Black Ribbons Emerge as Alternative Way to Mourn King Bhumibol

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17 October 2016, 13:15

Volunteers at Thammasat University’s Tha Prachan campus on Sunday make black ribbons to be given away for free in the Sanam Luang.

BANGKOK — The government on Sunday announced that wearing a small black ribbon is an acceptable way to mourn His Majesty the Late King in lieu of black clothing.

The announcement followed reports of hardline mourners harassing those not wearing black to show respect for King Bhumibol, who died at 88 on Thursday, launching the Kingdom into a year of national mourning. The authorities also said they’re looking into complaints of price-gouging that supposedly prevented many from affording black apparel.

Ultra-Royalists Guilt-Shame People Who Don’t Wear Mourning Black

“Many people may not be able to find black or white [another mourning color] outfits, which could be because of a shortage in the market or their economic disadvantage,” government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said Sunday. “Please look at the intentions of those who join together to express their sorrows.”

Lt. Gen. Sansern also called for tolerance and understanding.

“I’d like to ask the society not to actively find faults in one another,” the spokesman said.

There were reports throughout the weekend that some people were being berated or harassed for their choice of clothes, leading one political scientist to describe the phenomenon as “competitive grief.”

“It’s like everybody is watching each other, whether you’re sad enough, or your dress is black enough, whether you express your ideas sadly enough in social media,” lecturer Pitch Pongsawat of Chulalongkorn University told The Telegraph. “It’s a competitive grief.”

Not everyone is on board with the guilt-tripping. Many on social media pushed back against the trend by calling for black ribbons to be used to mourn the late King, and some Facebook pages are teaching people how to tie the ribbons.

A group of students also handed out free black ribbons on Sunday to crowds of mourners at Sanam Luang.

“The first batch of 1,300 black ribbons were all gone less than 30 minutes after we started,” group leader Somtida Boonmee wrote on her Facebook.

Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak said on Monday that he had asked business operators to produce more black shirts and sell them at a reasonable price. The Commerce Ministry of warned Sunday that vendors selling black shirts at exorbitant prices would be prosecuted.

The Finance Ministry also announced Monday it’s planning to give out eight million black shirts to people with low incomes for free.

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Netizens Instructed to Report ‘Inappropriate Content’ by ISPs

By

Asaree Thaitrakulpanich, Staff Reporter

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17 October 2016, 12:47

Instructions posted by the NBTC on how to report ‘inappropriate content.’ Graphic: National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission

BANGKOK — The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission has urged internet service providers and netizens to report “inappropriate content” on social media in the wake of the His Majesty the King’s death.

On Sunday, all three major service providers – DTAC, AIS, and TrueMove – posted detailed instructions on how to report inappropriate content found on Facebook and YouTube, and asked people to email offending links to the commission.

The commission, which has increasingly shouldered censorship duties on behalf of the military regime, has threatened to prosecute the service providers for failing to comply. On Monday, it posted an infographic along with a note discouraging people from liking sharing, or commenting on content that might deemed offensive to the monarchy.

However a legal advocacy group warns that following the instructions following the instructions may actually violate the lese majeste law itself.

A spokeswoman for Thai Lawyers for Human Rights said that under “normal circumstances,” resharing litigious content is a violation of Article 112 of the Penal Code and the Computer Crime Act, no matter the intention.

“Now that organizations are coming out and calling for people to report such content, this will foster an even more oppressive atmosphere of fear,” said the spokeswoman who spoke on condition she not be named in the current climate of fear. “This will encourage people to be suspicious of each other online. Society right now is really losing its head.”

On Friday, the commission instructed internet service providers to “monitor the internet” at all times and report inappropriate content found on social media such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Line. It said it would take legal action against any service providers who refused to take action, describing it as a “grave transgression.”

Phuket Mob Demands Arrest of Man For Alleged Royal Defamation

Thailand’s New Online Fad: Social Surveillance

Mob Demands Woman Accused of Royal Defamation Kneel Before Portrait

By

Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

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17 October 2016, 12:17

SAMUI — For the third time in as many days, a mob gathered to demand punishment for alleged online royal defamation Sunday, this time on Koh Samui, where police forced a public act of contrition from the suspect to satisfy the crowd.

More than 500 people gathered at the Bophut Police Station to watch Umaporn Sarasat, who was arrested earlier in the day and charged with royal defamation, prostrate before a portrait of His Majesty the King Bhumibol, who died Thursday.

After the 43-year-old woman was arrested, the crowd assembled outside to demand she pay respect to the king’s portrait at the police station, Col. Thewet Pluemsutthi said. It took dozens of police to protect Umaporn from being physically assaulted by the crowd, he added.

In a video of the incident, two officers drag her out of the police station holding both her arms before she kneels before the portrait while being filmed by the crowd and media.

Umaporn was arrested over online records in which she appeared to criticize the Royal Family were found online Thursday, Thewet said.

The demonstrators dispersed in the afternoon after police told them that they would investigate and question Umaporn further.

Flood Kills 24 in Vietnam, Typhoon Sarika Looms

By

Associated Press

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17 October 2016, 10:59

A few residents walk on a promenade under a slight rain brought about by Typhoon "Karika" Sunday in Manila, Philippines. Photo: Bullit Marquez / Associated Press

HANOI, Vietnam — Floods triggered by heavy rains have killed 24 people and left four others missing in central Vietnam, disaster officials said Monday, as Typhoon Sarika approaches after leaving at least two people dead and displacing more than 150,000 in the Philippines.

In the worst-hit province of Quang Binh, 18 people died and authorities are searching for three others who are missing, disaster official Tran Le Dang Hung said.

Six people died and one was reported missing in three other central provinces.

“We are worried. We have instructed district governments to outline plans for evacuating people from high-risk areas to cope with the Typhoon,” Hung said by telephone from Quang Binh.

Heavy rains of up to 90 centimeters (3 feet) on Friday and Saturday submerged 125,000 homes in the region, temporarily disrupted the North-South Highway and damaged infrastructure, crops and fish farms.

Hung said the floods have receded in most areas in Quang Binh.

In the Philippines, fast-moving Sarika Typhoon blew out of the northern Philippines on Sunday after leaving at least two people dead and displacing more than 150,000, though the region was spared a major disaster due in part to the storm’s speed.

The Typhoon is over in the South China Sea and was moving at the speed of 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) to 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) per hour heading toward northern Vietnam, according to Vietnam’s national weather forecast center.

Hotels Reconsider Lavish NYE Party Plans

By

Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

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16 October 2016, 18:52

An advertising board for end of year festivities is shown Saturday at the Centara Grand Hotel in Bangkok.

BANGKOK — Some luxury hotels in the Ratchaprasong area said they will likely cancel their New Year’s Eve parties in light of the death of His Majesty the King.

Three hotels located where the capital’s most popular celebrations take place said Saturday they may cancel their traditional lavish dinner parties for which they normally charge thousands of baht per head.

At the Intercontinental Hotel on Phloen Chit Road, just a few minutes’ walk from where the largest crowds gather to countdown to midnight, a manager said the plan would most likely be abandoned.

Read: What’s Canceled, Closed and Open in Bangkok During Mourning Period

“We had a plan to organize one, but due to the passing of His Majesty we are likely not going to hold one,” Pullarp Tipprasert said Saturday night at the front desk, where the lobby carried no music three days after the King’s death.

The answer was the same a 10-minute walk away at the four-star Amari Watergate Hotel.

“We will have to wait and follow the government’s [instructions],” the hotel’s events director, Nannaphat Jiemrugeekul, said.

People can double check with the hotel later, Nannaphat added.

The Novotel Platinum, just across the road from the Amari Watergate, is usually one of the best venues to watch the New Year’s Countdown fireworks. The party has been put on hold subject to a final decision by owner Accor Group, a concierge who asked not to be named said Saturday.

However, at five-star Centara Grand at CentralWorld, another major luxury hotel in the area, the party was still a go.

Advance bookings of 2,000 baht to 3,000 baht for Christmas Eve and New Year’s buffets were available for sale, she said.

On the hotel’s 56th floor, the Grand Countdown Party was still on at the Red Sky Bar. For 3,000 baht revelers will be able to enjoy a live big band and DJ, glass of champagne and more.

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Govt Deplores Foreign Media Coverage, BBC Coverage Blocked

By

Sasiwan Mokkhasen, Staff Reporter

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16 October 2016, 15:38

Thais gather Saturday to mourn for HM the King in front of Bangkok’s Grand Palace.

BANGKOK — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement Saturday night “deploring” foreign media who allegedly misreported the number of Thais gathered to mourn the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

The Saturday statement, which did not identify any media outlet specifically, deplored “some big foreign media” for reporting that “thousands” of Thais had gathered to mourn the loss of His Majesty the King at the Grand Palace.

The statement said the “actual number was much higher noting that “hundreds of thousands” lined the route from Siriraj Hospital to the Grand Palace.

It described the alleged discrepency between thousands at the palace and hundreds of thousands along the route as “manipulative and provocative.”

“It has been found that some big foreign media have been reporting erroneous or false information and accusations that are of a manipulative and provocative nature.”

It continued:

“Such practices are not only unethical but also unprofessional, insensitive to the feelings of the Thai people and offensive towards Thai cultural traditions.”

It also said the number of people from all over the country expected to arrive in Bangkok to pay their tribute to the late King would be in the millions.

The complaint comes amid heightened scrutiny and apparent censorship of the news media, with indications foreign broadcasts are being monitored and interrupted at will.

After the announcement of the King’s death Thursday evening, all television channels including foreign networks such as the BBC were replaced with government-produced footage eulogizing the king.

BBC correspondent Jonathan Head confirmed their coverage about Thailand had been blocked in the country several times ever since.

“Whenever reporting on Thailand comes up our transmissions are blocked. Just now when I was reporting live,” Head told Khaosod English Sunday.

"The military junta that currently runs Thailand" – and then the BBC cuts to this. Thailand's censors are busy. pic.twitter.com/3NTJ40nGRU

— Andrew RC Marshall (@Journotopia) October 16, 2016

As the BBC broadcast continued to be blocked Sunday morning, Head said he did not know the rationale behind the decision.

“We have received no official complaints, and the MFA has not mentioned any problems with the BBC’s reporting. So we do not know why we are being blocked,” he said.

Government spokesperson Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the government did not have a policy to censor both Thai and foreign media and did not order any channel off the air except on the occasion of special announcements, in which all channels must be tuned into Thailand’s state broadcast.

“I don’t know why we should block it,” said Sansern on Sunday. “We let televisions and radios broadcast normally unless there is an announcement to be made on television.”

A screenshot obtained by Khaosod English Sunday claiming that TrueVisions was looking for freelancers to monitor BBC and Al Jazeera news.

TrueVisions, the BBC’s carrier in Thailand replied to Khaosod English Sunday evening, saying it was their own decision to take BBC news off the air. The decision was to comply with mourning period reporting guidelines issued by the regulator, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC,) TrueVisions said.

“It was TrueVisions’ consideration for appropriateness according to the NBTC’s guideline,” said its spokesperson.

Khaosod English obtained messages Sunday claiming that TrueVisions was looking for freelancers to monitor BBC and Al Jazeera news.

“The job is to watch Al Jazeera and BBC. If they broadcast some bad news about the king, tell the person sitting next to you to cut it off the air,” read the message. “When that news ends, you switch it back.”

The messages were being circulated via Line among Chulalongkorn University students and alumni. The alleged job notice offered 1,400 baht for six hours work, from midnight until 6am, at the Tipco Building on Rama VI Road where TrueVisions’ office is located.

“The next hour you will see the news is rerun. So once you see the beginning of the clip, you can tell them to switch to censor screen straight away.”

Clarification: Details set forth in the MFA statement have been clarified to better reflect its assertions and complaint.

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Phang Nga Mob Enraged by Alleged Royal Defamation Post

By

Kaewta Ketbungkan, Staff Reporter

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16 October 2016, 13:29

More than four hundred people gathers in front of roti store on Saturday night in Phang Nga

Phang Nga — Hundreds of people gathered Saturday night in front of a roti store to demand an apology from a shop owner’s son over Facebook post they said defamed the monarchy.

One day after a similair incident in Phuket, nearly 500 people in Takua Thung district gathered in front of a local roti store at 7pm, where they remained for four hours asking the shop owner’s son, a conscript from the Third Naval Area Command, to apologize for defaming the late King on Facebook.

Facebook username “RiskeeNumber FourEleven” who is believed to be the roti shop owner’s son, write a message Saturday asking if people love their own fathers like this. The page was shut down after the raid.

The incident was captured live on Bongkoch Phromduang and JJ Khomta’s Facebook accounts. Various clips showed a large crowd gathering and shouting for the sailor to come out and say he was for his message.

Seventy policemen were sent to the scene to negotiate with the angry mob, along with Navy’s Chief Staff, who insisted that the sailor wasn’t at the Third Naval Area as he was on leave to visit his ailing, pregnant wife. However, he’ll be punished for breaking the navy’s code of conduct when he returns Monday.

The roti store owner promised the crowd he would bring his son to deliver a public apology when he’s back in town.

The crowd was satisfied and dispersed at about 11:30pm. No injuries or damage was reported.

“Defaming that Royal Family is considered intolerable for Thais,” Col. Boontavee Tohraksa, acting commander of Phang Nga police said. “No matter whether it’s against the law or not, such insulting actions could make people gather easily.”

The sailor faces charges of royal defamation under Section 112 and violation of the Computer Crime Act.

Ultra-Royalists Guilt-Shame People Who Don’t Wear Mourning Black

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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16 October 2016, 13:21

A crowd of black-clad mourners Friday outside the Grand Palace in Bangkok.

BANGKOK — The colors that once polarized Thailand were red and yellow. Now, as the nation enters its year of mourning, the division appears between black and non-black, with reports of some hard-line mourners berating people in who do not wear black in public.

The harassment, reported by both eyewitness and social media accounts, comes at a time of heightened sensitivity following the death of His Majesty King Bhumibol, who was widely revered throughout his reign of 70 years. Several foreign governments have already warned their citizens of the need to be extra-tactful to avoid confrontation with Thais.

Read: What We Can Expect For King Bhumibol’s Funeral Rites

An example of this trend is Facebook user Hnong Teeaun Chongcharoenchaikul, who posted a photo Saturday of a man in a red shirt eating congee and criticized him for the alleged lack regard for the late King.

“What was your heart made of? What were you thinking when you wore this bright colored shirt to leave your home?” Hnong Teeaun wrote in a public post which soon went viral.

The man in the photo later identified himself and posted that he simply wore something casual to get quick food in his soi after a long day among those mourning the King’s funeral procession on Friday.

“#IRegretMyWrongdoing,” wrote Winny Thanawin.

Hnong Teeaun eventually deleted his post and apologized to Winny.

Well-known cartoonist Narong Jarungthamchot, who goes by his penname Kuat Kaihuaror, wrote online that two diners at a restaurant on Saturday hissed at him for wearing grey striped shirt. “Evil, he’s probably not a Thai, look at his shirt,” Narong quoted one of them as saying.

Confrontation also broke out in the real world. One eyewitness in an incident on Saturday said he saw a pick-up truck driver shouting at a messenger on a motorcycle during a traffic jam on Ratchadamnoen Avenue for not wearing black. The messenger was wearing his uniform of green jacket.

The motorcyclist responded by zipping down his jacket to reveal a black shirt inside, and the pick-up truck driver was satisfied by the sight before driving away on the green light, said the eyewitness, who requested anonymity for fear of persecution.

“I was stunned. I mean, whoa, are we this serious?” the person said.

Cartoonist Narong Jarungthamchot said he was harassed because he wore this shirt instead of black.

A statement published by Tourism Authority of Thailand advised foreign tourists to be culturally-sensitive while visiting Thailand during the national mourning. Travel advisories posted by the UK and Australian governments also urged their citizens to avoid any behavior that could be interpreted as disrespectful.

The monarchy has always been a sensitive subject in Thailand. Any discussion or remark deemed offensive toward the royal family is not only considered taboo, but banned under lese majeste, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.

On Friday night a large crowd gathered in front of a soy milk shop in Phuket province to protest the owner’s online remarks which allegedly defamed the monarchy. The mob only dispersed after police promised to pursue charges against the shop owner. A similar protest broke out in Phang Nga province Saturday night.

Against this tide of hyper-royalism, some prominent commentators and Facebook pages are calling for understanding and tolerance for those who do not wear black. One reason for not wearing the mourning could be the sudden high price of black shirts, they said. Some markets are selling the shirts as expensive as 500 baht, as opposed to the usual price of 150baht to 200 baht.

In a post that has been shared more than 9,700 times, Facebooker Ratthakorn Jintaniti wrote that a vendor in his neighborhood is one of many who did not wear black simply because she could not afford one.

“At this time, everyone is equally sorrowful. Whether we are rich or poor, it’s still a great loss,” Ratthakorn wrote. “Some people can express it, they have black shirts to wear, but some don’t, and they’re trying to do so. Necessities of people are different. Please don’t judge anyone based on their shirt colors.”

The government is recognizing this matter too. An official from the Ministry of Commerce told reporters on Saturday that price-gouging is punishable by up to seven years in jail.

Anyone who spots black shirts being sold at unreasonably high prices are encouraged to alert the ministry via hotline, said Nuntawan Sakuntanaga, director of the internal trades department.

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2 Dead, Thousands Stranded in Philippines Typhoon

By

Associated Press

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16 October 2016, 11:41

Residents walk with bags of plastics bottles and other reusable materials under a slight rain brought about by Typhoon Sarika Sunday in Manila, Philippines. Photo: Bullit Marquez / Associated Press

MANILA — A powerful typhoon slammed into the northeastern Philippines on Sunday, leaving at least two people dead, knocking out power and isolating villages amid floods and toppled trees.

Typhoon Sarika, locally known as Karen, blew into Aurora province early Sunday and was barreling fast through heavily-populated agricultural provinces, including landslide-prone areas, with sustained winds of 130 kilometers (80 miles) per hour and gusts of 220 kph (136 mph).

It was forecast to blow out of the main northern Luzon island by midday into the South China Sea. A separate storm has been spotted far out in the Pacific and may strengthen as it heads toward the Philippines this week, according to the government’s weather agency.

Nearly 10,000 villagers fled their homes in Sarika’s path and were taken in more than 100 emergency shelters, Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo said.

Mayor Nelianto Bihasa of Baler, a popular surfing town in Aurora, said howling wind ripped tin roofs off many houses and knocked down trees and electric posts, causing power outages and blocking access roads to some villages. Coastal villagers were warned early to move to safer areas and there have been no immediate reports of casualties other than two injured residents.

In eastern Catanduanes province, a man drowned after being swept by strong river currents and a farmer died after his head hit the ground in fierce wind, provincial safety officer Gerry Beo said, adding that three fishermen have not returned home from a fishing expedition and were reported missing.

Another death related to the typhoon was being checked in nearby Camarines Sur province, officials said.

A month’s worth of rain poured Friday as the typhoon approached from the Pacific, swelling rivers and creeks and flooding low-lying farming villages, Beo said, adding that most towns in the island province of about 260,000 people have no electricity and spotty communications.

In Bataan province, 50 mountaineers were forced to descend from Mount Tarak in stormy weather, but 36 others remained stranded in the uplands, according to police and firefighters who were trying to rescue them. In the northern mountain province of Benguet, 16 mountaineers were stranded in Mount Pulag and forest rangers were enroute to rescue them, officials said.

About 200 domestic and international flights have been canceled and thousands of passengers stranded in seaports after inter-island ferries were ordered not to venture out in rough seas.

About 20 typhoons and storms lash the Philippines each year, adding to the many burdens in a country that’s also threatened by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The latest typhoon, Sarika, was named after a singing bird in Cambodia.

Story: Jim Gomez

What We Can Expect For King Bhumibol’s Funeral Rites (Updated)

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

-

16 October 2016, 11:20

Mourners line up Friday to sign their condolences for His Majesty the Late King at the Grand Palace.

Update: Members of the public can pay their respects before the Royal Urn starting Oct. 29

BANGKOK — For the first time in 70 years, Thailand will witness a funeral for a king, an elaborate ceremony that usually lasts for a year.

The funerary rites for His Majesty the Late King Bhumibol began on Friday with a symbolic bathing of his body at the Grand Palace and will end in cremation at Sanam Luang. Tens of thousands of are expected to participate in the final farewell to their revered king, and millions more will likely watch televised broadcasts of the rituals.

Read: Black Friday: Crowds Throng Palace For Final Glimpse of King (Photos)

The body of King Bhumibol, who died at 88, is currently in the Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall inside the Grand Palace compound.

Like his late mother Srinagarindra who died in 1995, King Bhumibol has been placed inside a modern-style coffin instead of the traditional royal urn, or Kot, in the manner of the ancient monarchs.

But the Kot will play a prominent role throughout the rites. An empty Kot will be the center of all the ceremonies in the throne hall, and palace guidelines dictate that King Bhumibol be known as “His Majesty the King in His Kot.”

A Kot containing the body of Rama VIII in 1946.

Much of the funeral will be series of Brahma-Hindu rituals full of mystic symbolism. An example of this was Friday’s royal bath, at which Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn poured water on his father’s chest and brushed his hair before breaking the comb, symbolizing his entry into an afterlife without need of mortal beauty.

Buddhist prayers will also be significant. In fact, monks are set to chant their prayers in front of the Kot for the next 172 days, day and night, until Jan. 21. Prayers each day will last from 6am to 9pm.

From Oct. 29, the public can pay their respects in front of the symbolic Kot, or urn, inside the Dusit Maha Prasat, the same hall where the body of His Majesty the Late King is kept for funerary rites.

Up to 100 people will be allowed inside the hall at a time, and the palace will admit a maximum of 30,000 to 40,000 people per day. To control the crowds, numbered tickets will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis.

In the meantime, members of the public can queue up to sign their condolences on a guestbook at the Grand Palace.

While prayer continues in the throne hall, construction of the cremation pyre will begin on Sanam Luang, whose formal English name is the Royal Cremation Ground, in reference to the past funerals of kings and queens in history.

It may be called a pyre, but the structure will look more like a pavilion boasting traditional artworks and intricate woodcraft. The pyre is designed to resemble Mount Meru, the heavenly center of the universe in both Buddhism and Hinduism.

A cremation pyre (Meru) for Galyani Vadhana, HM King's sister, who died in 2008. — A cremation pyre (Meru) for Galyani Vadhana, HM King’s sister, who died in 2008.

The long funeral will finally reach its climax when the king’s body is brought in an elaborate procession to the pyre for his cremation. Massive crowds are expected to flood the historic quarter around Sanam Luang on that day.

The late king’s designated heir, Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, will likely be crowned as King Rama X after the cremation.

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