Possible Election Deferment is Plot to Benefit Junta: Critics

By

-

23 January 2018, 17:33

Then-army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha on March 30, 2014, casts his ballot for a Senate election in Bangkok.

BANGKOK — An attempt to defer elections until next year by the junta-appointed National Legislative Assembly could be intended to give the military regime a better chance of returning to power after polls take place, critics said Tuesday.

The National Legislative Assembly, NLA, on Thursday will cast the second and third votes on a proposed amendment to defer by 90 days the enforcement of an organic bill that would push elections back to February 2019.

Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha – who also leads the junta known as the National Council for Peace and Order, or NCPO – denied on Monday that he had anything to do with the move.

“There is no order,” Prayuth said, seeking to refute claims his government was involved.

But critics said the move aimed to give the junta a better chance at returning to power after elections.

“I think the real motive can be detected by society – to defer the elections as long as possible,” said Chaithawat Tulathon, Chiang Mai-based editor of Same Sky Magazine, a left-wing journal.

Chaithawat said the NCPO likely wants to secure greater support to give Prayuth a better opportunity of returning as prime minister after the promised November elections.

“To rush the elections may not be in the best interest of the military party,” Chaithawat said, referring to the much-speculated formation of a pro-military or military party to compete in the next elections.

Student activist Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal said Tuesday that the junta will have to make sure it has an adequate voter base before plunging into polls.

“They won’t earn many votes if elections are held this year,” said Netiwit, adding that the military regime’s is now unpopular due to the more than two-dozen undeclared luxury watch scandal plaguing Deputy Prime Minister Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan. “They want to secure their power and heighten their chances of forming a [post-election] government.”

Expressing similar views, Siripan Nogsuan Sawasdee, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University, said the main rationale behind the move was the fact that the pro-military party is not ready to compete in elections.

“They will do all it takes to ensure the NCPO will continue to be in power,” Siripan said.

Some of those who agree with such logic warned however that the move could backfire.

Political analyst Chamnan Chanruang said that nearly four years after the 2014 coup, the junta appears to be facing a Catch 22. He said the junta will likely lose if they try to compete in elections scheduled for November.

“If they stay on, they also risk being in ruins. There will be a lot of counter reactions if they prolong their stay in power,” Chamnan said, adding that if the voice of the opposition is loud enough, the NLA may retreat on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Netiwit said that whether people will accept another deferment of elections is up to society.

“Nevertheless, if people do not accept it, how can they express themselves?” Netiwit said, referring to the ban on political gatherings and restricted press which makes it difficult for dissent to manifest.

Hugh Masekela, Father of South African Jazz, 78

By

Associated Press

-

23 January 2018, 17:18

South Africa Hugh Masekela Obit — FILE - In this March 2012 file photo, South African jazz musician Hugh Masekela performs during the Observance for Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in central London. A family statement issued on Twitter Tuesday Jan. 23, 2018, says South African jazz musician and anti-apartheid activist Hugh Masekela, 78, passed away in Johannesburg after a lengthy battle against prostate cancer. (Leon Neal/Pool Photo via AP, File)

JOHANNESBURG — Legendary South African jazz musician Hugh Masekela has died at the age of 78 after a decade-long fight with cancer, according to a statement from his family on Tuesday.

Often called the “Father of South African jazz,” Masekela died in Johannesburg after what his family said was a “protracted and courageous battle with prostate cancer.”

Trumpeter, singer and composer Masekela, affectionately known locally as “Bra Hugh,” started playing the horn at 14 and quickly became an integral part of the 1950s jazz scene in Johannesburg as a member of the Jazz Epistles.

In the 1960s he went into exile in the United Kingdom and the United States, where he collaborated with American jazz legend Harry Belafonte and used his music to spread awareness about the oppressive system of white-minority rule in South Africa. He also scored an international number one hit in 1968 with “Grazing In The Grass.”

He collaborated with many musicians including Paul Simon and Herb Alpert. He was married to South African singer and activist Miriam Makeba for two years.

Many of his compositions were about the struggle for majority rule and full democratic rights in South Africa. Masekela’s catchy composition “Bring Him Back Home” calling for Nelson Mandela to be released from prison became an international anthem for the anti-apartheid movement.

“Hugh’s global and activist contribution to and participation in the areas of music, theatre, and the arts in general is contained in the minds and memory of millions across six continents,” the family statement read.

In October last year, Masekela issued a statement that he had been fighting prostate cancer since 2008 and would have to cancel his professional commitments to focus on his health. He said he started treatment after doctors found a “small ‘speck'” on his bladder, and had surgery in March 2016 after the cancer spread.

Masekela also said he felt an “imbalance” and had an eye problem after a fall in April in Morocco in which he sprained his shoulder. He said another tumor was then discovered and he had surgery.

“I’m in a good space, as I battle this stealthy disease, and I urge all men to have regular tests to check your own condition,” his statement said, asking the media for privacy.

Condolences from fans poured out Tuesday on social media paying tribute to the influential musician’s career.

“A baobob tree has fallen,” Nathi Mthethwa, South Africa’s minister for arts and culture, wrote on Twitter. “The nation has lost a one of a kind musician . We can safely say Bra Hugh was one of the great architects of Afro-Jazz and he uplifted the soul of our nation through his timeless music.”

South African President Jacob Zuma expressed his condolences, saying Masekela “kept the torch of freedom alive globally, fighting apartheid through his music and mobilizing international support for the struggle for liberation and raising awareness of the evils of apartheid … His contribution to the struggle for liberation will never be forgotten.”

Masekela inspired generations of musicians in jazz and beyond and collaborated in recent years with South African house music DJ Black Coffee and others. “I have no words,” the DJ said Tuesday on Twitter.

Story: Krista Mahr

Assailant Assaults Activist Protesting Prawit’s Watches

By

Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

-

23 January 2018, 15:51

Ekachai Hongkanwan holds a book on Thai democracy last June. Photo: Ekachai Hongkangwan / Facebook

BANGKOK — An activist was physically assaulted Tuesday afternoon after returning from holding a protest to denounce the deputy prime minister over a series of undeclared luxury watches.

Speaking on the phone less than an hour after the attack, activist Ekachai Hongkangwan said a man ambushed him at about 2pm at a public bus station on Soi Lat Phrao 107 and repeatedly punched him in the face, causing him minor injuries.

Ekachai claims the attacker was the same man who police apprehended as he tried to assault him last week.

Read: Activist Assaulted While Protesting Prawit’s Luxury Watches

“He threw many punches and two to three landed on my face,” said Ekachai, adding that the attacker then shouted, “You anti-monarchist” and “you are doing it for Redshirts,” referencing the fact that Ekachai is a former lese majeste convict.

The activist said he believes the attack was well-planned and involved more than one person as the man knew the time and place he was getting off.

“I wonder why they have to resort to this level of violence,” Ekachai said as he was visiting a hospital to have a check up.

He said he would subsequently file a complaint for assault at a local police station.

Asked if the attack would discourage him from condemning Gen. Prawit – whose more than two dozen undeclared luxury watches are being investigated by an anti-corruption agency – Ekachai said he would not stop, since he felt the reaction to his protest meant it was having a strong impact.

Prawit last week insisted he borrowed the watches from his best friend – something many continue to question. Junta leader Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha said his deputy was not contemplating resigning from his post.

Police identified the man who attempted to assault Ekachai on Friday as 56-year-old Rittikrai Chaiwannasan.

Boozy Slushie Bar Freezes Bangkok Brains

By

Asaree Thaitrakulpanich, Staff Reporter

-

23 January 2018, 14:55

BANGKOK — Parich “Joh” Sanguamkul, 28, is as fun as the drinks he peddles: boozy slushies.

Joh is the portly, shy and smiling co-owner of Brain Freeze, a slushie and fizzy cocktail bar at Thonglor’s Arena 10. One of his employees pulses out a Long Island slushie from one of the four machines spinning its formula in the neon-lit bar.

“The Thai bar scene is getting kind of the same. You need to dress formally in a wooden place and go drink craft beers,” Joh said. “I wanted to bring something different, more textured, more fun.”

“When I saw slushie machines in events, it made me want to have a place full of slushies” he said, grinning as he sipped a Daifreezi slushie.

The bar only opened at the end of November, fits about 20 people and is still largely unknown except to partiers from the area who walk in – first at 9pm and again in the wee hours.

Joh hopes that instead of coming just for pre-drinks, people will start slurping slushies at his place throughout the night.

As a bar owner, Joh wanted to serve fast cocktails that he and his staff could easily pump out.

“A bartender can only shake so many drinks an hour,” he said.

DSCF8179 — The bartender sprays absinthe onto the LGBT (260 baht) fizzy cocktail.

Consistency is key in the slurpee idea, he said. While a bartender might make a drink heavier on the booze than the next due to human error, slushie machines and fizzy taps make sure all drinks are equally alcoholic.

“There’s no need to wait for a bartender to shake your drink and then wait 15 minutes for the waiter to bring it to you,” Joh said. “In 30 seconds we can just pump out a consistent drink.”

While Brain Freeze’s flagship drinks are its four slushies, the bar also serves cocktails from the tap.

The slushies are easy to drink and yet (reporter certified) surprisingly strong: the Daifreezi (280 baht), Margarita (310 baht), Long Island (330 baht) and Milky Whey (310 baht). The Long Island, a slushie of gin, rum, tequila, vodka, citrus juice and cola, comes topped with playful gummy colas.

There are two types of tap cocktails: “fizzy” ones with oxygen bubbles and “fluffy” ones with nitrogen bubbles without the “ahhh”-inducing fizz in the former.

Try the Rumble Rasp (330 baht) for a fluffy cocktail with gin, lemon, elderflower and raspberry. For a fizzy cocktail, down the LGBT (260 baht), named after its mix of lychee, gin, basil and tonic – the absinthe spray on top really gives this one an extra kick.

After finishing a slushie (or three) you’ll understand why the shop is named Brain Freeze. Be careful for slushie booze effects: before you know it, you’ve downed three yummy, yet strong drinks and all that vodka and absinthe is freezing your veins with joy or rage – or both.

Brain Freeze, located at Arena 10 and is reachable by a short motorcycle ride from either BTS Thong Lo or BTS Ekkamai. It’s open from 7pm to 2:30am daily.

DSCF8172 — Parich “Joh” Sanguamkul, 28, behind the bar at Brain Freeze.

DSCF8157 e1516773384427 — The Long Island (330 baht) slushie of gin, rum, tequila, vodka, citrus juice and cola.

DSCF8166 e1516773313904 — The Cuban Bubble (280 baht) fizzy cocktail of white rum, peach, lime and mint.

Army Inquiry of Cadet’s Death Out Today

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

-

23 January 2018, 14:01

An army officer gestures at reporters Tuesday as family members of the late cadet Pakapong Tanyakan arrives to hear the investigation result

BANGKOK — A long-awaited military investigation into the death of a cadet was released to his family Tuesday.

Parents and relatives of Pakapong Tanyakan were being briefed by military officers about the inquiry results as of Tuesday afternoon. Reporters were not allowed to observe the meeting.

Cadet Death: Little Progress in Police Inquiry

The 19-year-old cadet died during training at an armed forces academy in Nakhon Nayok province in October. The military initially blamed “sudden heart failure” and other health conditions for his death, but his family protested those findings on suspicion Pakapong might have died from physical mistreatment.

After the news drew widespread attention and anger from the public, the armed forces announced they would investigate the chain of events that led to Pakapong’s death.

Shortly after today’s briefing started, Pakapong’s family was seen storming out of the meeting room and driving away. They told reporters they were angry at the military’s insistence that only Pakapong’s parents would be allowed in.

They returned about 20 minutes later, saying military officers had changed their mind and would permit the entire family into the meeting room.

Note: This is a developing story and may be updated without notice.

Organs Missing From Military Academy Cadet’s Body

Army Wants Civil Rights March Organizers Prosecuted

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

-

23 January 2018, 13:17

Police form lines Saturday to block demonstrators in Pathum Thani province

BANGKOK — Activists behind an ongoing cross-country march to demand greater civil rights face charges of violating the junta’s ban on public protests, police said Tuesday.

An army officer representing the military filed complaints against eight activists identified as organizers of the march Monday. Police said they have yet to formally charge the campaigners, and one of them pledged to fight the case.

“We have been expecting this,” Anusorn Unno, who works as a university lecturer, said in an interview. “We have prepared for this.”

Read: BKK – Khon Kaen Marchers to Sue Police

Anusorn and seven others are accused of flouting the junta’s ban on political activities by helping organize a march from Bangkok to Khon Kaen province to call for protection of free speech, universal healthcare and other rights.

The march – set to cover a distance of 450 kilometers – got off to a rough start Saturday when lines of police blocked the marchers’ path in Pathum Thani province. A standoff followed for hours until the activists resumed the walk by setting out in small groups.

Anusorn said some campaigners were told by police on Saturday that the military was gathering evidence to take legal action at a later time. He said the move will not affect the march.

“Their complaints are about what happened on Saturday. They are not related to the walk,” Anusorn said. “People who walk are still walking. They take turns on the walk.”

Pathum Thani police chief Surapong Thanormjit said he had yet to charge the eight activists with any crime as of today. He did not say when they would be charged, citing the need for further investigation.

Maj. Gen. Surapong is one of the police commanders named in a lawsuit filed by march organizers to the administrative court Monday, which accused them of unlawfully obstructing the demonstration. Surapong said he would defend himself in the court.

“If they are confident in what they’re doing, then let them do it,” Surapong said. “They’re trying to bring their opponents to court, so let everyone state their facts in front of the judges.”

The marchers are in Saraburi province as of Tuesday. They expect to reach Khon Kaen by Feb. 19.

R&B Rhye to Return to Bangkok

By

Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

-

23 January 2018, 12:46

BANGKOK — The city’s live music renaissance keeps going strong as more international lineups queue to perform in Bangkok.

Following their performance at the 2015 Wonderfruit Festival, R&B Rhye will come back to Thailand to play “Open,” “Summer Days,” “The Fall” and more, promoter Have You Heard announced Tuesday morning.

The concert will take place at 7pm of May 23 at Voice Space. The Voice TV event hall is located on Vibhavadi-Rangsit Road.

Advance tickets are 1,800 baht and go on sale online at 10am on Feb. 3. Tickets purchased at the door will be 2,000 baht.

Rhye, based in Los Angeles, was founded by Canadian singer Michael Milosh and Danish instrumentalist Robin Hannibal. Their first singles “The Fall” and “Open” featuring Milosh’s androgynous voice led to wide online praise.

Correction: An original version of this article described Rhye as a duo. In fact, founding member Robin Hannibal has already left the band.

Hong Kong Bookseller Detained Again by Chinese Authorities

By

Associated Press

-

23 January 2018, 10:31

Freed Hong Kong bookseller Lam Wing-kee stands next to a placard with picture of missing bookseller Gui Minhai, in front of his book store in 2016 in Hong Kong as the protesters are marching to the Chinese central government's liaison office. Photo: Kin Cheung / Associated Press

HONG KONG — A Hong Kong-based bookseller who was secretly detained in China has been taken away by Chinese authorities again after being released into house arrest last October, his daughter said Monday.

Angela Gui told Radio Sweden, the English-language service of national broadcaster Sveriges Radio, that her father, Gui Minhai, was on a train with two Swedish diplomats when a group of police officers seized him.

Gui, a Chinese-born Swedish national, ran a Hong Kong publishing company specializing in gossipy tales about high-level Chinese politics when he disappeared from his Thai holiday home about two years ago. He was believed to have been spirited away by Chinese security agents to mainland China, where he later turned up in police custody.

Four employees were also held, but they were released within months while Gui was not freed until October. Even then, his daughter told the station, he was put into a “police-managed flat” in the city of Ningbo, near Shanghai, and remained under surveillance.

The case reinforced rising fears that Beijing was eroding rule of law in Hong Kong, a semiautonomous Chinese city that is promised civil liberties like freedom of speech until 2047. The books the group sold at their Causeway Bay Bookshop were popular with visitors from mainland China, where such titles were banned.

Angela Gui said her father was traveling to Beijing to see a Swedish doctor after he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a neurological disease that he developed while in custody.

He had arranged the visit with the Swedish Embassy and had been on the train for about five hours when 10 police officers got on at a stop outside of Beijing.

They “said they were from the police and just grabbed him and just took him away,” she said.

“It’s quite clear that he has been abducted again and that he’s held somewhere in a secret location,” she said, adding that she was worried because of his health condition.

Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom later told Sveriges Radio that the Nordic country will summon the Chinese ambassador over Gui’s detention.

“The Swedish government has a thorough knowledge of what has happened,” Wallstrom said, adding that the Swedish foreign ministry is working on the issue “around the clock.”

Story: Kelvin Chan

S Korea’s Chung KO’s Djokovic at Aussie Open (Video)

By

Associated Press

-

22 January 2018, 18:51

MELBOURNE, Australia — Six-time champion Novak Djokovic is out of the Australian Open, beaten 7-6 (4), 7-5, 7-6 (3) in the fourth round by Hyeon Chung, a 21-year-old South Korean ranked 58th.

The point of the match came in the third-set tiebreaker when Chung hit a cross-court passing shot to put him within two points of victory. It ended minutes later when Djokovic hit a backhand wide.

Djokovic, who trailed the first set 4-1 but fought back to 5-5 before losing the tiebreaker, took a medical timeout to have his right arm massaged before the start of the second set.

He spent six months off the tour last year with a right elbow injury and said he waited until just before the tournament began to decide if he was fit enough to play.

Chung will now play another relatively unknown player in the quarterfinals — Tennys Sandgren, a 97th-ranked American who beat No. 5-seeded Dominic Thiem earlier Monday.

BTS Class-Action Suit Back on Track After Year Delay

By

Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

-

22 January 2018, 18:21

Deputy Bangkok Gov. Amnuay Nimmano assists disabled right activist Manit Inpim to the platform of BTS Ratchadamri on March 3.

BANGKOK — A judicial committee settled a year-long challenge Monday over which court should hear a class-action suit filed by wheelchair users against City Hall for repeated delays in to making the BTS Skytrain accessible.

The seven-member committee – which included the presidents of the Supreme and Supreme Administrative courts – ruled Monday that the matter should fall under the jurisdiction of the Administrative Court because it has to do with “dereliction of duty” on the part of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, or BMA.

The decision came 10 months after the BMA challenged the lawsuit filed by disabled commuters and and activists, led by advocacy group Transportation for All, on the second anniversary of a landmark court ruling that gave the city one year to complete the work.

Listening to Monday’s decision, Sonthipong Mongkonsawat, the activist group’s pro-bono lawyer, said the BMA’s challenge was nothing short of a stalling tactic to defer paying damages as a result of the repeated delays in equipping all of the original BTS Skytrain stations with elevators as per a 2015 Supreme Administrative Court order.

“It has slowed down the suit. Stalling the lawsuit is a legal technique,” Sonthipong said Monday after the decision was announced. Sonthipong added that it doesn’t matter which court takes up the lawsuit, as he believes justice will eventually be delivered.

Sonthipong said he expects it to take about a year for the court to render a verdict in the class-action lawsuit, one of Thailand’s first such suits.

In May, the Civil Court – where the suit was first filed – insisted it had the authority to hear it, but the final disposition was not settled until today.

The suit seeks 1,000 baht in damage compensation for each plaintiff to join the lawsuit for each day since the court-ordered deadline for the work to be completed passed Jan. 21, 2016. It seeks four times that amount, or 4,000 baht, for every day of delay since they filed the suit on Jan. 21, plus 7.5 percent annual interest.

Hot News

LATEST NEWS