Junta chairman Prayuth Chan-ocha smells a sock at an exhibition Tuesday at Government House in Bangkok.
BANGKOK — When Khaosod English first published a photo of junta chairman Prayuth Chan-ocha inspecting a sock at a government expo Wednesday morning, we suspected it might give birth to a few memes.
By Wednesday afternoon the Facebook post had been liked 1,300 times and shared more than 700. The photo clearly prompted laughter and brought some levity to many readers.
“Why on earth did he has to sniff that thing????” Facebook user Supanich Sakcha-um asked the question asked by all the internet today.
Here’s a little context: The Prime Minister was visiting an expo in advance of National Science Day featuring “nanotech” products when a particular nanofiber sock caught the retired general’s attention. So he picked it up and gave it a good whiff just as a Khaosod photographer snapped a picture.
For Thais, the image is striking particularly because feet are considered the “low” part of the body, and people usually take care not to offend anyone with their shoes or socks in public, let alone smell them.
Unsurprisingly, the photo soon became ready meme material for the internet.
The master of creative cosplay was quick to join in. Image: LowCostCosplay / Facebook
Image: Pim Thai Mai Dai / Facebook
‘Smells so, so nice, this cassie flower,’ are the lyrics to Thai oldie “Mont Rak Luk Thung.” Image: Basement Karaoke / Facebook:
JAKARTA, Indonesia — A fuel tanker that disappeared from a Malaysian port was likely taken by its own crew in a dispute with their employer, Indonesian authorities said Wednesday.
Malaysian and Indonesian maritime authorities have been searching for the Indonesian-flagged MT Vier Harmoni after it dropped out of contact on Tuesday evening.
There were suspicions the tanker had been hijacked. For years, gangs of armed thieves have targeted small tankers operating off Southeast Asian coasts, looking for marine diesel and oil to steal and then sell. And militants in the southern Philippines have staged ransom kidnappings in the regional waters in recent months.
Indonesia’s western naval command said in a statement that it has information the captain of the vessel twice informed his employer he was taking the ship back to the Indonesian island of Batam because of an “internal management problem.”
It said there was no indication of any violence and it is coordinating with Malaysia to locate the ship.
Vier Abdul Jamal, chief executive of the ship’s owner Vierlines Asia Group, said the tanker has 10 Indonesian crew and is currently chartered by another company for two years.
The charterer lost contact with the Vier Harmoni on Tuesday evening and its tracking device has not been active since, Adbul Jamal said.
He said it would be illegal for the captain to remove the ship without clearance, notwithstanding any dispute.
The Malaysian maritime agency said the tanker was carrying 900,000 litres of diesel and left from a port in Malaysia’s southern Johor state.
Ahmad Puzi Kahar, the agency’s chief, said “internal problems” might be behind the disappearance.
The 53-meter (175 foot) long Vier Harmoni was built in 2014.
Eileen Ng reported from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Ali Kotarumalos in Jakarta contributed to this report.
Visualization of what those behind plan might have envisioned. Original photo: Survivaladmin / Flickr
BANGKOK — Telecoms regulators disagree over a plan to mandate foreigners use SIM cards which can track their location, with one commissioner saying the plan has a long way to go and may end up dropping the tracking function.
Challenging assertions made last week about the plan, a member of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission’s board said the plan was unlikely to go forward as envisioned, most likely without the location-tracking of all foreigners promised.
While the commission’s top executive, Takorn Tantasith, assured that such SIM cards would not infringe on rights and privacy, commissioner Pravit Leestapornwongsa said the board sees flaws in the plan and has raised questions about its feasibility. He was also unsure to what extent Takorn pitched the idea on behalf of the state security apparatus.
“I don’t know what Takorn talked about with the national security department,” Pravit said. “But I don’t think it is technically possible.”
When the board met last week, Pravit said he asked whether existing SIM cards can already track their owners via cell-tower triangulation, and whether it could be turned off.
Don Sambandaraksa, a Telecom Asia correspondent, said there is existing technology by which a SIM card can actively and continuously report its tower-based location over the phone network, similar to how SMS messages are sent.
Pravit said he is not convinced that, without GPS, a SIM card would have the ability to identify a more accurate location.
Though the plan was approved in concept by the NBTC, Pravit stressed it was still in the early stages. Whether it would apply only to tourists or all expats living in the country was still an undecided detail, he said.
The tracking function was not the main idea, he said.
Pravit said he only supports a special SIM card for tourists that would see their unused numbers return back to the pool of available numbers more quickly, and any balances on their cards steered into government coffers.
“Currently tourists top up money to use the phone. When they leave the country, the phone operator gets the unused money,” Pravit said. “We aim to bring it back to the government instead.”
He disputed other assertions made by Takorn last week.
“Takorn said it would be the same as filling out the address form as obligated under immigration law. I explained in the meeting that it’s not,” he said. “That form is for the location I stay such as a hotel, but the government should not have the right to know where I go during the day.”
Jeffrey J. Blatt from the law firm Tilleke & Gibbins, who represented telecommunication companies for years and is based in Thailand, said the authorities already have plenty of broad laws and powers at their disposal to obtain records about individuals.
More so, he said, the plan would not enhance security.
“These new rules would seem to have limited value and have the potential to send the wrong message to both lawful resident foreigners and to visitors that the Thai government seeks to track your every move,” he said.
Even if the plan went ahead, both Pravit and Blatt agreed it would not be effective, as tourists or foreign residents or even criminals would find a way to get the normal SIM cards through Thai nationals.
“At the end of the day, there is no substitute for good old-fashioned police work to prevent, detect, investigate and stop crime,” Blatt said.
Investigators night mark evidence Thursday night at one of two bombing sites in the resort town of Hua Hin.
BANGKOK — Despite the recent coordinated attacks across seven southern provinces, the Royal Thai Army says it is committed to a peace dialogue with the separatist movement thought by many to be behind the attacks.
Stalled peace talks have been blamed by some analysts as a possible motive behind the deadly bombing spree that killed four on Thursday and Friday, the holiday season that marked Her Majesty the Queen’s Birthday and National Mother’s Day.
“I think they want to make news, and they want attention from international communities, so that their demands are accepted,” said Srisompob Jitpiromsri, a scholar who runs Deep South Watch, a research group that monitors secessionist violence in the region. “I think they were upset about the peace talk. It had grounded to a halt.”
Srisompob is among experts who believe the most likely culprits are the rebels who are aiming to form an independent state in the Muslim-majority Deep South.
Gen. Aksara Kerdpol, the man appointed by the army as its chief negotiator with the Deep South separatists, disputed that view, saying that talks between both sides have been going on as usual and will continue to take place.
“My team is still talking to them and listening to them,” Gen. Aksara said. “I don’t think there was any need for them to pressure us about it, because we’re already talking with each other all the time. It’s a mission that we will continue to pursue consistently.”
“I don’t want you to conclude this in haste. I want you to wait for the investigation first, because it may affect national security,” the general said.
Were the insurgents behind the attacks, Srisompob believes it wouldn’t shatter the hope of meaningful negotiations. On the contrary, they may even spur the authorities to return to the table, the academic said.
“I’ve heard news that in the last several days, the situation is getting better. I think it’s because of this incident,” Srisompob said. “It was a signal to warn the government that this is a big issue for them … and the government will pay more attention from now on.”
Since the insurrection began in the Deep South in 2004, there was little interest in parley in Bangkok, which prefers heavy-handed policies of troops surges and pacification campaigns. The military engaged in peace talks of its own accord.
Angkhana Neelaphaijit, who’s worked with civil rights groups in the Deep South as a member of the National Human Rights Commission, agreed the army won’t shy away from dialogue in the wake of last week bombings.
However, she warned, not all groups want to talk.
“Some of the [insurgents] don’t agree with Mara Patani, and they don’t support a peace negotiation,” Angkhana said, referring to the umbrella group speaking for the separatists in the talks. “There are many sides, and they don’t have unity.”
A collage piece by Jirapong Somphao, aka K, from the Parade of Toys exhibition. Photo: Kalwit Studio & Gallery / Courtesy.
BANGKOK — Three newcomer artists join forces in reflecting on social discrimination through pop art in Parade of Toys exhibition.
Discrimination could be found around the world, not exempting the beautiful Land of Smiles. Three Thai artists were motivated by this topic to create works reflecting superficiality of society.
“The artworks question viewers on how the surrounding affects our true selves. Does it make us see things clearer or just force us to follow others’ paths?” said Phurapol Sotaiyin aka Northyang.
After graduating from the Faculty of Painting Sculpture and Graphic Arts at Silpakorn University, Phurapol struggled to start a small business with friends, saying he was taken advantage of. Despite the drama, he learned the hard way from those experiences and channeled them into his work.
“Thai society is classified by class and dominated by favoritism and a patronage system,” the 26-year-artist said. “They force people to live according to those stereotypical standards. Only when we play the role that the society wants, we can live peacefully. But is this really what everyone wants to be?”
Apart from Phurapol, Phuwadon Thongnoum aka Phu20, and collage artist Jirapong Somphao express their points of view on society.
The opening reception starts at 7pm on Sept. 9 and runs through Nov. 12 at Kalwit Studio & Gallery on Wireless Road. It’s a moto ride or 15-minute walk from BTS Ploen Chit.
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A painting by Phuwadon Thongnoum, aka Phu20, from the Parade of Toys exhibition. Photo: Kalwit Studio & Gallery / Courtesy
A painting by Phurapol Sotaiyin, aka Northyang, from the Parade of Toys exhibition. Photo: Kalwit Studio & Gallery / Courtesy
A collage piece by Jirapong Somphao, aka K, from the Parade of Toys exhibition. Photo: Kalwit Studio & Gallery / Courtesy.
Police officers on Friday inspect scene of a bomb attack in Hua Hin.
BANGKOK — Any suspects arrested in connection to the Mother’s Day bomb and arson attacks will be tried by the military, the top police investigator in the case said Wednesday.
The announcement underscored the seemingly marginalized role of the police force in an investigation in which the military is taking the lead, a divided effort illustrated Tuesday when the same police commander backtracked on claims one perpetrator had been arrested.
“I will personally inspect all case files and all requests for arrest warrants to the courts,” police Gen. Srivara Ransibrahmanakul, the head of the investigation team, told reporters. “All case files will be under the jurisdiction of the military courts.”
Four people were killed when a series of explosions and firebombs struck seven provinces over the course of Thursday and Friday. The latter date marked Her Majesty the Queen’s Birthday and Mother’s Day in Thailand.
Since the armed forces seized power from an elected government in May 2014, military courts are given authority to try civilians in cases the junta deems matters of national security.
Srivara also told reporters the court has only approved arrest warrants for two suspects for the Mother’s Day bombings so far: Chiang Mai native Sakarin Karuehat and Narathiwat resident Ahama Lengha.
Sakarin is being held on an army base for interrogation, while Ahama’s whereabouts are unknown.
Angkhana Neelaphaijit, a member of the National Human Rights Commission, said she’s concerned by the military’s detention of Sakarin and his lack of communication with lawyers or his family.
“No matter in what situation, suspects have rights,” Angkhana said. “Otherwise, if the state detains and holds people at any location they please, without telling their relatives, it risks becoming forced disappearance. Therefore, security officers must be careful and transparent.”
Angkhana said her agency has not yet received any complaints of human rights abuses regarding Sakarin at the military base so far, and it would only attempt to inspect his the conditions of his detention if his family requested the commission do so.
An army officer at the base where Sakarin is being held said he’s doing fine.
“He’s in good health. We chat with him good naturedly,” said a high-ranking officer at the 41st Army Circle base, who refused to give his name because he’s not authorized to speak to the media. “He’s just a person of interest. We are not treating him as suspect.”
The officer also denied the assertion made by deputy police chief Sriwara that the military is keeping him in the dark about Sakarin.
“It was police who asked the court for the warrant. We only took care of the procedure,” the officer said. “If the police didn’t seek a court warrant for him, we wouldn’t have gone there to arrest him. Soldiers only follow orders from law enforcement officials.”
A powerful blast left a scene of devastation and killed 20 people Aug. 17, 2015, at Bangkok's Erawan Shrine. More than 100 were injured.
Erawan Shrine bombing victim Wichirata Duangmano, breaks down Wednesday morning at a police news conference.
BANGKOK — Wichirata Duangmano sat among reporters at a police news conference Wednesday morning. She waited until the session dedicated to Thailand’s most recent terror attack was nearly finished before posing her question.
“I would like to know, where can I ask for more help?” she said, breaking down in tears at the Royal Police Headquarters, revealing she was not a reporter but, in fact, the victim of the bomb which hit Bangkok’s Erawan Shrine one year ago today. “I submitted a letter to the Office of the Prime Minister two times, but it stayed silent.”
The 30-year-old, former freelance MC said she can’t remember the moment the bomb exploded at the Ratchaprasong intersection shrine on Aug. 17, 2015. Wichirata survived, but she suffered serious internal injuries, including severe tears to her stomach. Wide, long scars are still visible running down her leg and arm.
What she does remember is that during the two months she spent recovering in a hospital, no official ever visited her or offered help.
The mother of a 3-year-old toddler said she eventually received 100,300 baht from the Ministry of Justice and 30,000 baht from Bangkok City Hall. But even with that, life is difficult for a person who can no longer work, she said.
That’s what led Wichirata and two other two victims to the police’s news conference this morning, as it was the only place they hoped to have their voices heard.
In response, police spokesman Kritsana Pattanacharoen said a middle man would be appointed to coordinate the relevant agencies to offer further help.
Wichirata wasn’t done, however. There was one more thing she wanted.
“I want to see the face of the person who did it,” she said. “I want them all arrested!”
Forgotten Promises
As the authorities try to instill confidence in their efforts to bring another set of attackers to justice for a wave of arson and bomb attacks five days ago, Wichirata isn’t the only one frustrated by the unsatisfying resolution of the previous case.
After a total of 17 arrest warrants were issued, only two ethnic Uighur suspects were arrested. Adem Karadag, aka Bilal Mohammad, and Mieraili Yusufu are now held by the military which is also trying them. All the rest, including numerous Turkish nationals and at least two suspects holding Thai passports, remain at large.
As the anniversary came, police today tried to assure there is progress in that unfinished investigation which was declared finished and went dark 10 months ago.
“When the police chief announced the case was closed, it means the investigation ended,” said Police Maj. Gen. Piyapan Pingmuang Wednesday. “But the process of making arrests still continues.” He declined to give any further information.
He said disclosing information may affect the case, the same reason given for why officers had no details to share Wednesday about the Mother’s Day bombings.
Five days ago, when Kanya Mayoon heard about the wave of bombs which exploded across the south Friday, she could not help but be taken back to one year earlier.
Malaysian family: From left, Ee Ling, Jai Jun, Saw Gek, Tze Siang, Jiang and Hock Guan pose for a photograph in the plaza of CentralWorld shopping mall in Bangkok, near Ratchaprasong intersection and the Erawan Shrine before the Aug. 17 blast. Five members of their family died in the attack; only Ee Ling and her father Hock Guan survived. Photo: Neoh Huey Shinn / Courtesy
One year to the day since her sister was killed by another bomb at Bangkok’s Erawan Shrine, the passage of time has done nothing to lessen the 36-year-old teacher’s anger, because it has brought neither an explanation for what happened nor assurance it won’t repeat again.
“I want the government to take care of our security,” said Kanya on Monday. “It is better than they just keep making announcements, yet this kind of incident still happens everyday. Can’t they do anything to make it better?”
On Aug. 17, 2015, Pranee ‘Kratae’ Seesuwa was among 20 people to die when a large bomb turned the shrine, a popular destination for tourists and Thais alike, into a horror of blood and human remains. It was the deadliest such attack in Thailand’s modern history.
For a year, Kanya, who lives Bueng Kan, a northeastern border province, said she closely follows news about the case as she still waits for the real perpetrators to be brought to justice.
“Last thing I heard is that the suspect previously admitted doing it, backed out and said he was tortured and threatened to confess,” she said. “And then the story went dark.”
Cases Closed or Dropped?
Kanya’s summary is accurate. After a long and fraught investigation that raised many questions about police professional competence and capacity, an adequate explanation for the attack never materialized, and the pursuit of those responsible seemed to fall off a cliff.
Today, Wednesday, no memorial service was held to honor the dead. While the shrine was rebuilt at significant expense, no plaque or marker was placed in their names.
Following the arrests of Karadag and Mieraili, and days before leaving the force to head the Thai football association, former police chief Somyot Pumpanmuang declared the case closed.
Interactive: Click through to explore the 2015 investigation
The Uighur identity of both men, who have alleged they were tortured in military custody, fit the widely held opinion of security experts that the explosion was revenge for the military government’s forcible return two months earlier of nearly 100 Uighurs to China, where they were labeled terrorists and faced persecution.
Authorities dismissed the theory, saying the explosion was not a terrorist attack – a claim hastily repeated Friday – but a result of their crackdown on human trafficking.
No further arrests were made. Police Lt. Gen. Suchart Teerasawat, who appointed to coordinate with Malaysian authorities, said Monday he hasn’t had any contact with Kuala Lumpur since the pair were arrested back in September, a month after the attack.
Though Karadag’s lawyer, Schoochart Kanpai and police said he had confessed to being involved, the suspect later told the military court in February. he was tortured into doing so.
At the time of their indictment back in September, both suspects denied all charges. Nearly a year later, not one of the 447 prosecution witnesses has testified. The first is scheduled to be called before the military tribunal on Tuesday.
Karadag’s lawyer said he expects the trial to continue until 2017.
Kanya, the sister of a victim, said she is nervous to see the case progress so slowly.
“You know those who lost someone can never forget,” Kanya said. “We are waiting for news from the government. We are watching them.”
A sign outside the Erawan Shrine remains empty a year after the attack, as seen Sunday.
Cascading Tragedy
When the bomb went off at 6:55pm on that Monday night, Pranee was not alone at the shrine. She was accompanied by her colleague from Standard Chartered Bank, Sudchada ‘Yha’ Niseeda, who shared the same roots in the northeastern region.
While little progress was made in the case during the past year, Sudchada’s death changed her 10-year-old daughter now living in Loei province.
“She turned into another person, silent,” said Thongpad Niseeda, Sudchada’s mother now caring for her daughter, Mew. “She still says she is lonely. She always says ‘Mew no longer wants to live, Mew wants to die with Mommy Yha.’”
For years, Sudchada worked in Bangkok to send money home for her girl and parents in Loei’s Chiang Khan district. Being a long-distance mom, the 32-year-old would video-call her daughter every day: once when Mew had dinner and again before Mew went to bed.
After her daughter’s death, the 59-year-old grandmother said she and her husband had to go back to work in the rice and potato fields to make ends meet. Mew, who in Grade 4 used to rank at the top of her class, now tells her grandmother she wants to quit school.
Mew is sad, while Thongpad admits she’s still angry.
“It has become silent,” she talked of the investigation progress. “I want the government to catch those who did it and punish them. They did such a terrible thing to my daughter.”
Kanya shares the same frustration and was even more angry when she learned that just five days before the attack’s one-year anniversary, another four innocent people lost their lives in serial bombings. She knows their loved ones may never get justice or even an explanation.
“No matter what the reason was for those who did it, those who lose are we, the people,” she said.
PARIS — The exposure of malicious software purportedly linked to the National Security Agency is likely a message from Moscow, former intelligence worker Edward Snowden said Tuesday, adding a layer of intrigue to a leak that has set the information security world abuzz.
Technical experts have spent the past day or so picking apart a suite of tools allegedly stolen from the Equation Group, a powerful squad of hackers which some have tied to the NSA. The tools materialized as part of an internet electronic auction set up by a group calling itself “Shadow Brokers,” which has promised to leak more data to whoever puts in a winning bid.
In a series of messages posted to Twitter, Snowden suggested the leak was the fruit of a Russian attack on an NSA-controlled server and could be aimed at heading off U.S. retaliation over allegations that the Kremlin is interfering in the U.S. electoral process.
13) TL;DR: This leak looks like a somebody sending a message that an escalation in the attribution game could get messy fast.
“Circumstantial evidence and conventional wisdom indicates Russian responsibility,” Snowden said. “This leak is likely a warning that someone can prove U.S. responsibility for any attacks that originated from this malware server. That could have significant foreign policy consequences. Particularly if any of those operations targeted U.S. allies. Particularly if any of those operations targeted elections.”
Snowden didn’t return messages seeking additional comment. The NSA didn’t return emails seeking comment on his claim. Messages sent to an address registered by the Shadow Brokers were also not returned.
Allegations of Russian subversion have been hotly debated following the hack of the Democratic National Committee, an operation which Democratic politicians, security companies and several outside experts have blamed on the Kremlin. Russian officials have dismissed the claims as paranoid or ridiculous, so the message delivered by Snowden — who resides at an undisclosed location in Moscow under the protection of the Russian government — struck many as significant.
Academic Thomas Rid, whose book “Rise of the Machines” traces the earliest known Kremlin-linked computer hacking campaign in the U.S., said Snowden’s declaration would likely be interpreted as “shrewd messaging” from Russian intelligence.
Matt Suiche, the founder of United Arab Emirates-based cybersecurity startup Comae Technologies, said he and others looking through the data were convinced it came from the NSA.
“There’s zero debate so far,” he said in a telephone interview.
Weeranan Huadsri and Pornthip Munkong in an undated photo. Photo: Weeranan Huadsri / Courtesy
BANGKOK — Weeranan Huadsri took up position by 9:30am on Tuesday outside the women’s prison that is part of the sprawling Klong Prem correctional complex in north Bangkok.
As was the case the previous two days, he remained nearly five hours in the hope his girlfriend of nine years would, at any moment, step out the door and back into his life. As was also the case, the 26-year-old waited until 1pm before leaving disappointed.
Weeranan was among families, friends and loved ones to recently receive word through the grapevine that a batch of prisoners would be released, their sentences commuted. Yet on Friday, Monday and again Tuesday, Weeranan said neither the warden nor guards would confirm anything, leaving them all to do nothing but stand vigil outside.
“It’s terrible. Relatives of the other prisoners came in vain all the way from Khon Kaen,” he said, referring to the northeast province six hours away by road. “It’s a system that lacks clarity. There’s no posted names for the relatives to see.”
People wait Tuesday outside the Klong Prem Central Prison in Bangkok in hope someone they knew would be freed. Photo: Weeranan Huadsri / Courtesy
Weeranan has good reason to hope Pornthip Munkong will be released now, two years after she was jailed for performing in a student play the military regime deemed insulting to the monarchy.
After all, on Friday, Patiwat Saraiyaem, another actor convicted alongside Pornthip for the 2013 production of “The Wolf Bride,” walked out of jail a free man.
Patiwat said he was only told he’d be freed at 6am the morning of his release.
Patiwat and Pornthip’s names were among those circulated last week by Ekachai Hongkangwan, a lese majeste convictreleased late last year after serving nearly three years for selling CDs containing foreign news reports and Wikileaks documents deemed insulting to the monarchy.
Ekachai, who’s since dedicated himself to the welfareof political prisoners, said he obtained a list of 26 convicts, including 19 lese majeste prisoners, who would be released. So far only Patiwat has walked free. Pressed for details, Ekachai said he cannot prove the 25 would be released.
He said the names came from various sources in the corrections system, but admitted there was no way to verify it.
Bangkok Remand Prison Warden Aryut Sintopphan said he was unaware of any such list. And the process of notifying families or the public, he added, was a matter of procedure.
Weeranan Huadsri and Pornthip Munkong in an undated photo. Courtesy: Weeranan Huadsri
“We can’t answer because I haven’t seen any such list,” Aryut said. “Our operational practice is that we do not put out names on a board.”
Patiwat and Pornthip were arrested three months after the military seized power in May 2014 for the play performed a year prior at Thammasat University in 2013.
Weerana said it was exasperating to return to the prison time and again with no answers.
“In the name of relatives or loved ones, we want clarity. The inmate could have been informed three days in advance because there are costs involved. Also, people have work to do,” Weeranan said.
Weeranan, who works with Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, said he is lucky because he lives in Bangkok’s Ramkhamhaeng area. Pornthip’s parents, farmers from Pitsanulok province, arrived in Bangkok on Saturday and are staying with relatives.
He said the system should spare people like him the unnecessary pain and trouble of such uncertain waiting.
Still, he’s confident that it’s just a matter of days before his girlfriend is released. She told him last week that prison officials had asked her where she would be staying and what she will do after she is released.
Until then, he waits.
Tomorrow, Wednesday, wouldn’t be a bad day for it – It’s Pornthip’s 28th birthday.
Heavy machinery begins the search, the work of explorers hoping to find a legendary Nazi train laden with treasure and armaments in Walbrzych, Poland, on Tuesday. Photo: Dariusz Gdesz / Associated Press
WARSAW, Poland — Explorers in Poland began digging Tuesday for a legendary Nazi train said to be laden with treasure and armaments.
They’re not dissuaded by decades of fruitless searches, a scientific determination that no train is there and warnings by historians that such a train might not even exist.
The search in southwestern Poland attests to the power of a local legend claiming a Nazi “gold train” disappeared in a mountain tunnel as the Germans escaped the advancing Soviet army at the end of World War II.
As the dig got underway, a yellow excavator moved earth along railroad tracks above the spot where two explorers —Andreas Richter, a German, and Piotr Koper, a Pole — believe the train is buried. Richter and Koper, joined by several other volunteers, expect the search to last several days.
The two men claimed last year to have located the elusive train with radar equipment deep in the bowels of the earth in the city of Walbrzych, sparking a gold rush to the castle city and the surrounding area.
A government official initially said he was “99 percent sure” the train was there, helping to feed the frenzy. The arrival of treasure hunters and curiosity seekers from across Europe gave a welcome financial boost to the coal mining region of Silesia, which has struggled since unprofitable mines in the area were closed after the fall of communism.
Late last year, geological experts from a university in Krakow, using magnetic equipment, found no train on the spot.
But the explorers refused to give up.
Andrzej Gaik, a spokesman for the search team, said six independent companies using various radar devices have detected anomalies indicating the shape of a tunnel underground on an elevated area running along railroad tracks.
“The results of the ground-penetrating radar examinations are very promising,” Gaik said. “It’s so exciting and we count on success.”
Historians say the existence of the train, which is said to have gone missing in May 1945, never has been conclusively proven. Polish authorities nonetheless have seemed eager to pursue any chance of recovering treasures that have sparked the imaginations of local people for decades.
At the height of the frenzy last year, the World Jewish Congress reminded Poland’s authorities that, in the case of a discovery of a treasure-laden train, any valuables belonging to Jews killed in the Holocaust must be returned to their rightful owners or their heirs.
Legend holds the train was armed and loaded with treasure and disappeared after entering a complex of tunnels under the Owl Mountains, a secret project known as “Riese” — or Giant — which the Nazis never finished.
The area belonged to Germany at the time, but has been part of Poland since the borders were moved in the postwar settlement.
A man credited with being the main living source of the legend is a retired miner, Tadeusz Slowikowski. He heard from a German man in the 1970s of a train that left the German city of Breslau (today Poland’s Wroclaw) in the spring of 1945, as the Soviet army approached. He said the man told him the train disappeared before ever making it to Waldenburg (now Walbrzych) some 65 kilometers (45 miles) to the west.
However, a local historian, Pawel Rodziewicz, told The Associated Press last year that documentation leaves no doubt that gold in Breslau was evacuated to the German central bank in Berlin and elsewhere, so there would have been no reason to take any to Waldenburg, where the approaching Soviets could find it.
He thinks it is impossible that a secret railway tunnel could have been built into the hill near railroad tracks in frequent use. No documents have ever been found to indicate such a project was undertaken, while documents exist even for the most top-secret projects of the Third Reich, including some for the subterranean tunnels beneath the Ksiaz Castle in Walbrzych, Rodziewicz argued.
