Suwattana said her inspiration to join the force sparked in 2005 when she lost her father in the southern insurgency. Two years later she participated in a youth program organized by the air force. Then 14, Mai was gripped by all the amazing planes she saw at an Air Force Museum.
Although pilot positions with commercial airlines have been open to women, they are still underrepresented. As of 2014, only 5 percent of AirAsia pilots were women.
While this is the first chance for women to fly for the military, it may be less appealing to some.
“Compared to working for the commercial airlines, the payment is less,” Mai said. “But what we get is honor and dignity.”
From 2003 to 2016, only 92 women have earned commercial pilot licenses compared to 5,000 men, according to numbers from the Office of Civil Aviation in a Thai PBS report.
There has been some movement of late to increase opportunities for women in the security forces. Late last month the metropolitan police force announced it would elevate three policewomen to station chiefs for the first time in history.
Single, Thai women 18 to 28 with a commercial pilot’s license – but no visible tattoos – interested in the five air force pilot positions have until April 24 to apply.
Watana Muangsook greets soldiers as he surrenders to the military on Monday at the 11th Army Circle headquarters in Bangkok.
BANGKOK — Former Pheu Thai MP Watana Muangsook was held a second day today at an undisclosed military base, prompting activists to threaten a public protest if he is not soon released.
The Pheu Thai Party on Tuesday issued a statement demanding Watana’s unconditional release, while junta leaders justified detaining the veteran politician without charge on the grounds that his opposition to the junta’s draft constitution amounts to inciting unrest.
“At this moment, 70 million people are happy,” deputy junta chairman Prawit Wongsuwan said Tuesday. “We aren’t using any double standard. Anything causing damage or conflict in this land cannot be done.”
Watana turned himself in Monday in response to a military summons last week for what was described as an “attitude adjustment” session. The summons came after he posted on Facebook that he would vote against the draft charter when it goes to voters in a referendum currently planned for August. Watana turned himself in at the 11th Army Circle headquarters in Bangkok after first saying he was unavailable due to the Thai New Year holidays.
Unnamed junta sources have been quoted in media reports saying that Watana has been moved to another military facility in the outskirts of the capital.
Soldiers took Watana Muangsook into custody Monday
Arnon Nampha, leader of pro-democracy group Resistant Citizens, wrote online Tuesday that if Watana is not released by noon, his group will defy the junta’s ban on protests and stage a rally at 6pm at Victory Monument.
“6pm, white shirts, together at Victory Monument,” Arnon wrote.
Asked by a reporter when Watana will be released, Gen. Prawit, the deputy junta leader, replied that he doesn’t have a clue.
“I don’t know. Come on, just let them do their work,” Gen. Prawit said of the security forces.
In an English-language statement released Monday evening, the Pheu Thai Party said Watana’s detention violates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and demanded his immediate, unconditional release.
“Mr. Watana’s action, or similar actions by any other persons, should not be claimed by the NCPO as posing a danger to the national security or disrupt peace and those persons should not be detained without charges,” the statement said. “Therefore, Mr. Watana’s detainment, on whatever pretext, is to be considered an extreme violation of his basis [sic] rights and of the human rights.”
In this Thursday, April 14, 2016 photo, a Chinese national flag flutters against the office buildings at the Shanghai Bund shrouded by pollution and fog in Shanghai, China. Photo: Andy Wong / Associated Press
BEIJING — Seeking to further reduce opportunities for corruption, China will include additional cities and regions in a pilot program begun in the financial hub of Shanghai that restricts the business dealings of officials' spouses and children, the government said Tuesday.
The move follows revelations in the Panama Papers document leak showing family members of eight past or present leading officials owned shell companies registered abroad.
While no Chinese laws are known to have been broken, such arrangements can be used to launder money or evade taxes. The revelations highlighted the ability of officials' extended families to profit in China's often opaque financial and legal environment where ownership of valuable assets can be easily obscured.
Rules piloted in the financial hub of Shanghai last year will be extended to the capital Beijing, economically vibrant Guangdong province, the mega-city of Chongqing and the resource-rich northwestern Xinjiang region, state media cited President Xi Jinping telling officials at a Monday meeting on government reforms.
The rules ban the spouses of high-level officials from serving as managers of private Chinese or foreign-invested companies. Officials' children and their children's spouses are also forbidden from engaging in business in the administrative jurisdictions in which a parent holds office.
Xi has made fighting corruption a hallmark of his three years in office and investigators from the ruling Communist Party's graft-busting agency have scrutinized the financial affairs of thousands of officials in the bureaucracy, military and state-run industries. Top generals and a former member of the ruling Communist Party's all-powerful politburo standing committee have been among the high-profile targets.
China has long sought to reign in rent seeking among top officials and their family members, but such directives generally lack specific penalties and have often been ignored.
It's not clear what sanctions can be used against those who violate the new rules, although the official China Daily newspaper said 10 Shanghai officials have been removed from their posts or transferred to other departments since they were imposed almost a year ago.
Burmese fishermen arrive at the compound of Pusaka Benjina Resources to report themselves for departure to leave the fishing company in Benjina, Aru Islands, Indonesia in an April 3, 2015, file photo. Photo: Dita Alangkara / Associated Press
NEW YORK — The Associated Press won the Pulitzer Prize for public service Monday for documenting the use of slave labor in Southeast Asia to supply seafood to American tables – an investigation that spurred the release of more than 2,000 captive workers.
The awards marked the centennial of the Pulitzers, American journalism's highest honors.
AP journalists Margie Mason, Robin McDowell, Martha Mendoza and Esther Htusan chronicled how men from Myanmar and other countries were being imprisoned, sometimes in cages, in an island village in Indonesia and forced to work on fishing vessels. Numerous men reported maimings and deaths on their boats.
The 18-month project involved tracking slave-caught seafood to processing plants that supply supermarkets, restaurants and pet stores in the U.S. Subsequent AP reports detailed the use of slave labor in processing shrimp.
"If Americans and Europeans are eating this fish, they should remember us," Hlaing Min, 30, a runaway slave from the Indonesian island, told the AP. "There must be a mountain of bones under the sea."
The stories, photos and videos led to freedom for thousands of fishermen and other laborers, numerous arrests, seizures of millions of dollars in goods and crackdowns on shrimp peeling plants in Thailand.
Established by newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer, the prizes were first given out in 1917. Public service award winners receive a gold medal; the other awards carry a prize of USD$10,000 (350,000 baht) each.
Story: Jennifer Peltz / Associated Press
To reach us about this article or another matter, please contact us by e-mail at:[email protected].
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Part of a three-page Immigration Bureau form seeking personal information from foreign nationals residing in the kingdom.
By Todd Ruiz and Sasiwan Mokkhasen
BANGKOK — Foreign nationals residing in Thailand are being asked to disclose personal information to the government, including their bank details and where they hang out online and offline.
Internal documents obtained earlier this month by Khaosod English showed the Immigration Bureau would ask foreigners for personal details about places they frequent in the virtual and real worlds, additional information to be filed before they can extend their visas or complete the routine 90-day reports required to reside legally in the kingdom.
In recent days, a number of people have reported on Twitter and online forums frequented by expats that they have received the new forms at the Immigration Division 1 office and One-Stop Service Center at Chamchuri Square. Both are in Bangkok.
Apart from the basic information, the form requires details about what social media they use, details of vehicles they use including license plate numbers, and “places or premises visited often by the foreigner … such as club, restaurant, shop, hospital and other places.” The form also asks for their bank account numbers.
Chatchawan Wachirapaneekhun, deputy commissioner of the Immigration Bureau’s crime suppression unit, said providing the information was not mandatory.
“We won’t force them to fill it out,” he said. “We won’t bother with their social media – if they aren’t doing anything wrong.”
Maj. Gen. Chatchawan, who wrote the new form, said he personally urged immigration offices nationwide to collect the information on March 22. It is purportedly for recording information of all foreigners entering and living in the kingdom. It indicates the information will be used to record of residence in the country according to articles 37 and 38 of the 1979 Immigration Act.
Chatchawan said in the past, immigration lacked sufficient information about foreign nationals living in Thailand when problems arose. He said the new information was being sought to help track down foreigners when problems arose.
He said that the information would soon be integrated under the same linked information system. Some of the information such as bank account details, he said were already required for extended stays.
“We are considering national security,” he said. “Considering entering the ASEAN community and the increasing terrorism problem, some people escape after committing a crime, and we cannot track them down.”
Part of a three-page Immigration Bureau form seeking personal information from foreign nationals residing in the kingdom.
By Todd Ruiz and Sasiwan Mokkhasen
BANGKOK — Foreign nationals residing in Thailand are being asked to disclose personal information to the government, including their bank details and where they hang out online and offline.
Internal documents obtained earlier this month by Khaosod English showed the Immigration Bureau would ask foreigners for personal details about places they frequent in the virtual and real worlds, additional information to be filed before they can extend their visas or complete the routine 90-day reports required to reside legally in the kingdom.
In recent days, a number of people have reported on Twitter and online forums frequented by expats that they have received the new forms at the Immigration Division 1 office and One-Stop Service Center at Chamchuri Square. Both are in Bangkok.
Apart from the basic information, the form requires details about what social media they use, details of vehicles they use including license plate numbers, and “places or premises visited often by the foreigner … such as club, restaurant, shop, hospital and other places.” The form also asks for their bank account numbers.
Chatchawan Wachirapaneekhun, deputy commissioner of the Immigration Bureau’s crime suppression unit, said providing the information was not mandatory.
“We won’t force them to fill it out,” he said. “We won’t bother with their social media – if they aren't doing anything wrong.”
Maj. Gen. Chatchawan, who wrote the new form, said he personally urged immigration offices nationwide to collect the information on March 22. It is purportedly for recording information of all foreigners entering and living in the kingdom. It indicates the information will be used to record of residence in the country according to articles 37 and 38 of the 1979 Immigration Act.
Chatchawan said in the past, immigration lacked sufficient information about foreign nationals living in Thailand when problems arose. He said the new information was being sought to help track down foreigners when problems arose.
He said that the information would soon be integrated under the same linked information system. Some of the information such as bank account details, he said were already required for extended stays.
“We are considering national security,” he said. “Considering entering the ASEAN community and the increasing terrorism problem, some people escape after committing a crime, and we cannot track them down.”
BANGKOK — A group of activists today petitioned the National Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate the brother of junta chairman Prayuth Chan-ocha for appointing his son to an officer position in the army, an action they said amounts to nepotism.
Srisuwan Janya, leader of a pro-transparency group called Defense of Thai Constitution Association, said the appointment exposes the junta’s hypocrisy as it has previously pledged to root out corruption and favoritism in the wake of the May 2014 military coup.
“The NCPO seized power from politicians because their corrupt behavior led to conflict, therefore the NCPO shouldn’t end up as a hypocrite,” Srisuwan told reporters at the anti-graft agency Monday, referring to the junta as the National Council for Peace and Order.
The letter appointing Patipat Chan-ocha, 25, as a second lieutenant and officer in the army was leaked via social media Thursday. The memo, marked “Secret,” was signed by Patipat’s father, Gen. Preecha Chan-ocha, who is currently serving as both permanent secretary of the Ministry of Defense and a member of the junta’s rubberstamp parliament.
Preecha, who until recently served as a top army commander, is also a younger brother of Prayuth, chairman of the ruling junta and prime minister.
Due to the family ties, Srisuwan said the anti-corruption commissioners are required by the law to probe Patipat’s appointment and find out whether the 25-year-old mass communications graduate with no military experience qualifies for a job in the army.
Activist Srisuwan Janya speaks to reporters today at the National Anti-Corruption Commission
“Was this appointment done in proper procedure? Was the position ‘locked’ or hidden in any way? And why wasn’t the job vacancy openly advertised in accordance with the practices of the Ministry of Defense?” Srisuwan said. “And importantly, can children of other people in Thailand who hold the same qualifications as Patipat take an exam to fill in the job as an officer?”
In an interview with reporters Monday Gen. Preecha defended the appointment of his son, saying the letter was in compliance with all regulations and was common practice in the military.
Reporters also asked Preecha to respond to the nepotism accusation against the Chan-ochas.
“My brother is also a soldier. We grew up in a military family,” he said. “As for my son, he graduated in mass communications, and it fits the job he was filling in the Civilian Affairs Department.”
He said he’s unconcerned by Srisuwan’s petition.
Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwan stood by Preecha. He waved reporters’ questions about Patipat with a single sweep of mai bpen rai.
“Come on, it’s okay,” Gen. Pravit said when a reporter asked whether he thinks the appointment can be considered a part of patronage system.
Pravit did not go into details but said it was carried out under his legal authority.
“This is an ordinary issue. I don’t think it’s a problem at all, because it’s my power as the Minister of Defense. I can appoint anyone into employment at any time,” he said.
An August 8, 2014, file photo of Gen. Preecha Chan-ocha.
BANGKOK — A group of activists today petitioned the National Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate the brother of junta chairman Prayuth Chan-ocha for appointing his son to an officer position in the army, an action they said amounts to nepotism.
Srisuwan Janya, leader of a pro-transparency group called Defense of Thai Constitution Association, said the appointment exposes the junta’s hypocrisy as it has previously pledged to root out corruption and favoritism in the wake of the May 2014 military coup.
“The NCPO seized power from politicians because their corrupt behavior led to conflict, therefore the NCPO shouldn’t end up as a hypocrite,” Srisuwan told reporters at the anti-graft agency Monday, referring to the junta as the National Council for Peace and Order.
The letter appointing Patipat Chan-ocha, 25, as a second lieutenant and officer in the army was leaked via social media Thursday. The memo, marked “Secret,” was signed by Patipat’s father, Gen. Preecha Chan-ocha, who is currently serving as both permanent secretary of the Ministry of Defense and a member of the junta’s rubberstamp parliament.
Preecha, who until recently served as a top army commander, is also a younger brother of Prayuth, chairman of the ruling junta and prime minister.
Due to the family ties, Srisuwan said the anti-corruption commissioners are required by the law to probe Patipat’s appointment and find out whether the 25-year-old mass communications graduate with no military experience qualifies for a job in the army.
Activist Srisuwan Janya speaks to reporters today at the National Anti-Corruption Commission
“Was this appointment done in proper procedure? Was the position ‘locked’ or hidden in any way? And why wasn’t the job vacancy openly advertised in accordance with the practices of the Ministry of Defense?” Srisuwan said. “And importantly, can children of other people in Thailand who hold the same qualifications as Patipat take an exam to fill in the job as an officer?”
In an interview with reporters Monday Gen. Preecha defended the appointment of his son, saying the letter was in compliance with all regulations and was common practice in the military.
Reporters also asked Preecha to respond to the nepotism accusation against the Chan-ochas.
“My brother is also a soldier. We grew up in a military family,” he said. “As for my son, he graduated in mass communications, and it fits the job he was filling in the Civilian Affairs Department.”
He said he’s unconcerned by Srisuwan’s petition.
Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwan stood by Preecha. He waved reporters’ questions about Patipat with a single sweep of mai bpen rai.
“Come on, it’s okay,” Gen. Pravit said when a reporter asked whether he thinks the appointment can be considered a part of patronage system.
Pravit did not go into details but said it was carried out under his legal authority.
“This is an ordinary issue. I don’t think it’s a problem at all, because it’s my power as the Minister of Defense. I can appoint anyone into employment at any time,” he said.
Mug shot of Makharin Phumsaart, aka Nae Wat Dao, taken at Bang Yi Khan Police Station is shared on the internet.
BANGKOK — Two days after he made headlines by appearing to shoot himself live on Facebook, internet celebrity Makharin Phumsaart turned himself in to police yesterday.
On Monday, Makharin, known online as Nae Wat Dao, sought to dismiss rumors he was arrested and told his million-plus followers online that he had turned himself in for a weapons possession charge stemming from the incident.
The 26-year-old man reportedly surrendered to officers at Bang Yi Khan Police Station in Bangkok’s Bang Phlat district Sunday evening. He brought a handgun not registered under his name.
On Saturday morning, Makharin streamed a live broadcast on Facebook appearing to show him shoot himself in the head in a video soon made unavailable. Doubts about its authenticity were answered by police on Sunday, who said he only had a scratch on his head and there was no evidence the gangster-cum-social media personality had shot himself.
Most reactions online have condemned Makharin for perpetuating a hoax online to build his business promoting products through social media. Some have expressed concern with his mental health.
Makharin’s 80-year-old grandmother told acting city police chief Lt. Gen. Sanit Mahathavorn that he was only bleeding slightly on his head and could go to the hospital himself on that day. She also denied that he suffered any mental illness.
It was unclear as of Monday afternoon whether Makharin would face further prosecution over the matter. Police said they would hold a news conference later Monday.
Thaitanium, Yellow Fang, Duangrit Bunnag, Hugo and more among a collage of participating artists in a promotional image from Asiola.
BANGKOK — Log into Facebook recently and it would be hard to miss an event or two organized by Asiola, a new digital crowdfunding platform for people to support the creative projects they want to see happen.
With ambitions to provide a way for people to directly support the music, art, fashion and food they want, the service, which recently launched in beta form, has recruited cult indie favorites such as Yellow Fang, architect Duangrit Bunnag, and hip-hop stars Thaitanium to host events that allow fans to connect with the creatives.
For example, instead of going to one of Yellow Fang’s frequent gigs, 1,650 baht “supports” a private party where attendees can hang out and party with Pym, Pang and Praewa and see a premier of a recent tour doc. Pay more for more goodies: Guitar picks (165 baht), tote bag (400 baht), Polaroid with the band (1,070 baht) and more.
Or want to support a peace sculpturepeace painting by Bangkok street artist Alex Face? Commit 100 baht and he’ll send you a thank-you email. Commit more and Alex will send a sticker (200 baht), T-shirt (800 baht), painting (7,000 baht) or invite you to a workshop (3,000 baht).
For projects that don’t reach their funding goals, supporters will get some form of “store credit.”
I asked co-founder Jon Lor some questions about the new platform by email. Responses lightly edited for formatting and length.
Khaosod English: How does Asiola work? How does the model function?
John Lor: Asiola is a curated crowdfunding platform for creative artists and ideas. The idea is everything in what we do and represents the heart and soul. To help support our campaigns, our users have a wide variety of “rewards” to purchase from. These rewards directly contribute towards the overall funding goal so that the artist can reach 100% (or more) and receive the funds necessary to make the idea happen.
This essentially means that by contributing to the idea, you get “something” in return – this could be merchandise or a service from the artist – think limited edition Alex Face paintings, Hugo vinyl sets, to services like being in the music video with Thaitanium.
KE: Is Thaitanium an investor? What's their connection?
JL: Khan from Thaitanium is a founding partner. As well as, music producer, Montonn Jira, Wonderfruit founder, Pranitan Phornprapha, tech guru, Chris Hwang, former MD of Warner Music UK, Sanji Tandan, and of course, myself. It's a diverse group of founders and Asiola is one of the best teams I have ever had the privilege of working with. It's humbling to be with such a talented group of individuals who are all so unique, but also so vested into doing good and bringing positive change for Thailand… it's a beautiful thing to be a part of.
KE: Unlike most crowdfunding services, Asiola does not seem to identify what the overall target/goal is? Why?
JL: Originally, we wanted to follow in PledgeMusic's path (which is partially owned by one of our partners) where the focus is more on progressing the idea then the funding itself. As we are dealing with relatively well-known artists, and with many campaigns a direct-to-fan model, we intentionally wanted to shy away from monetary aspect and keep it focused on users “playing a part” in the idea.\
However, as we are about two months into operations (and already many things have been learned!), we will be updating the platform within the next coming weeks to showcase the funding goals and amounts achieved because it's easier for the Thai consumer to understand. Educating the community on what crowdfunding is, how it can be used, and how it can help is our priority No. 1.
KE: How does one get a project on Asiola? Is there a mechanism for this, or does Asiola approach the people it’s interested in working with?
JL: As our group is fairly diverse across entertainment and the arts (or creative-related fields), we've been fortunate to have people approach us to collaborate on ideas, at least our initial batch of artists. Since launch, we have been getting a steady stream of new ideas from artists and it's great to see the enthusiasm so far – from groups that are starting out to well-known individuals in their industries. At the moment, we ask users to fill out a form and one of our campaign managers will work through with them on how they can bring the idea to life. In later iterations of the platform, the sign-up process will be more automated – but for now, and as we want to introduce campaigns that set the tone, we take a manual way of doing things.
KE: What percentage of the money donated / overhead does Asiola take to support itself?
JL: We take a flat 20% off the total amount of our campaigns. As we are not the typical “set it and forget it” crowdfunding platform, we collaborate with our artists every step along the way. We're 100% vested in building quality campaigns and (hopefully) inspiring others to jump on as well. Thus, this includes developing our artists video production, their storylines, reward structures and assisting on the overall strategy.
And of course, if a campaign does not reach it's goal, then we assume no fee at all, so we take a vested interest in helping all our artists get to where they need to be.
KE: Seems like there's a tight focus on music. How do other industries take advantage of your technology?
JL: Actually, we try and stay balanced as possible across our four categories: Music, Food, Fashion and Art. Since we originally were meant to be a sole music platform, our ideas are a bit skewed towards the music side. However, that will change really quickly. We have great ideas on the brink of launching and are hoping they can really help bring positive change to the country. We are loving some of the new art campaigns that are about to come out!
KE: How about the payment gateway? Does it work like PayPal?
JL: At the moment, we offer multiple payment gateways for our beta launch and will be launching many more options in the next couple months. As we do not live in a credit card society, and fraud, especially online, is still relatively high, it's important to take payment as seriously as possible, but also keep the funnel as wide as possible so users have flexibility to pay the way they choose.
