Eagles of Death Metal Perform in Paris For Attack Survivors

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17 February 2016, 10:43

Frontman of Eagles of Death Metal, Jesse Hughes holds a T-shirt with slogan, "I really wanna'be in Paris" as the rock band performs Tuesday Feb. 16, 2016, at the Olympia concert hall in Paris, France. Photo: Jean-Nicolas Guillo / Le Parisien / Associated Press

PARIS — The California rock band Eagles of Death Metal performed Tuesday at a highly charged Paris concert filled with fans who survived a terrifying massacre and siege at their last Paris show – and filled with memories of those who didn't.

"Bonsoir Paris, we're ready for this!" frontman Jesse Hughes told the crowd at the Olympia concert hall, before heading straight into the first song.

Later, between two songs, he shouted: "Peace, love and rock and roll!"

The band's performance Nov. 13 at the Bataclan concert hall turned into a bloodbath when Islamic extremist suicide bombers stormed in, as near-simultaneous attacks hit cafes and a stadium around Paris. Scores of concert-goers at the Bataclan were killed, while others hid or lay motionless for hours until a police raid ended the siege. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Armed police guarded entrances to the Olympia for Tuesday's performance, and concert-goers went through three bag and body searches before entering. Attendees seemed in good spirits ahead of the show, some drinking outside.

A crowd waits outside the Olympia music hall the Eagles of Death Metal's concert, in Paris, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016. Photo: Thibault Camus / Associated Press

One man wounded at the Bataclan appeared at Tuesday's concert in crutches. Others overcame deep fears or depression to attend.

"After the attacks … I felt apprehension even being at the movies," said Bataclan survivor Florian Novac. After seeing the security at Tuesday's concert, however, he said, "Now I'm not afraid, I am confident."

The show saw one band member smash a guitar but was otherwise peaceful, and the crowds left uplifted.

One survivor, Alexis Lebrun, described himself as "very scared" ahead of the show.

He and other survivors opened up to a French terrorism commission ahead of Tuesday's concert, questioning how the French government failed to stop the attacks that claimed 130 lives, most of them at the Bataclan.

The violence came just 10 months after deadly jihadi attacks on a satirical newspaper and a kosher supermarket pushed the country into high alert, and forced French lawmakers to look for ways to further protect citizens.

Lebrun wondered why there was scant security around the Bataclan, one of Paris' biggest music venues, given the heightened alert in the city.

"No security measures were seen. No military or police presence in front of the hall. No particular searches at the hall entrance," Lebrun noted.

"How come the national security alert was at its highest level, yet there were no provisions to mobilize some guards in front of venues welcoming hundreds or thousands of people?" he asked.

Speaking to i-Tele television ahead of the concert, Eagles of Death Metal singer Hughes broke down sobbing.

"I don't know why God picked us to be the band."

Some came to Tuesday's concert in solidarity.

Concert-goer Virginie Todisco said that "it was a huge symbolic moment and it was just time to have some fun."

Story: Thomas Adamson / Associated Press

Obama, ASEAN Leaders Seek Resolution to Maritime Disputes

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Associated Press

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17 February 2016, 10:24

President Barack Obama shakes hands with Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, while Thai Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha listens to Myanmar Vice President Nyan Tun, at right. Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais / Associated Press

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — President Barack Obama and the leaders of Southeast Asia called Tuesday for peaceful resolution of the region's maritime disputes as they concluded a summit in California.

Obama told a news conference that disputes must be resolved by legal means, including a case brought by the Philippines challenging China's sweeping claims over most of the South China Sea.

China has refused to take part in the proceedings, but Obama said parties to the U.N. law of the seas are obligated to respect the ruling, expected later this year.

Obama has been hosting 10 leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, in the United States for the first time. That sends a subtle message to China that the United States remains an important force in the region.

But the leaders' joint statement after two days of talks avoided direct reference to China, reflecting the careful path that ASEAN members tread in their diplomacy with the world powers.

"Any disputes between claimants must be resolved peacefully through legal means such as the upcoming arbitration ruling under the U.N. Convention of the Law of the Seas, which the parties are obligated to respect and abide by," Obama said.

The Philippines brought its case in 2013 after Beijing refused to withdraw its ships from a disputed shoal under a U.S.-brokered deal. Despite China's refusal to participate, the arbitral tribunal based in The Hague has agreed to hear the case.

China says it has a historical right to virtually all of the South China Sea and has built seven artificial islands, some with airstrips, to assert its sovereignty. Taiwan and ASEAN members Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines also claim land features in these potentially resource-rich waters, an important thoroughfare for international shipping.

Though not a claimant, the U.S. has spoken out against China's conduct and has angered Beijing by sailing U.S. Navy ships near some of the artificial islands to demonstrate freedom to sail there despite China's territorial claims.

Obama said the U.S. will continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, and it will support the right of other countries to do the same.

The U.S. has long argued for the maritime rights issue to be resolved peacefully and is looking for ASEAN to take a unified stance on the issue.

The diverse group of countries includes governments that lean toward either Washington or Beijing. Only four ASEAN members are South China Sea claimants, leading to sometimes conflicting views on how to handle long-simmering rifts.

The U.S.-ASEAN joint statement did not refer directly to the arbitration case brought by the Philippines, but it does urge "full respect for legal and diplomatic processes" in resolving disputes.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told a working dinner of the leaders on Monday night that China's role in the region is expected to grow. Loong said China's larger presence will likely lead to occasional frictions, uncertainties and anxieties, including on the South China Sea, but these issues must be managed peacefully to preserve regional stability and security, the Singapore-based Channel News Asia reported.

The summit is the latest effort by Obama to deepen U.S. ties with the fast-growing economies of Southeast Asia – a commitment he described as "strong and enduring." Obama plans to visit Vietnam in May, and then in the fall, become the first U.S. president to visit Laos.

Human rights activists have criticized Obama for hosting Southeast Asian leaders who have not come to power in free and fair elections. Obama said the U.S. would continue to stand with those in the region looking to advance rule of law and good governance.

He encouraged the return of civilian rule in Thailand, a long-standing U.S. ally, whose current prime minister came to power in a May 2014 military coup.

The leaders concluded the summit by posing for the traditional family photo on the plush lawn outside a historic residence at Sunnylands, the storied California desert estate where the talks were held. Sunnylands is also where Obama had his first formal meeting with China's current president, Xi Jinping, in 2013.

The leaders also discussed economic cooperation. ASEAN members Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam are all members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a free trade pact that is the main plank of Obama's outreach to Asia.

Story: Associated Press

Transport Breaches Chao Phraya Walkway

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Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

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16 February 2016, 18:22

A cargo ship crashes through a walkway Sunday along the Chao Phraya River in the Phra Pradaeng district south of Bangkok in Samut Prakan province.<br /> — A cargo ship crashes through a walkway Sunday along the Chao Phraya River in the Phra Pradaeng district south of Bangkok in Samut Prakan province.

SAMUT PRAKAN — Rogue waves have been blamed for a cargo ship plowing through a pedestrian walkway near the Bhumibol II Bridge.

The Singapore-flagged container ship Xetha Bhum smashed into a riverwalk in Samut Prakan’s Phra Pradaeng district Sunday as the vessel was navigating a roughly 270-degree bend in the river.

It ran up and over a 10-meter stretch of concrete walkway, totally destroying it. The ship received only minor damage on the starboard side, no goods were damaged and most fortunately no one was injured, according to police.

Video captured the exciting moment.

The ship left Bangkok’s Khlong Toei Pier and was heading seaward to return to Singapore when strong tides caused it to lose control, boat manager Pichet Po-ngam said.

Shipping company Regional Container Lines, which is headquartered in Bangkok’s Yannawa district, will compensate Phra Pradaeng, Pichet said.

Five years ago in September 2011, the same ship was heavily damaged when it collided into a vessel twice its weight off the coast of Singapore.

Col. Phumin Singhasut of Phra Pradaeng police station said it was just luck no one was injured because the walkway is usually crowded with residents and joggers.

The area was cordoned off to prevent people stepping in, he said.

Question Quota Proposed to Ease Prayuth’s Distress

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Sasiwan Mokkhasen, Staff Reporter

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16 February 2016, 18:09

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha announces cabinet meeting resolutions Feb. 2 at Government House in Bangkok.

BANGKOK — Reporters with questions for high-level government officials could be asked to write them down and then cross their fingers for luck.

That’s one idea being weighed by the military government to screen potentially irksome questions before they reach junta leader Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and other ranking officials, a government spokesman confirmed Tuesday.

Maj. Gen. Sansern Kaewkamnerd said that the idea was proposed by the prime minister’s public relations team in response to the junta chief’s episodes of irritation and rage in recent weeks. Under the proposal, reporters could submit their questions in advance for review — along with their names and the names of their media outlets. Four winning questions would be chosen for answering.

Prayuth declined to take regular questions after his previous cabinet meeting on Feb. 9, one week after the notoriously querulous former general blew his top and angrily pounded his podium as cameras rolled.

Sansern said the question quota idea was inspired by a question raised over whether Prayuth’s discontent originated with himself or members of media.

Reporters should conduct interviews in accordance to what their subject wants to say, Sansern said.

Boxing Star Manny Pacquiao Draws Flak For Same-Sex Marriage Comment

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Associated Press

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16 February 2016, 16:58

Filipino boxer and Congressman Manny Pacquiao, right, at the start of the official campaign period for the May 9, 2016 presidential elections at suburban Mandaluyong city east of Manila, Philippines Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. Photo: Bullit Marquez / Associated Press

MANILA, Philippines — Boxing star Manny Pacquiao has created a firestorm in his home country after saying people in same-sex relationships "are worse than animals."

Pacquiao, who is running for a Philippine Senate seat, made the remark in a video posted Monday on local TV5's election site. He also said animals are better than people in same-sex relationships because they recognize the difference between males and females.

Among those expressing opposition to the comments was gay comedian and television host Jose Marie Viceral, known as Vice Ganda. He tweeted that lesbian, gays, bisexuals and transgenders are humans, not animals. He said they're not saints, but that they'll pray for Pacquiao.

Danton Remoto of the LGBT group Ladlad said Pacquiao's comments showed he had a shallow understanding of issues important to the LGBT community.

On Tuesay Pacquio posted further comment on the issue on his instagram account.

Story: Associated Press.

Source Material: Translated Excerpt of Bombing Suspect’s Letter Alleging Torture

By

Khaosod English

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16 February 2016, 16:20

Photo taken by police of Adem Karadag, aka Bilal Mohammed, at the time of his Aug. 29 arrest in Bangkok.

BANGKOK — In a Jan. 22 letter addressed to the president of the Uyghur American Association, suspected Bangkok bomber Adem Karadag alleges he was tortured and coerced into confessing a central role in the Aug. 17 attack which killed 20 people at the Erawan Shrine.

Police and junta officials have denied either suspect has been abused in any way and say there is sufficient material evidence linking them to the crime.

In his letter, Karadag wrote that officials made him dress up like the yellow-shirted man seen in security footage leaving the bomb in the shrine minutes before the blast. He said they gave him a yellow T-shirt, black trousers, sunglasses, arm bands and a wig to wear so that he would resemble a composite sketch issued after the attack.

Top Brass Present During Torture, Bombing Suspect Alleges

Here’s a translation of his account from the original letter:

"After that the officers who told me to admit to being the person in the (CCTV) pictures, which were shown to me by the officers who kept saying that if I do not admit to being the man in the yellow shirt who set the bomb at the Erawan Shrine at Ratchaprasong intersection, I would be sent back to the government of China.

“I refused to admit anything because I did not do anything wrong and was not the man in the picture, so I was punched in my stomach several times by the officer who served as the English interpreter and threatened by saying they will kill me if I do not confess.

“Sometimes some of the officers would tell me that they will send me back to the Chinese authorities, and let loose a military dog to bark and threaten me at a close distance all the time.

“These threats and torture against me took place over a period of more than two hours, and they brought pictures to show me several times. And because I was afraid that I'd be further tortured or sent back to the Chinese authorities, and because I am well aware that Uighur Muslims who fled China and are forcibly returned to China would all be killed by the Chinese authorities, along with their relatives and family members who would also be tortured and hunted.

“I was tortured like that until almost 7am on the morning of the Sept. 22, 2015. Due to exhaustion and fear, I then told the officers that I’m the man in the yellow shirt who set the bomb at the Erawan Shrine. And the man wore grey at Lumpini Park, and the man in the blue shirt who set the bomb at the pier in accordance with the pictures shown; they were all me.

“The fact that I told the officers that I am the person in the pictures was because I wanted the officers to stop torturing me, and at that time I was suffering from severe stomach pain. Afterward, the officers brought me back to my detention room, and later at around 9am on Sept. 22, 2015, I told the officers who detained me in the room that I wished to see a medical doctor, but nobody contacted a medical doctor to examine my body.

“As a result I suffered from severe pain in my stomach and had to suffer this tortured state for a whole day. I could not eat anything beyond a piece of bread and milk.

Retired General’s Immodest Proposal Pits Prostitutes, Coyotes Against Monk Mob

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Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

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16 February 2016, 15:45

A monk and soldier speak Monday west of Bangkok at a Buddhist park in Nakhon Pathom province.

By Pravit Rojanaphruk
Senior Staff Writer

BANGKOK — An aristocrat and retired army major general today suggested the junta should deal with protesting monks by sending hired coyote girls, prostitutes, female masseuses and female soldiers to disperse any future protests instead of male troops.

Coming a day after thousands of monks clashed with soldiers briefly at a grand Buddhist Park west of Bangkok, retired Maj. Gen. HSH Prince Chulcherm Yugala weighed in on Facebook early Tuesday morning with his suggestion, saying that physical contact with women would make the monks impure and cost them their celibate status.

Scenes of monks and soldiers pushing and shoving, with a monk grappling a soldier in a headlock after soldiers tried to block upward of 30,000 monks from entering the park in Nakhon Pathom province, caused a public stir. The monks wanted to protest in support of their candidate for the post Supreme Patriarch and demand Buddhism be formally established as the national religion.

Hundreds of Monks Clash with Military West of Bangkok (Video)

At right, retired Maj. Gen. HSH Prince Chulcherm Yugala

Chulcherm, 69, said deploying female forces to come into physical contact with the monks was a practical solution: It would serve to get the monks disrobed, while alleged “fake” monks who did not surrender their robes could then be arrested.

Chulcherm, who once served as president of Rajvithi Football Club, laid it out thusly:

“When the mob of monks and fake monks arrives, we will have women soldiers, women police, standing in the front row to spearhead the clash with the monks and nuns, while male soldiers will be behind. If there aren’t enough women soldiers or police, then force or ask (for the country, army and the National Council for Peace and Order), for the cooperation of hired masseuses, be it traditional or modern, red-light women, coyotes and [female] market vendors for reinforcement,” he wrote.

If they are real monks, he said, officers can proceed to defrock them, as they have become tainted through the direct contact.

Fifteen hours after the post was made, it had gathered over 2,500 Likes and 130 comments, mostly in support of Chulcherm’s proposal.

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

Follow Khaosod English on Facebook and Twitter for news, politics and more from Thailand. To reach Khaosod English about this article or another matter, please contact us by e-mail at [email protected].

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Bombing Suspects Deny All Charges in Military Court

By

Sasiwan Mokkhasen, Staff Reporter

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16 February 2016, 14:16

BANGKOK — Two suspects accused of killing 20 people at a shrine in Bangkok denied the charges today before a military tribunal.

Adem Karadag, 31, aka Bilal Mohammed, told the military court Tuesday he was not even in Thailand at the time of the Aug. 17 explosion at the Erawan Shrine, which killed mostly foreign tourists.

His co-defendant, 27-year-old Yusufu Mieraili, said he did not want the court-appointed military lawyer assigned to him despite his request for civilian representation.

"I am not guilty and I have been in jail for six months," Mieraili said in court through a Uighur translator. "I want to find a lawyer and pay for it myself."

Top Brass Present During Torture, Bombing Suspect Alleges

Through his lawyer Schoochart Kanpai, Karadag admitted to entering Thailand illegally with a fake passport, saying he sought to travel on to work in Malaysia to help support his family in Turkey, who had already fled China’s far flung Xinjiang territory.

Both defendants are ethnic Chinese Uighurs. Uighurs have complained of systematic discrimination and abuse by Chinese authorities. Violent attacks against Han Chinese have led Beijing to brand some as terrorists.

Outside the court, Karadag’s lawyer said that while being detained inside an army camp in Bangkok, Karadag was waterboarded, forced to be naked in a cold room, and blindfolded while a dog threatened him.

Defense lawyer Schoochart Kanpai speaks to reporters Tuesday outside the military court in Bangkok.

Karadag alleges that he paid an agent, Abdullah Abdullahman, who he believed to be Turkish, to help get into Thailand. Abdullahman took him from a hotel in Vietnam to Laos and then entered Thailand on Aug. 21.

He said Abdullahman took him to stay at the Poon Anan Apartment in eastern Bangkok where he was arrested Aug. 29. Mieraili was taken into Thai custody Sept. 1.

Karadag's lawyer repeated allegations that his was tortured to confess many times between Sept. 14 and Sept. 26. Karadag claimed officers threatened to kill or deport him back to China.

In a letter obtained today by Khaosod English, he alleged that top officials were present when threats were made.

Through his lawyer, Karadag said he ended up confessing Sept. 22 that he was the man in pictures shown to him by police: the man in the yellow shirt who placed the bomb inside the shrine, a man in a gray shirt seen later inside Lumpini Park, and a man in a blue shirt who left a bomb in the water near Sathorn Pier.

Three days before he was led by police to publically “re-enact” the crime on Sept. 26, Karadag said he was taken on the morning of Sept. 23 to four places and told to say he was there before. They included the Erawan Shrine, a pier, a bridge and a mosque. He said he was accompanied by police officers including police chief Chakthip Chaijinda and Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sriwarah Rangsitpramkul.

After being held in custody for nearly three months, the two accused were indicted Nov. 24 on 10 counts including premeditated murder and possession of explosives for the attack. They were not charged with terrorism.

Seventeen suspects were named in arrest warrants during the course of the investigation, but the two Uighur men remain the only to be arrested.

The next scheduled hearing is April 20, when the evidence against them will be examined.

Top Brass Present During Torture, Bombing Suspect Alleges

By

Sasiwan Mokkhasen, Staff Reporter

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16 February 2016, 13:17

Bombing suspect Adem Karadag led Oct. 19 into the military court in Bangkok.<br /> — Bombing suspect Adem Karadag led Oct. 19 into the military court in Bangkok.

By Sasiwan Mokkhasen and Todd Ruiz

BANGKOK — The chief suspect in August's bombing of the Erawan Shrine has claimed top military and police officers were present when he was told he would be killed if he did not confess to the crime.

In a letter obtained by Khaosod English, Adem Karadag, the Chinese Uighur man identified by police as the “yellow shirt” man who on Aug. 17 left the bomb which killed 20 people at the shrine, alleges that he confessed to carrying out the bombing while in pain and fear of further torture, during part of which top officials including the former and current police chiefs were present.

The Jan. 22 letter from Karadag, aka Bilal Mohammed, appealed for help from the president of the U.S.-based Uyghur American Association. It alleges a session of physical and psychological abuse on Sept. 22 that culminated in him signing an untranslated confession.

“The fact that I told the officers that I am the person in the pictures was because I wanted the officers to stop torturing me, and at the time I was suffering from severe stomach pain,” Karadage wrote. While his authorship of the letter could not be independently verified, the letter was originally sent from his attorney Schoochart Kanpai.

Bangkok Shrine Bombing: Those Who Died

Karadag’s arrest Aug. 29 in an apartment in eastern Bangkok provided the first break in the investigation. Co-defendant Yusufu Mieraili was taken into Thai custody near the border with Cambodia on Sept. 1. The first hearing in their trial opened before a military tribunal this morning.

His letter indicates he signed the confession after being abused throughout the night until 7am on the morning of Sept. 22. He specified four alleged methods: being punched repeatedly in the stomach by an officer acting as his English interpreter, being threatened with death, being threatened with forcible return to Chinese authorities and use of a military dog to menace him at close proximity.

Thai officials have flatly denied any suggestion Karadag or other suspects were subjected to abuse, saying such tactics have long been set aside.

Karadag in the letter admitted to entering Thailand illegally, possessing fake travel documents and repeated claims made after his arrest that he did so to transit to Malaysia for employment.

Interrogators presented security camera images of three suspected perpetrators from the night of the attack, the letter alleges.

“Due to exhaustion and fear, I then told the officers that I’m the man in the yellow shirt who set the bomb at the Erawan Shrine, and the man who wore grey at Lumpini Park, and the man in the blue shirt who set the bomb at the pier in accordance with the pictures shown were all me,” he said.

Soon thereafter he alleges that 10 armed military men entered the room with a new interpreter. Among them was then-police chief Gen. Somyot Pumpanmuang, his successor Gen. Chakhtip Chaijinda, metropolitan police chief Maj. Gen. Sriwarah Rangsipramnakul and other senior military officers. The letter alleges all were present when he was threatened with death should he not sign the confession.

In the following days, the investigators who had been sending mixed signals over Karadag’s role played down the confession before announcing Karadag was indeed the shrine bomber.

"Yesterday I didn't have clear information yet, but based on interrogation information obtained at around 9pm last night, I can now confirm that Adem Karadag or Bilal Mohammed [sic] is the yellow-shirted man,” Sriwarah said Sept. 25.

The next day Karadag was led around Bangkok for an official “re-enactment” of his alleged crimes.

Junta spokesman Col. Winthai Suvaree said in a Reuters report published Monday that he doubted Karadag and Mieraili were tortured.

"I am fairly certain nothing happened to the suspects while they were in military custody," he was quoted saying.

Karadag and Mieraili, both Uighur members of a Muslim-minority group in China, were held at a controversial military prison. They face trial on charges including premeditated murder and possession of explosives, but they were not indicted for terrorism. No motive has been officially attached to the attack, but the consensus of security experts is that it was retaliation for Bangkok’s forcible repatriation of more than 100 Uighurs refugees to China.

Additional reporting Pravit Rojanaphruk

Bangkok Bombing Suspects Won't be Tried for Terrorism

Police Link Bomb Attack to Uighurs, Deep South and Thai Politics

Police Chief Plays Down Bombing Suspect’s Alleged Confession

Turkish Suspect Denies Involvement in Erawan Bomb Attack

Bangkok Bombing Suspects Won't be Tried for Terrorism

Mounting Evidence Links Bombing to Turks, Uighurs

No Longer Whole, a Family Buries its Dead and Waits for Answers

Seen Often on Sathorn 10, Suspect Thought to Use Fake Turkish Passport

Bangkok Shrine Bombing: Those Who Died

Tourists Narrowly Escape Second Bangkok Bombing in 24 Hours

Bangkok Shrine Bombing: Police Hunt Backpack Man

Tourists Among 19 Killed by Bomb at Bangkok's Erawan Shrine

Nok Air Punishes Employees After Strike Strands Hundreds

By

Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

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16 February 2016, 11:40

Passengers queue Monday at Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok.<br /> — Passengers queue Monday at Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok.

BANGKOK — A Nok Air official was fired and two others suspended last night following a pilot strike which left more than 1,500 passengers stranded.

Sanit Kongpetch, a pilot and the airline’s manager of flight standards, was fired without severance or compensation for an unspecified “offense against the company”, according to an announcement from the budget carrier, which has blamed its pilots for the debilitating work stoppage that left hundreds of travelers stranded at Don Mueang Airport and elsewhere.

Two other unidentified employees were suspended for eight days beginning Monday through Feb. 23, while seven others face an inquiry, according to the document signed by Nok Air CEO Patee Sarasin.

The airline contends the strike began after a number of pilots Friday failed to pass a new assessment made to bring the airline in line with international safety standards. In December, the International Air Transport Association downgraded the safety rating of Thailand’s civil aviation.

The pilots dispute that, saying it had nothing to do with the recent downgrade of Thai civil aviation by international monitors. Speaking anonymously to the media, a Nok Air pilot Tuesday morning rejected that explanation, saying it was about internal company issues.

Sanit, the fired official, said Tuesday he was fired for canceling the flights.

“I arrived at the airport yesterday, but as the captain and flight standard manager, I found many pilots sick and stressed, which I thought could affect flight safety,” Sanit said. “So I told the flight division to cancel flights. I went back home and found myself fired without any inquiry.”

He denied it was a strike.

“If pilots did strike, we would have cancelled 120 flights, not nine,” he said, adding that Nok recently lost many pilots to other airlines.

Nok Air is the budget airline of struggling national carrier Thai Airways International.

Nok CEO Patee couldn’t be reached for comment. He tweeted Monday afternoon that he would not speak to the media until the company finalizes a plan to address the problem, possibly by Thursday.

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