Thai Man Jailed for Lèse-Majesté Dies in Prison

May 8, 2012

2012 05 08 uncle sms

AP reports today:

A Thai man in his 60s who became known as “Uncle SMS” after he was convicted of defaming Thailand’s royal family in mobile phone text messages has died while serving his 20-year prison term, his lawyer said Tuesday.

The case of Amphon Tangnoppakul, a grandfather who had suffered from mouth cancer, drew attention to Thailand’s severe lese majeste laws last November when he received one of the heaviest-ever sentences for someone accused of insulting the monarchy.

And:

Amphon was arrested in August 2010 and accused of sending four text messages to a government official that were deemed offensive to the queen. He denied sending them, however, and said he didn’t even know how to use the SMS function on his telephone to send texts.

He wept during his court proceedings, saying, “I love the King.”

AFP says:

A 62-year-old Thai man considered a “prisoner of conscience” by Amnesty International for his 20-year sentence for royal defamation has died in jail, his lawyer said Tuesday

And:

“He had come to represent the enormous degree of injustice that was this lese majeste law and yet he wanted nothing more than to be a grandfather and to enjoy his old age,” Amnesty researcher Benjamin Zawacki told AFP.

Reuters reports:

A Thai man who was jailed for 20 years after being found guilty of sending text messages disrespectful to Queen Sirikit has died in jail a few months into his sentence, his lawyer said on Tuesday.

The case last November of Amphon Tangnoppaku, 61, who the media nicknamed “Uncle SMS”, had stoked a debate about the harsh sentences imposed in Thailand for lese-majeste, or insulting the king, queen or crown prince.

Prachatai has this:

After being convicted to 20 years in jail for allegedly sending four offensive text messages to the secretary of former PM Abhisit Vejjajiva in November 2011, his lawyers applied for his temporary release several times citing his medical need as he had been suffering from cancer among other illnesses. The latest request was made in February 2012 and it was rejected by the Appeals Court who claimed that “The illness which the defendant claims [as one of the reasons for the bail] does not appear to be life-threatening.”

There’s also a story from The Nation and The Bangkok Post.

And finally, for background info, here’s a BBC story from Nov., when Ampon was convicted.

(All emphasis mine.)

(Image: The Nation.)

Update: There’s also a story from The New York Times.

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Blast at Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate Kills 12

May 6, 2012

2012 05 06 map ta phut blast

Reuters reports today:

Thai authorities were investigating on Sunday a blast that killed 12 people and wounded at least 105 at one of the world’s biggest petrochemical hubs.

Explosions sparked a fire at a chemical factory at the sprawling Map Ta Phut complex – Thailand’s biggest industrial estate – on Saturday, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people and workers from the area in Rayong province, about 180 km (110 miles) east of Bangkok.

The Bangkok Synthetics plant, 20-percent owned by Thailand’s largest industrial group, Siam Cement Pcl, produces butadiene and other raw materials used in the manufacturing of synthetic rubbers and plastic resins.

The blaze has been extinguished and many evacuees have returned home, said Verapong Chaiperm, governor of the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand, confirming the number of dead and wounded.

“The evacuation order has been cancelled while other nearby buildings and factories around the area are under security checks,” he said in an interview.

Authorities were investigating the cause of the explosions and were watching closely for the environmental impact of the spread of the chemicals, said Verapong

The Bangkok Post has more here and here.

A few years ago, as you’ll recall, Map Ta Phut was the focal point of a lawsuit about pollution and the Thai constitution’s environmental protection requirements.

(All emphasis mine.)

(Image: Bangkok Post.)

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Thai MP Gives Nazi Salute and Yells ‘Heil Hitler’ in Parliament

May 4, 2012

Yet more news from the Thai parliament.

Late last month, as I noted, a graphic image of a woman was broadcast on large screens during a parliamentary session.

Now a member of parliament has given the Nazi salute and yelled “Heil Hitler” during an argument.

Thanks to Saksith at Asian Correspondent for pointing out yesterday the remarkable May 2 video, embedded above and on YouTube here.

The salute and “Heil Hitlers” start at around the three minute mark.

Here’s Saksith, translating a Thai news story:

Reports say that before parliament was about to decide [on a proposal], a little bit of chaos ensued when MP Boonyod Sukthinthai of the Democrat Party raised his hand to protest House speaker Somsak’s hasty attempts to end [the session], but the latter refused to listen and proceeded to the voting, leading to Mr Boonyod yelling loudly that he will protest until the speaker will listen to him, as he then shouted “Heil Hitler, Mr Speaker of the dictatorship! Heil Hitler!” – to which Mr Somsak still refuses to listen and requests the parliament to cast in their votes.

As Saksith notes:

This arbitrary and erratic display of Godwin’s law evidently shows the still volatile political climate that is being maintained, if not even increased by the parliamentary infighting over amendments to the constitution, to which the opposition fears potential abuse of power by the government (and most of all a carte blanche for Thaksin). Nevertheless, it also shows an unacceptable behavior by our elected representatives, who think that any rough measures for this political discourse is legitimate.

This is not the first time a Nazi-related story has made the news in Thailand. CNNGo ran a piece in Feb. about the issue.

(All emphasis mine.)

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Graphic Explains How Hot it Feels in Thailand

May 3, 2012

I’ve mentioned the recent spell of sweltering weather we’ve been suffering through here in Bangkok.

Well, we finally have a graphic that illustrates how hot it feels.

Yes, it feels like Thailand is on fire.

Thanks to Annelie (@a_nnelie) for Tweeting this pic yesterday:

(For the record, if this is a recent broadcast, I wasn’t able to locate any related story on the CNN Web site. Perhaps this graphic was related to recent drought problems, though.)

(Image: @a_nnelie.)

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A Few Odds and Ends

May 2, 2012

2012 05 02 bangkok grocery nyc

Here are some items from the last several days that I wanted to point out, at least belatedly:

  • On Aung San Suu Kyi and reforms in Myanmar:

    The AP provides the context on Aung San Suu Kyi’s parliamentary swearing in today:

    Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was sworn in to Myanmar’s military-backed parliament Wednesday, taking public office for the first time since launching her struggle against authoritarian rule nearly a quarter century ago.

    The opposition leader’s entry into the legislature heralds a new political era in Myanmar, cementing a risky detente between her party and the reformist government of President Thein Sein, which inherited power from the army last year.

    Meanwhile, representatives of Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have an op-ed in today’s WSJ headlined “Burma’s Reform Is Still on Parole.”

  • On Chiranuch “Jiew” Premchaiporn:

    The AP says:

    A Thai judge postponed a verdict that had been expected Monday for a webmaster accused of failing to act quickly enough to remove Internet posts deemed insulting to Thailand’s royalty.

    Judge Nittaya Yaemsri said more time was need to process documents in the case, which has drawn global criticism because many see it as an assault on freedom of speech. A new court date was set for May 30.

    Here’s more from the Bangkok Post

  • On David Thomson and Bangkok’s Nahm restaurant:

    Australian Chef David Thompson’s restaurant here in Bangkok, Nahm, has come in at number 50 on the newest list of the “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.”

    (Previously at Newley.com: Here’s an earlier post on Thompson and the issue of foreigners cooking Thai cuisine. And here’s an audio slide show I made about Thompson in 2009.)

  • And finally, speaking of Thai food:

    Thanks to my good friend Dan S. for Tweeting the photo, above, of Bangkok Center Grocery in New York City.

    If you’re interested in the Thai language, you might like to know that the image prompted a a back-and-forth on Twitter, embedded below and on Storify here, about the establishment’s name and its spelling in Thai:

(Image: @NewYorkFitness.)

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7 Books

April 27, 2012

2012 04 27 books
Some books and long-form works I’ve downloaded, bought in physical form, am reading, or have recently finished:

  1. The Ball is Round: A Global History of Soccer, by David Goldblatt
  2. Inferno: The World at War, 1939-1945, by Max Hastings
  3. The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right, by Atul Gawande
  4. The Great Stagnation: How America Ate All the Low-Hanging Fruit of Modern History, Got Sick, and Will(Eventually) Feel Better, by Tyler Cowen
  5. The Wizard of Lies: Bernie Madoff and the Death of Trust, by Diana B. Henriques
  6. Soccer Men: Profiles of the Rogues, Geniuses, and Neurotics Who Dominate the World’s Most Popular Sport, by Simon Kuper
  7. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, by Charles Duhigg

(Cartoon via.)

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Notes from Abhisit’s FCCT Talk Last Night

April 25, 2012

Former Thai prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva spoke at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand last night. (Details on the event are on the FCCT site here.)

Embedded below and collected here are my Tweets from the evening, in reverse chronological order.

As I’ve noted following Abhisit’s remarks at previous FCCT events, he is a highly adept politician, at least by Western standards: He stays on message, he uses his wit to good effect, he speaks excellent English, and he has a deep knowledge of policy issues.

Overall, my feeling was that the audience of non-journalists — Thais and foreigners alike — were fairly receptive to his remarks.

Abhisit received some cheers for a few of his statements, and though I heard some rumblings of discontent among some in attendance, the environment was not at all hostile.

(Of course, that may have to do with the fact that the non-media audience was self-selecting: His supporters are more likely to turn out to hear him speak, perhaps, than his detractors.)

To summarize a few notable elements of Abhisit’s remarks:

  • He argued that his administration focused on economic issues and aimed to restore “some normalcy” to Thai politics.
  • He said Yingluck’s government is forsaking economic development and focusing on amnesty for Thaksin, and that such amnesty will only create more divisions in Thai society.
  • Regarding exiled former PM Thaksin’s potential return, he said that if Thaksin comes back and serves even a short sentence but is pardoned legally, “we’re fine with that.”
  • Abhisit was asked if he felt any personal responsibility for the 2010 violence. He said, before elaborating, “we are all responsible in some way or another.”

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Once again, File under…

April 24, 2012

…If I didn’t mention this I would be failing to keep you updated on Thailand news:

The BBC reported last Wed.:

Proceedings in Thailand’s parliament have been interrupted after the graphic image of a semi-naked woman flashed up on giant screens during a debate.

The close-up picture of a young woman striking a provocative pose appeared on monitors as an MP addressed the house.

The images appeared in between footage of the debate, on a controversial constitutional amendment.

The session was halted and the monitors hastily switched off after an MP complained.

The origin of the images is now being investigated. The Speaker, Somsak Kiatsuranont, said an official told him that the image’s appearance was the work of hackers outside of parliament.

Hackers? Or could the image have come unwittingly — or even intentionally — from others in the building?

As The Nation says today:

Electronic devices of a particular brand were found yesterday to be capable of sending data to display screens inside Parliament and could be responsible for a recent “porn pic” scandal.

Kamphi Ditthakorn, deputy secretary-general of the House of Representatives, who chairs a fact-finding team investigating the scandal, said yesterday the culprit could be a Samsung smart phone.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident on the same day, The Bangkok Post said:

In addition, an unidentified MP was caught by an unnamed photographer looking at an erotic photo on his cell phone during the House meeting today.

Note that the MP was looking at a different image — not the one that ran on the large screens. Click through for a photo of the MP.

It turns, out, as The Nation said:

A red-faced Democrat Party MP, a son of former party leader Banyat Bantadtan, Thursday admitted that he accidentally viewed a porno picture during a parliamentary meeting Wednesday.

Nat Bantadtan admitted during the meeting held to deliberate the charter amendment bill in the second reading that he used his mobile phone to watch a porno picture.

So, to re-cap:

1) A graphic photo was displayed on large screens in the Thai Parliament.

2) Later, an MP was photographed viewing an erotic image on his mobile phone.

For more info on both events, see this post by Kaewmala at Asian Correspondent, and this one by Bangkok Pundit.

Embedded at the top of this post and on YouTube here: A Thai-language news report about the first incident.

(All emphasis mine.)

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Bangkok: 99 Degrees F at 4 p.m. Today

April 22, 2012

2012 04 22 bangkok hot

Just noting for the record: It is extremely hot here in the Thai capital.

It was 99 degrees Fahrenheit — that’s 37 degrees Celsius — at 4 p.m. today.

That is all.

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Off topic: Carl’s Jr. is Coming to Thailand

April 19, 2012

2012 04 19 carls jr bangkok

Burger and fast food gluttons fans only…

Given my past writings about hamburgers in Bangkok, I feel compelled to point out this news: the well-known U.S. burger chain Carl’s Jr. says it is opening an establishment here in Bangkok on May 15.

As you can see in the Tweet below, a restaurant representative says the establishment — apparently one of three to come in Thailand — will be located on Thanon Thaniya, in Bangkok’s Silom area.

And there’s more where that came from.

According to the Carl’s Jr. Thailand Facebook page, the chain is also set to open branches on Sukhumvit Soi 24 and in the city of Pattaya.

Carl’s Jr. restaurants are generally located in central and Western U.S. states. But East-coast fast food fans should fret not: Carl’s Jr.’s parent company apparently owns Hardees and serves their signature biscuits.

(Hat tip to Patrick Winn for spotting the Soi 24 site.)

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