Indonesian Fishermen Settle Trafficking Suit With US Boat Owner

By

-

6 January 2018, 11:41

A fishing crew checks for damage on the Sea Queen IIA on Nov. 6, 2015, at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. Photo: Eric Risberg / Associated Press

HONOLULU, Hawaii — A human trafficking lawsuit just settled between two Indonesian fishermen and an American boat owner will not impact nearly 800 other foreign fishermen in Hawaii’s fleet who are banned from leaving boats when the vessels reach shore, industry officials say.

The 130 commercial fishing boats based in Honolulu rely almost entirely on foreign crews from impoverished Southeast Asian and Pacific countries who have no legal standing and never set foot in the U.S.

An Associated Press investigation into the Hawaii fleet in 2016 found men living in squalor on some boats, forced to use buckets instead of toilets, suffering sores from bed bugs and sometimes lacking sufficient food.

While many workers covet the jobs which pay more than they could earn back home, two Indonesian fishermen — Sorihin, who uses just one name, and Abdul Fatah — ran away from their boat, the Sea Queen II, in 2009 when it was unloading its catch at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf.

Eventually, federal officials issued each of them a special visa designated for victims of human trafficking, and in 2015 they sued the boat owner, claiming they were denied medical treatment, verbally abused and threatened with hefty fees if they tried to leave. The settlement was disclosed Wednesday.

The settlement, for an undisclosed sum, requires workers on the Sea Queen II and its sister vessel to receive detailed codes of conduct outlining their rights and ways to get help if needed. Crews on the two boats must have at least 77 hours of rest a week and access to their passports.

It doesn’t impact all of the other commercial fishing boats in Hawaii and California, but attorney Agnieska Fryszman said it should act as a wakeup call to the industry.

“There’s simply no excuse for turning a blind eye to human trafficking, and we look forward to continuing our efforts to hold others in the industry accountable,” she said.

Her client Sorihin, who now drives for a ride-share company and lives with his family in the San Francisco Bay Area, said in an email that the settlement has given him “a sense of peace.”

“I hope it will bring better treatment to seamen on the Sea Queen and in the fishing industry,” he said.

Ken Bass, Nguyen’s son-in-law who is acting as his attorney, said it wasn’t a case of human trafficking and instead was a contract mix-up between labor brokers in Indonesia and a Hawaiian recruiter acting as a middleman.

“So they basically had different contracts but no one at the time knew that, so that’s immediately going to lead to misunderstanding,” Bass said. “If anybody was culpable, it was the broker in Indonesia.”

Hawaii state legislator Kaniela Ing, who has pushed for legal protections for the fishermen, said more needs to be done.

“You’ve got to remember the plaintiffs in this case had to run off the docks and through the town, risking their livelihoods,” he said. “This is obviously a bigger problem than this isolated case, so how can we create a policy that can protect all workers on these vessels?”

Jim Cook at the Hawaii Longline Association, which represents boat owners, said the settlement outlines common sense items that are standard in the fleet, “so we don’t see any impact.”

Cook said the association is preparing its own code of conduct to distribute to boat owners.

Hawaii’s entire elected delegation in Washington is supporting federal legislation that would allow fishermen to get visas so they could come onshore when they’re not fishing.

Sen. Mazie Hirono said the lawsuit underscores concerns surrounding some people in the longline fishing industry.

“My legislation would provide transparency and sustainability for good actors in Hawaii’s longline fishing industry, while protecting foreign workers and holding bad actors accountable,” she said.

Bruce Anderson, the administrator for the Hawaiian department that issues fishing licenses to foreign fishermen, said the settlement addresses many of the issues raised by those concerned about the treatment and conditions on some 130 longline vessels in Hawaii.

“It may be a good model for employment contracts with fishermen on longline vessels based here in Hawaii,” he said.

Story: Martha Mendoza, Caleb Jones

It’s So Cold in Florida, Iguanas Are Falling From Trees

By

Associated Press

-

6 January 2018, 11:32

An iguana that froze lies near a pool after falling from a tree in Boca Raton, Florida, on Thursday. Frank Cerabino / Twitter

MIAMI BEACH, Florida — It’s so cold in Florida that iguanas are falling from their perches in suburban trees.

Temperatures dipped below 5C early Thursday in parts of South Florida, according to the National Weather Service in Miami.

That’s chilly enough to immobilize green iguanas common in Miami’s suburbs.

Palm Beach Post columnist Frank Cerabino tweeted a photograph of an iguana lying belly-up next to his swimming pool. A local television station posted images of an iguana on its back on a Palm Beach County road.

The scene at my backyard swimming pool this 40-degree South Florida morning: A frozen iguana. pic.twitter.com/SufdQI0QBx

— Frank Cerabino (@FranklyFlorida) January 4, 2018

The cold-blooded creatures native to Central and South America start to get sluggish when temperatures fall below 10C, said Kristen Sommers, who oversees the nonnative fish and wildlife program for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

If temperatures drop below that, iguanas freeze up. “It’s too cold for them to move,” Sommers said.

They’re not the only reptiles stunned by this week’s cold snap: Sea turtles also stiffen up when temperatures fall. The wildlife commission’s biologists have been rescuing cold-stunned sea turtles found floating listlessly on the water or near shore, but no such rescue is planned for iguanas.

Well-meaning residents finding stiffened iguanas are advised to leave them alone, as they may feel threatened and bite once they warm up.

“Don’t assume that they’re dead,” Sommers said.

Green iguanas are an invasive species in Florida known for eating through landscaping and digging burrows that undermine infrastructure. They can grow over 1.5 meters long, and their droppings can be a potential source of salmonella bacteria, which causes food poisoning.

The wildlife commission has begun holding workshops to train homeowners and property managers to trap or manage iguanas. The reptiles may be easier to catch this week, Sommers said.

“This provides an opportunity to capture some, but I’m not sure it’s going to be cold enough for long enough to make enough of a difference,” she said. “In most cases, they’re going to warm back up and move around again, unless they’re euthanized.”

A two-week cold snap with temperatures below 40 degrees (5 degrees Celsius) in 2010 killed off many iguanas, along with Burmese pythons and other invasive pests that thrive in South Florida’s subtropical climate. Those populations have since rebounded.

Elsewhere in Florida, the effects of a brutal winter storm rolling up the East Coast were less exotic. It snowed briefly Wednesday in the state’s capital, Tallahassee, for the first time in 28 years.

‘Game of Thrones’ Won’t Return For Final Season Until 2019

By

Associated Press

-

5 January 2018, 22:17

NEW YORK — The final season of “Game of Thrones” will feature veterans of the show behind the scenes when it airs in 2019.

HBO said Thursday that David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, David Nutter and Miguel Sapochnik will direct and Benioff and Weiss along with Bryan Cogman and Dave Hill will write the episodes. They will collaborate on the six-episode, eighth and last season.

Weiss and Benioff have been co-creators, executive producers and showrunners for every season of the hit show. The others have all had roles creating the mythical world of author George R. R. Martin.

When season seven ended late last year, an all-time high of 12.1 million viewers tuned in. An additional 4 million caught the episode on streaming channels.

Wat Phra Kaew Among Ice Festival Sculptures (Photos)

By

Associated Press

-

5 January 2018, 17:48

Visitors walk among the attractions on Jan. 2 at the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin in northeastern China's Heilongjiang Province. Photo: Chinatopix

HARBIN, China — Ice sculptures of Moscow’s Red Square and Bangkok’s Temple of the Emerald Buddha are among landmarks featured in the world’s largest ice festival.

The Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in the frigid northeastern Chinese city is known for massive, elaborate and colorfully lit ice sculptures featuring animals, cartoon characters and landmarks.

Some of this year’s displays center on Chinese President Xi Jinping’s major foreign policy and trade initiative, the One Belt One Road, an ambitious plan to link Asia and Europe with a network of railways, ports and other infrastructure.

Main activities start this week and the festival runs through late February, with heavy crowds expected during Lunar New Year celebrations, Feb. 15-23. Temperatures at this time of the year can dip below -18C.

Last year’s festival drew 18 million visitors and 28.7 billion yuan (142.3 billion baht) in tourism revenue for Harbin, data from the city’s tourism bureau showed.

One park, the Harbin Ice-Snow World, features more than 2,000 ice sculptures made from 180,000 cubic meters of ice collected from the Songhua River by nearly a thousand workers. In the evening, sculptures are lit with colorful lights.

The festival includes ice sculpture competitions as well as winter swimming, ice hockey, skiing and snow biking.

AP18005227531580 — Visitors walk among the attractions on Jan. 2 at the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang Province. Photo: Chinatopix

AP18005227473846 — Visitors walk among the attractions on Jan. 2 at the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang Province. Photo: Chinatopix

AP18005227433411 — Visitors walk among the attractions on Jan. 2 at the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang Province. Photo: Chinatopix

AP18005227265878 — Visitors walk among the attractions on Jan. 2 at the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang Province. Photo: Chinatopix

AP18005227359992 — Visitors walk among the attractions on Jan. 2 at the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang Province. Photo: Chinatopix

AP18005227227377 — Visitors walk among the attractions on Jan. 2 at the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang Province. Photo: Chinatopix

AP18005227640476 — Visitors walk among the attractions on Jan. 2 at the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang Province. Photo: Chinatopix

AP18005227102550 — Visitors walk among the attractions on Jan. 2 at the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang Province. Photo: Chinatopix

AP18005227145875 — Visitors walk among the attractions on Jan. 2 at the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang Province. Photo: Chinatopix

Chiang Rai Cops ‘Under Pressure’ After Official Kills Motorist

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

-

5 January 2018, 17:45

Family and friends of Sorachai Sathitraksadumrong march Friday to demand justice from Chiang Rai governor.

CHIANG RAI — An administrative official in Chiang Rai province was under police custody Friday for allegedly shooting a motorist dead at a checkpoint earlier this week.

For the alleged shooting and killing a motorist Tuesday night, deputy community head Wutthichai Injai was charged with premeditated murder, which local police said he denies. The deadly shooting has amplified criticism of the safety of such checkpoints routinely set up by armed security officers in rural Thailand.

“We have only one suspect at the moment,” Mae Suai Police Station chief Col. Vicharn Churit said Friday. “He was denied bail.”

Vicharn stressed the investigation is far from complete and only two witnesses have been questioned. He said the arrest was partly spurred by a protest of about 100 people who gathered outside his station Thursday to demand justice.

“To put it frankly, we’re under a lot of pressure in this case,” Vicharn said.

Sorachai Sathitraksadumrong, a 35-year-old general contractor, was driving with his girlfriend Tuesday night on the road between Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai when he was flagged down by a group of officers. Police said Sorachai did not stop, at which point Wutthichai fired three shots. One round struck Sorachai in the head, killing him instantly.

Wutthichai maintains he only intended to fire warning shots.

Dashcam video released by Sorachai’s family shows the car driving past the checkpoint shortly before it crashes into the side of the road.

Vicharn said the checkpoint was manned by local administrators from a nearby community to look out for drunk drivers. He added that the suspect was licensed to carry a firearm.

“They were taking care of people in their community,” the police colonel said. “They didn’t have power to arrest anyone.”

Checkpoints set up by various security units, unsworn police volunteers and soldiers are a common sight across the country. Some of them carry guns. Sorachai’s killing prompted complaints that such checkpoints can do more harm than good.

“When will they remove all these volunteer cops who are not real cops?” user Paranee Panmak wrote in a news thread. “Please remove them so they won’t endanger other people. I was in Chiang Rai. There are a lot of these checkpoints, but not a single cop. They only caused traffic jams.”

“I was also in Chiang Rai during the New Year holidays,” Meaw Napawan wrote in the same thread. “I even ran into a checkpoint that had no lights at all. I was very frightened.”

Sorachai’s sister said he was the main breadwinner of the family.

“He worked for his family. He never abandoned us. Even when he had no money, he wouldn’t tell us,” Pornthip Jayor said at Sorachai’s funeral Thursday. “The house we lived, it’s all from him. He paid for my studies until I completed college.”

‘The Godfather’ Films to Screen at Bangkok’s Scala

By

Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

-

5 January 2018, 15:52

BANGKOK — An iconic indie cinema is making cinephiles an offer they can’t refuse.

Don Vito and Corleone family will grace the silver screen at a giant standalone cinema in February. Popularly viewed as one of the best American classics, two movies of crime mafia epic “The Godfather” will be screen before 1,000 seats in retro cinema house Scala.

Inspired by Mario Puzo’s novel of the same name, “The Godfather” and “The Godfather Part 2” chronicle the life of a New York gangster family headed by Vito Corleone and successor Michael Corleone between 1945 and 1955.

The 1972 Godfather won Academy Awards’ best picture, best actor and best adapted screenplay, while its sequel won six Oscars including best picture, best director, best adapted screenplay and best supporting actor.

“The Godfather” will be screened at noon on Feb. 11 and “The Godfather Part II” at noon on Feb. 18 at Scala theatre. Tickets are 100 baht and will be sold at Scala from Jan. 14.

Lido Lost, But So Long Scala? Apex Silent on Theater Fate

De Commune: A New Hope Hits Bangkok’s Club Scene

By

Mongkorn Timkul, Correspondent

-

5 January 2018, 15:38

Revelers during a night out at a Dec. 23 Phatfunk event at Thonglor's De Commune.

Only six months ago, a police crackdown had most bars and nightclubs closing at midnight. As New Year’s Eve just proved, the Bangkok nightlife is back with a vengeance, with bars and nightclubs once again bustling into the late hours.

Along with the return of normal closing times comes a few new venues like De Commune, a worthy contender to the underground crown that brings a little socialism to the scene by providing a space for and by local musicians, artists and party organizers.

A couple of weekends ago, I was invited by the Phatfunk crew to DJ at the newly opened venue located in a timeless venue at the top of Thonglor. Inside Liberty Plaza – a multigenerational after-hours venue that looks ready to film a shootout scene – and go through the big red metal doors to find De Commune’s minimal, polished concrete interior. Stairs go up to a simple chill-out area and in the center of the venue sits a stage and DJ booth.

“It’s a throwback to the old clubs of Bangkok nightlife but well thought out, equipped and professionally run,” said Phatfunk promoter James Gilbody, aka DJ Delorean.

Your humble scribe performs Dec. 23 at De Commune. — Your humble scribe performs
Dec. 23 at De Commune.

De Commune is owned by Phatompol “New” Chanin and six other partners. New said what’s special about De Commune is that all those involved are artists and musicians, therefore sharing creative input managing its sound system, lighting, marketing and bookings.

New said De Commune is open to anyone interested in promoting events, so long as the club sees eye-to-eye with the promoters’ artistic direction.

What steals the show is the state-of-the-art QSC Audio Products sound system. Two QSC KW153 mid-range speakers tower above the DJ booth, while four QSC KW181 subs pump bass so heavy it hits you in the chest.

New said he installed the sound system with his team.

“Those speakers were heavy,” he said, laughing, of the system they installed by hand.

As the new kid on the Thonglor party block, it remains to be seen whether it can compete with the area’s big dogs such as Beam and Bad Motel. And as with everything in Bangkok, time will tell if the place lasts or goes belly up.

But with a club welcoming the local scene with open arms – the same way the famed Cafe Democ once did – De Commune give us a new hope and most of all – something to look forward to in 2018.

Tonight, Friday, DJ Mendy Indigo presents NoWhere to Here with guest German DJ Meat. Tickets are 250 baht. On Saturday, Yaak Records is dewing up a club night of house, tech house and techno with Tom FKG of FunkyGangster, Gaolao of Giant Swing, Snuff’s La Yumar and Jakkawan of Young Jamena. Entry is 200 baht at the door.

De Commune is open 10pm to 2am and located on the first floor of Liberty Plaza on Thonglor.

Curtain Call: Lido’s 50 Year Run to End in May (Photos)

By

Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

-

5 January 2018, 12:58

Lido Yellow Suit Photo: Pattisita Suwanmanee / Courtesy — Photo: Pattisita Suwanmanee / Courtesy

BANGKOK — One of two independent cinemas in the heart of the city will close forever later this year, just a few days before its 50th birthday.

On Friday, a spokeswoman for its university landowner said the projectors will go dark at Lido multiplex for the final time at the end of May, after half a century in Siam Square.

That’s when the theater owner’s contract will expire, just after the annual Silent Film Festival, and the space returned to Chulalongkorn University.

Read: Lido Lost, But So Long Scala? Apex Silent on Theater Fate

Chulalongkorn University’s Property Management office was noncommittal about rumors the two-story building housing the theater would be demolished or remade into a department store.

“Unlike private companies, we need a master plan and must go through many processes,” said the spokeswoman, who would only identify herself as May.

The university asserts that Apex, which owns Lido and nearby Scala, opted not to renew the contract due to financial losses. Apex has declined to comment on the matter.

Lido’s sibling Scala, which opened one year after Lido in 1969, will operate for another two more years until its contract expires in 2020, according to the university.

LIDO TIX — Former Lido tickets when they were 15 baht.
Photo: Wichai’s Space / WordPress

Lido opened on June 27, 1968, as a single-screen cinema house with 1,000 seats. Its first film was French action-adventure film “Guns for San Sebastian.” It became the first cinema in Thailand to use a Dolby Digital sound system and was later divided into a three-screen multiplex.

In its later years, Lido developed a reputation for showing a mix of indie and mainstream movies. The 49-year-old theatre is also regarded by moviegoers for its vintage ‘60s cinema experience such as a vintage box office, receptionists in yellow suits and paper movie tickets which start at only 100 baht.

26695401 10154934048892397 424717577 o — Photo: Pattisita Suwanmanee / Courtesy

LIDO1 — Single-screen Lido in late ‘60s before it was divided into three screens.

PAT LIDO e1515131399626 — Lido tickets in 2016. Photo: Pattisita Suwanmanee / Courtesy

BOX OFFICE — Photo: Pattisita Suwanmanee / Courtesy

LIDO PATTY — Photo: Pattisita Suwanmanee / Courtesy

The Price of a Woman, Thailand Edition

By

Tuptim Malakul Lane Na Ayutthaya

-

5 January 2018, 12:11

“All women are whores, except my mother … but then again, she is a woman too,” goes an apocryphal quote alternately attributed to Napoleon or Victor Hugo.

Closer to home, an entirely true story: A well-known Thai socialite falls in love with a modern, Thai woman educated abroad and equipped with social status, a good family background and her own healthy bank account. She’s beauty and brains in one package. After a year dating, he pops the question at a romantic seaside resort by literally writing out the words “will you marry me” with 1,000 baht bank notes. She accepts.

Cue entry of her parents with the sin sod dowry dilemma: This marriage will come at a great price – literally.

Negotiations take place; she is stuck between a rock and a hard place.

While the groom’s family is willing to cough up the asking price, this bride of the 21st century deeply disagrees with the notion she is for sale, and at a price to be haggled over.

But to challenge the custom would cause a family schism, and so on the tradition continues, unashamedly.

The engagement ceremony takes place in a swanky hotel ballroom, as such things tend to do. The groom and his parents arrive with piles of money neatly stacked on a golden tray. There are photo ops, public proclamations of love by the intended and nods of assent from the guests: The price is right for the perfect girl.

In other cases, it may be a vulgar display of gold bars, gold necklaces or diamonds rings. More stylish couples may take more subtle routes, such as keys to a new BMW or downtown condo peeking out of a gift box.

Regardless of the specifics, the unsaid is: “She is yours – just place the money here.”

Maybe the dead French men were right.

Elsewhere, parallel lives play out predictably in the next three-act play:

Act One: Enter boozy farang, 60, long divorced and lonely. At a bar, he meets a beautiful and sexy young girl. The girl states her price; the mamasan demands a bar fine to take her out – money plus money!

The farang is instantly happy and thinks he has met the girl of his dreams. The second act closes with sad parting at airport a week later.

He returns home and the daily emails begin (hers aided by translator). The farang returns with a diamond engagement ring. They plan to visit her village to meet the parents.

Act Three: The dramatic finalé. Even more money is demanded. The payment of the sin sod. The farang starts to think he is being conned. A friend explains the old Thai tradition and tells him, “No sin sod, no girl.”

But why? Our farang cannot understand and begins to nurse a grudge. Returning to his cottage in Yorkshire, this episode leaves him feeling a wiser, yet sadder man.

And now, the hard truth is revealed. All that talk of face and argument for cherished tradition? It’s a thinly veiled con. Behind that gobbledygook, it’s the same old forces of the material world and about the parents getting enough cash to buy a new pickup, pay outstanding debts or acquire something to elevate their status.

As feminist English writer Angela Carter asked, “What is marriage but prostitution to one man instead of many?”

So the question is, I ask; are we prostitutes? Will we continue to validate the French misogynists?

All for the sake of lust for a shiny new car, a house or both? Why not? After all, it seems the exchange rate between love and money only depends on the thickness of the wallet.

Who is kidding whom?

Cops in Trouble After Sek Loso Instagrams Chummy Photos

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

-

5 January 2018, 12:06

Sek Loso, second from left, poses with Kannayao Police Station chief Singh Singhdech, second from right, in a picture posted to the musician’s Instagram.

BANGKOK — A senior police officer was removed from active duty Friday and two others placed under investigation after they posed for photos with a celebrity rocker in their custody on firearm charges.

The order to transfer Col. Singh Singhdech, chief of Kannayao Police Station, to an inactive post was about to be signed by his supervisor as of late morning, according to Bangkok police commander Chanthep Sesawech. As for the cause, Chanthep cited a photograph showing Singh giving a thumbs-up with rockstar Sek Loso while he was under arrest Sunday night.

“We are waiting for the formal order now,” Lt. Gen. Chanthep said. “It’s because of the photograph.”

Read: Rocker Sek Loso Arrested After Police Standoff

Chanthep said the photo could be problematic because police regulations forbid actions that could be construed as showing favoritism. Two police officers in the southern province where Sek was wanted on weapons charges are also being investigated for behaving too chummy with the former Loso frontman who built his career on a delinquent image and behavior.

Sek Loso, whose real name is Seksan Sukpimai, was taken into custody Sunday after a standoff with police on charges he had fired a pistol into the sky several days earlier. He was held at Kannayao Police Station overnight before being released on bail a day later.

The 43-year-old rocker later posted a photo to Instagram showing himself sitting with Col. Singh at the police station on the night of his arrest. The picture raised criticism that Sek was being afforded privileges due to his fame.

In a video posted to Kannayao station’s Facebook page Thursday evening, Singh says the photo was taken while Sek was receiving visitors. The colonel also said he was asked by Sek to give the thumbs-up to show he accepted the rocker’s pledge to become a better man.

In a Friday interview, Singh said the photo would not interfere with the investigation.

“We have scientific evidence against him in our case,” Singh said. “It certainly will not affect our work.”

Police said Sek tested positive for drug use on Sunday night. The musician maintained it was because he took medication just prior to his arrest.

Two police officers in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, home to the temple where Sek fired the shots that led to Sunday’s arrest, are being investigated after they were seen at a party hosted by Sek after he got out of jail.

Nakhon Si Thammarat city police station chief Rangsan Sukkua and inspector Teerapol Phumchai were seen enjoying themselves at the party in another photo also posted by the rocker to Instagram.

In response to criticism over police favoritism, Sek posted two pictures of himself behind bars at Kannayao Police Station and wrote that he did not receive any special treatment.

“JAILHOUSE ROCK!! If you think I had more privilege than ordinary people, please look at these two photos,” Sek wrote. “Police did their best. Please stop criticizing any side.”

Hot News

LATEST NEWS