warnings by experts that the country’s prisons have become a jihadis training ground.
The research conducted by psychologists from the University of Indonesia found that prison staff lack the ability to identify high-risk inmates who could recruit others because they’re given limited information and little specialist training.
Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, has arrested and imprisoned hundreds of militants in the crackdown that followed the 2002 Bali bombings. But many remained committed to violent extremism after release and while in prison radicalized others, who went on to commit acts of terror.
BANGKOK — Throats are sore, breathing is labored and eyes itching in Bangkok, where the air has been fouled to “unhealthy” levels, according to monitors.
It’s time to fight back. Friday is the second day this week that air pollution in the capital has risen to a hazardous level, and exposure can have corrosive health effects.
But cheap masks from the talad won’t help, the experts say. Get one rated for the very teeny-tiny particles that are the invisible killers in the air.
Here’s what you need to do: Walk into a pharmacy or pharmaceutical supply store and ask for a mask rated “KN95” or “N95” or above (The number refers to the percentage of fine particles blocked – so the higher, the better). Then you’ll be good to go for fine particulates outdoor, which are known as PM2.5 for their size in micrometers.
On Friday afternoon, the Air Quality Indexin Bangkok remained at “unhealthy” causing many to suffer from coughing, sore throats and difficulty breathing.
There have been anecdotal reports on social media of people complaining about coughing and suffering from sore and dry throats.
“So much dust I breathed in, and now I’m sick. I’ve been coughing for a few days and now I know the reason why,” @Imyourds tweeted Friday morning.
“I have a sore throat and chest pain. Is it because I breathed in dusts and bad air?” wrote @Bohm_nn on Twitter.
According to Greenpeace Thailand, such pollution in 2015 killed 37,500 people in the country.
But the impact of the current pollution is yet unclear. A representative at Paolo Memorial Hospital Phaholyothin said they have not seen an uptick in admissions for respiratory-related symptoms.
Masks, meanwhile, are in high demand. Several pharmacies have reported selling out and online stories say they’ve had to import more from abroad.
Those at highest risk are people with respiratory or heart diseases, since the fine particles can travel into the innermost systems of the body, said Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai, director of the Department of Disease Control.
But Jariya Senpong, a campaigner of Greenpeace Southeast Asia, said everyone’s health is at risk.
“What is most scary is an accumulation of pollutants,” Jariya said, adding that acute exposure to the pollution in the long term can contribute to vascular and heart diseases.
N95 mask models were selling at shops for 30 baht to 60 baht as of Friday. Respirators that block ozone, nitrogen oxide or carbon monoxide are sold for about 140 baht.
Greenpeace, which has campaigned for Thai air quality authorities to take greater action, says the Pollution Control Department’s numbers don’t tell the full story of what’s in the air because they don’t measure super fine particles.
“We’re talking particles that we cannot see and we haven’t seen the problem for a long time,” Jariya said. “This is the failure of the governmental organizations, but it’s going to be the failure of people if they don’t step up to get quality air back.”
Leicesters Riyad Mahrez celebrates after scoring during the English Premier League soccer match between Leicester City and Swansea City at the King Power Stadium in Leicester, England, Sunday, April 24, 2016. Photo: Rui Vieira / Associated Press
LONDON — Player power only goes so far in the Premier League.
If Riyad Mahrez had his way, he would be wearing a Manchester City shirt on Saturday in a swift reunion with Leicester.
Instead, he appears to have gone AWOL.
The Algerian is still contracted to Leicester and has no known physical injury but he won’t be on the pitch at all at the Etihad Stadium.
A creative force in Leicester’s incredible run to the Premier League title in 2016, Mahrez’s relations with the 5,000-1 outsiders have long since soured after being denied a transfer yet again.
Denied a chance for leave for new chances of glory, Mahrez is in a huff with Leicester and absent from full duties. It can’t last.
How ungrateful from a winger plucked from obscurity in the French second tier and elevated to unimagined levels of stardom that saw him voted Professional Footballers’ Association player of the year in 2016.
“It’s important he comes back,” Leicester manager Claude Puel said, “and he gets his head right.”
Mahrez’s head was turned by City in the January transfer window. The chance to work with Pep Guardiola was dangled in an opportunity craved by most players – even more so when City is a near-certainty to win the Premier League this season, and in contention for another three trophies.
And yet there is growing appreciation of player welfare in football.
Mahrez’s mindset after seeing his dream move crushed should not be disregarded, however well-paid his current contract is at Leicester.
“He’s a human being,” PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor told TalkSport radio. “You can’t get a solution by telling people who is in the wrong.”
But there is still a contract to abide by.
Leicester, which is owned by Thai retail giant King Power, had no obligation to release Mahrez for far below the valuation. Not after the 26-year-old Mahrez agreed to sign a new contract through 2020 within months of lifting the Premier League trophy. He took the pay rise, and ceded some control of his immediate destiny. That’s why an earlier request to leave was rejected in the offseason.
“I don’t want to comment or give details about our relationship with Riyad,” Puel said. “I think it’s important for all details to remain inside the club and not in public.”
The financial clout now of teams outside the elite allowed Leicester to fend off this latest approach by Manchester City as it is ranked the 14th biggest moneymaker in world football.
The last year has also witnessed significant inflation in transfer fees as the world record was more than doubled in August by Neymar’s 222 million euro (then USD$262 million) move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain.
Leicester would have accepted around USD$130 million for Mahrez. City put his valuation at around USD$90 million and wasn’t budging as it moves on from the era of more wild spending sprees.
Even if City still hopes to sign Mahrez, that can’t happen until the summer transfer window. With more than three months of the season remaining, Mahrez has little choice but to be playing again.
“I hope he can come back with a good attitude and prepared to work,” Puel said. “But he will need time, and time to be match fit.”
Leicester has probably peaked, for now. The central England club is hovering around eighth place, far from the relegation places and unlikely to qualify for Europe.
But there’s still the possibility of silverware in the FA Cup – especially if Mahrez is combining to full devastating affect with striker Jamie Vardy.
“Riyad is a magnificent player and he loves football,” Puel said. “He loves his relationship with his friends, his teammates, he enjoys his football and I think he needs to come back, play and touch the ball. He’s a magnificent footballer.”
Just one who will be missing for a third consecutive match on Saturday. It’s time for Mahrez to get back on the pitch and flaunt the flair that is so in demand.
Kim Yo Jong, right, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, is pictured during the official opening of the Ryomyong residential area, a collection of more than a dozen apartment buildings, in April in Pyongyang, North Korea. Photo: Wong Maye-E / Associated Press
SEOUL, South Korea — The plane carrying a high-level North Korean government delegation including leader Kim Jong Un’s sister has arrived in South Korea to attend the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
Kim Yo Jong will be the first member of North Korea’s ruling family to set foot in the South since the 1950-53 Korean War.
The North Korean officials during their three-day visit beginning Friday will meet with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who’s trying to use the Olympics as an opportunity to pull North Korea into meaningful talks over its nuclear program.
Analysts say the North’s decision to send her to the Olympics shows its ambition to break out from diplomatic isolation by improving relations with the South, which it could use as a bridge for approaching the United States.
PHNOM PENH — A court in Cambodia has allowed the release on bail of seven Westerners who were arrested last month for allegedly posting photos on social media of themselves engaged in sexually suggestive dancing, a court official said Thursday.
Yim Srang, a court spokesman in the northwestern province of Siem Reap, said the investigation of the case has been completed and the seven were freed Wednesday, but no trial date has been set. He said three other people remained in detention but he didn’t know their names or nationalities.
The 10 arrested people – five from the United Kingdom, two from Canada, and one each from Norway, the Netherlands and New Zealand – were detained when police raided a commercially organized party at a rented villa in Siem Reap town and found people dancing at an event described as a pub crawl. Siem Reap is near the famous Angkor Wat temple complex.
Police who conducted the raid originally detained almost 90 people, and it was unclear why they singled out 10 to remain in custody and be charged. Police said those caught in the raid had been “dancing pornographically” and offended Cambodian standards of morality. They face up to a year in jail if convicted.
One of the detainees’ lawyers, Sourng Sophea, said last week that some of the photos posted by his clients showed them at a party, some drinking by a swimming pool and some of the women in bikinis, but none showed them having sex or exposing themselves. According to the law, he said, they should be deported or have their visas canceled, but should not be held in pretrial detention.
In a brief video made last week of the detainees, one unidentified man apologized for any offense he might have caused. Declaring that he had lived in Cambodia for two years, he said “I respect the culture, I help Cambodian children, I help Cambodian families.”
“I don’t want to make any problems with Cambodia,” he said. “It’s just one mistake … I’m sorry.”
Asked by an off-camera interviewer if they wanted to go back to their own countries, several replied “yes” while all nodded their heads.
A journalist for the Phnom Penh Post, whose website was first to report the release, said on Twitter that the three still detained were from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Norway. Ananth Baliga did not identify them by name, but said they were considered the organizers of the event.
The British Foreign Office said in an email Thursday that its staff was assisting four British men who were released and one British man who remained in custody.
Ouch Sopheaktra, another one of the group’s lawyers, said he filed for bail on Monday for the seven who were released, judging that their alleged offenses were minor.
He said he had not yet decided to appeal for bail for the other three because their cases were “a bit more complicated” and he needed more time to consider their situation. He did not explain further, but there has been speculation that some of the detainees would not seek bail in the hope that would expedite their cases and not leave them trapped in Cambodia for an extended period awaiting trial.
Pro-democracy activist Nuttaa Mahattana with police Thursday in Bangkok.
BANGKOK — All protest leaders were freed on their own recognizance Thursday evening after judges rejected a police request they be denied bail and sent straight to jail.
The court cited the five defendants’ cooperation and claim they will break the law again merely a “prediction,” the Bangkok South Criminal Court let them walk free at about 7pm. Thirty other protesters facing lesser charges for attending the rally late last month were freed earlier in the day without posting bonds.
Nine people identified as leaders of the Jan. 27 protest, mostly prominent figures in the pro-democracy movement, were formally charged with inciting rebellion. Four were no-shows at Friday’s arraignment.
The court turned down deputy police chief Srivara Ransibrahmanakul, who had initially wanted all of the so-called MBK39 jailed until trial before targeting only the nine leaders.
Human rights lawyer Arnon Nampa, one of the alleged leaders, said the bail money raised before Thursday’s hearing would be used to defend other cases involving civil rights and activism.
A follow-up protest is planned for Saturday at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument. Protesters are expected to renew their call for junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha to stick to a promise made last year to hold elections in November, a prospect that seemed to have dimmed recently.
Taken through a tinted glass, Rurik Jutting, a British banker, sitting in a prison bus arrives at a court in 2014 in Hong Kong. Photo: Vincent Yu / Associated Press
HONG KONG — A Hong Kong court on Friday rejected a British banker’s appeal of his conviction in the gruesome murders of two Indonesian women.
Three Court of Appeal judges said in their decision that Rurik Jutting’s appeal had no merit.
Jutting is serving a life sentence for the 2014 killings of the two women in a case that shocked the Asian financial capital, which has a reputation for being safe.
A jury found Cambridge University-educated Jutting guilty at his 2016 trial of the brutal killings of Seneng Mujiasih, 26, and Sumarti Ningsih, 23.
Jutting’s legal team argued that the trial judge gave incorrect instructions to the nine-person jury on reaching a verdict.
The former Bank of America employee spent days torturing one of the victims while on a cocaine-fueled binge before stuffing her body into a suitcase left on his apartment balcony.
Jutting didn’t deny the killings but had sought to plead guilty to manslaughter, which the court rejected. His defense argued that he was under diminished responsibility.
His appeal lawyers said the trial judge made an error in his directions to jurors on assessing Jutting’s psychiatric disorders and whether they constituted a mental abnormality.
Under Hong Kong law, an “abnormality of mind” that substantially impairs mental responsibility can be used as a defense against a murder conviction.
“We are satisfied that the judge’s directions correctly applied the law to the evidence adduced at trial,” the ruling said.
Jutting’s appeal lawyers also said the trial judge was also wrong to advise jurors they should come up with the same verdict for both counts, despite the different circumstances of the two deaths.
A February 2018 photo file of Wichien Chinnawong in Kanchanaburi.
KANCHANABURI — The forest ranger who hunted down and arrested a construction tycoon suspected of poaching a black panther in a wildlife sanctuary is all over the Thai internet today, where he’s being hailed as a sorely needed national hero.
Wichien Chinnawong is the skinny, leathery-tanned ranger who tracked Premchai Karnasuta, president of Italian-Thai Development, to a campsite in a national park where he was found with guns, the big cat’s skin – and part of its tail in a cookpot.
“I didn’t think he would be some famous big CEO… but after arresting him, I’m not worried or scared of someone interfering in my work,” 37-year-old Wichien said. “When someone with money does something wrong and is arrested, they should be treated according to the law the same as with any chaobaan or any other citizens.”
Premchai, it seems is to most, was caught red-handed. But as quickly as word of his arrest spread, so did skepticism that justice would be done – and fear for Wichien’s safety. Thailand is no stranger to enforced disappearances – usually a euphemism for abduction and murder – of central figures in cases brought against the rich and powerful.
The internet is rife with talk about the necessity of media attention to protect Wichien from any retribution.
“I watched his interview clip and started crying,” @Satofidy_9394 said in a tweet. “Even I’m worried for Uncle Wichien, his team and his parents. Ohhh, they’re probably so scared for their son. How will he and his family survive? I’m sending my support.”
#WichienChinnawong has been trending on Twitter along with #Premchaiand #Thungyai, which refers to the national park where the arrest was made. The scandal is being followed closely on Twitter, where many are praising Wichien and berating Premchai.
Princess Ubolratana, the eldest child of Queen Sirikit and the late King Bhumibol, even posted a message encouraging Wichien to fight on: “Su su, Khun Wichian Chinnawong.”
Wichien said the support has been a much-needed boost to the morale of wildlife defenders.
“With all your encouragement, we have hundreds and thousands times the strength to keep protecting the environment,” Wichien said in a viral Facebook video. A photo showing Wichien standing at ready but resting his head against a car – allegedly fatigued from long hours of duty – had been liked more than 22,000 times by Tuesday afternoon.
Reporters visiting Wichien’s family in Srisaket province were greeted by his extended family and neighbors shouting, “Wichien su su!”
“I’m so happy my son is a good person. But I’m worried about him,” Korn Chinnawong, 61, Wichien’s dad said.
Wildlife department official Thanya Netithamkul told reporters that Wichien was not at risk of losing his job.
Tributes Pour In for ‘Uncle Wichien’
Thailand has been awash in public frustration over its inability to hold high figures accountable. From cop-killing Vorayuth Yoovidhya to watch-loving junta elder Prawit Wongsuwan.
Image: Arthit Kannikar / Facebook
The narrative of the honest forest protector vs. the opulent and entitled CEO is running strong.
Wichien’s low salary of 9,000 baht per month serves to fuel those sentiments further. Premchai, whose company built the nation’s capital and highways, is a fixture in Forbes’ wealthiest lists.
Fanart of the man has been circulating the web, with internet-famous painter Arthit Kannikar posting a portraitof the ranger Thursday.
Students from the Ban Khok Bai Bua School in Nakhon Ratchasima have even drawn pictures of Loong (uncle) Wichien.
“I can’t even get mad that they called me loong, the drawings are so cute. But calling me P’Wichien would be better,” he said, smiling.
Arthit also asked people to support the ranger with food and goods “not just encouragement.”
This month is the first anniversary of Wichien’s reassignment to the Thungyai Naresuan National Park. On Thursday, he recounted additional details of what led to Premchai’s arrest:
Photo: Thon Thamrongnawasawat / Facebook
It was 1pm on Monday – the prior afternoon – that rangers came across Premchai’s group in the sanctuary and asked them to leave. The four men did not cooperate, so the rangers radioed in for reinforcements. Premchai and his group defied instructions and made their way further into protected lands.
“After that, we rangers were searching their campsite when we heard gunshots. We saw a guy pointing a gun at an animal in a tree. A ranger yelled at one of the men to stop and escorted him back to the tent camp,” Wichien said. “On the way, they found lots of 20-caliber bullets, animal flesh and two bags of salt.”
Back at the camp, the rangers searched and found more animal carcasses before taking them down to the police station. A later search would turn up a cooking pot that was used to stew the panther’s tail.
The encounter wasn’t Wichien’s first bust.
In October 2013, he led a team to arrest five people illegally logging Siamese rosewood in the Phu Si Than Wildlife Sanctuary. A year later in February at the same reserve, he arrested a Mukdahan district official hunting squirrels. In September this past year, he seized 160 rai (25.6 hectares) of Thungyai Naresuan land illegally occupied by local government officials.
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, talks with Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha during the family photo session at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Danang, Vietnam on Nov. 11, 2017. Photo: Hau Dinh / Associated Press
BANGKOK — Junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha said Thursday that he’s been inspired by the doctrine of US President Donald Trump to put “Thailand First” when it comes to deciding when elections will take place.
Speaking to reporters at the Government House, Gen. Prayuth said a ranking American military official did not raise the question of elections in a meeting yesterday because the United States is “not worried” about whether Thailand holds them or not.
“P’President declared, ‘America first!’” Prayuth said, referring to Trump as his senior. “So for me, I have to declare, ‘Thailand first!’ I have to take care of my people and our country’s interests.”
Prayuth was referencing a Wednesday meeting between Defense Minister Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan and Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. of the US Marine Corps.
“He didn’t ask or worry about Thai elections,” Prayuth said. “He just encouraged us on our democratic path.”
Prayuth has been under pressure at home to keep a promise made while meeting Trump last year that he would hold elections in November. That promise, the latest in an annual series, seems to have been broken, prompting fresh protests against indefinite military rule.
Prayuth said Thailand’s path was up to him – and the law.
“Does the media even know how Thailand and the US are different? They’re different in the fundamental social structure: education, careers and income,” Prayuth said. “Therefore we need strong ways to lead us to democracy in the timeframe by following these two ways: one, my way and two, the law’s way.”
From left, Sukrid Peansuwan, Nutta Mahattana, Veera Somkwamkid and Sombat Boonngamanong on Wednesday.
BANGKOK — Thirty protesters charged for holding a pro-democracy rally late last month were released on their own recognizance Wednesday as police seek to convince a court to jail the group’s leaders until trial.
Reversing earlier statementsthat all faced immediate incarceration, deputy police chief Srivara Ransibrahmanakul said the authorities would not oppose the release of most members and only ask the court to jail the group’s leaders after all but four of the accused were formally charged this morning.
Those only charged with violating the public assembly law – the protest was deemed too close to a royal property – were taken from the police station to a nearby circuit court and freed Wednesday afternoon. One member, Noppakow Kongsuwan, was already freed under the same conditions Tuesday. Noppakow works for Khaosod newspaper, a sister publication of Khaosod English.
Four of the nine leaders of what’s being called the MBK39 for their rally held near the Bangkok’s MBK Center, did not appear Wednesday at the Pathum Wan Police Station.
Srivara said he would not seek warrants to arrest Rangsiman Rome, Sirawit Seritiwat, Ekachai Hongkangwan and Arnon Nampa unless they failed to explain their absence. A representative for Arnon, a human rights lawyer, said he had an appointment with a client today. Rangsiman posted on Facebook that he was busy. Both indicated they would appear on Feb. 16.
The other leaders facing sedition charges – Nutta Mahattana, Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal and Sukrid Peansuwan, Sombat Boonngamanong, Veera Somkwamkid – were to be taken across town to the Bangkok South Criminal Court where police will ask the court to jail them until trial.
Srivara told the protesters, who are demanding junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha keep to elections promised for November, to call off a protest planned for Saturday. He said they would be violating the law by rallying without approval from the police and army.
Story: Todd Ruiz, Teeranai Charuvastra
Update: This article article has been updated to reflect that police have now identified nine leaders instead of seven and that Sombat Boonngamanong and Veera Somkwamkid were among those who reported to the authorities Thursday.
