An image of Japan's SLIM lunar lander | JAXA / VIA KYODO
TOKYO – Japan’s space agency said Monday it has obtained data regarding the lunar touchdown of its explorer over the weekend as it seeks to determine whether the craft achieved unprecedented precision in landing within 100 meters of its target.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said it is analyzing technical and image data transmitted from the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, and will determine the accuracy of the landing technology within a month.
“We’re currently conducting a detailed analysis and are relieved to see that we obtained a lot of data,” the mission’s team said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Japan landed the spacecraft on the lunar surface around 12:20 a.m. on Saturday, becoming the fifth country to achieve the feat after the former Soviet Union, the United States, China and India.
Previous Moon landers had an accuracy of within several to around a dozen kilometers and opted to descend in areas conducive to easier touchdowns, according to JAXA.
Using SLIM, the agency said it hoped to realize a transition away from an era of “landing where we can” toward one of “landing where we want” for future Moon missions, which could include searching for water, requiring pinpoint landings on uneven surfaces such as slopes.
After landing at a site around the Shioli crater in a low-altitude region known as the “Sea of Nectar,” as planned, SLIM could not generate power as its built-in solar power panels were not correctly facing the Sun.
The agency said work to transmit landing data was prioritized before SLIM’s battery ran out. The power was switched off around 2 hours and 40 minutes after the touchdown, with the remaining battery level at 12 percent.
JAXA found that the explorer’s orientation upon landing was not as planned, with solar power panels incorrectly facing west. Power generation could start once the west side of the Moon starts getting sunshine, the agency said.
The agency initially planned an exploration of the Moon for several days, but a mineral probe will likely be cut short.
According to the agency, SLIM can autonomously determine the best spot to land by capturing photos of craters and surface areas during its descent and comparing them with pre-input imagery.
The explorer was launched on Japan’s H2A rocket on Sept. 7 last year from Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan.
The CCTV footage shows two Indian suspects purchasing a freezer for containing the body parts of a Burmese worker.
BANGKOK – Thai police have announced that there are two suspects of Indian nationality in the murder of Burmese worker A Sai Kyi, 35, who was found dismembered into six parts in a freezer in a commercial building in Bangkok’s Bang Khun Thian district on January 21, 2024. Both men have fled Thailand, but police are confident they will be arrested soon.
On January 22, Pol. Lt. Col. Chakri Ditjai, the investigating officer of Tha Kham police station, stated that Gunalan Deivasigamani, 27, is a suspect in the crime, along with Sundaravel Pragadeesh Kumar, 23.
Police have analysed CCTV evidence, which shows that he purchased the freezer with Kumar and drove the truck that delivered it to the building where the body was discovered. Along with Kumar, he escaped the country to Chennai, India.
Gunalan Deivasigamani (left) and Sundaravel Pragadeesh Kumar (centre) are the suspects in the killing and dismembering of the body of A Sai Kyi (right) in Bangkok.
In addition, the police have summoned witnesses for questioning, including employees of Kumar’s labour agency, to inquire about his activities in bringing Burmese migrant workers into Thailand. They have also questioned witnesses who saw Kumar and Deivasigamani drive red MG car into the building where the body was found at around 3 p.m. on January 19.
The vehicle was found on Monday, January 22, at a private parking lot in Soi Chula 5, Wang Mai Subdistrict, Pathumwan District, Bangkok, on Saturday, Jan. 20.
Police have also contacted officials from the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security to coordinate with the Burmese embassy to transfer A Sai Kyi’s body. The victim had not yet been registered as a legal migrant worker in Thailand.
Police found the suspect car at a private parking lot in Soi Chula 5 on January 22, 2024.
For Kumar, police found that he had entered Thailand legally and had been in the country for several years. He was initially registered with the Department of Business Development as a trading company, but then founded SIGA GROCERIES Co., Ltd. on September 5, 2022. The company specialises in recruiting migrant workers to work in Thailand, including some who have entered the country illegally, such as A Sai Kyi.
Police questioned a Burmese worker who had traveled to Thailand with A. Sai Kyi. He said their group consisted of six people who wanted to work in Thailand due to political instability in Myanmar. They arrived at the border on January 11 and were then picked up by an Indian facilitator on January 12. The agent demanded 7,000 baht per person to find them work. On January 14, they were then taken to a commercial building in Soi Sakae Ngam 35/3.
When they arrived, Kumar asked them who was the oldest person in the group. A Sai Kyi was the eldest, so he went upstairs to talk to Kumar alone. The other workers do not know what they talked about or if it was the reason for A Sai Kyi’s murder.
Pol. Gen. Torsak Sukvimol, the national police chief, said the police were close to apprehending the suspects. He said he had coordinated with the Indian ambassador to Thailand to get assistance in finding the suspects. Thailand has a good working relationship with India through an extradition treaty.
As for whether the motive for the murder was related to human trafficking, Pol. Gen. Torsak said that more evidence is needed to determine the motive.
Pol. Gen. Torsak also said that India tops the list of countries that have visa-free access to Thailand. He has therefore instructed the Central Police Region commander to work with the FBI to step up checks on foreigners in the region, particularly in Pattaya, to monitor foreigners who may be involved in human trafficking, money laundering or cybercrime. India also has a serious problem with these crimes.
RANONG – The Ministry of Tourism and Sports has set the goal of urgently upgrading the hot springs in Thailand to “spa towns” like in Europe or “onsen towns” like in Japan in order to create a hot spring economy.
Sudawan Wangsupakitkosol, Minister of Tourism and Sports, said during visit to Ranong Province that Thailand’s hot springs have great potential but developed over 1,000 years later than countries in Europe and Japan. The government will now create competitiveness by focusing on meeting the needs of tourists and consumers in modern times.
To this end, the hot springs in nearby provinces will be developed into a system of 7 hot spring or wellness routes and linked together to create a global marketing brand and expand tourism to secondary cities.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and Ms. Sudawan Wangsuphakitkoson, Minister of Tourism and Sports, visit the management of Raksawarin Hot Mineral Spring at Raksawarin Hot Mineral Spring, Ranong Province, on January 22, 2024.
According to a study and collection of data on hot springs in Thailand conducted by the Department of Mineral Resources and the Office of Natural Resources and Environment Policy and Planning, there are 118 hot springs in Thailand. Most of them are located in the north (71), followed by the south (32), the central plains (12), and the east (2).
The Thai Hot Springs Club had previously proposed to the cabinet a special budget of 270 million baht. The club also proposed that the Ministry of Tourism and Sports host a pilot project aimed at opening hot springs in Thailand by 2025 as a quick-win project.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and Ms. Sudawan Wangsuphakitkoson, Minister of Tourism and Sports, visit the management of Raksawarin Hot Mineral Spring at Raksawarin Hot Mineral Spring, Ranong Province, on January 22, 2024.
The Thai Hot Springs Club has proposed a feasibility study for the design and construction of 16 hot springs in 5 provinces on the Andaman coast: Ranong, Phang Nga, Krabi, Trang and Satun.
The aim of the plan is to upgrade the service from the current level of local users to the level of international standard for public spas in order to support health tourism, generate and distribute income in the tourist destinations as well as improve quality and increase competitiveness in tourism under the Andaman Wellness Corridor brand.
San Kamphaeng Hot Springs Chiang Mai
An example of the opportunities and benefits of developing hot springs for the public is the Tambon Khlong Thom Nuea sub-district, which manages the hot waterfall and the Khao Pra-Bang Khram Wildlife Sanctuary, which looks after the emerald pool. Every day, 500-1,000 tourists come here. The sub-district charges an entrance fee of 200 baht, bringing in 50,000-200,000 baht per day or 18-72 million baht per year.
If the hot springs can be developed into a tourist destination, the income can increase 100-200 times. This stems from the current fees of 5-20 baht for local users, which are calculated based on daily expenses, including accommodation, food, souvenirs and travel. For Thai tourists this is about 2,000 baht per day and for foreign tourists about 4,000 baht per day.
AIS confirms its commitment to advancing the country’s infrastructure, strengthening the foundation for a robust digital economy by leveraging the 700 MHz frequency band in Series 3, 4th installment. Additionally, AIS is prepared to pay the licensing fees for the 700 MHz frequency band.
Mr. Waroonthep Watcharaporn, Head of Business Relations AIS, stated, “Our steadfast commitment has always been the development of the country’s digital infrastructure to make it robust. Throughout the years, we have utilized the national public resource of frequency waves obtained through auctions to develop and maximize the benefits as outlined in our goals. This aligns with the mission of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC).
Moreover, we have incorporated intelligent innovations to continuously elevate our services, meeting the needs of users for convenient and rapid usage. We aim to support the growth of various industries and the overall economy of the country.
Currently, AIS is the service provider with the highest frequency, reaching 1460 MHz, covering diverse usage patterns for both general consumers and various industrial sectors.”
Most recently, AIS has paid a total of 1,881,488,000 Baht (One billion eight hundred eighty-one million four hundred eighty-eight thousand Baht), including value-added tax, for the 4th installment of the 3rd series of the 700 MHz frequency band with Mr.Trairat Viriyasirikul Deputy Secretary General Acting Secretary General of the office of the NBTCas the appointed recipient.
Mr. Waroonthep added, “Currently, AIS 5G network covers the entire Thailand. Specifically, the 700 MHz frequency, which has the widest bandwidth in the industry, will enhance the network development plan to provide efficient services. AIS has been at the forefront of network innovation, creating new standards to continuously transform industrial operations.
This includes faster data transmission, increased stability, and support for higher usage volumes. This enables the efficient execution of high-precision tasks, such as critical applications like autonomous robots, as well as services requiring rapid and real-time responsiveness, such as remote car control or remote surgery. All of this aligns with AIS’s vision of evolving into a Cognitive Tech-Co organization.”
“Exploring diverse perspectives of Bangkok through the lens of Samatcha Apaisuwan.”
In a solo exhibition “Bangkok Reflection” at Charoen43 Art and Eatery.
BANGKOK – From a familiar street to a diverse perspective photograph “Bangkok Reflection” is a photo exhibition by Samatcha Apaisuwan. A former agency photographer turned freelancer, specialized in street style and documentaries, he has roamed the streets of Bangkok around Charornkrung, Talad-noi, Siam, China town and Pak-Klong-Talad since 2020 for this exhibition.
His unique technique, devoid of any computer editing programs, allows viewers to authentically reflect on open conversations and ideas about the vibrant spirit of sleepless Bangkok through his solo exhibition, as a part of Bangkok Design Week 2024.
Samatcha Apaisuwan
The selection of each photo in this exhibition captures the artist’s humor and observant characteristic, seeking uncommon scenery and composition, to create a different dimension and perspective from the familiar, resulting in an experimental body of work with mysterious and fascinating photos.
“I often see things through the reflection of mirrors, windows, or materials combining opposite angles to view both sides of perspectives and differences angles within a single frame. These ideas led to my experiment of bringing mirror-like plastic into the frame, allowing me to composite different pictures together within a frame without the need of photo editing and giving me the joy of seeing the actual result at its capturing moment.”
Samatcha Apaisuwan
“I enjoyed and felt very happy with this set of photos. Every photo in this exhibition was created from my sense of joy and the urge to experiment, which I call “Reflection.” It reflects my curiosity to try how perspectives can shift, combined with the ProPhoto RGB profile for coloring and the Fine Art Printing process handled by Goon Studio. I hope that people who see my work can resonate with something inside themselves through this exhibition, “Bangkok Reflection.”
“Bangkok Reflection: สะท้อนกรุง” 2 Floor, C43 : Fashion and Inspiration Space at Charoen43 Art and Eatery 27 Jan-4 Feb, 2024
More Information :
https://www.facebook.com/samatchaphoto
www.samatchaapaisuwan.com
IG : samatchaphoto
and www.facebook.com/charoen43
………………
Samatcha Apaisuwan (Pop): Photographer
Samatcha Apaisuwan was fascinated in photography from his young age, influenced by his grandfather (Sanitpan Pisanyabud). Samatcha started as a hobbyist photographer before pursuing professional photography training at the Department of Visual Arts, Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Chulalongkorn University,
He started his work with a well-known advertising agency, where he gained experience in various photography styles and situations, both in indoor studios and outdoor settings, accumulating almost 30 years of experience. Later, working as a freelancer, he expands his skillset, collaborating with brands and international companies such as lifestyle brands, food and restaurants, hotels, products, and events etc. including the post-production process by himself.
Samatcha grew up in the age of black-and-white and film photography, he never stops exploring, so he moved to Los Angeles, USA, for quite some time and today he still considered himself as a lifelong photography student.
For Samatcha, Photography has a magical allure and a captivating charm every time he presses the shutter. His work philosophy is: “Always add ‘extra’ to ‘ordinary’, but never lose sight of functionality.” More than just a profession, photography is his fulfilling passion and his source of inspirations.
He continues to walk the street’s corners and alleys of Bangkok on his free time, capturing the essence of everyday life and local communities.
Israeli soldiers move on armored personnel carriers (APC) near the Israeli-Gaza border as smoke rises to the sky in the Gaza Strip, seen from southern Israel, Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Palestinian death toll from the war between Israel and Hamas has soared past 25,000, the Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip said Sunday, while the Israeli government appeared far from achieving its goals of crushing the militant group and freeing more than 100 hostages.
The death, destruction and displacement from the war is without precedent in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israeli officials say the fighting is likely to continue for several more months.
The conflict has divided ordinary Israelis and their leaders while the offensive threatens to ignite a wider war involving Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen that support the Palestinians. In Lebanon, Hezbollah forces have engaged in near-daily clashes with Israeli troops along the border.
Friends and relatives sit next to a tree they planted in memory of a person who was killed on Oct. 7 in a cross-border attack by Hamas at the Nova music festival in Re’im, Southern Israel, Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024, during a tree planting event. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
An Israeli airstrike on Sunday hit a car near a Lebanese army checkpoint in the southern town of Kafra, killing at least one person and injuring several others, Lebanese state media reported. Their identities were not immediately clear. Israel’s military said its aircraft and tanks struck a number of Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.
The United States, which has provided diplomatic and military support for Israel’s offensive, has had limited success in persuading Israel to put civilians at less risk and to facilitate the delivery of more humanitarian aid.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected U.S. and international calls for postwar plans that would include a path to Palestinian statehood. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the refusal to accept a two-state solution “totally unacceptable.”
“The Middle East is a tinderbox. We must do all we can to prevent conflict igniting across the region,” Guterres added Sunday. “And that starts with an immediate humanitarian cease-fire to relieve the suffering in Gaza.”
GAZA DEATH TOLL CLIMBS
The war began with Hamas’ attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7. Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took around 250 hostages back to Gaza.
Israel responded with a bombing campaign and ground invasion that laid waste to entire neighborhoods in northern Gaza and spread south. Ground operations are now focused on the southern city of Khan Younis and built-up refugee camps in central Gaza dating back to the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation.
Israel continues to carry out airstrikes throughout the besieged territory, including areas in the south where it told civilians to seek refuge. Many Palestinians have ignored evacuation orders, saying nowhere feels safe.
On Sunday, Israel’s military said the demolition last week of a key building at Israa University in Gaza was under review. It asserted that preliminary findings indicated Hamas had used the compound for military purposes. The university said earlier that the “attack” came weeks after Israeli forces occupied the building.
Since the war started, 25,105 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, while another 62,681 have been wounded, the Health Ministry said. The toll included the 178 bodies brought to Gaza’s hospitals since Saturday, Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra said. Another 300 people were wounded in the past day, he said.
The overall toll is thought to be higher because many casualties remain buried under the rubble or in areas where medics cannot reach them, Al-Qidra said.
Palestinians surround a car that was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali)
The Health Ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its figures but says around two-thirds of the people killed in Gaza were women and minors. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, but its casualty figures from previous wars were largely consistent with those of U.N. agencies and even the Israeli military.
The Israeli military says it has killed around 9,000 militants, without providing evidence, and blames the high civilian death toll on Hamas because it positions fighters, tunnels and other militant infrastructure in dense neighborhoods, often near homes, schools or mosques.
The military says 195 soldiers have been killed.
The war has displaced some 85% of Gaza’s residents, with hundreds of thousands packing into U.N.-run shelters and camps in the southern part of the tiny coastal enclave. U.N. officials say a quarter of the population of 2.3 million is starving as a trickle of humanitarian aid reaches them because of the fighting and Israeli restrictions.
“Bread does not suffice for one hour,” said Ahmad Al-Nashawi, who accepted donated food at a camp of plastic tents in the southern city of Rafah. “You can see how many children we have other than women and men. What matters most for a child is to eat.”
ISRAELIS INCREASINGLY DIVIDED
Netanyahu has vowed to keep up the offensive until Israel achieves “complete victory” over Hamas and returns all remaining hostages. But even some top Israeli officials have begun to acknowledge that those goals might be mutually exclusive.
Hamas is believed to be holding the captives in tunnels and using them as shields for its top leaders. Israel has rescued one hostage, and Hamas says several have been killed in Israeli airstrikes or during failed rescue operations.
A member of Israel’s War Cabinet, former army chief Gadi Eisenkot, said last week that the only way to free the hostages was through a cease-fire. In an implicit criticism of Netanyahu, he said claims to the contrary amounted to “illusions.”
Hamas has said it will not free more hostages until Israel ends its offensive. The group is expected to make any further releases conditional on securing freedom for thousands of Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, including high-profile militants involved in attacks that killed Israelis.
A protester wears a shirt depicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attempt during a demonstration to demand the release of the hostages taken by Hamas militants into the Gaza Strip during the Oct. 7th attack, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday Jan. 20, 2024.(AP Photo/Leo Correae
Israel’s government has ruled that out for now, but it faces growing pressure from families of the hostages, who want an exchange like the one that took place during a weeklong November cease-fire.
Some Israelis are frustrated by the security failures that preceded the Oct. 7 attack and by Netanyahu’s handling of the war. Thousands of people gathered in Tel Aviv over the weekend to call for new elections.
But Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners are pushing him to step up the offensive, with some calling for the “voluntary” emigration of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from Gaza and the re-establishment of Jewish settlements there. Israel withdrew soldiers and settlers from the territory in 2005, two years before Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces.
Near the site of an Oct. 7 massacre during a music festival, families of Israeli victims planted trees Sunday.
“What happened after 109 days? Nothing. We’re just still waiting,” said one father, Idan Bahat.
CHUMPHON – Three tigers, who could be called “dual nationalities,” were discovered foraging on the border between Thailand and Myanmar.
Wildlife sanctuary officials in Chumphon Royal Navy Department Park (Lower Northern Section), Chumphon Province, found that tiger habitats in the areas of Duang Charoen Forest, Neon Thong Forest and Chong Khamiew Forest, Village No. 4 and Village No. 7, Song Phi Nong Subdistrict, Tha Sae District, Chumphon Province, extend into Myanmar.
Atthaphon Charoenchansa, director general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, said the discovery was made in collaboration with the Freeland Foundation.
They have been studying the distribution of tigers in the Tenasserim Mountains area on both sides, namely the Thai side and the Myanmar side, in the Lunja National Park area. They could therefore be tigers with dual nationality.
This discovery was made on the Thai side. A total of 24 cameras set up in the area showed three tigers.
From now on, the Wildlife Conservation Office will investigate how long these tigers have been roaming between the two countries and whether they are included in the previously studied Thai tiger population to gather more up-to-date information.
Earlier, on January 12, Kaeng Krachan National Park in Phetchaburi Province announced the finding of a new tiger in the Phetchaburi watershed forest through a camera trap wildlife study conducted between January 8 and 11, 2024. It is a young tiger whose gender is unknown, with the identifying code KKT-004.
Based on the wild tiger population assessment using specialized assessment techniques and pattern recognition through automatic camera traps set up at 1,200 sites in 28 protected areas in 2022, 148-189 tigers were found, an increase from the 2020 statistics where 130-160 tigers were found. Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary – Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary has the densest population with 103-131 tigers.
The Thai government has adopted the National Tiger Conservation Action Plan 2022-2034 with the aim of raising the standard of protection for key tiger habitats, including the Western Forest Complex and Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex, and accelerating the recovery of tiger populations and prey in target habitats, including Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex, Phu Khieo-Nam Nao Forest Complex and Khlong Saeng-Khao Sok Forest Complex.
A Forensics Division officer inspects two knives in a cardboard box at the scene.
BANGKOK – A shocking case involving a foreign suspect occurred in Bangkok on Sunday, January 21, when a chopped-up body was discovered in a business building on Soi Sakae Ngam 35/3 in Samae Dam Subdistrict, Bang Khun Thian District.
Investigators from Tha Kham Police Station, Forensics Division officers, forensic officials from Siriraj Hospital, and volunteers from the Por Teck Tung Foundation examined the scene, which had a new 5-cubic-foot freezer plugged in in the corner. Six body parts were found inside the cabinet, along with an electric saw and two knives in a cardboard box. Blood stains were still present on the bathroom walls and floor.
An electric saw was found in the room.
Sundaravel Pragadeesh Kumar, 23, an Indian national who recruited foreign workers to work in Thailand, is the suspect. He rented the building to Burmese migrants who were waiting for work while he maintained an office in Soi Sathupradit 44 and charged 15,000 baht for recruitment and 7,000 baht for document processing.
Mya Aye, 35, a Burmese worker who discovered the body, stated that Kumar booked the building on Wednesday for six people to stay on Thursday. Later on Friday morning, he arrived to take up five workers to look for jobs, leaving only A Sai Kyi, 35, behind.
The commercial building where the suspect rented it for Burmese workers.
Later, at 10 p.m., five Burmese workers went back to their room to get their belongings but were unable to enter since the building was secured from the outside. They attempted to contact both A Sai Kyi and Kumar but were unsuccessful, so they called the building owner. The building’s owner allowed them to break into it and uncover the terrible scene.
Ms. Kanyarat Pengjam, a witness to the incident, stated that she spotted Kumar driving a red MG car in front of her house late Friday night. He appeared flustered and tried to back the car into the home, but smacked the door with a loud noise. Then he drove off.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Noppasin Poolsawat, deputy commander of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, stated that Mr. Kumar left the country for Chennai, India, at 8:50 p.m. on Saturday, January 20. Thai officials have urged Indian authorities to locate Kumar before returning him to Thailand for questioning.
Initially, investigators investigated the murder based on two factors: the cost of coming into the nation and processing documents, as well as the issue of relationships among same-sex partners.
FILE- A construction crew works on Ram Mandir, a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Ram in Ayodhya, India, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Deepak Sharma, File)
NEW DELHI (AP) — Three decades after Hindu mobs tore down a historical mosque, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the consecration of a grand Hindu temple at the same site on Monday in a political move to boost his party ahead of a crucial national vote.
Experts say the temple, dedicated to Hinduism’s most revered deity Lord Ram, will cement Modi’s legacy — enduring but also contentious — as one of India’s most consequential leaders, who has sought to transform the country from a secular democracy into an avowedly Hindu nation.
“Right from the beginning, Modi was driven by marking his permanency in history. He has ensured this with the Ram Temple,” said Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, an expert in Hindu nationalism and author of a book on Modi.
FILE- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi performs the groundbreaking ceremony of a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Ram, in Ayodhya, India, Aug. 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh, File)
Many see the temple’s opening as the beginning of the election campaign for Modi, an avowed nationalist who has been widely accused of espousing Hindu supremacy in an officially secular India. Modi’s Hindu nationalist party is expected to once again exploit religion for political gain in the upcoming national elections in April or May and secure power for a third consecutive term.
Made into a national event by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, the temple’s opening in Ayodhya — a small city in northern India that has been a historical flashpoint — is expected to resonate deeply with Hindu voters.
Many of Modi’s supporters see him as responsible for restoring Hindu pride in India, where Muslims make up a little more than 14% of the population.
Hindu devotees participate in a religious ritual at a camp erected for people arriving to attend the Monday opening of a temple dedicated to Hindu deity Lord Ram in Ayodhya, India, Friday, Jan. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
“What is being done in Ayodhya, the kind of scale at which it is being built at the moment is actually going to make it look like the Hindu Vatican, and that is what is going to be publicized,” Mukhopadhyay said. “Modi is not going to lose a single opportunity to try to sell the accomplishment of having built a temple.”
Built at an estimated cost of $217 million, Ram Temple is central to Hindus who believe the Lord Ram was born at the exact spot where Mughal Muslims built Babri Mosque in the 16th century on top of temple ruins. The mosque was demolished by Hindu mobs in December 1992, sparking nationwide riots that killed more than 2,000 people, mostly Muslims. It set in motion events that redefined the politics of social identity in India and catapulted Modi’s BJP from two parliamentary seats in the 1980s to its current political dominance.
In the early 1990s, then a little-known local leader in his native Gujarat state, Modi also helped organize public agitation that aimed to shore up support for the construction of what is now Ram Temple at the former Babri Mosque site.
FILE- Indian Muslims stage a sit-in protest in New Delhi to mark the 20th anniversary of the Babri mosque demolition in Ayodhya in northern India, Dec. 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das, File)
Muslim groups waged a decadeslong court battle for the restoration of Babri Mosque. The dispute ended in 2019 when, in a controversial decision, India’s Supreme Court called the mosque’s destruction “an egregious violation of the rule of law,” but granted the site to Hindus. The court granted Muslims a different plot of land in an isolated area.
That fraught history is still an open wound for many Muslims, and some say the temple is the biggest political testament yet to Hindu supremacy.
“There is a fear that this government and all the affiliates, they want to wipe out all traces of Muslim or Islamic civilization from the country,” said Ziya Us Salam, author of the book “Being Muslim in Hindu India.”
Indian Muslims have increasingly come under attack in recent years by Hindu nationalist groups, and at least three historical mosques in northern India are embroiled in court disputes due to claims made by Hindu nationalists who say they were built over temple ruins. Hindu nationalists have also filed numerous cases in Indian courts seeking ownership of hundreds of historic mosques.
“On the one side, they want to change names of all cities which have a Muslim-sounding name. On the other side, they want to get rid of virtually every mosque, and the courts are happy to accept petitions on whatever pretext,” Salam said.
FILE- A crowd gathers anticipating ruling on a disputed temple-mosque land in the northern Indian town of Ayodhya outside the Supreme Court in New Delhi, India, Nov. 9, 2019. (AP Photo, File)
Rebuilding the temple at the disputed site has been part of BJP’s election strategy for decades, but it was Modi — rising to power in 2014 on a wave of Hindu revivalism — who finally oversaw that promise after attending its groundbreaking ceremony in 2020.
In the lead-up to its opening, Modi asked people to celebrate across the country by lighting lamps at homes and in local shrines, saying the temple will be a symbol of “cultural, spiritual, and social unity.” His government has also announced a half-day closure of all its offices Monday to allow employees participate in the celebrations. Modi has released postage stamps on Ram Temple, and live screenings of the ceremony are planned across the country.
In many cities and towns, saffron-colored flags, a symbol of Hindu nationalism, have become ubiquitous. A number of other politicians, high profile movie stars, and industrialists are also expected to attend.
But the event will also be marked by some conspicuous absences.
Some opposition leaders are boycotting the ceremony, while denouncing it as a political gimmick and accusing the government of exploiting religion for political gain. Four key Hindu religious authorities have refused to go the opening, with two of them saying consecrating an unfinished temple goes against Hindu scriptures, and that Modi is not a religious leader and therefore not qualified to lead the ceremony.
Salam said Modi has erased a line between the state and the religion by making his faith a public exhibition that has energized his hardcore supporters.
“When was the last time he acted as a prime minister? There have been so many instances where he has just behaved either as a BJP leader or as a Hindutva mascot, seldom as the prime minister of India,” Salam said.
A sign posted at Sanam Luang in Bangkok prohibiting sunbathing on the lawn taken on Jan. 18, 2024.
The local authority in Bangkok finally puts up a “no sunbathing” and no wearing of bikinis sign at Sanam Luang on Thursday, a few days after some Thai netizens were outraged at the photos of two scantily clad Caucasian female tourists sunbathing at the lawn in bliss, but oblivious to the backdrop of the Emerald Buddha Temple and the Grand Palace behind.
The photos of the two foreign tourists were also used in the sign to make the point. It is rather cruel or inconsiderate to use the photo.
It is unclear whether the authorities were caving in to public pressure or exploited the incident to become more of a nanny state, but it came after City Hall police had to tell two female tourists on another day to stop sunbathing at the grass lawn of Sanam Luang.
One must admit that there is no consensus on the issue among Thais. Supporters of the ban, which comes with a modest 500 baht fine, say foreign tourists should be considerate to the host’s culture and Sanam Luang is just next to arguably the most important temple in Thailand and the Grand Palace – both are highly visible from the grass lawn of Sanam Luang.
Basically, when in Bangkok, do as Bangkokians do. No Thais sunbath at Sanam Luang. Well, to be fair, most Thais do not sunbath anyway – not even on the beach because we get so much sun, tropical heat on a daily basis and we are genetically mostly more tanned. Even Thai women with fair skin, mostly due to their Chinese DNAs, would mostly still prefer to maintain their fair-skin complexion because that is the prevailing preference as manifested by all kinds of skin whitening lotions that can be found in this country.
Many younger Thais and those who are more liberal say the authorities and angry netizens are just too fickle, so easily offended, however. They say what is the big deal since Sanam Luang is not inside the Grand Palace or the Emerald Buddha Temple, but dozens of meters away. Some added people are just trying to have a good vacation and we should try to be tolerant, not more restrictive, particularly if we want more foreign tourists.
To be fair, I think when Thais are ‘foreign tourists’ abroad themselves, some also do not know how to properly behave due to their ignorance (or lack of consideration), such as how to properly enjoy cherry blossom (Ohanami) in Japan without raising an eyebrow of locals – no touching of flower petals on the trees please, no shaking of tree branches and definitely no tree climbing, if you must know.
My concern is the creeping and normalization of a nanny state, however. I am less worried about whether it is right or wrong to sunbath at Sanam Luang because in the end people will have differing views and all should be considered. My concern is the risk of the proliferation of signs telling us what to do and what not to do to the point where many may unthinkingly obey and become docile to the directive of the state.
We can and should always debate whether certain laws and regulations are acceptable, reasonable or even just. Take the controversial and anachronistic lese majeste law, for example. Is sentencing a man earlier this week to prison for 50 years for 25 Facebook posts defaming the monarchy justifiable? Is it proportionate and just?
The truth is, the law is not automatically or always just because it is the law. A regulation is also not automatically reasonable, or right, because it is a regulation. That is why we debate about the continued existence of the death penalty and whether it is just. That is why we should be wary about the authorities putting up a no sunbathing sun sign at a place where we have no consensus whether it is right or not.
