U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius greets Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack last April at the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam. Photo: U.S. Department of Agriculture / Flickr
HANOI, Vietnam — The United States and the European Union have called on the Vietnamese government to release a popular blogger arrested earlier this week for alleged anti-state writing.
Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, who blogs as Me Nam, was arrested Monday in the south central province of Khanh Hoa for what authorities say were her Facebook and blog posts that distorted truth and instigated the public to oppose the communist government.
The ambassadors from the United States and European Union to Vietnam said in separate statements that the arrest goes against Vietnam’s international obligations and domestic laws on human rights and called for her release.
U.S. Ambassador Ted Osius said in a statement Wednesday that he was “deeply concerned” by recent actions taken by the government against peaceful human rights advocates, including the arrest of Quynh and the jailing of several other bloggers and activists.
“This trend threatens to overshadow Vietnam’s progress on human rights,” he said, adding the United States was urging the Vietnamese government to ensure its laws and actions are consistent with its international obligations and its Constitution.
The head of the European Union Delegation to Vietnam, Bruno Angelet, said in a statement that it was “important to ensure the safety of human rights defenders and protect their rights to express their opinions peacefully, freely, without threats or impediments, in line with Vietnam’s international obligations.”
Sutthirat Wangklang shows reporters Tuesday the coffin brought for his newborn niece,\ only to learn her remains disappeared from the hospital morgue.
BANGKOK — Police were investigating Wednesday how a deceased newborn went missing from a hospital morgue in southwest metro Bangkok while the dead baby’s family worries it was taken for necromantic rites.
The police inquiry came after the premature baby’s mother and other family raised alarm the body was stolen for use in animistic rites – a lucrative trade – while the hospital’s director said all explanations were being considered.
“We have summoned everyone related to this,” said Samphan Komrit, director of Samut Prakan Hospital, by telephone. “We’re looking into all possibilities.”
He said the incident was unprecedented.
“We will implement measures to prevent this from happening again, even though this has never happened before in the history of our hospital,” Samphan said.
Sutthirat Wangklang filed a criminal complaint Tuesday on behalf of his sister, whom he identified only as Na. He said Na recently gave birth after only six months of pregnancy, and the baby lived for two days in an incubator at Samut Prakan Hospital before dying of heart failure Friday.
When Na’s family went to pick up the dead baby on Tuesday, hospital staff said they could not locate the body, Sutthirat said.
“I’m afraid someone may have stolen the body for black magic,” he told reporters after filing a complaint at Samut Prakan City Police Station. There was no apparent evidence to support the claim.
Hospital director Samphan said he would cooperate with the investigation.
Aborted fetuses or corpses of stillborn babies are valued by practitioners of black magic rooted in pre-Buddhist rites. One enduring tradition is the creation of kuman thong, a magic charm containing a child’s soul, which is believed to bring luck and prosperity.
People gather around Baw Du Pa camp, a camp for stateless Rohingya people last May in the north of Sittwe, western Rakhine state, Myanmar. Photo: Associated Press
UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. special adviser on Myanmar called on civilians in troubled Rakhine state on Tuesday to exercise maximum restraint and refrain from responding to recent fighting that led to the deaths of security personnel as well as civilians.
Vijay Nambiar expressed concern at violent attacks by unidentified individuals and groups against border guards and security forces on Oct. 9 and subsequent fighting in three areas of Northern Rakhine, situated on Myanmar’s western coast, that resulted in the deaths.
Longstanding discrimination by majority Buddhists against Muslim Rohingya in Rakhine exploded into bloody violence in 2012. More than 100,000 people, mostly Rohingyas, are still in displacement camps.
“At this delicate juncture,” Nambiar said, “the local communities at all levels must refuse to be provoked by these incidents and their leaders must work actively to prevent incitement of animosity or mutual hatred between Buddhist and Muslim communities.”
He said authorities in the capital Naypyitaw had informed him “that firm instructions have been issued from the highest levels” for officials to take action within the law “to maintain peace and avoid escalation.”
The U.N. adviser said in a statement that he recognized “the prompt action and sober response of the security forces” during the latest violence.
He urged the security personnel “to exercise caution in the future to avoid any injuries or loss of innocent civilian lives, collateral damage to properties or any perception of harassment of the local population.”
Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi said in her first speech to the U.N. General Assembly last month as Myanmar’sde facto leader that the government was “standing firm against the forces of prejudice and intolerance” and is “committed to a sustainable solution that will lead to peace, stability and development for all communities within the state.”
But Suu Kyi, who has been criticized by some human rights activists for not speaking out forcefully in support of the Rohingya, did not mention the group by name in her speech. It’s a contentious issue among Buddhists in Rakhine, who consider the Rohingya to be illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh and customarily call them “Bengali.”
Update: This event has been suspended until further notice.
BANGKOK — Be it unique or weird, local and international amateur filmmakers are welcomed to submit their work for the Bangkok Underground Film Festival in November.
Anyone interested in submitting a short film, feature and video art piece have until Oct. 31 to do so by contacting [email protected].
Born as a side attraction at the Noise Market last year, the festival seeks to bring together filmmakers and audiences in the capital to enjoy a broader variety of films, from indie experimentation to animation and art.
The Bangkok Underground Film Festival will run over several days starting Nov. 19. At several venues. The shorts films will be shown Nov. 19 and 20 at Noise Market on the grounds of Museum Siam. Video art pieces will be shown Nov. 24 at Bridge Art Space and Nov. 25 at Jam Cafe. The features will screen Nov. 26 and 27 at a venue yet to be announced.
An U.N. peacekeeper holds his radio as he patrols after violence erupted due to the delay of the presidential elections last September in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Photo: John Bompengo / Associated Press
UNITED NATIONS — The electoral crisis in Congo has become a constitutional crisis resulting in increasing political polarization and with no immediate end in sight, the U.N.’s special representative for Congo said Tuesday.
Maman Sambo Sidikou told the Security Council that parties on all sides appear increasingly willing to resort to violence to achieve their ends.
“If this trajectory continues, I believe large-scale violence is all but inevitable,” Sidikou said, adding that the scope of the threats “dramatically outstrip the (U.N. peacekeeping) mission’s capabilities.”
Tensions in Congo have risen as it has become increasingly apparent that President Joseph Kabila will stay in office after his term expires in December. Congo’s electoral commission said November’s scheduled presidential vote wouldn’t be possible until 2018, and a court has said Kabila can stay in power until the next election.
Dozens died in the capital Kinshasa in late September after security forces clashed with thousands of anti-government demonstrators opposed to delaying the election.
The opposition parties also called for restructuring the electoral commission and the Constitutional Court, saying they are partisan to Kabila, who came to power after his father’s assassination in 2001.
Sidikou said discussions over the election date were ongoing and that he hoped it could be held, “the sooner the better.”
He told the council it should encourage all parties currently boycotting the electoral process to return to dialogue and that the government should be prompted to take confidence building measures with the opposition, including direct engagement between Kabila and opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi.
He also said regional organization including the African Union should work with the U.N. to engage more directly and designate a high level emissary to bridge political divisions.
‘Room’ from Dream Property exhibition. Photo: Miti Ruangkritya / Courtesy
BANGKOK — Turmoil, two military coups and an uneven economy haven’t slowed the pace of condominiums going up on nearly every block in Bangkok during the past decade.
With this rapid transformation of the capital’s skin comes consequences, which Miti Ruangkritya has documented and will show Saturday at “Dream Property.”
Forty photographs, 35 prints and a media installation explore the effects of this expansion, such as the profusion of real estate marketing and clutter of billboards promising changed lives. Meanwhile, livability and vestiges of nature are impinged upon by an ever-rising sprawl.
The photos pose questions about the city’s hopes and dreams for its future.
Miti’s interest in Bangkok’s constant change can be seen in his previous works, such as 2012’s “Imagining Flood,” which recorded the surreal scenes of a flooded city at night. His “Thai Politic” series examined Thai political views from 2006 to 2014.
The exhibition starts at 4pm on Oct. 15 and runs until Nov. 27 at Bangkok CityCity Gallery, which can be reached via MRT Lumphini exit No. 2.
Red Lobster is a chain of American seafood restaurants based in Orlando, Florida.
ORLANDO, Florida — U.S. restaurant chain Red Lobster is getting a USD$575 million (20.4 billion baht) investment from Thai Union Group, a seafood exporter linked by an Associated Press investigation to slave-peeled shrimp.
A joint statement by the companies Monday said Thai Union wants to build a direct-to-consumers channel by investing in Orlando-based Red Lobster, which has more than 700 locations in the United States and Canada. Golden Gate Capital, a private equity firm based in San Francisco, remains Red Lobster’s majority owner.
Thai Union’s president promised changes after the AP found the seafood company was shipping shrimp peeled by enslaved migrant workers. Among those receiving shrimp from Thai Union were Red Lobster and other buyers.
The AP reported last year that Red Lobster said it had been assured by Thai Union that their shipments were clean, and Thai Union said the shrimp it purchased from the peeling sheds that the AP tracked did not go to major U.S. companies, while declining to say where it went.
In any case, according to U.S. and United Nations standards, if even a single piece of shrimp coming from a company is tied to forced labor, it taints the entire supply chain.
Thiraphong Chansiri said Thai Union would spend millions of dollars to end its reliance on contractors responsible for much of the labor abuse, and process all its shrimp in-house.
Thai Union owns several international brands including tuna giant Chicken of the Sea. Thai Union was trading at 20.70 baht when the Stock Exchange of Thailand closed Tuesday.
Police at the tree behind Sawangkongkaram Temple, where a six-year-old was buried.
KHON KAEN — Police said Tuesday that a boy’s body found behind a temple in Khon Kaen, showed signs of sexual assault, most likely committed by one of two detained suspects: a monk and a teenage relative.
Police Lt. Col. Perm Nakum received an emergency call at 2pm on Monday, explaining that a boy’s body had been found buried behind Sawangkongkaram Temple at Mancha Khiri District in Khon Kaen province.
The six-year-old’s corpse was found naked, kneeling face-down, and buried underneath a tamarind tree. Branches and leaves were covering the body and blood was seeping from his mouth, nose, and ears.Police said the boy had been dead for three to six hours and showed signs of sexual assault.
An autopsy on the body is currently in progress, and two men have been detained under suspicion of raping and killing the boy.
One of the detained suspects is a 36-year old monk from Sawangkongkaram Temple, whilst the other is a 15-year-old relative of the victim.
The call came from a distressed relative who worried when the boy did not come home and went looking for him, afraid that he had fallen into water, Perm said.
BANGKOK — With the capital on alert for a possible terror threat as an international conference wraps up, security was tight and police raided buildings in three areas on Tuesday, arresting nine people.
Mostly denying the raids were related to an alleged car bomb plot, police, military and SWAT officers broke into an apartment building in Soi Ramkhamhaeng 65, announced raids on eight other area buildings, returned to a suspected bomb den from a 2015 attack and searched a condominium in Samut Prakan province.
Police Maj. Gen. Surachet Hakphan said Tuesday that the operation was part of a confidence-boosting effort while Bangkok hosted the Asia Cooperation Dialogue, an international conference.
Surachet said it was unrelated to the memo warning of car bomb attacks on Bangkok landmarks.
In the Ramkhamhaeng area, the morning raid on the Romklao Mansion netted eight men accused of possessing Kratom, a banned stimulant.
Despite frantic police action, officials sought to play down any link to the threat of terrorism – even after making the link themselves.
Surachet said the Romklao Mansion was searched for people who bought guns illegally last week from gun sellers arrested last week in Samut Prakan.
SWAT team members raid an apartment building in Bangkok’s Ramkhamhaeng area Tuesday. They arrested eight men on drug-related charges.
Authorities on Tuesday also raided an apartment in Minburi district where they captured a man now on trial for allegedly planting the Erawan Shrine bomb in August 2015 that killed 20 people.
In southeastern Bangkok’s Samut Prakan province, police retreated from an earlier assertion the terror threat drove them to search a condo there.
Preecha Samalee, a 39-year-old native of Yala, a southern border province, was taken into custody without charge. Few additional details were provided as to why Preecha was arrested.
Preecha Samalee, second from right, is taken into custody Tuesday outside his condominium in Samut Prakan province.
“He is now being taken for questioning by the military,” said police Col. Wasan Booncharoen. He said Preecha was taken into custody under the junta’s extralegal authority because he was suspected in a matter of national security.
Police said Preecha owns a mobile phone shop and was a suspected member of the Southern Insurgency, because he sent phones into the Deep South several times.
Several of the raids were in neighborhoods with concentrations of Muslim residents. While the evidence has pointed to southern insurgents being behind the August Mother’s Day attacks, officials have said they can’t find a link.
The August 2015 shrine bombing, ascribed by many security analysts to Muslim ethnic Uighurs, has been described by Thai officials as criminal retaliation and not a terror attack.
SWAT team members raid an apartment building in Bangkok’s Ramkhamhaeng area Tuesday.SWAT team members raid an apartment building in Bangkok’s Ramkhamhaeng area Tuesday.Officers along with police dog inspect inside MRT Purple Line train Tuesday.
Holding portraits of His Majesty the King, well-wishers camp out on Tuesday to pray for King Bhumibol at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok.
BANGKOK — Prayers are being offered through Buddhist ceremonies and social media for the speedy recovery of His Majesty the King, whose illness appeared to worsen during the weekend.
Starting Monday, the public is invited to a daily mass prayer chant at Wat Pathum Wanaram in central Bangkok. Crowds of well-wishers on Tuesday morning camped out at Siriraj Hospital, where King Bhumibol is receiving treatment for a number of illnesses including, most recently, acute kidney failure.
Meanwhile, both Thai and English translations of “Long Live the King” hashtags have been trending on Twitter throughout Tuesday. Many Facebookers have also been sharing Buddhist incantations dedicated to the king’s good health.
“May His Majesty recover from his illness soon. #LoveOurRoyalFather #LongLiveTheKing” tweeted Ningky_ningky.
The outpouring of best wishes for the 88-year-old monarch followed an update on King Bhumibol’s frail health on Sunday. The palace statement said the king’s blood pressure was low after going through a hemodialysis and brain fluid removal operation a day earlier.
Stating that King Bhumibol’s condition was not yet stable at the time it was published, the Sunday statement was different from the confident assurances of previous updates on the monarch’s health, which has been beset by illness for years.
The Thai stock index fell by 3.6 percent Monday.
King Bhumibol has spent much of the last seven years at Siriraj Hospital. His delicate health is a cause of concern for many Thais, who see him as the spiritual leader of the nation.
