Brazil Charges Dozens in Pro-Bolsonaro Riots; More Expected

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18 January 2023, 10:30

Protesters, supporters of Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro, storm the the National Congress building in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023. Photo: Eraldo Peres / AP

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — The office of Brazil’s prosecutor-general has presented its first charges against some of the thousands of people who authorities say stormed government buildings in an effort to overturn former President Jair Bolsonaro’s loss in the October election.

The prosecutors in the recently formed group to combat anti-democratic acts also have requested that the 39 defendants who ransacked Congress be imprisoned as a preventive measure, and that 40 million reais ($7.7 million) of their assets be frozen to help cover damages.

The defendants have been charged with armed criminal association, violent attempt to subvert the democratic state of law, staging a coup and damage to public property, the prosecutor’general’s office said in a written statement Monday night. Their identities have not yet been released.

More than a thousand people were arrested on the day of the Jan. 8 riot, which bore strong similarities to the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Congress by mobs who wanted to overturn former President Donald Trump’s loss in November’s election.

Rioters who stormed through the Brazilian Congress, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court in the capital, Brasilia, sought to have the armed forces intervene and overturn Bolsonaro’s loss to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The rioters “attempted, with the use of violence and serious threat, to abolish the democratic rule of law, preventing or restricting the exercise of constitutional powers,” according to an excerpt of charges included in a statement. “The ultimate objective of the attack … was the installation of an alternative government regime.”

The attackers were not charged with terrorism because under Brazilian law such a charge must involve xenophobia or prejudice based on race, ethnicity or religion.

The prosecutor-general’s office sent its charges to the Supreme Court after the Senate’s president, Rodrigo Pacheco, last week provided a list of people accused of rampaging through Congress. Additional rioters are expected to be charged.

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Story: Carla Bridi.

Greta Thunberg Carried Away by Police at German Mine Protest

By

Associated Press

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18 January 2023, 10:00

Police officers carry Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg away from the edge of the Garzweiler II opencast lignite mine during a protest action by climate activists after the clearance of Luetzerath, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023. Photo: Federico Gambarini / dpa via AP

BERLIN (AP) — Police in western Germany carried Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and other protesters away Tuesday from the edge of an open coal pit mine where they demonstrated against the ongoing destruction of a village to make way for the mine’s expansion, German news agency dpa reported.

Thunberg was among hundreds of people who resumed anti-mining protests at multiple locations in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia a day after the last two climate activists holed up in a tunnel beneath the village of Luetzerath left the site.

The German government reached a deal with energy company RWE last year allowing it to destroy the village in return for ending coal use by 2030, rather than 2038. Both argue the coal is needed to ensure Germany’s energy security that’s squeezed by the cut in supply of Russian gas due to the war in Ukraine.

But environmentalists say bulldozing Luetzerath will result in vast greenhouse gas emissions. Germany is expected to miss its ambitious climate targets for the second year in a row.

Amid the heated coal debate in Germany, the European Union pushed forward on Tuesday with a major clean tech industrial project designed to boost its plans for a greener future as the 27-nation bloc pursues the goal of being climate neutral by 2050.

Elsewhere in western Germany, dozens of climate activists glued themselves to a main street in Germany’s western city of Cologne and to a state government building in Duesseldorf. Near Rommerskirchen, a group of about 120 activists also occupied the coal railroad tracks to the Neurath power plant, according to police and RWE.

Those who refused to leave the tracks were carried away, dpa reported.

In addition, several people occupied a giant digger at the coal mine of Inden, while hundreds of other protesters joined a march near Luetzerath. The village itself was evacuated by the police in recent days and is sealed off.

Once again, there were a few clashes with the police.

Several activists ran over to the Garzweiler open pit mine, according to dpa. They stood at the brink of the open pit, which has a sharp break-off edge. Police said it was dangerous and people were prohibited from staying there.

Thunberg had traveled to western Germany to participate in weekend demonstrations against the expanded mine and also took part in Tuesday’s protest near Luetzerath. Police in nearby Aachen said a group of around 50 protesters got dangerously close to the rim of the mine and did not want to leave despite being asked to do so.

All the people in that group had to be carried away from the edge of the mine and were then temporarily held to determine their identities, police said. Photos from the scene showed Thunberg was one of those whom officers took away.

One protester was able to enter the mine, RWE said, calling the move “very reckless,” dpa said.

A police spokesman, who spoke on condition of anonymity as is customary in Germany, said he was not permitted to give out any details on Thunberg or any other individuals who participated in the protest due to privacy rules.

Police and RWE started evicting protesters from Luetzerath on Jan. 11, removing roadblocks, chopping down treehouses and bulldozing buildings.

Activists have cited the symbolic importance of Luetzerath for years, and thousands of people demonstrated Saturday against the razing of the village by RWE for the expansion of the Garzweiler coal mine.

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Story: Kirsten Grieshaber.

START THE WEEK IN STYLE WITH MARRIOTT BONVOY’S “MONDAY MADNESS” IN THAILAND

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Contributor

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17 January 2023, 13:27

Guests and local residents can discover a series of attractive culinary offers all across the kingdom, from restaurant dinners to daily bites, social drinks promotions and more!

BANGKOK, THAILAND – Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott International’s award-winning travel program and marketplace, is making Mondays even more appetizing in Thailand with exclusive epicurean offers. Under the “Monday Madness” promotion, members can kickstart their week with enticing culinary deals and discounts in Bangkok, Phuket, Koh Samui, Pattaya and Rayong.

Take your pick from these attractive offers for dining and drinks:

W Bangkok is offering “buy on get one free” on all craft beers at the Tipsy Cow, while Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers is inviting guests to enjoy free-flow Aperol spritz cocktails at Giorgio’s, when four people dine at this popular Italian restaurant. At Mayfair, Bangkok – Marriott Executive Apartments, diners will receive 15% off all à la carte dishes at Bistro M, and Sukhumvit Park, Bangkok – Marriott Executive Apartments is serving breakfast for only THB 24 (for the second diner, when accompanied by one full-paying guest at Bistro M).

Also in the Thai capital, The Athenee Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Bangkok has unveiled a special price of just THB 950 for the International Buffet Dinner at Rain Tree Café, and a choice of cocktails for just THB 1 at The Glaz Bar (for the second drink when two cocktails are purchased). Meanwhile at The Westin Grande Sukhumvit, “Monday Madness” will take place at Seasonal Tastes, with a tempting price of THB 990++ per person for the Lunch Buffet, Kisso Japanese restaurant, which is offering complimentary maki rolls with every set lunch menu, and Zest Bar & Terrace, where guests can sip free-flow Chang beer accompanied by a choice of snacks.

At Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok, the promotion extends to a 20% discount on all food and drinks at MoMo Café, and The St. Regis Bangkok is inviting guests to sip its Violet Hour Martini, with 50% off the second drink at The St. Regis Bar, while VIU has revealed an exclusive price for its Surf & Turf Set: only THB 2,990++ per person.

In Phuket, Four Points by Sheraton Phuket Patong Beach Resort is offering 10% off when guests spend THB 2,000 at Sears & Co, and Phuket Marriott Resort & Spa, Merlin Beach will let guests unwind with a cheese board and a glass of wine for just THB 650 net. JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa is showcasing the finest fruits de mer with its Fresh Andaman Seafood Stack, and Le Méridien Phuket Beach Resort is serving its “Double Trouble” beer & burger combo for only THB 699++.

Renaissance Phuket Resort & Spa is making Mondays more appetizing with a special offer, THB 999++ for four cocktails accompanied by a plate of beef nachos, and at The Naka Island, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, steak lovers can savor a succulent Argentinian spiced ribeye and a glass of red wine for THB 1,999++ at My Grill.

In Koh Samui, Sheraton Samui Resort is training guests for a “Wine Marathon”, three hours of free-flow wine and beer for just THB 690++ at Blue Monkey, and Vana Belle, a Luxury Collection Resort is letting guests savor its “Bubble Breakfast” at Kiree Restaurant, with a series of delicacies accompanied by sparkling wine.

Finally on Thailand’s Eastern Seaboard, Courtyard by Marriott North Pattaya is offering a 50% discount on all beverages at Spart’s Bar throughout the day, and Rayong Marriott Resort & Spa is celebrating with a “buy one get one free” promotion on its Rayong Night cocktail at The Lounge.

For more information on exclusive dining deals, please click here

Monday Madness runs from 16th January to 27th March 2023, and is only available for Marriott Bonvoy members. Not a member yet? Click here to sign up for free today!

To learn more about Marriott Bonvoy, please visit https://www.marriott.com/loyalty.mi.

Cambodian Experts Begin Training Ukrainian Deminers

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Associated Press

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17 January 2023, 12:30

This photo released by the Cambodia Mine Action Center (CMAC), a Ukraine deminer at Mine Action Technical Institute in the central province, Cambodia, Monday, Jan. 16, 2023. Photo: Cambodia Mine Action Center via AP

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Fifteen Ukrainian deminers are being trained by experts in Cambodia who are among the world’s best because of experience from clearing the leftovers of nearly three decades of war.

The Ukrainian deminers are being hosted by the Cambodian Mine Action Center, a government agency that oversees the clearing of land mines and unexploded ordnance in Cambodia. The weeklong program began Monday and is supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

Heng Ratana, the demining center’s director general, said the Ukrainians will be trained by Cambodian experts at the Mine Action Technical Institute in the central province of Kampong Chhnang, visit demining sites in northwestern Battambang province and tour a museum dedicated to land mines and unexploded ordnance in Siem Reap province, home to the famous Angkor temples.

He said the training will focus on mine clearing using technology including a Japanese detection device called the Advanced Landmine Imaging System.

The New York-based group Human Rights Watch said last June that Russia is using land mines in Ukraine “that are causing civilian casualties and suffering, as well as disrupting food production.”

“Russia is the only party to the conflict known to have used banned antipersonnel mines, while both Russia and Ukraine have used anti-vehicle mines,“ it said.

Cambodia was littered with land mines and other unexploded ordnance after almost three decades of war ending in the late 1990s. An estimated 4 million to 6 million unexploded devices remain uncleared and continue to kill people.

Since the end of the fighting, nearly 20,000 people have been killed and about 45,000 have been injured by leftover war explosives, although the average annual death toll has dropped from several thousand to less than 100.

Cambodian deminers have become among the world’s most experienced, and several thousand have been sent in the past decade under U.N. auspices to work in Africa and the Middle East.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen pledged in a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in November to send Cambodian demining experts to help train their Ukrainian counterparts.

Hun Sen has said the Cambodian deminers will be sent to Poland, a staging ground for much assistance to Ukraine, but Heng Ratana said Monday the number of deminers to be sent and their destination have not been finalized.

The offer came after Hun Sen. in an unusual move for a nation that usually aligns itself with Russia and China, condemned Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, saying “Cambodia is always against any country that invades another country.”

Cambodia was one of nearly 100 U.N. member countries that co-sponsored a resolution condemning Russia’s invasion.

Several other countries, including the United States and Germany, have already provided Ukraine with demining assistance.

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Story: Sopheng Cheang.

High-ranking Wagner Group Member Seeks Asylum in Norway

By

Associated Press

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17 January 2023, 12:00

FILE - A man is seen inside the "PMC Wagner Centre" ahead of its opening in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Oct. 31, 2022. Photo: AP File

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A Russian man who reportedly is a former high-ranking member of the Russian private military contractor Wagner Group, has sought asylum in Norway, authorities said Monday.

The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration, also known by its Norwegian acronym UDI, confirmed to The Associated Press that Andrey Medvedev has sought shelter in Norway.

“For reasons of security and privacy, the UDI cannot comment further on this matter,” UDI said in an email to the AP.

His Norwegian lawyer, Brynjulf Risnes, confirmed that Medvedev was in Norway and had sought asylum.

The case was handed to the Norwegian immigration police and the man was transferred to Oslo, where he was placed in a center for violators of migration laws. Police in Norway have declined to comment on the case.

Last week, police in Arctic Norway said a person had illegally entered from Russia by crossing the two countries’ border, which is 198 kilometers (123 miles) long.

The man, who was only identified by authorities as a foreigner, was detained by border guards and the arrest was undramatic, police said. The man is said to have visited a private house in the border area and asked for help. Police said that they had been notified late Thursday by Russian border guards who discovered traces in the snow that could indicate that someone had crossed the border illegally.

It is believed that person was identical with Medvedev, who according to the Norwegian news agency NTB on Monday has been on the run since he defected from the Wagner Group on July 6. He reportedly has told a Russian human rights group that he is ready to tell everything he knows about the Wagner Group, its activities and its owner Yevgeny Prigozhin, a millionaire with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Wagner Group includes a large number of convicts recruited in Russian prisons who have spearheaded attacks in Ukraine. The group has has become increasingly influential in Africa, where it has been pushing Russian disinformation, building alliances with regimes and gaining access to oil, gas, gold, diamonds and valuable minerals.

Ukraine Building Suffers Deadliest Civilian Attack in Months

By

Associated Press

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16 January 2023, 11:30

Emergency workers clear the rubble after a Russian rocket hit a multistory building leaving many people under debris in the southeastern city of Dnipro, Ukraine, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023. Photo: Evgeniy Maloletka / AP

DNIPRO, Ukraine (AP) — The death toll from a Russian missile strike on an apartment building in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro rose to 30 Sunday, the national emergencies service reported as rescue workers scrambled to reach survivors in the rubble.

Emergency crews worked through the frigid night and all day at the multi-story residential building, where officials said about 1,700 people lived before Saturday’s strike. The reported death toll made it the deadliest attack in one place since a Sept. 30 strike in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, according to The Associated Press-Frontline War Crimes Watch project.

Russia also targeted the capital, Kyiv, and the northeastern city of Kharkiv during a widespread barrage the same day, ending a two-week lull in the airstrikes it has launched against Ukraine’s power infrastructure and urban centers almost weekly since October.

Russia on Sunday acknowledged the missile strikes but did not mention the Dnipro apartment building. Russia has repeatedly denied targeting civilians in the war.

Russia fired 33 cruise missiles on Saturday, of which 21 were shot down, according to Gen. Valerii Zaluzhny, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces. The missile that hit the apartment building was a Kh-22 launched from Russia’s Kursk region, according to the military’s air force command, adding that Ukraine does not have a system capable of intercepting that type of weapon.

In Dnipro, workers used a crane as they tried to rescue people trapped on upper floors of the apartment tower. Some residents signaled for help with lights on their mobile phones.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that at least 73 people were wounded and 39 people had been rescued as of Sunday afternoon. The city government in Dnipro said 43 people were reported missing.

“Search and rescue operations and the dismantling of dangerous structural elements continues. Around the clock. We continue to fight for every life,” Zelenskyy said.

Ivan Garnuk was in his apartment when the building was hit and said he felt lucky to have survived. He described his shock that the Russians would strike a residential building with no strategic value.

“There are no military facilities here. There is nothing here,” he said. “There is no air defense, there are no military bases here. It just hit civilians, innocent people.”

Dnipro residents joined rescue workers at the scene to help clear the rubble. Others brought food and warm clothes for those who had lost their homes.

“This is clearly terrorism and all this is simply not human,” one local, Artem Myzychenko, said as he cleared rubble.

Claiming responsibility for the missile strikes across Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Sunday that it achieved its goal.

“All designated targets have been hit. The goal of the attack has been achieved,” a ministry statement posted on Telegram said. It said missiles were fired “on the military command and control system of Ukraine and related energy facilities,” and did not mention the attack on the Dnipro residential building.

On Sunday, Russian forces attacked a residential area in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, regional Gov. Yaroslav Yanushevych said in a Telegram post. According to preliminary information, two people were wounded.

Russia’s renewed air attacks came as fierce fighting raged in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk province, where the Russian military has claimed it has control of the small salt-mining town of Soledar but Ukraine asserts that its troops are still fighting.

If the Russian forces win full control of Soledar it would allow them to inch closer to the bigger city of Bakhmut. The battle for Bakhmut has raged for months, causing substantial casualties on both sides.

With the grinding war nearing the 11-month mark, Britain announced it would deliver tanks to Ukraine, its first donation of such heavy-duty weaponry. Although the pledge of 14 Challenger 2 tanks appeared modest, Ukrainian officials expect it will encourage other Western nations to supply more tanks.

“Sending Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine is the start of a gear change in the U.K.’s support,” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s office said in a statement late Saturday. “A squadron of 14 tanks will go into the country in the coming weeks after the prime minister told President Zelenskyy that the U.K. would provide additional support to aid Ukraine’s land war. Around 30 AS90s, which are large, self-propelled guns, operated by five gunners, are expected to follow.”

Sunak is hoping other Western allies follow suit as part of a coordinated international effort to boost support for Ukraine in the lead-up to the 1-year anniversary of the invasion next month, according to officials.

The U.K. defense secretary plans to travel to Estonia and Germany this week to work with NATO allies, and the foreign secretary is scheduled to visit the U.S. and Canada to discuss closer coordination.

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Story: Vasilisa Stepanenko and Andrew Meldrum. Meldrum reported from Kyiv. Sylvia Hui in London contributed reporting.

68 Dead, 4 Missing After Plane Crashes in Nepal Resort Town

By

Associated Press

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16 January 2023, 11:00

Nepalese rescue workers and civilians gather around the wreckage of a passenger plane that crashed in Pokhara, Nepal, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. Photo: Krishna Mani Baral / AP

POKHARA, Nepal (AP) — A plane making a 27-minute flight to a Nepal tourist town crashed into a gorge Sunday while attempting to land at a newly opened airport, killing at least 68 of the 72 people aboard. At least one witness reported hearing cries for help from within the fiery wreck, the country’s deadliest airplane accident in three decades.

Hours after dark, scores of onlookers crowded around the crash site near the airport in the resort town of Pokhara as rescue workers combed the wreckage on the edge of the cliff and in the ravine below. Officials suspended the search for the four missing people overnight and planned to resume looking Monday.

Local resident Bishnu Tiwari, who rushed to the crash site near the Seti River to help search for bodies, said the rescue efforts were hampered by thick smoke and a raging fire.

“The flames were so hot that we couldn’t go near the wreckage. I heard a man crying for help, but because of the flames and smoke we couldn’t help him,” Tiwari said.

It was not immediately clear what caused the accident, Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority said.

A witness said he saw the aircraft spinning violently in the air after it began descending to land, watching from the terrace of his house. Finally, Gaurav Gurung said, the plane fell nose-first towards its left and crashed into the gorge.

The aviation authority said the aircraft last made contact with the airport from near Seti Gorge at 10:50 a.m. before crashing.

The twin-engine ATR 72 aircraft, operated by Nepal’s Yeti Airlines, was flying from the capital, Kathmandu, to Pokhara, located 200 kilometers (125 miles) west. It was carrying 68 passengers including 15 foreign nationals, as well as four crew members, Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement. The foreigners included five Indians, four Russians, two South Koreans, and one each from Ireland, Australia, Argentina and France.

Images and videos shared on Twitter showed plumes of smoke billowing from the crash site, about 1.6 kilometers (nearly a mile) away from Pokhara International Airport. The aircraft’s fuselage was split into multiple parts that were scattered down the gorge.

Firefighters carried bodies, some burned beyond recognition, to hospitals where grief-stricken relatives had assembled. At Kathmandu airport, family members appeared distraught as they were escorted in and at times exchanged heated words with officials as they waited for information.

Tek Bahadur K. C., a senior administrative officer in the Kaski district, said he expected rescue workers to find more bodies at the bottom of the gorge.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who rushed to Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu after the crash, set up a panel to investigate the accident.

”The incident was tragic. The full force of the Nepali army, police has been deployed for rescue,” he said.

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it’s still trying to confirm the fate of two South Korean passengers and has sent staff to the scene. The Russian Ambassador to Nepal, Alexei Novikov, confirmed the death of four Russian citizens who were on board the plane.

Omar Gutiérrez, governor of Argentina’s Neuquen province, reported on his official Twitter account that an Argentine passanger on the flight was Jannet Palavecino from his province.

The Facebook page of Palavecino says she was manager of the Hotel Suizo in Neuquen city.

On the page, she described herself as a lover of travel, and of adventure tourism. “I am passionate about the mountains! Riding my bike in cycling. I love my garden and the countryside. I like to paint!” she wrote.

Her account has many photos of her in the mountains.

Pokhara is the gateway to the Annapurna Circuit, a popular hiking trail in the Himalayas. The city’s new international airport began operations only two weeks ago.

The type of plane involved, the ATR 72, has been used by airlines around the world for short regional flights. Introduced in the late 1980s by a French and Italian partnership, the aircraft model has been involved in several deadly accidents over the years.

In Taiwan two earlier accidents involving ATR 72-500 and ATR 72-600 aircrafts happened just months apart.

In July 2014, a TransAsia ATR 72-500 flight crashed while trying to land on the scenic Penghu archipelago between Taiwan and China, killing 48 people onboard. An ATR 72-600 operated by the same Taiwanese airline crashed shortly after takeoff in Taipei in February 2015 after one of its engines failed and the second was shut down, apparently by mistake.

The 2015 crash, captured in dramatic footage that showed the plane striking a taxi as it hurtled out of control, killed 43, and prompted authorities to ground all Taiwanese-registered ATR 72s for some time. TransAsia ceased all flights in 2016 and later went out of business.

ATR identified the plane involved in Sunday’s crash as an ATR 72-500 in a tweet. According to plane tracking data from flightradar24.com, the aircraft was 15 years old and “equipped with an old transponder with unreliable data.” It was previously flown by India’s Kingfisher Airlines and Thailand’s Nok Air before Yeti took it over in 2019, according to records on Airfleets.net.

Yeti Airlines has a fleet of six ATR72-500 planes, company spokesperson Sudarshan Bartaula said.

Nepal, home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains, including Mount Everest, has a history of air crashes. According to the Flight Safety Foundation’s Aviation Safety database, there have been 42 fatal plane crashes in Nepal since 1946.

Sunday’s crash is Nepal’s deadliest since 1992, when all 167 people aboard a Pakistan International Airlines plane were killed when it plowed into a hill as it tried to land in Kathmandu.

The European Union has banned airlines from Nepal from flying into the 27-nation bloc since 2013, citing weak safety standards. In 2017, the International Civil Aviation Organization cited improvements in Nepal’s aviation sector, but the EU continues to demand administrative reforms.

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Story: Upendra Man Singh, Sheikh Saaliq, and Anish Bhattarai. Saaliq reported from New Delhi. Elise Morton in London, Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul, South Korea, and Adam Schreck in Bangkok contributed reporting.

Opinion: What Do Lisa Blackpink, Elephant Pants, and Somtum Have in Common?

By

Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

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15 January 2023, 12:00

Banners of Lisa (Lalisa Manobal) and other Blackpink members outside the National Stadium, where the girl group's concert is held on Jan. 7, 2023.

Observing all the adoration accorded by Thai fans to rapper, singer, and dancer Lisa Blackpink (Lalisa Manobal) as she and her three Korean girl group members entertain the huge crowd at the National Stadium in Bangkok last week, I could not help but wonder where this 25-year-old Thai singer’s musical career would be today without the decade of training, grooming, and promotion by her South Korean record label YG Entertainment company.

Is her success a 50/50 percent split between Lisa herself and the South Korean K-Pop company? Will most of her Thai (and international fans) even notice her if Lisa had not gone through the rigorous training and packaging by a major K-pop promotion company? I am not trying to play down Lisa’s accomplishments. She is currently one of the most famous singers on the global stage but let us not forget that it is most definitely also a result of an interaction between a very talented young Thai girl and a very competent K-pop music industry.

With the interaction and fusion comes something new and potentially wonderful. The interaction between Thai and foreign elements in various fields is often a two-way street as well. I can think of two examples.

Case #1: Elephant pants. The ubiquitous elephant pant has come a long way. Originally just a cheap synthetic pants invented and sold to backpackers so they could skirt rules prohibiting tourists wearing short pants from entering popular temples and the Grand Palace in Bangkok.

When Hollywood’s famous film “The Beach”, starring Leonardo DeCaprio, was out, elephant pants also made a debut to a wider global audience. Over the years, elephant pants have become a symbol of a relaxing and carefree Thai tourism. The interaction means young hip Thais are now adopting it as well and wear this cheap garment as a sign of a carefree lifestyle. It is no longer just something for the young foreign tourists but a legit fashion item and symbol.

Case #2: Somtum (papaya salad). Where would papaya salad be without the fiery bird-eye chilies and tomatoes originally from the New World not to mention papaya itself which likely originated from southern Mexico? There would not be somtum if Thais did not adopt and adapt (originally) foreign ingredients and turn it into something new.

Today, we see attempts to interact and assimilate salmon, a fish found far far away from the Gulf of Thailand and use it in many Thai cooking to greater or lesser success. The interaction and dialogue that is localizing salmon as an ingredient in Thai cuisine is an ongoing process as of press time. Yum pla salmon, or raw salmon spicy salad, is one of my favorites and a success. Beyond that, I have seen (but not tried) tom yum goong hamburger and tom yum goong pizza. I am not too convinced with the two fusion dishes yet but do tell me if you have tried and beg to differ.

All these, from Lisa Blackpink to papaya salad would not have been possible and wonderful without the active interaction and dialogue between Thai and foreign, locals, and foreigners. Let us keep the interaction going, keep an open mind and try something new for these are the basis of a dynamic society.

Suspect Charged With Murder in Assassination of Japan’s Abe

By

Associated Press

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13 January 2023, 14:30

Tetsuya Yamagami, the alleged assassin of Japan's former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, enters a police station in Nara, western Japan, on Jan. 10, 2023. Photo: Kyodo News via AP

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese prosecutors formally charged the suspect in the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with murder, sending him to stand trial, a Japanese court said Friday.

Tetsuya Yamagami was arrested immediately after allegedly shooting Abe with a homemade gun as the former leader was making a campaign speech in July outside a train station in Nara in western Japan.

Later that month, Yamagami was sent to an Osaka detention center for a nearly six-month mental evaluation, which ended Tuesday. Yamagami is back in police custody in Nara.

Prosecutors said results of his mental evaluation showed he is fit to stand trial. Yamagami was also charged with violating a gun control law, according to the Nara District Court.

Police have said Yamagami told them that he killed Abe, one of Japan’s most influential and divisive politicians, because of Abe’s apparent links to a religious group that he hated. In his statements and in social media postings attributed to him, Yamagami said he developed a grudge because his mother had made massive donations to the Unification Church that bankrupted his family and ruined his life.

One of his lawyers, Masaaki Furukawa, told the Associated Press on Thursday that Yamagami was in good health during his mental evaluation in Osaka when he was only allowed to see his sister and three lawyers.

Furuawa said his trial is a serious case and involve a jury panel of citizens. Due to the complexity of the case, it would take at least several months before his trial begins, he said.

Police are also reportedly considering adding several allegations, including weapons production, vilation to explosives control law and causing damage to buildings.

Some Japanese have expressed sympathy for Yamagami, especially those who also suffered as children of followers of the South Korea-based Unification Church, which is known for pressuring adherents into making big donations and is considered a cult in Japan.

Thousands of people have signed a petition requesting leniency for Yamagami, and others have sent care packages to his relatives or the detention center.

The investigation into the case has led to revelations of years of cozy ties between Abe’s governing Liberal Democratic Party and the church since Abe’s grandfather, former Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, helped the church take root in Japan in the 1960s over shared interests in conservative and anti-communist causes.

Current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s popularity has plunged over his handling of the church controversy and for insisting on holding a rare, controversial state funeral for Abe.

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Story: Mari Yamaguchi.

S. Korean Police Seek Manslaughter Charges Over Deadly Crush

By

Associated Press

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13 January 2023, 14:00

FILE- Police officers stand guard at the scene where dozens of people died and were injured during a crowd surge in Seoul, South Korea, on Oct. 30, 2022. Photo: Ahn Young-joon / AP File

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean police are seeking criminal charges including involuntary manslaughter and negligence against 23 officials, about half of them law enforcement officers, for a lack of safety measures they said were responsible for a crowd surge that killed nearly 160 people.

Despite anticipating a weekend crowd of more than 100,000, Seoul police had assigned 137 officers to the capital’s nightlife district Itaewon on the day of the crush. Those officers were focused on monitoring narcotics use and violent crimes, which experts say left few resources for pedestrian safety.

Son Je-han, who headed the National Police Agency’s special investigation into the incident, said Friday his team will now send the case to prosecutors. Those recommended for indictment include Park Hee-young, who is mayor of Seoul’s Yongsan district, and the district’s former police chief Lee Im-jae — two of the six who have been arrested.

Lee has also been accused of falsifying a police report to disguise his late arrival to the scene. Two other police officials have been arrested over suspicions they attempted to destroy computer files and other potential evidence tied to the accident.

The results of the 74-day police investigation announced by Son mostly confirmed what was already clear — that police and public officials in Yongsan failed to employ meaningful crowd control measures for the expected numbers of Halloween revelers and essentially ignored pedestrian calls placed to police hotlines that warned of a swelling crowd hours before the surge turned deadly on Oct. 28.

Officials also botched their response once people began getting toppled over and crushed in a narrow alley clogged with partygoers near Hamilton Hotel around 10 p.m., failing to establish effective control of the scene and allow rescue workers to reach the injured in time, Son said.

“(Their) inaccurate judgement of the situation, the slow distribution of information about the situation, poor cooperation between related institutions and delays in rescue operations were among the overlapping failures that caused the high number of casualties,” Son said at a news conference in Seoul.

Son said his team questioned nearly 540 people and collected 14,000 pieces of evidence from central and municipal government offices and transportation authorities. He said police investigators studied more than 180 video files recorded on security cameras or taken by journalists and pedestrians and jointly inspected the scene with forensic experts to analyze the density of the crowd.

Police said the crowd packing the corridor-like alley between the hotel and a dense row of storefronts grew into an unstoppable wave around 9 p.m., with people being unable to dictate their movement once they got swept in. At around 10:15 p.m., people began falling and toppling on one another like dominos, leading to the tragedy that resulted in 158 deaths and 196 injuries.

Analysis of security camera footage and simulations by the National Forensic Service indicate the crowd density at the alley was around eight people per square meter (yard) at around 10:15 p.m. The density grew to eight to nine people occupying the same unit of space as of 10:20 p.m. and around nine to 11 people as of 10:25 p.m., police said.

Paramedics struggled to reach the scene because the area was so densely packed. Those who arrived were so overwhelmed by the large number of people lying motionless on the ground that they asked pedestrians to help them perform CPR. Most of the deaths were caused by suffocation or brain damage, police said.

It’s unclear whether the results of the police investigation would be enough to calm the public’s anger and demands for government accountability as the country continues to cope with its worst disaster in nearly a decade.

Opposition lawmakers and some relatives of the victims have demanded investigations into more high-profile figures, such as Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min and National Police Agency Commissioner General Yoon Hee-keun, who have faced calls to resign.

However, Son said the special investigation team will close its probes on the Interior and Safety Ministry, the National Police Agency, and the Seoul Metropolitan Government, saying it was difficult to establish their direct responsibility.

Some experts have called the crush in Itaewon a “manmade disaster” that could have been prevented with fairly simple steps, such as employing more police and public workers to monitor bottleneck points, enforcing one-way walk lanes and blocking narrow pathways or temporarily closing Itaewon’s subway station to prevent large numbers of people moving in the same direction.

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Story: Kim Tong-hyung.

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