Huai Khwang Market Vendors Protest City Eviction

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18 January 2016, 19:00

Huai Khwang market vendors wear yellow shirts at a Monday protest against City Hall’s decision to evict them from the sidewalks where some have operated for three decades.

BANGKOK — It’s a routine that’s become predictably familiar: City moves in to clear sidewalks, vendors cry foul, vendors leave.

On Monday morning it played out on streets near Huai Khwang intersection, an area that for 30 decades has been a lively area famous for cheap street food and fashion, with vendors protesting a City Hall announcement this morning that from this day forth, all stalls on the sidewalks of the night market have to go.

At least 100 vendors in yellow shirts gathered to protest this morning, saying they were not happy with a nearby, indoor location the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, or BMA, encouraged them to relocate to.

The BMA said it notified vendors in May 2015 it had revoked their permission to operate on the sidewalk, saying it had received many complaints about the market.

BMA officials this morning launched their effort to clear both sides along Pracha Uthit and Pracha Songkhro roads as part of its ongoing campaign to reclaim public space.

Similar efforts have been carried out since the 2014 military coup in places such as Silom Road and several historic markets in Chinatown and near the Grand Palace.

The BMA said vendors have been notified of the redevelopment effort and can move into the second floor of the Huai Khwang market building’s second floor, which has space for 390 stalls.

Vendors said they were concerned it would be difficult to attract customers since they would be inside up on the building’s second floor instead of visible on the street. There is apparently not enough space for everyone in the building, which has neither an elevator nor restrooms.

BMA authorities said they would seek another location to accommodate the more than the estimated 500 vendors.

Beginning at 6pm today, barriers would be set up on the walkways to prevent the stalls from returning, though some vendors vowed to continue selling at their usual locations.

City workers cleaned the sidewalks Monday morning near the Huai Khwang market. Photo: @Pr_bangkok / Twitter

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Bukruk Fest Moves Opening Day to Jam Factory

By

Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

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18 January 2016, 18:22

Promotional art for the Bukruk Urban Arts Festival. Image: Courtesy Bukruk

BANGKOK — When the Bukruk Festival returns Saturday with a big party on the river, it won't go down exactly as expected.

The opening-day music festival to kick off the nine-day Bukruk Urban Arts Festival is moving further upriver to The Jam Factory due to a last-minute problem with the original venue, the Bangkok Docklands.

“We’re concerned mainly about alcohol use and our image, since our job is building ships,” a Bangkok Dock Co. rep who would only identify himself as Supheeruth said Monday morning of the cultural event which is sponsored by the likes of the European Union and Tourism Authority of Thailand.

Bukruk organizers did not return calls seeking comment. A Jam Factory representative confirmed this afternoon it will host Saturday’s daylong music festival which will feature music by bands and DJs from Thailand and around the world.

The Docklands venue was announced with fanfare back in November, and just last month it hosted the Great Outdoor Market for four days.

Although the venue for the music fest must change, the festival will otherwise be unchanged, sticking to its planned schedule of events. Tickets to Saturday’s festival are available online for 800 baht.

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

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‘The Commons’ Coming to Minimize Mall Misery

By

Cole Pennington

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18 January 2016, 16:44

BANGKOK — When British economist William Forster Lloyd coined the term “tragedy of the commons” two centuries ago to refer to the spoiling of shared resources by individuals, it must have been after seeing the sidewalks of Bangkok.

Extend that to the capital city’s vast and numerous shopping malls which – apart from taking space which could have been a park or library – tend to offer an awful selection of stores, tasteless kitschy decor and misery-inducing parking. Thus the degraded public utility of malls many don’t want to visit because, too often, they really suck.

The Commons, a new Thonglor “community mall,” was designed to be free of tragedy. Partly because its commercial tenants won’t be the usual nepotism-preferred cronies, but a curated selection of vendors meant to go well together.

“I put my money down two years ago. I trusted the concept because here, unlike other malls, you know who will be next to you,” said Chris Foo of The Beer Cap, a craft beer bar opening to lubricate Commons patrons. “It’s just a bunch of people who really believe in each other’s products.”

To minimize the mall misery, The Commons will also include 15-minute parking from the street, a daycare center and good ventilation.

The mall’s main draw is called The Market. Its intent is writ large on a sign: “Food and Drink from Specialized Purveyors.”

Inside you’ll find a new Mexican joint called Barrio Bonito, a restaurant from Koh Chang run by a Frenchman and his Mexican wife, the former of which promises “Mexican food that’s anything but Tex-Mex.”

Peppina, the popular pizzeria by Paolo Vitaletti and Jarrett Wrisley is neatly tucked into a corner and keeps the same open-kitchen plan so guests can enjoy the view and equally important aroma of the Neapolitan pizza.

Egg My God is a newcomer to the scene. When I asked the man behind the operation to give us the scoop, he enthusiastically cracked, ““We have curry, soup, steak, but they all have eggs! Everything about eggs. I love the concept, I love eggs!”

A grocery store involving sausage king Joe Sloane is planned and should be fully operational by the official February opening.

The Beer Cap supplies the entire complex with brew, with a sharp focus on keeping it craft-only.

“We kept the beer cap theme from RCA, but we’re only putting true craft beer on tap here. Expect Punk IPA, Holgate Pilsner, Chainbreaker White IPA,” Foo said. A crane hoists kegs up to a cold room above the bar and keeps 10 taps pouring a rotating selection of the good stuff. Foo promises the brew is never more than four days old.

The seating area outside is situated under a massive industrial fan imported from San Francisco that keeps the area cool enough to comfortably enjoy being away from air conditioning. There’s a small parking lot just out front with 15-minute parking for folks who just want to run in and grab something.

'Por Thrisadee,’ Beloved Television Heartthrob, 35

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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18 January 2016, 14:31

'Por' Thrisadee Sahawong and actress Worakarn 'Punch' Rojanawat in a promotional image for a 2015 remake of rom-com lakorn Tat Dao Bussaya.

BANGKOK — Beloved television actor “Por Thrisadee” Sahawong, 35, whose illness gripped the nation for more than two months, died this morning at Ramathibodi Hospital in Bangkok.

A statement issued Monday afternoon by the hospital, where he was admitted 71 days ago for treatment of severe complications stemming from dengue fever, said Thrisadee died at 11:50am.

"Since early January 2016, his lung infection escalated, causing his condition to progressively deteriorate," it read. "He eventually stopped responding to treatment and passed away peacefully."

The statement said Trisadee had been suffering from various health complications such as kidney failure, liver failure, hemorrhaging and loss of white blood cells. His left foot was amputated due to a blood clot in his leg, and doctors later removed one of his lungs.

Sornmontra Pichaisornplaeng, Por’s personal manager, confirmed his death this afternoon and said his funeral will take place in his hometown of Buriram.

His family has yet to make a statement on the actor's death. The actor is survived by his wife Vanda Sahawong and daughter Pakwan "Mali" Sahawong.

Photo: Buriram United / Facebook

Among the first to publicly mourn his death was Thrisadee’s favorite football club, Buriram United; the actor originally hailed from Buriram province.

“Por’s departure today is the greatest loss for the Sahawong family and also the Buriram United family, because we have lost the person who loves us with a pure heart, who loves us with an unconditional love,” read a statement from the club posted to Facebook and accompanied by a photo of Thrisadee wearing a Buriram United jersey.

Thrisadee’s illness had become an obsession of the national media ever since he was first admitted to the hospital on Nov. 9 in a comatose state due to complications from dengue fever, with daily reports filed from the hospital waiting room.

Thrisadee was an A-list celebrity known for acting in the immensely popular television dramas known as lakorn.

While hospitalized, the story of his illness provided its own plot twist. Several days after being admitted to the hospital came the revelation Thrisadee had a 2-year-old daughter with Vanda kept out of the public eye.

Thrisadee rose to fame after he was named Cleo Thailand's 2004 Bachelor of the Year. In 2009 he was propelled into superstardom by his lead performance in classic lakorn remake Pu Yai Lee Kab Nang Ma, or Village Head Lee and Miss Ma. He has played more than 30 roles in other series.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified Por's age at death. He was 35, not 37.

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Phangan Shooting Prompts Crackdown on ‘Foreign Mafia’

By

Sasiwan Mokkhasen, Staff Reporter

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18 January 2016, 12:59

Suspected gunman Sihanath Chaipinit participates in a police 're-enactment' Saturday in front of the Palita Lodge on Koh Phangan.

SURAT THANI — Police have been ordered from the highest level to crack down on foreign mafia operating on Koh Phangan after a local official and Russian bar owner were arrested in connection with intimidation backed by gunfire on the island famous for its full moon parties.

Following arrests of two suspects in the shooting, Deputy Prime Minister Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan announced Sunday measures would be taken against foreigners business operators behaving like mafia on the famous resort islands of Koh Samui and Koh Phangan.

“Gen. Prawit is extremely concerned about the influence of foreigners,” said Maj. Gen. Apichart Boonsriroj of the Surat Thani police station. “He stressed officials must not be involved or giving any support to their illegal actions.”

Five gunshots were fired in the pre-dawn hours of Tuesday into rooms occupied by tourists at Haad Rin Nok, the site of the monthly full moon bacchanals. No one was injured. The gunshots were believed meant to intimidate the bungalow’s owner after he filed a complaint with police about noisy overnight parties at a nearby bar owned by the Russian.

Over the weekend, police arrested 31-year-old Russian national Sergei Milentie, who operated the Similan bar where the parties were held, and Chanin Phetsri, the 54-year-old mayor of a community on the mainland. Chanin was said to have rented the bar to Milentie.

Police said their arrests came from information provided by the alleged gunman, 62-year-old Sihanath Chaipinit, and bar manager Jaturong Hongthong, 36. Both men were arrested Friday.

Mayor Chanin has denied being involved. A fifth suspect, 38-year-old Jirat Kuadkaew, fled.

Milentie denied renting the bar from the mayor. He has been charged with working illegally in the kingdom, as well as operating a bar and selling alcohol without permits. He was scheduled to appear Monday in court on Koh Samui.

The owner of the bungalows who made the original complaint, Pairot Charoenwan, said the trouble stemmed from a Jan. 10 meeting of the local business association held at his Palita Lodge. Local business owners agreed no parties would be allowed in the beach community except for the monthly Full Moon Party.

“Police then called the foreign bar owner to inform him of the agreement,” he said. “He was displeased.”

Surat Thani Gov. Wongsiri Phromchana said he expects more foreign mafia will be taken into custody, saying there are a number of expats operating businesses which serve tourists from their countries. He said many of them were involved in organized crime.

As part of the crackdown, police will review the investors and registration of businesses belonging to foreigners.

SpaceX Launches Satellite but Fails to Land Reusable Rocket

By

DPA

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18 January 2016, 11:26

SpaceX launches satellite in an undated picture. Photo: Bill Ingalls / Nasa / EPA

WASHINGTON — Private space-launch company SpaceX carried a scientific satellite into orbit Sunday but failed again in an attempt to land the rocket undamaged for reuse on future missions.

The Jason-3, a U.S. -European oceanography satellite, was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California atop SpaceX's unmanned Falcon 9 rocket.

The satellite is designed to gather data on oceans, including tracking global sea level rise. The mission is meant to improve weather, climate and ocean forecasts, U.S. space agency NASA said.

NASA hailed the "successful launch" on Twitter.

As the Falcon 9 returned to Earth after deploying the satellite into low orbit, SpaceX attempted to land the spacecraft on an unmanned floating platform in the Pacific Ocean.

The company later tweeted that the rocket landed softly on the vessel, a so-called droneship, within 1.3 meters of the centre of the platform, but one of the legs failed to fully lock and collapse on impact.

SpaceX chief Elon Musk, an investor whose ventures include electric car company Tesla Motors, said on Twitter: "Touchdown speed was ok, but a leg lockout didn't latch, so it tipped over after landing."

A month ago, SpaceX was able to successfully land one of its rockets, proving the principle of reusing the up to USD$ 90million ( 327.6 million baht) spacecraft, after previous failures.

Later Sunday, Must tweeted a photo of wreckage on the platform with the comment: "At least the pieces were bigger this time."

Story: DPA

Half-Life: Survivor Fish’s Celebrity to Live On After Death (Video)

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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18 January 2016, 11:04

RATCHABURI — A local celebrity fish in Ratchaburi province died over the weekend after living without its back half for seven months.

Months after its rear half literally rotted away, the fish died Saturday, said its owner, Watcharapan Chotipradith, who plans to preserve its body and put it on display at his pet fish shop so that the public can admire its determination to survive.

“I want tourists and members of the public to see it,” Watcharapan told reporters Sunday. “It symbolizes a fish’s will to fight for its life, even though its body is imperfect.”

According to Watcharapan, the fish, named Chao Boon Krueng (The Blessed Halfling), lost half of its body after suffering an accident in a fish pond about seven months ago.

Watcharapan said Chao Boon Krueng smacked its spine when it jumped out of the pond and landed bodily on cement. With its spine broken, necrosis set in and the back half of its body rotted away because of the severe injury, Watcharapan said.

In spite of its condition, Watcharapan decided to keep the fish alive and display it in front of his shop in Ratchaburi’s Fish Village Market. The fish soon caught attention from locals and the press, becoming a sort of local celebrity. Chao Boon Krueng made national news in December.

Speaking to reporters yesterday, Watcharapan said he has contacted Veterinary Medicine Faculty of Mahidol University to help him preserve Chao Boon Krueng’s body for posthumous public display at his shop.

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

Follow Khaosod English on and Twitter for news, politics and more from Thailand.

Iran, US Celebrate 'Rare' Chance at 'New Chapter' With Nuclear Deal

By

DPA

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18 January 2016, 11:03

Obama Speaks on Iran sanctions at White House in an undated picture. Photo: EPA / Jim Lo Scalzo

WASHINGTON — A whirlwind weekend of prisoner exchanges, reduced sanctions and confirmation that Tehran has degraded its nuclear program gives the US and Iran a "rare" chance to start a "new chapter", US and Iranian leaders said Sunday.

A vast array of Western sanctions targeting Iran were lifted on Saturday after the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that Iran had kept to its side of last year's landmark agreement with six major powers by significantly scaling down its nuclear programme.

Speaking separately on Sunday, U.S. President Barack Obama and Iranian President Hassan Rowhani said they now see a path by which Iran could restore relations with the West.

"We have stretched our hands towards the world in a sign of friendship and begun a new chapter in our relations with the world after overcoming all the enmities, scepticism and schemes devised against us," Rowhani said in a statement.

Obama expressed similar sentiments later in a White House address.

"You have a rare chance to follow a new path. You have to take advantage of that," he said, addressing the young people of Iran. "We can make this world safer for our children and our grandchildren for generations to come."

On top of the confirmation about Iran's nuclear systems and the lifting of sanctions targeting that programme, the weekend also saw the United States lift a decades-old freeze that blocked Iranian access to funds held at U.S. institutions.

The freeze was implemented after the two countries broke off diplomatic ties in 1979 amid the Iranian Revolution, an event that saw militants storm the U.S. embassy in Tehran and hold dozens of hostages for more than a year.

The deal, hammered out at a tribunal in the Hague, frees up USD$ 400 million (14.5 billion baht) and another USD$ 1.3 billion (47.2 billion baht) in interest, a figure that Obama referred to as a compromise that prevents Iran from seeking an even higher sum.

There is still more Iranian money locked up in U.S. accounts. Obama said negotiations on the additional sums would continue.

Rowhani said earlier Sunday that Iran had regained access to more than USD$ 100 billion (363.9 billion baht) in frozen assets.

Also Sunday, both sides confirmed the release Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, who had been detained by Iran for more than a year on espionage charges, and several other prisoners.

"We are relieved that this 545-day nightmare for Jason and his family is finally over," said Fred Ryan, the newspaper's publisher, in a statement.

Four US citizens were released from Iran and seven Iranians from the United States. Obama said none of the Iranians was being charged or investigated for terrorism. The U.S. confirmed that its citizens had left Iranian territory.

The weekend's swap came on the heels of Iran's quick release of 10 U.S. sailors who had been seized earlier in the week.

The U.S. president praised the steps taken over the weekend to ease tensions, which had been achieved with diplomacy while ensuring that Iran's nuclear programme is hobbled.

"Whereas Iran was steadily expanding its nuclear programme, we have now cut off every path it could have used to build them up," he said.

Prior to his election in 2013, Rowhani, the moderate leader of the Islamic republic, promised to negotiate away the sanctions, which included an embargo on economically vital oil and gas exports.

Predicting an economic boom in the coming years, Rowhani promised Iranian youth that new opportunities will be created as Iran enters the "world economy orbit."

In his statement, Rowhani said that Iran was ready to relegate years of acrimony with the West to the past.

"We do not pose any threat to nations and governments. We are fully ready to protect Iran but we are also the messenger of peace, stability and security in the region and the world," he said.

While praising the deal for putting restraints on any Iranian nuclear ambition, Obama also seemed ready to accept the hand of friendship.

"We've achieved this historic result through diplomacy, without resorting to another war in the Middle East," he noted.

Obama added that the United States would remain vigilant of Iranian ambitions in the region, where the country backs rebel forces in Yemen and the regime in Syria against an array of opponents, some of whom had called for greater democracy there.

"We remain steadfast in opposing Iran's effort to destabilize elsewhere," said Obama, noting that some U.S. sanctions will remain on Iran, particularly for its ballistic missile programme and the country's human rights violations.

Story: DPA / Farshid Motahari and Niels C Sorrells

Shinawatras Defy Junta With Publicity Drive

By

Reuters

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18 January 2016, 10:23

A New Year calendar showing a picture of former Prime Ministers Thaksin and Yingluck Shinawatra hangs Jan. 6 inside a Bangkok restaurant. Photo: Athit Perawongmetha / Reuters

By Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Andrew R.C. Marshall
Reuters

BANGKOK — Former prime ministers Thaksin Shinawatra and his sister Yingluck are cranking up their promotional machines to reconnect with supporters in apparent defiance of the military that toppled their governments.

The publicity drive, which includes a cooking display by Yingluck Shinawatra and the distribution of free books, could signal the family's intention to one day return to power, one expert said.

Yingluck, who was overthrown in 2014 by the junta that has ruled Thailand since then, gave thousands of photo books about herself to journalists and diplomats as a New Year gift.

Her brother, deposed by the military 10 years ago, also sent a coffee table book called "Thaksin Shinawatra: Life and Times" to extol his achievements as prime minister.

Thailand's military has purged the bureaucracy of Shinawatra sympathizers and detained, monitored and restricted the movements of politicians loyal to the family.

Yingluck and Thaksin are despised by Thailand's military-backed royalist elite but they remain hugely popular in their traditional powerbase in the country's north and northeast.

Many analysts believe their Puea Thai Party would still easily win the next general election, which the junta has vowed to hold next year.

Their recent self-publicity is designed to reassure their base and needle their enemies, said Kan Yuenyong, an analyst with Siam Intelligence Unit, a Bangkok-based think tank.

"The Shinawatra family want to send a message to the elite and to their own followers: 'We're still here. We haven't disappeared'," he said.

The government has taken note. "Mr Thaksin's administration was leading Thailand into a political conflict," said a foreign affairs ministry statement about his book.

It noted Thaksin faced "serious allegations" of corruption and human rights abuses.

SALAD DRESSING

Yingluck welcomed reporters to her Bangkok home on Jan. 8 to show off her organic vegetable garden.

She then mixed up a salad dressing, throwing back her hair and smiling when a photographer called her prime minister.

She and her brother have also been active on social media.

Kan Yuenyong said the publicity drive was timed to coincide with what promises to be a testing year for the junta. It has struggled to energize Thailand's export-dependent economy and snuff out opposition to its rule.

The draft of a new constitution is due to be finished this month, paving the way for a 2017 election.

Neither Shinawatra can run but, with Yingluck's charm and Thaksin's money, they will likely fuel a Puea Thai Party campaign.

Thaksin, who remains one of Thailand's wealthiest people, fled into self-exile in 2008 to avoid a jail sentence for corruption.

Yingluck was impeached last year by a junta-appointed assembly and banned from politics for five years. She is currently on trial on criminal charges over corruption in a multi-billion-dollar rice subsidy scheme.

Authorities in northeast Thailand banned the distribution of thousands of 2016 calendars featuring Thaksin and Yingluck earlier this month.

"What's this calendar for?" Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former army chief, asked reporters earlier this month.

"Can any criminal distribute a calendar with his face on it, then?"

Additional reporting by Patpicha Tanakasempipat

Related stories:

A Country Divided by a Calendar

Computer Crime Act Has Issues, Google Tells Censorship Committee

By

Sasiwan Mokkhasen, Staff Reporter

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18 January 2016, 09:00

BANGKOK — Internet search giant Google reportedly expressed concern that Thailand’s Computer Crime Act could interfere with its ability to operate in the kingdom.

Following a Friday meeting said to have been attended by representatives from Google Asia Pacific, committee spokesman Apichart Jongsakul said the company will send a letter outlining concerns about the vague use of the Computer Crime Act to the Media Reform Committee, which is tasked with gaining cooperation from companies such as Google to further internet censorship.

Despite expressing anxiety about the law’s ambiguity, the search engine company indicated it was willing to cooperate with Thai authorities and take down websites deemed illegal once a court order was issued, Apichart said.

Apichart said the Google reps, regional government affairs head Ann Lavin and lawyer Vivian Tan, said they’ve always responded to the requests from the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology and the Royal Thai Police.

The government committee said late last month that its Jan. 14 and Jan. 21 meetings with Google would be followed by ones with Facebook and messaging app Line at unspecified dates.

Soon after seizing power in the May 2014 coup, the junta dispatched officials including Maj. Gen. Pisit Pao-in, a former commander of the Technology Crimes Suppression Division, to Singapore and Japan in a failed bid to win the cooperation of all three companies in censoring and gaining access to users’ social media accounts.

The companies reportedly rejected their overtures, around the time the junta announced it would fence off Thailand’s internet by building its own “national gateway” through which it would route all traffic.

Pisit is now overseeing the committee’s renewed bid at winning cooperation from the internet multinationals. On Dec. 24, he said his committee would seek junta approval to use the absolute power it granted to itself under Article 44 to crack down on online media, especially that considered to affect national security and defame the monarchy.

In a number of cases, netizens and activists have been charged with sedition for criticizing the military government.

Media Reform Committee Weighs Article 44 for Crackdown on Online Media

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