2 Professors Shot to Death at College

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18 May 2016, 11:10

Two professors were shot to death inside the Buddhawichalaya lecture hall of Phranakhon Rajabhat University’s Bang Na campus Wednesday morning. Photo: Google

BANGKOK — A professor opened fire at a college in eastern Bangkok this morning, killing two lecturers, police said.

Police said they are looking for a suspect in the deadly shooting, which took place inside the Buddhawichalaya lecture hall at Phranakhon Rajabhat University’s Bang Na campus Wednesday morning. The cause of the attack was described as “personal issues.”

Maj. Gen. Charoen Sisasalak, commander of Bangkok police bureau’s second division, said police were sealing off the crime scene and hunting for the gunman, who fled the building with his car after the shooting.

He named the suspect as Wanchai Danaitamonut, a fellow professor at the same university as the victims.

“We are trying to intercept him,” Charoen said, adding that the suspect is armed and dangerous.

Asked about the motive behind the murders, the police commander said Wanchai had “personal issues” with the two victims, but declined to comment further.

Police identified the victims as Pichai Chaisongkram and Nattapol Chumworathayee, both 50.

Wanchai is said to be driving a Nissan Almera, license plate 2กพ4721.

Gardener Guns Down Colleague at Thammasat University

Leicester Lads in Bangkok to Celebrate Big Win

By

Simon Duncan, Deputy Editor

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18 May 2016, 10:56

Leicester City FC arriving Wednesday morning at Suvarnabhumi Airport

By Simon Duncan
Deputy Editor

BANGKOK — The “Siamese Foxes” arrived in Suvarnabhumi early this morning to celebrate the unexpected success of Leicester City FC this season with Thai fans.

One day after an estimated 240,000 people took to the streets of Leicester, England, to greet their heroes, the team jetted off to spend the rest of the week in Thailand at the invitation of owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, CEO of King Power, a visit that will culminate with a parade through the capital.

Leicester arrived early Wednesday on flight TG 911. After meeting the media and early rising fans at the nation’s largest airport they were to be allowed a few hours to recuperate before a 2pm news conference.

Six team members did not make the trip, including star striker James Vardy and midfielder Danny Drinkwater, as both players are in England manager Roy Hodgson’s provisional squad for Euro 2016 and currently training in England, according to Leicester City’s official website.

N’Golo Kante was also missing due to a commitment with the French national team. Riyad Mahrez, Daniel Amartey and Nathan Dyer are also absent from the trip, according to the club’s site.

Thursday morning the team will travel to the Royal Palace where they will sign a book wishing his majesty the King good health.

That afternoon Leicester City will parade around part of the city. The parade starts at 4:30pm from King Power HQ and returns there approximately one hour later after completing a loop that will sweep past Siam Paragon and CentralWorld.

A map of Thursday’s victory parade route. Photo: Leicester City FC Thailand / Facebook

A spokesperson for King Power declined to provide details on what the “Siamese Foxes,” as Leicester is being marketed in Thailand, plan to do for the remainder of their trip which is believed to be for one week.

Good Guys in, Bad Guys Out

Leicester City FC were last in the City of Angels at the invite of owner Vichai in May 2015 following a season when they narrowly avoided relegation from the top flight of English football. The tour was aimed at boosting support for the team in Thailand.

That trip ended in disgrace as three members of the academy team, including the son of then-manager Nigel Pearson, starred in a viral sex tape in which they used racially abusive language towards Thai women.

Soon after the scandal Vichai fired the manager, his son and the two other youth players. Following that Italian Claudio Ranieri was appointed as new manager, a decision initially met with derision from the media and the team were ranked as 5,000-1 outsiders to win the Premier League.

People around the world know what happened next, although not everyone can agree on why it happened. Some Thais pin the success of the “Siamese Foxes” on magic monks, while many local Leicester fans in England seem to think that re-burying King Richard the III in Leicester last year paved the way to success.

Additional reporting Sasiwan Mokkhasen

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Indonesia Nabs 3 Boats With 79 Trafficked Fishermen on Board

By

Associated Press

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17 May 2016, 18:29

Fishing boats in Ranong province, 30 June 2015.

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Three Thai fishing boat captains have escaped from custody in Indonesia after their vessels were seized with dozens of trafficked foreign fishermen on board, an official said Tuesday.

The captains were detained on April 12 when they were found operating trawlers under Malaysian flags that were fishing off Kalimantan, Indonesia's part of Borneo island, said Sumono Darwinto, chief of the local fishing office in Pontianak.

He said the captains escaped on May 7 after scaling the wall of their detention center in the middle of the night, and are being sought by police and military officials. Eight other Thai crew members remain in detention.

The Fisheries Ministry in Jakarta said the 79 crew members from Cambodia and Myanmar were identified as victims of trafficking, and most had fake Thai travel documents.

Cambodia's Foreign Ministry has said 54 of its citizens were found on the boats after having been lured into taking jobs that promised high salaries and large bonuses for bringing in a lot of fish.

Indonesian authorities have been aggressively cracking down on foreign fishing vessels operating illegally in the country's waters. To send a message to foreign fishing companies, Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti has ordered that boats found plundering fish from Indonesian waters be blown up and sunk, and has taken a strong stance against trafficked fishermen.

The latest boat seizures come after a yearlong Associated Press investigation into human trafficking in Southeast Asia's lucrative seafood industry. It exposed a slave island in remote eastern Indonesia where hundreds of poor migrant fishermen, mostly from Myanmar, were being brutally abused aboard Thai-run trawlers and forced to fish for little or no money for years at a time. The AP followed the fish caught by the slaves to Thailand and then to some of America's largest food sellers, including Wal-Mart, Kroger and Sysco. More than 2,000 fishermen were freed last year after the stories were published.

Story: Ali Kotarumalos / Associated Press

To reach us about this article or another matter, please contact us by e-mail at: [email protected].

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No Really, Govt Tells GrabBike and UberMoto, What You’re Doing is Illegal

By

Sasiwan Mokkhasen, Staff Reporter

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17 May 2016, 17:23

GrabBike taxi operators in a promotional image posted Feb. 3. Photo: Grab / Facebook

BANGKOK — Two alternative motorcycle taxi services were summoned by authorities Tuesday and told to get off the road for a second time.

After ignoring a March order to cease operations, representatives of GrabBike and UberMoto were called in again by transportation officials who told them they present unfair competition to traditional motorcycle taxis, who have faced stricter regulation under military rule.

Nanthapong Cerhdchoo of the Department of Land Transport said both Singapore-based Grab and California-based Uber could be described as the kind of underworld elements the government has labeled “influential figures.”

In March, sweeping police powers were granted to the military to pursue a 4-month-old campaign against organized crime which has swept up drug dealers and environmental activists alike.

Authorities said they have arrested 37 GrabBike drivers and 29 from UberMoto as both companies have not just ignored the ban but promoted and expanded their services by hiring more drivers.

Grab launched GrabBike in Thailand in August. UberMoto began piloting its first moto service this past February in parts of Bangkok.

On March 11, Nanthapong announced they were operating out of compliance with commercial transportation law.

The penalty for using a private motorbike to carry paying passengers is a 2,000 baht fine. Those not wearing a regulation vest can be fined 1,000 baht, as can those without a proper driver’s license.

In a statement released Tuesday evening, Grab said they are still looking for a solution to the problem. Grab promised to inform the press again when there is some progress.

As of this afternoon, GrabBike continues advertising discounts.

“We are not the antagonist,” was written on their Facebook page.

UberMoto Ignores Same Ban Ignored by GrabBike

GrabBike Responds to Govt Ban With Big Discount and Apathy

Military, Police to Monitor GrabBike Shutdown

Hear Vietnamese Metal This Saturday From ‘Skeleton Loves Cupcake’

By

Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

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17 May 2016, 15:59

Photo: Skeleton Loves Cupcake / Courtesy<br /> — Photo: Skeleton Loves Cupcake / Courtesy

BANGKOK — Get a taste of Vietnamese alt-metal on Saturday courtesy of Skeleton Loves Cupcake, who are coming from Saigon for their first show abroad.

The four-piece act will show off their talents at a luxury Bangkok mall, performing their original songs (mostly bittersweet, headbanging love songs).

“We'd like to do anything we can do to bring the Southeast Asian music scene a bit closer,” wrote Dino Tarasin, one of the singing and guitar-abusing members of Bangkok’s Degaruda, who co-hosts the gig with Summer Sun Records.

So what is a Skeleton Loves Cupcake?

“It’s just a name about love,” said the guitarist Thanh Cac Nyugen. “That means everything can love each other, even a skeleton and a cupcake.”

Thanh Cac and friends will perform live on this Saturday at the steampunky Tales of Gold Mine at CentralWorld’s high-end Groove dining area.

Admission is free. Doors opens at 9pm with local post-rock support from Spring Fall Sea and hormone-pumping sound injections by Degaruda. Skeleton Loves Cupcake headlines.

Skeleton Loves Cupcake came together last year and counts metal bands such as Halestorm, Bullet for My Valentine and Breaking Benjamin as their influences.

They just released their EP “Hide Away” last week in Vietnam, with an album expected later this year.

Koh Tao Convicts ‘Still Hopeful’ as Appeal Looms

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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17 May 2016, 15:32

Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo are guided through a 're-enactment' of a Sept. 15, 2014, double murder on Koh Tao in a file photo from Oct 3, 2014.

BANGKOK — Lawyers representing the two Myanmar men sentenced to die for the brutal murders of two British backpackers said today they will soon file an appeal to overturn their convictions.

The appeal will seek to vacate December’s judgment against Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, who were found guilty of the September 2014 double murder of David Miller and Hannah Witheridge, a case that captured widespread attention in both domestic and foreign media.

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Despite being held on death row in Bangkok’s Bang Kwang Central Prison, Zaw and Wai are in good spirits and optimistic about their upcoming appeal, their lawyer said Tuesday.

“They still have hope,” Nakhon Chompuchat said by telephone.

The defense team consists of a group of lawyers working pro bono. Nakhon said they will submit the appeal by May 23. The case will be retried in the appeals court on Phuket. A verdict could be reached “at the earliest” in 2017, Nakhon said.

No new evidence or witnesses will be introduced to the appeal trial; rather, much of the proceedings will rest on interpretation of the evidence in the previous court. The two defendants, Zaw and Wai, will not make any appearance in the courtroom, Nakhon said.

“The court will not summon the defendants, except when the verdict is read,” Nakhon said.

Restricted Access

On Dec. 24, 2015, the court found Zaw and Wai guilty of killing Miller and Witheridge on a beach on Koh Tao in the early hours of Sept. 15, 2014. The two defendants, who worked at a bar there, were also found guilty of raping Witheridge.

They were sentenced to death.

However, the verdict fails to lay to rest the controversy over the police investigation into the murders since the earliest days, namely, the accusation that Zaw and Wai were “scapegoats” for the killings.

Although police initially said Zaw and Wai admitted to committing the crimes, the pair later recanted their confessions once they were provided with lawyers. Zaw and Wai said they were tortured by police into making a false confession, which police deny.

Their lawyer, Nakhon, said his defense team is still having difficulty providing legal counsel to the pair. The prison only allows interpreters who are accredited by the Lawyers Council, Nakhon said, and the defense team has to produce certificates each visit.

“Last time, we brought a letter from the Lawyers Council, but … it’s very difficult to do that every time,” Nakhon said. “I’m trying to clear this up by the prison.”

But lawyers and family members are permitted to see the two defendants without any trouble, he added.

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Bigger Protest Planned for Coup Anniversary; Police Weigh Response

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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17 May 2016, 13:50

Undercover security officers drag away a student activist from a May 22, 2015, demonstration on the first anniversary of the 2014 coup.

BANGKOK — Police authorities were meeting Monday to discuss whether to allow an upcoming protest to mark the second anniversary of the 2014 coup d’etat called for Sunday by pro-democracy activists.

Pro-democracy activists have scaled-up their ambitions for Sunday’s protest, one year after police forcibly dispersed them from a downtown demonstration for the first anniversary.

Thai Police Forcefully Break Up Student Anti-Coup Protest

All “political gatherings” of more than four people remain banned, and police said they will consult with the military about the rally called for Sunday by the New Democracy Movement at Thammasat University’s Tha Prachan.

“Right now we are considering the issue, because this is a demonstration,” Col. Rangsarn of Chanasongkram Police Station said. “They will cross police station jurisdictions, so this is a matter for the Metropolitan Police Bureau.”

The rally will take place at 4pm at the university’s memorial to the Oct. 6, 1976 massacre, according to the announcement from the pro-democracy group. Protesters will proceed along Ratchadamnoen Avenue to the Democracy Monument at around 5pm. The event is named “Two Years With a Future the People Did Not Choose.”

Under the newly enacted public assembly law, protesters are required to notify police if they plan to gather, and at this time the New Democracy Movement has not done so, Rangsarn said.

Reached for comment this afternoon, junta spokesman Winthai Suvaree said he was unaware of the protest.

“We will stick to the laws in our decision,” he said, declining to say whether the rally would be allowed.

The 2015 protest, which was also organized by the New Democracy Movement, started as a peaceful, silent “stand-in” but ended in scuffles as police officers dragged away several protesters. All 27 protesters were arrested. Some later accused police of using excessive force, an allegation denied by authorities.

Anti-Coup Students Describe 'Police Abuse' to Rights Commission

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Thousands of Senior Citizen Bank Accounts, Private Data Online

By

Sasiwan Mokkhasen, Staff Reporter

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17 May 2016, 12:37

A page hosting a file containing thousands of private records, including birthdays and bank accounts, of senior citizens in Bangkok’s Bang Khun Thian district as found online.

BANGKOK — Until this morning, senior citizen residents of Bangkok’s Bang Khun Thian could just go to the district office website to find out if they were eligible to receive social security benefits.

There they might have been surprised to find their names, ID numbers, birthdays, banks and bank account numbers listed along with those of more than 2,000 others in a publicly accessible spreadsheet.

The records, the latest in a series of mishandled sensitive data by a government agency, was posted by the district’s welfare department, a representative of which acknowledged the problem Tuesday morning.

“We intended to make it more convenient for people who can’t come to check at the district office,” department chief Piyathida Niyom said. “We’ve known about it since this morning, and we are taking it down.”

As of Tuesday afternoon the file still remained publicly available on the district’s site. According to the list, it contains the names of senior citizens eligible for benefits in 2017 and was last updated Dec. 28.

Locating vulnerable data has become a pursuit of online activists eager to point out vulnerabilities and insecurities in government-run sites since the military government made moves to channel all net traffic through a single point of control – and possible failures.

In March, personal details from the immigration bureau about hundreds of expats in a southern province were discovered online. Since late last year, a series of incidents involving personal information has been leaked online by hacker activists, who claimed to have taken it from vulnerable government systems.

The seniors’s records were first publicized Monday afternoon by Twitter user @bodin.

“Thank you Bangkok Metropolitan Administration,” @bodin tweeted. It’s all leaked – IDs, birthdays, bank account numbers. The only thing missing is their passwords for internet banking.”

In a move unlikely to satisfy privacy expectations, Piyathida said her office would replace the database with records containing only names and addresses. Those eligible for benefits would need to call the office and confirm their bank account details, she said.

In 2014, Bang Khun Thian district office famously miscalculated its disbursements and gave away 2 million baht to seniors. The office reportedly resorted to asking the seniors to send the money back.

The monthly benefit has also been debated since Friday, when a deputy finance minister proposed limiting its availability.

Deputy Finance Minister Wisudhi Srisuphan said the benefit, which ranges from 600 baht to 900 baht per month and is available to all seniors, only be for those with monthly incomes lower than 9,000 baht or less than 3 million baht in total assets.

Vast Trove of Travelers’ Personal Info Posted on Govt Website

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Han Kang's 'The Vegetarian' Wins Man Booker Fiction Prize

By

Associated Press

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17 May 2016, 11:15

Winner of the 2016 Man Booker International prize for fiction Han Kang poses for the media with her book 'The Vegetarian' following the award ceremony in London, Monday, May, 16, 2016. Photo: Alastair Grant / Associated Press

LONDON — South Korean author Han Kang won the Man Booker International Prize for fiction Monday with "The Vegetarian," an unsettling novel in which a woman's decision to stop eating meat has devastating consequences.

Han beat literary stars including elusive Italian author Elena Ferrante and Turkish Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk for the 50,000-pound (2.6 million baht) prize, awarded during a ceremony at London's Victoria and Albert Museum.

Literary critic Boyd Tonkin, chair of the panel that chose the winner from 155 entries, said Han's book combined "tenderness and terror" in a tale of "volcanic, visceral intensity."

The award is the international counterpart to Britain's prestigious Booker Prize and is open to books published in any language that have been translated into English.

The prize money will be split evenly between Han and her 28-year-old translator, Deborah Smith, who only began learning Korean less than seven years ago.

Han, 45, is the first Korean writer to be nominated for the prize, which was founded in 2005.

"The Vegetarian" is the first of her books to be translated into English. It tells the story of Yeong-hye, a dutiful wife whose decision to forego meat uproots her whole existence.

Han said the book was inspired by the idea of "a woman who desperately didn't want to belong to the human race any longer" and built on her 1997 short story about "a woman who actually turns into a fruit."

The author said she wanted to explore "human violence, and also (ask) a question about human dignity."

The prize — named after its sponsor, financial services firm Man Group PLC — was previously a career honor, but changed this year to recognize a single work of fiction.

The change comes amid signs that English-speaking readers are slowly becoming more receptive to translated literature. Research firm Nielsen Book says the British market for translated fiction almost doubled between 2001 and 2015 — but still accounts for just 1.5 percent of all fiction sales.

Man Booker is one of the few literary prizes to recognize translators alongside authors, and marks an extraordinary victory for Smith: "The Vegetarian" is not just the first Korean novel she had translated, but the first she had read.

"For a short novel, it felt like climbing a mountain," she said.

Han's book beat five other finalists, including "The Story of the Lost Child" by pseudonymous Neapolitan writer Ferrante, and Pamuk's Istanbul-set "A Strangeness in My Mind."

The other contenders were Yan Lianke's "The Four Books," one of the few Chinese novels to tackle the Great Famine of the 1950s and '60s; Angolan revolution saga "A General Theory of Oblivion" by Jose Eduardo Agualusa; and the Alpine story "A Whole Life" by Austria's Robert Seethaler.

Story: Jill Lawless / Associated Press