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Flashermac

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  1. My Experience With Prejudice as an African Priest in Thailand

    A Catholic missionary priest from an African country shares his personal encounters with racial discrimination in Thailand. His identity is concealed to protect him from possible repercussions from the Thai authorities.

    I’ve been working in Thailand as a Catholic priest since 2012. Many times, I have been bullied and subject to discrimination just because of my black skin.

    Despite my effort to learn the Thai language, to try to know the Thai culture and as a missionary to contribute to the development of the villages I have been assigned to, I always felt rejected or looked down upon.

    But I am happy to learn through your news agency’s article that most Thai treat us badly out of ignorance, and not because there is systemic racism in Thailand. I really hope that through education all of us will learn to treat each other with respect.

    Thailand is the second Asian country I have been assigned to work in as a missionary. Before coming here, I spent six years in the Philippines. I arrived in Thailand in February 2012 and just after few days, I discovered that it was not easy to be a black person in this country.

    In fact, when my confrere — an Italian — and I went to meet a Thai priest who was in charge to introduce to us our jobs in Thailand, I remember that he greeted my Italian confrere with a welcoming smile and then looked at me and said, ‘I don’t like black people, they are bad people.’

    I was very shocked and I phoned my parents who are my faithful fans to get some words of encouragement. Before that I could not have imagined that a man of God could go so low. Maybe I was very naive.

    ‘Many Times I Was Tempted to Give Up’

    Another humiliating experience happened when I was studying the Thai language. Many young Thai people were willing to help my European colleagues do their assignments and improve their knowledge. But no one accepted to help me even while I asked for their help. Many chose to keep making fun of my pronunciation instead.

    I also realized that during the meetings of priests and nuns, there seems to be the assumption that I am an ignorant; my Europeans peers were welcomed to give their opinions and I have to struggle to make my voice be heard.

    When I was assigned as the priest in charge of a parish, I remembered that at the beginning, some people have difficulty accepting me as their pastor. Some even said that I will not stay there more than 6 months (thanks be to God, at the end I spent 6 years there before moving to Khlong Toei where I am working now).

    I could see that other people were reluctant to introduce me to their friends as their parish priest, or to invite me to their house; they preferred to be seen with European priests.

    It was not easy. I have to swallow my pride, and accept to be made fun of by some people who kept asking some strange questions, or making offensive remarks. Like may I touch your hair (as if I am a pet), do you have water in your country, do people wear clothes in your country, and so on…

    Many times I was tempted to give up, but I kept praying, asking Jesus to help me to be perseverant, to love Thai people and to be faithful to the mission He has entrusted to me. My faith tells me that He is the One who wanted me to be in Thailand and to love Thai people.

    Treated like a Criminal

    Thai security officers also appear to be suspicious of me. I used to work in a parish located in Mae Sot in the far north. At a checkpoint on the way there, the police asked for my passport, but did not ask anything from my European friends.

    It hurts me a lot when I remember that I brought my little contribution to the development of the villages by paying the tuition fees of some students (with money from my family), building a Church, building houses for some elderly people, and buying wheelchairs for people with disabilities.

    Another experience I don’t look forward to is when I have to apply for the extension of my visa. have the same type of visa as other Europeans priests in our mission, but every time at the immigration office, they keep asking for many documents to justify my presence in Thailand.

    I felt humiliated to be treated as a criminal, as you know, people from African are requested to go first to the section for criminal verification before renewing their visa.

    As part of the criminal record vetting process, I must present my fingerprints and extra documents from the owner of my residence. The requirement doesn’t extend to the European priests, even though all of us live under the same roof.

    But, please don’t get me wrong, I am not judging the Thai people – I am just sharing with you some experiences I have been through as an African person in Thailand.

    Beautiful Memories

    I always tell myself that not all Thai people are racist. I believe that there are many Thai people, even among priests and nuns, who are welcoming and kind.

    In fact, with time I came to meet very nice Thai people, and there are many who not only accepted me as a fellow human being, but also welcomed me as a friend. They felt at home with me. In the parish I work for, many Thais also overcame their prejudices about me and treated me as an equal person.

    Before I flew home for holidays 2 years ago, many people in the villages gave me presents for my parents such as bags, traditional Thai dress, Thai sweets etc. When I returned, they were happy to see me back and they asked for news about my family. These gestures meant a lot to me, they showed me that they see me as their brother, and they love me.

    I also remember with joy when Thai people helped me raise funds and collect gifts for Christmas in the villages. Some families also brought me to their house and shared Christmas meals with me, giving me an opportunity to know each other and build a better friendship.

    In those moments, I see the goodness and generosity of Thai people. I prefer to keep those beautiful memories, because as you mentioned in your article, some behaved badly out of ignorance, and I want to believe that change is possible.

    https://www.khaosodenglish.com/opinion/2020/06/18/my-experience-with-prejudice-as-an-african-priest-in-thailand/

    Wow. Insulted by another priest!  :shocked:

  2. I remember seeing half-Caucasian kids called names and made fun of back in the back in the 1970s and '80s. I also met an older half-German Thai woman who told me that when she was a child during the 1940s the half-Farangs were shunned and had to socialise with each other, since no one else would even talk to them. Ironically, in the late 1990s the luk-krueng suddenly became popular, when singers like Tata Young were becoming popular. But the half-Black Thais have a long way to go before they are excepted everywhere.

    p.s. Thais used to say Tiger Woods looked Thai "from the eyes up." 

     

     

  3. BANGKOK — From being fired for her skin color or being mocked everyday at school by teachers and peers, it’s not easy being black in Thailand.

    Discrimination and bullying is a daily reality for 25-year-old Thai-Mali vlogger Natthawadee “Suzie” Waikalo, who has been gaining media coverage and TikTok followers among Thais since the Black Lives Matter protests in the U.S.

    “They let me go from my job and wouldn’t say why,” Suzie said. “I found out later that it was because they thought my characteristics and demeanor made the company look bad.”

    She was speaking at a panel organized by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand on Thursday night to discuss the ongoing U.S. protests and how they ignited local conversations about race and skin color.

    In Thailand, whiteness, next to skinniness, is the number one factor for beauty. Many celebrities and even beauty queens are half-Caucasian, including both Miss Universe Thailand 2017 and 2019. Soap operas or lakorns regularly employ blackface to play black characters, such as “Khao Nok Na” (2013) where “E Dum” (blackie) is half-Thai and half-Black.

    “Thai society still treats black skin as something unacceptable. You cannot shine with this skin color,” Suzie said. “The media, lakorn, and even children’s textbooks are responsible for this. …Beauty pageants should also be more diverse. If you are only beautiful by your own limited definitions, you can’t compete on the world stage.”

    It’s an anomaly, then, that there is even a famous Thai-Black star – but Suzie’s TikTok: where she proudly lists herself as a “Blasian ML&TH Chocolate Girl” has more than 166,000 followers with one of her videos reaching 2.5 million views. Her Facebook page, Blasian Chick has more than 114,000 followers, her Instagram, 33,000.

    Political science professor Thitinan Pongsukhirak said that Suzie’s videos are “more impactful than a thousand laws” in raising awareness against discrimination against black people. 

    “Thais’ discrimination are from ignorance, rather than hatred as we are seeing in America today. Racial prejudice from ignorance can be rectified easier than deeply ingrained racism.” 

    Suzie says if she sat next to someone on the bus, they would immediately get up. 

    “I thought they were getting off, but they just didn’t want to sit next to me. That felt awful,” she said. 

    Many Thais have limited contact with black people – but almost all in state education will have had to read “Ngo Pa: Romance of the Sakai” (1906), a Romeo and Juliet-inspired verse narrative by Rama V about dark-skinned the Semang people in Phatthalung.

    “As soon as they opened [the book], I wanted to go home,” Suzie said. “It made my learning experience at school very bad.”

    Suzie said not only students at school, but teachers would bully and discriminate against her and her sisters for having dark skin.

    “I would hear new things everyday. After school, my sisters and I would talk over dinner about how we were made fun of, even though it shouldn’t be a dinnertime topic,” she said. “It’s a terrible feeling that you never forget.”

    When asked about the discrimination her mother faced in marrying a Malian man, Suzie said, “Everything I faced, my mom faced too. But she fought right back. She taught me that when we are bullied or discriminated against, there’s no one to help us. We have to deal with it there and then.”

    In tiffs, either online or offline where people would call her racist things, Suzie said she’s following in her mom’s footsteps.

    “If they use nasty words with me, I use it right back as well. But I won’t attack their looks or skin color. I will say something about their upbringing that causes them to be so ignorant,” she said. 

    The good news is that Thais are more understanding and accepting of minorities and other non-Thais in recent years, Thitinan said. He attributed the progress to more conversation that makes people realize what is appropriate to say.

    “As Thailand becomes more cosmopolitan, raw racism has not been eliminated, but there is lot less than there was in the past,” Thitinan said. 

    https://www.khaosodenglish.com/culture/net/2020/06/12/what-its-like-to-be-half-black-half-thai-suzies-story/

     

  4. British-Norwegian Study Calls COVID-19 Man-Made in China

    A British-Norwegian study alleges COVID-19 has "inserted sections," calling it artificially manipulated "chimera" made in the Wuhan virology lab and not occurring naturally, according to a report by Taiwan News.

    Pointing to the lack of virus mutation since it has spread worldwide, the scientists suspect it was already fully adapted in the lab before being released, per the report.

    University of London Professor Angus Dalgleish and Norwegian virologist Birger Sorensen conducted the study and published it in Cambridge University's QRB Discovery.

    Sorensen told Norway's NRK, per the reports translation, it is "quite unusual for viruses that cross species barriers" and has properties vastly different than SARS and "which have never been detected in nature."

    Sorensen added the belief COVID-19 is the result of "gain of function studies" being conducted in China, saying the both the U.S. and China have been conducting such research for years.

    "I think this started as an accident," according to former M16 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove, Taiwan News reported. "This raises the question of whether China will assume responsibility and whether China should pay compensation."

    Gain of function studies artificially manufacture the virus so it can be replicated easier to conduct a multiple of scientific studies, according to the report.

    "The inserted sequences should never have been published," Sorensen wrote, per the report. "Had it been today, it would never have happened. It was a big mistake the Chinese made. The inserted sequences have a functionality that we describe. We explain why they are essential. But the Chinese pointed to them first."

    https://www.newsmax.com/scitech/covid-19-wuhan-chimera-man-made/2020/06/10/id/971586/?fbclid=IwAR32YTKCUm0R7etwkKr7tEs34BJiRAf5I_sul1V0LZgBnHE2Bnob9OBaQ5U

     

    But Taiwan is anti-communist, so you can't believe it ...

  5. I went to a mall today and it looked like Bangkok is almost back to normal. Temperature checks at the entrance, but those were the only ones I saw. Most of the restaurants are open again with couples and groups sitting together again. Masks on except when eating, but overall it is much more relaxed than even two weeks ago. Filled with people, but of course the swimming pool and cinema were still closed.

    New Zealanders "proud" to have their lives back

    New Zealanders hugged and kissed, shopped, and planned parties on Tuesday as the country took off all coronavirus restrictions for the first time in more than three months. - REUTERS

    https://www.bangkokpost.com/vdo/world/1931924#cxrecs_s

    Did they stick out their tongues at each other?

  6. I was at a mall today. People's temperature was checked as they entered, but no more signing in. The restaurants were mostly open, and no temperature check. Couples and even groups were sitting around the tables as in pre-virus days. The bank tellers as some shops hgad plastic shields for the tellers and sales personnel  and that was about it. Masks required inside the mall, but outside many people went barefaced.

     

     

  7. Racism in Thailand is a prevalent problem[1] but is only infrequently publicly discussed. The United Nations (UN) does not define "racism"; however, it does define "racial discrimination": According to the 1965 UN International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, "...the term "racial discrimination" shall mean any distinction, exclusion, restriction, or preference based on race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin that has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life."[2] Thailand has made two submissions to the Convention,[3][4] with ongoing issues including government policy towards ethnic groups, especially the Thai Malays, and the country's lack of racial discrimination legislation.[4]

    Thailand's ethnic minorities have been subjected to persecution in Thailand, especially the one million plus members of Thailand's hill tribes.[5] They are frequently viewed as illiterate drug peddlers and opium-growers, with Thai mainstream media perpetuating this image. A 2013 article in the Bangkok Post said, "Nearly a million hill peoples and forest dwellers are still treated as outsiders—criminals even, since most live in protected forests. Viewed as national security threats, hundreds of thousands of them are refused citizenship although many are natives to the land".[6] According to Dr Chayan Vaddanaputti of Chiang Mai University, this was not always the case:

    "Earlier, they were seen by ordinary people in the lowlands as friends and trading partners in a mutually symbiotic relationship between the hills and the valleys. But growing environmental problems after Thailand's national social and economic development plans took off in the late '60s and early '70s, and an influx of Vietnamese migrants during the Vietnam War changed this relationship forever. Then they became the enemies, the 'other'. The demonization and criminalization of ethnic minorities and the perpetuation of the myth that they are non-Thai has been embedded in Thai textbooks, in Thai history and in the mainstream media."[7]

    Extrajudicial killings, torture, disappearances, and intimidation of members of Thailand's hill tribes by Thai police and military was rampant under Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's "War on Drugs", which started in 2003.[8]

    The Muslim Malay Patani Kingdom of southern Thailand was incorporated into the Thai state in 1785. Being called khaek ('foreigner' or 'guest'), the Thai Malays were subjected to discrimination and political suppression, especially during the regimes of Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram and the Thaification policies of the mid-20th century. The south Thailand insurgency of the past 10 years, has repeatedly been met with brutal force by successive Thai governments, especially under the Thaksin Shinawatra administration.[9][10]

    Thai Chinese, who now make up 14 percent of Thailand's population, also have had to bear xenophobic sentiments in the past. Besides having had their language and writing suppressed during the Thaification period of the mid-20th century, those of Chinese descent were also required to change their surnames to Thai names. As a result, many younger generations of ethnic Chinese can only communicate in Thai and self-identity solely as Thai.[11]

    Light skin, dark skin

    As in much of Asia, dark skin is equated with outdoor labor conditions and the lower classes.[12] Thai culture shares this skin-tone bias with the rest of Asia.[13][14] In Thailand, this bias is exacerbated by the fact that many of the wealthy Thais in Bangkok are of Chinese descent and have naturally lighter skin than the indigenous Thais from the countryside.[15][16] There are no laws within the Kingdom of Thailand which outlaws racial discrimination inclusive of racist cliches known in the Western world. Unlike its neighboring nations which have been under colonialism, Thailand's heritage as an uncolonized state also shaped its existing laws unlike its Westernized counterparts after decolonization[citation needed]. This also includes signage promoting racial segregation as was common in the southern United States prior to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and South Africa under apartheid. A Dunkin Donuts blackface ad aired on Thai television in 2013, causing a stir in Western media, was met for the most part with incomprehension in Thailand. The ad, says Thai cultural commentator Kaewmala, may be controversial, but "it's not a comment on black people in general, it's about concepts of beauty and social snobbery in Asia."[17]

    As most Thai people traditionally have never encountered people of African descent, prejudice toward and stereotypes of people of African descent were absorbed by Thais through the Vietnam War and literature[18] and then movies from the West.[19] Common brands featuring people of African descent include mops, toilet brushes, and tooth paste.[20][21]

    Although Thailand has incorporated certain Western ideals concerning beauty,[14] Asian attitudes regarding skin tones have been around for a long time. Prior to contact with the West, Indian culture permeated the early civilizations of Southeast Asia, which possibly included the ideal of fair skin over darker skin. The 20 million strong Isan population, for instance, many of whom are of Laotian and Khmer descent, traditionally had darker skin and studies show that many view themselves as less desirable than those with lighter skin.[22]Skin whitening products have proven increasingly popular in most of Asia, including Thailand and are marketed in such a way as to promote light skin as beautiful and desirable.[23]

    Yukti Mukdawijitra, a Thammasat University anthropology professor, observes that the idea that light skin is good and dark skin is bad is "embedded in Thai culture".[12]

    Xenophobia

    Thai attitudes towards Burma have been formed by the Thai ethnocentric media of the 1990s and a nationalistic school system, which teaches that Burma is Thailand's traditional enemy, based on repeated wars between the two from the 16th century CE onward.[24] This negative view was further popularized in novels and films, presenting heroic Thais fighting against villainous Burmese invaders. Examples of recent films that portray this are Bang Rajan (2000), The Legend of Suriyothai (2001),[25]King Naresuan (film series, 2007 onwards), and Siyama (2008).

    Thailand has had long standing racial issues with Middle Easterners,[citation needed] who collectively are also called khaek, meaning "foreigner" or "guest". "There is some debate as to whether the meaning of foreigner / visitor entrenches prejudices against Malay Muslims and Muslims more generally".[26]

    The condemnation of the 2014 Thai coup d'état by countries such as the US and Australia have given rise to an "anti-foreigner sentiment" with those Thais who are in favor of the coup.[27] In March 2012, Ombudsman Prof. Siracha Charoenpanij, a public advocate appointed by the government, blamed foreigners for the difficulties that Thais faced in owning land, incorrectly claiming that a third of the land area of Thailand, some 100 million rai or 160,000 km2 of premium land, primarily in established beach resorts, was now owned by non-Thais through proxy, and obtained through corruption and the use of legal loopholes. The National Institute of Development Administration supposedly provided these numbers.[

    Due to an increase of Russian and Eastern European tourists in Phuket, Russians have also been the target of xenophobia, with protests and banners saying "Russians Get Out" in Phuket, and "a taxi blockade over suspected Russian transport drivers; illegal shops and businesses".[30] Other issues include the Singapore Tourism Board organising a Songkran festival in Singapore without the endorsement of either Thai expats in Singapore, or sponsorship from the Thai authorities.[31] Singapore was accused of "stealing 'our' (Thailand's) Songkran",[32] with Thai officials threatening lawsuits.[33]

    In 2014, Thai officials cracked down on Chinese tourists visiting the campus of Chiang Mai University due to their using buses reserved for students, attending lectures, and eating at the student cafeteria.[34] Anti-Khmer sentiment, already high due to border clashes over the Preah Vihear temple, has been fanned by Suthep Thaugsuban, a Yellow Shirt leader.[35][36

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism_in_Thailand

  8. As to ambassadors ...

    "In most cases, career foreign service officers serve a tour of approximately three years per ambassadorship, whereas political appointees customarily tender their resignations upon the inauguration of a new president. As embassies fall under the State Department's jurisdiction, ambassadors answer directly to the Secretary of State." (Wikipedia)

    I can only recall seeing one Black foreign service officer at the US embassy in Bangkok, and that was years ago. That suggests the Foreign Service (which is hard to get into) is not very racially representitive of the US population as a whole.

    There also seems to be a bit of nepotism in the foreign service. A Peace Corps colleague had a BA and MA from top rated Cornell University, besides being very fluent in Thai. He told me he took the foreign service exam twice, but never could quite score high enough to pass it. We were in a Bangkok bar one night, when talking to the American seated next to us revealed he was from the embassy. My friend commented on how hard that exam was and asked how he'd managed to pass it. The embassy guy replied, "Oh, I didn't have to take the exam. My father worked at the embassy and he got me hired."  I've heard similar stories snce then, and it is even worse at the UN.

     

  9.  

    The anti-racist protests and riots in the United States across 70 cities as a result of the police killing of black man George Floyd on May 25 have got some in Thailand reflecting upon their own society.

    Thai blogger Mike Raomanachai posted on Facebook in English last week that some Asians, Thais including, can be racists too. He said black American and African expats have been treated as second class citizens compared to their white counterparts.

    “Many Asians in Asia are racists too. They always use slurs and look down on black people or [those] who have darker skin. African or African American,” he wrote.

    Mike also angrily argues that: “Some of them have been treated as a joke on television. Enough is enough. I won’t stand racism in Asian community anymore.”

    Then he went on to address his Thai friends for using Thai words like ‘Ai Mued’ or ‘Ai Dum’ which is a derogatory way of referring to black people, whether from Africa or the United States.

    “You are a racist. Period. You are wrong. This tough conversation is needed in Asian community. We are better than this,” Mike concludes.

    I share Mike’s sentiment, although the situation in Thailand is not as complex and severe as in the United States where the ancestors of many of today’s African Americans were largely brought to the American colony to be subjugated and exploited as slaves for centuries.

    The term cultural chauvinism might be more accurate than racism for the case of Thailand.

    In the United States, four centuries of institutionalized racism against black people means the feeling of white superiority is still deeply rooted in the consciousness and subconsciousness of a number of white people including police. This despite Barack Obama having become American president for two terms, starting in 2009.  

    Meanwhile, in Thailand, contacts with black people are quite recent and limited. Any major visibility of contacts with black people probably occurred when some African American soldiers were stationed in Thailand during the Vietnam War. Yet any real exchanges who limited.

    Xenophobia and cultural chauvinism play parts in making fun of black people, however. Black people, whenever they appear on Thai TV, slapstick comedy shows and soaps, are almost always portrayed as uncultured or even primitive.

    One Thai-based comedian is making a living out of such stereotype portrayals and has become famous.

    Joey Chern-yim, a Bangkok-based Ghanian actor whose real name is Johnson Amidou is arguably most famous. The 45-year-old black comedian arrived in Thailand in 1999 and is fluent in Thai and has performed not only on television but in a dozen films.

    I am happy that Joey is making a decent and honest living and liked by many Thai fans. Nevertheless, it’s unfortunate that Thai screenwriters and directors mainly use Joey to foster outlandish stereotypes of black people that fosters the perceptions of black people being barbaric, naïve and thus inferior. 

    I must confess that I sometimes find Joey’s acting “funny” but in a disturbing way and feeling guilty about it. This is particularly so when he starts making unintelligible speech on TV that is most probably invented – just like some American white mimicking what they think Chinese or Japanese sound like in order to make the audience laugh. 

    I am sure Joey as an actor can play serious roles as well if people in the entertainment industry have the will. It’s much more convenient to stick to the tried and tested formula of presenting black character as a buffoon or barbarian, however.

    Local news involving African online scammers, people from African countries catfishing as handsome white soldiers on Facebook and robbing Thai women of their precious baht, does not help. Over the past week, some Thais tend to focus on the lootings occurring in the US to reinforce their entrenched preconceived perceptions that black people are violent prone and not law-abiding.

    The only source of Thai admiration for black people, Africans or African Americans, are mostly limited to the field of international sports and music.

    Since real human contacts between Thais and Africans as well as Africans are still limited, the hope for an immediate rectification of the situation is slim.

    Opening up a conversation about our perception of black people helps, however. We must be honest about our feelings and bias.

    Having an active black American Ambassador to Thailand can help. It can showcase black leadership in Thailand. It’s unclear how long will the wait. An article on Foreign Policy in 2018 stated that out of the 119 ambassadors nominated by US President Donald Trump since he took office in 2017, 91.6 per cent are white.

    A more proactive role by ambassadors from various African nations can also help to in foster better understanding. 

    A long-term solution, be it racism or cultural chauvinism, starts with reflexivity and education. It’s imperative to examine our society and ask if there is something wrong and why. It’s here where Thais can learn from the bitter and shameful experience of racism in the United States and other societies and the hope that one day, not only black lives will matter in the US but all human lives will matter all over the world.

    https://www.khaosodenglish.com/opinion/2020/06/07/opinion-from-american-racism-to-thai-chauvinism/

  10. The family of Wanchalearm Satsaksit on Sunday called on the government and international agencies to help find the activist, who went missing after he was allegedly abducted in Phnom Penh, Cambodia last Thursday.

    Sitanan Satsaksit, the missing anti-government activist's sister, made the plea on behalf of their family.

    Mr Wanchalearm, she said, was a victim of forced disappearance, as he was abducted in broad daylight just outside of his Phnom Penh apartment last week. "It has been more than 65 hours since he disappeared, and his fate remains unknown," she said.

    "We don't have any grudges against those who committed this crime. We pray that they will free him soon. We are looking forward to his release, and we hope that this abduction will be the last case of forced disappearance," Ms Sitanan said.

    She urged state agencies and international organisations to help investigate Mr Wanchalearm's disappearance, calling the incident a "gross violation of human rights" which leaves society in fear and in despair.

    Mr Wanchalearm had been living in a self-imposed exile for more than six years, after his firm stance against the 2014 coup and resulting military rule led to harassment and other forms of threats to his life, she said.

    Rangsiman Rome, a Move Forward Party MP who is also spokesman of the House committee on legal affairs, justice and human rights, said he will ask the committee on Wednesday to consider summoning state agencies to give information on Mr Wanchalearm's disappearance.

    It will include the national police chief, commander of the Royal Thai Police's Special Branch, director-general of the Department of Consular Affairs (DCA), and head of the Protection of Thai Nationals Abroad Division under the DCA, Mr Rangsiman said.

    According to a report by anti-authoritarian media outlet Prachatai, Mr Wanchalearm -- a known critic of the government -- was dragged into a black car last Thursday by a group of armed men as he went out to buy food near his apartment.

    An AFP report said Cambodian authorities ruled out an investigation because it has yet to receive a report of the disappearance.

    A native of Ubon Ratchathani, Mr Wanchalearm was wanted by authorities for defying a National Council for Peace and Order summons to report after the 2014 coup. As he failed to show up, a warrant was issued by the military court for his arrest.

    In June 2018, police issued another warrant for his arrest, saying Mr Wanchalearm violated the Computer Crime Act by operating a Facebook page critical of the government.

    https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/politics/1930936/family-still-looking-forward-to-missing-activists-release

  11. For years Immigration has been telling us to do our 90-day "probation officer" report on line. The only problem is that 9 times out of 10, the damned link won't work.

    Now they are saying our visas and 90-day report period has been extended to 31 July. Can't you just picture the crowds descending on Immigration on that day?  :)

    Also, the government is talking about allowing the bars, MPs etc to reopen. Problem is no flights are allowed into Thailand, so it will be up to the locals and expats to go to them.

     

    • Like 1
  12. BANGKOK — Celebrities who join the growing online support for anti-racism protests in the U.S. came under fire Thursday for their perceived silence over injustice at home.
    From urging the use of live ammunition on their rival protesters to their consistent reticence in military killings of civilians, netizens said the “woke” celebs are guilty of hypocrisy because they never practiced the same advocacy for justice and human rights in their own country.
     
    “Fuck, when it comes to injustice in your own country, you’re completely silent. When it comes to injustice in a foreign country, you’re all pretentiously posting,” political commentator John Winyu wrote in a tweet reshared more than 61,000 times since Wednesday.

    In a Facebook post shared about 5,000 times since Wednesday, user Warich Noochuoy wrote that those who believed in #BlackLivesMatter should have been up in arms over a 2010 military crackdown that left 90 people dead, mostly civilians, and other killings of dissidents in Thailand.

    “If you really believed in #BlackLivesMatter, you will not forget about the kidnapping of political refugees, the death of Chaiyaphum Pasae, Den Kumlae, Billy Porlajee, Somchai Neelapaijit, and Abdullah Isomuso,” Warich wrote, referring to the names of activists believed to have died at the hands of the Thai security forces.

    He continued, “If you really believe in the concept of equality, will you ignore injustices happening right in front of you?”

    Many netizens also find ironic that celebrities who support the Black Lives Matter movement had actively participated in the 2014 protests that called for the elected government to be toppled. 

    To highlight the contradiction, user @zqvviiciiiwvvwq posted a tweet on Wednesday of celeb Metinee “Lukkade” Kingpayome during the 2014 protests next to her recent post saying “BLACK LIVES MATTER!!!”

    The account also tweeted a side-by-side of actress Daraneenuch “Top” Pasutanavin’s Instagram post supporting racial tolerance, next to her comments in 2014 when she openly celebrated the use of gunfire against rival demonstrators that year. The shooting left one person dead

    “You were the one joking and mocking when others were shot dead. Do you see Redshirts as people? Stop trying to get on the bandwagon here,” one comment says. 

    Facebook user TK Wannapamorn wrote in a post shared almost 1,000 times that those who support the Black Lives Matter movement but refuse to speak out against human rights violations in Thailand are “still discriminatory inside.”

    “If this was about some poor laborer around Rama II who used fake bills to buy stuff and then died while police were pressing down on him, would you care as much?” she wrote. “It’s the same topic of human rights and equality, except it’s about social class rather than race, or what Thailand is seeing now.”

     
  13. Drinking at a bar and having soapy sex at a massage parlor may be possible again in the next phase of lifting restrictions put in place to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

    COVID-19 task force spokesperson Taweesilp Wisanuyothin said today that such entertainment venues are being considered for the fourth phase of reopening the economy as officials have not detected local transmission in nearly two weeks.

    No date was given. He also announced that 17 new cases had been confirmed since yesterday, all involving Thais returned from abroad and placed into quarantine. Thirteen had returned from Kuwait, two from Qatar, and two from Saudi Arabia. All were brought home under a government program to repatriate thousands of Thais stranded overseas after international arrivals were banned.

    Other businesses floated for Phase Four reopening included schools, nurseries, science centers, conference rooms, film and TV production, amusement and water parks, national parks, beaches and entertainment events.

    As for bars and massage parlors, Taweesilp suggested they were far from ready to move forward.

    “I have to say I’m worried about these places because of our reports that a lot of masseuses were infected and there were super-spreader infection cases from bars in foreign countries like South Korea,” Taweesilp said. “If you want to your businesses to gain permission to reopen as quickly as possible, you have to show us how you are going to control disease spreading among 200-300 people,”

    He has recited the same report of infections spreading from a South Korean bar for the past month to argue for the ongoing prohibition of bars and alcohol sales at all restaurants, an important source of income.

    As of today, limited testing has discovered 3,101 total infections, and the death toll stands at 58.

    Cases of Thais infected in foreign countries are not expected to end anytime soon as the government is looking to increase the number of flights bringing Thais from. Students and workers with nearly expired work permits are among its priorities.

    https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/bangkoks-pubs-and-sex-parlors-a-definite-maybe-for-reopening/

    DSC02647-e1492869620792.jpg

  14. President Bush: Floyd Protests Call to Examine Nation's Failures

    Former President George W. Bush voiced his support Tuesday for demonstrators against the police death of George Floyd, while calling for Americans to examine the "tragic failures" of the United States and to push for equal justice. 

    "The only way to see ourselves in a true light is to listen to the voices of so many who are hurting and grieving," Bush said in his first statement about Floyd's death, reports The Hill. "Those who set out to silence those voices do not understand the meaning of America — or how it becomes a better place."

    He added that he and wife Laura had initially resisted speaking out because it was "time for us to listen" rather than "lecture," but said he's "anguished" by Floyd's "brutal suffocation" that occurred when a white police officer kneeled on his neck for more than 8 minutes. 

    Demonstrators, meanwhile, are showing strength when they, "protected by responsible law enforcement, march for a better future," said Bush, stressing that justice will only come through "peaceful means." 

    "Looting is not liberation, and destruction is not progress, but we also know that lasting peace in our communities requires truly equal justice," he said. "The rule of law ultimately depends on the fairness and legitimacy of the legal system, and achieving justice for all is the duty of all."

    The former president also called it a "shocking failure" in the United States that many African Americans are still harassed and threatened, and called on Americans to start a "courageous and creative effort" on inequality. 

    https://www.newsmax.com/us/bush-floyd-minnesota-police/2020/06/02/id/970233/?fbclid=IwAR2UCfXkK9agQEQClPOuXrDOJ49Jl3QDR4pV-hHNilGU1Nq-2WDIKFjnZUA

    • Thanks 1
  15. I wondered about this as soon as I read that the four cops had worked together at the nightclub.  Was this more than just a random happening?

    George Floyd and Derek Chauvin worked at same club and may have crossed paths, owner says

    George Floyd and Derek Chauvin, the former police officer charged with killing Floyd, worked security at the same local club for much of the year before their fatal encounter on a Minneapolis street last week. The owner of El Nuevo Rodeo said the two were in close proximity once a week for their Tuesday night shifts, though she did not know if they ever actually met while working at the club.

    Maya Santamaria said she had been paying Chauvin, when he was off-duty, to sit in his squad car outside El Nuevo Rodeo for 17 years. She said Floyd worked as a security guard inside the club frequently in the last year. In particular, they both worked on Tuesday nights, when the club had a popular weekly dance competition.  

    Santamaria reflected Friday evening on how her business suddenly became central to a death that sparked anguished waves of protest, first in Minneapolis and then in cities across America. Chauvin was fired from the police department last week and charged with third-degree murder for pinning Floyd by the neck. 

    She said Floyd was well known and liked by her patrons. He was "beloved in the Latin community because he worked at another Latin club too.

    When she'd check in during work, she said Floyd would ask her, "How are you?" or cheerily, "How you doing, boss lady?" 

    Outside the club — which burned down last week as protests against police violence flared into civil unrest — she'd meet with Chauvin after each shift.

    "We would wrap up at the end of the night and do a review," Santamaria said. They'd discuss the times Chauvin was called in to the club to remove a patron, or dealt with someone outside the club.

    She said employees never complained about Chauvin, but sometimes patrons would complain about how he handled them.

    Santamaria said Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has contacted her to discuss Floyd's and Chauvin's employment. She has also reached out to Floyd's family, whose attorney Benjamin Crump said Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation" that he believes Chauvin and Floyd's El Nuevo Rodeo connection means Chauvin should face tougher charges than the third-degree murder and manslaughter counts that led to his arrest on May 29.

    "That is going to be an interesting aspect to this case and hopefully upgrading these charges to first-degree murder because we believe he knew who George Floyd was," Crump said. "We think that he had intent."

    Video taken by bystanders on May 25 showed Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck for more than eight minutes while Floyd pleaded, "I can't breathe." The criminal complaint against Chauvin said Floyd was "non-responsive" for the final two minutes and 53 seconds of time Chauvin was on top of him.

    Santamaria said she wants her former employee punished.

    "We have to make Derek Chauvin an example so that police around the country realize that it's not OK, and they're not going to get away with it and there will be repercussions. Otherwise it's going to continue to happen," Santamaria said.

    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/derek-chauvin-nightclub-george-floyd-security-shifts-el-nuevo-rodeo-minneapolis/

    • Confused 1
  16. Meanwhile, back in Wuhan ...

    Backlash in China after front-line doctor dies

    The death of a front-line doctor in central China is provoking a backlash against the authorities' handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

    Dr Hu Weifeng passed away on 2 June, after a four-month fight with Covid-19.

    He made headlines in March, when his skin turned black "due to liver dysfunction" during his treatment.

    The exact cause of his death has not been made public but the news has triggered an outpouring of anger on Chinese social media sites.

    Who was Hu Weifeng?

    Dr Hu Weifeng was an urologist, who was treating patients at the Wuhan Central Hospital - where Covid-19 was originally identified.

    He tested positive for the virus in January, during the early stages of the Chinese outbreak, and was transferred to different hospitals for treatment the following two months.

    His condition initially improved in mid-March; however, he then suffered cerebral haemorrhages in late April and May.

    Dr Hu Weifeng, and a colleague, cardiologist Yi Fan, went viral in April after official media publicised their "tough battle against the virus".

    Users of the popular Sina Weibo microblog were stunned at the time to see that the pigmentation had changed in their faces, which media said "could be due to abnormal liver functions".

    The two became known as "the two black-faced Wuhan doctors", and they won nationwide praise for fighting back against the virus, as both had been critically ill.

    The Communist Youth League called them "angels who had fought with death", and Weibo users sympathised with just how much they had to endure on the front-line.

    Social media users commented at the time on how their skin was a physical "scar" that they had to live with, after fighting on China's front line.

    China Daily says that Dr Yi was only discharged on 6 May, whereas Dr Hu appeared never to recover.

    Worked at same hospital as 'whistleblower'

    Many papers, including the national Global Times newspaper, have been noting that Dr Hu "worked in the same hospital as Li Wenliang".

    Dr Li became known as China's "whistle-blower" doctor, who first warned colleagues about the virulence of the virus back in late December.

    His death sparked national outrage, as it became clear that the authorities had tried to silence him by giving him a reprimand.

    It is unclear whether the two knew each other, as the two doctors worked in different departments. There are reportedly more than 4,200 hospital employees at the Wuhan Central Hospital.

    It's also unclear whether they could have caught the virus off one another - both Li Wenliang and Hu Weifeng contracted the virus in mid-January, but Global Times says that some 68 members of staff tested positive for Covid-19, and more than 200 underwent medical observation.

    The reaction to Dr Hu Weifeng's death, however, has been similar to that of Dr Li Wenliang's: pure anger.

    The cause of his death has not been made public; however, Global Times says that "his situation was severe and he became emotionally unstable".

    Tens of thousands of Sina Weibo users have used the hashtag #WuhanCentralHospitalDoctorHuWeifengPassesAway. While many are posting candle emojis - a common practice to mark the respects of anyone who has died - others are questioning how he died, and are calling for top officials at the hospital to be sacked.

    "When will the leaders of the Wuhan Central Hospital be held accountable?" one user asked. "This is the fifth medical worker to pass away at the Wuhan Central Hospital due to the coronavirus," another said.

    The anti-establishment newspaper Epoch Times, which is blocked in mainland China, says that senior staff at the hospital "severely suppressed the early warnings [of Covid-19] to medical staff, and forced them to be exposed to huge cases of the virus without protection".

    Some Weibo users are dismissing Dr Hu's "instability", and questioning how the hospital's leadership team are feeling.

    Concerns about transparency

    There are also many on Weibo questioning the transparency of the hospital's data, following Dr Hu's death.

    "Hadn't the patients in Wuhan been cleared a long time ago?" one Weibo user asks, receiving more than 400 likes.

    This has led to alarm that there may still be many patients undergoing treatment for health problems that are a direct consequence of Covid-19, but have since tested negative.

    On 27 April, the National Health Commission said that Wuhan had discharged all of its coronavirus patients.

    There were more than 50,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Wuhan. And the Wuhan Central Hospital was one of the worst affected hospitals.

    The official Xinhua news agency says that "the number of deaths and the infection rate were the highest of any Wuhan hospital" during China's outbreak.

     

    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-52897017

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