BANGKOK — A prominent Bangkok-based news agency has apologised for offering prizes to readers who could correctly name the airline of the plane that crashed in Ukraine yesterday.

Hosts of a talk show on Now 26 news channel, which is owned and operated by Krungthep Turakij (Bangkok Business) newspaper, announced the quiz on the air this morning. The contest was later repeated in a Twitter post by the newspaper. 

"Let's join in the quiz and compete for souvenirs from Hua Seng Heng – what is the airline of the passenger plane that was shot down on Ukrainian border? [sic]" the post read. 

The quiz refers to Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, which took off from the Netherlands and later crashed in Ukraine yesterday. A number of media reports indicate that the plane might have been shot down with missiles by pro-Russia separatists who have been occupying the region where the plane crashed.

Criticism soon mounted over Krungthep Turakij’s quiz, with many commentators on social media pointing out that more than 280 people perished in the incident. 

"Other people are in sorrow because of their loss, but this [agency] adopts it as a contest," one comment read. 

Following the torrent of criticism, Krungthep Turakij removed the post and issued an apology on its Twitter platform. 

"We apologise for the inappropriate question and the incident that has happened," the statement says. "The team will be more careful in our news presentation, in order to maintain our quality."

Meanwhile, a Facebook post by the TV branch of The Nation Media Group also drew criticism for claiming that the "unlucky" number 7 may have played a supernatural role in the fate of flight MH17. 

BANGKOK — A top official has called upon all sides of a dispute surrounding a national Taekwondo coach's alleged abuse of his trainees to amicably resolve their differences.

"The best solution is to turn to each other and talk,” Suwat Sitthilor, Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Tourism and Sports, said today.

He was referring to a controversy that erupted when Rungrawee Kusara, a member of the Thai National Taekwondo Women Team, accused her coach, South Korea-born  Choi Young-Seok, of savagely punching her after she lost a match in the Korea Open tournament in South Korea on 11 July. 

According to Ms. Rungrawee's post on social media, Mr. Choi punched her in the stomach and face after he berated her for failing to properly prepare for the match.

Ms. Rungrawee later appeared on a prime-time talk show on the state-owned Channel 3 and demanded Mr. Choi apologise to her publicly. Since her television appearance, Thais have taken to social media to fiercely debate whether Mr. Choi’s behavior was acceptable and Ms. Rungrawee’s response warranted.

A number of prominent athletes have also entered the fray, most prominently Yaowapha Buraphonchai, who competed under Mr. Choi's guidance and won a bronze medal in the 2004 Olympics. Ms. Yaowapha defended the coach's methods and criticised Ms. Rungrawee for distorting the story for her own profit. Ms. Yaowapha was joined by 2012 Olympian and bronze medalist Chanathip Sonkham.

The debate escalated even further when Mr. Choi refused to return to Thailand with the National Team, raising fears that the popular coach would quit his job and leave the team leaderless as it prepares for the 2015 Southeast Asian Games, which will be held in Singapore.

In an effort to prevent the controversy from spiraling out of control, Permanent Secretary of Ministry of  Tourism and Sports Mr. Suwat said today that Mr. Choi and Ms. Rungrawee should discuss the matter with each other and reach a mutual understanding privately, possibly with senior officials serving as the mediators. 

"If both persons [Mr. Choi and Ms. Rungrawee] had been able to talk to each other, the incident would not have escalated this far," Mr. Suwat said.

According to Mr. Suwat, both Mr. Choi and Ms. Rungrawee are to blame for what has happened.

"I believe that, in her heart, the athlete wants to perform well, but her discipline may have been too lax. When the result came out badly, the coach lost his temper."

Mr. Suwat also blamed the explosion of the scandal on social media, in which supporters of both sides have traded virulent accusations against each other and the athletes who publicly took sides. Therefore, Mr. Suwat said, all senior officials of all related agencies should immediately intervene and put a gag order on everyone involved.

"How the previous and current athletes kept airing their opinions is not a good thing for the [Thai Taekwondo] Association, because these opinions benefit one side and damage the other … The unity of sports industry will be affected. If people are still allowed to talk and argue with each other like this, we will all be screwed."

The official also suggested that all sports clubs in Thailand learn lessons from 'Taekwondo-gate' and prevent further incidents by reviewing the methods of punishment that coaches use on their athletes.  

"The most important thing for all sports players, both professional and amateur, is to train themselves to be disciplined, in order to become world-class athletes," Mr. Suwat advised. 

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BANGKOK — A top official has called upon all sides of a dispute surrounding a national Taekwondo coach's alleged abuse of his trainees to amicably resolve their differences.

"The best solution is to turn to each other and talk,” Suwat Sitthilor, Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Tourism and Sports, said today.

He was referring to a controversy that erupted when Rungrawee Kusara, a member of the Thai National Taekwondo Women Team, accused her coach, South Korea-born  Choi Young-Seok, of savagely punching her after she lost a match in the Korea Open tournament in South Korea on 11 July. 

According to Ms. Rungrawee's post on social media, Mr. Choi punched her in the stomach and face after he berated her for failing to properly prepare for the match.

Ms. Rungrawee later appeared on a prime-time talk show on the state-owned Channel 3 and demanded Mr. Choi apologise to her publicly. Since her television appearance, Thais have taken to social media to fiercely debate whether Mr. Choi’s behavior was acceptable and Ms. Rungrawee’s response warranted.

A number of prominent athletes have also entered the fray, most prominently Yaowapha Buraphonchai, who competed under Mr. Choi's guidance and won a bronze medal in the 2004 Olympics. Ms. Yaowapha defended the coach's methods and criticised Ms. Rungrawee for distorting the story for her own profit. Ms. Yaowapha was joined by 2012 Olympian and bronze medalist Chanathip Sonkham.

The debate escalated even further when Mr. Choi refused to return to Thailand with the National Team, raising fears that the popular coach would quit his job and leave the team leaderless as it prepares for the 2015 Southeast Asian Games, which will be held in Singapore.

In an effort to prevent the controversy from spiraling out of control, Permanent Secretary of Ministry of  Tourism and Sports Mr. Suwat said today that Mr. Choi and Ms. Rungrawee should discuss the matter with each other and reach a mutual understanding privately, possibly with senior officials serving as the mediators. 

"If both persons [Mr. Choi and Ms. Rungrawee] had been able to talk to each other, the incident would not have escalated this far," Mr. Suwat said.

According to Mr. Suwat, both Mr. Choi and Ms. Rungrawee are to blame for what has happened.

"I believe that, in her heart, the athlete wants to perform well, but her discipline may have been too lax. When the result came out badly, the coach lost his temper."

Mr. Suwat also blamed the explosion of the scandal on social media, in which supporters of both sides have traded virulent accusations against each other and the athletes who publicly took sides. Therefore, Mr. Suwat said, all senior officials of all related agencies should immediately intervene and put a gag order on everyone involved.

"How the previous and current athletes kept airing their opinions is not a good thing for the [Thai Taekwondo] Association, because these opinions benefit one side and damage the other … The unity of sports industry will be affected. If people are still allowed to talk and argue with each other like this, we will all be screwed."

The official also suggested that all sports clubs in Thailand learn lessons from 'Taekwondo-gate' and prevent further incidents by reviewing the methods of punishment that coaches use on their athletes.  

"The most important thing for all sports players, both professional and amateur, is to train themselves to be disciplined, in order to become world-class athletes," Mr. Suwat advised. 

For comments, or corrections to this article please contact: [email protected]

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BANGKOK — Former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has vowed to return to Thailand after her trip to Europe to contest charges of corruption by Thailand’s anti-graft agency.

Ms. Yingluck recently secured permission from the military junta's National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to leave the country, presumably to join her brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, for his birthday party on 26 July.

Shortly after staging the coup that ousted Ms. Yingluck's government on 22 May, the NCPO detained Ms. Yingluck for several days and ordered her not to leave the country without securing permission.

But her itinerary has been complicated by the National Anti-Corruption Commission's (NACC) verdict on Thursday that she is guilty of negligence in regards to the widespread corruption that plagued her government’s controversial rice-pledging scheme.

The subsidy program, which involved buying rice from Thai farmers at above-market prices, was a hallmark policy of Ms. Yingluck's government. The NACC says Ms. Yingluck's alleged negligence to address corruption in the program cost the state more than 500 billion baht in damages.

The case will now be sent to the Office of the Attorney-General, who will pursue charges under Article 157 of the Criminal Codes against Ms. Yingluck in the Criminal Court. If convicted, Ms. Yingluck could face a maximum prison term of 10 years and a fine of 20,000 baht.

No plan to escape

Although the military junta has not reversed its decision to let Ms. Yingluck leave the country, there was speculation that the former leader would use the opportunity to escape her trials and possible prison term.

For many, Ms. Yingluck’s situation is reminiscent of that which her brother, Mr. Thaksin, once faced. Mr Thaksin was also deposed in a military coup and was later charged with corruption. He fled the country shortly before the court found him guilty in 2008 and has been living in self-imposed exile ever since.

But Ms. Yingluck said in a press conference today that she has no plan to escape the criminal charges against her and vows to return to Thailand to contest them.

"There has been allegation that I am going abroad to escape from the cases," Ms. Yingluck said. "Let me insist that my trip is a personal one, and there is clear schedule of return date. I prepared this trip long before the NACC found me guilty in a hasty manner."

She also defended her rights to travel abroad. "Today I am a full citizen. I should have rights and freedom like any other Thai citizen. Let me stress that I will not abandon my Thai brothers and sisters. I will certainly return to Thailand."

Earlier in the press conference, which marked her first public address since the coup, Ms. Yingluck raised concerns that the NACC has been pursuing cases against her at an unusually fast pace compared to its other inquiries.

Ms. Yingluck also questioned why the NACC has not directly implicated her any cases of corruption within the rice scheme, but only charged her with negligence over corruption committed by others. For instance, the NACC did not adequately explain how her government is responsible for the loss of rice stored at private-owned silos, she said.

"The allegation and investigation of the NACC relies on evidence and witnesses that are hostile to me," Ms. Yingluck said." I have presented many evidence and witnesses to the NACC, but the NACC turned them down."

The former leader refused to answer any questions from the press after her speech was over. 

Ms. Yingluck's supporters have repeatedly accused the NACC and Thailand’s judicial bodies of harboring a bias against Ms. Yingluck and her former government. Critics point to the long series of hostile verdicts and investigations that have been aimed at undermining Ms. Yingluck's administration. Examples include the Constitutional Court ruling that ousted Ms. Yingluck for her decision to transfer an official two years ago, and the Civil Court verdict that prevented riot police from clearing protesters who sought to topple Ms. Yingluck earlier this year.