BANGKOK — The Office of Vocational Education Commission (VEC) has ordered a recall of 2,000 high school mathematics textbooks that unwittingly feature a Japanese porn star on the cover.

Chaipruek Serisak, sec-gen of the VEC, said yesterday that the publishers of the "Basic Mathematics" textbook apologised and explained that the cover artists took the image from the internet without proper inquiry. 

The artists were not aware that the "teacher" depicted in the photo was in fact an actress in a Japanese AV (adult video), Mr. Chaipruek said.

The resemblance was spotted by a number of Thai internet users last week; Japanese AV industry is immensely popular among young Thai men.

According to Mr. Chaipruek, 3,000 textbooks with the porn star cover have already been printed, and 2,000 of them have been shipped to ten vocational colleges across the country. 

"We will recall the problematic textbooks from every college that purchased them, and we will ship textbooks with new covers to them," Mr. Chaipruek said, adding that VEC has now instructed all textbook publishers to refrain from using random images from the internet on their covers.

"The cover and book design will only use drawings or photos taken by the compilers. There will be no more searching for images on the internet," Mr. Chaipruek explained. "We have instructed the publishers to be more careful and strict in their publishing procedure."

BANGKOK — Chairman of Thailand’s military junta and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha says that “dealing with” a suspected anti-monarchy network will be a top priority of his administration.

Gen. Prayuth outlined a strategy to "defend" the monarchy in a speech he is due to give to his puppet parliament, the National Legislative Assembly (NLA), on Friday. The speech details a variety of policies that Gen. Prayuth’s semi-civilian interim government will pursue over the next year. 

The speech’s transcript describes the monarchy as an important element of Thai-style democracy and an institution that the Royal Thai Government is obliged to uphold "with loyalty and defence of His Majestic Authority."

"We will use legal measures, social-psychological measures, and telecommunications and information technology to deal with those who are not mindful of their words, are arrogant at heart, or harbour ill intentions to undermine the important Institution of the nation," the speech reads. 

Under Section 112 of Thailand's Criminal Codes, insulting the royal family is a criminal offense punishable by up to 15 years in prison. 

The law, known as lese majeste, has been harshly enforced since the military staged a coup against the elected government on 22 May. The Thai armed forces are close allies of the monarchy, and Gen. Prayuth, who also serves as commander-in-chief of the Thai army, has frequently lashed out at perceived anti-monarchists.

According to Gen. Prayuth’s speech, the government will also strengthen Thais loyalty towards the monarchy by publicising "correct understanding about the monarchy and His Royal Works for the people" and by supporting "projects that have been derived from His Royal Ideas, encourag[ing] officials, educational institutions, and other state agencies to study and understand His Royal Working Principles so that they can apply the aforementioned Principles in bureaucratic function and development."

"Furthermore, we will urgently expand the projects to which His Majesty has laid foundation in order to demonstrate [their effectiveness] to the public, and develop benefits in a wider circle, which will eventually help create prosperity and happiness for the people," the transcript reads.

Mass surveillance

Gen. Prayuth did not elaborate on the promised "legal measures, social-psychological measures, and telecommunications and information technology" that will be adopted by authorities, but a recent media report suggests that his government is ready to launch a large-scale internet surveillance program to monitor lese majeste content.

According to Prachatai, Thai authorities are planning to implement a surveillance device in mid-September to "sniff out" internet users that produce, read, and share lese majeste content.

The device, known as "sniffer," is reportedly capable of tracking key words related to lese majeste, monitoring traffic to certain websites, and even bypassing secured protocols, Prachatai reports. 

If true, it will be Thai authorities most ambitious effort yet to crack down on discussions of the Thai monarchy. 

Although discussing the monarchy is largely taboo in Thai society, a network of progressive Thais have begun questioning the power and wealth of the royal family and organised a campaign to amend or abolish lese majeste.

Radical elements of the Redshirt faction have also posted videos on social media that are critical of the monarchy. 

Conservative and ultra-royalist factions in Thailand regularly accuse the Redshirt movement and its de facto leader, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, of plotting to overthrow the monarchy and replace it with a republican form of government. Mr. Thaksin and his close allies have repeatedly denied the allegation.

BANGKOK — The Office of Vocational Education Commission (VEC) has ordered a recall of 2,000 high school mathematics textbooks that unwittingly feature a Japanese porn star on the cover.

Chaipruek Serisak, sec-gen of the VEC, said yesterday that the publishers of the "Basic Mathematics" textbook apologised and explained that the cover artists took the image from the internet without proper inquiry. 

The artists were not aware that the "teacher" depicted in the photo was in fact an actress in a Japanese AV (adult video), Mr. Chaipruek said.

The resemblance was spotted by a number of Thai internet users last week; Japanese AV industry is immensely popular among young Thai men.

According to Mr. Chaipruek, 3,000 textbooks with the porn star cover have already been printed, and 2,000 of them have been shipped to ten vocational colleges across the country. 

"We will recall the problematic textbooks from every college that purchased them, and we will ship textbooks with new covers to them," Mr. Chaipruek said, adding that VEC has now instructed all textbook publishers to refrain from using random images from the internet on their covers.

"The cover and book design will only use drawings or photos taken by the compilers. There will be no more searching for images on the internet," Mr. Chaipruek explained. "We have instructed the publishers to be more careful and strict in their publishing procedure."

RAYONG — Thailand’s state petroleum enterprise apologised for leaking chemicals near a residential area in eastern Thailand – a year after an oil leak from the company's pipeline devastated an island in the same region.

“We would like to apologise for the incident,” said Anuthin Chuaipen, deputy manager of PTT Global Chemical, in reference to the chemical leak that occurred inside Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate in Rayong province over the weekend. PTT Global Chemical is a subsidiary of the state-owned PTT.

Residents close to the industrial park reported a "sulfur-like" smell in the area on 8 September, which many said irritated their nostrils and caused them to feel dizzy. The fume dissipated after a few hours, residents said.

Today, Mr. Anuthin admitted the smell was caused by an error during an operation to connect crude oil pipelines at a PTT station inside the industrial estate. The leak lasted for "15 minutes" before workers successfully resolved the issue, Mr. Anuthin said.

"PTT has dispatched safety and environment officials to the area to listen to those who were affected and provide assistance to them," Mr. Anuthin told reporters.

However, a number of residents said they would like to see stricter safety measures imposed over the industrial estate, which has been a source of environmental concern for years. 

At least 65 industrial projects have been based in Map Ta Phut Estate since the park was founded in 1990. Numerous cheimcal leaks and contaminations have reportedly caused illnesses, including cancer, among residents in the region. 

PTT Global Chemical is also currently embroiled in lawsuits over an oil leak from a PTT pipeline in the Gulf of Thailand in July 2013. The leak devastated some of Koh Samet’s pristine beaches and deterred many tourists from visiting the popular island.  

Critics have accused PTT of using its influence over Thai media to minimise news coverage of the oil leak and the company’s refusal to compensate business owners on the island. 

Read more: 
State Petroleum Enterprise Sued For Resort Island Oil Spill

SAMUT SAKHON — A video of a baby elephant collapsing out of exhaustion in a market has spurred police to search for the elephant handlers who reportedly brought the animal into the city to beg.

The video has been widely shared on social media and ignited a wave of criticism over the practice of bringing elephants into urban areas to beg for money from tourists. Animal rights activists have been decrying the practice for years, calling it inhumane and harmful to the elephants. 

The video appears to have been filmed at a market near Krathumban intersection in Samut Sakhon province, police say. 

"I have ordered officers to locate the elephant and owners in connection with the video," said Pol.Col. Palat Visetsingha. "But we have not found them yet. I believe the owners or the elephant handlers took the elephant away from the area after the clip was publicized."

Nevertheless, Pol.Col. Palat said police will increase patrols in the province to make sure that no elephant handlers, or mahouts, bring their elephants into town to beg. He urged the public report any incidents of elephant begging to police immediately. 

Mahouts who take their elephants into the city can face charges related to the obstruction of traffic, annoying bystanders, and animal cruelty. The latter carries a maximum of one month in prison and 1,000 baht fine, said Pol.Col. Palat. 

"Those who possess unregistered elephants will also face additional charges, but mahouts in the trade of elephant begging generally have their elephants registered," the officer added.

Thailand is a hub for animal tourism, with abundant opportunities for tourists to interact with animals like tigers, elephants, and gibbons. Yet according to animal welfare groups, many of these captive animals are physically mistreated and some of them have been poached from the wild.

Some tourism-related associations, such as the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), advise travelers to Thailand to exercise good judgment before participating in activities that might distress an animal. 

There are currently no comprehensive laws protecting animal welfare in Thailand, although a proposed bill is receiving “fast-track” consideration from the National Legislative Assembly (NLA), said Edwin Wiek, the founder of the Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT).  

Last month, a viral video of mahouts beating a beggar elephant in Hat Yai prompted police in the area to crack down on the trade.