LA Woman Booted From Ceremony For Dress Invites Fury Online

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28 October 2017, 17:08

A screen cap of a column published by online California news outfit Times of San Diego. Leonard Novarro / Times of San Diego

BANGKOK — A Thai-American woman turned away Thursday from a Thai temple in Los Angeles for her attire has become an object of contempt online.

Rosalynn Carmen of San Diego, California, visited the Wat Thai Temple to join a symbolic cremation ceremony but was chided and booed by Thais there who insisted what she was wearing was inappropriate, according to an account by her journalist husband.

“Thank you all. You have engendered a great story about intolerance. Below is the story that is going out to one of the largest and prominent communities in America. Now they can see how intolerant ignorant people can become in this country – right here on American soil,” Carmen wrote Friday on Facebook, with a link to a column written by her husband Leonard Novarro for the Times of San Diego.

According to the opinion piece written by Carmen’s husband, Leonard, his wife was not dressed in red but in a “tasteful black dress.” An image from said to be from the event shows Carmen in a black dress covered with a black garment fringed with yellow and red flowers.

After the story got the attention of Thai netizens, ultra-royalists accused Carmen of being part of an anti-monarchist network trying to sabotage the event.

Novarro said there was no provocation intended.

rosalynn.king e1509184089509 — Rosalynn Carmen in a Dec. 5, 2014 photo at an event celebrating King Bhumibol’s 87th birthday in 2014 in Los Angeles.

“But because the temperature was hot, she chose to cover the dress with a light jacket of red – and yellow – followers,” wrote Novarro, adding that the two had been inside the temple over an hour before her outfit drew attention.

“But suddenly, security forces, along with a mob, began surrounding Rosalynn, screaming at her. ‘Look, she has a red bag,’ screamed another woman. Indeed, she did have a red bag. In fact, all her purses and personal bags are red – her color,” he wrote, explaining that she had a thing for red because of her name.

“As I entered the fray, trying to calm the crowd now numbering more than 40 people, all screaming absurdities and accusations in Thai, I thought: ‘This, indeed, is what Nazi Germany was all about.’ There was no misunderstanding the sheer hatred and vitriol against a woman I have always been proud of, for her accomplishments and also for her love of her native country.”

Novarro said the crowd became more infuriated when Carmen insisted she had the right to be there, on US soil. The crowd told her wife that her dress was inappropriate, then shouted “Get out! Get out! Get out!”

In response, some Thais commented on the article, saying Carmen intentionally meant to disrespect the late king.

“When you was born Thai, you’re always be Thai,” Facebook user Khun Pant wrote in English. “Three institutions are always above you: Nation, Religions and Monarchy. You should love, protect and respect. Stop believing that you are better and has rights. Such a crock of s—t. I live in California for 30 years with dual citizens, I have no right to insult anybody. You had forgotten where you are from, shame on you. Go eat s—t and die…”

“He don’t realize that his wife attitude is inappropriate and disgusting, and had insulted Thai community. The only way for him to realize this is for him and his wife to go to a Middle East country and wear bikinis in red, throw a big party into a royal funeral… The Thai are too kind, for people as low as this writer and his wife,” user Nhong Manit Boonmana, wrote in English.

The controversy arrived in Thailand on Saturday when conservative-royalist news agency TNews cited Facebook sources branding Carmen an anti-junta and anti-monarchy Redshirt. TNews posted photos of her with a group of Thai-looking people flashing three-finger salutes, a sign of opposition to military rule used in the early days after the May 2014 coup. In the photos, Carmen merely gives a thumbs-up.

Thailand-based Facebook user Kittitouch Chaiprasith was among those to accuse Carmen of being part of an anti-monarchy network, saying she was “faking her way to disrupt” the ceremony in the California. Facebook user Kamolwan Yoosin, called Carmen an “evil bitch” and added that if she was in Thailand, she would have been assaulted by foot by many people.

On Saturday morning, Carmen reshared photos from an event she attended at the Beverly Hills Country Club to celebrate the king’s birthday three years ago, in which she also wore red.

Attempts to reach Carmen and Novarro via Facebook were unsuccessful as of Saturday afternoon.

North Korean ‘Masterminds’ Evade Kim Jong Nam Murder Trial

By

Associated Press

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28 October 2017, 15:28

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

KUALA LUMPUR — At a trial that could send two Southeast Asian women to the gallows, Malaysian prosecutors are shining a light on several men at large they say masterminded and played crucial roles in carrying out the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong’s Un’s estranged half brother.

The lone defendants at the Shah Alam High Court – Siti Aisyah, 25, of Indonesia and Doan Thi Huong, 29, of Vietnam – say they are innocent, duped by the men into participating in February’s attack at Kuala Lumpur’s international airport, which they say they thought was a harmless prank for a TV show.

If found guilty, they face a mandatory death sentence. In Malaysia, that means they would be hanged.

But since the trial began on Oct. 2, the alleged role of the four missing suspects has come to dominate the proceedings. Both the prosecutors and the defense team say a lot more is going to be revealed in the weeks ahead about the men, who outside of court they acknowledge are believed to be North Korean citizens.

The prosecution this week also stressed that authorities reserve the right to take more formal action against the four if they can gather enough evidence.

A look at what’s come out so far about the missing men, who are referred to officially in court only by their aliases, and what’s known about their actions:

Hanamori

Police are now calling him the “mastermind.”

According to chief investigating officer Wan Azirul Nizam Che Wan Aziz, this man, who sometimes went by the nicknames “Grandpa” and “Uncle,” orchestrated the operation on the ground.

Wan Azirul said airport security video shows that he arrived at the terminal in the same vehicle with two of the three other suspects about 90 minutes ahead of the Feb. 13 attack. Security cameras then captured him meeting both of those men and the third suspect, all separately, at an airport cafe before the attack.

Police say Hanamori, who initially wore a purple shirt but changed after the attack, not only came to the airport with two of the suspects but he met with all three just before the plan was put into action. He then left after the attack in a vehicle with two of the three and was seen later that day – and for the last time – with two of them in the departure hall of the main terminal.

James

He allegedly recruited Aisyah.

Aisyah’s lawyer, Gooi Soon Seng, told reporters before the trial that she was recruited in early January by this man, who was known to her only as James, to star in what he said was a video prank show. The lawyer said James and Aisyah went to malls, hotels and airports, where she would rub oil or pepper sauce on strangers’ faces. James recorded the encounters on his phone and paid Aisyah between $100 and $200 for each prank.

Police official Wan Azirul testified in court that James was seen heading to the Sama Sama airport hotel, which is in the terminal not far from where the attack took place. Wan Azirul said security videos show James entering the hotel room, but quickly checking out.

He said James is later seen at the departure hall of the main airport terminal, where the other three suspects went. What his role was on the day of the hit isn’t yet clear – an examination of the airport security camera footage in court Thursday was cut short when Judge Azmi Ariffin ruled more time was needed to digest the information.

The prosecution is expected to return to the videos in the next session, scheduled for Nov. 6.

Chang

He put the liquid poison on Aisyah’s hands, according to Wan Azirul’s testimony.

On the morning of the killing, Chang met up with Aisyah at the same cafe where he had earlier met with Hanamori. Wan Azirul said Chang handed Aisyah an airport taxi voucher during their short meeting and he was believed to have later applied the deadly VX nerve agent poison to her hands just before the attack, which happened at about 9 a.m.

The bespectacled Chang wore a dark baseball cap and carried a backpack and a white plastic bag. But after the hit, he ditched his belongings, changed his shirt and even managed to shave off his goatee. He was seen instead carrying an orange plastic bag.

Defense lawyer Gooi has said before the trial it was Chang who had pointed Kim out to Aisyah as the target and put a substance in her hand.

Mr. Y

Prosecutors claim he put the poison on Vietnamese defendant Huong’s hands.

On the day of the killing, after arriving with Hanamori and the others, he was seen walking around the airport with a woman prosecutors claim was Huong near the area where Kim was attacked. He also wore a baseball cap and had a backpack and water bottle.

Video footage shows that after the attack, Mr. Y also changed his shirt and discarded his belongings. Police say he then left the budget terminal in the same vehicle with Chang and Hanamori.

Not much else about him has been revealed.

The Escape?

Police say the four suspects flew out of the country the day of the killing and are believed to have made their way back to Pyongyang.

At Malaysia’s request, Interpol has issued a “red notice” – the closest equivalent it has to an arrest warrant – for four North Koreans wanted in connection with the killing: Ri Ji Hyon, 33; Hong Song Hac, 34; O Jong Gil, 55; and Ri Jae Nam, 57. But it is not entirely clear if they are the same four whose actions are now being detailed in the court testimony.

Help from Pyongyang is highly unlikely.

North Korea has denied any involvement. And it’s not a member of Interpol.

Story: Eric Talmadge

Sometimes, I Wish Thailand Could Be Simpler …

By

Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

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28 October 2017, 13:39

Mourners Thursday night near the Democracy Monument in Bangkok.

Sometimes I wish that understanding and describing a society like Thailand could be simpler, without complexity, tension and contradiction. Like a coin with just one side.

Thursday, the day the late king, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, was cremated, serves to remind how hard it is to grasp a society in all its complexity.

Covering the day for this publication 16 hours, starting at 8am, it was clear to me that so many Thais, millions, tens of millions, were in grief, bidding final farewell to their beloved king who reigned for seven decades.

Black-clad mourners, men and women, young and old, from all walks of life were on the streets around the cremation site. And I talked to some. Their love and reverence for the late king, also known as Rama IX, was unquestionable. Many mourner-volunteers offered fellows mourners free food, refreshments and more. A number of businesses around Sanam Luang, the cremation site, offered free access to their toilets.

Many people queued for hours, overnight even, and some had camped a few days in advance, sleeping in the rough around the cremation site, withstanding heat and rain, all sorts of discomfort, so they could be close to the body of their beloved monarch, one whom they regarded as their “royal father” or “พ่อหลวง” for one last time.

It appears that the whole kingdom stood still and was totally united in grief. Yet I would be lying or closing my eyes to not recognize a small but vocal group of Thais who have lost faith in the monarchy and took the opportunity on the historic day to express contradictory feelings, displeasures, particularly on social media.

Some of these anti-monarchists are in exile, probably never to return to Thailand due to the draconian lese majeste law. At home, former lese majeste convict Ekachai Hongkangwan got into trouble after he announced on his Facebook page less than a week before the cremation day that he would wear a red shirt on the day, a clear sign of disrespect for the late king’s cremation day.

By Tuesday morning, barely four days after the announcement, Ekachai rang me sounding slightly terrified, saying 11 army officers were at his home and making him choose between either taken to a military base or checked into a “resort” in Kanchanaburi province for a few nights. That was the last time I could contact Ekachai this week.

Human Rights lawyer Anon Nampha later wrote on Facebook the same day that Ekachai informed him he chose the latter. As of Friday afternoon, Ekachai had yet to be released by the military junta after three nights’ stay although Anon told Khaosod English it could be today, Saturday.

Ekachai wasn’t alone. On the day of the cremation, a 20-year-old technical college student in Surat Thani province in the south got into big trouble for posting a number of attacks on the late king on Facebook. This was followed by a witch hunt as series of strangers visited his residence after a well-known Facebook page from the same province “doxed” him, publicizing his name and address and urging action to be taken. By the following day, some people helped him flee the province. His fate from now is unclear.

Elsewhere, in neighboring Laos, a group of exiled anti-monarchist singer-cum-activists performed a concert against the draconian lese majeste law, which carries a 15-year maximum prison term, and against the late monarch, on the day of the royal cremation.

I wish Thai society was simpler and without contradiction and complexity. I would have been more emotionally comfortable to just think and believe there is only one Thailand – that all Thais think alike about the monarchy. I wish I could just pretend that there’s not another side to that coin, not another Thailand. Thailand would have been easier and simpler to grasp, not just intellectually but emotionally. Looking at both sides of the coin, or society, often spoils both sides of the coin.

There seems to be no place for a complex rendition of Thai society, however. Books either extol all the virtues of the late king or are banned for alleged defamation. The most extensive attempt in publishing a popular compendium on Rama IX was completed by Sarakadee Press, which is known for its eponymous features magazine. The book contains 309 entries and is 400-pages thick, but makes not one mention of the controversial lese majeste law. Perhaps to be a true believer in someone, one needs to extinguish or ignore inconvenient information.

Sometimes I long for a simpler society, where one doesn’t get distracted by counter-narratives and contradictory information, so one could be consumed by only one convenient version of Thailand. I wish society would be simpler, like those in children’s bedtime stories, where good and evil are clear-cut. That’s a child’s dream and not realistic, however.

It’s better I be condemned to seeing both sides of the coin – of course there are actually more, considering the edge – and continue to intellectually as well as emotionally grapple with the complex reality of our society.

Sometimes I wish understanding Thailand was simpler… But then it would be too naïve and simplistic to harbor such expectations.

Mattis Says Threat of Nuclear Attack by N Korea Accelerating

By

Associated Press

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28 October 2017, 12:44

U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, left, and South Korea's Defense Minister Song Young-moo hold a joint press conference after the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) at the Defense Ministry in 2017 in Seoul, South Korea. Photo: Jung Yeon-Je / Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea — U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Saturday the threat of nuclear missile attack by North Korea is accelerating.

In remarks in Seoul with South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo at his side, Mattis accused the North of illegal and unnecessary missile and nuclear programs – and vowed to defeat any attack.

Mattis said North Korea engages in “outlaw” behavior and that the U.S. will never accept a nuclear North.

He added that regardless of what the North might try, it is overmatched by the firepower and cohesiveness of the decades-old U.S.-South Korean alliance.

“North Korea has accelerated the threat that it poses to its neighbors and the world through its illegal and unnecessary missile and nuclear weapons programs,” he said, adding that U.S.-South Korean military and diplomatic collaboration thus has taken on “a new urgency.”

“I cannot imagine a condition under which the United States would accept North Korea as a nuclear power,” he said.

As he emphasized throughout his weeklong Asia trip, which included stops in Thailand and the Philippines, Mattis said diplomacy remains the preferred way to deal with the North.

“With that said,” he added, “make no mistake – any attack on the United States or our allies will be defeated, and any use of nuclear weapons by the North will be met with a massive military response that is effective and overwhelming.”

Mattis’ comments did not go beyond his recent statements of concern about North Korea, although he appeared to inject a stronger note about the urgency of resolving the crisis.

While he accused the North of “outlaw” behavior, he did not mention that President Donald Trump has ratcheted up his own rhetoric. In August, Trump warned the North not to make any more threats against the United States, and said that if it did, it would be met with “fire and fury like the world has never seen.”

Song, the South Korean minister, told the news conference that he and Mattis agreed to further cooperation on strengthening Seoul’s defense capabilities, including lifting warhead payload limits on South Korean conventional missiles and supporting the country’s acquisition of “most advanced military assets.” He offered no specifics and refused to answer when asked whether the discussions included nuclear-powered submarines.

Some South Korean government officials have endorsed the nation getting nuclear-powered submarines amid calls for more military strength. There’s a growing concern among the South Korean public that North Korea’s expanding nuclear weapons arsenal, which may soon include an intercontinental ballistic missile that could target the U.S. mainland, would undermine Seoul’s decadeslong alliance with Washington.

South Korea’s conservative politicians have also called for the United States to bring back tactical nuclear weapons that were withdrawn from the Korean Peninsula in the 1990s, which they say would make clearer the U.S. intent to use nukes in a crisis. But Mattis and Song were strongly dismissive of the idea.

“When considering national interest, it’s much better not to deploy them,” said Song, adding that the allies would have “sufficient means” to respond to a North Korean nuclear attack even without placing tactical nukes in the South. Mattis said current U.S. strategic assets are already providing nuclear deterrence and that the South Korean government has never approached him with the subject of tactical nukes.

Also discussed in the meeting were the conditions under which South Korea would be given wartime operational control of its forces. Currently, if war with the North broke out, the South’s forces would operate under the U.S.-led U.N. Command.

Trump entered office declaring his commitment to solving the North Korea problem, asserting that he would succeed where his predecessors had failed. His administration has sought to increase pressure on Pyongyang through U.N. Security Council sanctions and other diplomatic efforts, but the North hasn’t budged from its goal of building a full-fledged nuclear arsenal, including missiles capable of striking the U.S. mainland.

If Trump sticks to his pledge to stop the North from being able to threaten the U.S. with a nuclear attack, something will have to give – either a negotiated tempering of the North’s ambitions or a U.S. acceptance of the North as a nuclear power.

The other alternative would be U.S. military action to attempt to neutralize or eliminate the North’s nuclear assets – a move fraught with risk for South Korea, Japan and the United States.

At his Seoul news conference, Mattis said the North is, in effect, shooting itself in the foot.

“If it remains on its current path of ballistic missiles and atomic bombs, it will be counterproductive, in effect reducing its security,” he said.

Mattis touched off unease in South Korea last month when he told reporters at the Pentagon that the United States has military options for North Korea that doesn’t put Seoul at risk. At Saturday’s briefing, Mattis didn’t offer a direct answer to what those options are or how and when they would be used.

“Our military options as I mentioned are designed to buttress the diplomats’ efforts to maintain a deterrence stance and denuclearize the Korean Peninsula,” he said. While the allies are committed to deterring North Korea, they also need “many different military options that would realistically reduce that threat as low as possible,” Mattis said.

“And yes, we do have those options,” he said.

The North says it needs nuclear weapons to counter what it believes is a U.S. effort to strangle its economy and overthrow the Kim government.

This was Mattis’s second visit to South Korea since taking office in January. He made a point of going to Seoul and Tokyo on his first overseas trip in February, saying he wanted to emphasis the importance he places on strengthening alliances and partnerships.

On Friday he visited the Demilitarized Zone that forms an official buffer between the two Koreas. He appeared there with Song in what they both called a show of solidarity.

U.S. government officials for decades have confidently but mistakenly predicted the approaching collapse of North Korea, given its economic and political isolation.

Twenty years ago, Mattis’s predecessor five times removed, William Cohen, said as he peered into North Korea from inside the DMZ that its communist system was “decaying and dying.” His view was widely shared in Washington, but, like others, he underestimated the resilience of Pyongyang’s family dynasty, which began with Kim Il Sung. The current ruler assumed control of the country shortly after his father, Kim Jong-Il, died in December 2011, and has accelerated the country’s nuclear and missile programs.

Story: Robert Burns

‘Hand of God’ Saved Indonesian Teen From Fatal Factory Fire

By

Associated Press

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28 October 2017, 12:23

In this image made from video, residents watch as thick black smoke billows from the site of an explosion at a firecracker factory in Tangerang, Thursday on the outskirt of Jakarta, Indonesia. Image: Associated Press

TANGERANG, Indonesia — The explosion came first, shocking 17-year-old Fitriyah and sending her running for the only exit of the Indonesian fireworks factory where she started work just the week before.

Next came the heat from the fires and then the choking smoke, which made navigating the chaos impossible. As more explosions rang out and the flames spread, there appeared to be no escape. She could feel the skin on her hand start to peel off.

Then a co-worker appeared and told Fitriyah to follow him and to jump in a nearby pool used to wash factory equipment.

“That pool was like a hand of God,” Fitriyah, who goes by one name, said Friday from the hospital room where she was being treated for burns. “It rescued us.”

Thursday’s inferno at the factory in Tangerang, near Jakarta, killed at least 47 people, including a 14-year-old girl. It has raised questions about safety regulations and possible child labor in this poor and sprawling archipelago nation where worker rights are often treated as a lower priority than economic growth and jobs. Most of the factory’s 103 employees were young women earning about USD $3 a day.

Police said Friday that they were questioning the owner of the factory but didn’t want to speculate about the cause before the investigation is completed. The government has said it will investigate allegations of underage workers at the factory.

Fitriyah was one of five workers who survived by jumping into the pool, where police and other rescuers were able to reach them after about 30 minutes. All of them are being treated in the same hospital room for burns covering from 5 to 40 percent of their bodies.

As investigators tried to piece together what happened, relatives crushed by grief went to a police hospital’s morgue in eastern Jakarta on Friday morning to identify loved ones. Officials said bodies were found piled at the rear of the factory and many were burned beyond recognition.

Pramujoko, the head of identification at the hospital, said one victim had been identified through dental records: a 14-year-old girl who police said was known as Surnah. Pramujoko, who uses one name, appealed to the dozens of families waiting for loved ones to be identified to provide their dental information.

Some 46 injured people were taken for treatment at three hospitals. As of Friday evening, 28 remained hospitalized, some in critical condition. Three workers were missing.

The death toll could rise as many of those who escaped suffered extensive burns, according to police.

Tangerang police chief Harry Kurniawan said they were “intensively questioning witnesses including the factory owner and manager.”

Survivors told authorities the fire started in a section of the factory where fireworks are dried. Witnesses heard a huge explosion about 10 a.m. Thursday, followed by smaller blasts as orange flames jumped from the building and columns of black smoke billowed across a nearby residential neighborhood.

Drone footage showed about two-thirds of the 65-by-40-meter (213-by-131-foot) complex was burned, its roof largely collapsed. There was a smashed wall on the left side of the main entrance that rescuers had broken down to help people escape.

Survivor Ahmad Safri said the workers had poor working conditions in a hot warehouse with noisy engines, but did not think the building was locked when the fire spread.

“Many panicking workers ran in the wrong direction … maybe to a generator room that was locked,” Safri said.

He said some workers were young women and teenagers, but he was not sure if any were underage.

Another survivor, Linah, said although the only exit was locked almost at all times, the door was open when the fire happened and she dashed through it even though the flames and explosions from vehicles and motorbikes nearby made other workers run the other way.

The 39-year-old mother of five said she kept running as the searing heat ripped her shirt and skin.

“What I had on my mind at the time was … I had to get out although I had to go through the fire near the exit,” she said, adding that the orange flames are still hunting her in her dreams. She was recovering from burns covering nearly 40 percent of her body.

The legal age to work in Indonesia is 15, but climbs to 18 if the work is considered hazardous.

Like many of the dozens of other women at the factory, Fitriyah said she was working on a casual basis, without any contract.

Their supervisor divided them into groups of five workers and gave them a target of wrapping 1,000 packs of fireworks per day. If they reached their target, they would be paid 40,000 rupiah, or about USD $3, a day. If they missed it, they would be paid about half that.

For a girl like Fitriyah, who had dropped out of high school to help her impoverished family, it was better than other options.

“It’s easy to get a job there,” she said. “The factory didn’t require an educated person or certain skills.”

Story: Niniek Karmini, Tatan Syuflana

Catalan Lawmakers Declare Independence From Spain

By

Associated Press

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27 October 2017, 20:41

A protester holding a Catalan flag reacts as she takes part in a rally Friday outside the Catalan Parliament in Barcelona, Spain. Photo: Emilio Morenatti / Associated Press

BARCELONA, Spain — Catalan separatist lawmakers have passed motion to establish a new republic independent of Spain while the opposition boycotted the vote.

Separatist lawmakers erupted in applause as the vote was approved with 70 votes in favor of independence, 10 against and 2 blank ballots. Most opposition lawmakers had left the chamber in protest moments before the vote.

Spain opposes the independence bid and the national government in Madrid is readying measures to take over control of the northeastern region. No country has expressed support for the secession bid.

The motion calls for beginning an independence process that includes drafting Catalonia’s new top laws and opening negotiations “on equal footing” with Spanish authorities to establish cooperation.

Reporter’s Notebook: Sleeping in The Stadium With Auntie Natee

By

Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

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27 October 2017, 20:14

Natee Yingwonwiwat borrows a reporter’s cellphone to call a relative back home.

BANGKOK — A grandma in her 70s is solo in the big city without a plan. A man cooks an immense quantity of noodles and gives them away for free. A middle-aged rubber farmer is giving everything up for a once-in-a-lifetime moment. On Wednesday night, they all came together in one place.

I would meet them Wednesday when I arrived myself with a backpack to the Bangkok Youth Center, or Thai-Japanese Stadium, which had lent its space for mourners from outlying provinces to camp.

I wasn’t sure to expect. Would I snooze uncomfortably on the hard wooden gymnasium floor? (I didn’t). Would I be socializing with devout royalists from far-away provinces? (I was). What I experienced in 24 hours at the temporary campsite in Bangkok’s Din Daeng area gave me more than one surprise.

At 4:30pm on Wednesday, I was greeted by officials who offered me a camouflage army sleeping bag in exchange for my ID. There were 88 other campers, and it wasn’t long after I’d marched onto the basketball court to find a spot to place my bedding.

Surrounding me were nearly 30 women from Songkhla lying together directly on the floor, a mat or or sleeping bag. Some eyes were shut while some chatted quietly. I couldn’t understand them very well. They were speaking too fast in southern terms unfamiliar to my central Thai ears.

Wan Tongyoo, 55, said she and 28 others took a bus Monday from the southern province of Songkhla to Bangkok, what’s a 13-plus hour ride under ideal road conditions. They were the first group to check in at the campsite. Wan just finished cleaning herself from what I’d call a “bucket shower” which consisted of scooping water from a bucket over herself. We talked as she changed into comfortable black clothes under her colorful sarong.

“I would do anything to be a part of the ceremony. It’s the last time for dad,” Wan said, referring to the late King Bhumibol. The rubber farmer said she and her group planned to sleep early so they could visit Sanam Laung before Thursday dawned. As we finished our conversation, she stood up and hung her worn clothes over a traffic barrier being used as a partition.

WAN e1509109629443 — Wan Tongyoo on Wednesday at the Bangkok Youth Center

Minutes later an old woman strolled in and sat only two meters away. This would turn out to be Natee Yingwongwiwat. Although the 74-year-old woman came from Songkhla, she wasn’t part of Wan’s group. To my surprise, Natee explained how she left her Hat Yai home Tuesday evening and traveled by herself via express train. She arrived in the capital 15 hours later. With one red small bag and a 2G mobile phone she had little idea how to use, Natee said she had made no plans for what to do the next day.

“Let’s see the situations tomorrow and I’ll decide,” said Natee, whom I called “auntie.”

Natee reluctantly pushed back against my assertion she looked very healthy for 74, but admitted she does often walk and jog. The retired woman said it’s not a big deal for her to travel over a dozen hours, nearly 1,000 kilometers, from her home since she had done so many times to join Yellowshirt protests years ago. She said she was a “tough person.”

“Why do people have to be surprised that I travel alone? I have been traveling for a long time and many times. I can take care of myself,” said Natee.

Natee is an ardent radio listener. Actually she learned about the occasional campsite from the local radio she tunes into daily. She wished she knew English so she could understand more stories of the world, and the late King Bhumibol.

“I have to give credit to the Princess Mother. She was down-to-earth and taught [King Bhumibol] to be down-to-earth like her,” Natee said after mentioning some titles of the Thai-language books about the King she has read. “I wish I could learn more about the King, either his good or bad sides. But sadly I cannot understand English and some books about are banned [in Thailand].”

As the evening changed to night, more people poured into the stadium. Some were children as young as 5. Some families chose to settle at the other side of the gym, where some big fans had been set up.

NATEE1 — Natee Yingwongwiwat rests after eating breakfast Thursday at the Bangkok Youth Centre.

ImageuploadedfromiOS8 e1509109764166 — Campers at the Bangkok Youth Center hang their clothes and towels on a traffic barrier

All the fans in the gym were turned off as cool air filled the spacious venue from much-cooler air conditioning units. Wan and most of her group fell asleep at about 8pm, followed by Natee at about 9:30pm. As an urbanite who works “reporter’s hours,” I didn’t snuggle in for some fitful sleep until the time on my phone read 11 o’clock.

Just four hours later, a woman in Wan’s group rose and made for the bathroom. Her early morning activities – which involved a flashlight beam, foot falls and sliding zipper sounds – gradually brought everyone awake.

Foreseeing no further sleep, I dressed in my navy blue slacks and black shirt before heading outside the pre-dawn stadium. Before my eyes, mist and fog floated above the grass, among bushes and trees and under the streetlights.

A clamor and clanging pans and utensils could be heard nearby. I turned to the right side of the stadium and saw two groups of people under white caps and aprons. Two men were stationed over large pans of oil, omelettes and wide rice noodles. Nearby, a middle-aged woman gently mixed dark soy sauce into noodles by hand. A plump woman and a skinny woman on the other side were putting the ready-to-eat meals into paper boxes.

Wirat Kianduangchan was joking with his sister and wife while lifting heavy amounts of noodles with steel tongs. He offered me the morning’s first box of Phad Se Ew.

WIRATCOOKS e1509109848327 — Wirat Kianduangchan, at center, places noodles on a tray Thursday morning at the Bangkok Youth Center.

The manager of the Baan Rai Plai Tawan almshouse said his group of 30 volunteers came from Nakhon Ratchasima’s Wang Nam Keaw and had stayed at the center since Tuesday. What the group specialized in was Chinese-style stir-fried soy sauce noodles, or phad see ew and phad mhi Korat, which is slightly different from Phad Thai.

Wirat, 42, said at noon that 600 kilograms of noodles had been used in more than 7,000 breakfast and lunch boxes sent to several venues including the Sanam Luang and Sam Liam Din Daeng junction.

Wirat said his group – including his 7-year-old daughter – would stay at the stadium until Friday, the last day they intended to cook stir-fried noodles and give them away to thousands of mourners remaining.

I wouldn’t be reunited with Khun Pa Natee until later. It turned out she didn’t go to the Pak Khlong Talat flower market or Ratchadamnoen Road as she had earlier announced. She got too confused by the numbers of buses and didn’t want to risk fainting during her journeys. As Wan and her group left for Sanam Luang, and Wirat and his crew cooked furiously, auntie Natee and I became camp buddies. Oftentimes I offered to walk to booths to get her water or a bowl of noodles, but she seemed to keep me company and enjoyed asking what it was like working as a reporter.

“You interviewed me, now I interview you,” she laughed over our chicken noodle soup.

Natee said she will return to Hat Yai on Thursday, after she sees the crematorium which will open to the public that day. “I want to see the Meru Mas with my own eyes,” she said. Where will she stay tomorrow and the five following nights? Natee said she didn’t know yet.

BATHROOM e1509109924195 — In the women’s bathroom, water buckets provided for campers to shower.

CAMPSITE e1509109960849 — Belongings of campers inside the stadium.

WIRAT1 e1509109995748 — Wirat Kianduangchan on a break from cooking Thursday.

VOLUNTEER e1509110022561 — A volunteer from Nakhon Ratchasima arranges noodle boxes at the Bangkok Youth Centre.

CAMPSITE4 e1509110060606 — Stadium 1 of the Bangkok Youth Centre provided for mourners to stay overnight.

Questions, Acceptance Follow Surprise Decision Not to Air Cremation

By

Sasiwan Mokkhasen, Staff Reporter

-

27 October 2017, 19:56

BANGKOK — Upon hearing the news, Kiattichai Phongkaew suddenly collapsed on the ground. Crying, he turned to face the Sanam Luang, where smoke lingered in the air above the crematorium, and prostrated.

The cremation of King Bhumibol was already finished, and he had not known until a reporter mentioned it.

“I missed the last chance to send you off, dad,” he said, breaking into tears.

Like Kiattichai, thousands of mourners waited last night on Ratchadamnoen Avenue to bid farewell to the king they called father. They believed the actual cremation would be broadcast live as it had been done in previous funerals for other royal family members. But that broadcast never came, and no announcement would be made until much later.

In a scene similar to Oct. 13 last year, when well-wishers at Siriraj Hospital were the last to learn the king had died, devout mourners lashed by rain and seared by sun on Ratchadamnoen Avenue had no idea what was going on until they heard from friends watching from home.

Read: Thailand’s ‘King of Kings’ Laid to Rest in Ancient Ritual

The decision not to broadcast the actual cremation seemed to even catch uniformed officials at the event, some of whom said it was merely delayed and still coming, while another simply said he did not know why it wasn’t shown.

By Friday, competing explanations were emerging as to why people were not allowed to witness the cremation of their longest-reigning monarch. But whether it was a last-minute change or just a poorly communicated decision, one fact not in dispute is that it came as a surprise – and disappointment – to the nation.

Mourner sleep early Friday morning on Ratchadamnoen Avenue where they had camped overnight in hope of witnessing King Bhumibol’s actual cremation.

Wanting to Be Close

Those who slept on the sidewalk since Monday night and tolerated heavy downpours were able to secure places inside the ceremony area starting at 5am on Wednesday.

By Thursday morning, more than 110,000 mourners had filled the royal field, but there were even more people who failed to get access and decided to stay around including on Ratchadamnoen Avenue. They slept on mats and used their bags as pillows. Some were prepared with blankets.

The official televised broadcast schedule did not note the 10pm cremation. It only stated there would be a cremation ceremony at 4:30pm and the next scheduled content was at 8am for the collection of the king’s remains.

Image uploaded from iOS 8 2 — Torpong Soonthornvipas vowed to remain until morning with his 7-year-old daughter.

But most people believed they would get to watch the actual cremation because the practice has been done in other royal funerals.

“I don’t know what they all say, but the actual cremation has to happen per tradition,” said Torpong Soonthornvipas, who sat with his 7-year-old daughter and vowed to stay until morning. “It has always been showed every time in the past.”

Reporters were told the live broadcast would run all night, and that public performances marking the end of the mourning period would be suspended during the actual cremation. At 9pm, a Khaosod English reporter at the official press center was told the ceremony would definitely be televised.

Black-clad mourners sit quietly in front of giant screen Thursday night on Ratchadamnoen Avenue awaiting the actual cremation to be televised.

As 10pm was approaching, more people arrived. Fifteen minutes before the scheduled cremation, police allowed more newcomers onto the avenue.

“We can’t get inside Sanam Luang but we will graab the king for the last time together here on the road,” shouted a policeman as he urged people to rush in.

At 10pm, people were still sitting quietly in front of the screen getting ready for a time they never wanted to come. Many meditated. But the screens kept looping a documentary about King Bhumibol’s works. At one point, it cut to show a live orchestra performing in the Sanam Luang.

When the time arrived, audience members watching from home saw the coverage cut and replaced with a message: “Royal Cremation of His Majesty King Bhumibol. Everyone is advised to turn toward the Meru Mas and pay their highest respects.”

Those on Ratchadamnoen Avenue saw nothing except the continuing performances and assumed the ritual was delayed.

A Khaosod English reporter at the press center confirmed at 10:38pm that the actual cremation would not be aired. At about 11pm, a royal fire was lit at the replica crematorium on Ratchadamnoen Avenue to burn sandalwood flowers. Next to it, a large screen was still broadcasting an orchestral performance.

By that time, the crowd was confused and reluctant to leave. No official announcement was made. Some decided to leave, while others refused and chose to stay.

Image uploaded from iOS 6 2 — Kanokwan Rattanaphoom, 25, broke into tears after hearing the cremation had happened.

Despite looking visibly agitated, Kanokwan Rattanaphoom said she was not disappointed. The 25-year-old broke into tears after hearing the cremation had happened.

“I came from Satun province, arriving in Bangkok last night,” she said wiping tears away. “I slept here in the road last night in the hope of seeing it.”

According to another Khaosod reporter, a palace media liaison informed some reporters at about 10pm, when the cremation was scheduled to begin, that it would not be televised because the king’s successor, His Majesty the King Rama X, had deigned it a “private affair.”

It was at 11:16pm that government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd announced the broadcast and ceremony had ended and coverage would resume in the morning. He did not elaborate on why the actual cremation was not televised.

Ten minutes later, smoke emerged from the top of crematorium, and that was when more people were convinced, despite being so close to where it happened, they had already missed the time they had waited a lifetime to experience.

s 7004166 copy — Smoke lingers in the air above the crematorium.

‘Mai Pen Rai’

Online, some speculated that it might have been for sake of privacy of the king’s wife, Queen Sirikit, who has been ailing and out of the public eye for several years.

Asked why they thought the cremation was done in secret, mourners on the street had different opinions. Most went along with common-sense rationales.

“It’s a private ceremony and should be exclusive for royal family members,” Kiettisak said. “They tried to appear to be strong for the whole day, now we need to give them some private time.”

Mourners sleep on Ratchadamnoen Avenue early Friday morning.

Thai Buddhist traditions regard actual cremation as an exclusive ritual for family members and close friends. Guests are only allowed to attend the symbolic cremation. However, recent royal funerals including those of King Bhumibol’s mother and sister allowed the public to witness by televised video.

“They probably didn’t want mass grieving to happen,” another man said. “It would have been difficult for people to cope if they had seen it.”

The confusion wasn’t limited to Ratchadamnoen Road but was felt nationwide. On the country’s most popular webboard Pantip, many users raised the question of why it was skipped. The common response was the same.

“Don’t expect it based on our familiarity,” wrote member No. 786797 in the top comment. “We revere King Rama IX as father of the nation, somebody regards him as their own father. But in reality, he is only the father of the four royal highnesses. … Even the actual cremations of commoners are done exclusively for their families.”

Some even suggested that expectations to be able to watch it were inappropriate.

“They are very headstrong. I feel sorry for dad,” another comment said.

Additional reporting Teeranai Charuvastra

Lawyer Expects Release of Man Who Pledged to Wear Red For Funeral

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

-

27 October 2017, 18:00

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

BANGKOK — A man who was sent on an “excursion” outside Bangkok by soldiers for publicly vowing to wear red during the royal cremation of King Bhumibol will be brought home tomorrow, a civil rights lawyer said Friday.

Eleven soldiers raided Ekachai Hongkangwan’s residence Wednesday after he announced on Facebook that he would don a red shirt and go out to do something “unexpected” the day the late monarch was to be cremated.

Read: Former Lese Majeste Convict Vows to Wear Red on Cremation Day

Ekachai’s associate Anon Nampha said the 42-year-old former lese majeste convict phoned him Thursday and told him he had been confined to a resort in Kanchanaburi province. Ekachai said he would be brought back to Bangkok on Saturday, according to Anon, who has represented many rights activists.

“He didn’t say who he was staying with,” Anon said by phone. “He only said the soldiers will bring him back on the 28th.”

Ekachai did not answer his phone on Friday. Before his detention on Wednesday he insisted he was merely exercising his rights.

“It’s like those who don’t feel like it have the right to not wear black. Why should everyone have to wear black? I for one don’t want to,” Ekachai said.

It was in November 2015 he was released after nearly three years in prison after being convicted of royal defamation for selling CDs with foreign news reports about the monarchy. He is well known for his provocative stunts and protests aimed to draw attention to controversial issues, such as the disappearance of a historic plaque in April. His activism has often ended in his arrest or detention.

In the run-up to Thursday’s cremation ceremony, the government urged the public to wear black. The mourning dress code is in place until Sunday.

Get Your Halloween On at These 5 Bangkok Events

By

Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

-

27 October 2017, 17:17

BANGKOK — It’s not too late to put together an outfit that will win best costume at the city’s nightclubs.

Mourning is just beginning to lift following the cremation of King Bhumibol, and Bangkok only has a few Halloween parties and events on the calendar.

Starting tonight and running through next week at bars and clubs, here are some worth checking out. If revelers are not really into costumes and large crowds, they can also sit in the back row of a private alt-cinema to watch some spooky flicks.

Cinema Winehouse Spooktacular at Cinema Winehouse

ROCKYHORROR e1509098338653 — ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’

Starting tonight and running through Halloween night on Tuesday, a bar-restaurant-cinema-lounge will show a double feature as part of Cinema Winehouse Spooktacular. The films range from American horror comedies “Young Frankenstein” and “Ghostbusters” to cult classics such as “The Shining” and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

Barflies who intend to catch a show are advised to sit in the lounge upstairs since the projector is located at the top.

Cinema Winehouse is located near the old quarter in Soi Samsen 1.

Dia de los Muertos: Psy Fest at The Overstay

A hostel-underground music venue will host a thrilling night for the Halloween-adjacent Mexican festival of Dia De Los Muertos, or The Day of the Dead.

A live performance by trance music crew Psyhead Community’s DJ Gummy, John Lee, Pzychobiz and more will work over the deck at The Overstay’s Dia de los Muertos: Psy Fest, starting at 9pm on Tuesday and going “very late.”

Admission is free. The Overstay is located near Soi Charansanitwong 40 and can be reached via motorcycle or taxi from the Phra Pinklao pier.

Dia de los Muertos – Halloween Party at Revolucion Cocktail Bangkok

Come up with a passable sugar skull, floral crown and skeleton outfit and get a free shot.

At Dia de los Muertos – Halloween Party, DJ Paul will be in charge of the dance floor with a live set. Anyone who shows up in a Halloween costume get free shots.

Admission is free. The party runs from 7pm on Tuesday until early Wednesday. Revolucion Cocktail Bangkok sits on Soi Sathorn 10 and can be reached from BTS Chong Nonsi.

Road to Hell at Mixx Discotheque

Slip some fangs in and add some red skin color if you’re into hip-hop, or go green and blue if you’re there for the house music.

Go to that tourist and expat favorite late-night joint that is Mixx for Road to Hell, where Halloween celebrants are dared to dress as devils or “sea demons” (Lovecraft or Jack Sparrow variety unclear) and go wild with hip-hop, R&B, house and trance music.

Those with the most-appreciated costumes will get “prizes.”

Doors open at 10pm Tuesday and stay open until late. Mixx is located in the basement of the Intercontinental Hotel, a short walk from BTS Chit Lom.

Monsters Ball Halloween Party at Koi Lounge Bangkok

KOI — Photo: Koi Lounge Bangkok / Facebook

It will be a very special hip-hop Halloween at this restaurant-lounge in Soi Sukhumvit 20.

Koi Lounge invites revelers to dress up and dance to hip-hop and swing some swag at its Monsters Ball Halloween Party.

DJ Birz of Bangkok Invaders will provide the music from 9pm on Tuesday early into Wednesday.

Koi Lounge Bangkok is located in Soi Sukhumvit 22. The nearest transportation is BTS Asoke.

Wanting to Be Close

‘Mai Pen Rai’

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