Adam West, Batman to a Generation, 88

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11 June 2017, 11:49

LOS ANGELES — Adam West, whose straight-faced portrayal of Batman in a campy 1960s TV series lifted the tight-clad Caped Crusader into the national consciousness, has died at age 88, his publicist Molly Schoneveld said Saturday.

West died Friday night after “a short but brave battle with leukemia,” his family said in a statement.

West played the superhero straight for kids and funny for adults. He initially chaffed at being typecast after “Batman” went off the air after three seasons, but in later years he admitted he was pleased to have had a role in kicking off a big-budget film franchise by showing the character’s wide appeal.

“You get terribly typecast playing a character like that,” he told The Associated Press in a 2014 interview.

“But in the overall, I’m delighted because my character became iconic and has opened a lot of doors in other ways, too.” He returned to the role in an episode of the animated “The Simpsons.”

“He was bright, witty and fun to work with,” Julie Newmar, who played Catwoman to West’s Batman, said in a statement. “I will miss him in the physical world and savor him always in the world of imagination and creativity.”

Burt Ward, who played Batman’s sidekick, Robin, was friends with West for more than 50 years.

“We shared some of the most fun times of our lives together, Ward told the Variety entertainment media outlet. “This is a terribly unexpected loss of my lifelong friend. I will forever miss him.”

A whole new generation of fans knew West as the voice of nutty Mayor Adam West on the long-running animated series “Family Guy.”

“Adam West was a joy to work with, and the kind of guy you always wanted to be around,” ”Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane said in a statement.

MacFarlane added: “His positivity, good nature, and sense of fun were undeniable, and it was always a big jolt of the best kind of energy when he walked in to record the show. He knew comedy, and he knew humanity… Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all that you have given, Mr. Mayor. You’re irreplaceable.”

In April 2012, West received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Born William West Anderson in Walla Walla, Washington, he moved to Seattle at age 15 with his mother after his parents divorced.

He graduated from Whitman College, a private liberal arts school, in Walla Walla.

After serving in the Army, he went to Hollywood and changed his name to Adam West, and began appearing on a number of television series, including “Bonanza,” ”Perry Mason” and “Bewitched.”

“Batman” was the role he would remain associated with throughout his life.

The TV show was among the most popular in 1966, the year of its debut, and some of the era’s top actors signed on to play villains. Burgess Meredith squawked as the Penguin. Eartha Kitt purred as Catwoman. And Cesar Romero cackled as the Joker.

Years later, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Christian Bale and Ben Affleck would don Bruce Wayne’s camouflaging cape and cowl.

“Adam West exemplified heroism,” Affleck wrote on Twitter. “Kind, funny and an all around great guy. Thank you for showing us all how it’s done ”

Filmmakers Edgar Wright and Leslye Headland were among those lamenting West’s death on Twitter.

“Farewell Adam West. You were MY Batman,” Wright wrote. “Such a super funny, cool, charismatic actor. Loved the show as a kid, still love the show now. POW!”

Headland wrote: “My childhood hero & still my favorite Batman. RIP Adam West. #pow”

West was married three times and had six children. He had homes in Los Angeles and Palm Springs, but he and his wife, Marcelle, spent most of their time at their ranch near Sun Valley, Idaho.

“Our dad always saw himself as The Bright Knight, and aspired to make a positive impact on his fans’ lives,” West’s children said in the statement. “He was and always will be our hero.”

Story: Sandy Cohen, Keith Ridler

Sex, Death and Preaw: Unwinding the ‘Murder Babes’ Phenomenon

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Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

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10 June 2017, 19:45

Sexy girls, drugs and a gruesome murder – a potent cocktail for tabloid media. The murder of 22-year-old Warissara Klinjui, whose dismembered body was cut in two and found last month on May 25, was the stuff of a horror movie.

The lead suspect, Preeyanuch “Preaw” Nonwangchai, consumed Thailand’s news space and social media as soon as reams of racy photos of her emerged two weeks ago.

Following the arrest of her and two accomplices Saturday, Preaw emerged as a sort of suspect-celebrity online.

The combination of sex appeal, voluptuous figure and the care-free persona exhibited after she was taken into Thai custody at the Myanmar border proved difficult to resist for some. That included Chiang Rai immigration officers, who couldn’t help themselves and posed smiling in photos with her. The star treatment received by suspects resulted in two police officers removed from active duty as punishment Tuesday after criticism of their behavior stormed across the net.

On social media, particularly Facebook, some declared themselves members of her fan club. This led to one an influential vigilante Facebook page with more than 1.1 million followers to take action.

The Queen of Spades page began naming and shaming some of her fans online, forcing some to deactivate their accounts to evade the subsequent witch hunt. Others offered apologies, some of which Queen of Spades also posted.

The admin defended herself Wednesday after being accused of going too far and infringing on the rights and privacy of others. She wrote that she wants to warn others that people like her won’t stand by idly while people express “adoration of a net-idol killer who dismembered a body.”

That was a day after she wrote that the popularity of hashtag #TeamPreaw reflected the “decay” of society in a post which had been liked 24,000 times as of Wednesday afternoon.

While the internet churned and the media frenzied, others cashed in. Earlier this week, photos were taken of a keychain for sale attached to a miniature metal saw, the weapon allegedly used to dismember Warissara “Amm” Klinjui. It comes with a photo of Preaw as a sort of murder memento, possibly for purchase by Preaw’s admirers.

It’s unclear how effective such vigilante action by someone like Queen of Spades may be, however well-intended. While expressing adoration for an alleged murderer is despicable to say the least, I can’t support that kind of witch-hunting. Also, the mere suppression of such inhumane ideas and expression will not solve the problem in the long run.

Society should think hard and ask themselves why some express adoration for an alleged killer.

Was it simply the sexual attractiveness of the killer combined with her nonchalant demeanor after being arrested? Was it people’s emotional numbness to killing and death because they have been exposed to news of murders on a daily basis? Or was it the quick fleeting minutes of fame Preaw is enjoying through media’s overt attention to her and the story?

Perhaps it’s a combination of all of the above and more.

In an era where being different is cool, some people may have unfortunately chosen to be “cool” by explicitly expressing support for an alleged murderer.

Sadako: Hip-Hop, Butoh, Origami Recalls Atomic Tragedy

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Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

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9 June 2017, 18:02

Valentine Nagata-Ramos performs ‘Sadako.’ Photo: Marie Louise Pontus

BANGKOK — A bittersweet Japanese story of a girl folding 1,000 paper cranes after Hiroshima was leveled by an atomic bomb will be brought to life through a contemporary mix of hip-hop, butoh and origami.

In Sadako, a production by Uzumaki Co., breakdancer Valentine Nagata-Ramos will show her talents in telling the story of Sadako Sasaki, who was 2 years old when the bomb hit two kilometers from her home in 1945. She became famous for folding 1,000 origami cranes before dying of leukemia at 12.

Uzumaki is in town to workshop with Thai dance artists, some of whom will perform alongside Nagata-Ramos in the single staging of her show at 7:30pm on Thursday at Alliance Francaise. She then goes on to stage the performance in Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Tickets are 250 baht (150 baht for members). The Franco-Thai cultural center is located on Wireless Road and can be reached from MRT Lumphini.

Controversial Coverage of ‘Murder Babes’ Raises Press Freedom Stakes

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Sasiwan Mokkhasen, Staff Reporter

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9 June 2017, 17:38

A photo circulated online shows a keychain in the shape of a saw before the image of murder suspect Preeyanuch “Preaw” Nonwangchai.

BANGKOK — The government took steps to regulate popular Facebook pages this week, and among the 30 such pages summoned to meet with broadcast regulators was a 6-month-old page called “E-Jan.”

With more than three million followers, the page recently surpassed traditional media in the all-consuming story of a woman cut in half in the northern province of Khon Kaen, the coverage of which has raised the stakes for the traditional media struggling to convince the public its freedoms should be upheld.

Read: Woman Dismembered For Revenge, Not Drug Trade: Police

Designating E-Jan a “broadcaster” due to its reach and influence, regulators said they want to gather input from pages which have more than a million followers before they devise rules to regulate them.

A top official’s explanation made clear the goal is to rein in the pages by bringing their admins into the fold of government censorship, or as it’s regulation.

“If there is a system, there will be right and wrong people, good and bad people,” Nathee Sukonrat, vice president of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, or NBTC, said Wednesday. “So we can prevent or punish those who cause damage to the industry.”

One question yet unanswered is how they will deal with pages run anonymously. While E-Jan’s admin and a number of others appeared at Wednesday’s meeting, other anonymous operators ignored the summons.

Traditional media with online operations such as Khaosod newspaper, which commands the largest online following in Thailand, were exempted from attending the meeting, as regulators said they were publishers.

18664232 788428777978271 2926239075549027306 n — Lead suspect Preeyanuch “Preaw” Nonwangchai, at right, who police believe strangled and sawed another woman in half last week, and another suspect, Jidarat Phromkhun, in a photo posted May 26 to Facebook.

Since seizing power the military government has sought to extend its sway over traditional media to the online realm and go after its critics there. So Wednesday’s meeting was perhaps no surprise, considering Facebook pages have proven more influential than the mainstream news narrative.

After national media attention became consumed by three murder suspects elevated to quasi-celebrity status two weeks ago, E-Jan not only won the largest audience share but led the way in steering the conversation as media organizations competed fiercely for clicks.

Run by a small group of crime reporters, the page has grown explosively in six months. One video alone has been watched 12 million times in six days. They built an audience for their simple, Facebook-friendly storytelling style, exclusive interviews and live reporting from the field. Before long, mainstream media outlets were citing them in reports.
The former president of the National Press Council, Chakkrish Permpool, said E-jan became the main resource in the case and contributed to the public backlash over whether the case received too much attention.

The government’s move to control online influencers follows an effort to require all people working in the media to obtain government-approved licenses to work. The licensing component of the so-called “media reform” bill was recently dropped under fierce objections.

Preaw 1 — Facebook user Nattawut Nattawut’s comment on Preeyanuch’s account.

Was the Media Irresponsible?

Regulation has has become a by-word for censorship under the regime, which has relied on the NBTC to shut down critical political coverage it doesn’t like.

The idea of regulating the press was raised anew following the coverage of the outrageous murder case. To the obsession of many and discomfort of some, all lenses turned to focus on 24-year-old prime suspect Preeyanuch “Preaw” Nonwangchai.

The murder of Warissara “Amm” Klinjui, has consumed most of the oxygen in the mediaverse since her body was found sawn in half on May 25. Preeyanuch said she lured the karaoke bar worker for a revenge-beating that ended with her allegedly strangling the other woman to death. She and three friends later sawed her into two pieces they put into large buckets and buried before fleeing to Myanmar.

With the tabloid-ready, grisly details about the woman’s horrifying means of death to the racy online image cultivated by Preeyanuch and her friends, the story quickly became the topic on everyone’s lips.

The backlash was equally swift. Within days debates sparked over timeless kindling such as whether the media should be blamed for the violence. Doctors and experts weighed in on whether Preeyanuch’s apparent obsession with Chucky the murder-doll of the Child’s Play horror film series was a factor.

Bizarre headlines raised valid complaints about media ethics, such as “At least she knows how to be dutiful. A look at plans for the home Preaw is building for her mom” from Manager Online. “Pilot who flew murder gang that dismembered Amm opens his heart,” by Nation TV for a recitation of Facebook posts by the man who piloted the Royal Thai Police plane that took the trio on what amounted to a post-arrest tour of the country.

Preaw pillow — Murder suspects Preeyanuch “Preaw” Nonwangchai (left), and Kawita “Earn” Ratchada seen using a picnic blanket-patterned backpack on the day of arrest.

The coverage was faulted for going beyond humanizing the suspects, feeding a worship cult idolizing the three confessed murderers, a la “Natural Born Killers.”

“Preaw is an idol for having a human sense of responsibility,” Facebook user Pornprom Boonchupa wrote on Preeyanuch’s page. “She returned to face punishment for what she did. Those rich people who flee after killing people in car crashes should take her as an example.”

Many others commented “FC Preaw” on her page.

Pillow — A same style of a picnic blanket backpack the murder suspect, Preeyanuch “Preaw” Nonwangchai, was seen using on the day of arrest has become trending products.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha weighed in that he was upset to see the same type of backpack Preaw was carrying become a trending product.

He had no reservation about blaming the media and used it yesterday to promote the media bill, saying the press couldn’t be trusted to regulate itself.

Sakulsri Srisaracam of Panyapiwat Institute of Management said the murder case was a wasted opportunity for the press to prove its professionalism and standards – which would have won more support from the public to stand up for a free press.

“If they run after what social media are talking about, We won’t be able to distinguish the professional media from average people who publish information online,” she said.

Woman Dismembered For Revenge, Not Drug Trade: Police

Gruesome Murder Suspects Arrested in Myanmar, Extradited

3 Women Wanted in Grisly Murder Not Arrested in Myanmar

Dismembered Woman’s Final Words: ‘If I Survive, Then You Die’

Assembly Votes to Remove Election Commissioners

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Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

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9 June 2017, 17:12

An undated file photo of election commissioner Somchai Srisuthiyakorn. Image: Matichon

BANGKOK — The junta-appointed National Legislative Assembly voted overwhelmingly late Friday afternoon to disband the current Election Commission.

Members voted 161-15 with 12 abstentions just before 5pm to expel all five commission members and replace them with seven new members to be appointed under means yet to be decided.

The new commissioners are expected to be selected by November, outgoing commissioner Somchai Srisuthiyakorn said Thursday, a day before vote. Somchai, whose commitment to democratic institutions has been called into question during his three years of service, said he expected to get the axe.

He also said they were prepared to pass the baton to ensure a smooth transition. He said that he believes the newly formed body will have adequate time to plan and stage a general election by the end of 2018.

He also said that means they will have to be responsible for any problems that arise in the next election.

The vote came after two hours of debate by the junta’s rubber-stamp legislature mostly over Article 70 of the bill, which called for disbanding the body’s membership in the interests of a political reset.

The outgoing commissioners will remain on in a caretaker capacity until their replacements are appointed.

Man Gets 35-Year Lese Majeste Sentence for Facebook Page

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Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

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9 June 2017, 17:03

An undated file photo of an entrance to Bangkok military court. Image: Matichon

BANGKOK — Sentences were handed down Friday to two men convicted separately for defaming the monarchy, with one man ordered to serve 35 years by a military tribunal in Bangkok.

Both cases involved disseminating content deemed offensive to the monarchy online – one through social media and the other by internet radio. In Bangkok, a man identified only as Wichai by his lawyers was sentenced 70 years for his social media posts by the Bangkok Military Court, which reduced it to 35 because he pleaded guilty.

Another ruling by the Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s sentence for a man identified by his family only as Chaliew was sentenced to two and a half years – reduced from five for his guilty plea – for content in an online radio program.

Chaliew, a tailor by profession, has been jailed three years this month since he was first summoned by the junta in June 2014.

The more severe sentence of 35 years given to Wichai, 34, came nearly 18 months after he was arrested Dec. 22, 2015, in Chiang Mai. He was arrested after a Facebook user, who had previously been a close friend of Wichai, notified police about a defamatory Facebook page created under his name and blamed Wichai for it, according to the Internet Law Reform Dialogue, or iLaw, which monitors such cases.

iLaw said Wichai, who has been behind bars since his arrest, intended to fight the case but changed his mind because the legal proceedings were dragging on. Pavinee Khoomklao of Thai Lawyers for Human Rights said Wichai hopes to have his sentence reduced on the occasion of the king’s July 28 birthday, which was another reason he decided to plead guilty. The lawyers group is assisting with 10 more lese majeste cases before military court.

Lese majeste convictions have ballooned under the military government, which has said defending the monarchy is a matter of national security. Critics say the regime has abused the law to provide cover for its political suppression.

An observer with the International Commission of Jurists said the sentences were excessive.

“Freedom of expression, as protected under international law, must never be criminalized,” said Kingley Abbott, a senior legal adviser with the commission. “In any event, imprisonment is never a proportionate penalty for the exercise of free expression, let alone sentences of this magnitude.”

Trash Art, Prostitute Camp and Condom Football at Bangkok Lusophone Film Fest

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Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

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9 June 2017, 16:59

BANGKOK — An amusing look at condom usage in Mozambique, Brazilian condores’ lives improved through art and trash, and prostitutes sent to a camp to become “new women.”

Twelve films from eight Portuguese-speaking countries, ranging from documentary, animation to short and feature films, will be screened for five days during the Lusophone Film Fest Bangkok.

The highlights include “Waste Land,” an Oscar-nominated documentary on renowned artist Vik Muniz who travels to the world’s biggest garbage dump in Rio de Janeiro to collaborate with local waste pickers, transforming trash into art.

Set during the 1975 Mozambique revolution, Mozambican drama “Virgin Margarida” sees the struggles of female sex workers in a “re-education” camp.

Guinea-Bissau sends in “The Thorn of the Rose,” the thrilling story of an attorney who encounters his own demons when he falls in love with a mysterious woman and deals with a grisly murder case.

A remarkable travelogue in a remote Atlantic archipelago can bee seen through 17-minute Portuguese animation “Journey to Cape Verde.”

Short films to not miss are award-winning “3×3,” which follows a sport complex’s night guard spending time on a basketball court and becoming an expert of the sport, and “The Ball” which films a group of boys inventing a football made of condoms.

Admission is free. English subtitles will be provided for all films. The film schedule is available online.

The festival runs from June 19 through June 24 at the Alliance Francaise on Wireless Road. It can be reached by foot or motorbike from MRT Lumphini.

EDM Duo The Chainsmokers Getting ‘Closer’ to Bangkok

By

Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

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9 June 2017, 16:44

BANGKOK — American production duo The Chainsmokers is coming to Bangkok.

Best known for “Closer,” “Paris,” and “Something Just Like This,” New York-based duo Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall under the brand The Chainsmokers will be coming to Bangkok in September for their Memories… Do Not Open tour, organizer BEC-Tero Entertainment announced Friday .

The duo will be joined by the special guest Athens-based DJ Nick Martin.

The concert will take place on September 15 at Impact Arena Muang Thong Thani. Tickets start at 2,000 baht and will be available for sale on June 30 via ThaiTicketMajor.

Catalonia Defies Madrid, Steps Up Separatist Challenge With Oct. 1 Vote

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Associated Press

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9 June 2017, 16:13

A Catalan independence protest in 2013 Times Square, New York. Photo: Liz Castro / Flickr

BARCELONA, Spain — Catalonia’s regional government has chosen Oct. 1 as the date for a referendum on a split from Spain, stepping up the confrontation with the country’s central government, which sees the vote as illegal.

Regional president Carles Puigdemont said Catalans will be asked if they want Catalonia to be an independent republic.

He made the long-awaited announcement in a televised statement, surrounded by members of his cabinet following a brief meeting.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s conservative government didn’t comment immediately but has previously said that it won’t allow the vote because it considers it unconstitutional.

Puigdemont has said he remains open to dialogue with Madrid but that the vote is nonnegotiable.

Catalonia, whose capital is Barcelona, accounts for a fifth of Spain’s GDP and has a population of over 7 million.

Thai Prosecutors Confident of Catching Red Bull Heir

By

Associated Press

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9 June 2017, 15:11

Vorayuth "Boss" Yoovidhya, whose grandfather co-founded energy drink company Red Bull, walks to get in a car as he leaves a house in London, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. Photo: Matt Dunham / Associated Press

BANGKOK — Law enforcement officials say they don’t know where the son of one of the country’s wealthiest families has escaped, but they’re confident they’ll catch Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya before the statute of limitations runs out in a deadly hit-and-run case.

Prosecutors held a news conference Friday to assure the public they’re going after the high profile fugitive whose grandfather co-founded the Red Bull energy drink brand. The case has prompted public fury over the appearance of corruption and impunity.

The attorney general’s spokesman, Prayuth Bejraguna, said his agency cannot allow the case to have a negative impact on the country’s judiciary system.

But Prayuth offered no specifics about how they will go about finding Vorayuth, and Amnat Chotchai, the head of the attorney general’s foreign division, said “while we do not know his whereabouts, there are documents that we could prepare in advance.” He was referring to papers filed by prosecutors in a criminal case.

Authorities delayed prosecuting Vorayuth after the 2012 hit-and-run that killed police Sgt. Maj. Wichean Glanprasert until earlier this year, when The Associated Press published an expose showing Yoovidhya had been enjoying his Bangkok-based family’s jet-setting life for years, flying around the world on private Red Bull jets, staying at USD $1,000-a-night resorts and keeping a black Porsche Carrera at his family’s luxury vacation home in London.

Since the report, authorities issued an arrest warrant, revoked his passport and promised to ask Interpol to issue a “Blue Notice” advising officials in 190 countries that Vorayuth is wanted. Police have yet to submit the request, and would not answer questions Friday.

Yoovidhya refused to comment earlier this year when AP asked him why he hadn’t shown up for court dates in Thailand as required. He flew to Singapore just before an arrest warrant was issued, and has reportedly since left that country.

When asked if authorities in Singapore know where he went, Prayuth said Friday that making any details public could negatively impact their ongoing investigation.

The hit-and-run charges expire in September.

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