BTS Riders Grumpy Over Possible Fare Hikes

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12 July 2016, 12:56

The platform of BTS Saphan Taksin in 2004 photo. Photo: Tom Page / Flickr

BANGKOK — Commuters are reacting unhappily to rumored fare increases coming to outlying BTS stations along the Silom and Sukhumvit lines.

Despite the usual complaints that Bangkok’s Skytrain fares are expensive compared to the cost of living, a proposal reportedly submitted earlier this month seeking higher fares for stations past BTS Saphan Taksin and BTS On Nut has been met with disappointment.

“The farthest extension stations will someday reach 80-90 baht, right?” @Tumsoma tweeted to the official accounts of the BTS Skytrain and Bangkok Governor on Tuesday.

อีกหน่อยส่วนต่อขยายคงไปขึ้นกันเที่ยวนึง 80-90 บาทรัยงี้เนาะ @BTS_SkyTrain @Sukhumbhandp pic.twitter.com/qaORiTwkkF

— มะ (@tumsoma) July 12, 2016

The comments came in response to a source in Bangkok’s Traffic and Transport Department who said new rates had been proposed earlier this month.

Under the proposed fares, passengers traveling past BTS On Nut or BTS Saphan Taksin would pay another 5 baht, or 10 baht if going to the last two stations on either line.

Currently passengers pay an additional 10 baht to travel those line extensions, which opened in 2009 and 2011.

A source from Bangkok’s Traffic and Transport Department said fares need to be adjusted to be in accordance with the current economy.

Twitter user MrNonz said rate hikes didn’t make sense in the face of declining service, especially with the public still waiting on a ticketing system linking all rail services.

“Is the quality of @BTS_SkyTrain good?” MrNonz tweeted. “No. And yet they will increase the fares. As for public benefit, how many years has the integrated ticket been postponed?”

https://twitter.com/MrNonz/status/752692740631044097

The fare difference along the extensions owes to the fact different segments are operated by different companies. Bangkok Mass Transit System PCL were granted a concession by City Hall to run the original BTS lines. By the time the extensions came online, City Hall wanted in on the action and created Krungthep Thanakom Co. Ltd., to manage them along with the BRT bus system. City Hall is the largest shareholder.

The increase in fares was said to come about to prevent municipal coffers from getting lighter by offsetting an expected loss in profits.

It was reported that Bangkok Gov. Sukhumbhand Paribatra has ordered a study of the right time to tell the public about the new rates and change ticketing systems before they come into effect.

Victims’ Families Refuse Cash, Demand Full Prosecution of Jenphop

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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12 July 2016, 12:24

Officers at Phra-Inracha Police Station inspect a Mercedes-Benz on March 17 four days after it was involved in a fatal highway crash.

BANGKOK — The trial of a businessman who killed two grad students in a high-speed car crash will get underway next month with a verdict expected before year’s end.

Jenphop Viraporn faces seven charges for killing Krissana Thaworn and Thantapat Horsaengchai with his Mercedes-Benz on March 13 on an Ayutthaya highway, including driving under the influence.

“The court told us it will rule on the case by Oct. 31,” Nongkarat Rungsang, Krissana’s younger sister, said by telephone Monday.

Jenphop Apologizes to Families of 2 Grad Students He Killed

For the crash that killed Krissana, 32; and Thantapat, 34; Jenphop is charged with refusing a sobriety test, which under the law automatically leads to another offense, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. He also faces charges of fatal reckless driving, driving over the speed limit and resisting law enforcement officers.

The suspect confessed to only one charge of fatal reckless driving and contested all others.

Prosecutor Krisada Rojanasuwan said the court mentioned a verdict could be reached as early as October, but he personally doesn’t think so.

“It may go beyond October because the defendant contests nearly all the charges,” Krisada said by telephone Tuesday.

Compensation Rejected

For the first time since the accident, Jenphop met with and apologized to families of the victims Thursday in an Ayutthaya courtroom.

The meeting was arranged by the court as a chance for the two parties to reach settlement out of court. Nongkarat said Jenphop offered money to the parents of Krissana and Thantapat, but the families rejected it and demanded full legal proceedings.

“We insisted that everything has to proceed under the law,” Nongkarat said. “If there is any settlement, and if we accept any compensation right now, it will lessen the punishment that the court may deliver.”

Nongkarat said her family will only discuss any financial compensation after the criminal case is over.

Fresh Charge Against Jenphop as Model Student Victims Laid to Rest

The March 13 accident that killed the two graduate students drew widespread attention because police initially allowed Jenphop to waive a sobriety test, and did not charge him with any crime until four days had passed.

The delayed investigation led to accusations on social media police were attempting to shield the millionaire from justice, as in other high-profile cases involving the wealthy and well-connected.

After the online uproar, national police took control of the investigation and removed the officers in charge. Jenphop, who has free on bail, was indicted May 28. Nongkarat said she’s pleased by recent developments in the case.

“As you see in the news, the first set of police investigators worked slow, and we were not satisfied, but with the new team, we’re satisfied,” Nongkarat said. “We have been working with the investigators. We feel that we are involved in every step. We see what is in the case file. And when the case reached the prosecutors, we were satisfied because the prosecutors took up every charge.”

Not only did the prosecutors file all the charges forwarded by police, they also asked the court revoke Jenphop’s driving license for life and confine him to a psychiatric hospital if he takes up an insanity defense.

Jenphop’s next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 15.

Jenphop Sped Toward Deadly Crash at Over 250KPH

Jenphop Plowed Through Toll Booth Before Deadly Crash (Video)

Kustomize, Kreate Your Own Kicks at Kraftka Klatch

By

Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

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12 July 2016, 11:45

BANGKOK — Wear flip-flops plastered with quotes from your favorite film, photos of beloved pets or just paint whatever inspires you at a sneaker pop-up launch party.

Combining art and footwear and claiming to be the world’s first crowdsourced sneaker brand, Kraftka provides a community of independent artists around the world who create shoes with cutting-edge artwork and the brand will make the move from cyber- to meat-space with a store on the second floor of Siam Center.

Read: Make Your Own Sneakers and Cash in at Kraftka

Among the artsy contributors are local cartoonists Veerachai Duangpla and Tripuck “Puck” Sapawattana, illustrator “2Choey” and street artist Parinya “Benzilla” Pichetsiriporn.

An opening event starts at 6pm on Friday. Visit the Flip Flop Bar offers a chance to create a unique pair of sandals and choice footwear designed by artists worldwide.

Entry is free. All footwear will be discounted 10 percent.

A new special collection inspired by the colors of Bangkok taxis. Photo: Sunny Sachdev / Courtesy

‘Pentatonix’ A Cappella to Harmonize Bangkok

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Kaewta Ketbungkan, Staff Reporter

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12 July 2016, 11:26

BANGKOK — Two Grammys, four albums and 10 million YouTube followers later, Pentatonix is ready to hum their a cappella hits in Bangkok for the first time this September.

The Texan quintet won a Grammy for their 2015 Daft Punk medley watched more than 200 million times on YouTube. Better news? They’re on a world tour and will touch down in Bangkok in September.

Also known as PTX, the group formed in 2011 with five vocalists: Avi Kaplan, Scott Hoying, Kirstin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola and Mitch Grassi. After winning the third season of U.S. singing competition The Sing-Off, the group started uploading pop-style a cappella covers of hit songs and their own originals to YouTube.

Their first EP was released in 2012. Their 2014 holiday album “That’s Christmas To Me” has been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). By 2016, they have produced four studio albums, including their latest simply titled “Pentatonix”. All of their releases have reached the top five on the Billboard Digital Album Charts.

After winning two Grammys in the same category for two consecutive years for “Daft Punk” in 2015 and “Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy” in 2016, the group embarked on their second world tour beginning in Japan in April and scheduled to end back in Houston this November.

General admission tickets are 2,000 baht and can be bought from Thai Ticket Major counters or online.

The group will make their Thai debut Sept. 13 at Muang Thai GMM Live House, on the eighth floor of CentralWorld. Doors opens at 6pm with two opening acts.

Isaan Voices: Less Freedom of Expression in the Northeast

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Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

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12 July 2016, 11:06

Teerapol Anmai at left; Sabina Shah, second from left, Panawadee Tontisirin, second from right and Thammarat Sa-ngiamsr, third from right speaking Friday at the Khon Kaen Hotel.

KHON KAEN — Some in Khon Kaen and other northeastern provinces feel they’re still regarded as inferior to those in the capital.

At a symposium organized Friday to discuss freedom of expression in the northeast – one that began only after soldiers threatened to arrest anyone discussing certain topics – speakers said their political struggle is doubly difficult under the current regime where there’s even more restrictions on expression.

“I don’t see how Isaan people will be accepted as equal citizens in the near future,” said Saowanee T. Alexander, a lecturer at Ubon Ratchathani University’s Faculty of Liberal Arts and Isaan native. “It’s quite clear when we look at the language wherein we speak the Northeastern dialect in Bangkok we have to speak softly.”

Saowanee spoke at the panel organized by The Isaan Record, whose mission to promote greater awareness about the northeast, and funded by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Germany’s Heinrich Boll Foundation. In full disclosure, this reporter was also a participant.

Understanding what it means to speak a dialect other than that of the nation’s administrative and economic center is important, said Nirand Pitakwatchara, a former National Human Rights Commissioner who lives in Ubon Ratchathani province.

Nirand pointed out those speaking the Isaan dialect feel inferior to people speaking central Thai. What’s more, some Northeastern folks are not as adept at speaking central Thai and unable to articulate themselves as well in the dialect which dominates national media. That’s why community radio in the region has become such a hit over the past decade, Nirand said.

Nirand said the poor in the Northeast suffer more when prosecuted by the junta for fighting for environmental and community rights since the 2014 coup. Some parents have had to withdraw their children from school because they had to spend money on court cases. Worse, some have been physically assaulted by unknown assailants.

“The price they paid was dear,” Nirand said.

Khon Kaen Redshirt leader Panawadee Tontisirin refused to accept an imposition of superiority from Bangkok and the widely held stereotypes of Northeasterners as gullible and easily manipulated by venal politicians.

“The saying that Bangkokians are superior is your own thinking. But now we are equal. I want to say that Isaan people have risen and they are civilized and will persevere. They don’t want to resort to violence as long as the [junta] security apparatus doesn’t pressure us too much. Soldiers should not look at us like enemies,” Panawadee said, as military and police officers filmed the session.

The Isaan Record editor David Streckfuss talks Friday to a soldier and police at the Khon Kaen Hotel. They warned him that anyone talking about politics or the lese majeste law shall be prosecuted.

At the outset of Friday’s discussion, security forces threatened to prosecute anyone who speak about politics or the lese majeste law, which punishes anything deemed defamatory to the monarchy with up to 15 years in prison.

Thammarat Sa-ngiamsri, a Khon Kaen-based community organizer, spoke as someone affected by Public Assembly Act which bans gatherings of more than four people for anything deemed a political purpose.

He made no secret of the fact he didn’t feel free to speak even at Friday’s forum, where speakers included the Swedish Ambassador Staffan Herrstrom, who talked about the importance of press freedoms in his country.

“I don’t think I can say much today because I may overstep the limits of freedom of expression. These days I have to even be careful about clicking ‘Like’ on Facebook, so you can imagine what it’s like in real life,” Thammarat said.

Another speaker, Sabina Shah, a Khon Kaen-based Redshirt former community radio host, recalled how she was blindfolded, tied up and incarcerated for a week after the 2014 coup while her husband was threatened by the junta.

“It was violent,” said Sabina, her eyes brimming with tears. “… I will continue to call for our rights until we become the true owner of this country, however. People pay taxes, so why do we not have rights?”

Teerapol Anmai, a Khon Kaen writer and musician said people should have equal rights to express themselves, otherwise they are just like animals.

Teerapol compared the situation now under the junta like living under the surveillance of Nazi Germany’s Gestapo.

“We hardly have any freedom. We must be careful of what we say and censor ourselves,” he said.

Sheriff Warns: Stop Trespassing to Find Pokemon

By

Associated Press

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12 July 2016, 10:42

Pokemon Go is displayed on a cell phone in Los Angeles on Friday, July 8, 2016. Photo: Richard Vogel / Associated Press

GOOCHLAND, Virginia — Searching for Pokemon on a popular new smartphone game is not a valid excuse for trespassing.

That’s the warning from a central Virginia sheriff’s office. In a post on its official Facebook page, the Goochland Sheriff’s Office links a rise in reports of trespassing and suspicious activity over the weekend to Thursday’s release of the popular Pokemon Go game.

Read: Pokemon Invade Streets of Bangkok, Running Battles Ensue

The “augmented reality” game encourages players to wander in the physical world to find and catch new Pokemon on their screens.

Deputies say they have found people on business, church, and government properties late at night when the grounds are closed.

Authorities say those actions constitute trespassing and put both members of the public and law enforcement officers at risk.

UK Candidate Leadsom Drops Out of PM Race, Leaving Only May

By

Associated Press

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11 July 2016, 18:43

In this two photo combo, showing the two contenders to become the leader of the Conservative Party and assume the post of Britain's Prime Minister, with Theresa May, left, dated July 5, 2016, and Andrea Leadsom, right, dated July 4, 2016. Photo: Matt Dunham / Associated Press

LONDON — Andrea Leadsom, one of two Conservative lawmakers vying to replace Prime Minister David Cameron, withdrew from the contest Monday, leaving Home Secretary Theresa May as the sole remaining candidate.

The party was expected to address whether it would to re-open the contest to candidates eliminated in earlier rounds or declare May the winner unopposed. If so, she could be prime minister within days. Cameron is resigning after British voters rejected his advice and chose to leave the European Union in a referendum last month.

Leadsom withdrew after a weekend uproar over comments she made suggesting that being a mother would be an advantage in the job. Leadsom has children; May does not.

It wasn’t clear whether the flap affected her decision to drop out. She said simply that she did not believe she had sufficient support within the party to remain in the race.

Leadsom said “business needs certainty” in the wake of Britain’s vote to leave the European Union, which has unsettled the markets and sent the value of the pound plunging.

She said Britain needed a government that would “move quickly to set out what an independent United Kingdom’s framework for business looks like.

“We now need a new prime minister in place as soon as possible,” Leadsom said.

Story: Jill Lawless

Singer Will Spend Decade in Prison After Military Adds to Royal Defamation Sentence

By

Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

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11 July 2016, 17:20

Thanat Thanawatcharanon, aka Tom Dundee, is led into the Bangkok Military Court on July 11.

BANGKOK — A well-known Redshirt singer sentenced by a criminal court for defaming the monarchy was given another three years in jail by a military tribunal Monday.

Thanat Thanawatcharanon, aka Tom Dundee, will now spend over a decade in jail after the Bangkok Military Court sentenced him to three years and four months for insulting the monarchy, a law known as lese majeste.

Thanat’s prosecution by the military came after it seized power in 2014 and took over lese majeste cases. It’s the only known case of someone already under criminal indictment being tried anew by the military, and could stem from the fact his offending YouTube videos remained online for a month after the coup.

Thanat’s lawyer Saolak Pho-ngarm said the singer changed his mind about defending his case and pleaded guilty to the military judges.

Tom Dundee at a 2011 Redshirt rally. — Tom Dundee, at center, at a 2011 Redshirt rally.

On June 1, he was sentenced to seven and a half years in jail on the same charge. The singer had long contested the charges before reportedly giving up and confessing out of despair.

The criminal court had also sentenced him to writing a “national reconciliation” song and planting trees in honor of His Majesty King Bhumibol.

The military court reduced its sentence from five years after he pleaded guilty to the crime.

That brings his total sentences for insulting the royal family up to 10 years and 10 months.

The offending YouTube videos were of speeches he made at Redshirt rallies in November 2013.

Two Redshirts Punished By Martial Court For Defying Junta Summons

GMM Hit With First Ever Fine For Broadcasting Rape, Misogyny

By

Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

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11 July 2016, 16:49

BANGKOK — A popular soap opera was fined today for depicting rape and violence against a female character, mainstays of an entertainment form in which rape is treated as an essential plot device.

Coming at a time of renewed public anger over sexual assaults against women, the first fine of its kind by regulators was levied against the nation’s largest media conglomerate Monday for episodes aired earlier this year of lakorn series “Puen Rak Puen Rai.”

The 50,000 baht fine for GMM Grammy stemmed from complaints over an episode of its Channel 25 series which aired May 3.

The show, broadcast at 8pm on a Tuesday night, depicted an amused audience watching and filming a man as he raped a character on the show. In another scene, the same woman is brutally tortured by burning her face with a searing motorcycle exhaust pipe.

Read: Rape-Murder of Teacher Sparks Public Fury, Again

The show was rated “suitable for all ages.”

The story chronicled Cartoon and Cherry, two best friends who become enemies when they become involved with two men and betrayal, jealousy and more ensues.

Earlier this month the rape and murder of a teacher north of Bangkok in Saraburi province led to renewed calls for harsher punishments, including mandatory death sentences.

Fetishized sexual violence against women is the norm in television lakorn, the details of which are recounted in titillating detail across the spectrum of mainstream Thai-language media. Often, the sexual violence serves as a plot device leading to a relationship between the woman and her attacker.

Supinya Klangnarong of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission announced the decision online Sunday night.

“For the rape scene in the soap opera, tomorrow will be the first time it has been punished under Section 37,” Supinya wrote in reference to the broadcasting act’s section covering material deemed obscene, profane, or harmful to people’s mental or physical health.

She said it would hopefully set a precedent.

“If [the commission] agrees, this will set a norm for other cases,” she wrote.

The film was also ordered to change its rating to restricted and cut the two scenes if the episode is run again.

Military Denies Knowledge of Missing Anti-Monarchy Dissident

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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11 July 2016, 16:17

Ittipon Sukpaen, aka DJ Sunho in a March 30 selfie posted online. Photo: Ittipon Sukpaen / Facebook

BANGKOK — The military government Monday denied accusations on social media it was holding an outspoken critic of the monarchy missing for nearly three weeks.

Responding to social media rumors circulated among activists that Ittipon Sukpaen was arrested late last month and held by the army for “attitude adjustment,” the commander of the base in Phetchabun province where he was rumored to be held said it was untrue.

“This is an unfounded rumor,” Maj. Gen. Supot Boonranacharee, commander of the 36th Army Circle, said by telephone Monday. “I don’t even know him, and he has never been to this province. This is a rumor started by people who want to create a certain situation.”

Junta spokesman Winthai Suvaree also said its security forces do not have Ittipon in custody.

“We don’t have him,” Col. Winthai said. “If any military unit has him, I would have been notified already.”

Because Ittipon, aka DJ Sunho, has been in exile in Laos since the military took power in May 2014, rumors of him being held by Thai security forces have in recent weeks been circulated by Redshirt activists, many of whom have expressed fears the neighboring country may no longer be a safe haven for dissidents.

Community of Exiles

A former Chiang Mai-based Redshirt activist, Ittipon was part of the exodus of dissidents to flee the country in the wake of the coup.

He rose to fame for a series of YouTube videos in which he voiced fierce criticism of the junta and also the monarchy, an institution widely revered by Thais and protected from any libelous remarks by law. His videos earned him a place in the pantheon of Redshirt “underground” personalities such as Anek San Francisco, Arkom Sydney and Rose London.

Suda Rungkupan, another monarchy critic living in exile who’s maintained contacts with exiles in Laos, said Ittipon was last seen June 22. She said Ittipon’s friends tried to seek help from local authorities, but when the case didn’t go anywhere, they went online for information about his whereabouts.

Suda, who would not disclose where she is for fear of extradition, said the group soon received rumors she believed to be intel leaked by authorities that the YouTuber was abducted by the military and taken to the 36th Army Circle base in Phetchabun.

But beyond that, Suda said, she’s clueless about his fate, including the latest rumors suggesting he’s dead.

“I have hope that he’s still alive, but it’s such a small flicker of hope,” Suda said via Skype on Monday. “We don’t know who we can rely on, who will help us. If we were still living in Thailand, there would have been some security officers that may offer us some help.”

Suda, who’s publicly called for a republican revolution in Thailand, said she’s also surprised by Ittipon’s disappearance because he announced a year ago to quit his activism to focus on making a living instead.

“I don’t understand why the military would abduct him now. He hasn’t been involved in any underground activity for a long time now … he has not voiced any aggressive opinion toward the regime, so I’m really confused,” Suda said.

Lawyer Winyat Chartmontree said he’s been asked by Ittipon’s family in Thailand to organize an effort to locate the missing YouTuber.

“At this moment, we don’t know if he’s alive or dead, and we don’t know where he is,” Winyat said by telephone on Monday. “But it’s quite clear that this is a case of disappearance. His relatives said they simply lost contact with him, and this is unusual, because they kept in touch all the time.”

On July 8 Winyat posted online several photos of what he said were shoes and a motorcycle belonging to Ittipon found close to his residence in Laos.

New Norm?

The military regime has been trying, without any success, to have its fugitive critics expatriated to stand trial in Thailand, so the rumor that the military has somehow managed to abduct Ittipon in Laos and bring him across the border has sparked intense online discussion and conspiracy theories among the Redshirts.

“It’s not impossible that the military would have the balls to abduct him, because in neighboring countries like Laos and Cambodia, the military can buy their way in,” user Siriwari Sut Alai wrote on Prachatalk webboard. “Therefore, anyone living in exile in countries close to Thailand, please be really careful.”

But Somsak Jeamteerasakul, another prominent monarchy critic living in a self-imposed exile, dismissed the speculation because the junta has neither the capability nor the willingness to conduct such an operation.

“No matter how stupid the NCPO regime is, they aren’t stupid enough to jeopardize the relationship with a neighboring country in exchange for the abduction of Mr. Sunho,” Somsak wrote online, referring to the junta’s National Council for Peace and Order.

True or false, the rumors nevertheless have dampened the spirits of exiles in Laos, Suda said.

“I think it does have some effect,” she said. “Judging from their emotions, they seem to be less cheerful, and they seem to be gloomy. It’s like, they believe that this is the real deal now. This is what the regime can do.”

Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated that Suda Rungkupan is in Laos. She in fact declined to say where she was.

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