Suspected Killers of Disabled Man Related to Police

By

Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

-

3 May 2016, 13:47

Somkiat Srichan being attacked by six men Sunday morning at Chokchai Soi 4 in Ladprao district<br /> — Somkiat Srichan being attacked by six men Sunday morning at Chokchai Soi 4 in Ladprao district

BANGKOK — Four of the six men accused of attacking and killing a disabled man on Sunday morning outside a bakery at Chokchai Soi 4 are related to police officers.

Brothers Arin and Peerapol Yodponganan, 2o and 21 respectively, Monmanat Sangpho, 22, and 19-year-old Mek Polkraisorn were said at a press conference Monday afternoon to be sons of police officers. The four were among six arrested for stabbing and beating Somkiat Srichan, a 36-year-old bakery worker, to death around 8:30am Sunday.

The other two suspects are Akkaradet Thatsana, 22, and an 18-year-old whose identity is being withheld as he is a minor.

Somkiat who had difficulty walking due to a disability, was reportedly being teased by the six men and answered back, which urged them to attacked him, according to Pol.Col. Chairop Chunnawat of Chokchai Police Station.

Somkiat died after being sent to Paolo Memorial Hospital at Soi Chokchai 4.

Chairop told Khaosod English this morning that all the suspects said they were drunk when they saw Somkiat in front of a bread shop and committed the crime. A woman who is allegedly the girlfriend of one of the suspects was heard shouting “Kill him, kill him” during the attack, a witness told Chairop.

The six suspects were charged with assault resulting in death and possession of knives in public without permission. The unidentified woman was charged with instigating violence.

Acting metro police chief Lt.Gen. Sanit Mahatavorn said at a press conference Monday afternoon that although four of the six suspects are related to police officers, the case will proceed with fair treatment. Police will inspect footage from CCTV cameras near the crime scene and investigate further to find out if anyone else was involved in the incident, Sanit said.

Five suspects were taken to Ratchada Criminal Court Tuesday morning. They were refused bail. One suspect, Peerapol Yodponganan, was absent from the court as he is being treated at hospital for a cut on his left arm that he received during the fight.

Weapons used in the deadly assault on display Monday afternoon at Chokchai Police Station.

Acting metro police chief Lt.Gen. Sanit Mahatavorn, standing center, five of the suspects and weapons used in the deadly assault, Monday afternoon at Chokchai Police Station.

Junta Launches Diplomatic PR Campaign

By

Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

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3 May 2016, 13:07

Allowed: a military-sponsored campaign in Korat on Friday urges voters to cast their vote in the upcoming referendum.

By Pravit Rojanaphruk
Senior Staff Writer

BANGKOK — The Foreign Ministry has issued six pages of talking points for diplomats around the world to discuss Thailand’s charter referendum and military regime.

Written in English, “Thailand – Towards Reform and Sustainable Democracy: The Need for Public Order and Social Harmony,” outlines arguments to defend and justify recent authoritarian measures taken by the military regime by framing them as necessary to protect “public order and social harmony.”

“Public order and social harmony are key for the Government to be able to see through the Roadmap. The Government has, therefore, promulgated a number of laws to ensure that public order and social harmony prevail,” it read. “These laws do not impinge on general freedom of expression – which we believe to be fundamental element of a democratic society – as long as such expression does not undermine public order and social harmony.”

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A copy of the document, dated April 20, can be found on the site of the Royal Thai Consulate in Chicago, Ill.

Reached for comment Monday and Tuesday, a Foreign Ministry representative said a spokesman was in a meeting and would return calls. Other calls went unanswered.

Officials in the ministry’s information department said the document was distributed to both Thai embassies abroad and foreign embassies in Thailand about two weeks ago.

“We offered embassies information to use for their consideration,” said the staff member who declined to give her name. “When the new committee of the Foreign Correspondent’s Club of Thailand paid a visit to the ministry previously, we also gave it to them.”

Going further, it seeks to broadly characterize the motivations and goals of the military regime installed after coup makers led by Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha suspended democracy. It described the government as open and accommodating.

“In fact, the Government has been receptive to all views regarding the current process of reconciliation and reform,” it said.

That seems a sunny assessment of the state of affairs in the kingdom, where public protests have been banned, open campaigning criminalized, and junta critics seized and charged with sedition in the run-up to a public referendum on the constitution drafted under military supervision.

The talking points memo, however, paints a picture of a harmonious nation that has been free of discord and tension since the military seized power in May 2014.

“All the freedoms remained, but with certain limits in the early days,” it reads. “Nevertheless, there was no tension in the air and critiques of the administration could often be seen in the press.”

Despite describing a nation free of tensions, the Foreign Ministry-issued document also blames “a certain individual” for sewing persistent discord.

“However, in recent days, a certain individual has acted in violation of those laws – and repeatedly so despite warnings from the authorities. His actions are politically motivated and are designed to incite discord and the process of reconciliation and reform in Thailand which, up till now, has been proceeding apace.”

It does not deign to identify by name what can only be former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whose political influence the military has sought to dismantle since it overthrew a civilian government loyal to him which had been led by his sister.

The document insists “Thailand's commitment to the promotion and protection of civil liberties and human rights remains unchanged,” while also asserting that “democracy means more than just the holding of elections of upholding rights and freedoms.”

As for the draft charter, it is described as “the product of an extensive and inclusive process of hearings, public seminars and debates.”

That description may surprise those who sought to weigh in on the drafting process undertaken by a panel appointed by the junta, who mostly deliberated over its contents between themselves.

Finally, on its last page, the paper’s summary urges the international community to recognize the progress made toward establishing a sustainable democracy.

“We urge our friends and partners in the international community to recognize the progress Thailand has made – and will continue to make – on our journey to a strengthened and sustainable democracy that truly meets the needs and aspirations of the Thai people… We, therefore, continue to ask for time and space to let reconciliation and reforms take their course.”

This process, it describes, is one undertaken by the body public.

“Ultimately, sustainable reforms which shall see Thailand through a stable, prosperous and an altogether stronger country must come from within – by the Thai people and for the Thai people.”

Additional reporting Sasiwan Mokkhasen

Pravit Rojanaphruk can be reached at [email protected] and @PravitR.

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'Watch Yourself,' Prayuth Tells Reporter on World Press Freedom Day (Video)

By

Sasiwan Mokkhasen, Staff Reporter

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3 May 2016, 12:25

President of Thai Journalists Association Wanchai Wongmeechai offers a black campaign t-shirt to Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha Tuesday on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day at Government House.

BANGKOK — When a veteran reporter said, “Freedom of the press is freedom of the people” Tuesday, the junta chief advised her to watch herself.

On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, members of the Thai Journalists Association clad in specially designed black T-shirts to mark the occasion, visited Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha today at government house. Within a few minutes of asking to revoke some of the junta’s orders against media freedom, Prayuth made his standpoint on the issue clear.

“Isn’t the freedom we have right now enough?” he asked.

Prayuth said he understood that there was a campaign to mark World Press Freedom Day. Yet when he was asked to repeal orders currently curtailing the media from criticizing the junta, he said, “I will review it. Because if I cancel this one, I can also add another one.”

When Prayuth turned back to walk away, Yuwadee Thanyasiri, a senior reporter who has covered Government House for more than 30 years said “Freedom of the press is freedom of the people.” Prayuth turned back and asked who said that.

After Yuwadee gave her name, Prayuth pointed at her and said “Watch yourself.”

The Thai Journalists Association earlier this morning tried to submit their statement on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day directly to Prayuth. But they were asked by officials not to do so as it would set an example and encourage others to campaign using the same method.

In the annual index of Paris-based Reporters Without Borders issued last month, Thailand fell from 134th place in the 2015 report to 136th of 180 nations this year. Junta chief Prayuth Chan-ocha was described as a “new predator of information” for his verbal attacks and death threats against journalists.

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Sasiwan Mokkhasen can be reached at [email protected] and @amsasiwan.

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Leicester Wins Premier League for First Time

By

Associated Press

-

3 May 2016, 10:42

Leicester City fans celebrate in Hogarths public house in Leicester, central England, after Chelsea's Eden Hazard scores the equalising goal against Tottenham Hotspur in their English Premier League soccer match. Story: Jonathan Brady / PA / Associated Press

LONDON — Leicester City completed one of the greatest-ever sporting achievements Monday when the 5,000-1 underdogs won the Premier League for the first time.

Leicester players were crowded around a television inside top-scorer Jamie Vardy's house as they were handed the title by closest challenger Tottenham being held to a 2-2 draw by deposed champion Chelsea.

With an insurmountable seven-point lead over Tottenham with two games remaining, Leicester is champion of England for the first time in its 132-year history.

"Championes! Championes! Ole! Ole! Ole!" the jubilant Leicester players sang as they jumped up and down with their arms on each other's shoulders inside Vardy's house.

"Nobody believed we could do it, but here we are — Premier League champions and deservedly so," Leicester captain Wes Morgan said. "I've never known a spirit like the one between these boys, we're like brothers."

Just two years ago, Vardy and many of his teammates were playing in the second tier and then came close to instantly dropping out of the Premier League. They started this season as among the favorites to be relegated again. But on Monday night fans who never dreamed their modest club in city with a population of 330,000 would conquer wealthier rivals descended on Leicester's King Power Stadium to party into the night.

"People saw it last season when everyone expected us to be relegated, but we fought back to prove people wrong," Morgan said. "This season's been a continuation of that. We've built on the momentum, but I don't think anyone believed it would come to this."

Leicester, which will collect the trophy on Saturday when it hosts Everton at home, had not even finished higher than second since 1929.

English soccer has not had a first-time champion of the top flight since Nottingham Forest in 1978. And for the last 20 years the Premier League trophy has never left London or Manchester, with Arsenal, Chelsea, United and City sharing the trophy between them.

Unlike that title-winning quartet or 1995 champion Blackburn, Leicester has achieved its success without lavish spending on its squad.

Chelsea's draw also ensured Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri became a league title winner for the first time in his career, 12 years after the 64-year-old Italian was fired by the Blues.

"Let's do it for Ranieri," read one Chelsea fan's banner during Monday's game at Stamford Bridge where the trophy was presented to Chelsea last May.

"It's the greatest achievement in the history of English football and it was led by an Italian," Matteo Renzi, the Italian Prime Minister, tweeted.

Leicester missed a chance to seal the title on Sunday when it was held to a draw by Manchester United but Chelsea ensured the party wasn't delayed any longer.

Tottenham had to win at Chelsea to keep its bid for a first title since 1961 alive and led 2-0 thanks to goals from striker Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, before Chelsea staged a second-half fight back to draw in a fiery London derby where tempers frayed and tackles flew in from everywhere.

"What a game," Leicester defender Robert Huth tweeted. "Makes me look like an angel! CHAMPIONS!!!"

Center half Gary Cahill pulled a goal back for Chelsea early in the second half, and with Tottenham clinging on, the equalizing goal was scored by Eden Hazard.

Hazard's goal was almost a year to the day since his strike won the title for Chelsea, which is 29 points behind Leicester. Chelsea's collapse has been as astonishing as Leicester's surge to the top of the standings it was bottom of last April.

Ranieri called Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink to thank him for Chelsea's part in delivering the title to Leicester, which is owned by Thai retail giant King Power.

"(Ranieri said) five times 'Thanks', because of the emotion," Hiddink said. "I didn't see any tears because it was not a Facetime conversation, but his voice was trembling a bit."

One bookmaker, Sky Bet, said it paid out 4.6 million pounds (USD$6.8 million) to punters who backed Leicester to win the title, with 128 putting money on the team at 5,000-1.

No sports team has defied such odds to triumph and Leicester's improbable success has provided a feel-good story for a country divided as it prepares to vote on whether to remain in the European Union.

"Many congratulations to Leicester," British Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted. "An extraordinary, thoroughly deserved, Premier League title."

Story: Rob Harris / Associated Press

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

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Thai Volleyballers Chase Leicester Success to Same Magic Monk

By

Sasiwan Mokkhasen, Staff Reporter

-

2 May 2016, 17:45

Chao Khun Thongchai hands the same type of ‘pha yant,’ or spirit cloth, he presented to Leicester City players to Thailand’s national women’s volleyball team Monday at Wat Traimit in Bangkok.

BANGKOK — Looking to capitalize on some of the same mojo that has propelled Leicester City FC from zeros to heros, the national women’s volleyball team today sought Olympic blessings from the same famed monk to bless the Leicester lads.

The national team Monday morning went to Wat Traimit where they received the same type of spirit cloth from Chao Khun Thongchai that the monk gave to Team Leicester, which is on the cusp of winning the English Premier League.

The volleyball team heads to Tokyo next week for the first round of qualifying matches for the 2016 summer games in Rio de Janeiro.

Team captain Pleumjit Thinkaow said they sought a boost after seeing other sports teams succeed after receiving Chao Khun Thongchai’s blessing. The spirit cloth he presented them is known as pha yant, which are believed to confer mystical powers to their holders.

The assistant abbot of Wat Traimit, also known as Phraprommangkalachan, has traveled several times to King Power stadium in England at the invitation of club owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha to bless the players. As Leicester City closes in on the title, fans in Thailand have credited the monk with part of that success.

Asked whether the volleyballers will qualify for the Olympics, Chao Khun Thongchai didn’t hedge his response.

“Absolutely,” he said.

The team departs for Beijing on Thursday to practice before qualifiers get underway May 12 in Tokyo.

Japan Announces 244 Billion Baht Plan to Develop Mekong Region

By

Associated Press

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2 May 2016, 17:04

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha sits with Japan's Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida at a Monday meeting at Government House in Bangkok. Photo: Mark Baker / Associated Press

BANGKOK — Japan's foreign minister announced a USD$7 billion (244 billion baht) initiative Monday to promote development in the Mekong region, which encompasses parts of Vietnam, Laos and Thailand through which the river flows.

In a speech at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Fumio Kishida affirmed the importance of Southeast Asia's economic prosperity to Japan. He pledged JPY750 billion (USD$7 billion) in funding over the next three years to support development and growth in the region.

The initiative will help promote "connectivity" within Southeast Asian countries and Japan through funding in infrastructure and development of human resources. Thailand has become a key manufacturing and export hub for Japanese manufacturers such as Toyota and Honda.

"Invigorating the flow of goods and people by connecting the region through roads, bridges and railways is indispensable for promoting economic development," he said, adding that Japan's cooperation will go beyond just building infrastructure.

Over the next three years, "we will make use of funds amounting to JPY750 billion toward cooperation with the Mekong region," Kishida said. Specific details have not been announced but he said Japan would like to work together with the Mekong countries to create a framework to support the various efforts, including regional issues and theme-oriented support, in a detailed manner.

"I am expecting the day when, as a result of these efforts, I can depart from Bangkok eastward in the morning and arrive in Ho Chi Minh City at night and enjoy pho for dinner," he said.

Kishida also renewed his call for the establishment of a code of conduct in the South China Sea, where China, Vietnam, the Philippines and others have competing territorial claims, and that prosperity can only achieved if there is peace and stability in the region.

"In this region, there are issues of terrorism, extremism, and ensuring maritime safety and security," he said. "There are multitudes of issues now facing our ASEAN partners. We need to face these issues together, and maintain stability in this region. What is necessary is respect for diversity, and what is fundamental for that is the rule of law."

Referring to Thailand's current political situation and its military government, Kishida said he hoped that the people ofThailand will overcome the current difficult challenges and "play more active role in the region and international community."

The visit to Thailand is part of his regional tour that includes stops in China, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam.

Story: Tassanee Vejpongsa / Associated Press

Expat American Music Icon Says He’s Being Blackmailed

By

Sasiwan Mokkhasen, Staff Reporter

-

2 May 2016, 15:55

American musician Bruce Gaston, best known for the ‘Fong Nam’ ensemble he started in Thailand nearly five decades back, filed a complaint Sunday at Khlong Tan Police Station in Bangkok.

BANGKOK — A well-known expat American musician filed a complaint with police Sunday saying that he has been blackmailed.

69-year-old Bruce Gaston, who has long headed fusion band Fong Nam, went to the police in Bangkok with text messages from his mobile phone and bank records showing that he transferred 10,000 baht to a woman who threatened to go public with information that would damage his reputation.

According to police, Gaston said he met the transgender woman named Golf at a bar 10 years ago. They had no contact for a decade, Gaston told police, until this past November when the woman called him. Gaston did not say whether the two had been involved in a relationship.

After being asked for 10,000 baht on April 19 via text message, Gaston sent the money. However he said that Golf subsequently demanded more money two more times, threatening him. On Friday he received the latest message asking fro 30,000 baht, which he said prompted him to take the matter to police.

Gaston said Golf also threatened to harass his family including reaching out to his daughter on Facebook.

Police Capt. Yattiphong Nguthip said he will ask for transaction records from Gaston’s bank to investigate further before calling the suspect for interrogation.

Gaston has lived in Thailand since the late 1960s, when he founded the contemporary instrumental ensemble Fong Nam, which blends sounds both Eastern and Western sounds.

Dinosaur Planet Ferris Wheel Closed for 15 Days

By

Sasiwan Mokkhasen, Staff Reporter

-

2 May 2016, 12:46

BANGKOK — The ferris wheel at the recently opened Dinosaur Planet theme park was ordered yesterday to shut down for 15 days after a fire broke out on the ride.

The theme park, a tourist attraction anchoring a sprawling commercial development, was open normally Monday, two days after fire consumed one of the cabins on the five-story ferris wheel. Municipal authorities said they still have not concluded what caused the fire, which caused no injuries, but suspect it was caused by a short circuit.

“We are inspecting the scene together with staff from the amusement park,” Kamol Nawasirisomboon, a local Khlong Toei District official, said Monday morning. “We will wait for the results from the police’s Office of Forensic Science.”

The ferris wheel burst into flame spectacularly on Saturday soon after a powerful thunderstorm hit the capital city. The park issued a statement after the incident saying it had followed protocol and shut down the ride before the storm hit, so there were no riders at the time.

Vinit Lertratanachai, a representative of the theme park operator, said they believe the fire was started by a short circuit in a cabin which had its door removed earlier for repairs.

The safety inspection will continue for 15 days, and local officials said the ride could resume operation once its safety is guaranteed.

Part of the The Mall Group’s Emsphere development, the 500 million baht theme park was a joint project by Freshair Festival, Workpoint Entertainment, and Rightman, according to its website.

Patrons enter Bangkok’s Dinosaur Planet amusement park Sunday, one day after a fire broke out on its giant ferris wheel.

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Thailand’s Leicester Fans Keep Faith in Team’s Title Chase

By

Associated Press

-

2 May 2016, 12:30

Leicester City fans react as they watch the English Premier League soccer match between Leicester City and Manchester United on TV on Sunday in Bangkok. Photo: Sakchai Lalit / Associated Press

BANGKOK — Thailand-based Leicester fans remain convinced their team will win the English Premier League title despite the anticlimax of Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Manchester United.

About 1,000 supporters attended a big-screen showing of the game at the Bangkok headquarters of Leicester’s owner King Power, but even the lucky Buddhist amulets that many wore were not enough to secure the win that would have clinched the title for the one-time 5,000-1 longshot.

Retiree Naruepatra Dhanabhumi has followed Leicester since its Thai takeover six years ago, and said he’s “100 percent sure the team is going to win in the end,” adding it was better to clinch at home anyway in Leicester’s next game against Everton on Saturday at the club’s King Power Stadium.

Celebrations could come before then. Leicester has an eight-point lead over its only rival Tottenham, which must win at Chelsea on Monday to stay in contention.

Akadet Inkome, a follower of Buddhist monk Phra Prommangkalachan who has blessed talismans to bring luck to the team, remained confident. “(They) are very sacred, the talismans will bring victory to the team.”

Manchester United fan Ussawin Tongpraparn attended the event and even he wanted Leicester to win, saying “it’s the team of Thai people, I couldn’t be any prouder.”

King Power has been putting on screenings of Leicester games since it took over the club in 2010, but crowds once counted in double figures — drawn mostly by the free food and beer — have grown as the remarkable success story nears its conclusion.

Story: Lerpong Amsa-Ngiam / Associated Press

Final Elephant Show at Historic Ringling Bros. Circus

By

Associated Press

-

1 May 2016, 21:31

Photo: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island — Elephants will perform for the last time at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus on Sunday, as the show closes its own chapter on a controversial practice that has entertained audiences since circuses began in America two centuries ago.

Six Asian elephants will deliver their final performances in Providence, Rhode Island, and five will perform in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, during several shows on Sunday. The last Providence show will stream live on Facebook and at Ringling.com at 7:45 p.m (Eastern Standard Time).

Alana Feld, executive vice president of Feld Entertainment, which owns the circus, said the animals will live at its 200-acre Center for Elephant Conservation in Florida. Its herd of 40 Asian elephants, the largest in North America, will continue a breeding program and be used in a pediatric cancer research project.

Elephants have been used in the circus in America for more than 200 years. In the early 1800s, Hackaliah Bailey added the elephant "Old Bet" to his circus. P.T. Barnum added the African elephant he named "Jumbo" to "The Greatest Show on Earth" in 1882.

The Humane Society says more than a dozen circuses in the United States continue to use elephants. But none tour as widely or are as well- known as Ringling Bros.

It's also getting more difficult for circuses to tour with elephants. Dozens of cities have banned the use of bullhooks — used to train elephants — and some states are considering such legislation.

Just as in the Disney movie "Dumbo," elephants in the past have been dressed up as people and trained to do a range of tricks: play baseball, ride bicycles, play musical instruments, wear wedding dresses or dress in mourning clothes, said Ronald B. Tobias, author of the 2013 book "Behemoth: The History of the Elephant in America."

The change at Ringling signifies a shift in Americans' understanding of elephants, Tobias said. People no longer see elephants as circus performers, he said, "but sentient animals that are capable of a full range of human emotions."

Attitudes are shifting about other animals as well. Last month, Sea World announced it would end live orca shows and breeding. Ringling will continue to use animals including horses, lions, tigers, dogs and kangaroos in its shows, Feld said.

The Humane Society has called for an end to the breeding program and for Ringling to retire the animals to one of two accredited sanctuaries, one in California and one in Tennessee, both of which have more than 2,000 acres of land.

Feld said they have the most successful breeding program in North America and have determined they can accommodate the elephants in the space they have. In 2014, Feld Entertainment won more than $25 million in settlements from animal-rights groups, including the Humane Society, over unproven allegations of mistreated elephants.

Tobias said as attitudes have changed, people are more interested in seeing elephants in a natural habitat such as a sanctuary, rather than in a circus or zoo.

"I think people will get a lot more satisfaction out of elephants living their real lives than to see them performing as clowns," Tobias said. "It's kind of a new age in our understanding and sympathy and empathy toward elephants."

Story: Michelle R. Smith / Associated Press

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