Film About Burmese Coup May Still Hit Too Close to Home

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30 May 2016, 15:59

Actors Maria Ehrich and Daweerit Chullasapya discuss their film ‘Twilight Over Burma: My Life as a Shan Princess’ on Thursday afternoon at a press conference at the Bangkok Art & Culture Centre.

By Simon Duncan
Deputy Editor

BANGKOK ― An elected prime minister is removed by the army chief. Those who offer defiance are taken into secret detention; Western diplomats annoy the new junta.

A foreign woman learns rice is khao and bird is nok.

These threads which sound ripped from the headlines of today are actually scenes from “Twilight Over Burma: My Life as a Shan Princess.”

While across town Thursday, Thailand’s military rulers were meeting with Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, commander-in-chief of the Myanmar armed forces, “Twilight Over Burma: My Life as a Shan Princess,” the only film to date about the 1962 Burmese coup d’etat, was shown publicly for the first time in Thailand at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre.

Interest was high to see the 2015 film. According to Enno Drofenik, Austria’s ambassador to Thailand, who introduced the film Thursday, about 2,000 people sought tickets to the theater which only sits a few dozen.

Many seats were taken by the Thai cast and crew, mostly watching for the first time. U.S. Ambassador Glyn Davies was also in attendance.

The lead character, Prince Sao Kya Seng, is portrayed by Daweerit Chullasapya, a Thai model making his acting debut. His wife in the film, Inge Sargent, is played by Maria Ehrich, a 23-year-old German actress.

Cast and crew on stage after the screening Thursday evening at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre.

The movie is based on the memoir by Sargent and the story begins in 1950s America where Sao Kya Seng, a young prince from Shan state studies mining at university. In the US he also fulfills another goal of learning more about democratic ideals.

In Colorado he meets an Austrian lady who moves with him to Burma in the late 1950s as his wife. Their seemingly idyllic life in Shan state, a mountainous region of Myanmar that borders northern Thailand, populated by people who speak a language related to Thai, is shattered by the 1962 coup.

The film sticks closely to the book of the same name: It is part love story but not a sugary rom-com. Instead the relationship between the two leads is an interesting way of bringing information about the 1962 coup d’etat and its aftermath to a wider audience.

Sargent’s husband, a champion of democracy, was abducted following the coup and has not been seen since.

Despite being originally made as a TV movie broadcast in Germany in March 2015, the production looks and feels like a bigger budget production and Maria Ehrich, the lead actress impresses in her role as Inge Sargent.

Aside from several scenes set in Rangoon and filmed there, other scenes set in Burma as it was then known were filmed in northern Thailand, producer Alfred Deutsch said.

Many characters are from Myanmar, however they are mostly played by Thais. Sahajak Boonthanakit portrays dictator General Ne Win, his second coup-related film shot in Thailand but set elsewhere, as he also appeared in the Hollywood film “No Escape.”

The version of the film screened Thursday in Bangkok was uncut and the Thai subtitles were generated live.

At present the film does not have a distributor in the region, but Deutsch said that he hopes that the film will be shown either on TV or in theatres in Thailand and Myanmar in the future if a buyer can be found.

General release in Thailand would be challenging as some scenes and dialogue might face with difficulty with film board censors. At one point the lead character argues that democracy is more important than royalty, and there are scenes of a prince held in a cage.

In the meantime the book “Twilight Over Burma: My Life as a Shan Princess” is available in bookstores in both English and Thai.

Jenphop Contests All But Lesser Charge

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Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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30 May 2016, 15:01

Jenphop Viraporn and his uncle Charoen Yodkaewlah arrive Monday at the provincial court in Ayutthaya.

AYUTTHAYA — Cloaked in a monk's robe, Jenphop Viraporn stepped into a court for the first time today to plead not guilty to most of the charges relating to the two graduate students he killed in a high-speed crash 11 weeks ago.

For the fiery March 13 crash, 37-year-old Jenphop confessed to a lesser charge of fatal reckless driving rather than vehicular manslaughter while under the influence.

Jenphop Indicted for Fatal Benz Crash

“Other than that, he denies all charges,” prosecutor Krisada Rojanasuwan said by telephone. The seven other charges against him include refusing to take a sobriety test, which under the law automatically led to another offense, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Both crimes of fatal reckless driving and doing so under the influence are punishable by up to 10 years in jail. A conviction on the latter would mean Jenphop, who sells luxury cars for a living, would be stripped of his driver’s license.

The trial will start in July or August, depending on the court’s schedule, Krisada said.

Jenphop, a luxury car company owner and son of a wealthy family, crashed his Mercedes-Benz into the back of a Ford at 250 kilometers per hour, killing its occupants, Krissana Thaworn and Thantapat Horsaengchai.

He did not answer reporters’ questions as he entered and left the court. He was last wheeled into court on March 18 when he was granted bail.

Since the accident, Jenphop has largely kept himself out of the public eye, but in early May he was ordained as a monk at a high-profile ceremony in Bangkok. His family announced that the ordination was meant to make merit for the two victims of the crash.

Although Jenphop’s family initially said he would only stay in the monkhood for two weeks, his uncle, Charoen Yodkaewlah, told reporters today that he decided to continue his religious retreat for an unspecified amount of time.

Krisada, the public prosecutor, said Jenphop’s status as a Buddhist holy man would not affect the trial.

“As long as there’s still no verdict, he will be treated as innocent,” Krisada said. “He can come to testify to the court as a monk. No problem.”

Businessman Charged for Fatal Collision Amid Mounting Criticism

Officers In Charge of Ayutthaya Deadly Collision Removed

Jenphop Plowed Through Toll Booth Before Deadly Crash (Video)

Fresh Charge Against Jenphop as Model Student Victims Laid to Rest

Teeranai Charuvastra can be reached at [email protected] and @Teeranai_C.

Better Hit the Gym, Ben & Jerry’s Coming to Thailand

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Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

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30 May 2016, 14:09

BANGKOK — Fans of feel-good Ben & Jerry’s ice cream can rejoice as the beloved American brand is coming to Bangkok.

Ben & Jerry’s will be officially coming to Thailand, the company announced Monday afternoon. When? Where? All we have for now is a tease of tastiness to come.

The small, homemade ice cream operation built into a small empire based on progressive politics was founded in 1978 in the U.S. state of Vermont, home to president candidate Bernie Sanders, who now has a flavor named after him.

Today it operates in many countries around the world.

Students to Bed Down Again at School Where 17 Girls Just Burnt to Death

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Sasiwan Mokkhasen, Staff Reporter

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30 May 2016, 12:12

Forty-one students returned to Pitakkiet Witthaya School in Chiang Rai on Monday one week after 17 of their classmates died there in a fire.

CHIANG RAI — A week after a tragic fire killed at least 17 of its young students, the Pitakkiat Witthaya School reopened today without any apparent safety inspection and after raising millions of baht in donations.

Since closing May 22, the school has collected 14 million baht it says will be given Friday to those affected. Chiang Rai Gov. Boonsong Techamaneesathit, who was not present Monday for the reopening, will make an appearance Friday to personally hand over the donated money before the assembled press corps.

Wiang Pa Pao District Chief Prasert Jitpleecheep said the school was not required to ask authorities for permission to reopen. The dormitory building itself does not need to comply with the 1979 Building Control Act as it predated the law.

“The fire took place at the dormitory, not the school building,” he said. “So the school can open again.”

Prasert said the school building is regulated by the Ministry of Education, while the dormitory is registered with the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security. Though as the local authority, his office also has a role in advising the school about its building.

Of 142 students enrolled in the school before the fire, 41 students returned to class Monday in Chiang Rai’s Wiang Pa Pao district. Parents of 22 students have withdrawn their children from the school. Dozens of other of students not killed in the fire did not show up today without providing excuses for their absence.

Thirty-eight girls were sleeping in the school’s dormitory when a fire broke out at about 11pm on May 22. The school’s director Rewat Wasana said Friday there were no smoke detectors inside, and surviving children said no alarm was raised.

Rewat said Monday some students would sleep at the school tonight.

“They will sleep in a temporary building,” he said. Asked if the school sought permission to reopen, he said he could not talk and hung up the phone.

Eight days after the fire, police remain tight-lipped about its cause.

Though investigators have questioned more than 50 witnesses, a police spokesman said the cause still cannot be determined.

“It is likely that we will be able to identify the cause [of the fire] this week,” Royal Thai Police Deputy Spokesman Kritsana Pattanacharoen said Monday morning. “Then it can lead to filing charges.”

Kritsana said during a press conference in Bangkok that the 17 bodies would be transferred back to families according to DNA results matching them with their parents.

“We are still waiting for the results of the forensic examinations in order to identify the causes of death and the investigation report from the scene,” he said

Local police Monday were unable to provide a time frame for the investigation.

“There is no progress of the case at the moment,” said police Col. Prayad Singsin on Monday morning. “We are trying to accelerate the process.”

Pitakkiat Witthaya School is under the care of a Christian charity called Panthakit Suksan Foundation, which is headed by Rewat’s wife, Pim Wassana. The school opened in 2008 in an effort to provide education primarily for children from impoverished hill tribe families.

Police Tight-Lipped About Cause of Fire That Killed Schoolgirls

Fire Kills 17 Sleeping School Girls

Another Showdown as Tiger Temple Blocks 1,000 Wildlife Officers

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Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

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30 May 2016, 12:01

Military and National Park Department officers at the Tiger Temple this morning. Photo: Edwin Wiek / Twitter<br /> — Military and National Park Department officers at the Tiger Temple this morning. Photo: Edwin Wiek / Twitter

KANCHANABURI — Conflict was brewing once again at the Tiger Temple this morning when it refused to hand over its tigers to wildlife officials.

Over 1,000 national park officers arrived at the Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi province at around 9am on Monday and as of noon were attempting to negotiate the animals’ removal.

Prattana Intawong, a veterinarian with activist group Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand, said her crew has been waiting for the big cats at a veterinary hospital near the temple, known as Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua Yanasampanno.

“The hospital is about 10 minutes from the temple,” she said. “The national parks department is now negotiating. We’re now just waiting for the result and order.”

Calls to temple lawyer Saiyood Pengboonchoo weren’t returned.

As announced by officials on Sunday, the remaining 137 big cats at the controversial temple would be removed today to new homes in Ratchaburi province, despite last month’s approval of a zoo license for the temple which seemed to clear legal hurdles to it keeping them.

Wildlife officials are hoping to transport 20 tigers per day from the temple, a commercial operation which brings in millions of baht and has been accused of trafficking the very animals it claims to protect.

All tigers would be removed within one week, Adisorn Noochdamrong of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation said Sunday afternoon.

That’s if they can win cooperation from the temple, which has refused to cooperate with inspectors and one year ago famously mobilized hundreds of its followers to barricade the entrance to keep officials out.

Should the temple offer defiance, Adisorn said a court order would be sought.

This latest encounter resembles several frustrated efforts by officials to take action in the past, in which the temple succeeded in fending off attempts to remove its tigers.

Ten big cats have been removed from the controversial temple on two occasions: Five in January and another five in February. They were relocated to a wildlife research station in Ratchaburi province on the temple’s understanding it could buy them back once it had won approval to operate as a zoo.

The Tiger Temple is located at Kanchanaburi’s Sai Yok district and as of January was believed to possess 147 tigers.

Tiger Temple to Reapply After Zoo Permit Denied

5 More Big Cats Removed from ‘Tiger Temple’

‘Tiger Temple’ to Sue NatGeo Over Damning Report

Temple Refuses to Release Tigers, Again

‘Tiger Temple’ to Give Up Big Cats, Activist Says

Japanese Boy Disappears After Parents Leave Him in Forest

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Associated Press

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30 May 2016, 11:32

Rescuers search for a 7-year-old boy who is missing in a Japanese forest in Nanae town, on Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan's four main islands Monday, May 30, 2016. Photo: Kyodo News / Associated Press

TOKYO — A 7-year-old boy is missing in a Japanese forest after his parents reportedly made him get out of the car as punishment.

Rescue workers resumed searching Monday in a wooded area on Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan's four main islands. He has been missing since late Saturday afternoon.

Japanese media say the parents initially told police that their son had disappeared while they were picking wild vegetables, but they later admitted they had made him get out of the car to punish him for throwing rocks while playing at a river earlier in the day.

Japan's Kyodo News service says the father returned a few minutes later but the boy was gone.

Story: Associated Press

Ariya Jutanugarn Wins 3rd Straight LPGA Tour Title

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Associated Press

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30 May 2016, 10:42

Ariya Jutanugarn, of Thailand, stands with the LPGA Volvik Championship trophy after winning the golf tournament at the Travis Pointe Country Club, Sunday, May 29, 2016 in Ann Arbor, Mich. Jutanugarn is holding up three fingers to signify that she has won three LPGA tournaments in a row. Photo: Jose Juarez / Associated Press

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Ariya Jutanugarn's strength and skill helped her become the first player to win three straight LPGA Tour events in three years.

The 20-year-old Jutanugarn closed with a 5-under 67 for a five-stroke victory Sunday in the Volvik Championship. She's the first player since Inbee Park in 2013 to win three consecutive tournaments and the first ever to make her first three career victories consecutive.

"Ariya is very difficult to describe, there really hasn't been a player like her in my generation," said 32-year-old Christina Kim, who finished second after a 71. "The way she powers the ball, it's remarkable. And she has such imagination around the golf course and incredible touch."

Jutanugarn finished at 15-under 273 at Travis Pointe after starting the day with a one-shot edge thanks to a closing eagle in the third-round.

She became the first Thai winner in tour history three weeks ago in Alabama and followed that up last week with a victory in Virginia. Jutanugarn isn't playing the next event in New Jersey, where she would have had a shot to become the first since Lorena Ochoa in 2008 to win four scheduled tournaments in a row.

"I just need rest right now," she said.

Jutanugarn will have an opportunity to resume her run at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship in two weeks in Sammamish, Washington.

"She's going to have a lot of majors under her belt," Kim said. "She's peaking at the right time."

A year ago, Jutanugarn was mired in a slump in which she missed 10 straight cuts.

"Last year, I had chance to win a few tournaments, but I didn't know how to play with pressure," she said. "This year, I know how to play under pressure."

Jessica Korda (72) and Canada's Brooke Henderson (68) tied for third at 9 under. The 18-year-old Henderson has nine top-10 finishes this season. Third-ranked Lexi Thompson shot a 67 to tie for seventh at 7 under. The top-ranked Ko a 70 to tie for 16th at 4 under.

Before the breakthrough winning streak, Jutanugarn was best known for a pair of final-round meltdowns. Last month in the ANA Inspiration, she had a two-stroke lead with three holes left and closed with three bogeys to finish fourth — two strokes behind winner Lydia Ko.

"I didn't know how to control when I got very nervous," Jutanugarn said. "After that, I got a lot more confident."

In the 2013 LPGA Thailand at age 17, Jutanugarn blew a two-stroke lead with a closing triple bogey in a one-stroke loss to Park.

Jutanugarn opened the inaugural tournament at Travis Pointe with a 65, leaving her a shot behind Kim. Jutanugarn surged into the lead by two strokes with a 68 on Friday, and finished off a 73 on Saturday with a 15-foot eagle putt for a one-stroke lead over Kim and Korda.

The powerful player didn't need a driver this week, and still often outhit the competition off the tee with her 2-iron and 3-wood, which she uses to send balls 270 yards.

"She can hit it 320, 330, when she hits driver," Kim said.

And even if she was in the rough or sand at the Volvik Championship, Jutanugarn's deft touch put her in position to make par-saving putts or birdies.

Lightning in the area led to a 50-minute rain delay toward the end of Jutanugarn's front nine when she was 1 under for the day after a birdie at No. 6.

Facing a stiff, flag-flapping wind, she sent a tee shot into the right rough at No. 9. Her approach left her short of the green, but she got up and down for a par.

"She does things that I can't fathom," Kim said. "It's beautiful to watch."

As Jutanugarn walked off ninth green, she stopped to shake the hand of Army specialist Zachary Loughrige, who was tending the U.S. flag that was used in hole.

She pulled away from the field with birdies at Nos. 13, 14 and 16, earning a five-shot cushion at 14 under.

"I thought she was bored because she was sitting down," Korda said. "She sat down on like the 16 tee and 18 tee, sitting, chilling in the shade."

Long before that moment, everyone else was vying for position on the leaderboard behind Jutanugarn.

Korda said she was "speechless," after playing in the final group with Jutanugarn.

"As long as she can keep that ball in play off the tee, watch out," she said. "Keep watching out."

Story: Larry Lage / Associated Press

Ariya Jutanugarn Becomes LPGA Tour's First Thai Winner

Endangered Gorilla Shot Dead After Boy Falls Into Enclosure (Video)

By

Associated Press

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29 May 2016, 13:33

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Zoo has temporarily closed its gorilla exhibit after a special zoo response team shot and killed a 17-year-old gorilla that grabbed and dragged a 4-year-old boy who fell into a moat.

Zoo officials said the boy fell after he climbed through a public barrier at the Gorilla World exhibit Saturday afternoon. He was picked up out of the moat and dragged by the gorilla, named Harambe, for about 10 minutes.

Authorities said the child, who has not been identified, fell about three meters. He was taken to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, where he is expected to recover. Hospital officials said they couldn't release any information on him.

Zoo Director Thane Maynard said the zoo's dangerous animal response team decided the boy was in "a life-threatening situation" and that they needed to put down the 400-pound-plus male gorilla named Harambe.

"They made a tough choice and they made the right choice because they saved that little boy's life," Maynard said. "It could have been very bad."

But he mourned the loss of the gorilla, which came to Cincinnati in 2015 from the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas.

"We are all devastated that this tragic accident resulted in the death of a critically endangered gorilla," he said in a news release. "This is a huge loss for the zoo family and the gorilla population worldwide."

Two female gorillas also were in the enclosure when the boy fell in but zoo officials said only the male remained with the child.

Maynard said the gorilla didn't appear to be attacking the child, but he said it was "an extremely strong" animal in an agitated situation. He said tranquilizing the gorilla wouldn't have knocked it out immediately, leaving the boy in danger.

It was the first time that the team had killed a zoo animal in such an emergency situation, Maynard said. He called it "a very sad day" at the zoo.

The area around the gorilla exhibit was closed off Saturday afternoon as zoo visitors reported hearing screaming.

Maynard said the zoo believes the exhibit remains safe.

The zoo will be open on Sunday but officials said the gorilla exhibit has been closed until further notice.

The zoo prides itself for its work in protecting endangered species, and has been part of successful captive breeding efforts in recent years in the effort to save the endangered Sumatran rhino.

Story: Dan Sewell / Associated Press

Staged Disappearance: Democrazy Theatre’s Provocative New Production

By

Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

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29 May 2016, 12:50

BANGKOK — When someone goes missing, will he or she be remembered? Do the vanished feel differently from those who remain?

In a place where people have disappeared from sight at a time when authorities seem to think this is okay, a provocative production rising from questions about people made suddenly absent by force, chance or causes unknown will take the stage for a two week run next month.

“The Disappearance of the Boy on a Sunday Afternoon” tells the story of a family whose eldest son vanishes before “someone” returns 10 years later.

The play is written and directed by Thanaphon Accawatanyu of Splashing Theatre Company, a local community of Thammasat University students and alumni.

Three actors play one character each in what Thanaphon said is a family mystery-drama.

Asked about his motivation behind the performance, the 23-year-old playwright gave a long pause before talking about a recurring nightmare he has been unable to shake off.

“It’s like I’ve been having a nightmare, and I don’t know why it happened, and when it will stop,” Thanaphon said. “[The play] started from what I feel intensely at a moment and want to express through a story I write, through a play I direct.”

The Disappearance will have an eight-day run beginning at 8pm on June 23-26, June 30, and July 1-3 at Democrazy Theatre Studio, with 2pm matinees on June 26 and July 3.

Democrazy Theatre Studio is a short walk from MRT Lumpini, exit No. 1.

Tickets are 450 baht, however if purchased online before June 12 they are only 350 baht for one and 650 baht for a pair. The show will be performed in Thai with English surtitles projected.

Thanaphon won best script at Bangkok Theatre Festival late last year for the play “The Art of Being Right,” a drama about a couple on the verge of a break up. The theatrical performance took place in November at a coffee shop at Bangkok Art and Culture Center.

Politicos Welcome Lifting of Overseas Travel Ban

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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28 May 2016, 16:39

Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha speaks to reporters on Mar. 3, 2015, at the Government House in Bangkok. Under his order, more than 100 people must seek his permission before traveling abroad.

BANGKOK — Politicians from both the Democrat and Pheu Thai parties said the junta’s decision yesterday to lift ban on overseas travel currently imposed on more than 100 people is a positive step toward reconciliation.

The ban’s repeal was announced by the junta Friday and goes into effect Wednesday, two years since it was first put in place when the military seized power in the May 2014 coup. However, the junta said the lifting will not extend to politicians facing criminal charges, such as former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

Ex-Pheu Thai MP Appeals Junta’s Travel Ban

Junta spokesman Piyapong Klinpan said the regime decided that overall situation is improving, “so we want to create a relaxed atmosphere.”

After staging the coup, the junta summoned more than 100 politicians, activists, reporters and academics to turn themselves in for “attitude adjustment” sessions where they were made to sign agreements that they would not sow division and agreed not to travel outside the country without the junta’s permission. It went so far as to revoke the passports of several of its persistent critics.

Former Democrat MP for Songkhla Wirat Kalyasiri called the lifting “a good sign” that will lead to reconciliation.

“It will lessen some pressure in the society,” Wirat said.

But his fellow party member, deputy Democrat chairman Nipit Intarasombat, said it was long overdue.

“I don’t feel happy or excited that this order will be repealed, because it shouldn’t have been there in the first place,” Nipit said. “Personally, I even think that the repeal comes too late.”

Across the political aisle, former Pheu Thai minister Pichai Naripthapan said he felt happy that he could finally travel abroad without having to seek the junta’s permission.

“I feel happy to have my rights to travel restored, because it’s a right protected by the United Nations conventions,” said Pichai, who was previously prevented from traveling to the United States.

Col. Piyapong hinted that other bans on free speech and protests will not be lifted any time soon.

“There are still some issues that need to be strictly enforced. We are not unlocking everything,” he said Saturday.

Thai Professor's Passport Revoked by Junta

Pheu Thai’s Chaturon Fights for Right to Travel

Teeranai Charuvastra can be reached at [email protected] and @Teeranai_C.

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