King Appoints New Supreme Patriarch in Surprise Announcement

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7 February 2017, 15:47

Phra Maha Muneewong gives a lecture on July 12, 2016, to monks at Wat Paknam in Bangkok.

BANGKOK — Exercising his royal power under a recently amended law, His Majesty the King on Tuesday named a new leader of Thai Buddhist authorities, ending years of vacancy on the ecclesiastic throne.

Phra Maha Muneewong, the 89-year-old abbot of Wat Rajabopit, was named the 20th Supreme Patriarch by King Vajiralongkorn, junta chairman Prayuth Chan-ocha told reporters after his weekly cabinet meeting. Muneewong replaced the previous patriarch who died in 2013 at 100, and the issue of his succession has been hotly debated ever since.

Gen. Prayuth said Muneewong will be instated by the King himself Sunday at Wat Phra Kaew, aka the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.

Read: NLA Grants King Power to Name Supreme Patriarch

Muneewong is known for his focus on meditation and works at forest monasteries. He was Thailand’s top Buddhist missionary – an equivalent of the Holy See’s nunciature – to Australia while King Vajiralongkorn studied at a military school there in the 1970s.

Muneewong was appointed through an amendment to the Sangha Act which gave the King the sole authority to name new Supreme Patriarchs. The amendment replaced an older clause that required the prime minister and the nation’s supreme Buddhist authority, the Sangha Council, to make the selection when the presiding one dies.

Proponents of the change hoped it would help reduce the chance of future power struggles among the Sangha and finally resolve the present one over who would succeed the late Supreme Patriarch, Phra Nyanasamvara.

After Nyanasamvara’s death, the title was supposed to pass to the next most senior monk, Phra Maha Ratchamangalacharn.

But for years the government balked at formalizing the succession, largely due to resistance from orthodox Buddhist leaders who opposed him on the grounds he had ties to the Dhammakaya movement, a sect deemed heretical by much of mainstream Buddhism.

No Place in Democracy For Lese Majeste, UN Expert Says

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Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

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7 February 2017, 15:19

Protesters advocating for the release of Jatupat ‘Pai’ Boonpatararaksa pose in front of the provincial court Feb. 1 in Khon Kaen province.

GENEVA — In a rare statement on use of lese majeste in Thailand, a United Nations special rapporteur on freedom of expression called on the authorities to stop using the law as a political tool.

Describing the law, which punishes perceived insults to the monarchy with up to 15 years in prison, as “incompatible” with international law, David Kaye wrote that it should be repealed in a statement published Tuesday.

“The lese-majeste provision of the Thai Criminal Code is incompatible with international human rights law, and this is a concern that I and my predecessors have raised on numerous occasions with the authorities,” Kaye wrote.

His statement comes after at least 60 lese majeste cases have been filed since the 2014 coup. Many of those charged and detained were opponents of the ruling junta.

Junta spokesman Col. Winthai Suvarai could not be reached by telephone on Tuesday. However, the junta upon seizing power made lese majeste prosecutions a priority, saying it was necessary to protect the monarchy.

Kaye, a professor at a public California law school, urged Thailand to revise the Criminal Code and repeal the law, saying it has “no place in a democratic country.”

“Public figures, including those exercising the highest political authority, may be subject to criticism, and the fact that some forms of expression are considered to be insulting to a public figure is not sufficient to justify restrictions or penalties.”

The statement noted the case of Jatupat ‘Pai’ Boonpatararaksa, who was arrested Dec. 2 for sharing a biography produced by BBC Thai on Facebook. Jatupat is currently in detention and on Wednesday was denied bail a sixth time. On Friday he has a seventh hearing where police will most likely ask the court to keep him in custody a seventh and final time allowed under the law before the matter goes to prosecutors.

“I [am] concerned about reports that the court hearing on his bail took place behind closed doors, in contradiction to the right to a fair and public hearing,” Kaye wrote.

The statement also mentioned that although junta leader Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha has revoked an order that lese majeste be tried by the military, those already in process would still go before military tribunals, “which have applied harsher penalties on lese majeste cases.”

The statement noted that in one case, a man, Phongsak Sribunpeng, was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

‘Pai One Point’ Denies Link to Drug Lord Suspect as More Celebs Swept Into Net

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Kaewta Ketbungkan, Staff Reporter

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7 February 2017, 14:29

Auto racer Pai Leeke, aka Pai One Point, speaks briefly outside the Bangkok headquarters of the Narcotics Suppression Bureau. He is the latest celeb to be caught up in a widening investigation into Thai links to a suspected Lao drug lord.

BANGKOK — A famous auto racer turned himself in Tuesday afternoon after the Narcotics Suppression Bureau sought him and three others for questioning as part of an inquiry into Thai links to an alleged Laotian drug lord.

Pai Leeke, aka Pai One Point, appeared Tuesday afternoon to answer questions relating to his involvement in the acquisition of a 20 million baht Lamborghini police suspect was paid for with drug money from trafficking suspect Xaysana Keopimpha.

The owner of the vehicle, Akarakit “Benz Racing” Worarojcharoendet, turned himself in for questioning Friday, saying he borrowed money from one of the Lao man’s associates, Natthaphol “Boy” Nakkham.

Read: ‘Benz Racing’ Denies Having Connections to Laotian Drug Lord

“I don’t know [Benz and Boy] personally,” Pai said before going into the bureau. “I only found and inspected the car for them, and I met Boy once on the purchase day.”

Maj. Gen. Pornchai Charoenwong announced Tuesday morning that four people, including Pai, were wanted for questioning.

They and others appeared photos with Xaysana that began circulating after the Lao man’s arrest Jan. 19 at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

On Friday, moto racer Akarakit “Benz Racing” Worarojcharoendet denied any link to Xaysana days after he vanished from his home with the Lamborghini, which was in his possession.

Pai owns a racing team and is the 38-year-old son of former minister Ruangwit Leeke and the boyfriend of actress Arisara “Dew” Thongborisut. Two other persons of interest are from well-connected political families, one of which owned the used auto dealership that sold the car to Akarakit.

If they fail to appear by Wednesday, police said they would seek warrants for their arrest.

Akarakit has failed to submit more information as requested, police added, saying he would be called in for more questioning in a week’s time.

Two soap opera actors seen in photos with Xaysana have also fallen under suspicion.

Actors Akkaphan “Om” Namart, at left, and Arnas Lapanich, at right, in a photo allegedly showing them with Laotian drug kingpin suspect Xaysana Keopimpha, blurred out at center. — Actors Akkaphan “Om” Namart, at left, and Arnas Lapanich, at right, in a photo allegedly showing them with Laotian drug kingpin suspect Xaysana Xkeopimpha, blurred out at center.

Xaysana was seen in images with Thai lakorn celebrities Akkaphan “Om” Namart and Arnas Lapanich. The Channel 7 stars denied any wrongdoing in their first interviews with reporters Tuesday morning after Arnas returned from Japan.

“We’re both innocent and have no connection with the drug lord,” said Akkaphan, adding that the photos were taken a couple of years ago when they were working in Laos, and it was normal for them to take photos with fans and those who come to greet them.

“We met [Xaysana] sometimes at events there, but we thought he was just a businessman,” Arnas said.

They also said they would cooperate with the police investigation, but had yet to receive any notification.

A number of authorities, including police upcountry and an immigration police officer at Suvarnabhumi airport, are also being investigated.

‘Benz Racing’ Surrenders to Narcotics Cops Today

Soap Star’s Husband Investigated for Laundering Drug Money

Laotian ‘Drug Kingpin’ Arrested at Bangkok Airport

Live Muay Thai Fighting Show ‘Ong Bak’ Kicks Off Friday

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Kaewta Ketbungkan, Staff Reporter

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7 February 2017, 13:24

Ong Bak Live show. Photo: Ong Bak Live / Facebook.

BANGKOK — The 2003 action flick that put Tony Jaa on the map and gave Muay Thai a boost worldwide will come kicking to life on stage starting Friday.

An elaborate action show 300 million baht in the making, “Ong Bak Live” will take an adrenaline-fueled flight in an hour-long live combat adapted from popular action film franchise.

The production is a collaboration between Ong Bak director Prachya Pinkaew, stage director Thakonkiat Weerawan and event organizer Vinij Lertratanachai.

The stunt performers are from Panna Stunt, the leading national stunt team founded by late martial arts master Panna Rittikrai, who also worked on the Ong Bak films.

Tickets are 1,500 baht to 2,500 baht and can be purchased online.

Six shows a week start at 8pm, Tuesdays through Sundays, beginning Friday at Ultra Arena on the sixth floor of Show DC, just off Rama IX Road near Royal City Avenue. It can be reached by taxi or motorbike taxi from MRT Phetchaburi exit No. 1 or Airport Rail Link Makkasan.

Why You Will Probably Pay Less Income Tax This Year

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Sasiwan Mokkhasen, Staff Reporter

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7 February 2017, 13:21

BANGKOK — Those who earn less than 26,000 baht per month will not be required to pay personal income taxes under new tax code launched for 2017.

The new structure, approved last year and made official Jan. 27, is meant to lessen the burden on middle-income taxpayers. Among deductions and allowances increased across the board, it raises the highest tax bracket – 35 percent – to annual incomes of 5,000,000 baht from 4,000,000 baht.

The new tax structure will reduce tax obligations, so people will have more discretionary income which will benefit the domestic economy, Revenue Department spokesman Somchai Saengratmaneedet said Monday.

The new rates for personal income taxes will be retroactive back to Jan. 1.

One significantly increased deduction is for the gainfully employed. Before, the first 40 percent of annual income – capped at 60,000 baht – was exempt. That’s now raised to 50 percent, or a maximum of 100,000 baht.

Untaxed personal allowances for single taxpayers were increased from 30,000 baht to 60,000 baht. Spouse allowances were extended from 30,000 baht to 60,000 baht, and those for children from 15,000 baht each to 30,000 baht each.

The first 150,000 baht of annual income still remains tax free.

For example, a single woman earning 25,000 baht per month will have a total annual income of 300,000 baht for the year. After deducting 100,000 baht for employment and her 60,000 baht personal allowance, her obligation will fall to 140,000 baht; hence, she won’t pay any income tax.

The new tax structure will be applied for the current tax year which taxpayers must file in 2018.

Citing ‘One-China’ Policy, Hun Sen Bans Taiwan, Tibet Flags

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Associated Press

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7 February 2017, 12:17

An image captured from video showing protesters at Tibetan Uprising Day organized in 2016 in Taiwan. Image: 楊正欣 / YouTube

PHNOM PENH — Cambodia’s prime minister says raising Taiwan’s flag is banned because Cambodia follows the “One China” policy promoted by Beijing.

Hun Sen, in a speech to the Cambodian-Chinese Association posted on his Facebook page, said he welcomes investment from Taiwanese businesspeople, but that respecting Chinese sovereignty means acknowledging Taiwan is a province of China. He said in his remarks, delivered Saturday, that Taiwan’s flag shouldn’t be raised on its national day.

Hun Sen, who has led his country for three decades, said this has always been his policy. He has in the past rebuffed Taiwanese efforts to open an official representative office in Cambodia, and reaffirmed that position in his speech.

He also told his audience that Cambodia holds the same policy toward Tibet, recognizing China’s sovereignty against claims for independence of what China calls the Tibet Autonomous Region.

China is impoverished Cambodia’s key ally and economic partner. It has provided millions of dollars in aid and investment over the past decade, granted it tariff-free status on hundreds of trade items, and written off debt.

In return, Cambodia supports China in international forums, including in Beijing’s ongoing territorial disputes with other Southeast Asian countries in the South China Sea.

Phuket Cops to Charge Boyfriend of Tourist Killed in Jet Ski Collision

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Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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7 February 2017, 12:11

Rescue workers carry Emily Collie ashore after she was injured in a jet ski accident Sunday on Phuket. She later died.

PHUKET — Police on Tuesday said they will soon charge an Australian man for a jet ski collision that killed his girlfriend on the island of Phuket.

Thomas Keating will be charged with fatal recklessness for the death of 20-year-old Emily Jayne Collie, who died Sunday after the two collided off Kata Beach, according to a police investigator in charge of the case. Collie’s neck and left shoulder were broken in the collision, police said.

“No one has been charged yet, but we will charge him soon,” Patiwat Yodkwan of Karon police said.

Keating expressed his sorrow for Collie on Monday.

“I love you so much Emily and I wish I could just bring you back into my arms,” Keating wrote on Facebook. “I’m so broken and I know I’ll never never be able to mend…”

Thomas Keating and Emily Jayne Collie in an undated Facebook photo.

According to a report in Australian media, Keating told police Mr Keating told he could not see Collie in the water due to strong sunlight in his eyes.

Officer Patiwat said police were still collecting evidence and had yet to question Keating about the incident.

“We will bring him in for questioning tomorrow,” Maj. Patiwat said. He added that the rented jet skis were properly insured and licensed.

Jet skis are common in tourist destinations like Phuket and Pattaya, but their reputation is fraught with frequent accidents and scams.

Jet Ski Crash Kills Tourist in Pattaya

Flipped Jet Ski Left Chinese Tourists Stranded in Sea

Cambodia Charges Japanese Man in Sex Trafficking Case

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Associated Press

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7 February 2017, 11:59

An image captured from a 2014 video showing one of the many hostess clubs or love hotels in Tokyo's Kabukicho red-light district, Japan. Image: TravelsWithLobo / YouTube

PHNOM PENH — A Japanese man and two Cambodians were charged Tuesday with allegedly tricking Cambodian women into working in the sex trade in Japan.

They could face seven to 15 years in prison if convicted of “unlawful recruitment for exploitation,” said Ly Sophana, a spokesman for Phnom Penh Municipal Court.

A statement posted Monday on the Cambodian National Police website said Susumu Fukui, the 52-year-old owner of a Japanese restaurant in Phnom Penh, was arrested last week on suspicion of luring at least 10 women from provincial areas to work in Japan, ostensibly as well-paid waitresses, but then forcing them into the sex trade. Also arrested were his 28-year-old Cambodian wife and a 34-year-old male employee of the restaurant.

The website said the arrests followed the rescue of seven of the women by Japanese police after they secretly contacted the Cambodian Embassy in Tokyo. The women returned to Cambodia late last month.

Police said the Japanese man and his wife told the women they recruited that they would earn USD $3,000 to USD $5,000 a month in Japan. On arrival, however, they were sent to Gunma prefecture, northwest of Tokyo, where they were forced to work in the sex trade.

Japanese newspapers reported that after the women were freed, the authorities there made three arrests, of two Japanese men and a Thai woman, for forcing them into prostitution.

7% of Australian Catholic Priests Accused of Child Abuse

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Associated Press

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7 February 2017, 11:09

Cardinal George Pell walks onto the stage for the opening mass for World Youth Day in2008 in Sydney, Australia. Photo: Rick Rycroft / Associated Press

SYDNEY — Seven percent of priests in Australia’s Catholic Church were accused of sexually abusing children over the past several decades, a lawyer said Monday as officials investigating institutional abuse across Australia revealed for the first time the extent of the crisis.

The statistics were released during the opening address of a hearing of Australia’s Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The royal commission – which is Australia’s highest form of inquiry – has been investigating since 2013 how the Catholic Church and other institutions responded to the sexual abuse of children over decades.

The commission has previously heard harrowing testimony from scores of people who suffered abuse at the hands of clergy. But the full scale of the problem was never clear until Monday, when the commission released the statistics it has gathered.

Commissioners surveyed Catholic Church authorities and found that between 1980 and 2015, 4,444 people reported they had been abused at more than 1,000 Catholic institutions across Australia, said Gail Furness, the lead lawyer assisting the commission. The average age of the victims was 10.5 for girls and 11.5 for boys.

Overall, 7 percent of priests in Australia between 1950 and 2010 were accused of sexually abusing children, Furness said.

In the United States, where the clergy abuse scandal erupted into public view, 5.6 percent of clergy were accused of molesting children between 1950 and 2015, according to reports by U.S. bishops that were analyzed by BishopAccountability.org, which tracks data on abusive priests.

Francis Sullivan, CEO of the Truth Justice and Healing Council, which is coordinating the Australian Catholic Church’s response to the inquiry, said the data reflected “a massive failure” by the church to protect children.

“These numbers are shocking, they are tragic and they are indefensible,” a tearful Sullivan told the commission. “As Catholics, we hang our heads in shame.”

The Vatican has watched the proceedings closely. Cardinal George Pell, who was Australia’s most senior Catholic before becoming Pope Francis’ top financial adviser, has testified at previous hearings about how church authorities responded to allegations of child sex abuse during his time in Australia.

Several senior Australian Catholics will testify over the next few weeks. The commission’s final report is due by the end of this year.

About a quarter of Australians identify as Catholic.

Story: Kristen Gelineau

Israel Passes Law Legalizing Thousands of Settlement Homes

By

Associated Press

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7 February 2017, 11:03

Heavy machinery work at a construction site last month in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Ariel. Photo: Ariel Schalit / Associated Press

JERUSALEM — Israel’s parliament on Monday passed a contentious law meant to retroactively legalize thousands of West Bank settlement homes built unlawfully on private Palestinian land, a step that is expected to trigger international outrage and a flurry of lawsuits against the measure.

The explosive law is the latest in a series of pro-settler steps taken by Israel’s hard-line government since the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president. He is seen as more sympathetic to Israel’s settlement policies than his fiercely critical predecessor, and the Israeli government has approved plans to build thousands of new homes on occupied territory since Trump took office.

“We are voting tonight on our right to the land,” Cabinet minister Ofir Akunis said during a stormy debate ahead of the vote. “We are voting tonight on the connection between the Jewish people and its land. This whole land is ours. All of it.”

Critics say the legislation enshrines into law the theft of Palestinian land, and it is expected to be challenged in Israel’s Supreme Court. According to the law, Palestinian landowners would be compensated either with money or alternative land, even if they did not agree to give up their property.

The vote passed 60-52 in Israel’s 120-member Knesset following a raucous debate in which opposition lawmakers shouted from their seats at governing coalition lawmakers speaking in favor of the vote from the dais. Some legislators supportive of the law took pictures of the plenum during the vote while some spectators in visitors’ seats raised black cloth in apparent protest.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had voiced misgivings about the law in the lead-up to vote, reportedly expressing concern that it could lead to international censure and saying he wanted to coordinate with the Trump administration before moving ahead on a vote.

He told reporters on a trip to London that he had updated Washington and was ready to move ahead with the law. He was on his way back from the trip and was not present for the vote.

The White House’s immediate response was to refer to its statement last week that said the construction of new settlements “may not be helpful” in achieving an Israeli-Palestinian peace. The State Department later that “the Trump administration will withhold comment on the legislation until the relevant court ruling.”

David Harris, CEO of AJC, the global Jewish advocacy organization, said: “Israel’s High Court can and should reverse this misguided legislation.”

“The controversial Knesset action, ahead of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s meeting with president Trump in Washington, is misguided and likely to prove counter-productive to Israel’s core national interests,” he said in a statement.

Netanyahu’s attorney general has called the bill unconstitutional and said he won’t defend it in the Supreme Court. Critics have warned it could drag Israel into a legal battle at the International Criminal Court at The Hague, Netherlands, which is already pursuing a preliminary examination into settlements.

Among the law’s problematic elements is that the West Bank is not sovereign Israeli territory and that Palestinians who live there are not citizens and do not have the right to vote for the government that imposed the law on them.

Palestinians condemned the law.

“This is an escalation that would only lead to more instability and chaos. It is unacceptable. It is denounced and the international community should act immediately,” said Nabil Abu Rdeneh, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Netanyahu faced intense pressure from within his nationalist coalition, especially from the pro-settler Jewish Home party, to press ahead with the vote following the court-ordered evacuation last week of the illegal Amona outpost found to have been built on private Palestinian land. Over 40 settler families were forced to leave the 20-year-old outpost, and on Monday construction vehicles demolished and removed the trailer homes that remained behind.

Opposition legislators said Netanyahu’s support for the law was a high-stakes risk meant solely to curry favor with settler constituents and their potent political lobby.

“For how many settler votes is Netanyahu willing to pass a law that he admits will drag us to The Hague?” Zehava Galon, leader of the dovish Meretz party, wrote on Facebook ahead of the vote. “The prime minister declares that the legalization bill is dangerous for Israel and instead of standing on his hind legs to stop this shameful law, he presses ahead with it.”

After years of condemnations from the Obama administration over settlement construction, Israel’s government has ramped up settlement initiatives since Trump took office, announcing plans for some 6,000 new homes in the West Bank and east Jerusalem and promising to build a new settlement for the Amona evacuees.

Trump has signaled a far more accepting approach to settlements, raising hopes in Netanyahu’s government that it will be able to step up construction. The White House said little as Netanyahu announced plans during Trump’s first two weeks in office to build over 6,000 new settler homes. But after Netanyahu announced his plan to establish a new settlement for the first time in two decades, Trump indicated that he, too, might have his limits.

“While we don’t believe the existence of settlements is an impediment to peace, the construction of new settlements or the expansion of existing settlements beyond their current borders may not be helpful in achieving that goal,” the White House said.

The Palestinians want the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip – territories Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war – for their future state. Much of the international community views settlements as illegal and an obstacle to reaching peace with the Palestinians. Shortly before leaving office, President Barack Obama allowed the U.N. Security Council to pass a resolution declaring settlements illegal. Obama cited the Israeli outpost legislation as a reason for not vetoing the resolution.

Before the law passed, the U.N. Mideast envoy, Nickolay Mladenov, called on lawmakers to vote against the law, saying that “it will have far-reaching legal consequences for Israel and greatly diminish the prospects for Arab-Israeli peace.”

Story: Tia Goldenberg

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