BANGKOK — Behind the latest trendy fashionable clothes hides the ugly truths of global capitalism and the workers in third-world sweatshops.
Buriram School Seizes Students’ Colorful Winter Jackets
BURIRAM — As cool weather looms over Thailand, a public school in Buriram has confiscated brightly colored children’s jackets for being deemed inappropriate to wear during mourning period.
At the start of the school day Thursday, the director of Nangrong School, Somsak Taemsoaksoong, stood in front of the flagpole and announced that students should not wear brightly colored winter jackets, urging them to opt for black, gray or white ones instead.
Teachers then proceeded to confiscate the sweaters and jackets they deemed too bright. The temperature in Buriram this morning was a relatively chilly 23C.
“We’re not forcing them,” Somsak said when reached for comment. “We’re just asking for cooperation from students. There weren’t many children breaking the rules anyway.”
Somsak also said the teachers already returned the confiscated jackets to students.
“Government officials [like our school staff] have to wear black for a year,” he said. “So if students wear bright colors, it looks kinda off.”
He said the students could go opt to wear ribbons, and school would review impoverished students who may be struggling to buy sombre winter wear on a case-by-case basis.
“Others will think the teachers at this school aren’t educating the students. We need to ingrain teachings about society into the children. Issues relating to the [monarchy] are delicate,” Somsak said.
The school was taking the mourning period very seriously he said.
“We even moved our school sports events and other events to the next semester,” the educator said before ending the call.
According to Prachachat, the students were quite distressed to lose their jackets due to the cold weather. Many did not own multiple warm articles of clothing.
With the official arrival of winter last week, northern parts of Thailand have braced for falling temperatures. In past years, Thais with vulnerable health have become ill and even died due to cold spells.
Read more:
Schoolkids Wear Eyepatches to Learn About King Bhumibol
First More Rain, Then An Early Winter Comes
Police Looking for Hit-and-Run Driver in Chonburi
CHONBURI — Police said they’re looking for a man who crashed his Land Rover into the back of a truck on Pattaya-Naklua Road early Thursday morning and fled the scene soon after.
A witness said the man, who looked to be heavily intoxicated, got into another motorist’s car before police arrived on the scene, but a policeman in charge of the investigation said he’s not treating it incident as a case of hit-and-run yet.
“Whether this is a case of hit-and-run, we need to question witnesses first,” Sitthawat Chawakornthienrat, deputy inspector of Bang Lamung Police Station, said Thursday afternoon.
He said reporters should not give too much publicity to the incident.
“The media should not publicize this news yet,” Cpt. Sitthawat said. “Sometimes the press’ coverage of criminal cases has negative effects.”
Eyewitnesses said the Land Rover was zooming down Pattaya-Naklua Road at high speed at about 5am and slammed into a parked truck in front of Pla Thong Seafood restaurant. The impact was so severe that the vehicle skid 200 meters before coming to a halt. The car’s license plate is กน 8118 Bangkok.
Suthat Sithong, 42, said he was having a meal on a roadside restaurant when the crash took place, and he rushed to help the driver. Suthat described the driver as a slim, “Chinese-looking” Thai man in his early 20s who looked to be drunk.
Another car, a Toyota with license plate กธ 8899 Chonburi, stopped at the scene, picked up the Land Rover driver and sped away from the scene, Suthat said.
Fleeing the scene of a car accident is illegal under section 78 of Thai traffic law, which carries a maximum penalty of three months in prison.
No one was injured in the incident, police captain Sitthawat said adding that the driver could currently be seeking medical treatment somewhere.
“Maybe he was taken to hospital. We haven’t found him yet. Probably he will show up soon,” Sitthawat said.
He added that police are checking the license plate to ascertain who owned the vehicle and who was driving it at the time of accident.
Suu Kyi Says Myanmar Dealing with Rakhine Under Rule of Law
TOKYO — Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi says her government is dealing with the situation in Rakhine under the principle of rule of law.
Japan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Suu Kyi made the remark in a meeting with the Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo on Thursday.
Human rights groups have raised alarm over a three-week surge in violence by security forces in Rakhine. The state is home to many Rohingya Muslims. The violence followed the killings of nine police officers at border posts on Oct. 9.
The Foreign Ministry said Suu Kyi said the situation is extremely delicate and must be handled with care.
Suu Kyi is on a five-day visit to Japan.
Police to Lock Down Indonesian Capital for Blasphemy Protest
JAKARTA — Indonesian police are planning a massive show of force in the capital Jakarta on Friday to contain a much-hyped protest by Muslim hardliners against the city’s popular governor that threatens to ignite religious and racial flashpoints.
An accusation of blasphemy against the Jakarta governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, an ethnic Chinese and minority Christian who is an ally of the country’s president, has galvanized his political opponents in the Muslim-majority nation of 250 million and given a notorious group of hardliners a national stage.
National Police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar said 16,000 police will be deployed along with 2,000 soldiers and 2,000 of Jakarta’s public order officers for the protest that is expected to begin in the early afternoon following Friday prayers. Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo, chief of Indonesia’s powerful military, has said it “will be in the frontline against any movement aimed at disrupting the unity and integrity of the nation.”
Indonesians are already fighting on social media over the blasphemy claim and the protest, which organizers optimistically boast will attract half a million people to Jakarta’s traffic clogged streets. Police have said it might draw up to 100,000 people based on communications with Muslim groups involved in its planning.
Blasphemy is a criminal offense in Indonesia and prosecutions have increased in the past decade. Amnesty International documented 106 convictions between 2004 and 2014 with some individuals imprisoned for up to five years.
Ahok, who is seeking a second term as Jakarta governor and is a possible running mate for President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in the 2019 presidential elections, is popular with Jakarta’s middle class. He is adored as a blunt speaker who doesn’t tolerate corruption and articulates a vision to make the chaotic, dysfunctional city more like clean, orderly and efficient Singapore.
But the anti-corruption stance has made him enemies and the evictions of thousands of the city’s poorest people to make way for urban improvement has stoked anger and resentment and played to a stereotype of Chinese as exploiters of Indonesia’s poor Muslim masses. On the national stage, Ahok is ranged against former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, whose son is a candidate for Jakarta governor, a role that is a stepping stone to national leadership.
The simmering political climate has provided an opening for the Islamic Defenders Front, a vigilante group that wants to impose Shariah law, to burnish its credentials as protector of Indonesia’s majority faith at the expense of mainstream Muslim groups.
The main organizer of the protest, the Front is demanding Ahok’s arrest for blasphemy after a video circulated online in which he joked to an audience about a passage in the Quran that could be interpreted as prohibiting Muslims from accepting non-Muslims as leaders. The governor has apologized for the comment and been questioned by police.
“Ahok was clearly desecrating the holy Quran,” said Munarman, a spokesman for the Front and a coordinator of Friday’s rally. “We will protest on the streets with people power until Ahok is arrested.”
Munarman, who like many Indonesians uses one name, denied the protest would be racially charged or that it aimed to influence the outcome of Jakarta’s election in February.
“We remind the government and anybody else that we will not keep silent before this injustice, because everyone is equal before the law in this country,” he said.
But the anti-Ahok movement, which has attracted moderates as well as hard-line elements as the city election approached, has overflowed with slurs based on race and religion. And local media have reported an uptick in public order offenses with an anti-Chinese motivation.
The vulnerability of Indonesia’s ethnic Chinese minority remains a raw issue in the country. In the chaos that engulfed Indonesia in May 1998 amid the Asian financial crisis, mobs in Jakarta and other cities targeted Chinese businesses and individuals, killing many.
Amar, the police spokesman, said police have questioned 15 witnesses along with experts in religion and language in connection with the alleged blasphemous remarks but could not yet draw any conclusions.
Story: Niniek Karmini, Ali Kotarumalos
Regime’s Southern Overtures Met With 19 Attacks, 3 Deaths
PATTANI — Jittraporn Banjong was working in front of the checkout counter when two men with covered faces entered the 7-Eleven where she worked. They fired a gunshot and told everyone to get down before splashing gasoline all over the place.
The four employees escaped through the back door just as the fire spread through the convenience store at a PTT gas station in the Nong Chik district of the southern border province of Pattani. They later learned the attackers placed an improvised explosive device in front of the gas station to attack authorities responding to the scene.
The arson and bombing was among 19 similar attacks to strike three southern provinces Wednesday night, killing three people and injuring five others. In addition to the gas station and military and police targets, many of the attacks targeted infrastructure such as utility poles.
Read: Wave of Attacks Kills 3 as Cabinet Delegation Arrives in Deep South
Not far from Jittraporn’s 7-Eleven were 13 representatives of the junta’s interim cabinet, who had arrived earlier in the day for unprecedented, high-level talks with local religious leaders about the ongoing peace dialogue and economic development in the region.
Described as a “forward cabinet,” the delegation was established last month with a mandate to coordinate between the military government and its security forces operating in the Deep South to resolve the long-burning insurgency there which has claimed thousands of lives over a dozen years.
A spokesman for the Internal Security Operations Command, a special military unit that answers only to the prime minister, dismissed any link between the attacks and the Bangkok delegation’s visit.
“There was nothing to indicate it was because of the visit,” Col. Peerawat Sangthong said Thursday.
Southern militants rarely take credit for their attacks, and the military avoids giving it, preferring to play down the conflict and pin attacks on malcontents and “bandits.”
Peerawat said the attacks were aimed at destroying infrastructure to the detriment of local people.
Among the three killed Wednesday night were Sanya Samankandee and Dolmalek Leedeah, two security guards at an Isuzu showroom in the Chana district of Songkhla province. They were shot dead by militants who then bombed the building.
An explosion reportedly hit the showroom again at 7am Thursday. No one was injured. An improvised explosive was found inside a gas tank.
The third to die was soldier Noppol Kaewpetch, who was shot when four gunmen on two motorcycles opened fire at about 10pm on a military facility in Pattani province.
In Pattani, 12 attacks hit targets including a military facility, utility poles and police box. Six blasts hit Songkhla’s Thepha and Chana districts, and one explosion was reported on a road in Narathiwat’s Bacho district.
Related stories:
Wave of Attacks Kills 3 as Cabinet Delegation Arrives in Deep South
Teacher Shot Dead at Pattani School
Crude Cluster Bomb Kills 1 in Night Market, Injures Dozens
Vietnam Arrests Blogger in Latest Crackdown on Dissent
HANOI, Vietnam — Vietnamese police have arrested a blogger on charges of posting anti-state comments in the communist country’s latest crackdown on dissent.
Ho Van Hai was arrested in Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday. According to the southern city’s police department, the 52-year-old is accused of “spreading information and documents on the internet that are against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.”
Hai, a medical doctor, blogged under name of BS Ho Hai or Doctor Ho Hai.
His blog was not accessible Thursday.
Last month, prominent blogger Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, better known as Me Nam (Mother Mushroom), was arrested on the same charge of anti-state writings. The U.S. and the EU have called for her release, with U.S. Ambassador Ted Osius saying recently he’s deeply concerned about Vietnam’s crackdown on human rights.
Cops Waived Sobriety Test for Net Idol ‘Millionaire Pretty’
BANGKOK — Police did not conduct a sobriety test on a businesswoman who caused traffic mayhem in downtown Bangkok during Tuesday’s rush hour because she was meditating and could not communicate with officers, a policeman said Thursday.
Kritrada Tabtimphol, who’s known online as a successful internet idol, was allowed to go to hospital without any charges, prompting fresh allegations police shielded her from the full force of law, similar to other cases of high-profile car accidents involving the rich and the privileged. As of Thursday, she had not been charged with any crime.
Read: Cops Have Yet to Charge ‘Beauty Idol’ Who Crashed Into 8 Cars
“She was meditating at the scene,” said Papinawit Senaplaeng, an officer at Huai Khwang Police Station who oversaw the case. “She was out of her wits. She couldn’t give any testimony.”
On Tuesday afternoon, the 28-year-old woman called “Millionaire Pretty” in the media crashed her BMW into eight cars on the busy Ratchadapisek Road, causing three injuries. Kritrada, who rose to online fame for her beauty product and modeling business, was seen behaving erratically and talking incoherently in the aftermath of the crash. At one point she appeared to be praying.
A new traffic law requires police to test motorists involved in accidents for alcohol or drug use, Cpt. Papinawit said. Any refusal automatically leads to a charge of DUI, but he said the protocol did not apply to Kritrada.
“No, no, no, it isn’t considered a refusal,” Papinawit said by telephone. “She couldn’t communicate [with police].”
Among three people injured in the multi-car accident was a taxi driver who had to pay 10,000 baht in medical expenses, according to his daugher.
“I don’t know how long he will have to take a break before he’s back to normal,” Immo Pichamol wrote on Facebook.
Police also allowed Kritrada’s family to take her to a hospital in Bangkok before moving to another one in Ratchaburi province, where she’s reportedly recovering from shock, the officer said. She’s been admitted to Ratchaburi Hospital’s psychiatric ward, though she had no previous history of mental disorders, Papinawit said.
Papinawit added that it’s up to the hospital to test her blood for alcohol and drug residue, but he did not know when the results would be available. In his opinion, Kritrada wasn’t intoxicated at the time of the accident because police officers who arrived at the scene “didn’t smell any alcohol.”
The police captain said he will only weigh charges against her once her doctors ruled she was ready to talk with police.
“There’s no timeframe. It’s up to her doctor,” Papinawit said. “People like to think we don’t follow any laws. But we follow procedures which are in accordance with the law.”
But some people on social media were quick to connect Kritrada’s case and other traffic accidents in which prominent or wealthy suspects were spared from prosecution and punishment.
One Facebook user wrote in response to the news that the case reminded him of Orachorn “Praewa” Thephasadin Na Ayudhya, who was given a light sentence of community service for killing nine people in a 2011 road accident.
“This case isn’t hard. Suspended jail and community service,” Manoon Petyoi wrote. “Even a clear case of recklessness like Praewa, nine people who had bright futures ahead of them had to die. You all know how it turned out. Compare it.”
Another user, Thongphon Wongwang, said that those seeking to avoid justice are using the same playbook.
“It’s the same trick of famous people. When they get in an accident, they are stressed and they have mental disorders,” Thongphon wrote. “In the end, the issue will go away quietly. If you don’t believe me, just wait and see.”
In March, businessman Jenphop Viraporn crashed his BMW into the back of another car at a high speed on the highway, killing two people. Police let him go to hospital without pressing any charges or performing any sobriety tests, saying he was too shocked. Jenphop was only charged with fatal reckless driving and fatal DUI after a public outcry against police handling of the case.
Jenphop’s lawyers will seek to avoid a trial with an insanity defense. He’s due to appear in court on Nov. 14.
Related stories:
Claiming Insanity, Fatal Crash Suspect Jenphop Wants Trial Shelved
Praewa Completes Community Service, 4 Years After Court Orders It
Out of Sight and Mind, Actress’ Fatal Crash Case Ends Without Jail Time
Post-Breakup: AIS and 7-Eleven Play Hard To Get
BANGKOK — There were few signs of reconciliation Thursday, one month after the messy public breakup between 7-Eleven and AIS, which left millions of customers cut off from services at the ubiquitous convenience store chain.
A sign saying that 1-2-Call cards were out of stock was hung on cash registers at 7-Eleven branches nationwide. Prachachat reported Saturday that the cause of the schism was 7-Eleven’s attempt to increase its top-up commission from 5 percent to 7 percent, the same rate paid by telecom giants DTAC and TrueMove. True is a subsidiary of Charoen Pokphand, the conglomerate which owns the convenience store chain in Thailand.
In other words, when customers add 100 baht onto their phones at 7-Eleven, the convenience store has kept 5 baht. Now, they want 7 baht.
Read: 7-Eleven Dumps AIS Services
AIS pushed back. It said it would not accept increase because as the telecom operator with the largest user base – 33.5 million people use 1-2-Call – they bring more money into 7-Eleven than Dtac and True combined. Still, AIS signaled it was open to renegotiating the deal.
“As far as we know, Seven hasn’t placed more orders from us,” said Thitipong Kiewpaisal, AIS vice president of marketing. “For our part, however, we are still wide open to negotiations.”
An executive at CP All declined to comment.
“At this moment it’s not appropriate to talk or give interviews about business negotiations, since we’re in a period of mourning,” said Bunyut Kumnunwong, an executive vice president at CP All, which operates more than 9,000 7-Elevens nationwide.
Feast on Election Day Frenzy and American Breakfast Wednesday
BANGKOK — Which way will Florida tilt? Who will be the first to reach the magic number of 270? Will the loser concede graciously?
Political junkies keen to savor the last few hours of drama in the tumultuous U.S. elections with like-minded folks (or an adversarial crowd) over breakfast are invited to do so at a barbecue and beer joint near Silom Road.
Democrats Abroad Thailand is hosting a returns-watching party early Wednesday morning at Roadhouse Barbecue, where live CNN coverage will bring the long and historic elections cycle to an end, one way or the other.
The event starts at 7am and runs all day on Nov. 9 on all three floors of Roadhouse. Hungry but don’t want to walk out to eat and miss a moment? A breakfast buffet will be served for 400 baht per person.
Admission is free. The American bar and restaurant sits on the corner of Rama IV and Surawong roads, walkable from MRT Silom or BTS Sala Daeng.
Up in the north? Chiang Mai residents can watch the returns come in on screens from 8am to noon at the UN Irish Pub on Ratvithi Road in Chiang Mai city.
