US President Donald Trump speaks at a prison reform roundtable in January in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. Photo: Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press
NAIROBI, Kenya — President Donald Trump’s vulgar insult of Africa was a puzzle for many foreign media organizations, which didn’t have a ready translation of his epithet for their readers or listeners.
While meeting with senators on immigration, Trump had questioned why the U.S. would accept more immigrants from Haiti and “shithole countries” in Africa, according to one participant and people briefed on the conversation.
Japanese media went with translations ranging from “filthy” to “dripping with excrement.” Chinese state media went with “fenkeng,” which means “cesspit.” And some African outlets decided to use a word meaning “dirty countries.”
An editor at a Kenyan paper says there is a direct translation for Trump’s term in Swahili, but they didn’t use it. He says it would be “unprintable.”
Thai-language media translated it as loom kii, literally a hole for defecating, or latrine.
Myanmar's State Counselor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi speaks to the media during a joint press conference with Japan's foreign minister Jan. 12, 2018. Photo: Hein Htet / Associated Press
BANGKOK — Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has called the military’s investigation into the deaths of Rohingya Muslims found in a mass grave a “positive indication,” state media reported Saturday.
“It is a positive indication that we are taking the steps to be responsible,” Suu Kyi said according to the report in the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper. “However, some may worry. But I believe that our investigation will prevent such things from happening again.”
Suu Kyi made the comments Friday during a joint news conference with Japan’s foreign minister. Suu Kyi is Myanmar’s foreign minister as well as the government’s de facto leader.
The military launched “clearance operations” against ethnic Rohingya in August, prompting more than 650,000 to flee into neighboring Bangladesh in what the United Nations has called “ethnic cleansing.” The U.N. and other groups accuse the military of widespread atrocities against Rohingya, including killings, rapes and the burning of homes. But the military has insisted that there has been no wrongdoing by any security forces.
On Wednesday the military acknowledged that security forces and villagers were responsible for the deaths of 10 people found in a mass grave in December. It said the 10 were “Bengali terrorists” who threatened villagers, but that the military would “take action” against those who “broke the rules of engagement.”
The government of Buddhist-majority Myanmar does not acknowledge Royingya as a minority group even though they have lived in the country for generations. It calls them “Bengalis” and accused them of migrating illegally from Bangladesh.
Neither the military nor Suu Kyi has said what action will be taken against those responsible for the deaths linked to the mass grave in Rakhine state.
Children climb on an army tank Saturday at the Office of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation in Udon Thani.
BANGKOK — The armed forces and police put heavy weapons and toys into the hands of children as is an annual Children’s Day tradition on Saturday.
Children could post with cops in Bangkok’s Bang Khen district dressed up as Captain America and Batman, take position behind a large caliber heavy mounted machine gun at Yasothon’s 16th Army base and watch warplanes tear through the sky over Don Mueang International Airport in just some of the many offerings for the holiday.
“I hope all children this year listen to their parents and be good kids,” Col. Amnat Intarasuan of Bang Khen police said, referencing Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha’s 2018 Children’s Day motto: “Fast-thinking, informed, creative about technology.”
Government agencies, private companies, schools and local merchants gave out food, drinks and presents to local children who joined activities such as soccer games and a balloon dart toss booth.
Police also gave out 144 scholarships worth 800 baht each to children.
Education officials published a Children’s Day book called “Hero Tua Jew” (Little Hero) to distribute for free. Inside each book is inscribed a message from King Rama X:
“Our home has a multitude of good things that our ancestors have built for us. Children, who are the future of the nation, therefore have a duty to carry on and preserve those things as well as nurturing them to become more and more prosperous.”
Similar Children’s Day celebrations took place across the nation, with provinces including Yasothon even holding kid-friendly events on army bases.
Children pose for Children’s Day at the 16th Army Base in Yasothon province.
A policeman looks on as children pose with officers dressed as Captain America and a deer Saturday at Bang Khen Police Station.
Update: The venue was changed from Oxa Pub to Rockademy Thailand
BANGKOK — With a fiery mix of emo and pop, a Welsh pop-punk act is coming to play Bangkok for the first time.
Best known for “December,” “A Part of Me” and “Gold Steps,” Neck Deep is coming to town in March on its The Peace and the Panic Tour to promote their new album of the same name, organizer Zeus Entertainment announced Friday.
The quintet’s upcoming concert will take place on March 14 at Rockademy Thailand. Tickets cost 1,200 and 2,000 baht.
Neck Deep, formed in 2012, consists of Ben Barlow, Fil Thorpe-Evans, Dani Washington, Matt West and Sam Bowden. The band rose to fame after posting a song online and has been described to share styles with Blink-182, Sum 41 and Green Day.
A cardboard figure of Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha erected before a microphone Monday in Bangkok.
By placing a life-size cardboard doppelganger of himself for reporters to interview, junta leader Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha on Monday puzzled both reporters and the public as to his intent.
People naturally interpreted differently what they saw in his antics Monday at the Government House depending on their worldviews and biases.
Let’s start with a positive interpretation. The act could be seen as Prayuth being a prankster. By placing a life-size cardboard stand-in to answer reporters’ questions on his behalf, one could see coup leader-cum-PM Prayuth as someone with a sense of humor, even self-deprecating, as some may laugh at what he did.
It has to be noted that Prayuth also flashed a hand symbol of love before telling journalists to question his cardboard twin instead.
Others may not be as inclined to see the move as humorous and good-natured, however.
Those who think Prayuth truly enjoys jokes at his expense should not forget that back in April 2016, eight people, the so-called Facebook 8, were taken from their homes in dawn raids, detained and later charged with sedition and other serious crimes for merely operating a satirical Facebook page called “We Love Gen. Prayuth.”
On the other hand, one can read his latest antics as a dictator who demeans and patronizes the press.
The cardboard cutout of Prayuth is like a scarecrow to scare reporters away from performing their duty by scrutinizing Prayuth and displaying the junta leader’s contempt for public scrutiny.
Ask his paper doppelganger and there will be no answer.
A mock interview by Government House-beat reporters with the mock Prayuth would have been intriguing to watch, even material for a viral video. None of the Government House reporters dared to even mock the cardboard stand-in of the dictator, however, despite Prayuth himself telling them tongue-in-cheek that his paper twin would answer questions on his behalf.
For all the claims by Prayuth that he’s tolerant to criticism, Government House reporters once again last month did not dare come up with their traditional year-end monikers mocking Prayuth and other members of the military government. That’s irrefutable proof that, beneath the veneer of cozy relations between the press and regime, fear is an part of the cocktail that informs their relationship.
Whether one likes Prayuth’s antic or not, it was an act by a dictator with absolute power. He does what he wants even if he risk insulting others or even himself.
Prayuth may not be aware that he is undermining his own reputation by carrying out such buffoonish stunts. After three years and eight months, and repeated false promises about returning power to the people, there’s not much reputation left for the junta leader to salvage, however.
Others may see the stunt as a tactic to distract attention from the ongoing saga of 20-plus mysterious luxury watches on the wrist of his deputy, Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan, or the question whether Prayuth himself broke anti-corruption laws by recently purchasing three puppies at a higher rate than the asking price.
In the final interpretation, even though reporters have failed to question Prayuth’s cardboard twin, his paper doppelganger speaks volumes about Prayuth himself.
Chulalongkorn University students demonstrate against the amnesty bill in Bangkok on 5 November 2014.
BANGKOK — A former Pheu Thai MP said Friday that he and 39 other politicians were about to be ruled guilty of malfeasance by an anti-graft agency for a bill they submitted to parliament over four years ago.
Worachai Hema said he heard about the imminent decision, which could lead to dozens from the opposition being banned from seeking office in the November election, from sources inside the National Anti-Corruption Commission. He accused the agency of operating on a double-standard.
“Those with power can do anything, but opposition politicians and political parties are scrutinized without mercy,” Worachai was quoted as saying in media reports. “The verdict might be intended to purge Pheu Thai Party politicians, if it comes out in a situation where election is about to happen.”
It had been more than a year since the national Anti-Corruption Commission said it was looking into a 2013 bill Worachai and others brought to parliament. It eventually became a controversial amnesty bill that sparked street protests, paving the way for the 2014 coup.
If found guilty, the commission would enable retroactive impeachment of the 40 politicos and see them banned from politics for five years.
But commission chairman Watcharapol Prasarnratchakij said the matter is still under investigation and has yet to be concluded.
“It’s probably just a rumor,” Watcharapol said, adding that any decision made by the working committee must first be approved by his commissioners. “I have not seen anything about this.”
The law originally brought to parliament in 2013 would have granted amnesty to pro-Pheu Thai Party protesters jailed for their roles in the political unrest of 2010.
While the bill submitted by Worachai was written not to cover protest leaders and government officials, a house committee in the Pheu Thai-controlled body rewrote it to include everyone involved. The rewritten language cleared way to vacate the corruption conviction of former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, the de facto leader of Pheu Thai Party living as a fugitive in exile.
The National Anti-Corruption Commission said it took the case to determine whether the 40 politicians submitted the bill with “illegal intent.”
Worachai maintained Friday that he and others had the right to push for the bill as duly elected members of the parliament and did not break any law, according to published reports.
A shophouse in Soi Sukhumvit 23 where Saranya Rattanapetch’s body was found. Photo: Google
Update: “Tee” or Noppadon Singhachote was arrested on Jan. 15 in Hua Hin. He confessed to police that he killed his girlfriend because she wanted to split up with him.
BANGKOK — Police on Friday are looking for the boyfriend of a Soi Cowboy waitress found dead on Soi Sukhumvit 23.
The boyfriend, identified only as “Tee,” is the prime suspect in the murder of Saranya Rattanapetch, whose body was found Thursday on the third floor of an empty shophouse, Capt. Athipong Sripho said.
Saranya was strangled to death, according to Athipong of Thonglor police. The 27-year-old woman was found yesterday morning by a construction worker with a wound to the head and rope marks around her neck.
She had been dead for about 12 hours when police discovered her body, Athipong said.
Athipong said witnesses heard Saranya shouting for help Wednesday afternoon but no one helped her.
Witnesses said Tee was violent and often came to Saranya for money, police said. He was the last person she was seen with.
Nuttigar Woratunyawit in a recent photo taken in the United States. Photo: Nuttigar Woratunyawit / Facebook
BANGKOK — Thai prison was hell for Nuttigar Woratunyawit. The freelance digital marketer was placed behind bars in 2016 when her contribution to a satirical Facebook page brought plainclothes security forces to her door and an irreversible turn to her life.
“The conditions inside the prison were terrible. It was dirty, full of germs and unsanitary. … Some prisoners take anti-depressants, some ram their heads against the wall. Others suffer from dementia. It’s like hell. But I couldn’t tell my mother because I didn’t want her to suffer.”
Nuttigar may not be a household name, but the 44-year-old was behind a popular Facebook page which mocked the dictator-prime minister. She became known as one of the “Facebook 8” after being abducted by the militaryand held for some time without charge.
What many of her associates do not know is that today she is a fugitive in exile in the United States, where time is running out on her bid for asylum.
“After I left, many were worried. I don’t want to hide the fact that I’m no longer in Thailand,” said Nuttigar, who had worked as a freelance digital marketer until months in jail and uncertainty in the justice system convinced her she was better off leaving her homeland.
Nuttigar Woratunyawit escorted to prison April 29, 2016, after bail was denied by a military court in Bangkok.
“It’s not just about fear, but it affects everyone in Thailand,” she said. “And [for me], made it impossible to continue with life.”
In an interview, Nuttigar revisited the day in April 2016 when she was among those abducted in coordinated dawn raids at eight spots around the nation, a move she attributes to Prayuth’s inability to handle satire. The government accused them of being paid propagandists.
Breaking her silence five months after fleeing charges of sedition, defaming the monarchy and violating the Computer Crime Act, Nuttigar said she wanted to tell her story.
It was 6am on Wednesday, April 27, 2016, when 20-plus plainclothes soldiers and police raided the home where she lived with her mother.
Nuttigar said the men called her neighbors to come and see her being arrested to try and shame her. She said the only thing she and the others had done was dare mock Prayuth on Facebook.
Their arrest prompted a rare public protest at Bangkok’s Victory Monument that saw 16 people arrested.
Photo: Nuttigar Woratunyawit
Speaking by phone this week from somewhere on the West Coast of the United States, Nuttigar said fleeing was difficult – but better than prison.
Two days after being taken from her home in a hood to be interrogated and charged, Nuttigar was put in prison. But not before police and soldiers pressured her to hand over passwords to the “We Love Gen. Prayuth” page that lampooned Prayuth with memes and unflattering images manipulated in Photoshop.
“I didn’t think I had any choice,” she said.
They also wrote into her case that she likely knew Panthongtae Shinawatra, the son of junta political nemesis Thaksin Shinawatra, despite her repeated denials.
Nuttigar did not do well in prison. As the weeks turned to months behind bars without expectation of bail, she would tell her mother that she would commit suicide in protest rather than remain in prison indefinitely.
“She said if I died, she would die too,” said Nuttigar, describing her octogenarian mother as having lost much of her weight and mentally stressed by her imprisonment. Her late father was a mid-ranking police officer and her remaining family consisted of her mother and two brothers.
Nuttigar’s thinking eventually led her to make a difficult decision: She would flee.
When Nuttigar was granted bail after 71 days, she fully expected to be convicted by the military tribunal which would hear her case and spend 20 years behind bars. She then faced breaking the news to her mother.
“At least we can see each other’s faces through a lens instead of through prison bars,” she said, crying, of being so far from home.
It took awhile for her to follow through. But a year later, after gathering information and making plans, Nuttigar secured a new passport and tourist visa to the United States last year.
She asked the military court for permission to travel to Singapore. With a ticket getting her to Changi Airport, she then flew to Los Angeles, where she arrived Aug. 18.
It’s been nearly five months since Nuttigar quietly fled. Some activists have criticized her for jumping bail, saying it would make it more difficult for others to win temporary freedom or permission to travel abroad.
“I always wonder if I am selfish or not. But if I stayed in Thailand, I have a phobia about going to court. I felt depressed. I couldn’t continue with life. Anyone who has been imprisoned carries something in their hearts. … Those who had never faced the experience don’t know how severe it is.”
At present, Nuttigar works at a restaurant where she earns USD$14 an hour. Her six-month visa expires soon and she has few weeks left to be granted political asylum.
Although she wants to make things work, it’s not an outcome she ever wanted.
“It’s not easy deciding to leave for abroad, to leave the family behind,” she said. “I don’t think I’ll get a chance to return to Thailand in my lifetime.”
Thai customs officials display seized ivory last year during a press conference at Customs Suvarnabhumi airport. Photo: Sakchai Lalit / Associated Press
BANGKOK— Authorities have seized 148 kilograms (326 pounds) of African elephant ivory, including three large tusks, worth about 15 million baht (USD $469,800) from Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Police say the haul from Nigeria consisted of the tusks and 31 tusk fragments and was seized last Friday after the cargo was flagged by officials. Police say the tusks were destined for China where there is a large demand for ivory.
A Customs Department statement says the seized ivory will be impounded as police widen investigations to identify suspects involved in the smuggling.
Once a haven for smuggled ivory, Thailand has introduced new laws and amendments in 2014 and 2015 to regulate domestic ivory markets and criminalize the sale of African elephant ivory.
Billie Jean King, former ladies singles champion gestures during a press conference ahead of the Australian Open tennis championships on Friday in Melbourne, Australia. Photo: Mark Baker / Associated Press
MELBOURNE, Australia — Billie Jean King thinks Margaret Court Arena should be renamed, saying she wouldn’t play on the stadium if she was still competing at the Australian Open because of the 24-time major winner’s comments about same-sex marriage and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
King, a pioneer for equality and diversity in tennis, said she had been a vocal proponent of Court having the second show stadium at the Australian Open named in recognition of her contribution to the sport.
“I was fine until lately when she said so many derogatory things about my community, I’m a gay woman – about the LBGTIQ community … that really went deep in my heart and soul.” King said at a media conference Friday.
“I personally don’t think she should have (her name on the stadium) anymore.”
King is attending the Australian Open for the first time in eight years, marking the 50th anniversary of her Australian title. Organizers have recognized the American tennis great as the Australian Open Woman of the Year and launched its “Open4All” initiative to promote equality, diversity and inclusion to coincide with King’s visit.
Court is not attending this year’s Australian Open, which starts Monday, but has been a regular guest in the past.
Tournament director Craig Tiley said Court had a standing invitation to the season-opening major and would be welcome in future.
He said there was an ongoing “conversation” among stakeholders of Melbourne Park about the issue, and Tennis Australia – a tenant at the venue – would take the lead of the government on the issue.
King said she wouldn’t promote a boycott of the stadium, but encouraged players to “look inside their heart” before making a decision.
King said she wished Court, who lives in Perth, Western Australia, was in Melbourne so they could continue the conversation.
Court, now a Christian pastor, has been an outspoken opponent of same-sex marriage.
Martina Navratilova wrote an open letter earlier in the year criticizing Court and recommended that tennis officials rename the arena that bears the Australian’s name at Melbourne Park.
