BANGKOK — Two media associations have issued apologies to the family of actor Thrisadee “Por” Sahawong for their disrespectful behavior during frenzied coverage of the actor’s death.

Associations representing photographers and broadcasters have both apologized for the inappropriate conduct of some news media personnel during the removal of the actor’s body from Ramathibodi Hospital in Bangkok to transport to Buriram province for his funeral.

“Every photographer has their duty to report the news. They didn’t mean to cause such an incident. However, we have investigated the pictures and we admit that it happened,” Surachai Visetsopha, president of the Mass Media Photographers Association of Thailand said today. “We have nearly 400 member photographers, but the media has expanded to cable TV, newspapers, radio and social media. This makes it hard to control.”

Association president Surachai Visetsopha said the association has already reached out to the photographers who behaved unprofessionally to discuss their disrespectful actions toward the actor’s family.

A photographer intrudes into the grief of Chawanan 'Pin' Sahawong, brother of late actor Thrissadee 'Por' Sahawong, by pushing his camera lens up to an incense pot carried during a procession Tuesday outside Ramathibodi Hospital in Bangkok.

Although the association lacks any means to punish its members, it will draft professional standards for photographers to agree to adhere to, Surachai said.

The News Broadcasting Council of Thailand also apologized on Wednesday, saying it would take measures to improve ethics and prevent such inappropriate actions.

When the actor died Monday after more than two months in a hospital under the media microscope, moving his body Tuesday became a scene of pandemonium when members of the media surged past barriers and pushed members of the actor’s family aside to get close to his body. That sparked a backlash and an outpouring of anger from the public.

That outrage, expressed vehemently on social media, brought more than 25,000 signatures to an online petition demanding the media in Thailand be ethically responsible and respectful.

The petition also made mention of July’s coverage of the suicide of Prachatip “Singha” Musigapong, the guitarist of Sqweez Animal. In that case, many reporters photographed Prachatip’s body and aggressively interviewed his family and girlfriend.

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BANGKOK — After its success helped inspire dozens of burger-alike food trucks, Daniel Thaiger has a new concept.

“Everyone is doing the thick-cut burger thing now, Bangkok doesn’t need another one,”owner Mark Falcioni said. “What Bangkok needs is a ‘no BS’ burger right about now.”

Daniel Thaiger’s original chunky, spiced, meaty patties slathered with special sauce and inventive toppings like nduja created a legion of loyal fans in the days before avarice destroyed Soi Sukhumvit 38’s buzzing street food scene. There were consistent 30-minute lines at Falcioni’s truck there in the early days.

In just over two years, they’ve expanded to a permanent location at Game Over and Craft on Soi Sukhumvit 23 in addition to routinely setting up at locations such as Sathorn Square. Falcioni’s burger formula allowed him to build a small empire in Bangkok.

New Formula

Falcioni has partnered with Chris Foo, the man behind Seenspace’s Brew Beers & Cider to offer a fresh take. “It’s basically a McDonalds burger with really, really good ingredients,” Falcioni said.

The burger recalls classic 1950s American diner-style burgers: thin patties, pickles, and loads of gooey american cheese. It’s what fast food burgers started out as before they turned into mass-produced garbage.

While the traditional Daniel Thaiger burger is massive and might slow you down, the new burgers are designed to be eaten en masse. The patty doesn’t need a lot of time on the grill; it cooks quickly and the burgers are smaller. As Foo says, “They go down easy.”

And it’s the perfect kind of burger to eat with a nice cold one, which is why they’ll debut at Foo’s beer-crazy Seenspace location in a few short weeks. Pricing is yet to be determined, but we do know that they come standard as a double: two patties stacked on top of each other with American cheese both on top and in between the patties, or diners can opt for a triple or quadruple.

There are two varieties, a standard and a BBQ version that adds bacon and Thaiger’s own zesty BBQ Sauce.

The mixture of the patty remains a secret, but it’s juicy, greasy, and Falcioni describes the meat thusly: “expensive.” The bun stays true to early American form as well; local breadmaker Conkey’s has created a special bun that uses potato flour. The bread is much different than the standard brioche on Thaiger burgers. It’s sweeter and has a little more “fluff.” In the United States, they’re called “enriched” buns.

Falcioni said the bread is important, as it allows these burgers to be wrapped up in wax paper and last for hours without the grease saturating the bun.

“You can wrap this up and eat this burger two hours after it’s cooked,” he said.

BANGKOK — A court spokesman on Thursday said a judge seen behaving erratically in a viral video suffers from an unspecified mental illness.

Courts of Justice spokesman Suebpong Sripongkul said the woman in the clip reacting furiously to a traffic ticket was Chidchanok Paensuwan, 45, a judge of more than 10 years who was moved to an inactive post two years ago after a similar outburst. Chidchanok no longer presides over trials, Suebpong said.

The clip posted to Facebook on Wednesday showed Chidchanok losing her temper, yelling and throwing a plastic water container toward people at the Department of Land Transport office in Bangkok. She later runs to her car parked in front of the building and calls over the person who took the video to show her ID card.

“Bear in mind that I am your fucking boss!” she shouts through the car’s open window. “No need to film my face!”

The Facebook user who posted the clip, Piyawat Suwanwong, wrote that the judge had visited the Department of Land Transport to complain that someone has duplicated her license plate. The judge threw a tantrum after returning to her car parked in front of the building’s entrance and finding a traffic ticket.

Suebpong admitted Chidchanok has been involved in similar incidents before. In 2012 she was charged with obstructing traffic in front of the Criminal Court and subsequently fined 1,000 baht.

The former judge was later charged in 2013 for insulting a law enforcement officer after she threw a box containing rice and an omelet at the car of Lt. Gen. Kamronwit Thoopkrachang, the chief of Metropolitan Police at that time.

For the 2013 altercation, Chidchanok was fined 2,000 baht and sentenced to two months in prison, but her jail term was suspended because she plead guilty. The 45-year-old judge was then transferred to work with documents rather than arbitration – but she still kept her formal position as a judge.

Spokesman Suebpong also said Chidchanok was diagnosed with an unspecified mental illness two years ago, and said that Chidchanok had failed to take her medication prior to the incident at the Department of Land Transport.

Chidchanok will be investigated for that latest incident, and if the inquiry concludes she is no longer capable to work as a judge, she would have to leave her position, Suebpong told reporters.

Suebpong admitted there are some other judges who are not in fit condition to work due to both physical and mental health issues. If they commit errors, they would be punished differently, depending on each case, he said.