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Bangkok Quickies: December Films Worth Seeing in Bangkok

By
Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter
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BANGKOK — Believe it or not, there’s more to watch next month than “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.”

A more heartwarming alternative to the sci-fi blockbuster can be found in the adaptation of New York Times bestseller “Wonder.” The film stars Julia Roberts, Oliver Wilson and Jacob Tremblay in the story of a child with facial deformities struggling to fit in at a regular school. It hits theaters nationwide Dec. 12.

The early days of celibacy, vegetarianism and music of Stephen Patrick Morrissey in the ‘70s, years before The Smiths, will be told in biodrama “England is Mine” opening Dec. 14.

Go farther back in time at Bangkok’s famous retro cinema palace, where the last classic in a Thai Film Archive series, Cecil B. De Mille’s 1956 biblical epic “The Ten Commandments.” It will run over three hours starting at noon on Sunday at Scala Theatre. Tickets are only 100 baht.

WONDER

 

The 60 Second Film Festival returns to Silom Road again with one-minute entries in seven categories, including experimental,mystery, horror and science-fiction. The event starts at 7pm on Saturday at Whiteline, Soi Silom 8.

Contemporary Chinese artist Ai Weiwei’s recent film “Human Flow” is among six movies about refugees forced to flee their homes to be shown at the seventh edition of the Refugee Film Festival running Dec. 7 through Dec. 10 at Paragon Cineplex. Free admission and seats can be reserved online.

Alfred Hitchcock’s final masterwork, “The Birds” (1963), returns to the silver screen at the Bangkok Screening Room starting late November and will run until Dec. 13. Tickets are available online.

Banned in Malaysia, the personally impactful “Absent Without Leave” unravels its filmmaker’s past along with that of his country through his search for his father. It will have three screenings on Dec. 3 on the fifth floor of the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. Tickets are 130 baht and can be paid for online.

The life and ideas of world-renowned linguist, philosopher and political activist Noam Chomsky will be screened Dec. 4 via 1992 biodoc “Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media” at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand near BTS Chit Lom. Cost for non-members is 150 baht.

Get your festive on with a Christmas-themed cliche when “Love Actually” gets a rooftop showing at Open Air Cinema Club on Dec. 8 at The Hive Bangkok. Tickets are 150 baht for The Hive members and 300 baht for non-members.

CALL ME 1
“Call Me By Your Name”

More than just another gay drama, “Call Me By Your Name” examines a powerful romance between two men during an Italian summer. The film has been highly anticipated since it swept many nominations and awards on the festival circuit and is already short-listed by many critics for an Oscar bid. The film will show at art cinema House RCA starting Dec. 14.

Private mini-cinema The Friese-Greene Club on Soi Sukhumvit 22 has a long list of daily films throughout the month. The month opens with two Saturdays of Bela Lugosi’s zombie and monster classics and builds up to highlight Christmas pairing “Bad Santa” and “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The full schedule is posted online.

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Dead Cadet: Rights Commission to Summon Army Officers

By
Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief
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Image: Supicha M. Tanyakan / Facebook

BANGKOK — The national rights agency said Monday it will convene an independent inquiry into the death of military cadet whose family suspects a cover-up of foul play.

A high-profile member of the National Human Rights Commissions said the body will summon all relevant parties to get to the bottom of what really happened to Pakapong Tanyakan, including commanders of the academy where he died last month.

“We have to summon every side, like the family, the academy and doctors who examined his body,” Angkhana Neelaphaijit said in an interview. “We will also call for documents related to the autopsy.”

Angkhana spoke after a group of student activists petitioned the commission to look into the 19-year-old cadet who died Oct. 17, one day after returning to the Armed Forces Preparatory School from a break.

His family, who made the grisly discovery that many of his vital organs were missing from his body after it was returned to them, renewed their calls Sunday for an investigation into his death.

But Pakapong’s family raised new doubts when they said a complete, independent autopsy performed by a forensic science agency found blood clots in Pakapong’s liver and spleen. His sister Supicha Tanyakan told reporters there was no mention of the blood clots when military representatives returned Pakapong’s organs to the family on Thursday.

It is unclear whether military will cooperate with the rights commission. The armed forces have previously said it would launch an investigation into the chain of events that led to the cadet’s death. They also rejected calls for a civilian inquiry into the matter.

Armed forces spokesman Nothapol Boonngam said he was in a meeting Monday and could not comment. Further calls to his phone were not answered.

Rights commissioner Angkana said the military can indefinitely postpone summons from the agency and not show up at all as there is no law compelling them to do so.

“The National Human Rights Commission cannot force them to come,” Angkana said, adding that the most she could do to non-compliant summons is complain to the government.

Angkana, who’s spent years campaigning against forced disappearances and military brutality, remains optimistic. Even the junta’s National Council for Peace and Order answered the summons last week for the commission’s inquiry into alleged mistreatment of activist Ekachai Hongkangwan, she said.

“Most of the time, when we invite someone, they show up,” Angkana said.

Calls and messages seeking comments to Pakapong’s family were not answered by press time.

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Expats Can Also Deduct Year-End Shopping. Here’s How.

By
Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter
-

BANGKOK — Like to shop? Want to save the nation or, barring that, ease your tax burden? No Thai partner to handle the complicated stuff? No worries!

While many Thai shoppers have hit the holiday sales for tax-free shopping under the government’s “Shop to Save the Nation” program that ends Sunday, many foreign residents who also pay income tax don’t know they are also eligible – or how to make use of it.

Up to 15,000 baht can be deducted, so it’s not too late to get to the mall and do some serious nation-saving.

Read: Spend to Save Nation: Junta Preps Tax Break

Who is Eligible?

First, do you earn more than 150,000 baht annually? Will tax returns be filed in your name come March 2018? If not, forget about it – the nation will have to get by without your help.

Where to Shop?

To be eligible, purchases must be made at VAT-registered shops providing full tax receipts.

If you’re in a mall, convenience store or hotel, then you should be fine. Chain retailers, service centers and supermarkets should also be good. But mom-and-pop shops and street stalls are unlikely to be able to give the tax invoices. Find an example at the bottom of this article.

What is Deductible?

Most goods and services are eligible: clothes, accessories, cosmetics, medicine, food supplements, food, pet food and beverages. No booze, however. Electrical machines, furniture and IT gears (i.e. laptop and smartphone) works too.

For services, it’s good to know that spa, massage and karaoke qualify as valid ways to do some nation-building.

Vehicle maintenance is eligible as well, but motorists must get their cars fixed by Sunday.

Travelers who wish to get the deduction must fly domestically by Sunday – buying tickets in the timeframe does not count. Make sure the airlines are VAT-registered.

What’s Not Deductible?

Alcohol, tobacco, cigarettes, fuel for vehicles, international flight tickets, utility bills, medical bills, gym memberships, fresh vegetables and fruits, meat, insurance, gift vouchers, hotel rentals, books, textbooks and magazines are not deductible.

At Time of Purchase

Since you’re a foreigner paid over 150,000 baht per year, you’ll need to show the cashier your tax ID number (it has 13 digits starting with 099). Don’t know what is it? Don’t have your HR representative or payroll department on speed dial? The Revenue Department says shoppers can just provide their full name and current address.

What’s Next?

Hang onto those invoices and present them at any revenue office when taxes are filed by the end of March. Many expats may have their tax responsibilities handled by staff, sometimes without their knowledge. Find out who handles this and make sure they receive your receipts in time. Always make copies, first.

Of course, all of this effort may only mean a few hundred more baht in your pocket. Deducting 15,000 baht from your taxable income means 750 baht for those earning 150,000 baht to 300,000 baht a year (the 5 percent tax bracket), 1,500 baht for those earning up to 500,000 baht and 5,250 baht for those fortunate to be in the 35 percent tax bracket with earnings of at least 5,000,000 baht per year.

tax 2
An example of the full tax invoice finds this reporter definitely saving the nation with these slim-fit chinos.

Related stories:

Spend to Save Nation: Junta Preps Tax Break

 

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Cheesecake Factory to Begin Production at Siam Paragon

By
Asaree Thaitrakulpanich, Staff Reporter
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The Original Cheesecake by The Cheesecake Factory. Photo: The Cheesecake Factory Thailand / Facebook

BANGKOK — Twenty years after it outgrew California to become an American phenomenon, the first Cheesecake Factory will open in Bangkok next month.

The Cheesecake Factory, known to most Americans as a sit-down restaurant serving burgers, pasta and other comfort food along with its signature cheesecakes, will open Dec. 16 on the ground floor of Siam Paragon shopping mall.

However, the Bangkok branch will only serve cheesecakes in 13 flavors including Dutch Apple, Tuxedo Mousse and Original Cheesecake rather operate as a full restaurant.

This year has seen a slew of ‘90s-era US imports arrive in Bangkok, such as IHOP and Jamba Juice. Both opened in Siam Paragon.

The Cheesecake Factory first opened in 1978 in Beverly Hills, California. It’s first overseas store opened in 2012 in Dubai, and it has since expanded throughout North America, the Middle East and Asia. One opened in December 2016 in Manila.

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Italian Shows Pattaya How to Pizza – With His Fists

By
Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief
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PATTAYA — An Italian man enraged by the quality of his pizza busted his hand in a brawl with its makers at a Pattaya pizzeria, police said Monday.

Police were called Sunday night to the I Love Pizza Art restaurant where they found Henri Gabriel Elfgang, 71, with an injured hand. His wife, a Thai national, told police the staff beat him and broke one of her husband’s fingers.

Pattaya’s police chief said the Italian man was dissatisfied with his pizza’s quality and asked the restaurant staff to bake it again. After the second order also failed to meet Elfgang’s standards, an argument broke out which escalated into a fight, according to Col. Apichai Klobpetch.

“They were arguing back and forth, and they were fighting,” he said.

He added that initial news reports which alleged the staff ganged up on the Italian were false. Instead, Apichai described it as a mutually enthusiastic melee.

No one has been charged so far, but police have summoned everyone involved to the Pattaya police station this afternoon for questioning, the colonel said.

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Doctor: Kim Jong Nam’s Underwear Soiled, Pupils Contracted

By
Associated Press
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Kim Jong Nam, left, exiled half-brother of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, in Narita, Japan, on May 4, 2001, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on May 9, 2016, in Pyongyang, North Korea. Photo: Shizuo Kambayashi / Associated Press

SHAH ALAM, Malaysia — A Malaysian doctor has testified in the trial of two women accused of murdering the estranged half brother of North Korea’s leader that the victim’s pupils contracted and his underwear was soiled with feces, both signs of poisoning.

Siti Aisyah of Indonesia and Doan Thi Huong of Vietnam, the only suspects in custody, pleaded not guilty at the start of their trial on Oct. 2. They were accused of smearing the banned VX nerve agent on Kim Jong Nam’s face at a crowded airport terminal in Kuala Lumpur on Feb. 13, killing him within two hours.

Nurliza Abdullah, a government doctor who conducted the autopsy on Kim’s body, told the court Monday that the pupil constriction and the large excrement found in Kim’s underwear both pointed to poisoning.

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Miss Universe Maria’s Flub on ‘Social Movement’ Stirs Debate

By
Asaree Thaitrakulpanich, Staff Reporter
-
Maria Poonlertlarp Ehren answers her final-round question at the Miss Universe 2017 pageant Monday morning.

BANGKOK — Although Thailand’s Miss Universe contestant did not snag the crown Monday morning in Las Vegas, her final-round answer about social movements sparked debate back home.

Although 25-year-old Maria Poonlertlarp Ehren did not become Thailand’s third Miss Universe to the disappointment of some, she was applauded for going further than any Thai contestant in three decades by reaching the final five.

It was a gaffe in answering the final-round question that many saw as costing Maria the crown, when host Steve Harvey asked her what she thought was her generation’s most important social movement. Her response – young people because society is aging – ignited a debate among Thais about just what are today’s important social movements.

“Maria missed the chance with her answer,” @Noppatjak tweeted in English. “‘Ageing society and youth movement’ probably isn’t the top list of judges mind when it comes to ‘Social movement.’  Hope lesson will be learned for Thailand, global topic when it comes to world stage. [sic]”

It was far along after Maria had been selected the final of five women vying for the crown that she was asked to name “the most important social movement of your generation” and explain why.

“I think the most important social movement so far is that we’re having an aging population. So the most important movement in our time is definitely the youth. So the youth is the future. The youth is something we have to invest in,” Maria said.

While many felt she’d missed the mark, the conversation on Twitter and Facebook quickly turned to what, then, were the most pressing social movements.

Kavindhra Tiamsai’s widely shared post on Facebook commended Maria for her answer, but said that a better response should have addressed politics, gender equality, freedom of speech or “learning to embrace criticism with rationality.”

“I love Maria. I wish I could’ve warped into her brain and told her to answer ‘feminism,’” Watcharapong Noomglang wrote in a comment.

“If she was to answer really well, it would humiliate our government. You did well,” Jomtian Jansomrag wrote in contrast, then added in English, “How could Thai talk about social movements? Under the fake democracy like this.”

Thailand’s top trending tweets Monday morning were almost all about Maria and her advancement at the global pageant that aired 7am local time. #MariaCameFortheCrown, #I’llBeConfusedifSheDoesn’tGettheCrown and #MariaLynnEhren tweets had fanart and fan photos cheering her on. After South Africa’s Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters edged her out, Thais flooded the Twitterverse with encouraging comments with the hashtag #NoCrownButStillLoveYou.

Last year, Miss Universe Thailand, Chalita “Namtarn” Suansane was among the six semifinalists. She was asked to name “a current or past world leader whom you admire,” and responded in Thai to say His Majesty the late King Bhumibol.

Read: S. Africa Wins Miss Universe, Thailand Makes Top 5

Related stories:

Miss Universe Thailand to Be Maiden-Chasing Ogre in Las Vegas

Multicultural ‘Maria’ Crowned Miss Universe Thailand

Thai Crown Contenders Ready to Vie for ‘Universe’ (Photos)

Thailand Exalts as ‘Namtarn’ Falls Just Short of Crown

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Pope’s Trip to Myanmar, Bangladesh Boiling Down to 1 Word

By
Associated Press
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Pope Francis waves to journalists as he boards the plane for his six-day trip to Myanmar and Bangladesh, Sunday at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci international airport in Fiumicino. Photo: Gregorio Borgia / Associated Press

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis’ aim in visiting Myanmar and Bangladesh is to encourage their tiny Catholic communities and bring a message of friendship and peace to some of Asia’s most peripheral and poor. The big question looming is whether he’ll utter the word “Rohingya” while he’s there.

The “will he or won’t he?” issue has dominated debate before Francis’ trip, which begins Monday when his Alitalia charter flight lands in Yangon and ends with a youth rally in Dhaka on Dec. 2.

In between, Francis will meet separately with Myanmar’s civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, its powerful military chief and Buddhist monks. He’ll greet a delegation of Rohingya Muslims and meet with Bangladesh’s political and religious leadership in Dhaka. Masses for the Catholic faithful and meetings with the local church hierarchy round out the itinerary in each country.

Myanmar’s local Catholic Church has publicly urged Francis to avoid using the term, which is shunned by many locally because the ethnic group is not a recognized minority in the country. Rohingya in recent months have been subject to what the United Nations says is a campaign of “textbook ethnic cleansing” by the military in poverty-wracked Rakhine state.

Francis, though, has already prayed for “our Rohingya brothers and sisters,” and any decision to avoid the term could be viewed as a capitulation to Myanmar’s military and a stain on his legacy of standing up for the most oppressed and marginalized of society, no matter how impolitic.

“Being a religious leader – Catholic leader – means that he is well-regarded, but of course there is this worry if he says something, people might say, ‘OK, he just came to meddle,'” said Burmese analyst Khin Zaw Win, a former political prisoner. “So, I think a lot of diplomacy is needed, in addition to the public relations.”

The trip was planned before the latest spasm of violence erupted in August, when Rohingya militants attacked security positions in Rakhine. Myanmar security forces responded with a scorched-earth campaign that forced more than 620,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh, where they are living in squalid refugee camps.

The signals from the Vatican going into the trip were mixed: The Vatican spokesman used the term “Rohingya” in a pre-trip briefing and said “It’s not a prohibited word” as far as the Vatican was concerned. But the Holy See’s top diplomat, Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, avoided it in an interview with Vatican media on the eve of the trip.

The debate isn’t just semantic: Myanmar’s government and most of the Buddhist majority consider them Bengali migrants from Bangladesh living illegally in the country, though Rohingya have lived there for generations.

“It’s going to be a tricky situation (if he uses the word), I think because most of the people can’t accept it,” said farmer Win Myaing.

Seaman Kyaw Thu Maung said the issue is difficult because the term “Rohingya” carries so much political weight for all of Myanmar’s people.

“But my feeling is that if the pope is going to talk about the Rakhine issue, the people aren’t going to like the pope anymore,” he said.

Story: Nicole Winfield

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Tens of Thousands Stranded as Bali Volcano Closes Airport

By
Associated Press
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A view of the Mount Agung volcano erupting Monday in Karangasem, Bali, Indonesia. Photo: Firdia Lisnawati / Associated Press

KARANGASEM, Indonesia — Indonesian authorities raised the alert for a rumbling volcano on Bali to the highest level on Monday, stranding tens of thousands of travelers as ash clouds forced the closure of the tourist island’s international airport.

Mount Agung has been hurling clouds of white and dark gray ash about 3,000 meters (9,800 feet) into the atmosphere since the weekend. Video released by the national disaster agency showed a mudflow of volcanic debris and water known as a lahar moving down the volcano’s slopes.

Bali’s airport was closed early Monday after tests indicated ash had reached its airspace and authorities raised the volcano’s alert to the highest danger level.

Flight information boards showed rows of cancelations as tourists arrived at the busy airport expecting to catch flights home.

Airport spokesman Air Ahsanurrohim said 445 flights were canceled, stranding about 59,000 travelers. The closure is in effect until Tuesday morning though officials said the situation will be reviewed every six hours.

Bali is Indonesia’s top tourist destination, with its gentle Hindu culture, surf beaches and lush green interior attracting about 5 million visitors a year.

Geological agency head, Kasbani, who goes by one name, said the alert level was raised because the volcano has shifted from steam-based eruptions to magmatic eruptions. However he said he’s still not expecting a major eruption.

“We don’t expect a big eruption but we have to stay alert and anticipate,” he said on Indonesian TV.

The volcano’s last major eruption in 1963 killed about 1,100 people.

The exclusion zone around the crater was widened to 10 kilometers (6 miles). Previously it ranged between 6 and 7.5 kilometers.

Ash up to half a centimeter (less than half an inch) thick has settled on villages around the volcano and soldiers and police distributed masks on the weekend.

In Karangasem district that surrounds the volcano, tourists stopped to watch the towering plumes of ash as children made their made to school.

Indonesia sits on the “Pacific Ring of Fire” and has more than 120 active volcanoes.

Mount Agung’s alert status was raised to the highest level in September following a dramatic increase in tremors from the volcano, which doubled the exclusion zone around the crater and prompted more than 140,000 people to leave the area. The alert was lowered on Oct. 29 after a decrease in activity but about 25,000 people remained in evacuation centers.

Story: Firdia Lisnawati, Stephen Wright

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South Africa Wins Miss Universe, Thailand Makes Top 5

By
Associated Press
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From left, final five finalists Miss Colombia Laura Gonzalez, Miss Jamaica Davina Bennett, Miss Thailand Maria Poonlertlarp, Miss Venezuela Keysi Sayago and Miss South Africa Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters stand on stage at the Miss Universe pageant Sunday in Las Vegas. Photo: John Locher / Associated Press

LAS VEGAS — The woman representing South Africa has won has won the Miss Universe crown.

Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, who recently earned a business management degree, was crowned Sunday during the event that took place at The AXIS theater at Planet Hollywood casino-resort on the Las Vegas Strip.

The runner-up was Miss Colombia Laura Gonzalez. The second runner-up was Miss Jamaica Davina Bennett.

Thailand’s Maria Poonlertlarp Ehren and Venezuela’s Keysi Sayago were the remaining two of the top five contestants.

Ninety-two women from around the world participated in the decades-old competition. This year’s edition had the most contestants ever.

The 22-year-old Nel-Peters has earned a yearlong salary, a luxury apartment in New York City for the duration of her reign and more prizes.

Last year, Iris Mittenaere from France was crowned when the pageant took place in the Philippines.

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