Powerball tickets are sold at a shop in Tallapoosa, Georgia. Photo: Erik S. Lesser / EPA
WASHINGTON — Lottery fever gripped the United States on Wednesday as people poured more money into a jackpot that has now swelled to a record USD$1.5 billion (54.5 billion baht)
People lined up to buy USD$2 tickets at newsstands, petrol stations and convenience stores located in the 44 states that participate in the lottery, along with Washington, DC.
Some people were so eager to wager they crossed state lines and waited in line for hours to buy a ticket. The six states that don't participate in the Powerball are Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nevada and Utah.
The USD$1.5 billion jackpot in the Powerball game drawing is more than double the previous record US lottery jackpot of USD$656 million. The jackpot swelled to the whopping sum after weeks with no players matching all six numbers.
The drawing was scheduled for 11pm Eastern Standard Time. A single lucky winner who opts for a lump-sum payment would receive a payout of approximately USD$930 million before taxes.
A winner who opts for instalment payouts would receive the full USD$1.5 billion during a span of 29 years. Most winners opt for a one-time payment.
Powerball drawings are every Wednesday and Saturday night. Five white balls are drawn out of a drum with 69 balls, with an additional red ball drawn from a drum with 26 red balls.
A winning ticket is one matching all five white balls in any order and the red Powerball.
Ticket holders face odds of 292 million to one, according to the technology magazine Wired. That is about the same as the odds of being hit by an asteroid.
To mark the kickoff the Netherlands Presidency of the Council of Ministers of the European Union on the 1st of January 2016, the Netherlands Ambassador H.E. Mr. Karel Hartogh hosted a reception for part of the diplomatic community in Bangkok and Thai government officials last Tuesday night.
The Presidency of the European Union rotates among the member states every six months. The country that holds the Presidency prepares and chairs most of the EU meetings in that period. EU meetings are attended by representatives of all 28 member states.
The formal meetings of EU ministers take place in either Brussels or Luxembourg, but the Presidency also holds preparatory and informal meetings for member state ministers and civil servants in its own country.
The Netherlands will also organize working group meetings and conferences on subjects that are of common concern to the member states. During its presidency the Netherlands will focus on topics such as employment and growth, migration, internal and external security, climate change, and sound EU finances and fiscal policy.
The reception on Tuesday night was opened with speeches by H.E. Mr. Karel Hartogh, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, H.E. Mr. Jesús Miguel Sanz, Ambassador and Head of the EU-Delegation in Thailand, and H.E. Dr. Apichart Chinwanno, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand.
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BANGKOK — Remember a culture-shocking clip of the old, swearing farang who told you to fuck a mortar or photos of shocked subway commuters pulled from smartphone isolation by someone shouting “fried egg?”
This past August I met the guy behind those projects, who’s become known as Thailand’s biggest cheerleader for getting out of Thailand, in the hipster holy land of Portland, Oregon. In truth, I was never a fan of Thanachart “Benz” Siripatrachai, and I had not read any of his five books. But a friend of mine had said the 28-year-old Bangkok native announced online that he was heading to Portland and asked if there were any Thais in town.
“Portland’s heat makes me thirsty but Thailand’s makes me want to take a bath,” was one of the first things he said to me in downtown Portland about the difference in summers.
He was there to work on another of his books, mostly of photographs meant to entice his countrymen to see and love the places as he has, from New York to Alaska. As I learned from a few adventures shared around Oregon, Benz was neither a snob travel writer nor show-off trying to make things look better than they are. Instead, I found a pragmatic, funny dude with a deep sarcastic streak and tendency to speak in metaphor.
‘Damn it! It’s so surreal, as if it’s been Photoshopped!’ Benz said in disbelief of just how blue Crater Lake appeared Aug. 20.
On a recent afternoon back in Thailand, about 50 people crowded into Sora City cafe to hear Benz at his “Dear Portland” photo exhibition. Though few in the audience had met Benz before, they engaged with him as if familiar with the gregarious personality that comes through in his writing.
Instead of asking about Portland, the audience shot the travel writer off-topic questions such as “What color are your nipples?” and “If you could choose a birthplace, where would you be born?”
Declining to answer the first, Benz, who has made a career glorifying life outside the kingdom, gave a surprising answer.
“I’d still choose to be born in Thailand because it has some certain elements that have sharpened me into who I am today. If I was born in Sweden or Norway, I would be a different person.”
Benz, at left, at his ‘Please go to Portland’ discussion Dec. 20 at Sora City cafe in Bangkok
Benz, 28, first became known for his “Smartphone Project” in June 2012. He startled passengers riding the MRT subway by shouting random words such as “mushroom” or “broccoli” and snapped their puzzled/annoyed reactions a heartbeat later.
“Smartphones are totally fine. But sometimes I just want to see your eyes,” he wrote in forgivable-enough explanation.
Benz was also behind “Bangkok 1st Time,” a video clip of New Yorker Nelson Howe showing off his knowledge of Thai profanity, which was posted March 2014 and went viral with over 3 million views. The video interview served to promote Benz’s first book “New York 1st Time,” which focused on his student life in New York and “first-time moments” such as being robbed or getting the most expensive haircut ever in Yankee Land.
The reaction captured after the artist shouted ‘Fried Egg!’ Photo: Benz Thanachart / Facebook
To dig into the author’s personality get some insights, I recently sat down to put some questions to Benz.
KE: Why do you love traveling?
Benz: I think I love traveling because it gives me some time to indulge myself. From traveling, I get to know myself more, including my weaknesses and strengths, and hear myself more clearly. Seeing the world filled with ranges of unknowns and differences even changed me to become more open-minded. At some point, we need a journey to push yourself out of the old, familiar cycles of life. We need to go somewhere to create a balance in our life sometimes. You don’t have to love everywhere you go to. The more important thing is how the journey changes you.
KE: When did you start traveling alone? How did it change your life?
Benz: I started traveling alone when I studied in the United States and my thesis documentary, “The Word I Love,” was screened at film festivals in several states such as Oregon, Boston and Alaska. The 17-minute long film was about my New York experience, as I always carried books to read on a subway. I didn’t realize my phone had a dictionary at the time, so I often asked strangers for certain words’ definitions. Our conversations became even more interesting, so I started recording them and turned that into a documentary.
KE: Where do you find inspiration?
Benz: I believe that inspiration is something that can be gained from something that I do every day. It’s something that comes packaged with one’s habits. I love reading books and watching movies as hobbies. I also love questioning things, so you could say these are my inspirations. But if you ask me, I’d prefer to call them my “habits.”
Benz’ “Uncle Chai is chic-chic” photo series offered contrasting views of country life in Ubon Ratchathani province. Photo: Benz Thanachart / Facebook
KE: Since you’ve shared your overseas experiences with Thais, what would you tell foreigners about the “Thai” way and lifestyle?
Benz: When it comes to Thailand, I think I like its “casualness.” Thai culture can be strange to the foreigners sometimes because of our weak systems and half serious-half joking way. Motorcycles riding on footpaths and passengers pretending to sleep when the bus conductor approaches are examples.
Being low-key and flexible has become the Thai-style mindset. I think it’s funny and cute; it could be considered a charm of the country.
I think instead of “The Land of Smiles,” we should change the country’s nickname to “The Land of Improvisation” or “The Land of Cute Imperfection” (laughing).
Thanachart “Benz” Siripatrachai signs copies of his latest book “Dear Portland” for fans Dec. 20 in Bangkok
KE: As an artist, what do you think about open-mindedness in Thailand today? People who work in creative fields still have a chance to receive local and international attention?
Benz: I think young people these days have many opportunities to promote their artworks in the public eye since the world today has so many channels they can utilize, especially on social media.
But if you ask me how open-minded Thailand is, I’d say it’s not as open as many other countries. Some Thai people still have prejudiced mindsets, judging that this should be good or bad. I don’t think the world is filled with only black-and-white stuff. There are more angles, and it depends which one we’re looking from. We have diversity, and that’s why I think contradictions are normal.
KE: What’s your next destination?
Benz: For a foreign country, I’d like to go to Sweden because I admire their design, music and welfare state. But in Thailand, I want to go to the southern region because I’ve never been there before in my life. I’d like to visit some unpopular islands and cities. They might be the unseen of “Unseen Thailand” and worth visiting.
Benz’s photo exhibition “Dear Portland” runs now through Jan. 20 at Sora City cafe on Soi Sukhumvit 26. To reach the minimal-style cafe, take a short walk or motorbike taxi from BTS Phrom Phong.
A Danish tourist, at left, stands accused of filing a false police report for a bogus insurance claim in Pattaya.
PATTAYA — A Danish tourist faces criminal action in Pattaya for allegedly filing a false theft complaint.
The 23-year-old man, identified only as “Jensen,” reportedly told police a robber mugged him of his phone and gold necklace, but police said he later confessed to making up the story for an insurance claim, according to an officer at the Nong Prue Police Station.
“He was trying to get a police report so he can make claim to his insurance,” Col. Pramote Ngampradit said today.
Pramote said the tourist first alerted police at around 8pm last night that an unidentified man robbed him at knifepoint and took away his iPhone, gold necklace and cash. The stolen property had an estimated value exceeding 70,000 baht, Pramote told Khaosod English.
But the officer said police started to doubt the tourist’s story once they investigated the crime scene, partly because the robbery was said to happen only 15 meters away from a police checkpoint.
“He didn’t help from the traffic officers. He came straight to the police station,” Police Col. Pramote said. “It was also a crowded area. It was near a market. But no one saw him running for help. Usually tourists would seek help from locals first when they got in trouble.”
Police officers eventually searched the tourist’s hotel room this morning and found the stolen phone, which prompted the tourist to confess he made up the story, Police Col. Pramote said.
The tourist was subsequently charged with making false complaint to police, a criminal offense that carries a maximum penalty of six months in prison.
The Danish Embassy in Bangkok did not immediately respond to a request for comment, though Pramote said the embassy has been notified.
According to Pramote, the tourist was accompanied by a lawyer throughout the interrogation at the police station. However, when asked whether a lawyer also present at the suspect’s room during police questioning, Pramote said he’s not sure, as he was not at the raid himself.
Reports of tourists filing false insurance claims are relatively frequent. In at least one case, a man accused police of framing him and was later vindicated in court.
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The new, entirely illegible 'Vain' font as featured online Monday. Photo: F0nt / Facebook
BANGKOK — A new font that makes words entirely unreadable has been launched to support censorship in the kingdom, ironically.
Thailand’s biggest site for free fonts introduced Monday a new illegible font called “Vain” which creator Sungsit Sawaiwan said is meant to encourage the shameless censorship taking place in the country.
“Vain is an ideal font for authoritarianism under which people are not allowed to freely express their views, especially in a country where the military government wants its citizen to keep silent,” wrote the typographer.
Unlike other fonts, every character in Vain appears as a small bold square which cannot be read.
Sungsit recommended the font for government records not meant to be read by the public. He added that normal people can use it for self-censorship when they want to criticize the government, or to conceal the hateful speech they would like to express.
Two days since release, the font has proved a hit online.
“So one can write but no one can read!” wrote Facebook user Korndanai Akawat. “The aims of this font are to allow one to use as a mock-up in design, as well as to highlight the censorship existing here.”
Though typographer Sungsit said he does not guarantee the government would be pleased if they could read his source code.
Chaturon Chaisaeng files his lawsuit today at the Administrative Court to challenge the government’s revocation of his passport.
BANGKOK — A leading member of the Pheu Thai Party filed suit against the military government today for “falsely” revoking his passport in August.
Speaking at the Administrative Court this morning, Chaturon Chaisaeng accused authorities of stripping him of the right to travel abroad in retaliation for his criticism of the junta, which has said it must rein in critics for the sake of political stability.
He said officials told him in August his passport was revoked by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ consular division because an arrest warrant had been issued against him, which justified revoking his travel document.
But no outstanding warrant existed at the time, Chaturon said. Although he was briefly wanted by the junta when he didn’t respond to a summons order in May 2014, Chaturon was eventually brought to the military court, and the judge allowed him to travel, he told reporters today.
“The reason for revoking my passport is false,” Chaturon said. “I’m not a person wanted by any warrant.”
Chaturon named seven agencies, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Royal Thai Police, as defendants in the suit he filed with the Administrative Court today, accusing them of unfair treatment. He also asked for the return of a valid passport in the suit.
‘Discrimination’
Last September, junta chairman and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha suggested that Chaturon lost his passport because the politician kept lashing out at the regime.
“He did wrong things again and again. He did so many wrongs,” Gen. Prayuth said. “The charges against him are numerous. He has been summoned dozens of times already. There are many other people like him.”
Since staging the coup against the Pheu Thai-led government in May 2014, the junta has outlawed political activities, protests and any public challenges to its regime. Some dissidents who violated the ban have been sent to stand trial in military court, where they face up to a year in prison if convicted.
Government spokesman Weerachon Sukondhapatipak also said at the time that Chaturon had to face consequences for his negative attitude.
“This is not a normal situation. This government does not come from a normal situation. So, you have to see if you criticize it now, what kind of consequence will happen?” Weerachon said Sept. 3.
For Chaturon, Prayuth’s remarks in September confirmed that the regime stripped him of his passport to punish him for his political expression.
“It shows that the revocation of my passport is a political issue, after I criticized the constitution draft as undemocratic, and after I expressed other political opinions that upset those in power,” Chaturon said today. “This is discrimination. It’s a deliberate, illegal violation of my rights, which causes me grave damages in all aspects.”
He also said he might file additional lawsuits demanding financial compensation from the authorities for preventing him from overseas travels.
BANGKOK — Hacker collective Anonymous has vowed to release information about corrupt members of the Thai judiciary today after taking down hundreds of websites belonging to the Court of Justice in an ongoing response to the conviction of two Burmese men in a 2014 double-murder on Koh Tao.
The self-styled hacktivist group claimed responsibility through associated social media accounts for the downing of297 websites including those of the Court of Justice and the Appeal Court since Tuesday night. Members of the group also wrote on a Facebook page it uses that they are preparing to release “a huge leak of all Thai officials involved in corruption in Thai Courts.”
“#Anonymous shuts down all Thai Court of Justice websites in protest over the #KohTao murder verdict,” was written in a Facebook update. “#Anonymous is supporting the campaign to ask tourists to boycott Thailand “until such time changes are made with the way Thai police handle investigations involving foreign tourists.”
Earlier this month on on Jan. 4, Anonymous took credit for attacks on at least 14 websites associated with the Royal Thai Police An associated group called Anonymous 4 Justice also posted a 37-minute video on Jan. 3 claiming Thai police used the two Myanmar migrant workers as scapegoats in the murders of two British backpackers on Koh Tao murder in September 2014.
On Dec. 24, Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo were found guilty of rape and murder and sentenced to die. That verdict, secured by evidence from a roundly criticized police investigation, has invited uproar and calls for justice by those who believe the two migrant workers were wrongly convicted.
Police spokesperson Dechnarong Suticharnbancha on Jan. 5 said the Technology Crime Suppression Division would track down the hackers.
“Even if the source of attack was from abroad, they will be convicted eventually,” he said. “It’s not a problem. Thai police are excellent.”
The spokesman of the Courts of Justice, Suebpong Sripongkul, was not available for comment at the time of publishing.
However, Suebpong on Tuesday did respond to a viral Facebook public update posted on Sunday by Laura Witheridge, the sister of Koh Tao murder victim Hannah Witheridge .
Laura Witheridge alleged that “the vast majority of the Thai police are corrupt” and that encouraged tourists to avoid Thailand because it was unsafe and unjust. She also said Thai police and court officials expressed disrespectful comments to her family, including telling her parents “to go home and make another one” to replace their slain daughter.
Suebpong said the trial was transparent and open to the public. He insisted there were no reasons for the judge to have made such comments, adding that the family can submit a complaint via the British Embassy.
U.S. President Barack Obama delivers his final State of the Union address Tuesday night in Washington D.C. Photo: Evan Vucci / EPA
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Barack Obama attempted to paint an optimistic vision of the future of the United States as he heads into his final year in office and works to cement the legacy of his eight years in office.
"I believe in change because I believe in you," he said, echoing themes from his 2008 election campaign in his final State of the Union address to Congress. "That's why I stand here as confident as I have ever been that the state of our union is strong."
Obama dismissed rhetoric from his political opponents and the slew of candidates attempting to replace him that the United States' economy and stature in the world are in decline.
"Anyone claiming that America's economy is in decline is peddling fiction," he said in remarks that took aim at the Republican candidates seeking to replace him in November elections.
The speech was short on concrete policy proposals. Obama instead said lawmakers must address big questions regardless of who the next president is, including: how to provide economic opportunity, make technology work for people, keep the U.S. safe and improve the political climate.
On foreign policy, the top priority is "protecting the American people and going after terrorist networks," Obama said, but stressed that Islamic State does "not threaten our national existence."
He renewed his call on lawmakers to pass an authorization for the military action in Iraq and Syria that he first requested more than a year ago to replace authorization provided after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and ahead of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Obama also urges Americans not "echo the lie" that Islamic State is representative of Islam, but to recognize Islamic State terrorists for "what they are – killers and fanatics who have to be rooted out, hunted down, and destroyed."
He praised the international climate deal reached in Paris last month, the Iranian nuclear deal and the fight against Ebola in West Africa.
He also called on Congress to approve the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal agreed last year among 12 nations and to lift the half-century long trade embargo of Cuba.
Obama sought to expand his speech from a list of proposals for the next year to a broader discussion of the future.
"America has been through big changes before – wars and depression, the influx of immigrants, workers fighting for a fair deal, and movements to expand civil rights," he said.
"Each time, there have been those who told us to fear the future; who claimed we could slam the brakes on change, promising to restore past glory if we just got some group or idea that was threatening America under control. And each time, we overcame those fears."
He urged lawmakers to rise above the partisan politics that have often put him at loggerheads with the Republican-controlled Congress and that will only intensify before the election.
A better future is in reach, he said but "it will only happen if we fix our politics."
Speaking directly to lawmakers, he said many had told him they would like to cooperate more, but are beholden to political donors or their partisan base.
He called on the American people not to fall victim to frustration, tribalism and bigotry.
"We can't afford to go down that path," he said. "It won't deliver the economy we want, or the security we want, but most of all, it contradicts everything that makes us the envy of the world."
MOSCOW — Russia could give asylum to Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad if he is forced to leave his country, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview published Tuesday.
"It was surely more difficult to grant Mr. Snowden asylum in Russia than it would be in the case of Assad," Putin told Bild, Germany's most popular tabloid, referring to former U.S. intelligence worker turned whistleblower, Edward Snowden, who was given asylum in Russia in 2013.
Putin said it was too early to say whether Russia would have to shelter al-Assad, whose country has disintegrated in a civil war that has lasted almost five years.
"First the Syrian population has to be able to vote, and then we will see if Assad would have to leave his country if he loses the election," Putin said.
Russia has been a key backer of al-Assad and in September launched an air campaign backing up the Syrian leader's overstretched army in its struggle against rebel groups and the Islamic State extremist organization.
In an apparent response to the interview, Syrian state news agency SANA quoted al-Assad praising the role played by Russia and Iran in Syria's "fateful war against extremist terrorism."
"Friendly states, foremost among them Iran and Russia, have had an important role in supporting Syria's resistance over the past five years," al-Assad told visiting Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli.
In his interview with Bild, Putin admitted that he thinks al-Assad has "done much wrong over the course of this conflict."
But he added: "The conflict would never have become so big if it had not been fuelled by outside of Syria – with weapons, money and fighters."
Putin reiterated Russia's position that it is supporting al-Assad, a longtime ally, in an effort to avert a failed state scenario such as in Libya.
"We do not want Syria to end like Iraq or Libya," Putin said. "Look at Egypt: one has to praise President Sisi for taking over the responsibility and power in an emergency situation, in order to stabilize the country."
When asked about al-Assad's military bombing fellow Syrians, Putin said: "Assad does not fight against his own population, but against those who take armed action against the government."
"If the civil population is then also harmed, it is not Assad's fault, but primarily the fault of the insurgents and their foreign supporters," Putin said.
However, he added that "once again, this is not supposed to mean that everything is fine in Syria or that Assad is doing everything right."
Putin also said his country would "resist" NATO member Turkey if that country threatens Russia's national security, referring to Turkey shooting down a Russian warplane in November on the accusation that the plane flew into Turkish territory.
"I very much hope that such events do not grow into large military conflicts. But if Russia's interests and security are threatened, Russia will resist. Everyone needs to know that," Putin said.
He added that, if Turkey attacks Russia, NATO does not need to get involved.
"Turkey is part of NATO, but it was not attacked. NATO therefore does not have to protect Turkey, and our problems with Turkey have nothing to do with the NATO membership of that country," Putin said.
"The Turkish leadership had better apologize for shooting the plane down, which was clearly a war crime, instead of calling NATO's headquarters," Putin said.
LOS ANGELES — A Thai street photographer has won first place in an international competition and will exhibit his work in Los Angeles next month.
Photographer Tavepong “Pong” Pratoomwong was named the winner of the second annual Street Shooting Around the World contest on Tuesday by the Los Angeles Center of Photography, where his six winning snapshots will be shown for a month beginning Feb.12.
“Shooting street photography is fun because it can be done anywhere,” Tavepong said today. “You don’t need to go for a long trip or on a photography tour to take a street photo. It actually surrounds our routine lives, only the moments you capture.”
He came out on top from 142 photographers who entered more than 1,250 photographs into the competition. To reward his visual creativity, Tavepong will receive USD$1,000 (36,000 baht). If that wasn’t enough, Tavepong will also travel to Los Angeles to be attend the exhibition alongside his wonderful work, which finds visual puns and fantasy in authentic scenes.
“The collection I won with this time was selected from photos I took every day. I mean every day, literally,” he said. “I have never stopped taking a photo since 2014.”
Tavepong, 34, graduated from the Motion Picture and Video department at Rangsit University. He is now director of a small film production studio and an active member of street photography communities Street Photo Thailandand Full Frontal Flash.
Work by a second Thai photog, Issaret Chalermsopone, will also be displayed at the exhibition.
