Mr.Brown Mark, a 39-year-old British man, has filed a complaint at Pattaya City Police Station alleging that a woman stole a Rolex watch, K gold house, with a dial embedded with diamonds worth over 900,000 baht from him at a condominium in the Jomtien area of Pattaya City, Nong Prue Subdistrict, Bang Lamung District, Chonburi Province.
Mr. Brown stated that he only knew this woman by coincidence until May 7, when he brought her to the room. He went to take a bath while leaving his possessions on the table, and when he came out, the watch had vanished. So he rushed up and chased after her, but all he saw was her fleeing away from the window.
The British man asked the authorities to help him track down his watch, which has sentimental value. He also wants the criminal to be prosecuted.
Investigators from the Metropolitan Police Department inspect the scene at Quark Ginza 888, a Rolex specialty store in Tokyo's Ginza shopping district robbed on May 8, 2023. (Kyodo)
A Rolex specialty store in Tokyo’s Ginza shopping district was robbed Monday by three men who stole a number of wristwatches before fleeing by car, investigative sources said.
Police have taken into custody the three men who held up Quark Ginza 888 at around 6:15 p.m. and another person believed to be an accomplice, the sources said. The four men were also arrested the same day for a break-in at another building in Tokyo’s Minato Ward, according to the sources.
According to Tokyo police, the robbers waved a knife at a male sales clerk in his 30s and made threats such as “Get down, or we’ll kill you.”
They then broke into a showcase with a crowbar-like object taking the watches. The sales clerk was not injured.
The store is located on a street lined with luxury brand stores around 300 meters from Shimbashi Station.
A woman in her 50s from Tokyo’s Adachi Ward who was shopping in the area expressed shock at the incident, saying, “I thought (Ginza) was a safe place.”
Indonesian students stand in front of a view of the Labuan Bajo marina, gateway to Komodo National Park, Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, Monday, May 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia (AP) — A picturesque tourist destination will host crisis-weary Southeast Asian leaders with sun-splashed tropical islands, turquoise waters brimming with corals and manta rays, seafood feasts, and a hillside savannah crawling with Komodo dragons.
The sunshiny setting is a stark contrast to the seriousness of their agenda.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo picked the far-flung, rustic harbor town of Labuan Bajo as a laidback venue to discuss an agenda rife with contentious issues. These include the continuing bloody civil strife in Myanmar and the escalating territorial conflicts in the South China Sea between fellow leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Indonesian police K9 patrol in front of Meruorah hotel in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, Monday, May 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
The 10-nation regional bloc and its member states will meet for three days starting Tuesday, with the growing rivalry between the United States and China as a backdrop.
U.S. President Joe Biden has been reinforcing an arc of alliances in the Indo-Pacific region to better counter China over Taiwan and the long-seething territorial conflicts in the strategic South China Sea which involve four ASEAN members: Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. Indonesia, this year’s ASEAN chair, has also confronted Chinese fishing fleets and coast guard that have strayed into what Jakarta says was its internationally recognized exclusive economic zone in the gas-rich Natuna Sea.
Widodo, who’s in his final year on the world stage as he reaches the end of his two-term limit, said ASEAN aims to collaborate with any country to solve problems through dialogue.
That includes Myanmar where, two years after the military power grab that forced out Aung San Suu Kyi’s administration and sparked a bloody civil strife, ASEAN has failed to rein in the violence in its member state. A five-point peace plan by ASEAN leaders and the top Myanmar general, which calls for an immediate stop to killings and other violence and the start of a national dialogue, has been disregarded by Myanmar’s ruling military.
This photo shows a view of the Labuan Bajo marina, gateway to Komodo National Park, Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, Monday, May 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
ASEAN stopped inviting Myanmar’s military leaders to its semiannual summits and would only allow non-political representatives to attend. Myanmar has protested the move.
In an additional concern involving Myanmar, Indonesian officials said Sunday that 20 of their nationals, who were trafficked into Myanmar and forced to perform cyber scams, had been freed from Myanmar’s Myawaddy township and brought to the Thai border over the weekend. During the summit, ASEAN leaders planned to express their concern over such human trafficking schemes in a joint statement, a draft copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said her country, as ASEAN chair, has tackled the Myanmar crisis in a non-adversarial way.
“Colleagues certainly know that in the early stages of its leadership, Indonesia decided to take a non-megaphone diplomacy approach,” Marsudi said. “The aim is to provide space for the parties to build trust and for the parties to be more open in communicating.”
Widodo’s choice of a seaside venue with stunning sunrises and sunsets and the sound of birds chirping all day complements that approach.
The Indonesian leader also hoped the high-profile ASEAN summit would put Labuan Bajo and outlying islands, dotted with white-sand beaches and even a rare pink-sand beach, under the global tourism spotlight.
Indonesian security stand guard around the venue for the meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, Monday, May 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
“This is a very good moment for us to host the ASEAN summit and showcase Labuan Bajo to the world,” said Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who flew in Sunday with his wife to a red-carpet welcome flanked by military honor guards and dancing villagers with flower-filled headwear.
But there are a few hitches.
The far-flung fishing town with only three traffic lights and about 6,000 residents is acutely short of hotels for ASEAN’s swarm of diplomats, delegates and journalists. Many had to arrange to share rooms.
Unlike the more popular Bali resort island or the bustling concrete jungle of a capital Jakarta, which has hosted international conclaves in upscale hotels and convention centers, Labuan Bajo is a far smaller town that a visitor could cross from end to end with a brisk two-hour walk. There are no public buses, and villagers mostly move around by walking, riding scooters or driving private cars.
A small team of local technicians with hard hats were flown in to lay cables and expand internet connections at the venues on short notice.
On Sunday, Labuan Bajo’s small airport was jampacked with visitors. Teams of diplomats and journalists arrived to welcome streamers announcing the upbeat summit motto, “ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth.”
Outside the airport named after the Komodo dragons, traffic quickly built up under the brutal noontime sun.
When the sun rose Monday morning, workers were still cementing some roadsides around the venues — a day before the summit opening.
Andre Kurniawan, who works at a dive center in Labuan Bajo, said the infrastructure developments would be a boon for Labuan Bajo villagers. “We were isolated from some areas before and now they are open and the areas are getting better. I hope that Labuan Bajo can be a better tourist town in the future,” he said.]
Indonesian workers fix a road near the venue for the meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, Monday, May 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
Azril Azahari, chair of an association of Indonesian academic experts on tourism, told the AP that Labuan Bajo was not ready and apparently was chosen to host the summit on short notice. “The hotel facilities and the lodging have become a problem. There is a ship being used for accommodation and it’s not a lodging ship,” he said.
Welcoming visitors to her coffee shop ahead of the summit, Suti Ana said even though it wasn’t the best time for Labuan Bajo to host, ASEAN would boost local businesses. “But we cannot wait, so this is the time,” she said.
Choosing the small port town was not a bad idea, Azril said, if it came with adequate planning and government investments in infrastructure.
Located on the western tip of Flores island in southern Indonesia, Labuan Bajo, aside from its beaches and diving and snorkeling spots, has been better known as the gateway to the Komodo National Park — a UNESCO World Heritage site and the only place in the world where Komodo dragons, the world’s largest lizards, are found in the wild.
Environmentalists and tourism analysts fear that a wider public interest could put further stress on the already endangered Komodo dragons. Only about 3,300 were known to exist as of 2022.
“If more people come, sooner or later the Komodo dragons cannot breed in peace, this can be a problem,” Azahari said, citing longstanding fears that the Komodos could face extinction without full protection.
Despite the odds, Indonesian officials said they would do everything to successfully and safely host the ASEAN summit in Labuan Bajo.
“If there’s any commotion along the way, that will be a big stain on the nation’s dignity,” Edistasius Endi, the regent of Labuan Najo’s West Manggarai district, said in a statement.
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Associated Press journalists Jim Gomez and Achmad Ibrahim contributed to this report.
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EDNA TARIGAN and ANDI JATMIKO reported from LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia
On the progress made in the arrest of Mr. Khom Kongkaew, a former prominent monk named Phra Ajarn Khom who has been accused of embezzlement, the police showed that the total value of the embezzled assets was over 300 million baht, as the gold bars and cash were found buried at the back of the temple, Wat Pa Thammakhiri in Nakhon Ratchasima province.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Jirapop Phuridej, Chief of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) detailed that the suspects worked as a group and hid the money in Khom’s younger sister’s bank account. They also hid some of the money in well-secured bags. The investigation team later found gold bars worth 19 million baht and another 80 million baht in cash buried at the back of the temple.
The CIB chief added that the group of suspects could start working in 2020. He instructed the team to continue investigating the case and look for more evidence as they currently have only 3 suspects. He stressed that if the team found more suspects, they would prosecute them immediately.
As for the money transactions of Mr Khom, Pol. Lt. Gen. Jirapop said that it would take a while to check all the documents thoroughly: The temple alone has as many as 6 bank accounts.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Jirapop said the motive could lie in the overwhelming donations received by the temple. He added that the suspect might think that people believe in him, which is wrong. He stressed that this case is not harassment as the police are working diligently and other organisations are also involved in the investigation.
Khom Kongkaew, 39, was Phra Ajarn Khom Apiwaro when he was still in the monastic state. He was a famous monk respected by the elites, businessmen, government officials and famous actors and actresses. That was the reason why the temple received a lot of donations.
Phra Ajarn Kon / FACEBOOK/จุลเจิม ยุคล
According to a BBC Thai Service report, he attended Wat Bowonniwet School, an all-boys school in Bangkok. He then studied at the Faculty of Forestry at Kasetsart University. He had previously given a speech in support of the SOTUS system, claiming that it helped him to be a disciplined person.
In 2021 he was elevated to the monastic rank of “Pra Racha Kana” with the name “Vachirayankosol”.
Mr. Khom who now denied the allegations of embezzlement, admitted to violating the Sangha’s regulations by having sex with two monks and one guy when he was a monk.
The Thai public vented their anger on social media after many voters and inspectors found several errors made by election commissioners, such as an incomplete or missing indication of the ballot paper packaging and the error about the constituency code or lack thereof in advance voting on Sunday, May 7, ahead of the general election on May 14.
The hashtags #ECTtobejailed (#กกตควรติดคุก) and #whatgowehaveECTfor (#กกตมีไว้ทําไม) became increasingly popular, and several posts featured images of mistakes made by election commissioners at various polling stations.
The public also revealed the 7 members of the current Electoral Commission and gave an insight into who elected them to the body. The people also demanded that the Election Commission take responsibility for the mistakes and resign as there had been no investigations into previous elections. Someone says that the ECT, Election Commission of Thailand, is actually an acronym for “Election Cheating”
The public has also launched a campaign through the Change.org website calling on ECT members to resign. The link was the previous attempt for the March 2019 election, which was unsuccessful as it aimed to collect 1.5 million names but only received 849,079 names. The same link was shared again after errors occurred on 7 May 2023, the day of early voting, and people wrote their names through the link again. Now it has collected more than 1 million names.
Change.org website calling on ECT members to resign.
ECT secretary-general Sawang Boonmee acknowledged that there had been errors in the declaration of constituencies, but assured voters that they could vote legally. He also clarified that the errors due to misunderstanding between the ballot paper number and the constituency number can be traced and corrected.
ECT secretary-general Sawang Boonmee (center)
He said that the election has been designed in such a way that the system can correct human errors even though it will take some time, but it is the responsibility of the Election Commission.
For the Nonthaburi polling station, where there were reportedly more than 100 errors due to an incorrect constituency code, Sawang said there were actually 48 cases.
According to the Election Commission, there are 2,235,830 people who have registered to vote in advance on May 7.
The general election will take place on May 14, and more than 52 million people are eligible to vote in the House of Representatives, which has 500 members, all of whom are democratically elected: 400 members were elected through single-member constituency elections, while the other 100 were elected through party list parallel voting.
Team Thailand celebrates on the 15th green after winning the finals at the International Crown match play golf tournament in San Francisco, Sunday, May 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Benjamin Fanjoy)
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Ariya Jutanugarn helped launch Thailand as an emerging power in women’s golf when she won the British Women’s Open in 2016.
The victory inspired younger golfers in Thailand and the results were evident during a dominating performance at the International Crown team match play event.
Ariya Jutanugarn won the MVP after teaming with her sister Moriya Jutanugarn to win all five matches and 20-year-old Atthaya Thitikul capped a perfect weekend with a birdie on the 16th hole that clinched the championship for Thailand over Australia on Sunday.
“I would say when I’m growing up, when I’m turning pro, I always want to inspire the kids back home, and right now I feel even better because not only me right now,” Ariya Jutanugarn said.
Team Thailand celebrates on the 15th green after winning the finals at the International Crown match play golf tournament in San Francisco, Sunday, May 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Benjamin Fanjoy)
It was a total team effort.
Thitikul beat Stephanie Kyriacou 4 and 2 to improve to 5-0 on the week and earn the clinching point in the final. Patty Tavatanakit had already beaten Hannah Green 4 and 3 in the other singles match.
The Jutanugarns won their match over Minjee Lee and Sarah Kemp 4 and 3 when Ariya Jutanugarn holed out a chip shot from the edge of the green on the 15th hole as sixth-seeded Thailand finished the week winning 11 of 12 matches.
“Us winning this event is huge for golf in Thailand,” Tavatanakit said. “It is already growing, and I think this is going to inspire a lot of people, even more than what we feel inspired 10 years ago. I’m really excited to see the future of Thai golf.”
Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn, left, and Moriya Jutanugarn hug on the 15th green after winning the International Crown match play golf tournament in San Francisco, Sunday, May 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Benjamin Fanjoy)
The United States beat Sweden in the consolation match to finish third.
The International Crown is a match-play tournament featuring teams of four players from eight countries split into two pools. The top two teams from each pool advanced to the semifinals, where the format was two singles matches and one alternate-shot match.
The players on the winning team all received $125,000 in prize money with the runners up getting $75,900.
It was a breakthrough weekend for Thailand, which had never finished better than fourth in the first three editions of this tournament.
Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul hits from the first tee during the finals at the International Crown match play golf tournament in San Francisco, Sunday, May 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Benjamin Fanjoy)
But the Thai team was dominant at Harding Park as the only country to win every match in pool play and then delivering a dominating championship match after surviving a tight semifinal against the United States earlier in the day.
The top-seeded Americans split the two singles matches against Thailand with Lexi Thompson losing 3 and 2 to Thitikul and Lilia Vu fighting back from a two-hole deficit on the front nine to beat Tavatanakit 1 up.
That put the fate of the semifinal on a tight alternate-shot match between world No. 1 Nelly Korda and Danielle Kang against the Jutanugarn sisters.
Korda tied the match with an 8-foot birdie putt on the par-4 16th hole, generating chants of “U-S-A!” from the decent sized galleries.
But the Jutanugarn sisters weren’t flustered with Moriya Jutanugarn hitting her tee shot to within about 10 feet, setting up a birdie putt for Ariya Jutanugarn that put Thailand back ahead.
Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn celebrates after chipping onto the 15th green during the finals at the International Crown match play golf tournament in San Francisco, Sunday, May 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Benjamin Fanjoy)
Moriya Jutanugarn then got her second shot on the par-5 18th hole on the green, and Thailand two-putted for birdie to tie the hole and win the match.
“Obviously it’s a little disappointing not being in the final, but I think we played well,” Korda said. “We wish some more putts would have dropped, but overall I think our performance has been pretty good.”
Australia, which had never finished better than sixth in this event, swept Sweden in the first semifinal with Kyriacou beating Anna Nordqvist and Hannah Green besting Caroline Hedwall in singles, while Minjee Lee and Sarah Kemp beat Madelene Sagstrom and Maya Stark in the alternate shot match.
But they fell short in the final.
“It’s obviously a little disappointing, but it’s still a big win for us,” Kemp said.
Thompson beat Sagstrom in singles in the consolation match and the U.S. won it when Kang and Korda beat Nordqvist and Hedwall 1 up.
This is the fourth time this tournament has been held after being canceled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Spain won the inaugural tournament in 2014, followed by the United States in 2016 and South Korea in 2018.
This is the first professional women’s event to be played at TPC Harding Park, which has hosted several big events for the men, including the 2009 Presidents Cup and the 2020 PGA Championship.
“It’s been a spectacular venue for us, and I think it shows the women’s game is moving in the right direction,” Thompson said. “We’re getting to play some spectacular golf courses like this one. We’re getting more and more fans each and every day, which we wanted to see, and the course is in great shape for us.”
Get up-close with the Grammy Award-winning American singer, including concert tickets, photos, autographs and a suite stay at Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park
BANGKOK, THAILAND, May 2023 – Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott International’s award-winning travel program and marketplace, is inviting fans of Ne-Yo to enjoy an exclusive “meet & greet” experience this month, as this iconic American R&B star arrives in Bangkok for a one-off concert.
On Saturday 20th May 2023, this popular singer and record producer will be performing his “Ne-Yo Live in Bangkok” show at Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre (BITEC) – and Marriott Bonvoy Moments is giving its members the chance to be there
This money-can’t-buy experience includes two tickets to the concert at zone Platinum, plus a one-night stay in a luxurious Msuite at Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park including breakfast and transfers between the hotel and the venue. And that’s not all! Fans will also be treated to a VIP “meet & greet” with Ne-Yo, plus an exclusive photo opportunity and an autograph signing session!
Ne-Yo is a multi-award-winning singer and songwriter who has won three Grammy Awards, including “Best R&B Song” in 2009 for “Miss Independent.” He was also twice named as the “Best Male R&B Artist” at the BET Awards.
Marriott Bonvoy members can now bid for this exclusive “Meet & Greet” package, including concert tickets and a one-night suite stay at Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park on 20th May 2023. Bids start from just 70,000 points!
Scene from "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3." (Marvel-Disney via AP)
By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer
There is nothing like the promise of a chapter closing to draw people to the movie theater, especially when tied to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This weekend, ” Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” which says goodbye to this iteration of the space misfits and its driving creative voice, director James Gunn, earned $114 million in ticket sales from 4,450 locations in North America, according to studio estimates Sunday.
This image released by Marvel Studios shows Rocket, voiced by Bradley Cooper, in a scene from “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.” (Marvel-Disney via AP)
Internationally, where the film opened in 52 territories including China, “Vol. 3” earned $168 million, giving it a $282 million global debut.
Domestically, it’s both an impressive sum for any movie and slightly less than what we’ve come to expect from a Marvel opening. Last year on the same weekend, “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” riding on the success of “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” raked in $187.4 million in its first three days in North America. And in November, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” also opened over $181.3 million.
But things have come back to earth this year, at least by high-flying superhero standards. “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” debuted just over $106 million on its way to $474 million worldwide. At rival studio DC/Warner Bros., “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” only made $133.4 million total. The question on some analysts’ minds this weekend is whether it’s because of the specific character or a bigger issue of “superhero fatigue.”
This image released by Marvel Studios shows Chris Pratt in a scene from “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.” (Marvel Studios-Disney via AP)
“Guardians Vol. 3″ bumped ” The Super Mario Bros. Movie ” out of first place after four weekends atop the charts and kicked off the summer movie season, a vital and usually profitable corridor for Hollywood that runs through Labor Day and often accounts for 40% of a year’s box office.
For Comscore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian, it’s still a solid opening for the summer season, which he said is poised to deliver the most robust profits since 2019.
“Though ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’s’ debut may reflect a bit of audience fatigue for the reliable superhero genre, this is just the beginning for what promises to be an irresistible movie marketplace with a killer combination of appealing films for every taste and every audience demographic,” Dergarabedian said.
The next major superhero movie on the schedule is DC’s “The Flash,” set for June 16, which has its own flurry of intrigue around it because of star Ezra Miller’s legal and personal troubles.
“Guardians Vol. 3” sees the return of actors Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel. Reviews have been mostly positive, but a little more divided than previous installments. And it remains difficult to compare a pre-pandemic opening such as Vol. 2’s $146 million debut (May 2017) with a post-pandemic one.
“Vol. 3” is Gunn’s last Guardians/Marvel movie as he turns his focus to leading DC Studios.
“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” added $18.6 million in its fifth weekend to take second place, bringing its domestic total to $518.1 million. Globally, it has now surpassed $1.1 billion.
Third place went to “Evil Dead Rise” with $5.7 million, and in fourth place was “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” with $3.4 million — both were holdovers.
Studios left the weekend mostly clear for the superhero behemoth, but Screen Gems and Sony did debut their new Priyanka Chopra Jonas romantic comedy “Love Again” (featuring Celine Dion and some new songs) in 2703 locations. It made a modest $2.4 million to take the fifth place spot.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” $114 million.
2. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” $18.6 million.
3. “Evil Dead Rise,” $5.7 million.
4. “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” $3.4 million.
5. “Love Again,” $2.4 million.
6. “John Wick: Chapter 3,” $2.4 million.
7. “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,” $1.5 million.
8. “Air,” $1.4 million.
9. “Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant,” $1.2 million.
10. “Sisu,” $1.1 million. —-
Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr.
The army band plays Nak Paen Din (หนักแผ่นดิน) or "Burden of the Land" in a video released and now-deleted by the army.
Despite Army Chief Gen. Narongpan Jitkaewthae reassurance a few months ago that the army is impartial when it comes to politics and Sunday’s general election, the Royal Thai Army on Friday released what appeared to be their theme song for the voters to consider.
A new rendition of the infamous Cold War-era song Nak Paen Din (หนักแผ่นดิน) or “Burden of the Land” was posted of the Facebook page of the Royal Thai Army early Friday afternoon.
The song, composed by an army colonel back in 1975, talks about how some Thais “traitors” are ungrateful to the nation, the monarchy, and the religion (chiefly Buddhism here) and colluding with foreign powers (U.S. imperialists) to create a rift within society so Thais will fight against each other by importing alien ideologies (back then China and USSR socialism and communism, and now democracy from the West) are a burden to the motherland.
This is a black-and-white portrayal of the Cold War struggle when many young, educated Thais fled to the jungle to join the now defunct Communist Party of Thailand a year after the song was composed, seemingly repeated ad infinitum on free radios and televisions to the point where no one cannot possibly have not heard of the song.
The exodus by young, educated Thais into the jungle in drove came after the Oct. 6, 1976, massacre at and around Thammasat University where dozens of young Thais and students accused of being communists, communist sympathizers, or Vietnamese infiltrators, were lynched to deaths in the most brutal ways imaginable.
Today, the Communist Party of Thailand is long gone and Thailand, including the army, enthusiastically embrace Communist China as their best friends, if not brother. To ultra-royalists, and army supporters, the only party most vaguely resembling the song’s villain in 2023 is the opposition Move Forward Party, which is gaining more and more popularity in the polls over the past week and finally vow to lead the next government if it gains 160 MP seats in next Sunday general election.
This is because Move Forward is the only party seeking to amend the controversial lese majeste law, end compulsory military conscription (a source for free gardener, driver and man servant for many generals), reform the armed forces (read downsizing), introduce locally elected provincial governors (which means the central government, particularly the Interior Ministry, will have less power) and devolve powers in the three-southernmost provinces mostly populated by Thai-Malay Muslims (read possible secession by populations from the former Sultanate of Pattani) and more.
Many interpreted it as a message sent to both Move Forward Party and a wakeup call for conservative royalists and ultra-royalists to be alert – and a not so implicit warning of yet another possible military coup.
“They need to be dealt with swiftly,” wrote Facebook user Tor Tar on Friday on a royalist Facebook page Thai Raksa. “Soldiers are doing the right thing and we need to clearly single them out these people who seek to destroy the nation, religion and the monarchy … Soldiers are protecting national security and a fight and crackdown is in order,” wrote user Wanvipa Chokmongkol on the same Facebook page Friday.
“If we wait until the day anti-monarchists are in government, don’t be sorry later…,” writes Facebook user Thippwan Poompuang on the same page.
Even before Friday, the spectre of a military takeover sometimes after the election has already been entertained by not a few people including prominent anti-junta activist Nutta “Bow” Mahattana. Nutta posted earlier this week on Facebook to her 119K followers suggesting voters should avoid choosing a political party which could risk setting the motion for a military coup.
Also, earlier this week, Progressive Movement leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit told Matichon on Monday, if there is another military coup, it would not end like in the past and they will know “what hell looks like.”
Hours later Friday, the Royal Thai Army mysteriously removed its Facebook post without explanation. The message has been conveyed, however.
Clearly Thai citizens are dealing with a state within a state, or even the deep state, that is the rogue army and voters from the pro-democracy camp, will do well to prepare themselves for the likelihood of yet another coup for we cannot expect politicians alone to save Thailand from these potential future coup makers.
People raise their hands as they leave a shopping center following reports of a shooting, Saturday, May 6, 2023, in Allen, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
ALLEN, Texas (AP) — A gunman killed eight people and wounded seven others – three critically – in a shooting at a Dallas-area mall before being fatally shot by a police officer who happened to be nearby, authorities said Saturday.
Authorities did not immediately provide details about the victims, but witnesses reported seeing children among them. Some said they also saw what appeared to be a police officer and a mall security guard unconscious on the ground.
The shooting was the latest episode of gun violence to strike the country. It sent hundreds of shoppers fleeing in panic.
Dashcam video that circulated online showed a gunman step out of a vehicle outside the mall and immediately start shooting at people on the sidewalk. More than three dozen shots could be heard as the vehicle recording the video drove off.
A law enforcement officer walks as people are evacuated from a shopping center where a shooting occured Saturday, May 6, 2023, in Allen, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Maxwell Gum, a 16-year-old shift leader at Wetzel’s Pretzels, was on his lunch break when a family with limited English ran into the back of his store, urgently telling him, “Gun! Shoot!” as the sound of gunfire could be heard in the background.
He brought the family into the long delivery corridor that runs behind the mall’s stores, hoping it would be a safe place to hide. They found chaos.
“There were probably like 300 people pouring in from all the different doors,” Gum said. “People are freaking out, we’re hearing screaming.”
Allen Fire Chief Jonathan Boyd said seven people including the shooter died at the scene. Nine victims were taken to area hospitals, but two of them died.
Three of the victims were in critical condition Saturday evening, Boyd said, and four were in stable condition.
People gather across the street from a shopping center after a shooting Saturday, May 6, 2023, in Allen, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
An Allen Police officer was in the area on an unrelated call when he heard shots at 3:36 p.m., the police department wrote on Facebook.
“The officer engaged the suspect and neutralized the threat. He then called for emergency personnel,” the agency wrote in the Facebook post.
Mass killings are happening with staggering frequency in the United States this year: an average of about one a week, according to an analysis of The AP/USA Today data.
The White House said President Biden had been briefed on the shooting and that the administration had offered support to local officials. Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has signed laws easing firearms restrictions following past mass shootings, called it an “unspeakable tragedy.”
Fontayne Payton, 35, was at H&M when he heard the sound of gunshots through the headphones he was wearing.
“It was so loud, it sounded like it was right outside,” Payton said.
People in the store scattered before employees ushered the group into the fitting rooms and then a lockable back room, he said. When they were given the all-clear to leave, Payton saw the store had broken windows and a trail of blood to the door. Discarded sandals and bloodied clothes were laying nearby.
Once outside, Payton saw bodies.
“I pray it wasn’t kids, but it looked like kids,” he said. The bodies were covered in white towels, slumped over bags on the ground, he said.
“It broke me when I walked out to see that,” he said.
Further away, he saw the body of a heavyset man wearing all black. He assumed it was the shooter, Payton said, because unlike the other bodies it had not been covered up.
Tarakram Nunna, 25, and Ramakrishna Mullapudi, 26, said they saw what appeared to be three people lying motionless on the ground, including one who appeared to be a police officer and another who appeared to be a mall security guard.
Another shopper, Sharkie Mouli, 24, said he hid in a Banana Republic store during the shooting. As he left, he saw what appeared to be an unconscious police officer lying next to another unconscious person outside the outlet store.
“I have seen his gun lying right next to him and a guy who is like passing out right next to him,” Mouli said.
Stan and Mary Ann Greene were browsing in the Columbia sportswear store when the shooting started.
“We had just gotten in, just a couple minutes earlier, and we just heard a lot of loud popping,” Mary Ann Greene told The Associated Press.
Employees immediately rolled down the security gate and brought everyone to the rear of the store until police arrived and escorted them out, the Greenes said.
Eber Romero was at the Under Armour store when a cashier mentioned that there was a shooting.
As he left the store, Romero said, the mall appeared empty, and all the shops had their security gates down. That is when he started seeing broken glass and people who had been shot on the floor.
Video shared on social media showed people running through a parking lot while gunfire could be heard.
More than 30 police cruisers with lights flashing were blocking an entrance to the mall, with multiple ambulances on the scene.
A live aerial broadcast from the news station showed armored trucks and other law enforcement vehicles stationed outside the sprawling outdoor mall.
Ambulances from several neighboring cities responded to the scene.
The Dallas office of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also responded.
Allen, a suburb about 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of downtown Dallas, has roughly 105,000 residents.
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JAKE BLEIBERG and REBECCA BOONE reported from Allen. Gene Johnson in Seattle and Adam Kealoha Causey in Dallas contributed to this report.
