Epic Events to Awaken Your Force

By

Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

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5 December 2015, 12:04

BANGKOK — In just two weeks, a rising wave of multi-generational pop culture will peak and crash in just 2 hours and 16 minutes inside a darkened theater.

To make the most of that for those who consider Star Wars a lifestyle or religious creed, Jedi boosters and Sith capitalists have conspired to put on a number of thematic events in Bangkok – before during and after the Dec. 17 release of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”

Those on the light side can condition their inner geek at a race, while an RCA nightclub seeks to tempt you to the dark side. For all the lovable rogue-types out there, some pop art will be auctioned off for charity.

Helmet Art Project by The 501st Legion

Organized by official Star Wars fan club 501st Legion, the Helmet Art Project will showcase stormtrooper helmets decorated by 18 local celebs and amateur artists.

The amateur artists personalizing the iconic clone headgear include U.S.-based ubercollector Steven Sansweet, director Yutthana “Pa Ted” Boon-aom, DJ Plakung, DJ Chao Chao, Khemanit “Pancake” Jamikorn, Saharat “Kong” Sangkapreecha and more.

All helmets will be auctioned off with the money going to the Children’s Hospital Foundation.

The exhibition runs for a week starting Dec. 12 at CentralWorld.

May the Beats be With You

Two nights after the movie’s release, Live RCA Bangkok invites all the dancing Ewoks of Endor to a special themed night.

Sith Lords will spin dark and tech house In the “Enter the Death Star” zone, while the “outer rim’s scum and villains” get it on to afrobeats in the “Mos Eisley Cantina.” Disco and fancy foreign beer will be on tap in “The Jedi Garden.”

The event starts at 8pm on Dec. 19 at Live RCA Bangkok. The first 100 guests get a Darth Vader or Stormtrooper mask.

Star Wars Run

Bring a lightsaber and prepare to stay on target for seven kilometers of running battles at the upcoming Star Wars Run.

Runners will fight stormtroopers and clear three levels: Laser Station at MBK Center, Snow Station at Suanluang Square and Space Tunnel Station at Chamchuri Square.

Participants are welcome to arrive at Siam Square early at 8pm to join the opening ceremony and concert.

Entry is 900 baht and includes a licensed Star Wars water bottle, T-shirt, tote bag and “prestige coin.” Pray the Force Runs Through You starting at 10:30pm on Dec. 26 at Siam Square.

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

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Alluring Farang Woman Was Actually Nigerian Man, Police Deduce

By

Sasiwan Mokkhasen, Staff Reporter

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4 December 2015, 19:34

Egbenka Oyalulu Ogochukwu, 35, at a police station Thursday in Bangkok.

BANGKOK — A man accused of posing as both European men and women – without being either – to romance and scam upward of 400,000 baht from Thai victims over Line was arrested yesterday.

Mgbenka Oyalulu Ogochukwu, a 35-year-old Nigerian man, was taken into custody at his condominium Thursday in Lat Krabang. Police said they found evidence on his phone he maintained another identity as “Luis Mark” and photos of good-looking European men used to flirt with Thai women over the popular chat app.

After gaining a woman’s trust, police said the accused would tell them the large sum of money he brought for them was confiscated at the airport. The woman then would be asked to transfer some money to give to customs officers, ranging from 10,000 – 400,000 baht.

Ogochukwu also reportedly disguised himself as a British woman named “Gianna Addison” to scam Thai men using the same ruse.

Police Maj. Gen. Chan Vimonsri said the accused confessed to entering the country in 2012 to work at a Pratunam garment business. but later turned to earn a living through the dating scam. He was aided, police said, by a Thai woman accomplice who posed as a customs officer.

Ogochukwu was charged with being in the kingdom illegally since 2012. Police did not charge him with fraud, saying complaints must be made by the victims.

Suspect Dies in Military Custody in Deep South

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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4 December 2015, 19:01

Family and relatives of Abdullayib Dolah, 42, gathered Friday morning at the Inkayuth army base to hear news about his death.

PATTANI — A Muslim man detained by the military in the restive province of Pattani last month died in custody this morning, only a day after his family visited him.

Abdullayib Dolah, 42, died of as yet-unexplained circumstances at the Inkayuth army base – the third death of a suspect held in Thai military custody since Oct. 23, according to a military news release.

The statement said soldiers at the base immediately summoned a local doctor to find out how Abdullayib died but no conclusion was reached, so his body was sent to a hospital in Songkhla for a more detailed autopsy.

The decision to transfer his body was made “for the peace of mind of his relatives and the public, and, more importantly, to deter any individuals with ill intention to exploit Mr. Abdullahib’s death for furthering their own agenda,” the statement said.

Abdullayib was detained in Nong Chik district on Nov. 10 on suspicion of assassinating a local Muslim cleric. He was later transferred to the Inkayuth base for interrogation under special authority granted to the military under the martial law, which has been imposed over Pattani and its neighboring provinces for almost a decade.

Pornpen Khongkachonkiet, director of the Cross Culture Foundation, an NGO group that campaigns for civil rights in the southern border provinces, said Abdullayib’s family was surprised by the abrupt announcement because he was still alive and well when they visited him Thursday.

She added that the news even took activists like herself by surprise because, despite the occasional rights abuses in the Muslim-majority region, known as the Deep South, there had been no deaths in custody since 2010.

“It’s something that we didn’t expect to still happen in the three [border] provinces, which is different to what happened in Bangkok,” Pornpen said over the phone, referring to the recent deaths at a Bangkok army base.

Those cases involved two high-profile suspects who recently died in detention inside an army base in the capital. The two men, Suriyan “Mor Yong” Sujaritpalawong and Prakrom Warunprapha, died in solitary confinement on Oct. 23 and Nov. 7, respectively, according to prison officials.

Suriyan and Prakrom were accused of defaming the monarchy.

According to Pornpen, the activist, even though it is unclear how Abdullayib died, his death would still affect the public’s confidence in authorities.

“I don’t know whether this [death] is a result from the officials’ action or some other cause, but the fact that suspects under their custody died still does not absolve their responsibility. They are suspects, the authorities should do whatever it takes to keep them alive to stand trial,” Pornpen said.

Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat provinces have been under martial law and other emergency provisions since separatist violence broke out in the region in early 2004. The insurgency has claimed at least 6,200 lives, mostly civilians according to data collected by human rights groups.

The campaign of near-daily bomb and shooting attacks is waged by shadowy groups of militants who aim to restore the Islamic nation of Patani, which was annexed by Thailand in the early 20th century.

However, rights activists also fault the authorities for using heavy-handed tactics and emergency power to combat the insurgency, leading to deaths and unwarranted detention of innocent civilians.

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

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Tourist Badly Injured in Luxury Condo ‘Onsen’

By

Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

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4 December 2015, 18:29

Yahir Ben Weitzel, at right, in a photo said to be at the rooftop 'on sen' of the The Address Asoke posted Friday to Facebook. Weitzel family / Facebook

BANGKOK — An Australian man on vacation in Bangkok with his family was seriously injured in a luxury condominium's rooftop on sen, his family complained online yesterday.

In a since-deleted account posted online by the man’s Thai wife, her 34-year-old husband, Yahir Ben Weitzel, entered the onsen at The Address Asoke with his young daughter, sat back and became stuck by suction on an intake for nearly 20 minutes, causing serious contusions.

Their account included a series of photographs documenting the incident. The condominium disputes the story.

“He fell unconscious before we arrived at the hospital,” wrote the man’s wife, who is not identified by name. She said that they did not receive aid from the condominium, so she had to send him by motorcycle taxi to Bumrungrad Hospital.

Yahir Ben Weitzel’s back after he said that he yanked himself free from a pool duct which had trapped him for 20 minutes at a luxury condominium in Bangkok. Photo: Weitzel family / Facebook

“The doctor saw he was weak and unable to stand by himself, so he was treated and x-rayed immediately,” she wrote.

The family said that they checked into the condo after arriving to Bangkok on Nov. 24. On the evening of Nov. 26, the father took his eldest daughter, 5, to the rooftop swimming pool on the 44th floor.

"I had a near fatal experience yesterday" Weitzel said in a video uploaded to Facebook today. He said that after 20 minutes, a “wind of adrenalin” helped him reach a tree nearby and break the seal pinning him to the duct.

A representative from condo developer AP Thai referred inquiries to the building management company. A woman answering the phone this afternoon at M Management initially denied the incident took place. Pressed on the matter, she said the case resolved and refused to answer questions or discuss the matter further. She did not identify herself.

The Address Asoke posted online yesterday that mechanical and electrical inspections determined the location must have been a 20-centimeter by 25-centimeter vent. They said no fan was found inside as claimed by the victim and his wife.

The condo officials and insurance agency offered compensation to the family. However, they said the family had returned Australia on Tuesday without signing any documents.

The Facebook post, Pantip forum thread and a YouTube clip related to the story were found to have been deleted today.

Police Investigate Source of ISIS Memo Leak

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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4 December 2015, 17:54

BANGKOK — An investigation will be launched into who leaked an police internal memo about Islamic State militants infiltrating Thailand, the chief of national police announced today.

In an apparent effort to dispel anxiety, Gen. Chakthip Chaijinda said police need to take action against the whistleblower behind the memo because it may cause panic. He also sought to play down the significance of the memo, which disseminated a Russian intelligence warning that 10 ISIS-related Syrian militants may be on the loose in Thailand.

“I’m afraid that people may panic, but in fact, it’s routine for us,” Chakthip said. “It’s usual for Syrians to travel here for tourism.”

Police Caught Off Guard by Memo About Possible ISIS Attack

The internal memo – marked “Secret” and “Urgent” – was issued by the Special Branch Police to all of its investigative divisions on Nov. 27 and leaked to the media Thursday night.

As of this morning, that memo seemed to have little impact. Several high-ranking police officers, including commanders of the cities mentioned as possible targets, reached by Khaosod English this morning for comment, said they only learned about the issue from the media.

Emergency meetings were called throughout the Royal Thai Police force today, after which Chakhtip confirmed the memo’s authenticity.

He said it was an internal warning notice for police use only, and vowed to hold the person who leaked it responsible.

“I have assigned deputy police commander Sriwarah Rangsipramnakul to investigate the procedures and facts, to find out how the document managed to leak out,” Chakthip said at today’s news conference. “Once we find the person who leaked it, they will be summoned to tell us how the document was leaked, and what kind of intention they had.”

As was the case following the August bombing of the Erawan Shrine, police officials seem intent on dispelling any notions that Thailand is unsafe to shore up the vital tourism industry.

Yet the ease with which the shrine bombing network, thought to include upward of 20 people, entered the kingdom, carried out the attack and exited highlighted deep-rooted security vulnerabilities in the kingdom.

Chakthip said the whistleblower must be be found for two reasons, because it was “a secret document and it may cause the people to panic.”

Sriwarah threatened legal action against anyone found to have published the secret memo, including the media.

“There must be legal action against those involved in this, including all the media agencies that published this document. We want to know how they got their hands on it, and whether they’re liable for criminal offenses,” Sriwarah said.

The memo cited intelligence from the Russian Federal Security Service, or FSB, that 10 members of the Islamic State had entered Thailand between Oct. 15 and Oct. 31 to conduct attacks on Russian interests.

According to the memo, four traveled to Pattaya, two to Phuket, two to Bangkok and two to unknown destinations. Their names were not identified.

Nevertheless, Chakthip, the police commander, told reporters that the Russian warning may eventually come to nothing, because Thai police have so far found no evidence of the Islamic State movement in Thailand.

“I have been working with the intelligence service all along, and I have been saying all along that there is no ISIS in our country,” Chakthip said, adding, “You must understand that we are not involved in any conflict.”

Asked about the report of the 10 Syrians, Chakthip said around two hundred Syrian tourists entered Thailand in the period of Oct. 15 – 31 Oct., most of which had already left for home. “Right now, there are less than 20 people here, and these 20 people, once their visas expire, they will have to go home anyway.”

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

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Police Investigate Source of ISIS Memo Leak

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

-

4 December 2015, 17:54

Investigators comb the Erawan Shrine for evidence on Aug. 18, the day after a bomb killed 20 people there, mostly tourists.