Did a Thai Net Idol Just Shoot Himself on ‘Facebook Live?’

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16 April 2016, 16:39

Makharin Phumsaart aka ‘Nae Wat Dao.’ Photo: Makharin Phumsaart / Facebook

BANGKOK — An internet celebrity known as Nae Wat Dao reportedly shot himself this morning during a streaming broadcast on Facebook Live, leaving netizens to speculate whether it was an attempted suicide or internet hoax.

Makharin Phumsaart, aka Nae Wat Dao, was said to be in stable condition at Siriraj Hospital according to a friend after he shot himself during the live broadcast streamed via his personal Facebook account followed by more than 1 million people Saturday morning. The video is no longer available online.

“He shot himself in his right temple,” said friend Wannapa Pongson in a video posted on Facebook. “But he is now safe.” Wannapa said Nae’s attempted suicide stemmed from personal problems.

A 25-year-old former street gangster, Nae Wat Dao first became known by the public in a video challenge to a gang rival shared via SocialCam in 2012. He later claimed to have left the criminal life behind and became a popular internet figure for his “gangster” persona. As with many internet celebrities in Thailand, he leveraged his online platform to sell skin cream.

His wife, Chanikarn Kaewsingh, briefly posted to Facebook today saying she was on her way back to Bangkok to see him at the hospital.

Prior to the live broadcast, Nae posted photos of his son on Facebook, saying he was running out of energy.

After word spread, a lot of encouragement as well as doubts were expressed online. While many netizens expressed support for the internet personality and his family, others questioned whether the incident was actually a publicity stunt, suggesting it was implausible to survive such a wound.

“If he shot right into his forehead, he was not supposed to be okay,” wrote Facebook user Eye Sirichonlada. “If he really wanted to die, he wouldn’t survive. He is the first person I have ever heard of shooting his own temple and remaining alive.”

Facebook Live is a new service recently launched by Facebook with availability limited to media organizations and users with large followings. It allows them to stream live video from their smartphones to audiences.

A still image from his streaming broadcast on Facebook Live on Wednesday.

Austrian Tourist Found Dead on Samui Beach

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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16 April 2016, 14:57

Emergency responders search through the belongings of a tourist who died Saturday on Koh Samui

SAMUI — An Austrian man was found dead this morning on a Koh Samui beach, where police believe he died in his sleep.

The 40-year-old man was lying on a beach chair in front of the Sala Samui Hotel when a staff member spotted him at around 7am and realized he was dead, said Bo Phut Police Station chief Thewes Pluemsut.

Witnesses said the deceased had been camping in a tent on the beach for several nights prior to his death, Thewes said.

“His body had no wounds. He was just lying there. We believe he might have had a pre-existing medical condition,” Col. Thewes said Saturday. “There was no sign of struggle. We believe he died in his sleep.”

Nevertheless, police are still waiting for a detailed autopsy report from the hospital, he said.

Khaosod English is withholding the man’s identity until his family can be notified.

According to Thewes, the tourist was a frequent visitor to Thailand, and he liked to camp on the beach. The tourist was also involved in a car accident several weeks ago, which helped some police officers at the station in recognizing his body, Thewes said.

The officer described the man’s nationality as Australian but a photo of medication found in his bag indicates it was issued in Austria. He also has an Austrian name.

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

Pathum Thani Songkran Party Cut Short by Gang Fight (Video)

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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16 April 2016, 13:45

Young alleged gang members square off and throw various objects at each other Friday north of Bangkok in Pathum Thani province in a video still image.

PATHUM THANI — The last day of a major Songkran street party in northern metro Bangkok came to a premature end yesterday when a large gang fight broke out.

Police officers and soldiers were sent to quell the Friday afternoon skirmishes, which broke out during the water fight festival on Khao Chae Road – a local version of Bangkok’s Khaosan Road, according to local police chief Apichart Komutikanond.

The happy event turned south when two teenage gangs met each other on the street, Col. Apichart said. Their hostility escalated into a throwing match of rocks, sticks and bottles. The two groups quickly fled the scene once police and army personnel intervened, he said.

“We did not make any arrests because there was no one for us to arrest,” Col. Apichart said on Saturday.

The police superintendent added no injuries were reported, and no firearms were used in the melee.

Apichart blamed alcohol as a factor for the incident; he said some shops were selling alcohol on Khao Chae Road, and police could not interfere with the vendors because the street party was organized privately, not a state-sanctioned one like those on Khaosan and Silom roads.

“We can’t forbid them from selling. Some people were also already drunk when they got to the party. It was not the municipality who organized it,” Apichart said.

Man Arrested for Posting Topless Songkran Clip From 2015

Topless Farang Fined 100 Baht in Chiang Mai

Cover-Up Crackdown Continues in Chiang Mai

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

Man Arrested for Posting Topless Songkran Clip From 2015

By

Sasiwan Mokkhasen, Staff Reporter

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16 April 2016, 13:05

Revelers at S2O Songkran Music Festival 2015 on RCA in Bangkok fondle a woman's breasts in a still image from a video uploaded Wednesday.

BANGKOK — A man was arrested for posting a video of a topless woman dancing during last year’s Songkran festival.

Police said Jakkrapatsorn Akkarapokanan, 29, was charged under the Computer Crime Act for posting the year-old video of a woman rolling up her wet shirt to let revelers touch her breasts. Besides being obscene and a bad example, police said, the video filmed on Bangkok’s RCA last year might mislead people into thinking it happened at this year’s S2O Songkran Music Festival.

“We seek a court warrant under the Article 14 of 2007 Computer Crime Act,” said Police Lt. Gen. Sanit Mahathaworn said in reference to two offenses, importing fraudulent information which can defame others and importing obscene information.

The short, viral video posted on Jakkrapatsorn’s Facebook account Wednesday began with a man and woman dancing together. They smile and point off screen to a point the camera then pans, where a woman in a yellow cap stands above the crowd while her exposed breasts are fondled and photographed.

Admitting the clip he posted was actually filmed during Songkran 2015, Jakkrapatsorn said he had no intention to support the act.

“My intention is to pointing out that what was in the clip is the bad thing,” he said. “You should not getting this drunk to do something obscene like this.”

Jakkrapatsorn said he only wanted to show the clip to his friends. But it went viral and some of those who shared it rewrote the caption to suggest it was from this year’s S2O Festival, a commercial dance party supported by major brands and banks.

Jakkrapatsorn also apologized to the event organizer.

He was released on a 100,000 bond. Police said they attempted to find the topless woman in the video to fine her 500 baht for indecency, however the one year statute of limitations had expired.

Topless Farang Fined 100 Baht in Chiang Mai

Bangkok Songkran Party Spots Ignore Junta Advice

Pirates Kidnap 4 Indonesians

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Associated Press

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16 April 2016, 12:31

JAKARTA — Four Indonesians have been kidnapped and another shot in an attempt to hijack a tugboat and barge in the border waters of Malaysia and the Philippines, the Indonesian Foreign Ministry said Saturday.

The ministry said the gunshot victim and five other crew members managed to escape and were taken to Malaysia by its maritime police along with the two vessels.

It said the attack happened early on Friday evening as they were heading to Tarakan on Indonesia's Borneo island from Cebu in the central Philippines.

The wounded Indonesian is in a stable condition.

The incident comes after the kidnapping in March of the 10-member crew of an Indonesian tugboat and barge in the often insecure border region between the southern Philippines and Indonesia.

In that case, the owner of the tug boat received telephone calls, purportedly from the militant group Abu Sayyaf, demanding a ransom.

Authorities believe the 10 Indonesians are held captive in the southern Philippines.

The Philippine military said troops are monitoring areas where the new kidnap victims could be brought, including Jolo island in Sulu province, where Abu Sayyaf militants are believed to be holding foreign hostages in jungle camps.

Philippine military spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituo Padila said officials were assessing if the Abu Sayyaf or other armed groups were involved in Friday's kidnappings.

The Indonesian Foreign Ministry said the government will take steps to address the frequent occurrence of piracy in the region and invite neighboring countries to improve security.

Songkran Road Deaths Tied to Bangkok's Primacy

By

Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

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16 April 2016, 12:09

A truck driver died in a road accident Thursday in Lampang province.

By Pravit Rojanaphruk
Senior Staff Writer

For more than a decade, every Thai New Year has been not just a time to celebrate, but a time to mourn.

Every Songkran, as the festive occasion is known, some 300 or so people die on the roads, and the best most of us can do is to follow the death tolls published daily. This is arguably the worse time, along with the Gregorian New Year, for a country listed as the world’s second-deadliest places to drive by the World Health Organization last year, with 14,059 road deaths in 2012.

That means 36.2 people per 100,000 died on the road. Only war-torn Libya is worse.

This is a fact that the Thai government is not even trying to hide. In fact it was advertised in television commercials sponsored by Toyota this past week in hope of reducing the number of fatalities.

One can blame it on drunk, sleepy, undisciplined, reckless and speedy drivers. There’s also plenty of blame for inadequate enforcement of traffic laws and dangerous road conditions in some areas.

Few mention the fact that too many motor vehicles head in and out of Bangkok at the same time every year. This is so because Bangkok is the center of virtually everything in Thailand. It sucks not just natural resources from rural areas but human resources as well.

Many Thais from other parts of the kingdom end up working there because decent jobs – as well as better-paid but less-than-decent jobs – are concentrated here. And so every New Year, these Thais seeking to be reunited with their families and relatives leave and return more or less on the same day, risking a higher chance of injury or death on roads already notoriously dangerous.

Unless there’s a greater decentralization of job opportunities elsewhere, it’s going to be hard to expect any drastic reduction of road fatalities during such holidays.

This cannot be achieved without political will and public recognition that the problem is more than just reckless car drivers, motorcycle riders and poor law enforcement.

My heart goes out to the millions of Thais who seek employment in Bangkok and have to risk their lives travelling home, some of whom won’t make it there or back because they ended up statistics cited with precision by the media on television, comparable to Japanese media’s attentive reporting about the seasonal blooming of cherry blossoms there.

The fact that so many attempts over the years have failed to reduce the butcher’s bill puts a fine point on the need to think outside the box. It’s easier for me as a Bangkokian to say many should not travel back home into the provinces at the same time every year, because there’s no one I miss upcountry.

The problem is nothing short of the structural failures of Thailand’s social and economic development on a grand scale. Some big cities outside Bangkok, such as Khon Kaen and Chiang Mai, have given thought to improving public transportation to decrease reliance on motor vehicles in order to spur economic growth and opportunity, as well as improve the quality of life.

Such moves deserve the full support of not just the central government but those of us living in the capital. Bangkok is too crowded and reinforces Thailand’s systemic inequalities because it sits at the center of almost everything, be it government, business or education.

These disparities, reflected in the annual death toll of the “seven dangerous days,” perpetuate the notion of non-Bangkok Thais as second-class citizens, fostering feelings of inferiority among them and condescension from those who call the capital home.

We need to rethink and change that for the good of Thailand as a whole.

Prayuth’s Brother Defends Granting His Own Son Officer’s Rank

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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16 April 2016, 10:30

Undated file photo of Preecha Chan-ocha / Matichon

BANGKOK — A brother of junta chairman and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha admitted yesterday that he gave a job and army rank to his son, saying it’s common practice in the military.

The letter appointing Patipat Chan-ocha, 25, as a Second Lieutenant and officer in the army was leaked via social media Thursday. Patipat’s father, former army commander Preecha Chan-ocha, confirmed to Isra News on Friday that the memo was real and defended his actions.

Read: Secret Order Conferring Rank to Prayuth’s Nephew Circulates Online

“My son graduated with a Bachelor’s degree, and he has to work,” Gen. Preecha was quoted saying. “Now that there’s a vacant position, I put him to work in it. Many people in the army do it. It’s not like only my son does it. That’s all for now.”

According to the memo – marked “Secret” – Patipat will receive 15,000 baht per month for his position in the civilian affairs department of the Third Region Army, the same unit that his father commanded until his retirement in 2014. Patipat recently graduated with a degree in mass communication, the letter says.

Preecha is currently serving as a member of the ruling junta, a member of the junta-appointed legislative body and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defense. He was appointed to all these posts by his brother, Prayuth Chan-ocha, who seized power in May 2014 and is serving as prime minister.

Patipat’s appointment has led some critics of the junta to accuse the regime of nepotism. The administrator of Facebook page Stop Hypocrisy in Thailand, which was the first to publicize the leaked memo, compared the letter to the junta’s gripe with nepotism in the previous government led by former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

“This is the Chan-ocha Regime,” the admin wrote, “Just like how they once accused the Shinawatra Regime of placing people in their own family into various positions, of running the country like their family business. Today, they do the very same thing.”

Somsak Jeamteerasakul, a former historian who fled Thailand after the 2014 coup, likened the Chan-ochas to the Kittikachorns, the family of the junta that ruled the kingdom in the 1970s. Thanom Kittikachorn and his son Narong served as chairman and secretary-general of the ruling junta, respectively.

“But Narong [at least] studied in the military academy … It’s not like he graduated with something totally unrelated and used his father’s status as prime minister’s brother to get himself into the military,” Somsak wrote on Facebook.

Secret Order Conferring Rank to Prayuth’s Nephew Circulates Online

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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15 April 2016, 15:45

An undated file photo of Gen. Preecha Chan-ocha / Matichon

BANGKOK — A nephew of junta chairman and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has allegedly been given a post in the army and a lieutenancy, according to a secret memo leaked on social media earlier today.

Patipat Chan-ocha, 25, will receive 15,000 baht per month for his position in the civilian affairs department of the Third Region Army, according to the order issued Monday and signed by his father, a member of the ruling junta who until recently was a top army commander.

Read: Junta Leader Fit For Premiership, Says His Lawmaker Brother

Patipat was also awarded a rank of second lieutenant by the letter.

It was unclear who originally leaked the memo or for what reason. It surfaced on social media some time between late Thursday and early Friday. Its appearance and format is consistent with formal documents of the Thai bureaucracy.

Junta spokesman Winthai Suvaree declined to comment on the letter’s contents or authenticity, saying he hasn’t seen it.

“I’m not aware of it,” Col. Winthai said Friday afternoon.

Preecha, Patipat’s father, is former commander of the Third Region Army and a brother of Gen. Prayuth. Preecha is currently a member of the junta and serves on its appointed legislative body.

The memo indicates it was sent by the Adjutant General Department, the army’s administrative department, to the Defense Ministry and signed Monday by Gen. Preecha.

The letter identified Patipat as a graduate of Naresuan University’s mass communications faculty. It did not explain his job description in the army, or why he was chosen for both the position and the lieutenancy other than noting that nothing in army regulations disqualified Patipat from serving.

The Chan-ochas have been accused of nepotism in the past. Junta critics in October 2014 expressed anger at Preecha’s appointment to the junta’s rubber stamp parliament.

Preecha was also investigated by the National Anti-Corruption Commission after it emerged that he identified the Third Region Army’s bank accounts as his own assets, though the committee cleared him of any wrongdoing in October 2015. Despite the claimed ownership, investigators said Preecha never spent army funds for personal use.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly indicated Patipat Chan-ocha’s monthly salary would be 18,000 baht. In fact, he will be paid 15,000 baht per month, according to the letter.

Taiwan Presses Malaysia to Halt Extraditions to China

By

Associated Press

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15 April 2016, 14:59

Chinese and Taiwanese suspects involved in wire fraud sit in a plane as they arrive at the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, China, in a photo released by Xinhua News Agency. Photo: Yin Gang / Xinhua News Agency / Associated Press

KUALA LUMPUR — Taiwan on Friday was trying to prevent Malaysia from deporting 52 Taiwanese criminal suspects to China amid an ongoing battle over jurisdiction involving the self-ruled island.

A Foreign Ministry statement said an initial group of 20 of those detained on suspicion of committing wire fraud had been due to be returned to Taiwan on Friday. However, it said Malaysian officials had delayed the flight, saying they were awaiting legal approval.

Taiwan's statement said its officials were actively engaged in talks to pressure Malaysia to "bring home our citizen suspects to be investigated."

Malaysian officials, speaking anonymously because they weren't authorized to talk to media, confirmed that Chinese officials had requested the suspects be sent to China. The officials said the case was still under discussion but were unable to give further details.

The latest battle over Taiwanese deportations came after Kenya sent 45 Taiwanese suspects to China instead of Taiwan. Beijing wants to investigate them for defrauding victims in China by posing as police officers and insurance agents over the phone in order to obtain banking details.

China claims jurisdiction in such cases where the victims are Chinese, and says the perpetrators aren't given due punishment when they are returned to Taiwan.

Taiwan has protested that Kenya violated the legal process and accused Beijing of violating a tacit agreement not to interfere in each side's citizens' legal affairs abroad. A Taiwanese delegation is expected in Beijing soon to negotiate the matter.

Some see such moves by China as an attempt by China to assert its claims to sovereignty over the island and legal authority over its residents. The sides split amid civil war and China has long sought to isolate Taiwan diplomatically by preventing it from maintaining formal ties with most countries, including Malaysia and Kenya, where China's economic cloud lends it political influence.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV has covered the Kenya deportations extensively, with suspects shown being led from the plane in prison smocks with bags over their heads.

Others were shown in front of police and television cameras confessing to their crimes and apologizing to their victims.

Story: Eileen Ng, additional reporting Christopher Bodeen / Associated Press

Pheu Thai’s Watana Promises to Surrender by Monday

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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15 April 2016, 13:53

Soldiers wait outside the home of former Pheu Thai MP Watana Muangsuk on Thursday in Bangkok’s Prawet district.

BANGKOK — Soldiers remained camped today outside the residence of former Pheu Thai MP Watana Muangsook, where they waited to take him into custody for an “attitude adjustment” session.

Watana has been away from home since the military sent soldiers to take him into detention Thursday, following a statement he made on Facebook that he would vote against the junta’s draft constitution when it’s put to a referendum in August.

Watana Wanted for ‘Attitude Adjustment’ Again

“Right now a group of soldiers is still stationed in front of my home, and even my wife and children can’t go inside. They have to find a new place to sleep,” Watana wrote Friday on Facebook. “Please withdraw your forces. On April 18, at 11am, once I’m done with my business, I will certainly go meet you.”

Watana complained the tactic was unnecessary harassment.

“Please don’t cause trouble for other people who are not involved in this,” he wrote. “This is not the way of a ‘gentleman soldier.”

An army officer rings the doorbell at Watana’s residence on Thursday, summoning him to come out. Watana was not home.

Watana has been been held in military custody for what the junta called “attitude adjustment” because of his online criticism of its regime, known formally as the National Council for Peace and Order.

The latest summons came after Watana wrote Wednesday that he would not accept the the new charter draft written under the junta’s oversight because of its undemocratic features. The draft will be put to a vote in August.

“I insisted that I will continue to express my opinion, because it is my constitutional freedom,” Watana wrote. “I am not trying to cause any conflict. I am not a regular troublemaker looking for a fight.”

Just eight hours after he posted his status, Watana wrote an update that the military phoned him and ordered him to surrender himself at an army base within that day. Watana said he declined the summons because he’s away with his family for the Songkran holiday and promised to turn himself in by Monday.

The junta has clamped down on any public challenge to its regime or the constitution draft, leading to fear among its critics that the upcoming referendum will not be an open and fair one.

Junta spokesman Piyapong Klinpan said on Friday that Watana’s criticism amounted to misrepresentation of the regime’s intentions.

“His expression clearly belies his deceit, distortion, lies, violation of agreements and attempts to incite insubordination and law-breaking,” Col. Piyapong said at a news conference.

He added that the military is still waiting for Watana to surrender himself, and urged the public to “have confidence and trust in the government’s maintenance of stability and peace and order of the country.”

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

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