SAMUT SONGKHRAM – A pickup truck hit a car carrying five Spanish tourists on its way to Suvarnabhumi Airport on Tuesday. Fortunately, they did not suffer significant injuries and were able to board.
Police investigators from Mueang Samut Songkhram Police Station and rescue workers investigated a white Toyota Fortuner with Bangkok registration that had collided with an electric pole on the side of the road and was heavily damaged in the front.
The passengers were five Spanish visitors returning from a trip to the Amphawa Floating Market and heading to Suvarnabhumi Airport to go to their home country. One of them, a 30-year-old female passenger, sustained a hip injury and was brought to Somdej Phra Phutthalertla Hospital, along with the driver, Mr. Raiwin Chotiwattsiriworakul, 53.
The pickup truck that smashed into the car was a white four-door Isuzu D-Max registered in Samut Songkhram province. The left front side was totally wrecked. The driver, Mr. Thanaphong Bunsiang, 66, of Mae Klong Subdistrict, Mueang Samut Songkhram District, became dizzy as a result of the incident. He could not respond to the police. Therefore, officers transferred him to the same hospital.
According to CCTV footage from the Ban Prok Subdistrict Administrative Organisation, the pickup truck did a U-turn on Samut Songkhram-Amphawa Road, heading towards Mae Klong, passed the front of a white Toyota Fortuner car coming straight towards Mae Klong, and collided with it. Luckily, there were no significant injuries.
The official arranged for a vehicle to pick up the Spanish tourists and drive them to Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Security members stand guard outside the Immigration Detention Center in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
BANGKOK (AP) — Members of a rock band that has been critical of Moscow’s war in Ukraine remained locked up Tuesday in a Thai immigration jail, fearful that they could be deported to Russia as a reported plan to let them fly to safety in Israel was apparently suspended.
The progressive rock band Bi-2 said on Facebook that it had information that intervention from Russian diplomats caused the plan to be scuttled, even though tickets had already been purchased for their flight.
“The group participants remain detained at the immigration center in a shared cell with 80 people,” the post said. It said they declined to meet with the Russian consul. The Russian press agency RIA Novosti said the refusal was confirmed by Ilya Ilyin, head of the Russian Embassy’s consular section.
The group later said on the Telegram messaging app that its singer Yegor Bortnik, whose stage name is Lyova, was at the airport awaiting a flight to Israel but the other members remained in the jail.
Aleksandr “Shura” Uman, left, and Yegor “Lyova” Bortnik perform during the Bi-2 rock band concert in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)
The seven band members were arrested last Thursday after playing a concert on the southern resort island of Phuket, reportedly for not having proper working papers. On Facebook, they said all their concerts “are held in accordance with local laws and practices.” Phuket is a popular destination for Russian expats and tourists. After paying a fine, the band members were sent to the Immigration Detention Center in Bangkok.
The detained musicians “include Russian citizens as well as dual nationals of Russia and other countries, including Israel and Australia,” the group Human Rights Watch said in a statement Tuesday. Those holding only Russian citizenship are thought to be most at risk.
This photo shows an exterior of the Immigration Detention Center in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024. Members of Bi-2 might face deportation to Russia, according to the human rights advocates and fans on Monday. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
“The Thai authorities should immediately release the detained members of Bi-2 and allow them to go on their way,” said Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Under no circumstances should they be deported to Russia, where they could face arrest or worse for their outspoken criticisms of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s war in Ukraine.”
“It is not known if the Russian authorities have sought the band members’ forcible return to Russia,” Human Rights Watch said. “However, amid repression in Russia reaching new heights, Russian authorities have used transnational repression — abuses committed against nationals beyond a government’s jurisdiction — to target activists and government critics abroad with violence and other unlawful actions.”
Self-exiled Russian opposition politician and a friend of Bi-2, Dmitry Gudkov, told the AP that he had been in touch with lawyers and diplomats in an attempt to secure the band’s release and suggested that pressure to detain and deport them came directly from the Kremlin and the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Russia, Gudkov said, needs an “evocative story to show that they will catch any critic abroad. This is all happening in the run-up to (Russia’s presidential election), and it’s clear that they want to shut everyone up, and that’s why there’s intense pressure going on.”
Russia’s ambassador to Thailand Yevgeny Tomikhin said Russian diplomats were not responsible for the group’s detention.
“It’s not our practice to dictate to anyone. Americans can do this. We don’t behave like that and don’t make such requests,” Tomikhin was quoted as telling the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda.
There have been no public statements from Thai officials on the situation.
Bi-2 has 1.01 million subscribers to its YouTube channel and 376,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.
Andrei Lugovoi, a member of the lower house of Russia’s parliament, called the band members “scum” for their criticism of Russia’s military operations in Ukraine.
“Let the guys get ready: soon they will be playing and singing on spoons and on metal plates, tap dancing in front of their cellmates,” Lugovoi said on Telegram. “Personally, I would be very happy to see this.”
Britain has accused Lugovoi of involvement in the death of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko, who died in London in 2006 after being poisoned with tea laced with radioactive polonium-210.
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Grant Peck reported from Bangkok. Associated Press writers Emma Burrows and Jim Heintz in Tallinn, Estonia, contributed.
Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda bows during a news conference in Nagoya, central Japan, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)
TOKYO – Toyota Motor Corp. Chairman Akio Toyoda on Tuesday apologized over a recent series of scandals involving its group companies, vowing to improve compliance across the member firms that he says “got their priorities wrong” as they grew.
“We deeply apologize for troubling and worrying customers with the series of scandals” that occurred at the truck subsidiary Hino Motors Ltd., the small-car unit Daihatsu Motor Co., and Toyota Industries Corp., Toyoda said at a press conference in Nagoya.
The data rigging that occurred at the three firms was “an extremely serious matter that betrayed customers’ trust and shook the foundation of the vehicle certification system,” he said.
Toyoda’s rare appearance in front of the media came as concern grew over product quality at the world’s biggest automaker group following the issues.
Japanese transport officials walk towards a Toyota Industries Corp. factory for inspections in Hekinan, central Japan, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)
Toyota Industries said Monday it fabricated data on the torque output of diesel engines it makes and supplies to Toyota, resulting in a partial halt of shipments of its cars.
Daihatsu stopped all shipments at home and abroad last month due to safety test rigging. Hino admitted in March 2022 to submitting fraudulent emissions and fuel economy data to transport authorities.
Third-party panels investigating the incidents have suggested strong product demand from Toyota could have been a cause of the problems.
“Some of them might find it difficult to express their opinions freely to Toyota as in most cases Toyota makes the orders,” Toyoda acknowledged.
The chairman, who served as Toyota president for 14 years until last year, said from now he will prioritize his oversight of the entire Toyota group, not just the automaker, and reform the group’s awareness about compliance by increasing communication with each company.
Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda speaks during a news conference in Nagoya, central Japan, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)
Asked about the degree to which he is responsible for the failure to discover the cases of misconduct during his presidency, Toyoda defended his actions, saying he was “too busy with turning around the company” hit by the “Lehman shock” financial crisis in 2008 and a massive earthquake and tsunami that struck the country’s northeast in 2011.
Toyoda said he hopes his actions can serve as a model for group companies that are dealing with crises, saying his experience in reforming the company after a massive 2009-2010 recall in the United States can be useful in pushing forward with reforms.
Toyoda said he is not aware of any other misconduct within the group.
Japan’s transport ministry inspected a Toyota Industries factory in central Japan on Tuesday to establish the facts of the scandal.
Based on the results, the ministry is expected to determine the severity of administrative punishment it will impose on the company, such as an operation correction order and the revocation of certifications needed for mass production.
FILE – A logo of Toyota Motor Corp. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)
Toyota said Monday it will stop the shipment of 10 models sold globally after Toyota Industries announced the data fabrication on diesel engines. The affected vehicles include popular models such as the Land Cruiser 300 Series and the Hilux.
Toyota Industries doctored the volume of flow into the fuel injectors in engine output tests in a bid to make the engines’ torque, or rotational force at the crankshaft, appear higher than it is, according to a report by a third-party panel.
The data rigging was also found in the testing for all medium to large-size industrial engines Toyota Industries currently produces, and it has stopped shipment of the affected products, the company said.
Toyota Motor Corp. was spun off from Toyota Industries in the late 1930s and the latter remains one of the largest shareholders in the automaker, holding an 8.82 percent stake as of the end of September 2023.
Toyota Group Tops Global Auto Sales in 2023 for 4th Straight Year
Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday its group sold more cars than any other automaker in 2023, maintaining its lead for the fourth consecutive year as it ramped up production amid an easing chip shortage.
The automaker sold a record 11.23 million vehicles globally last year, including those produced by the group’s minivehicle maker Daihatsu Motor Co. and truck manufacturer Hino Motors Ltd., up 7.2 percent from a year earlier.
Archrival Volkswagen AG of Germany sold 9.24 million cars in the year. The Japanese automaker’s previous high was 10.74 million vehicles in 2019.
The group’s worldwide production increased 8.6 percent to a record 11.52 million vehicles, helped by robust demand in Japan, North America and Europe.
Toyota alone sold 10.31 million vehicles worldwide, up 7.7 percent, while its global output grew 11.1 percent to 10.03 million cars, both annual figures exceeding the 10 million mark for the first time.
The record figures were partly driven by brisk sales of hybrid cars, which jumped 31.4 percent to 3.42 million vehicles. Its electric vehicle sales also made significant headway, increasing 4.3-fold to 104,018 units.
“Achieving top sales is not our goal. We hope to continue to build cars with safety and quality as our top priority,” Toyota said.
A series of quality problems have plagued the group in recent years.
Daihatsu stopped all shipments at home and abroad last month due to safety test rigging, while Toyota Industries Corp., a Toyota affiliate, said Monday it had fabricated data on diesel engines it produces for the automaker, resulting in the partial halt of Toyota car shipments.
Global production at Japan’s eight major carmakers, including Toyota, Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co., grew 7.6 percent in 2023 to 25.80 million units, according to a tally based on their released data. The eight companies sold 24.81 million cars globally last year.
To make his confession, Roland led the police to the location where he had dumped his Thai wife's body on January 29, 2024.
NAKHON RATCHASIMA – Police in Korat, or Nakhon Ratchasima Province, have charged Mr. Roland, 53, a Swiss national, with first-degree murder and concealing a corpse after he confessed to the murder of his Thai wife, Orathai Posingam, 46, who has been missing since January 8, 2024.
He was remanded in custody at the Nakhon Ratchasima Provincial Court.
Police stated that Roland confessed to Orathai’s murder after he was interrogated for more than five hours on January 29 and shown video footage of himself handling the body. He had previously denied any involvement in her disappearance and claimed she had run away because they had argued over her gambling debts.
On January 30, the police released the video footage showing Roland taking the body to a cornfield on the road from Ban Khok Kruat to Don-Khwaen, about 3 kilometers from her house in Khonburi District. The incident took place after 10 p.m. on January 8.
The CCTV video footage shows Mr.Roland driving his motorcycle and carrying the body out of the home to the cornfield on January 8, 2024.
Roland told the police he killed Orathai after she became angry with him because he wanted to go to Pattaya alone to visit a friend. She suspected he was having an affair.
The Swiss man said he strangled his wife and then carried her body out of the house through a window. He put her body on the front of his motorcycle and drove to a cornfield where he dumped it. He then left the motorcycle in a cornfield, to make it look like his wife had run away.
The authorities discovered a Jack of Hearts card in Ms. Orathai’s mouth, and there seemed to be duct tape covering her mouth.
The authorities discovered a Jack of Hearts card in Ms. Orathai’s mouth.
Pol. Gen. Thana Chuwong, Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, said it was now possible to conclude that Mr. Roland acted alone. However, the suspect has yet to explain why the Jack of Hearts card was found inside his wife’s mouth. The police must first wait for forensic officers to check the results.
Ms. Thidarat Posingam, Ms. Orathai’s younger sister, came to Khonburi Police Station along with Ms. Orathai’s daughter after being contacted by the police to bring medicine for Mr. Roland.
His daughter gave an interview, expressing grief but relief that her mother’s remains had been recovered. Regarding her thoughts towards her stepfather, Mr. Roland, she admits to being upset because he was the one who took her mother away from herself. And she couldn’t believe he could act this way after being kind to the family.
BANGKOK – The Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) invites everyone to enjoy a shopping bonanza and lifestyle extravaganza with 4 exciting events
in February 2024 in line with the Thai government’s policy to boost the economy.
The events are the 54th Baby & Kids Best Buy for parents and kids; the Thailand Mobile Expo 2024 for tech and gadget enthusiasts; the Adidas Grand Sale for sport fanatics; and the 69th Thai Teaw Thai Fair for travel lovers.
Surapol Utintu, Chief Executive Officer of N.C.C. Management and Development Co., Ltd., the operator of QSNCC said: “We are excited to welcome several retail
and lifestyle events at QSNCC throughout February. The event lineup will play an important role in supporting the Thai government’s economic stimulus policy that aims to encourage people to spend more in early 2024.
This is in line with the forecast of the Thai Retailers Association, which estimates that the sales of retail industry in Thailand will grow by 3.5% to 4.4%, primarily boosted by the recovery in the numbers of foreign tourists, while the government’s other supporting policies and cooperation from the private sector are also serving as a catalyst for growth.”
The details of the featured retail events at QSNCC in the month of love are as follows:
54th Baby & Kids Best Buy
A trade show for little loved ones from babies to 12-year-olds, it will host an incredible selection of products for babies and children as well as fun activities for the kiddos from 1 to 4 February 2024 at Exhibition Hall 5-6, level LG.
Thailand Mobile Expo 2024
One of the most anticipated showcases of mobile phones and electronic accessories is coming back again, this time with the theme “It’s Time to Get a New Phone!” A full selection of products by leading mobile device brands will be on sale, just as last year. This year event also features Bangkok EV Expo 2024, which brings together a great collection
of electric vehicles from leading carmakers as well as EV accessories, together with a test drive track in the heart of Bangkok, on 8 – 11 February 2024 at Exhibition Hall 5-7, level LG.
Adidas Grand Sale
Enjoy mid-month specials of sports equipment and apparels by the prominent manufacturer with up to 70% discounts from 8 to 11 February 2024 in front of Exhibition Hall 8, level LG.
69th Thai Teaw Thai Fair
Carrying the theme “Amazing Grand Sale,” the major annual event will promote Thai tourism and local products as part of sustainable growth by Thai entrepreneurs, featuring over 800 booths from hotels, travel agents, spas, restaurants, entertainment venues and more, all of them coming with special offers exclusively available at the event, from 29 February to 3 March 2024 at Exhibition 5-6, level LG.
“We are confident that the four events will receive an overwhelming response and help
to create positive momentum for the Thai economy, thanks to the key strengths of
QSNCC: its convenient location in the heart of the city, direct connection to the MRT,
a full range of facilities and high-quality services,” Surapol said.
“All of these features make QSNCC more than just a convention center. QSNCC will prove itself once again that its retail space under the concept of ‘Bangkok’s Active Lifestyle Mall’ really caters to everyone’s lifestyle needs with a wide range of restaurants, café, convenience stores, sports gear outlets, spas, as well as shower services,” he added.
QSNCC will also launch the Chinese New Year 2024: A Year of the Wood Dragon festival between 1 and 11 February. Visitors during the period will be entitled to a Golden Egg lucky draw after every spending of 500 baht at participating restaurants, cafes, and service outlets at QSNCC for a chance to win enticing prizes, such as a red envelope from QSNCC or a gift voucher valued at 500 baht to be used to pay for goods and services at participating stores at the center.
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin meets with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, in Bangkok, Thailand, Jan. 29, 2024. (Xinhua/Wang Teng)
BANGKOK — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Monday that China appreciates Thailand for upholding the one-China principle.
Wang made the remarks during his meeting with Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, noting that the Taiwan question is a matter of sovereignty and territorial integrity of China.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said China believes that Thailand will continue to understand and support China’s cause of reunification.
Wang noted that China always sees Thailand as a priority in its diplomacy with neighboring countries and will continue to support Thailand in safeguarding its national sovereignty and security and achieving development and revitalization.
China is happy to see Thailand, which is an important country in the region, play a positive role in regional stability and world peace, Wang added.
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin meets with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, in Bangkok, Thailand, Jan. 29, 2024. (Khaosod/Sompong Wanjapoh)
The Chinese top diplomat said Srettha’s decision to make China the first country outside the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for an official visit after assuming office last year fully reflects the great importance that Thailand attaches to its relations with China, and has brought their traditional friendship even closer while deepening the long-standing tradition that “Chinese and Thais are of one family”.
The leaders of the two countries have outlined the blueprint for building a China-Thailand community with a shared future, opening a new chapter in the friendly cooperation between China and Thailand, Wang said.
As China and Thailand are comprehensive strategic cooperative partners, the strengthening of mutual trust and mutually beneficial cooperation between them would provide further guarantee of peace in Asia and impetus for regional development, said Wang.
He stressed that the purpose of his visit is to implement the consensus of the leaders of the two countries, advance pragmatic cooperation in various files, and bring the China-Thailand relations even closer.
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, jointly attend the signing ceremony of a protocol regarding the export of Thai agricultural products to China, in Bangkok, Thailand, Jan. 29, 2024. (Xinhua/Wang Teng)
China is willing to maintain high-level exchanges with Thailand, enhance cultural and people-to-people exchanges, seize the opportunity of mutual visa exemption to promote two-way tourism, and deepen pragmatic cooperation in areas such as economy, trade and investment, said the Chinese top diplomat.
The two sides should speed up the development of the China-Thailand Railway, open the central line of the Trans-Asian Railway, and push for an early realization of the China-Laos-Thailand Connectivity Development Corridor Outlook, so as to provide new momentum and open up new opportunities for the long-term development of both countries, Wang said.
For his part, Srettha said Thailand attaches great importance to the bilateral relations with China and firmly adheres to the one-China principle.
The agreement on mutual visa exemption signed during Wang’s visit would facilitate the enhancement of economic, trade, and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, as well as deepen friendship between the two peoples and bring the already close relationship between Thailand and China even closer, said the Thai prime minister.
Thailand will actively participate in Belt and Road cooperation, said Srettha, adding that he hopes the relevant departments of both countries will strengthen communication and accelerate related projects to enhance regional connectivity.
The Thai prime minister noted that as 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Thailand and China, both sides should make early preparations and plans, maintain close high-level exchanges, and promote cooperation in various fields to achieve greater development of the bilateral relations.
Following the meeting, Wang and Srettha jointly attended the signing ceremony of a protocol regarding the export of Thai agricultural products to China.
During his visit to Thailand, Wang also met with Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara for the annual consultation between the two countries, as well as Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand.
The Dong Yen policemen agree to take the British man to the Ban Dung police station.
UDON THANI – An elderly British man informed police officers in Kham Chanod, a well-known Thai tourist destination in Udon Thani Province, on Monday night that his Thai boyfriend had abandoned him there late into the night and that he had nowhere to go.
The police officers at Dong Yen police station invited him into the reception room and offered him snacks and coffee. After questioning the man, they learned that his name is Duckford, he is 82 years old, comes from England and lives with his Thai friend in Maliwan 2 village in Udon Thani municipality.
The couple visited Kham Chanod, but they had a big argument and he abandoned him and did not take him home.
After his boyfriend abandoned him on Monday night, officers from Dong Yen police station invited the British man into the reception room for a conversation.
The officials then offered to take Mr. Duckford home in Udon Thani province or open a resort where he could stay overnight before going home the next morning, but he refused. He said the safest place was the police station and asked the officers to drive him to the Ban Dung police station first.
Finally, the Dong Yen policemen drove up in a patrol car to take Mr. Duckford to the Ban Dung police station. At 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning, he took a bus to Udon Thani to return to his residence in Udon Thani city.
According to the Udonthani Attractions website, Kham Chanod is about 80km north-east of Udon Thani city and is somewhere most ferang (western foreigners) do not get to see unless their Thai wife takes them. The site attracts Thais from afar at weekends in particular, all coming to pay their respects and hope that the spirits will present them with some good or better fortune.
Aleksandr "Shura" Uman, left, and Yegor "Lyova" Bortnik perform during the Bi-2 rock band concert in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)
BANGKOK (AP) — A visiting dissident rock band that has been critical of Moscow’s war in Ukraine and whose members were arrested last week in Thailand might face deportation to Russia, according to human rights advocates and fans on Monday.
Five of the seven musicians playing with the progressive rock band, Bi-2, traveled using Russian passports, Police Lt. Pakpoom Rojanawipak told The Associated Press. At least four of the members are reportedly Israeli nationals, including the two founders, Aleksandr “Shura” Uman and Yegor “Lyova” Bortnik. The second is also an Australian citizen.
Russia has a reputation for cracking down on members of the cultural community critical of the war, even those working abroad. The Kremlin had previously singled out Uman and Bortnik for not supporting its military operation in Ukraine.
The band members were arrested on Thursday on the southern resort island of Phuket after playing a concert, allegedly for not having the proper working papers.
On their official Facebook page, they said all their “concerts are held in accordance with local laws and practices.”
After paying fines of 3,000 baht (about $85) each, they were kept in the custody of immigration police, who sent them to the Immigration Detention Center in the capital, Bangkok, according to Sunai Phasuk of Human Rights Watch and reports in the Israeli press.
Self-exiled Russian opposition politician and a friend of Bi-2, Dmitry Gudkov, told the Russian-language service of Australia’s SBS radio that he believed Moscow was exerting pressure on Thailand to have the band members deported to Russia.
His concern was echoed by Sunai, who confirmed that all seven arrested musicians were still being held Monday at the Bangkok jail.
“Members of the dissident Bi-2 rock band are likely to face harsh prosecution and other grave dangers in the hands of Russian authorities,” Sunai told The Associated Press. “Under no circumstances should Bangkok hand them over to Moscow, which will blatantly breach both international and Thai laws.”
There was no immediate comment from Thailand’s immigration police.
Marjana Semkina of the band Iamthemorning wrote on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, that her fellow band member Gleb Kolyadin was one of the seven arrested. Semkina, a Russian-born singer-songwriter who lives in Britain, said Kolyadin, a temporary British resident, had been sitting in as a keyboard player with Bi-2.
She described Bi-2 in her post as having been “inconvenient for (the) Russian government for a while ’cause they are a very big band and they are very obviously anti-war and anti-Putin so they moved out of the country a while ago, just like Gleb did.”
BANGKOK – L’Oréal Paris, the world’s number one beauty brand and part of the L’Oréal Group, introduces Han So-hee, a rising star who is already popular in Korea, as Thailand’s newest presenter for hair care products.
The campaign images highlight her charisma. She has soft and smooth hair, and the colour complements her appearance well. Han So Hee’s hair care products include Elseve Extraordinary Oil Hair Serum, Elseve Hyaluron Moisture Product Line, and Excellence Hair Colouring Products. The advertising campaign will debut in March.
Ms. Abigail Chi, Head of Brand Business, L’Oréal Paris Hair Products, stated, “With a style and character that shine out, she is precisely what the brand is seeking: a role model for the next generation to have confidence and their own personalities.”
According to Allkpop, the most recent photoshoot of Han So-hee, she emphasised the rich colours of ‘L’Oréal Paris’ hair colouring products with her attractiveness.
Han So-hee has been active as a model since 2016. She began her acting career as a supporting character in the television series Money Flower (2017), 100 Days My Prince (2018), and Abyss (2019) before transitioning into lead roles in The World of the Married (2020), Nevertheless (2021), My Name (2021), and Gyeongseong Creature (2023–2024).
She recently visited Bangkok, Thailand, to promote the series Gyeongseong Creature with leading actor Park Seo Joon and director Jeong Dong Yoon at the end of December, where they were greeted by a large audience of Thai fans.
From left, Philippine Foreign Undersecretary Theresa Lazaro, Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Thai Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara, Vietnam's Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son and Laos' Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith leave after a group photo session during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers retreat meeting in Luang Prabang, Laos, Monday, Jan. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
LUANG PRABANG, Laos (AP) — China’s increasingly assertive posture in the South China Sea and escalating violence in Myanmar topped the agenda for Southeast Asian diplomats at their meeting in Laos on Monday, with the Laotian foreign minister expressing guarded optimism that progress could be made this year on both acrimonious issues.
Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith told reporters that Thailand was moving ahead with plans to provide more humanitarian assistance to Myanmar, where more than 2.6 million people have been displaced by civil war.
He said it was a good sign that the military leaders who seized control of Myanmar in February 2021 from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi had for the first time sent a high-level representative to attend the meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers in the historic city of Luang Prabang in Laos.
“We feel a little bit optimistic that the engagement may work, although we have to admit that the issues that are happening in Myanmar will not resolve overnight,” Saleumxay said. “I think there is probably a small light at the end of the tunnel.”
Representatives pose for a group photo during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers retreat meeting in Luang Prabang, Laos, Monday, Jan. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Myanmar has been prohibited from sending its foreign minister or any political representative to high-level ASEAN meetings since the end of 2021, when it blocked the group’s envoy from meeting with Suu Kyi. Instead, it has sent non-political representatives to lower-level working meetings but has refused to send anyone to high-level meetings.
In Laos, however, it sent a Foreign Ministry civil servant, ASEAN Permanent Secretary Marlar Than Htike, which Saleumxay called “a positive sign.”
ASEAN member nations Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Brunei and Laos have a combined population of nearly 650 million and GDP of more than $3 trillion.
Landlocked Laos, which has taken over this year’s rotating ASEAN leadership, is the bloc’s poorest nation and one of its smallest, and many have expressed skepticism about how much it can accomplish while the crises mount.
Still, it is the first ASEAN country that shares a border with Myanmar to serve as chair since the military took control of the country, giving it a perspective different from that of previous chairs.
Laos has already sent a special envoy to Myanmar for meetings with the head of the ruling military council and other top officials in an attempt to make progress on ASEAN’s “five-point consensus” plan for peace.
The plan calls for the immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar, a dialogue among all concerned parties, mediation by an ASEAN special envoy, provision of humanitarian aid through ASEAN channels, and a visit to Myanmar by the special envoy to meet all concerned parties.
Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan told reporters after the meeting that it was “helpful” to have a representative from Myanmar attend again, but that he would not say he was optimistic Myanmar would take concrete steps to implement the plan.
“If you take reference from the past, it can sometimes take a very long time for positive change to occur,” he said. “I do not want to raise hopes or expectations unrealistically.”
Saleumxay said ASEAN would continue to push for full implementation of the consensus while also increasing humanitarian support.
“We think humanitarian assistance is the priority for the immediate period of time when implementing the five-point consensus,” he said. “We welcome in this regard the efforts by the Thai government to … try to create a humanitarian corridor where support and assistance can be provided to all Myanmar people.”
Communist Laos is one of the ASEAN countries with the closest ties to China, and some have speculated it may look to its giant neighbor for help in dealing with the crisis in Myanmar, where Beijing also wields considerable influence.
China has said it will not interfere in the internal affairs of other states, however, and it is also unknown whether it taking on such a role would be acceptable to other ASEAN members.
Thai Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara attends the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers retreat meeting in Luang Prabang, Laos, Monday, Jan. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
ASEAN members Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei are locked in maritime disputes with China over its claims of sovereignty over virtually of the South China Sea, one of the world’s most crucial waterways for shipping. Indonesia has also expressed concern about what it sees as Beijing’s encroachment on its exclusive economic zone.
An estimated $5 trillion in international trade passes through the South China Sea each year, which has led China into direct confrontations, most notably with the Philippines and Vietnam.
The ASEAN meeting in Laos came on the same day that Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, was meeting with officials in Vietnam, among other things to discuss the ongoing tensions in the South China Sea.
The Philippines has been looking for more support from its ASEAN neighbors amid increasingly tense hostilities with China, which many worry could escalate into a broader conflict that could involve Washington, Manila’s longtime treaty ally.
The Philippine government protested the Chinese coast guard’s use of water cannons, a military-grade laser and dangerous blocking maneuvers that caused minor collisions off Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal.
China and ASEAN agreed in 2002 and 2012 to a declaration on conduct in the South China Sea, seeking to “enhance favorable conditions for a peaceful and durable solution of differences and disputes,” but there has been little sign of adherence to that in recent years.
In Luang Prabang, the group “underscored the importance of the full and effective” implementation of the declaration, according to a statement issued by Laos after the talks.
“We reaffirmed the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, security, stability, safety and freedom of navigation in, and overflight above, the South China Sea,” it said.
Under last year’s chair, Indonesia, ASEAN agreed with China on guidelines to accelerate negotiations for a South China Sea code of conduct, but that has yet to produce results.
In the talks Monday, Saleumxay said several ASEAN nations brought up the tensions in the South China Sea and that Laos hoped to have a third reading of the code of conduct with China “as soon as possible.”
“That would create an environment where both ASEAN member states, especially the claimant states, and China can build more trust and confidence,” he said. “Whatever happens in the South China Sea should be resolved in a peaceful manner through dialogue and consultations.”
Saleumxay said all sides with claims in the South China Sea need to respect the United Nations convention on the law of the sea.
Under that convention, a U.N.-backed tribunal ruled in 2016 that China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea on historical grounds were invalid and that Beijing had violated the right of Filipinos to fish in the shoal.
China has refused to participate in the arbitration, rejected its outcome and continues to defy it.
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David Rising reported from Luang Prabang. Associated Press journalist Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines, contributed to this story.
