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nationmultimedia.com SATURDAY, June 9, 2018 20 PAGES, 2 SECTIONS, VOLUME 42, NO 55524 / Bt30

NLA apologises
after lawmakers
caught napping
THE NATION

TWO LEGISLATORS caught nodding off during

a serious discussion involving the Bt3-trillion
national budget were actually hardworking law-
makers who fell asleep because of their poor health,
National Legislative Assembly (NLA) vice presi-
dent Peerasak Phochit said yesterday.
Peerasak, who is in charge of NLA’s professional
ethics, said their behaviour was not a serious
enough breach of professional ethics to warrant
their removal.
The two NLA members – Air Chief Marshal
Charlie Chanruang and Thamrong
Thatsananchalee – had been captured dozing off
by media cameras when the NLA was debating the
national budget on Thursday. Prime Minister
Prayut Chan-o-cha took part in the discussions and
spent some 90 minutes defending the plan.
The leaked photos raised questions among
the public whether the coup-installed legisla-
ture was working hard enough and in the pub-

NATION/CHALINEE THIRASUPA
lic interest while members were drawing a
monthly salary of at least Bt113,560 over the past
four years.
Peerasak apologised for the incident. “I under-
stand the public sentiment and opinion that it was
an important legislation and the NLA should have
been more hardworking. So, I have to apologise,”
he said.
He insisted the two had been working hard, A whale created from plastic waste with many plastic bags inside its stomach is shown at the World Oceans Day exhibition at Siam Paragon yesterday, highlighting the threat to rare marine
going out in the field to meet people, but right now animals from plastic waste in the seas.
they were suffering from some poor health condi-
tions. Charlie recently had a heart surgery while
Thamrong had also been ill, he explained.

Sinking SPECIES
PLASTIC POLLUTION AND UNSUSTAINABLE FISHING in the harmful fishing equipment and died.

PRACTICES A THREAT TO MANY MARINE SPECIES; GOVT

Legislators fall asleep during an assembly that
debated the Bt3-trillion national budget.
Also, they were not asleep while the PM was
presenting the budget plan, the NLA vice presi-
dent said. They fell asleep only when other leg-
islators were debating the issue, he added.
NLA heads had discussed the matter and con-
cluded that they would seek cooperation from
members but were unlikely to issue regulations
or measures to specifically direct how they work,
he said.
In a separate interview yesterday, Prayut said
he had kept a record of everything. Those found
sleeping during the meeting would not get any
positions in the future, he said.
“I have already sent the photos to the NLA
president [Pornpetch Vichitcholchai]. He has
already seen them and probably will find out what
happened,” Prayut said.
Clearly upset about the incident, the PM said
he would rather see the media pay attention to
how he had presented the case for the Bt3-tril-
lion budget than on NLA members taking a nap
during the assembly.
The two legislators involved declined to dis-
cuss the issue.
Charlie said he would rather not clarify any-
thing. He did say, however, that he wasn’t both-
ered his inappropriate photo was in the news and
he was firm about continuing as an NLA mem-
ber. Thamrong refused to talk to the press, say-
ing he was in a meeting.
SPENDING BT1.2 BN UNDER PLAN TO TACKLE CRISIS
PRATCH RUJIVANAROM
THE NATION
THE SURVIVAL OF rare marine species in
Thailand is seriously threatened, as shown
by the dwindling overall population of
endangered animals such as sea turtles,
dugongs, and whale sharks in recent years.
On World Ocean Day yesterday,
experts identified plastic pollution and
unsustainable fishing as the major reasons
for the rapid reduction in the number of
these endangered marine animals. There
was an uproar after recent media reports
of the tragic deaths of some animals due
to plastic pollution.
The Thai government is investing Bt1.2
billion on a five-year plan to tackle marine
waste problems and save rare marine
species from extinction within a week of
the death of a pilot whale in Songkhla
province after swallowing eight kilograms
of plastic bags. The death made global
headlines and also rang alarm bells on the
seriousness of the threat of plastic pollu-
tion.
On Thursday, a green turtle died due
to marine debris in Rayong. A team of vet-
erinarians found that it had consumed
large quantities of plastic waste and other
garbage, which clogged its digestive sys-
tem and led to its death.
Thailand’s leading aquatic animal vet-
erinarian Dr Nantarika Chansue said the
deaths of marine animals from consum-
ing plastic waste had been a recurring
problem in recent years.
“Death from consuming plastic is tragic
and agonising for marine animals. These
animals are not dying instantly, but it caus-
es sicknesses, bringing about a slow and
painful death,” Nantarika said.
She said plastic waste in the sea is one of
the main threats to many marine species,
especially sea turtles. Plastic is very similar
to jellyfish in the eyes of these animals, so
they end up consuming plastic, which even-
tually leads to their death.
“In most cases that we have seen, the ani-
mals’ stomachs were full of garbage, because
plastic disrupted food absorption and made
them eat more and more plastic,” she said.
“Death was caused not only by plastic
clogging the digestive system, we found that
in many cases the enzymes in the animals’
stomach digested plastic and released toxic
chemicals, causing the animals to die from
chemical toxicity.”
Nantarika stressed that the problem of
plastic waste was a result of human activi-
ties. She warned that extinction of many
marine species would be inevitable unless
swift action was taken to prevent and tack-
le plastic pollution in the ocean.
Data from the Department of Marine and
Coastal Resources (DMCR) revealed that
during the five years from 2009 to 2014, the
number of dugongs in Thailand had reduced
from 240 to 200, while the number of sea
turtle nests had declined rapidly from 502
MARINE ANIMALS She suggested that the fishermen should
have more awareness about the preservation
ON THE EDGE of rare marine species and use fishing equip-
Facing pressures from plastic pollution, ment that was safer for these animals
marine debris and destructive fishing, instead.
Thailand’s rare marine species are The threats to the survival of rare marine
disappearing fast. animals in Thailand and the severity of plas-
tic pollution have not been ignored by the
Number of adult sea turtles authorities, Thon Thamrongnawasawat, a
national reform and strategy committee
502 member and leading marine biologist,
400 354 insisted. He revealed that the government
329 had already allocated Bt1.2 billion for a five-
year plan to deal with these urgent issues in
the national reform plans.
Thon said under the five-year plan to
2007 2014 2009 2014
tackle plastic problems in the sea, the gov-
ernment would invest Bt120 million to
Population Number
establish a Marine Debris Disposal Centre
of nests to clean up plastic waste from Thai waters
with an annual budget of Bt20 million in the
Number of dugongs first five years.
240 200 The government also had allocated
Bt360 million for academic research and
campaigns on tackling plastic waste, he said.
Meanwhile, Bt620 million will be spent
2009 2014 on efforts to save and study endangered
Population marine species and fund the work of veteri-
Sources: Marine and Coastal NATION GRAPHICS narian teams.
Resources Department “The government is investing such a large
sum of money in order to achieve two chal-
to 329. Another set of data from DMCR lenging goals – of reducing marine debris by
showed that some 33,900 to 50,000 tonnes 50 per cent within 10 years, and increasing
of plastic waste from Thailand ended up in the survival rate of stranded marine animals
the sea every year. by 90 per cent,” he said.
Nantarika added that destructive fishing “These efforts are proof that the author-
equipment and unsustainable fishing were ities are taking these problems seriously, so
also harming the survival of rare marine we urge everyone to work together on these
animals, as in many cases the turtles, whales, efforts to keep our sea clean and preserve our
or in the latest case a whale shark, get trapped endangered marine animals.”

Leaders’ summit to give French investments a big boost

WICHIT CHAITRONG
THE NATION
FRENCH INVESTORS have started
using Thailand as a business hub in the
Mekong region and are placing high
hopes on the meeting of the two lead-
ers – Prime Minister General Prayut
Chan-o-cha and French President
Emmanuel Macron – in Paris later this
month.
While Japanese investors have long
used Thailand as their main invest-
ment target in the region, it is only
recently that the French and others
have started following suit as they see
Thailand’s potential as a springboard
for investing in neighbouring coun-
tries, say French investors who live
here. Those other countries include
Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and
Vietnam, collectively known as CLMV.
“We will expand our business in the
region along with Amata Corp, our
business partner,” Arnaud Bialecki,
counter president of the Sodexo
(Thailand) Ltd, yesterday told The
Nation. He was speaking on the side-
lines of a conference entitled
“Thailand, Business Hub of the
Mekong Region” jointly hosted by the
French Foreign Trade Advisers, the
French Embassy, the Franco-Thai
Chamber of Commerce and Business
France.
Bialecki said his service businesses
– building and factory maintenance,
cleaning and food for hospitals and
schools – had grown rapidly this year
and was expected to expand 30 per
cent as a result of the company enter-
ing into a joint venture with Amata
Corp, the leading industrial estate
developer, three years ago.
Currently, the company serves cus-
tomers around Thailand and provides
liberalised many businesses in the EEC
region but this market liberalisation
should expand to other parts of the
country, he suggested.
services for about 50 factories between Asean and Europe, Thailand is the region’s true hub. A key challenge for Thailand is
at the Amata industrial estate he said. “Traditionally, French investors have increasing its pool of qualified work-
in Chon Buri and Rayong Bialecki also believes that always gone to Hong Kong and ers, said Dupont. This is partly due to
provinces. The company has Airbus, the giant aeroplane Singapore [for investment] as they saw Thailand having full employment,
the potential to expand servic- manufacturer, will decide to those two economies as regional hubs,” leading to a shortage of qualified peo-
es to 500 factories and it plans invest in an aircraft mainte- said Dupont. ple, he said. Unemployment in
to expand into other countries nance, repair and overhaul “Japanese investors have long been Thailand is currently just 1.2 per cent.
such as Vietnam, where Amata (MRO) centre in the EEC. using Thailand as a hub, so the French Meanwhile, Kan Trakulhoon,
operates industrial parks, he BIALECKI There are two challenges fac- should do likewise,” he said. director of the Siam Cement group,
said. ing investors in the region: the He went further, saying that has been telling French investors that
The high foreign interest in the inconvenient cross-border customs Japanese investors use Thailand not Thailand’s spend on research and
Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) will procedure and an underdeveloped only as a hub for CLMV, but also for development will reach 1 per cent of
also contribute to his company’s rapid infrastructure. However, investors Australia and the larger region. gross domestic product this year, up
growth in the next few years, he said. should not wait for everything to be He also praised the EEC initiative from 0.78 per cent of GDP in 2016.
With Prayut scheduled to visit place – they should invest early in order as a big step for Thailand and revealed He also projected R&D spending
Macron later this month, Bialecki to reap large benefits later, he argued. that one French company plans to would reach 1.5 per cent of GDP by
said he expected the meeting Alexandre Dupont, president of the build a factory to manufacture aircraft 2021. The private sector now spends
between the two leaders to further Franco-Thai Chamber of Commerce, parts in the EEC. more on R&D than the public sector,
boost confidence. also has high hopes for the leader’ He also called on the Thai govern- he said. “When R&D spending reach-
The two sides were also expected meeting and expects it to lead to a con- ment to liberalise the services and pro- es 1 per cent of GDP, it will change
to renegotiate a free trade agreement viction among French investors that fessional sectors. The government has Thailand,” he added.
 AROUND THAILAND
2A

THE NATION Saturday, June 9, 2018

WANTED – AND GONE
Israeli sought over Australian
tourist stabbing in Pattaya
Pattaya police are seeking an arrest war-
rant for an Israeli tourist who is accused of
stabbing an Australian man in a Pattaya
nightclub – but it seems they are already too
late.
Pol Captain Sombat Kaewmoolsuk said
Jaydon Sienkiewicz, 21, was severely injured
in his abdomen at 4am on Thursday and was
rushed to Pattaya Hospital.
Jansri, 32, and Kordat Tawan, 49 and said
police had seized 36,755 methamphetamine
pills, a loaded handgun and 8.36 grams of
crystal methamphetamine.
“The arrest came after police first arrest-
ed Sayan which led to the arrest of Boonchai,”
Tharatcha said. “Boonchai told police that
he had bought methamphetamine pills from
Wirat and some crystal methamphetamine
as well. Wirat told police that he bought
methamphetamine pills from Kordat.
“Police arrested Kordat at a palm oil plan-
tation in Krabi and found 36,000 metham-
The brother of Apassara Chobthonglang, phetamine pills which had been stored in
53, summoned police in Chakkarat district many areas adjacent to a mountain in the
to the house at 6.30am after finding her dead plantation.”
in bed with a large knife wound across the Tharatcha said the pills had a wholesale
face and a cut on one arm. price of Bt70 per pill and a street value of
A doctor estimated she’d been dead for Bt200 per pill.
about two hours. The brother, Suchart He added: “Sadly, there are simply more
Chobthonglan, who lives nearby, said his drug users due to the decreasing price.” – The
nine-year-old daughter woke him to report Thaiger
that her aunt was unwell and bleeding.
Apassara lived with her niece. Her hus-
band works in Bangkok. CHASED AND KILLED
Police suspect a burglar climbed in
through a window and woke the victim,
Motorcyclist dies, girlfriend injured

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE TWIT TER ACCOUNT OF @JS100RADIO

Security video showed Sienkiewicz was
sitting at a table in the Mix Discotheque
when the Israeli tourist walked in with his
girlfriend. It showed the Australian grabbing
the bottom of the Israeli’s girlfriend, lead-
ing to a dispute after which the Israeli pulled
a knife and stabbed the Australian, despite
his girlfriend trying to stop him.
Sombat summoned club staff for ques-
tioning in order to get the information he
needed for an arrest warrant – but told
reporters police had already learned from the
Immigration Bureau that the suspect had
fled the country.
though he apparently fled without stealing
anything. after tragic end to police pursuit
A motorcyclist was killed and his girl-
WEEDING THEM OUT friend injured when he crashed into a con-
crete kilometre marker while speeding
against the traffic flow in an effort to elude
a police chase early yesterday.
Police said the crash occurred on the
Rayong-Krathing Lai road in Tambon
Tapma in Rayong’s Muang district at 4am.
Arak Kanitchaidecha, 32, died of a bro-
ken neck. His girlfriend, Sirilak Poolprae, 36,
suffered a broken left ankle.

CHEF SHOCK
Woman chef falls to her
death from Bangkok condo
A woman fell to her death from the 23rd
floor of a Bangkok condominium yesterday
morning, in what is believed to have been a
suicide.
Makkasan police, summoned at 10am,
found the body of Dara Datchanee, 41,
behind a condominium in the RCA area of
Huay Kwang district.
Dara was the chef at a well-known restau-
rant at the Central EastVille shopping mall.
Police determined she lived on the 23rd
floor and found no signs of foul play on the
premises.
DEAD IN BED
Korat woman stabbed to death
in bed in attempted burglary
A burglar is suspected of stabbing a
woman to death in her bed in Nakhon
Ratchasima yesterday morning.
Police aim to visit 3,900 members of
‘organic marijuana’ Facebook page
Police have vowed to track down and take
legal action against more than 3,900 members
of a closed Facebook group that encourages
members to grow so-called “organic marijua-
na”.
Pol Maj-General Panumart Boonyalak,
commander of the Patrol and Special
Operation Division (191), made the threat dur-
ing a press conference on Thursday to
announce the arrest of three suspects.
Panumart identified the three arrested ear-
lier this week as Nattapong Sawetwiharnree,
37, Panuwat Thianprapas, 37, and Resnarin
Chutipichian, 30. Police also seized 1.61 kilo-
grams of dried marijuana, 40 cubic centime-
tres of hashish, and 21 marijuana plants.
Panumart said the case began when officers
learned that home-grown marijuana, which
sellers called “organic marijuana”, was being
distributed in Bangkok, especially in the area
under the jurisdiction of the Chokechai police
station.
Police traced a buyer and arrested
Nattapong at his house in Pathum Thani’s
Thanya Buri district, after which police learned
that he sold the drug through a Facebook group
called “Let’s Grow Marijuana Version 2”.
Police checked the group and traced two
more sellers, Panuwat and Resnarin, and
arrested them.
The suspects said they ordered marijuana
seeds from England at the price of Bt500 to
Bt600 per seed and grew them for more seeds
and to sell plants, dried marijuana and hashish.
Police have now acquired the names of the
3,900 group members and will investigate
RENOVATION DISASTER
App Arena pub damaged as fire sweeps through premises
A pub in one of central Bangkok’s night entertainment complexes has suffered
serious damage after fire swept through the premises.
The blaze occurred at App Arena Rama 9 in Soi Rama IX, opposite the Royal City
Avenue hub of nightclubs in Huai Khwang, according to the Bangkok-based Traffic
News Radio Station JS100. Pol Captain Praphan Pithaksa, deputy
Firefighters took less than 30 minutes to bring the fire under control, but not inspector of the Muang Rayong station, said
before part of the ceiling and wall at the rear of the premises had collapsed. The he saw Arak turn around his bike and speed
building was in the process of being renovated at the time. off against the traffic flow in order to avoid
a drunk-driving checkpoint staffed by
Praphan.
whether they have bought marijuana plants to day, police said. Friends alerted police, who Police at the checkpoint gave chase before
grow at home, added Pol Colonel Somboon went to the rented room on Soi Phaholyothin the accident occurred in front of the Central
Thiankhao, an officer at the division. 36 in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district at 2am but Rayong shopping mall.
were too late to save Wannaporn Onsriprai, 26. Arak was not wearing a crash helmet.
She was found hanging from an iron grill His girlfriend told police that Arak was
GOING OFF LINE on the balcony of her rented room. driving her home in Muang district from his
Police said Wannaporn’s tomboy ex-part- home near Ban Pe beach. She said he had
ner had left her on Thursday evening after they been drinking with friends before setting
had lived together for about a year. out on the motorcycle, according to police.
Witnesses told police they last saw
Wannaporn drinking beer alone at around
midnight. CHEATED BY FAMILY
MYSTERY MURDER Urgent help arrives for sick
Bangkok couple facing eviction
Building supplies shop owner shot Several agencies are helping a couple
dead in Pattani, motive unknown being evicted from their home after their
land was mortgaged by a relative.
Woman hangs herself after The owner of a building supplies shop in Former information and communication
video goodbye call to friends Pattani’s Nong Chik district has been shot dead. technology minister Anudith Nakhonthap,
Ismail Doloh, 33, was gunned down on Chainarong Putchakarn, chairman of the
A woman made a video call to her Line Thursday while riding his motorcycle on a vil- Mother of the Land Foundation for Sai Mai,
friends to say goodbye and then hanged her- lage road in Tambon Don Rak. and officials from the Social Development
self at her Bangkok rented room early yester- Police said the gunman was waiting by the and Human Security Ministry and the Sai
side of the road and fired at Ismail as he passed Mai district visited the couple at their house
by. Police have yet to determine whether the in the Or Ngern subdistrict of Bangkok’s Sai

Surat Thani school head probed for wrongdoing
SUWANNEE BANDISAK,
SEKSANTI KANLAYANAWISUT
THE NATION
THE EDUCATION Ministry will start investigating the
former director of the Ban Tha Mai School in Suran
Thani province next week for alleged grave disciplinary
offences.
Somchao Sittichen, who was transferred out of
the school’s helm on June 1, risks being sacked without
pension benefits if found guilty.
His alleged wrongdoing drew the attention of
higher authorities after someone posted a video clip
on the Internet showing students at the Ban Tha Mai
School in the Tha Chana district eating Thai vermicelli
with just fish sauce for lunch.
The poor meal suggested that something was
amiss at the school.
Under regulations, schools must provide rice with
two side dishes plus a dessert or fruit.
Lt-General Kosol Prathumchart, an adviser to
Education Minister Teerakiat Jareonsettasin, yester-
day inspected the school alongside several senior
education officials to dig deeper into the matter.
Some junior teachers wept as they told the inspection team of how
Somchao forced them to sign their acceptance of various works for the
school and documents using “creative accounting”.
“You have no need to fear. Please tell us everything,” Kosol said.
The inspecting team said the teachers’ testimony would count in the
investigation against Somchao.
Jakkarin Apisamai, deputy director of Surat Thani’s Primary Educational
Services Area 2 Office, said Somchao was now accused of engaging in 10
wrongdoings.
“Five of them are offences of a serious nature,” he said.
According to Jakkarin, corruption over lunchtime
meals is just one of the serious allegations against
Somchao. Others include substandard road construc-
tion for schools, channelling school funds to his own
pocket, and having just six electricity poles erected for
the school while in fact the school should have got
eight poles.
Songwut Maliwan, deputy director of the Fund for
School Lunch Office, said he had heard that because
current teachers at the Ban Tha Mai School were
much younger than Somchao, they did not argue with
him.
“Another factor that allowed Somchao to steal
lunch money is the fact that the Education Ministry no
longer conducts random checks on lunch quality,” he
said.
Meanwhile, parents yesterday officially called on
the Udon Thani Primary Education Services Area 4
Office seeking the transfer of Ban That Prachanukul
School director Kanlaya Phontura.
Kanlaya, who has helmed the school since 2015, is
now accused of inefficiency and inappropriate behav-
iour.
“We have noticed that the school has now reduced
the lunch budget by 25 per cent,” said Prakai Luenkaew. “Food that is sup-
posed to be for children is also shared with teachers.”
Prakai, moreover, said from the time Kanlaya had headed the school,
every student was required to pay Bt1 for drinking water.
“Only students in Anubarn 2 level do not have to pay because their
teachers offer to pay for them,” she said.
The Udon Thani Primary Education Services Area 1 Office has promised
to investigate.
“We will set up a fact-finding committee within seven days,” the office’s
deputy director Prasit Chaiwong said.
shooting was an insurgency act or a murder
motivated by personal conflict.
Mai district yesterday morning.
They got involved after Sumol Boonyuen,
the local chairwoman of the Mother of the
Land fund, found out about their plight and
CHEAP CRIME sought help from the fund and Anudith, a
former MP for Sai Mai district.
The couple were identified as Somsak
30,000 yaba pills seized; drugs Phojad, 64, and Bamrung Phojad, 60. They
are rife due to declining prices said they had four children but two died and
two others had moved away to have their
Four drug dealers have been arrested with own families.
more than 30,000 methamphetamine pills. Somsak could not walk because of an
The use of the drug is on the rise through- infected foot, while his wife is suffering from
out Thailand, due to decreasing prices and asthma and her only income comes from
increased availability. selling sweets at a temple once every fort-
Krabi Provincial Police Deputy night on Buddhist worship day.
Commander Colonel Tharatcha Tommapat Bamrung said Somsak’s condition wors-
named the four drug dealers as Sayan ened and he ate less after he learned from
Kanantai, 44, Boonchai Matosot, 30, Wirat his sister, who lives in another house, that
she had mortgaged their land and the new
owner had sent a lawyer to evict them.
Anudith gave Somsak a walking stick,
money and bags of necessities as immediate
relief.
He said he would coordinate with
Apichart Ploysangwal, director of Bhumibol
Hospital, to take Somsak for treatment until
his foot healed.
Officials from the district office and the
ministry said they would evaluate their liv-
ing conditions to provide them sustainable
measures to help and register them for
allowances.

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 THE NATION Saturday, June 9, 2018 THAILAND 3A

No clues over slaying of Muslims Eight Rohingya

abandoned as
smuggler panics
HARDLINE MILITANTS OR RIVAL GOLD PANNING
GROUP SEEN AS POSSIBLE PERPETRATORS KRISSANA THIWATSIRIKUL
THE NATION

THE NATION
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
POLICE INVESTIGATORS are
investigating two possible motives
for the massacre of four members of
a Muslim family while panning for
gold at a canal in Narathiwat
province on Thursday, Sukhirin
superintendent Pol Colonel
Chaiwat Panboonthong said yester-
day.
Police were alerted at 9pm on
Thursday of the murders at Sai Buri
canal in Ban Nam Tok village in
Tambon Sukhirin, Sukhirin district.
The four victims were identified as
Mayusoh Bado, 49, his two sons
Hillme Bado, 23, and Muhamad
to inspect the massacre scene A SUSPECTED smuggler has aban-
again at 10am. Gunshot wounds to doned eight Rohingya he was
the head and torso were apparent- transporting in a pickup truck after
ly inflicted by M16 rifles, he said, trying to back away from a check-
noting that officers had collected 18 point in Nakhon Si Thammarat’s
spent cartridges from the scene, and Chian Yai district and crashing into
there appeared to be two assailants. another vehicle yesterday. The
Narathiwat police commander truck was in no state to be driven
Pol Maj-General Manus Sixsamat further so the suspect fled the
earlier gave similar details to scene just before officers reached
Agence France-Presse, noting that the spot, leaving behind the eight
the victims were shot by “war Rohingya – five females and three
weapons” and police did not yet males.
know the exact motive. A 20-year-old Rohingya man
“But they may have been shot by told police via an interpreter that
hard-line militants ... or by a rival each of them had paid 3,000,000
group of gold panners,” he said. Myanmar kyat (about Bt70,000)
to an agent to be transported out
of Sittwe city in Rakhine state to

Hadis Bado, 16, as well as his son-
in-law Maroshadi Poh, 36.
Their relatives had already col-
lected the bodies from Sukhirin
Hospital’s morgue for the burial cer-
emony.
The murders could have
stemmed from the regional unrest,
as the other side of the canal from
where the men were panning, over-
lapped Chanae district where armed
insurgents operate, said Chaiwat.
Or there may have been a
conflict over the gold panning if the
outsiders were viewed as encroach-
ing on gold belonging to locals,
he added as he led forensic officers
No illegal activities
Internal Security Operations
Command Region 4 front command
spokesman, Colonel Pramote
Phrom-in, told a press conference
in Pattani yesterday that an initial
probe failed to find a link between
the victims and any illegal activities
or national security offences in the
area. He also offered condolences to
the deceased men’s families.
Their relatives told police that the
four went to mine for gold at the canal
during the day and did not return
home to participate in the post-sun-
set Ramadan fast-breaking meal.
The relatives had asked a male
Family members and relatives hold a burial ritual yesterday for the four Muslim men who were shot dead while panning for
gold at a canal in Narathiwat’s Sukhirin district on Thursday.
neighbour to go looking for them and
he had found their bodies.
It was reported that the men, rid-
ing on two motorcycles for the gold
panning mission, used a small
machine to suck up sand from the
stream bed to later examine by hand
for specks of gold.
Gold panning is not a major busi-
ness in southern Thailand but flecks
N AT I O N / C H A R O O N T H O N G N UA L
Malaysia. The young man said he
and seven others crossed the natu-
ral borderline into Thailand with-
out going through the immigration
procedure. He said about 12 others
had travelled in a different direc-
tion.
The group of eight took a bus to
an unfamiliar meeting point before
the Thai smuggler picked them up
in the truck at 7pm on Thursday
and seized their cellphones. They
of the precious metal appear during had been travelling in the truck for
heavy rains in some remote streams, 12 hours heading to Songkhla’s
providing a small bonus income for border district of Sadao before
the area’s rubber tappers and farm- police intercepted them.
ers. Karaket Police Station inspector
Pol Lt-Colonel Yanyong
Hiranburana said officers had not

Round 3 of university entry complete as more than 58,000 confirm seats

THE NATION
MORE THAN 80,000 students
have secured seats in higher-edu-
cational programmes of their choic-
es via the third round of the Thai
University Admission System
(TCAS).
However, just 58,075 of them
have confirmed their right to take
the seats.
“Up to 9,922 applicants to the
third round of TCAS have not
entered the TCAS system to do any-
thing within the timeframe given,
thus losing the right to take the
seats,” Council of University
Presidents of Thailand (CUPT)
president Suchatvee Suwansawat
said yesterday. “The rest have
declined their right to the seats
offered.”
Universities have offered as
many as 100,334 seats via the third
round of the TCAS, but only 80,554
have met their criteria.
Over 100,00 students have reg-
istered themselves in the third
round.
Applications for fourth round
Launched for the first time this
year, TCAS features five rounds.
Those who have already got a seat
in an earlier round of TCAS cannot
move to the next round.
The first round selected success-
ful applicants solely based on their
portfolios.
The second round involves quota
seats for specific groups of students,
such as sports talents or those liv-
ing in the chosen institute’s home
region.
The third round relies on scores
from exams held at the same time
by higher-educational institutes.
yet filed any charges against the
detained Rohingya people pending
a further screening by a multiple-
disciplinary team that looks for
The fourth and the fifth rounds human trafficking victims.
will begin soon, with different cri- The roadside spot on Highway
teria. No 48 where the truck was inter-
“Applications for the fourth cepted is only 10 kilometres away
round will be accepted between from the scene where Hua Sai
June 12 and 16,” Suchatvee said. police had on January 11, 2015
To date, more than 180,000 rounded up 100 Rohingya people
university applicants had been along with their smugglers. That
accepted for a seat at their favourite mass arrest led to the subsequent
higher-educational programmes crackdown on a major human traf-
during the first three rounds of ficking gang in Thailand.
TCAS.

Siriraj to host events for the ageing

in effort to prepare country for future
2< <PEĊ
RACHANON CHAROONSAK
THE NATION
SIRIRAJ HOSPITAL will be holding major events
for Thailand’s elderly population and related med-
ical staff in the next two months.
“We have to make good preparations, as Thailand
will be an aged society in the next few years.
“Simply put, more than 20 per cent of
Thais will be more than 60 years old by
then,” Professor Dr Prasit Watanapa,
dean of Mahidol University’s Faculty of
Medicine Siriraj Hospital, said at a press
conference yesterday.
“We should strive to ensure healthy
ageing,” he said.
The press conference was called to
inform people about upcoming
events.
The “Siriraj International Conference
and Public Health 2018 (SICMPH 2018)
will run from August 1 to August 3 in
the Siriraj Hospital compound.
This is part of an academic seminar
that aims to boost the quality of life of DR PRASIT
elderly Thais.
“We expect more than 2,500 participants,” Prasit
said.
Distinguished foreigners and prominent Thai
academics such as Professor Dr Pramote Prasartkul
of the Institute for Population and Social Research,
and Dr Banlu Siriphanit, the first to have attended
D2?M5'@"5-F- -<
the World Assembly of Ageing, will be among the
speakers.
“The conference will present more than 100
speakers and cover more than 70 interesting topics
on the elderly,” Professor Prasert Assantachai, the
deputy dean of the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj
Hospital, said yesterday in his capacity as the aca-
demic head of the organising committee.
At the conference that takes up the
theme of “Moving forward through an
Aged Society”, experts from various fields
will be able to share their knowledge to
support better care for the elderly.
Research presented at the event may
also inspire future research for the įĭĺĵĩĶŁ ĪĺĩłıĴ ĩĺįĭĶļıĶĩ
development of elderly-themed innova- D*5+)9! "+:<- 5:+čD!<!:
tions.
Medical staff aged over 60 can attend
this international academic conference
free of charge.
Another event, which will run from
July 31 to August 5 at Siriraj Hospital
targets members of the public.
During the event, elderly people can
receive basic health check-ups for blood ĭĶįĴĩĶĬ ļİĩıĴĩĶĬ ĮĺĩĶīĭ
pressure, cholesterol level, stress and the 59 ,1 H* %+9LD02
strength of their blood vessels.
Clinics about nutrition and medical knowledge
will also be held, and one booth will educate smokers
on how to give up smoking.
Several organisations will join this event so as to
offer holistic healthcare to the elderly.

ĻĸĩıĶ ĺĽĻĻıĩ IJĩĸĩĶ

2D#! +92D=* =L#@Ą!
Thai-made road watch system catches law Ļ ī ĩ Ķ  ĵ ĭ
äD!?M5$Ċ:ĸŗŔšōśŜōŚa``ū
violators, saves more than Bt15 million äDF!F-*=5-:*E""ıŖŜōŚŔŗŋœ
äD!?M5$Ċ:!@ĉ)D":+8":*5: :0HĊ=
MONGKHONCHAOWARAT TANGMANGMEE added. The Naresuan University’s team started devel- ä2<!Ċ:-<
2< <P'@"5-F- @ <M!8A "++@
THE NATION oping the system in 2016. īİıĶĩ G2ĉ@-:*ĮıĮĩĿŗŚŔŌīŝŘĺŝśśőʼnb`ah
ĮĩĿŗŚŔŌīŝŘĺŝśśőʼnb`ah
PHITSANULOK To date, two private firms have also bought the =!

&< D01
rights to use the system.
DEVELOPED by Thailand, a smart traffic-police system One has used the system to detect Phuket motorcy-
is now watching over Bangkok’s roads round the clock, clists and motorcycle passengers who fail to wear a
?M555!H-!čHĊD-*=L Ů# <di`":ů
detecting illegal lane changes and issuing tickets to
offenders – all automatically.
“It streamlines the work process and prevents any
disruption to traffic flow, which could otherwise occur if
traffic policemen had to stop the offending vehicle on
sight,” Naresuan University’s lecturer Woralak
Kongdenfha said at a press conference yesterday after
+::9/-8bi`":
crash helmet.
The other has used the system to detect lane
changes in Bangkok.
“Initially, we installed cameras inside traffic-police ĶśŜŗŚōŴŖōŜ
dummies but soon found that cameras there could be
stolen,” Woralak said. “So, we have chosen to install
cameras in a high spot at an angle that can best cap-

her team spent more than three years developing the
innovative system.
And there’s a bonus to the system: the cameras are
92ĉ2<!Ċ:9MEĉ/9!=Lae)<Ŵ*ŴfaD#đ!Ċ!H#ŰD+=*:)-;9"</
ture the licence plate number of a law-offending vehi-
cle,” she said.
The technology, which has won an award from the
so good that they can also help detect stolen vehicles
and thus help catch car thieves.
“We are going to develop the system further so as to
boost the chance of preventing car thefts,” Woralak
29L52<!Ċ:HĊ9MEĉ/9!!=Mųa ŴŴfaDĉ:!9M!
Thailand Research Fund, has reportedly helped the
country save more than Bt15 million.
“Without this innovation, Thailand might still have
to rely on an imported system,” Woralak said.
 INSIGHT 4A THE NATION Saturday, June 9, 2018
nationmultimedia.com
www.facebook.com/NationNews

A Southeast Asian
approach to N Korea
ANNA FIFIELD
THE WASHINGTON POST
MANY COUNTRIES IN THE REGION ARE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE SANCTIONS APPROACH OF MAXIMUM PRESSURE
PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA

MAXIMUM PRESSURE is techni-

cally still in effect against North
Korea, despite the current frenzy of
diplomacy.
But it was more like “maximum
leisure” at the Pyongyang Restaurant
in Phnom Penh on a recent night. The
place was packed with more than 100
Chinese tourists washing down $38
(Bt1,200) plates of fish with $70 bot-
tles of North Korean liquor. They
rushed to present bouquets of flow-
ers to, and take selfies with, the North
Korean singers belting out Chinese
ballads.
The North Korean state-run
restaurant, which should have been
shut down under sanctions, was reel-
ing in the cash. American cash. When
a guest asked to pay in Cambodian
currency, the waitress said the restau-
rant accepted only US dollars.
Across town, five North Korean
soccer players were playing for
Visakha, a club in Cambodia’s top
football division, despite sanctions
banning North Korean labour
exports. They probably earn between
$2,000 and $5,000 a month for the
regime, according to one foreign play-
er.

A N N A F I F I E L D / T H E WA S H I N G T O N P O S T
But on the field, no one cared
where they were from. “In soccer, we
just play,” said Hok Sochivoan, the
Visakha coach. “We don’t talk about
politics or our differences.”
Meanwhile, up at Siem Reap, close
to the ancient ruins of Angkor Wat,
the Angkor Panorama Museum was
open for business. It was built by the
Mansudae Overseas Project Group,
linked to the North Korean state’s
main propaganda studio, for a report-
ed $24 million in 2015.
The nonaligned countries of
Southeast Asia, from Malaysia and
Indonesia to Cambodia and Vietnam,
have never been fans of a sanctions-
based approach like the “maximum
pressure” campaign that President
Donald Trump has been waging
against North Korea.
That approach could change if the
summit between Trump and North
Korean leader Kim Jong-un, sched-
uled to be held in Singapore on June
12, takes place. If a denuclearisation
deal is done, sanctions could be eased
and money could start flowing to
North Korea again.
A N N A F I F I E L D / T H E WA S H I N G T O N P O S T

A N N A F I F I E L D / T H E WA S H I N G T O N P O S T

But regardless of how that meet-

ing turns out, relations between the
countries of this region and North
Korea will only improve.
“The Trump administration thinks
that maximum pressure is still going
on and will go on until the North
Koreans actually give up something,”
said Ralph Cossa, president of the
Pacific Forum, a Honolulu-based
think-tank, and a regular interlocu-
tor with North Korea.
“But the minute Trump said yes to
the meeting, and even before that,
when Kim and Moon were hugging
each other, maximum pressure lost
steam,” he said, referring to the inter-
Korean summit between Kim and
South Korean President Moon Jae-
in on April 27.
Singapore has been one of the
region’s countries most inclined to
implement multilateral sanctions. It
has become much more stringent
about shipping inspections. Never-
theless, two Singaporean companies
were this year revealed to have been
shipping luxury goods, including
liquor and watches, to North Korea.
Even Malaysia has moved on from
last year’s diplomatic fracas, when
Kim’s half-brother was murdered
with a nerve agent in Kuala Lumpur’s
airport, an attack widely blamed on
the leader’s orders.
“It looks like Malaysia has gotten
past the assassination,” said Carl
Baker, also of Pacific Forum, who has
been in contact with Malaysian offi-
cials about having North Koreans
attend regional security meetings.
“They are clearly back in business
again.”
That was in motion even before
the return to office of Prime Minister
Mahathir Mohamad who, during a
previous stint, used to like to say that
sanctions were not the Malaysian way
TOP: Visakha, a club in Cambodia’s top football division, has five North Korean players – despite sanctions banning North Korean labour exports. They live in a dormitory and show up for games under the
watchful eye of a regime-appointed minder. ABOVE LEFT: North Korean singers perform traditional Korean music as well as crowd-pleasing Chinese ballads at a Phnom Penh restaurant filled with Chinese
tourists. All of the restaurant’s earnings go back to the Pyongyang regime. ABOVE RIGHT: The North Korean Embassy in the Cambodian capital occupies a former royal residence next to Prime Minister Hun
Sen’s official home. The building was a gift from King Norodom Sihanouk as thanks to North Korea for sheltering him during the war in his country.
of doing things. Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihanouk buy American night-vision goggles tion and mediation and to give them The workshop was part of the UN’s
“A lot of leaders in the region think and North Korean leader Kim Il-sung in Hawaii, including ones used by US examples of how this has worked in regular work, said spokesman Jose
like that,” said Hoo Chiew-Ping, a became friends. Special Forces. other recent regional disputes,” said Luis Diaz. “The meeting was not
North Korea expert at the National When Cambodia descended into And one of the women charged one person with knowledge of the expressly linked to the recent devel-
University of Malaysia. civil war in the 1970s, Kim Il-sung with murdering Kim Jong-un’s half programme, speaking on the condi- opments in or related to the Korean
“Southeast Asian leaders still see built a 60-room palace in Pyongyang brother told a Malaysian court that tion of anonymity to discuss sensitive Peninsula,” he said. “If it helped in any
some value in maintaining their rela- especially for Sihanouk, his home for she had travelled to the Cambodian interactions with North Koreans. way, then all the better.”
tionship with North Korea, even much of the civil war. capital a couple of weeks before that Jeffrey Feltman, the former The approach in Cambodia, and
though the political relationship can In return, Sihanouk gave North attack for a rehearsal at Phnom Penh American diplomat who was head of among most of its neighbours, con-
sometimes be difficult,” she said. Korea a royal residence on a prime airport. the UN’s political department until tinues to lean toward maintaining
“They still want to retain their neu- piece of land overlooking the As for the United Nations itself, earlier this year, gave a talk about how good relations with North Korea, and
trality and their flexibility in terms of Independence Monument to serve as Cambodia’s approach sometimes has the UN approaches conflict. Feltman neutrality in its disputes with the
foreign policy.” its embassy. It continues to occupy an upside, offering an opportunity to visited Pyongyang in December to United States and its allies.
Throughout the sanctions years, that large house, right next to Prime engage with North Korea informally. urge the North Korean regime to start Myanmar’s transition to democ-
Cambodia has remained a relatively Minister Hun Sen’s official residence, The UN’s political affairs depart- dialogue. racy – despite recent issues – is often
welcoming environment for the pari- to this day. ment put on seminars for North Keith Luse, executive director of held up in the region as an example
ah regime. Relations are not as close as back Korean diplomats recently in the leafy the National Committee on North of how Southeast Asian nations can
The Cambodian government said then, said Vannarith Chheang, a environs of Siem Reap, in conjunction Korea and a former Asia adviser on work to elicit slow, positive change
that it was “committed” to abiding by Cambodian analyst. “Cambodia with the Center for Peace and Conflict the US Senate Foreign Relations among neighbors.
all UN Security Council sanctions and needs to be seen to be acting as a Studies, a nongovernmental organi- Committee, talked about the role of Dino Patti Djalal, a former
had established a ministerial work- responsible country in following the sation based there. Congress in American foreign policy. Indonesian ambassador to the United
ing group to implement them. UN resolutions,” he said. Seven North Korean diplomats Former CIA analyst Robert Carlin, a States who led a delegation of
“This working group has taken That’s not the whole story, though. met with Americans to talk about frequent visitor to North Korea, also Southeast Asian experts to Pyong-
some measures and is considering A ship called the Jie Shun, head- trust-building and conflict resolu- attended. yang in April, summed up this senti-
others in order to implement the ed from North Korea to Egypt and fly- tion. The North Koreans, all from the ment well, describing the exact oppo-
UNSC’s resolutions,” said Chum ing a Cambodian flag, was found to The timing, just a month before foreign ministry, included Ri Tong Il, site of “maximum pressure”.
Sounry, the foreign ministry be carrying hidden 30,000 rocket- the Singapore summit, was coinci- a former envoy to the United Nations “Don’t underestimate the value of
spokesman. propelled grenades last year. A North dental. who is now head of the internation- engagement and persuasion,” he said.
But the countries’ close relation- Korean using a Cambodian passport “The purpose was to expose these al organizations division in “Try to have a ‘give-give-give’
ship dates back to the 1960s, when was arrested in 2015 after trying to folks to examples of conflict resolu- Pyongyang. approach instead of ‘give and take’.”
 THE NATION Saturday, June 9, 2018
NK arms dealer operating in plain sight
MILITARY EQUIPMENT SUPPLIER GLOCOM IS DEFYING UN SANCTIONS,
AS PART OF THE REGIME’S WEB OF MONEYMAKING MACHINES
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
KUALA LUMPUR
BEING LABELLED by the UN a
sanctions-busting front for North
Korea would prompt most compa-
nies to adopt a lower profile – but mil-
itary equipment supplier Glocom is
refusing to take the hint.
UN experts last year outed the for-
merly Malaysia-registered provider
of battlefield surveillance and com-
munication equipment, but arms
control experts have pointed out that
the company is continuing to pro-
mote its wares on social media and its
website.
Typically, companies that are iden-
Superheroes of
Indonesian
diplomacy on
UNSC seat mission
THE JAKARTA POST
ASIA NEWS NETWORK
JAKARTA
THE SCENE is Manhattan, New York.
The world is facing a myriad of prob-
lems spanning conflicts to epidemics
and even to the threat of a vicious trade
war. But the clock is ticking.
A senior government official, with
a possible crisis on her hands, assem-
bles a line-up of gifted men from
around the globe, and unleashes them
on the world. While this may sound like
a pitch for the next “Avengers” movie,
the only superpower appearing in this
ordeal is that of diplomacy.
A team of Indonesian diplomats is
in New York for last-ditch lobbying
ahead of a secret vote to choose new
non-permanent members of the
United Nations Security Council.
Indonesia is competing against the
Maldives for the only open seat on the
council representing the Asia-Pacific
region. Either country needs to get at
least 129 votes from UN member
states, two-thirds of the ballots cast, to
get elected in New York.
“With only three days left before the
elections for the UN Security Council,
my team and I held intensive meetings
and lobbied various permanent repre-
sentatives of UN member states at the
UN headquarters [in] New York,”
Foreign Minister Retno Lestari
Priansari Marsudi tweeted on
Wednesday from the Big Apple.
To help her win UN votes, Retno
enlisted the services of former class-
mates, including Desra Percaya, the
director-general for Asia-Pacific
affairs, and Hasan Kleib, Indonesia’s
permanent representative to the UN
in Geneva – both of whom previously
led the outpost in New York. Retno,
Desra and Hasan, as well as current
ambassador to the UN Dian Triansyah
Djani have been dubbed “Hassan’s
boys”. The moniker refers to a crop of
top-performing diplomats from class-
es 12 and 13 of the foreign ministry’s
training school, who were groomed to
fill strategic positions by former foreign
minister Hassan Wirajuda during his
2001-2009 tenure.
Led by Retno, the country’s first
female foreign minister, who has made
peace-building, women’s empower-
ment and citizen protection the cor-
nerstones of her policy, the group is
hard at work to ensure a successful bid.
“Since Monday, all of us, including
the minister, have done intensive cam-
paigning by holding meetings with
representatives of member countries
one by one,” said Febrian Ruddyard,
the ministry’s director-general for
multilateral cooperation, on Thursday.
On Wednesday in New York, the
minister met with her counterpart
from Gabon, as well as permanent rep-
resentatives of Italy, Singapore, the
Gambia, Algeria, Comoros, the
Netherlands, Bolivia, Liberia,
Tanzania, Sweden and Nauru.
Retno went to Washington on
Tuesday to meet with US Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo to ask for support.
On Monday, she held a diplomatic
reception at UN headquarters.
Febrian said three other special
envoys were appointed to travel the
world to garner support, including for-
mer minister Hassan, who travelled to
Africa. He was joined by former trade
minister M Lutfi, who sought support
among Pacific island countries and in
the Caribbean, and former investment
board chief Mahendra Siregar, who
travelled to Central and Eastern
Europe. Nugroho Wisnumurti, a for-
mer envoy to the UN in New York dur-
ing Indonesia’s second tenure on the
Security Council in 1995 and 1996, said
Indonesia should tread carefully even
if various countries had publicly
backed it.
tified as fronts in North Korea’s drive
for hard currency quickly disappear,
sometimes resurfacing later in a new
guise in what has been described as
an international game of whack-a-
mole.
But Glocom has posted frequent-
ly on Twitter in recent weeks about its
products, including yesterday.
Andrea Berger, a London-based
researcher with the Middlebury
Institute of International Studies who
tracks such activity, said on Twitter it
was unusual for such companies to
remain so visible.
She said it may be due to a desire
to stick to an established brand name.
“Glocom is obviously betting on
Malaysia goes after financier
OVER 1MDB SCANDAL
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
KUALA LUMPUR
MALAYSIA IS seeking the arrest of a financier at the
centre of a massive financial scandal that helped
topple the corruption-plagued former regime, Prime
Minister Mahathir Mohamad said yesterday.
Mahathir’s comments came after local media
reported that anti-corruption authorities had issued
an arrest warrant for Jho Low, accused of being a key
figure in the scandal surrounding sovereign wealth
fund 1MDB.
Low, a flamboyant playboy known for partying
with Hollywood A-listers, is a close associate of top-
pled prime minister Najib Razak and allegedly con-
spired with him to loot the investment vehicle.
Public disgust over claims that the former leader
From Bangkok schoolroom
to Phetchaburi wilderness
THE NATION
THE International School Bangkok
has launched a wilderness campus in
Phetchaburi province to cultivate
nature-awareness among its student.
Students are no longer confined
to classrooms but allowed to escape
into natural surroundings to sharp-
en their resourcefulness, decision-
making ability and cooperation with
others, said the school’s director Usa
Somboon.
“Students can learn directly from
nature about environmental sys-
tems. They observe insects, plants
and birds, do tests for bacteria in
water, and learn survival skills like
compass reading and trekking,” she
said.
Students in higher classes, where
learning shifts to maritime science
and biology, can explore waterways
by kayak, collecting water samples
and inspecting weeds. They also
the fact that prospective customers
won’t actually do their due diligence
and spot the negative coverage of
Glocom. They could be right,” she
wrote.
“And/or this is a giant middle fin-
ger.”
In another post, Berger said:
“@TwitterSupport, you probably
want to think about closing the
account of a North Korean intelli-
gence-run front company selling
military equipment. You’re wel-
come.”
A UN panel of experts last year
singled out Glocom in a report alleg-
ing that North Korea was routinely
circumventing trade bans and bank-
and his cronies looted 1MDB was a major factor in
the shock election loss last month of Najib’s long-
ruling coalition.
Mahathir told a press conference that authorities
were “trying to arrest Jho Low but he is not in the
country”.
Low – full name Low Taek Jho – was being inves-
tigated for his involvement in 1MDB and “it is on
those grounds that he’ll be arrested”, Mahathir said.
The financier’s current whereabouts are unclear.
He was believed to have been sailing around Asia on
a luxury yacht allegedly bought with stolen 1MDB
cash before it was seized off the Indonesian holiday
island of Bali in February.
The comments by 92-year-old Mahathir, in his
second stint as premier after making a political
comeback to oust Najib, were the latest sign that
conduct hiking expeditions to
explore mountains. Students are
assigned missions, for which teach-
ers design activities that meet edu-
cational objectives by linking natu-
ral phenomena with lectures in
classrooms, Usa said.
The Environmental Wilderness
Campus is located in Phetchaburi’s
Nong Ya Plong district around Mae
Prachan Reservoir, part of a water
conservation project initiated by
His Majesty the late King Rama IX.
The campus is built on environ-
mentally friendly principles and
equipped with a solar-powered
wastewater treatment and power-
generating systems, enabling stu-
dents to learn more about the late
King’s self-sufficiency philosophy
and build better understanding of
clean energy and environmental
conservation.
During their three-day trips to
the campus, students are not per-
ASEANplus/THAILAND
ing restrictions – invoked as punish-
ment for its nuclear and missile pro-
Several are promoted on Glocom’s
website in digitally animated videos
grammes – by resorting to middle- set to thumping soundtracks.
men and a complex web of front com- The website says Glocom pro-
panies abroad. vides products and services for
The report said at the time that “countries and organisations around
Glocom was a Malaysia-based front the world that safeguard territorial
company operated by Pyongyang’s integrity and struggle against
intelligence agency that sold North aggression and war”.
Korean-made military communica- It said it had “about 200 engi-
tions equipment to Eritrea, with sup-
pliers in China and an office in
Singapore.
Glocom did not immediately
neers, employees and managers” in
2017.
But customer value may not be a
top priority, according to the UN
respond to requests for comment via
social media or sent to a company
email.
report.
It said North Korea “procured rel-
atively inexpensive components for
Glocom sells communication
radios, radar, and surveillance equip-
ment ranging from handheld devices
to larger items that can be mounted
the purpose of assembling and sell-
ing very expensive” equipment, cit-
ing an $8,000 radio still advertised
on Glocom’s website that was made
on tanks, aircraft and ships. with cheap materials.
In this file photo from
April 4, 2018, the Cayman
Island-registered vessel
Equanimity, which is
reportedly worth some
US$250 million
(Bt8 million) and is owned
by Jho Low, a former
unofficial adviser to the
Malaysian fund 1MDB, sits in
waters off Tanjung Benoa
on the Indonesian resort
island of Bali.
AFP
the net is closing on Low since the old regime was
ousted from power.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission said
Thursday it was seeking Low’s assistance as they
probe a former unit of 1MDB, and reports emerged
later the agency had issued an arrest warrant for
him.
Low’s spokesman has said he will assist the com-
mission.
The 36-year-old held no official positions at
1MDB but is believed to have exerted great influence
over the fund.
The US Justice Department alleges he funnelled
vast sums of money from 1MDB to the United
States, and used it to buy everything from rare art to
high-end real estate. Low has previously denied any
wrongdoing.
Students from International School Bangkok conduct a forest expedition in Phetchaburi.
mitted to use their mobile phones or environmental conservation.
watch television. And in addition to Aphaicheep Bunnag, father of an
their nature expeditions, they help ISB student, explained that the
students from local areas. For exam- upcountry campus gives city stu-
ple, ISB seniors teach English to dents a much-needed break from
younger local students and help their narrow focus on modern lux-
them out in running activities for uries like mobile phones, air-con-
5A
New orchid
species
identified
VIENTIANE TIMES
ASIA NEWS NETWORK
THE DISCOVERY of a new orchid
species in Laos, Paphiopedilum
papilio-laoticus, has been docu-
mented in the most recent publi-
cation of Orchideen Journal by a
specialist working in the herbari-
um at the Royal Botanic Gardens
in Kew, UK.
The paper was contributed to
the journal by André Schuiteman
from the herbarium and co-
authored by Sulivong Luangaphay
and Shunsuke Iio.
Vientiane resident Sulivong
Luangaphay, a long-time plant
lover and orchid aficionado, told
Vientiane Times that a new orchid
was seen in a street market in
Vientiane after being taken from a
nearby protected area in May.
Coincidentally, the orchid was
brought to Sulivong’s attention on
National Arbour Day on June 1.
Sulivong thanked Yosuke Oda,
a resident of Vientiane, for first
notifying him about the new
species.
At present, 13 or 14 species of
Paphiopedilum are known to exist
in Laos.
Considering that most species of
Paphiopedilum occur on lime-
stone, often with highly restricted
distribution areas, and that Laos
has extensive and poorly studied
limestone karst landscapes, it is to
be expected that more endemic
species of Paphiopedilum will be
discovered as the more inaccessi-
ble parts of Laos are explored.
Unfortunately, commercial
plant collectors rather than scien-
tists may be the first to come across
such new species, and these may
end up in heaps of plants sold at
local markets.
“This showy and undoubtedly
very rare species will hopefully be
propagated from seed soon, and we
urge orchid amateurs not to buy
any plants of this species that could
be wild-collected. In a few years’
time it should become widely avail-
able as legally propagated plants
do not pose a threat to their con-
tinued existence in the wild,” the
paper noted.
The name given to the flower
comes from the Latin papilio,
meaning butterfly, and laoticus,
from Laos, referring both to the
large dorsal sepal that resembles a
butterfly wing and the origin of the
species.
From all the other species in the
Paphiopedilum section it differs in
the much larger flowers, the white
staminode, and in the unique
colours of the dorsal sepal: white
flushed light purple with a yellow-
green blotch at the base and with
prominent purple spots that have
a lighter centre, like the eye spots
on the wings of some butterflies.
ditioned rooms and computers.
Prathip Chiaravanond, father of
former ISB students, echoes that
view. “The ISB Campus in
Phetchaburi was created to give
them more opportunity to get clos-
er to nature,” he said.
 OPINION
6A THE NATION Saturday, June 9, 2018
Trump ever more likely to burn down his own White House
G7 LEADERS MEETING IN QUEBEC, RECOGNISING THAT AMERICA’S FOREIGN-AFFAIRS MESS CAN ONLY GET MESSIER, SHOULD POUR ON THE PRESSURE
“ t’s tough to be America’s friend
I right now,” the homegrown US
news network CNN opined in an
online lead commentary a few days
ago, “but life is good for US adver-
saries.” It said President Donald
Trump could expect a chilly recep-
tion at this weekend’s G7 summit in
Canada because of his country’s
trade conflicts and other spats with
the rest of the world, including with
close allies.
Leaders of the globe’s most
advanced economies are meeting in
La Malbaie, Quebec, a tourist town
given its name by French explorer
Samuel de Champlain, an epithet
ST E P H F F ’ S V I E W
THE
NATION
& ANALYSIS
meaning “poor bay”. As if that
weren’t inauspicious enough, the
gathering unfolds against a back-
drop of a Trump comment now being
downplayed as a not-so-witty joke.
In a phone call last week, Canadian
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asked
Trump how he could justify a tariff
policy wreaking havoc among US
allies as a “national security”issue for
the US. “Didn’t you guys burn down
the White House?” Trump reported-
ly quipped in response, referring to a
watershed moment in the War of
1812.
Trump was at least showing an
inkling of knowledge of history
stephff@loxinfo.co.th
MANAGING EDITOR: SUPALAK GANJANAKHUNDEE
BUSINESS EDITOR: KWANCHAI RUNGFAPAISARN
LOCAL NEWS EDITOR: CHULARAT SAENGPASSA
POLITICAL NEWS EDITOR: PIYAPORN WONGRUANG
XP EDITOR: KHETSIRIN PHOLDHAMPALIT
ACTING SPORT EDITOR: LERPONG AMSA-NGIAM
( ❛❛
SENTENCE... SO THAT HE CAN RETURN HOME.”
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, revealing moves to lift barriers to the
extradition from Australia of Sirul Azhar Umar, a state operative wanted for the murder
of a female Mongolian translator, in another scandal linked to former PM Najib Razak.
EDITORIAL
(British troops, not Canadian set-
tlers,torched James Madison’s White
House on their way to handing the
young United States its first military
defeat), but Vanity Fair magazine
quoted a source as fuming, “It’s no
laughing matter.”True enough,given
the bitter feelings generated by
Trump’s whimsical trade actions,
which threaten to upend geopolitics
worldwide.
Alienated friends are a poor audi-
ence when you’re trying to demonise
foes. If targets for attack are being
selected, you want supportive lis-
teners. America’s war on terror, for
example, was controversial enough
WEB CO-EDITORS:
MARISA CHIMPRABHA, PAISAL CHUENPRASAENG
ONLINE CONTENT EDITOR: ASINA PORNWASIN
EDITOR-AT-LARGE: TULSATHIT TAPTIM
CHIEF SUB-EDITOR: KUMAR KRISHNAN
A MEMBER OF THE ASIA NEWS NETWORK (www.asianewsnet.net)
PARTNER WITH PHUKET GAZETTE (www.phuketgazette.net)
WE MAY CANCEL THE HANGING SENTENCE ON HIM, BUT REPLACE IT WITH A JAIL
amid persistent grumbling at home
over the official narrative of the 9/11
tragedy and the abject failure of the
invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.
North Korea, Iran, Syria – the entire
Middle East for that matter – con-
stitutes a foreign-policy powder keg,
a situation in which the US requires
absolute trust if it wishes to retain a
lead role. That trust, however, is now
under grievous threat.
A central question for every car-
ing person in this world is whether
the great beacon of American
democracy can continue to light the
path forward. We have all counted
on the US. It has brought great ben-
efits to the world at large. This ques-
tion, though, goes beyond partisan
debate over continued Republican
control of the White House and
Congress versus the uncertainty that
would ensue amid Democrat
attempts to reverse Trump’s policies.
The CNN report concluded that
“Trump’s feuds with Washington’s
traditional partners are sure to test
his promise that his ‘America First’
ideology does not mean America
alone.” Yet there is irony in this, if the
claims of Trump’s domestic rivals
that he’s a “Russian plant” in the
service of Vladimir Putin can be
proved true.
WHO’S GETTING THIS?
North Korea’s summit bill
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
SINGAPORE
N
orth Korea has a habit of
making others pick up its
overseas travel tabs, and
experts say either Singapore or
South Korea is likely to get stuck
with an eye-watering bill for next
week’s historic North-US sum-
mit in a luxury resort.
Preparations are in full swing
for next Tuesday’s meeting on an
island off Singapore, with
authorities readying to lock
down the city-state.
Kim Jong-un and US
President Donald Trump are
reportedly set to stay at pricey
hotels – although sanctions-hit
Pyongyang will almost certainly
not pay its own way.
“Pyongyang has been condi-
tioned to expect others to pay for
any ‘diplomatic outreach’ the
reclusive regime makes,” Sung-
Yoon Lee, a Korea expert at the
Fletcher School of Law and
Diplomacy at Tufts University,
explained.
Singapore’s Defence Minister
Ng Eng Hen said at the weekend
that the wealthy city-state was
willing to bear some costs to play
their part in the “historic meet-
ing”.
Those costs could be quite sig-
nificant.
Even by expensive Singapore’s
standards, the hotels reportedly
under consideration to host Kim
and his team would leave the
average wallet a lot lighter.
The five-star Fullerton Hotel,
an imposing building on
Singapore’s waterfront dating
back to the British colonial era,
has a $6,000-a-night presiden-
tial suite that may appeal to the
young leader’s penchant for luxu-
ry.
If that’s not good enough, the
St Regis – which lays on personal
butlers for guests and has a fleet
of Bentleys to chauffeur them
about – charges around $6,700
for its presidential suite.
Breakfast is included.
It also boasts a private art col-
lection, with over 70 works by
artists including Pablo Picasso
and Joan Miro.
There’s also the matter of how
Kim and his entourage might get
to Singapore.
While Trump’s Air Force One
has a range of nearly 13,000 kilo-
metres and is entirely self-suffi-
cient, Kim’s personal jet is an
ageing Soviet-made aircraft.
Aviation experts have cast
doubt on whether it will actually
be able to make it as far as
Singapore.
That might mean someone
else has to provide an aircraft for
his exclusive use, either one from
NATION
MULTIMEDIA
GROUP
GROUP EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: PRAKIT CHOMPUKAM
)
If all the direst accusations about
Trump are indeed true, cleaning up
after him will not be easy. This mess
would only get messier. The G7 sum-
mit affords other nations the first
major chance to express their disen-
chantment, even if the more diplo-
matically schooled heads of state
choose to do so behind closed doors.
If the US is unmoved by global dis-
sent, there will doubtless be more-
open displays of discontent. If cour-
teous diplomacy fails to curb Trump’s
erratic,perilous behaviour or empow-
er his advisers to force him to change
course, the United States faces a
painful downfall.
their own fleet, or a hired plane.
If he wants to match Air Force
One – a Boeing 747-200 –
PrivateFly.com lists one available
for rent at $17,501 per hour.
‘We’re Not Paying’
Aside from the tentative
Singaporean offer, governments
have so far been publicly reluc-
tant to offer to underwrite the
affair.
The US has insisted it will not
foot the bill – and is not asking
anyone else to.
“The United States
Government is not paying for the
North Korean delegation to stay.
We’re not paying for their
expenses,” State Department
spokeswoman Heather Nauert
said.
In Seoul, a spokesman said
President Moon Jae-in had no
intention of putting his hand in
the national pocket.
But, analysts note, South
Korea has bankrolled
Pyongyang’s attendance at previ-
ous events.
For this year’s Winter
Olympics in the South that trig-
gered the recent inter-Korean
detente, Seoul put aside 2.86 bil-
lion won ($2.7 million) to pay for
Pyongyang’s high-level represen-
tatives, officials, supporters, art
performers and other delegates.
Seoul also paid for North
Koreans to attend the 2014 and
2002 Asian Games in the South,
as well as for visits by South
Koreans to the North for
reunions with their long-lost rel-
atives, according to the
Unification Ministry.
There are other options.
This week a Nobel Prize-win-
ning anti-nuclear group offered
to help.
The International Campaign
to Abolish Nuclear Weapons
(ICAN) said it was willing to
bankroll Kim’s delegation, using
part of the $1.1 million cash prize
it received for winning last year’s
Peace Prize.
Travel website
HotelPlanner.com has also
offered to pick up the tab for
Kim’s hotel and meals,
Newsweek reported.
Ultimately, most observers
think another government will
step in.
But for some commentators,
the idea that a country cannot
afford to pay a hotel bill but can
spend billions of dollars on a
nuclear weapons programme, is
risible.
“The notion that North
Korean leader Kim Jong-un
lacks the cash for travel to
Singapore is absurd,” said the
Fletcher School’s Lee.
 THE NATION Saturday, June 9, 2018 OPINION & ANALYSIS 7A

Will electoral earthquakes free BLOCKED PEACE in South?

n a gesture to MARA Patani that all is said to have been made last year at a authorities that the BRN are still a force protest site. course of insurgency violence and thus

I not lost, Army Commander-in-chief

General Chalermchai Sitthisart visited
security checkpoints in Joh I Rong district
on June 1. He was there to provide moral
support to troops responsible for imple-
menting the Safety Zone, Thai military
officials said.
In spite of hiccups plaguing the pilot
project, Thailand is still committed to
this peace initiative – at least that was
the message Chalermchai was sending
out to MARA Patani and the world.
Thai officials at the policy level say
they have been informed by the
Malaysian facilitator that leaders of the
separatist Barisan Revolusi Nasional
(BRN) have agreed to respect the Safety
Zone ceasefire if and when the district is
officially designated. No timeline was
agreed upon, however.
Bangkok sees this as a gesture of
goodwill from senior members of the
BRN ruling council to facilitator Ahmad
Zamzamin bin Hashim. The assurance is
meeting in which Zamzamin tried to
convince BRN representatives to join the
peace initiative being led by MARA
Patani. Needless to say, the BRN
declined the invitation.
Given the fluidity of the BRN chain-
of-command, not to mention that their
command-and-control from the top to
the cell level is untested, such an agree-
ment will be difficult to manage, says a
Thai military official working on the
region.
The BRN are extremely bottom-
heavy, with decisions to launch attacks
made mainly at the local level.
For the combatants, it is a matter of
grasping opportunity as it comes, usually
employing roadside bombs to attack
security units patrolling on foot or vehi-
cles. The strategic aim is for a “clean hit”
without collateral damage. Government
security officials are more or less sitting
ducks, waiting to return fire.
As for the talks with MARA Patani, it
DON PATHAN
is not clear how long Bangkok will con-
tinue on a course that some officials
describe as a “vicious cycle”. So far,
whenever Thai negotiators and MARA
Patani have hailed “progress”, BRN oper-
atives have carried out attacks to dis-
credit the claims.
The BRN say the Safety Zone project
will not change their strategy, which is to
make the area ungovernable by attack-
ing and discrediting government security
apparatus.
The bombing blitz in the far South
that hit more than 20 ATM machines
on May 20 was a reminder to Thai
to be reckoned with. The bombs were
shrapnel-free devices detonated in
almost deserted streets half an hour
after people had broken their Ramadan
fast. All the bombings were carried out in
the heart of cities and, in most cases, just
metres away from security checkpoints.
Local opinion was that the simulta-
neous attacks came in response to a dis-
pute between teachers and a group of
Muslim parents at the Anuban Pattani
School over the banning of the Islamic
headscarf for Muslim students.
But rebel sources deny this. They
point out that traditionally at least
one high-profile attack is conducted
during the month of Ramadan, to
remind the Thai government that the
2004 Tak Bai massacre of 78 unarmed
Malay Muslim demonstrators – who
suffocated after being stacked one
atop the other in the back of military
transport tracks – has not been forgot-
ten. Seven were also shot dead at the
Less than a week prior to the blitz,
exactly one day before the start of
Ramadan, separatist militants
attacked four military outposts and a
police station in Yala province’s Krong
Pinang and Yaha districts.
The overall number of attacks may
have dropped over the past decade,
but the militants continue to send a
message that they are willing an able
to carry on the fight with the same
intensity as when this wave of insur-
gency surfaced 14 years ago.
Stakeholders in this peace initiative
are now waiting anxiously to see Kuala
Lumpur’s next move. Many observers
believe Malaysia’s Zamzamin, the des-
ignated facilitator, will be replaced as
he is deemed too close to former prime
minister Najib Razak.
For the BRN, it doesn’t matter
whether Zamzamin stays or goes. They
see themselves as the most important
players because they control the
any peace negotiations will have to be
with them.
The unfortunate part for Thai
authorities is that the BRN are not in a
hurry to come to the negotiating table.
How long Thailand will ride this
roller-coaster with MARA Patani remains
unclear. But a growing number of Thai
officials believe the upcoming election in
Thailand, which could be as early as
February, along with major changes in
Malaysia’s political landscape, means
serious soul-searching is in order for the
peace initiative for the far South.
Whether that means internationalising
the process, on the other hand, remains
to be seen.
DON PATHAN is a freelance consultant
and founding member of the Patani
Forum (www.pataniforum.com), a
civil society organisation dedicated to
critical discussion on the conflict in
Thailand’s far South.

HAVE YOUR SAY

Thailand is wrestling with the
problem of democratic tyrants
Events in the Trump presidency keep exposing Western
governments and media as biased and hypocritical. When
Trump fired FBI director James Comey and lambasted that
agency’s probe into Russia collusion in his daily tweets, he
was rightly criticised by respectable Western media – the
New York Times, Washington Post, Financial Times – for
attempting to subvert the justice system. However, for
Thailand, Western governments and media believe that any-
one who becomes a leader through an election can do no
wrong, regardless of how the election is won. It does not
matter if that leader is corrupt, interferes with independent
organisations, or even supports extra-judicial killings. If that
leader is later found guilty in court under a military govern-
ment, the Western governments and media will choose to
believe him/her and thereby continue to undermine the jus-
tice system by saying that is biased. Facts no longer matter to
them.
Anyone who believes in democracy cannot condone a mil-
itary coup. However, things have to be looked at in their con-
text. America will survive the Trump presidency because its
political and justice systems are strong and independent
enough. Thailand does not have such luxury, and the mili-
tary, in this particular instance, becomes a necessary coun-
terbalancing force. The Western governments and media
should keep in mind that while a free and fair election is a
necessary condition for representative democracy, it is not a
sufficient condition. History has shown that tyrants are cre-
ated not just by military coups, but also by democracies.
Nick Thaksin Shinawatra and his sister Yingluck
attend a book launch in Tokyo on March 29.

Send us your views

Antarctic mission reveals remotest people are calling for – to protect marine
in an instant!
life and our oceans for future generations.
wilderness is poisoned by plastic Frida Bengtsson E-mail your opinion, with “Letters to the
Oceans campaigner Greenpeace Nordic Editor” in the subject box, to:
Laboratory analysis of water and snow letters@nationgroup.com
samples, gathered during a recent
Greenpeace expedition to the Antarctic,
has revealed the presence of microplastics
and persistent chemicals, respectively, in
the majority of samples tested.
We may think of the Antarctic as a
remote and pristine wilderness, but from
pollution and climate change to industrial
krill fishing, humanity’s footprint is clear.
These results show that even the most
remote habitats of the Antarctic are con-
taminated with microplastic waste and
persistent hazardous chemicals. We need
action at source, to stop these pollutants
ending up in the Antarctic in the first
place, and we need an Antarctic Ocean
Sanctuary to give space for penguins,
whales and the entire ecosystem to recover
from the pressures they’re facing.
Dr Harold Bornstein, Donald Trump’s longtime personal physician, says that in February 2017, Trump’s Seven of the eight sea-surface water
personal bodyguard Keith Schiller raided his office and took Trump’s medical records. samples tested contained microplastic,

Real news about Trump’s

fake health report
Donald Trump’s former physician Dr
Harold Bornstein has revealed that the
2015 letter detailing the then-presidential
candidate’s “astonishingly excellent”
health was dictated by Trump himself. It
was only later signed by Dr Bornstein.
Apart from the legal, ethical and medical
issues involved, the simple idea of writing
your own medical report is the astonishing
part of this story. It is hoped that this is
another fake news story, but all indications
are that it isn’t. (Editor’s note: Bornstein
made the revelations, himself, in inter-
views with US media outlets including
NBC and CNN)
Incidentally, I have a report that says all
of my letters to the editor are “astonishing-
ly excellent” and should all be published.
Dennis Fitzgerald
Melbourne, Australia
The difference between America’s
best and worst leaders?
Fox News, the real fake news, is playing
games with opinion polls and deliberately
misleading viewers. They keep gloating
that Trump is so popular with Republican
Spot the difference.
voters, while amazingly ignoring polls that
show he’s extremely unpopular with the
rest of the country, which constitutes the
majority of voters.
Because Trump is a lousy president he’s
unable to appeal to voters beyond his base.
So, naturally, his own party loves him while
the rest of the country can’t stand him.
By contrast, Abraham Lincoln knew
how to compromise and work with people
he vehemently disagreed with. And that’s
the difference between the greatest presi-
dent in American history and the worst
one.
Eric Bahrt
Chiang Mai
such as microfibres (at least one
microplastic element per 1 litre sample).
In addition, nine samples were taken using
From Facebook
(www.facebook.com/NationNews)
a manta trawl and analysed for microplas-
tics. Microplastic fragments were detected
in two samples. Seven of the nine snow
samples tested contained detectable con- Junta lawmakers turn fire on Hi-so protester pleads
centrations of the persistent chemicals
per- and polyfluorinated alkylated sub-
media after being caught napping for taxpayers’ money
stances, or PFASs. These chemicals are
widely used in many industrial processes Re: “Media under fire over NLA napping pics”, Re: “Is Chitpas poor enough to qualify for bail
and consumer products and have been The Nation, yesterday. aid?”, The Nation, yesterday.
linked to reproductive and developmental The Nation quotes National The Nation: “The Justice Ministry has
issues in wildlife. The snow samples gath- Legislative Assembly member Somchai given promi-
ered included freshly fallen snow, suggest- Sawangkarn: “They showed photos of nent former
ing the hazardous chemicals were deposit- NLA members sleeping via social anti-govern-
ed from the atmosphere. media. Throughout four years, I think ment protest-
We also saw all kinds of waste from the the media is the area which never er Chitpas
fishing industry down in the Antarctic. reforms itself.” ‘Tant’
Buoys, nets and tarpaulins drifted in Love the logic... they are not doing Kridakon
between icebergs, which was really sad to their jobs while being paid handsomely, until June 11
see. We took them out of the water, but it but the media is bad because it’s report- to explain why
really made clear to me how we need to ing it. LOL she qualifies
put vast parts of this area off-limits to Tomislav Kalist for bail assis-
human activity if we’re going to protect the Is this why there has been no tance, given
Antarctic’s incredible wildlife. progress over the past four years? her family’s
Plastic has now been found in all cor- Marcin Spiewak wealthy sta-
ners of our oceans, from the Antarctic to Wasn’t a important piece of tus.”
the Arctic and at the deepest point of the legislation, might as well catch 40 What
ocean, the Mariana Trench. We need winks. about all the expensive watches and
urgent action to reduce the flow of plastic George Gough Cartier bracelets she constantly shows
into our seas and we need large scale It’s the same in France. off on her Instagram?
marine reserves – like a huge Antarctic Christian Georges Morel Marcin Spiewak
Ocean Sanctuary which over 1.6 million
 8A OPINION / FEATURES
China’s campaign of island-building and militarisation in the disputed South China Sea is ringing alarm bells in Southeast Asia and beyond.
The FRENCH NAVY
stands up to China
AS WE STEAMED THROUGH THE DISPUTED SPRATLY ISLANDS,
A VOICE DEMANDED WE RADIO OUR INTENTIONS
JONAS PARELLO-PLESNER
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
T
his is China warship calling,” a voice
bellowed out over the radio. “The
Nansha islands are under Chinese
sovereignty. What are your intentions?”
The reply from the French military ves-
sel, where I was on the command bridge
as an observer last week, was polite but
curt. The French said their ships were
operating in international waters. We
“were passing through the disputed
Spratly Islands of the South China Sea
when the Chinese frigate dialled in. It
would not be our last encounter.
Several Chinese frigates and corvettes
closely tailed our passage around
Mischief, Subi and Fiery Cross Reefs.
Those specks of land have popped up in
international headlines in recent years
as Beijing has transformed them into
artificial islands with airstrips and mili-
tary installations.
This past weekend at the Shangri-la
Dialogue, US Defence Secretary Jim
Mattis called out China’s aggression as
breaking Xi Jinping’s promises. “China’s
militarisation of the Spratlys,” Mattis
said, is in “direct contradiction to
President Xi’s 2015 public assurances in
the White House Rose Garden that they
would not do this”.
Backing up American words, the US
rescinded China’s invitation to partici-
pate in joint military exercises in the
Pacific. The US Navy also conducted its
own freedom-of-navigation operation in
the disputed Paracel Islands, on which
China recently landed a strategic
bomber. Still, the Trump administration
has not presented a broader strategy to
counter China. What is sure is that the
US could use allied assistance.
Americans are used to hearing about
lazy European allies unwilling to pay for
their own defence. They should consider
Inside the online world of Hong Kong’s young sex workers
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
HONG KONG
or Hong Kong’s “part-time girl-
F friends”, social media provide an
easy way to connect with clients
looking for sex, but campaigners warn
that online convenience is tempting
girls as young as 13 to put themselves
at risk.
The label “part-time girlfriend” is a
euphemism often used by young
women in the city who may be studying
or have jobs, but who also offer sex on
the side.
By using variations of the hashtag
#ptgf as shorthand, they connect with
men on networks such as Instagram
then switch to direct messaging to offer
services and arrange to meet.
Instagram says it has made #ptgf
and #hkptgf unsearchable, but a host
of new alternatives that add Chinese
characters or initials to the original tag
circumvent the block.
Loneliness, curiosity, family break-
down and financial pressures are key
Chinese and French warships joust off the coast of Singapore.
SINCE 2014, FRANCE HAS SAILED
REGULARLY THROUGH THE SOUTH
CHINA SEA TO UPHOLD FREEDOM
OF NAVIGATION. FRANCE REMAINS
A NAVAL POWER THAT CAN PROJ-
ECT FORCE OUT OF ITS OVERSEAS
TERRITORIES,INCLUDING FRENCH
POLYNESIA, NEW CALEDONIA AND
RÉUNION ISLAND.
the French action. Since 2014, France
has sailed regularly through the South
China Sea to uphold freedom of naviga-
tion. France remains a naval power that
can project force out of its overseas ter-
ritories, including French Polynesia,
New Caledonia and Réunion Island.
President Emmanuel Macron is building
stronger defence relationships with
India and Australia, and he seems to be
realistically assessing the growing
Chinese challenge. This is a welcome
change from his predecessors, who were
enthralled by the business and invest-
ment opportunities in China.
motivators for young women to try it
out, according to support workers on
the ground.
High-school student Kiki, a pseudo-
nym she chose to protect her identity,
started part-time sex work aged 17, say-
ing it was easy to search for men on
Instagram by using one of the #ptgf
tags.
“I had an argument with my sister
and was not very happy, so I just want-
ed to find someone to listen to me,” she
told AFP.
“For the first few times I felt quite
good... so I kept looking for clients for
company.”
She admits she was nervous about
meeting strangers, but the financial
incentive outweighed her doubts.
“My family is not very wealthy. I was
making money for myself and saved it,”
she says. Kiki says she charged from
HK$300 (Bt1,200) for dinner or “touch-
ing”, up to HK$1,000 for other sexual
services. After less than a year she gave
up because she had started a new rela-
tionship.
THE NATION Saturday, June 9, 2018
The SECRET BEHIND
Indonesia’s tourism boom
JAMES GUILD
THE JAKARTA POST
ASIA NEWS NETWORK
S
ince President Joko “Jokowi”
Widodo took office in 2014,
Indonesia’s tourism industry has
boomed. In 2014, we got 9.4 million over-
seas visitors. By 2017, that number had
exploded to over 14 million and continues
to climb. This is generally considered a
net positive for the economy, as foreign
visitors spend billions of dollars, drive
investment and generate thousands of
jobs for local workers and businesses.
So how did it happen and what lessons
can be taken?
Indonesia’s booming tourism sector is
best understood as the result of careful
policy planning and execution by the
Jokowi administration, which rolled out a
multi-pronged approach to boosting the
industry in 2015. The plan featured
bureaucratic restructuring, regulatory
reforms, and the acceleration of big-ticket
infrastructure projects that would make it
easier to access marquee destinations.
Jokowi inherited an economy overly
reliant on exports, particularly oil, gas and
coal. As the global market for these com-
modities cooled, economic policymakers
saw the need to rebalance by boosting
non-export service sectors – such as
tourism. The Tourism Ministry was duly
restructured in 2015 and its budget hiked.
Previously, the Ministry had been
tasked with promoting Indonesian cul-
ture via finance for films, music and art. Lake Toba
With a narrower mandate and bigger
budget focused solely on tourism, the
ministry was armed to achieve its ambi-
tious goals.
Those goals are part of a 5-Year
Strategic Plan developed in 2015, which
set benchmarks for 2019. These were: 20
million overseas visitors, 240 trillion
rupiah (Bt551 billion) in tourist expendi-
tures, 13 million tourism jobs, and boost-
ing tourism revenue to 8 per cent of GDP.
They are well on their way to achieving
most of these benchmarks, indicating the
plan is working remarkably well.
The plan was rolled out in conjunction
with regulation changes that eased for-
eign travel to and investment in
Indonesia. The number of nationalities
eligible for visa-free travel to Indonesia
was raised from 45 in 2014, to 169 in
2016. Restrictions on foreign ownership
of hotels and restaurants were relaxed or
eliminated altogether, and the permit
AFP
process for new businesses was stream-
lined.
Despite varying success, overall
France is rallying other Europeans to these reform efforts they have con-
put action behind the declarations of tributed to swift growth in overseas
free navigation. That was the message at travellers and renewed enthusiasm
the Shangri-la Dialogue from French from investors who are now pouring
Defence Minister Florence Parly. “The money into commercial and resort
fait accompli is not a fait accepted,” she developments. Critically, these efforts
said, a clear reference to Chinese to improve the regulatory environment
attempts to deny international access to have gone hand-in-hand with an accel-
disputed waters. France’s missions could eration of big infrastructure projects,
be the foundation for a multinational particularly the expansion and con-
European operation. European Union struction of airports and toll roads.
leaders remain split on how to approach One of these areas is Lake Toba in
China. But as a first step, the French North Sumatra, the largest volcanic
warship I was on included a UK helicop- crater lake in the world. In 2017, Jokowi
ter detachment and European observers, opened the renovated Silangit Airport,
including from Germany. with a larger runway and expanded
China tries to frame the freedom-of- passenger terminal that can handle
navigation operations as driven by US 500,000 passengers per year, including
expansionism. That’s why Beijing international arrivals. A rail line con-
protests American exercises while giving necting Lake Toba to the provincial
those by France, Australia and the UK a capital of Medan, which received a new
pass. Even an increasing number of international airport in 2013, was
Western operations might not break opened in February, and a toll road
China’s de facto stranglehold on the from Medan directly to the Lake Toba
South China Sea. But as French war- ring road is under construction.
ships have now demonstrated, the coali- Yogyakarta, where the ancient
tion for free navigation is growing. Buddhist temple Borobodur, a Unesco
world heritage site, attracts hundreds of
PARELLO-PLESNER is a senior fellow thousands of foreign visitors and mil-
at the Hudson Institute. lions of Indonesians annually, is also
Now 19, she says she is left with a or the bars and clubs of Hong Kong’s
sense of regret and warns other girls to traditional red light districts, she adds.
think carefully before taking the leap. Sometimes they meet clients with-
“A future boyfriend or husband out offering sex at first and are taken to
might find it hard to accept,” she says.
“It’s like you have a needle piercing
your heart and it’s always there.”
theme parks, dinner or even on hikes,
but as more money is offered, the path
usually leads to paid sex.
Some young women have their first
Blurred boundaries sexual experience as a “part-time girl-
friend”, says Lam.
Connecting with clients online often Believing they have become friends
gives young women a false sense of with a client can lead them to drop
security, says Bowie Lam, executive their guard. Twenty-four-year-old “Nicole”, checks messages on her WeChat app in Hong Kong.
director of Teen’s Key, a charity that “Girls have been treated violently
offers support to Hong Kong’s sex and even raped because they trusted lines. A long-term strategy addressing
workers under the age of 25. the man wouldn’t harm them,” Lam taboos around talking about sex within
She says the age of “part-time girl- says. schools and families in Hong Kong’s
friends” is getting lower and believes Hong Kong police said they have conservative society is what is most
that social media is a factor. taken action against websites, chat needed to stop girls putting themselves
“They think they have autonomy rooms and discussion forums to com- at risk, says Lam.
and control because they can screen a bat “illegal prostitution activities”. Teen’s Key offers young sex workers
client online, talk with him, but it The “act of prostitution” in itself is a range of support services, ranging
makes the boundary more blurred,” not illegal in Hong Kong, police say, but from health tests to career advice and
Lam says. soliciting is. help with financial planning.
These young women often do not Instagram says it acts to “swiftly Lam says they want to help the
see themselves as sex workers because remove” content, accounts and hash- women reconnect with their dreams
they are not based out of seedy rooms, tags that violate its community guide- and aspirations. However, even when
getting a new airport. A plot of 587
hectares of land was acquired this year
to develop an international airport with
a capacity of 15 million passengers.
These sites, which have been prioritised
by the Tourism Ministry as strategic
destinations, are thus rapidly being
equipped with the infrastructure neces-
sary to handle millions of travellers in
the coming years.
A pair of large development projects
in Labuan Bajo, gateway to the
Komodo Islands, and Mandalika in
Central Lombok, serves as further evi-
dence of strong investor interest in
Indonesia’s tourism industry. The
Labuan Bajo Marina Project is a 398
billion rupiah development featuring a
180-room hotel, ferry dock, restaurants
and retail businesses. It is on schedule
to be completed by August, and will
help diversify Labuan Bajo’s attractive-
ness as a tourist destination in its own
right, and not merely as a gateway to
the Komodo dragons in the nearby
National Park.
The Mandalika resort project is a
massive undertaking in Lombok. Media
reports state that several large interna-
tional hotel chains have already begun
construction, with investment hitting
2.2 trillion rupiah. Once completed, the
integrated resort complex is expected to
absorb over 58,000 local workers.
All of this paints a pretty optimistic
picture of tourism-led growth in
Indonesia. Regulatory barriers have
been rolled back, the Tourism Ministry
has been streamlined and equipped
with sufficient resources to better carry
out its mandate, and infrastructure proj-
ects that will improve ease of access are
barrelling ahead. Large increases in visi-
tor numbers year over year since the pro-
gram was started in 2015 support the
conclusion that the government’s multi-
pronged approach to growing the indus-
try is paying dividends.
In 2014, Jokowi made bold promises
about economic growth and development
in Indonesia. Some of these, such as the
lofty ambition to add 35 gigawatts of
installed capacity to the electric grid by
2019, have not quite lived up to their
promise. But tourism is one sector that is
moving along at a fast clip, thanks to a
methodical approach that included a
comprehensive policy vision, clear bench-
marks to measure success, and a strategy
that coordinated a range of actors across
ministries, industries and jurisdictions in
service of that vision.
With April national elections loom-
ing, voters will be judging Jokowi in
part based on his economic record in
office. While not perfect, he will be able
to point to examples like the tourism
industry as proof that his economic
policies are working, and this ought to
hand him a potent weapon for his 2019
campaign arsenal.
JAMES GUILD is a PhD researcher
at the S Rajaratnam School of
International Studies in Singapore,
with a research focus on Indonesia’s
political economy.
they are given support by the charity,
some feel they cannot leave part-time
sex work behind.
As the cost of living in Hong Kong
soars, financial pressure is often the
main factor.
Nicole, also a pseudonym, aged 24,
started at the age of 18 to make money
to put herself through college.
She found clients on online forums
then communicated directly with them
via the popular messaging app
WeChat.
 WORLD
9A THE NATION Saturday, June 9, 2018
Suspected Russian strikes kill 38 civilians in northwest Syria
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
BEIRUT
AIR STRIKES thought to have been
carried out by Russian jets on a rebel-
held residential area in northwestern
Syrian have killed 38 civilians, a
Britain-based monitor said yesterday.
Five children were among those
killed when the strikes hit the area of
Zardana in the northwestern Idlib
province late Thursday, the Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights
Facebook admits
privacy settings
‘bug’ affecting
14 million users
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
SAN FRANCISCO
FACEBOOK has acknowledged a
software glitch that changed the
settings of some 14 million users,
potentially making some posts
public even if they were intended
to be private.
The news marked the latest in
a series of privacy embarrassments
for the world’s biggest social net-
work, which has faced a firestorm
over the hijacking of personal data
on tens of millions of users and
more recently for disclosures on
data-sharing deals with smart-
phone makers.
Erin Egan, Facebook’s chief pri-
vacy officer, said in a statement
that the company recently “found
a bug that automatically suggest-
ed posting publicly when some
people were creating their
Facebook posts”.
Facebook said this affected
users posting between May 18 and
May 27 as it was implementing a
new way to share some items such
as photos. That left the default or
suggested method of sharing as
public instead of only for specific
users or friends.
Facebook said it corrected the
problem on May 22 but was unable
to change all the posts, so is now
notifying affected users.
“Starting today we are letting
everyone affected know and ask-
ing them to review any posts they
made during that time,” Egan said.
“To be clear, this bug did not
impact anything people had post-
ed before, and they could still
choose their audience just as they
always have. We’d like to apolo-
gize for this mistake.”
Facebook confirmed earlier this
week that China-based Huawei,
which has been banned by the US
military and is a lightning rod for
cyberespionage concerns, was
among device makers authorised
to see user data in agreements that
had been in place for years.
Google rules out
using AI for arms
in military deal
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
SAN FRANCISCO
GOOGLE HAS announced that it
would not use artificial intelligence
for weapons or to “cause or directly
facilitate injury to people”.
Chief executive Sundar Pichai, in
a blog post outlining the company’s
artificial intelligence policies, noted
that even though Google won’t use
AI for weapons, “we will continue
our work with governments and the
military in many other areas” such
as cybersecurity, training or search
and rescue.
The news comes with Google fac-
ing an uproar from employees and
others over a contract with the US
military, which the California tech
giant said last week would not be
renewed. Pichai set out seven prin-
ciples for Google’s application of arti-
ficial intelligence, or advanced com-
puting that can simulate intelligent
human behavior.
He said Google is using AI “to
help people tackle urgent problems”
such as prediction of wildfires, help-
ing farmers, diagnosing disease or
preventing blindness.
“We recognise that such power-
ful technology raises equally power-
ful questions about its use,” Pichai
said in the blog.
“How AI is developed and used
will have a significant impact on soci-
ety for many years to come. As a
leader in AI, we feel a deep respon-
sibility to get this right.”
(SOHR) monitoring group said.
Zardana is largely controlled by
Islamist rebels, with a small presence
of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham alliance
led by Syria’s former Al-Qaeda affili-
ate.
An AFP correspondent at the scene
saw volunteers and a crane continue
to search the rubble for bodies in the
early morning.
Half a dozen men in civilian clothes
helped carry a person in a black body
bag away from the site of the strikes,
Riot police take up position as they block a street against demonstrators during a protest taking place before the start of the G7 Summit in Quebec City, Canada,
US allies ready for showdown
with Trump as trade splits G7
US PRESIDENT HAS OUTRAGED FELLOW LEADERS WITH NUMEROUS ‘AMERICA FIRST’ DECISIONS
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
QUEBEC CITY
AMERICA’S closest allies braced for a
showdown with President Donald
Trump at the G7 summit yesterday, as
anger at being slapped with trade tar-
iffs by their most powerful member
threatened to split the club.
Four days before Trump’s ice-
breaking summit with North Korea’s
leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore, the
US president can expect a far chillier
reception when he hops across the bor-
der to Canada for a meeting of the
world’s richest industrialised nations.
Much of his fellow members’ anger
stems from Trump’s recent imposition
of tariffs on imported steel and alu-
minium, but relations had already
been soured by the US pullout from an
international climate accord and a deal
designed to contain Iran’s nuclear pro-
gramme.
While the Trump administration
has characterised their rift as a family
quarrel, his fellow leaders appear to be
itching for a fight with a US president
during the two-day summit in the
Canadian countryside.
Mediterranean could become a ‘sea
of plastic’ unless action taken: WWF
The Mediterranean could become a “sea of plastic”, the WWF warned yester-
day in a report calling for measures to clean up one of the world’s worst
affected bodies of water.
The WWF said the Mediterranean had record levels of “micro-plastics,”
the tiny pieces of plastic less than five millimetres in size which can be found
increasingly in the food chain posing a threat to human health. “The concen-
tration of micro-plastics is nearly four times higher” in the Mediterranean
compared with open seas elsewhere in the world, said the report.
The problem, as all over the world, is simply that plastics have become an
essential part of our daily lives while recycling only accounts for a third of the
waste in Europe.
Plastic represents 95 per cent of the waste floating in the Mediterranean
and on its beaches, with most coming from Turkey and Spain, followed by
Italy, Egypt and France, the report said.
To tackle the problem, there has to be an international agreement to
reduce the dumping of plastic waste and to help clear up the mess at sea, the
WWF said.–AFP
( )
which pulverised several buildings. At
night, dozens of wounded streamed in
to the local hospital, including women,
children, the elderly and rescue vol-
unteers, the correspondent said.
The twisted bodies of the deceased
lay covered in a fine light grey dust and
dashed with bright red blood amid the
rubble.
Most of Idlib province lies beyond
government control and is held by an
array of rebels and jihadists.
Since Russia intervened on its side
Trump himself was expected to be
the last leader to arrive at the Group of
Seven to arrive in French-speaking
Quebec, trailing his counterparts from
Germany, Britain, France, Italy and
Japan as well as the host Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau.
And the White House confirmed
that he would be the first to leave, fly-
ing out at 10.30am local time on
Saturday.
Barely 500 days into his presiden-
cy, Trump has developed a knack for
alienating his fellow leaders while pur-
suing his “America First” foreign pol-
icy, a pushback against a global trade
system which he sees as working
against US interests.
Even Trudeau and French
President Emmanuel Macron, who
have both previously shown a willing-
ness to swallow their differences with
Trump, have voiced their willingness
to cut the US adrift if they cannot reach
some kind of consensus at the summit.
“The American President may not
mind being isolated, but neither do we
mind signing a six country agreement
if need be,” Macron said in a tweet on
Thursday amid warnings that the sum-
On the day that Prince would have turned 60, his label on Thursday
announced a posthumous album would be released. The pop legend died in
April 2016 from an accidental overdose of powerful painkillers, leaving behind
a vast trove of songs that Prince had stored without any clear release plans.
Warner Bros Records said it would release an album on September 21 of nine
songs he recorded in 1983 at his home studio in Minnesota.
in 2015, the Syrian regime has
regained control of around half of the
country.
More than 350,000 people have
been killed in Syria’s war since it start-
ed in 2011 with the brutal repression
of anti-government protests.
The Observatory says it relies on
sources inside Syria for its information,
and determines who carried out strikes
according to flight patterns, as well as
planes and ammunition involved.
Islamic State group jihadists on
mit may end without a joint statement
from all G7 members.
“Because these six countries repre-
sent values, they represent an eco-
nomic market which has the weight
of history behind it and which is now
a true international force,” added
Macron after he had his one-to-one
with Trudeau earlier in the day.
Trudeau told reporters that the US
justification for the tariffs on steel and
aluminum on national security
grounds was “laughable”, triggering a
riposte from Trump on Twitter.
‘More honest’
“Please tell Prime Minister
Trudeau and President Macron that
they are charging the US massive tar-
iffs and create non-monetary barri-
ers,” he wrote on Thursday night.
“The EU trade surplus with the US
is $151 Billion (Bt4.8 trillion), and
Canada keeps our farmers and others
out. Look forward to seeing them
tomorrow.”
Macron is to huddle with Britain’s
Theresa May, German Chancellor
Angela Merkel and Italy’s new Prime
Canada closer to legalising recreational marijuana
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
OTTAWA
CANADA’S SENATE HAS passed a
bill legalising recreational marijuana,
moving it closer to becoming the first
member of the Group of Seven nations
to legalise the production, sale and
consumption of the drug.
Bill C-45, or the Cannabis Act,
passed the Senate with 52 votes for, 30
against and one abstention after
months of debate over the ramifica-
tions of legalisation.
The Cannabis Act will now go back
to the House of Commons, which
passed the bill in November 2017 but
needs to sign off on changes made by
the Senate.
Legalising weed was a 2015 cam-
Thursday killed 22 pro-regime fight-
ers including 11 soldiers among them
two officers, in surprise attacks in
southern Syria, a monitor said.
Twelve jihadists also lost their lives
in the assaults in the desert of the
southern province of Sweida, SOHR
said.
These were the first attacks of their
kind in the area, where no IS presence
had been noted in more than a year,
Observatory head Rami Abdel
Rahman said.
E PA - E F E
Minister Giuseppe Conte ahead of
their talks with Trump, as Europe
seeks to forge a common approach.
Merkel has said that it may be
“more honest” for the G7 to avoid com-
ing up with a joint statement at the end
if it means compromising its princi-
ples.
The bilateral meetings will precede
a series of roundtable discussions
before they all tuck into a dinner of
lobster, asparagus and maple leaves
nestled on a French brioche at the end
of the first day of talks.
The summit is being held in a lux-
ury resort in the French-speaking
province of Quebec, more than two
hours’ drive away from the provincial
capital which is where journalists and
demonstrators have been largely
restricted to.
Previous G7 summits have seen
large-scaled anti-globalisation
protests. But even though he has
made his criticism of globalisation a
major part of his appeal to voters,
Trump was the main target of a
protest by around 400 demonstra-
tors on Thursday night who set fire to
US and other G7 flags.
paign promise of Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau, who has admitted hav-
ing smoked a joint with friends “five or
six times”.
The initial timeline for legal pot
sales called for it to be available by July
1, Canada’s national day, but fall now
appears more likely.
It would then be up to Canada’s
provinces and territories to set up dis-
tribution networks and enforcement.
The sale of medical marijuana has
been legal in Canada since 2001.
Bill C-45 would allow individuals
over the age of 18 to possess up to 30
grams of marijuana for personal use.
Sales to anyone under 18 would be
banned under federal law but
provinces and territories could set their
own age limits.
Spain’s new govt
emerges from
strong feminist
movement
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
MADRID
WITH NEARLY twice as many
women as men in ministerial posts,
Spain’s new Socialist government
has emerged from a strong feminist
movement that permeates all areas
of society and which culminated in
an unprecedented women’s strike
earlier this year.
Headed by Pedro Sanchez, who
ousted conservative veteran
Mariano Rajoy in a no-confidence
vote last Friday, the executive has the
biggest proportion of women than
any other country in Europe.
Of 17 ministers, 11 are women and
their portfolios include the key econ-
omy, finance, justice, labour, educa-
tion and health ministries.
Sanchez has also decided to re-
establish the equality ministry, cre-
ated in 2004 by the previous Socialist
government of Jose Luis Rodriguez
Zapatero, who was beaten in 2011
elections by Rajoy.
Constitutional law professor Ana
Maria Ovejero believes the appoint-
ments of women mark an impor-
tant step, even if Sanchez’s govern-
ment is a minority one with little
room for real manoeuvre.
She points out, for instance, that
the equality minister Carmen Calvo
has also been given the high-profile
role of deputy prime minister.
That should give her more leeway
to push through policies in the areas
of wage equality, women in leader-
ship roles in big companies and the
fight against domestic violence.
The Socialist party has also
announced that the first bill to be
debated in the lower house is one
stipulating that employees in the
judiciary will be given gender vio-
lence awareness training.
Spain is already a pioneer in that
domain.
Competent
In 2004, under Zapatero’s gov-
ernment, Spain passed a landmark
law against gender violence that the
European Council upheld as an
example to follow.
The legislation helped create a
telephone hotline, whose number
would not appear on callers’ phone
bills. It also established free legal aid
and special courts for victims.
Spain also has a special Gender
Violence Observatory.
On the streets, the composition
of the new cabinet has drawn mixed
reactions.
“It is a little about image, but you
can see that the women chosen are
competent for the work they will do,”
said Adriana Asensio, a young
clothes vendor in the centre of
Madrid.
“I think that Pedro Sanchez has
started off quite well” with a gov-
ernment that appears “more inclined
towards dialogue” than that of Rajoy,
she said in her shop, decorated with
packaging adorned with words such
as “equality” and “sexual revolution”.
But Isabel Redondo, a chemist,
felt the cabinet choice was merely a
way “to buy votes from the left, and
to make people think there are no
right-wing feminists”.
Law professor Ovejero said the
composition of the new executive
responded to “all the very important
and very intense movements there
have been, particularly in Spain,
since the mobilisation on March 8”.
On that day, which was also
International Women’s Day, Spain
saw an unprecedented strike in
defence of women’s rights, with close
to six million participants, accord-
ing to unions.
Statistics Canada has estimated
that the market will be worth Can$5.7
billion (Bt144 billion), based on last
year’s consumption data.
Uruguay approved the recreation-
al usage of marijuana five years ago
and nine US states have too but Canada
will be the first G-7 country to do so.
In an interview last month, Trudeau
said the world is closely following
Canada’s plans and predicted several
nations would follow suit.
“There is a lot of interest from our
allies in what we’re doing,” he said.
“They recognise that Canada is
being daring ... and recognise that the
current regime (of prohibition) does
not work, that it’s not preventing young
people from having easy access to
cannabis.”
 10A WORLD
Kim-Trump
to confront
chasm over
nuclear issue
CONCESSIONS KEY TO HISTORIC AGREEMENT
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
SEOUL
THE ISSUEat the top of US President
Donald Trump’s agenda for his sum-
mit with North Korean leader Kim
Jong-un is also the most complicated
– denuclearisation.
Pyongyang’s decades-long pursuit
of atomic weapons and the means to
deliver them to the US have seen it sub-
jected to multiple rounds of sanctions
by the UN Security Council, US, EU
and others, and tensions soared last
year as the two men traded personal
insults and threats of war.
Now after a rapid diplomatic rap-
prochement they are scheduled to
hold an unprecedented meeting in
Singapore in a few days.
But despite the positive imagery of
recent months, and the global head-
lines the summit will generate, the gap
they will need to breach is a chasm.
“It does strike me as very difficult
for Kim to give up the only thing that
makes him important and that is
nuclear weapons,” former US deputy
Secretary of State Richard Armitage
said.
“The distance from where we are
now to where we need to be is meas-
ured in years.”
Washington is demanding the
North give up its weapons in a com-
plete, verifiable and irreversible way.
Pyongyang, for its part, has repeat-
edly expressed a commitment to the
denuclearisation of the peninsula, but
the phrase is a diplomatic euphemism
open to interpretation on both sides
and the North has given no public indi-
cation of what concessions it might be
offering.
Instead Kim has, according to
Chinese state media reports of his dis-
cussion with President Xi Jinping,
called for Washington and Seoul to
“remove security threats against the
DPRK” and take “phased and syn-
chronous” steps in response to its own
moves.
The comments are a clear indica-
A menu offering “El Trumpo” and “Rocket Man” tacos in a Singapore restaurant.
Strange creations on the menu for
‘El Trumpo’ and ‘Rocket Man’ visit
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
SINGAPORE
FROM “El Trumpo” and “Rocket
Man” tacos to the “Bromance” cock-
tail, restaurants and bars in food-
crazy Singapore are rolling out
weird and wonderful creations to
mark the approaching US-North
Korea summit.
The affluent city-state prides
itself on its buzzing culinary scene,
and every type of outlet imaginable
is jumping on the bandwagon ahead
of Tuesday’s meeting between US
President Donald Trump and the
North’s Kim Jong-un.
At Mexican restaurant Lucha
Loco, customers can get stuck into
an El Trumpo, a version of a taco that
includes a beef patty and pickles.
It is complemented by the Rocket
Man, a taco stuffed with Korean
fried chicken and pickled radish, a
nod to the derogatory term that
Trump has used to refer to Kim.
The US leader famously loves
burgers, and several restaurants
have come up with fusion versions
of the classic American fast-food.
These typically feature a beef
patty topped with kimchi, a Korean
staple of spicy and pickled cabbage.
tion that Pyongyang will seek conces-
sions of its own.
Early signals from the US suggest-
ed Washington expected the North to
hand over its arsenal.
National security advisor John
Bolton’s reference to a “Libya model”
infuriated Pyongyang, given that
leader Muammar Gadhafi was
deposed and killed in a Nato-backed
rebellion after abandoning his nuclear
programme.
More recently Trump has dialled
down immediate expectations, saying
the summit could be the first of sever-
al. “I think it’s not a one meeting deal,”
he said on Thursday, but insisted: “If
they don’t denuclearise, that will not
be acceptable.”
The impoverished North has
devoted vast resources to its weapons
programmes, making rapid progress
under Kim.
‘Treasured sword’
Last year it carried out by far its
most powerful nuclear test to date,
with a yield commensurate with an H-
bomb, and launched intercontinental
ballistic missiles capable of reaching
the US mainland.
Aside from its nuclear arsenal, the
North is also believed to have 2,500 to
5,000 tonnes of chemical weapons
developed since the 1980s, according
to the South’s military.
It has yet to conclusively demon-
strate that it has the capability to shrink
a nuclear warhead to fit inside a mis-
sile, accurate targeting, or the re-entry
technology.
But it says it has mastered all three,
and Kim has declared the develop-
ment of the country’s “treasured
sword” complete.
Estimates of the North’s nuclear
capability vary. Seoul puts the North’s
plutonium stockpile at more than 50
kilograms, enough to produce around
10 weapons, adding Pyongyang also
has “a significant amount” of highly-
enriched uranium.
AFP
Italian fine dining restaurant
Sinfonia, where dinners start at
Sg$138 (Bt3,200) a head, has
focused more on the refined tastes
of luxury-loving Kim.
The eatery’s special summit
menu RBW, which stands for red,
blue and white, and refers to the
colours of both the US and North
Korean flags, features high-quality
Japanese beef and caviar, both
reportedly favourites of Kim.
Even local favourite nasi lemak,
a chili-infused rice dish tradition-
ally eaten at breakfast, is getting a
summit makeover with one restau-
rant coming up with a version that
features kimchi.
And in the home of the
“Singapore Sling” cocktail, local bar-
tenders are proving they can also
rise to the occasion.
Hopheads, a bar near the famous
Orchard Road shopping street, is
offering the “Bromance”, a mix of
beer, tequila, diet Coke and Korean
liquor soju.
The “Trump”, a blue, bourbon-
based cocktail, and the “Kim”, a red,
soju-based drink, are on sale at
watering hole Escobar for Sg$12.60
each, a reference to the summit’s
June 12 date.
Experts from countries in Iran accord meet in Tehran
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
TEHRAN
EXPERTS from the countries still in
the Iran nuclear deal have been hold-
ing a scheduled meeting in Tehran,
with the accord hanging in the balance
after the United States withdrew.
The closed-door encounter involv-
ing representatives from Iran, Britain,
China France, Germany and Russia as
well as the European Union had long
been on the cards, but comes as ten-
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, reviews a military honour guard with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Xi, Putin meet as US tensions brings them closer
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
BEIJING
CHINESE President Xi Jinping treat-
ed Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin
to a state visit yesterday as the neigh-
bouring giants forge closer ties in the
face of US diplomatic and economic
challenges.
Putin, re-elected to his fourth
Kremlin term in March, arrived at the
grandiose Great Hall of the People in
Beijing for talks with Xi, who could stay
in power for life after term limits were
lifted this year.
Israel says Palestinian medic killed in Gaza
was serving as ‘human shield’ during protest
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
JERUSALEM
ISRAEL HAS said that a Palestinian
medical volunteer shot dead during vio-
lence along the Gaza border had agreed
to serve as a “human shield” during
protests and clashes.
Spokespersons for the Israeli gov-
ernment and the army published the
same tweet, quoting part of an interview
with the young woman, Razan al-
Najjar, in which she says she was acting
as a “human shield”.
But the full quote she gave to
Lebanese channel Al-Mayadeen was
cut short, leaving out the part where she
said she was helping the injured.
“Razan al-Najjar was not an angel of
mercy as Hamas is trying to market her,”
Ofir Gendelman, the Arabic-language
spokesman for Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu, said in a tweet.
“Her admission in front of the cam-
eras that she was a human shield for riot-
ers proves how Hamas exploits even
medics to service its terrorist goals.”
US suicide rate has risen 30% in two decades
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
WASHINGTON
THE SUICIDE rate across the United
States has risen 30 per cent since
1999, and nearly 45,000 people took
their lives in 2016, officials said.
Suicide presents a “growing public
health problem”, with significant
increases in 44 of the 50 states, said
the report by the US Centres for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Earlier this week, American hand-
bag designer Kate Spade, 55, took her
own life, sparking renewed calls for
mental health awareness and suicide
prevention.
Suicide is “a tragedy for families
sions rise after Tehran announced a
plan to boost uranium enrichment
capacity.
“It is one of the technical meetings
that are held regularly,” a diplomatic
source told AFP, adding that it would
focus on economic issues.
The remaining parties to the land-
mark 2015 deal are scrambling to save
the agreement after US President
Donald Trump abandoned it last
month.
The US move to reimpose sanc-
The two heads of state reviewed a
military honour guard and greeted
flag-waving children during the wel-
coming ceremony before retreating
into the vast building.
The most powerful Russian and
Chinese leaders in decades, Xi and
Putin have built closer ties while US
President Donald Trump has labelled
both countries as economic rivals that
challenge US interests and values.
They are “soulmates who want to
make their countries great again”,
Alexander Gabuev, senior fellow at the
Carnegie Moscow Center, said.
In the full interview to Al-Mayadeen,
Najjar said: “I am here on the front lines
as a human shield to protect the wound-
ed.”
Since regular protests broke out on
the Gaza-Israel border on March 30,
Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas,
the enclave’s Islamist Palestinian rulers,
of using protesters as “human shields”
to cover “terrorist” activities.
At least 125 Palestinians have been
killed in Gaza by Israeli fire since the
protests began. No Israeli has been
killed.
Najjar, 21, was shot in her chest on
June 1 while wearing a white medical
coat. Palestinian medics said she was
trying to provide care for injured pro-
testers. Her death revived accusations
of excessive use of force against the
Israeli army. The army has denied it tar-
geted her.
The tweet published on Thursday
shows another video in which young
Palestinians place an object spewing gas
in the hands of a young woman wear-
ing a medical mask and presented as
and communities across the country,”
said CDC principal deputy director
Anne Schuchat.
“From individuals and communi-
ties to employers and healthcare pro-
fessionals, everyone can play a role in
efforts to help save lives and reverse
this troubling rise in suicide.”
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of
death in the United States, and is
rarely caused by a single factor,
experts say.
The study, which spanned 1999 to
2016, found that more than half of
people who killed themselves did not
have a known diagnosed mental
health condition at the time of death.
Contributing factors included “rela-
THE NATION Saturday, June 9, 2018
tions, lifted under the accord that aims
to ensure Tehran will not develop a
nuclear bomb, has already seen many
investors who returned to the country
start to wind down operations.
Iran raised pressure on European
diplomats seeking to rescue the pact
by announcing Tuesday it has
launched a plan to boost uranium
enrichment capacity with new cen-
trifuges.
The European Union said a first
assessment indicated the new steps
“Both share scepticism towards
American hegemony and distrust US
intentions, both are authoritarian per-
sonalistic rulers,” he said.
China is mired in tough negotia-
tions with the United States to avoid a
trade war, while Moscow has deep dif-
ferences with Washington on multiple
diplomatic fronts, including Syria and
Ukraine.
Putin played up his bond with his
“good friend” Xi in an interview with
China’s state broadcaster CGTN this
week.
He said the Chinese president was
Najjar, who then throws the object into
a field.
Gendelman said it was probably a
tear gas cartridge fired by the Israeli
army and retrieved by the young men.
Israeli soldiers are not visible in the
video and the group does not appear to
be close to any clashes.
“(She was) participating in riots; she
supposedly came to the border in order
to help wounded rioters. Nowhere in the
world do you see medics participate in
riots,” Gendelman said. He denied that
cutting the video mid-sentence changed
its meaning.
“As she acts as a human shield, it
means that she is not a medic, it means
that she serves as a human shield for ter-
rorists.”
The health ministry in Gaza reject-
ed Gendelman’s accusations.
“Anything the occupation says to jus-
tify its crime of killing Razan does not
fool anyone ... this is a crime that must
be prosecuted in international courts,”
health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-
Qudra said.
tionship problems or loss, substance
misuse; physical health problems; and
job, money, legal or housing stress,”
said the report.
The most common method of sui-
cide involved firearms.
The highest suicide rate from 2014-
2016 was in Montana, where 29.2 resi-
dents per 100,000 people took their
own lives. It was lowest in the US capi-
tal, Washington, with 6.9 suicides per
100,000 residents per year.
The biggest spike in suicides since
1999 was in North Dakota, where sui-
cides rose 57 percent.
A total of 25 states had suicide rate
increases of more than 30 per cent in
that span.
did not constitute a violation of the
agreement, but warned they did “not
contribute to building confidence”.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves
Le Drian warned Iran on Wednesday
that its plan to increase its uranium
enrichment capacity took it close to a
“red line”.
Iran insists its nuclear programme
is for civilian uses only, but opponents
in the United States, Israel and Saudi
Arabia accuse it of seeking to build an
atomic bomb.
E PA - E F E
the only state leader to celebrate his
birthday with him, with the two shar-
ing vodka and sausage.
Xi “is approachable and sincere”,
Putin told CGTN. “But he’s also a very
dependable man to work with.”
Maria Repnikova, director of the
Center for Global Information Studies
at Georgia State University in the US,
said China makes Russia look
“stronger and more relevant” on the
global stage.
For its part, Russia allows China to
show the US that it has “other options”
in international negotiations, she said.
Erdogan floats
lifting state of
emergency
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
ANKARA
TURKEY’S state of emergency, in
place since a failed coup two years
ago, could be lifted after elections
this month, President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan said.
The Turkish leader, who is fac-
ing stiff opposition for presidential
and legislative polls on June 24, has
previously insisted that the emer-
gency measures would not be lift-
ed until the “terrorist” threat is com-
pletely eliminated from the coun-
try.
“After the elections, we will dis-
cuss the state of emergency in detail
and there could be the question of
lifting it,” Erdogan said during a tel-
evised interview broadcast late
Thursday.
Turkish courts have so far hand-
ed jail terms to more than 2,000
suspects over the failed 2016 coup
aimed at unseating Erdogan, a gov-
ernment minister said this month.
Thousands of people including
soldiers, police officers and judges
have been arrested in a broad crack-
down since the attempted putsch.
Tens of thousands of people have
also been suspended or sacked from
the public sector including teach-
ers, police officers and judges under
decrees imposed under the state of
emergency.
The opposition has accused
Erdogan of using the state of emer-
gency to silence critics.
Erdogan, who has dominated
Turkish politics since 2003 as
prime minister and now president,
is favourite to win a second presi-
dential mandate this month with
the enhanced powers agreed in last
year’s referendum.
But analysts say his ruling
Justice and Development Party
(AKP) could lose its overall major-
ity to an opposition alliance.
 ARJUN TENDULKAR, SON OF LEGENDARY BATSMAN SACHIN, HAS BEEN PICKED IN INDIA’S UNDER-19 TEAM FOR THE TOUR TO SRI LANKA IN JULY
SPORT
Sarit SURGES to Open lead
HOMETOWN ROOKIE
SHOOTS ANOTHER 65
BUT PANUPHOL HOT
ON HEELS AFTER A 64
LERPONG AMSA-NGIAM
THE NATION
CHACHOENGSAO
UP-AND- COMING rookie Sarit
Suwannarut carded another immac-
ulate round to steal the limelight at
the halfway stage of the
US$300,000 Thailand Open at the
Thai Country Club on the outskirts
of Bangkok yesterday.
The well-built Bangkokian blast
five birdies for back-to-back 65s to
take the clubhouse lead on 10 under-
par-130 in the unfinished second
round after morning rain suspend-
ed play for an hour.
“My putting was the key. I’m sur-
prised I’m putting so well this week.
I’m very excited and feel some pres-
sure now,” said the 20-year-old, who
ended the day a shot ahead of fellow
Thai Panuphol Pittayarat.
In fact Sarit, who weighs 90kg
and is 1.86m tall, only turned pro-
fessional in February in an All
Thailand Tour in Khon Kaen, 18
months after taking a full scholar-
ship at Virginia Tech University.
He decided to turn his back on his
education in the US after realising a
career on golf was what he really
craved.
“Things didn’t turn out the way I
expected to. so I decided to come
back and play golf, which is what I
love. I knew I really wanted to
become a pro golfer. So I came back
and I’ve played a lot of golf this year,”
said Sarit, who won a local All
Thailand Tour in Pattaya in July
2016, three weeks before he flew to
Virginia.
Playing in his only second Asian
Tour event after May’s Bangladesh
Open, where he finished tied for
51st, Sarit will have to cope with the
unfamiliar situation of being in the
leading group over the weekend.
English fans fly their flags in Leeds yesterday but might not take them to Russia.
FAST TRACK
Ghana closes its FA
Ghana is to dissolve the country’s
football association after explosive reve-
lations of bribe-taking by referees and
kickbacks to top officials that have
shocked the football-mad nation.
Information minister Mustapha
Abdul-Hamid said the government had
“decided to take immediate steps to
have the GFA (Ghana Football
Association) dissolved” because of the
“widespread nature of the apparent rot”.
The GFA had earlier pledged to tackle
corruption in the wake of a long-awaited
undercover documentary unveiled just
over a week before the start of the World
Cup finals.
Hidden camera footage purportedly
showed referees taking as little as $100
each to rig matches.
Fekir to join Liverpool
Lyon captain Nabil Fekir is set to
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Sarit Suwannarut hits an approach shot yesterday . He’s the surprise leader at the halfway stage of the Thailand Open.
“I won’t expect anything or even
a win. I will try to talk a lot with my
friend [Porsch who is caddying for
him this week] and that should help.
My strategy is play shot by shot, not
to make mistakes,” said Sarit.
Panuphol, 24, hit seven birdies
against a lone bogey to settle with a
64 for a total nine under-par-131
which saw him make the first cut for
the first time in his latest five tour-
naments.
“I was putting well although I
didn’t drive the ball on the fairways
much. I just managed to get out of
the trouble well and made several
good putts,” said the one-time Asian
Tour winner who finished fourth in
this event last year.
Two shots back at third was 25-
AFP
become Liverpool’s latest signing in a
£53 million deal.
Since losing the Champions League
final last month, Liverpool have already
bolstered their midfield for next season
by signing Fabinho from Monaco and
Naby Keita from RB Leipzig.
Fekir, 24, is part of the France squad
for the upcoming World Cup and the
Reds are keen to close the deal before
Fekir jets off to Russia.
Serie A champions Juventus say they
have activated the 40 million euro
(£35m) purchase clause to make Bayern
Munich winger Douglas Costa’s move to
Italy permanent.
Capitals win first NHL title
The Washington Capitals have ended
44 years of playoff frustration by beat-
ing the expansion Vegas Golden Knights
4-3 to claim their first Stanley Cup title in
franchise history.
12A
Saturday, June 9, 2018
nationmultimedia.com/sports
year-old Poom Saksansin, who shot
a 66 for eight under-par-132, while
overnight leader Natipong Srithong,
with a 69, trailed a shot behind with
133.
“I hit several birdies but also made
bogeys too,” said the 25-year-old
Poom, winner of two Tour trophies.
“I missed some easy putts but it
happened. I will have to hit straight
on to the fairways, which are very
narrow here. You don’t want the ball
to land out of positionSeveral play-
ers will go out early and finish their
second rounds this morning, with
the third round to start later.
Star trio for US Open
Tiger Woods will tee it up in his
Flag it: England fans told to tone it down in Russia
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
LONDON
THE SAFETY of England fans at next
week’s World Cup, especially homo-
sexuals and those with Black, Asian
and Minority Ethnic (BAME) back-
grounds, is a concern, a parliamentary
committee admittted yesterday.
An estimated 10,000 English fans
are expected to travel to Russia and
have already been told by police not to
wave St George flags as they could be
deemed imperialistic.
Fans have been warned to be par-
ticularly careful in Volgograd, former-
Lars Eller and Devante Smith-Pelly
scored third-period goals as the Capitals
came from behind to win the National
Hockey League championship series in
five games and end the fairytale run of
the Golden Knights’ first season.
The title ends decades of heartbreak
not only for the NHL team but for the
city of Washington, as it had been over
26 years since a major sports team from
the US capital had won a championship.
Kongsak is new SAT governor
Kongsak Yodmanee was yesterday
announced as the 14th governor of the
new Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT).
The 45-year-old former member of
the Democrat Party will replace Sakhon
Wannapong, at the end of the month.
Kongsak, son of former Minister of
Tourism and Sports Suwit Yodmanee,
beat eight other candidates to receive
the committee’s unanimous vote. – AFP
THE NATION
N AT I O N
first US Open since 2015 alongside
world number one Justin Thomas
and the man Thomas replaced atop
the summit, Dustin Johnson.
The US Golf Association has
released the tee times for next week’s
118th US Open and once again their
featured groups promise plenty of
fireworks.
32-year-old Woods, with 15
majors to his name, will have a close-
up view of the game’s current top two
players.
Meanwhile Northern Ireland star
Rory McIlroy, the 2011 US Open
champion, will launch his bid for a
fifth major title alongside 2015 win-
ner Jordan Spieth and former world
No 1 Phil Mickelson, who has been US
Open runner-up five times.
ly Stalingrad, which hosts England’s
opening game against Tunisia on June
18, as it is regarded by Russians as a
symbol of the Great Patriotic War
(World War II) and contains many
important memorials.
Russian and English fans clashed
violently in Marseille when France
hosted the 2016 European
Championships. Russian hooligans
posted photos of dozens of “captured”
St George’s flags after the clashes.
The committee also called on the
Foreign Office to confirm assurances
over LGBT fans’ security, saying: “MPs
remain particularly concerned about
Ask me again and I will
head-butt you: Verstappen
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
MONTREAL
MAX Verstappen has threatened to “head-butt” the next
reporter to ask him about his crash-laden start to the 2018
Formula One season.
Speaking before tonight’s Canadian Grand Prix and dis-
playing much of the impetuosity that is characteristic of
his on-track behaviour this season, the 20-year-old
Dutchman reacted strongly to a series of questions about
his racing. Asked why he had experienced so many crash-
es, he paused before he said: “I don’t know. But as I said at
the start, I am tired of these questions and if I get any more
I am going to head-butt someone.”
The Red Bull driver has been involved in incidents at
every one of the six race weekends this year, but claimed it
was not “as dramatic as people say”.
Verstappen, who made a sensational teenage arrival in
F1 with a victory on his debut with Red Bull at the 2016
Spanish Grand Prix, crashed in practice at the Monaco
Grand Prix two weeks ago and had to start from the back
of the grid.
That was one of two accidents this year that he acknowl-
edged were his fault, and the 20-year-old Dutchman react-
‘I must do better’: Halep hopes
to put the record straight tonight
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE career on ice for 10 months and her
PARIS ranking nose-dived to world No 323.
Fast forward and she is a US
WORLD No 1 Simona Halep is vow- Open champion, about to reach at
ing to erase the misery of her 2017 least the number four ranking in the
Roland Garros heartbreak when she world and tonight will be gunning for
faces US Open winner and tenth a second major title.
seed Sloane Stephens in the “I worked really hard coming
women’s French Open final tonight. back and getting in the gym, and
Halep, the runner-up in 2014 and when I was chubby trying to get
16481
16481
2017, enjoyed a 6-1 6-4 victory over skinny and when I was out of shape
2016 champion and third seed getting back in shape,” she said.
Garbine Muguruza of Spain to make “I have recognised more things I
sure of staying world No 1 next week. needed to do. So when I’d gotten in
ISSN 16855361
She immediately turned her shape and done all the things my
536009
thoughts to the final, where she is coach asked me to do, I just put it
desperate to erase the memories of into the universe, like, ‘God, look
last year’s horror show, when she what I did, help a sister out!’
9 771685
surrendered a set and a 3-0 lead to “Life came at me fast after the
lose to Jelena Ostapenko. US Open. I kind of regrouped and got
“I have another chance to be in myself together, which I did well, and
the final and hope to do better than I started playing better and better.
last year,” she said. “I have just slowly kind of gained
Muguruza believes her conqueror momentum. There is no formula.
will do just that. “There’s no right or wrong. It’s
“It’s Simona’s third final in just each person is individual and
Roland Garros, she has a great level. does it on their own time.”
She’s the favourite,” she said. Stephens’ Paris campaign this
year came close to ending in the
‘Help a sister out!’ third round when Italy’s Camila
Giorgi twice served for the match
Stephens, who won her maiden and was within two points of win-
Slam title in New York last year, beat ning. No surprise then that the
close friend Madison Keys 6-4, 6-4 charismatic Stephens is not getting
having previously never got beyond too far ahead of herself for tonight’s
the quarter-finals in Paris. final against the two-time runner-
Her French Open run caps off an up and world number one.
amazing 12 months for the “I just do what I have been doing
American. A year ago a foot injury – all the days, really. Nothing really too
and then surgery – had put her special,” said the American.
AFP
AFP
Simona Halep out to make amends Comeback queen Sloane Stephens
safe passage for BAME and LGBT Ronaldo back in the side, strolled to a
football fans who already face addi- 3-0 win over Algeria in another World
tional risks of attack and persecution Cup warm-up match in Lisbon.
in a country whose government has A brace from Paris Saint-Germain
taken ‘little action to combat homo- forward Goncalo Guedes and another
phobia’ (FCO’s Human Rights and strike from Sporting Lisbon midfield-
Democracy Report 2016),” it said. er Bruno Fernandes secured a com-
On the pitch the news was much fortable success.
better for England yesterday, as Ronaldo, having been given extra
Marcus Rashford staked his claim for time off following Real Madrid’s
a World Cup start with a stunning Champions League final victory over
strike in a 2-0 victory over Costa Rica. Liverpool, made his 150th interna-
Danny Welbeck also justified his tional appearance for Portugal.
inclusion in Gareth Southgate’s squad And his very presence sparked a
by coming off the bench to seal the win. marked improvement in Portugal’s
Portugal, with talisman Cristiano attacking thrust.
AFP
Hear no evil: Max Verstappen won’t talk about his crashes.
ed tetchily to further questions about his record.
“I’m really tired of all the comments about me—that I
should change my approach,” he said. “I will never do that.
It has brought me to where I am right now and after the
race is not the right time to talk.”
He added: “I don’t listen to it anyway. I just do my own
thing. “Of course it hasn’t being going that well in the way
I like it. A few mistakes, especially Monaco and China, but
it doesn’t make sense to keep talking about it.”
Verstappen has failed to finish in two of the six races this
season with a best result of third in Spain last month.
He sits sixth in the standings some 75 points behind
leader Lewis Hamilton and with less than half the number
of his Australian Red Bull team-mate Daniel Ricciardo.

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DOW JONES (THU) 25,241.41
NASDAQ (THU) 7,635.07
FRANKFURT (THU) 12,811.05
NIKKEI 22,694.50
HANG SENG 30,958.21
NEWS FEED
WORD CUP TO DRAW
11 MILLION VIEWERS,
BT6.69 BN SPENDING
The 2018 Fifa World Cup
tournament is expected to draw
around 10.96 million viewers in
Thailand, according to Kasikorn
Research Centre.
It also forecast that spending
on consumer products in the
country during the tournament
will reach Bt6.685 billion.
The products that will directly
benefit from consumers’
spending include food, beverage,
fast food, and sportswear
products.
The tournament will take
place from June 14 to July 15 in
Russia.
ALS EXPANDS THAI
FOOTPRINT WITH NINTH
FACILITY, IN RAYONG
ALS, a global testing,
inspection and certification
business, has opened a new
facility in Rayong, offering asset
integrity and reliability services to
the Southeast Asian market.
This expands ALS’ footprint in
Thailand from eight sites to nine
and increases its workforce to
460.
The new operation will provide
ALS’ clients in Southeast in East
Asia with efficient and high
quality technical services.
ALS is an Australian publicly
listed company with revenues of
$1.2 billion annually and over
14,000 personnel.
The new ALS facility is ideally
located, close to the industrial
centre of Map Tha Put on
Thailand’s Eastern Seaboard.
Having dedicated personnel
based locally enables ALS to
better support existing client
requirements and cater to a
growing client base in the
region.
SEC approves rules for
digital currency trading
THE NATION
THE securities regulator has
approved regulations governing trad-
ing in digital assets, including initial
coin offerings (ICOs), after canvass-
ing the views of market participants
in the nascent sector.
The Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC) announced the
move on Thursday. Another meas-
ured related to digital currencies is
expected to be announced this month.
For the regulations approved this
week, the SEC had sought the opin-
ions of players in the industry via a
public consultation conducted on its
website, through social media and
with focus groups.
The regulations clarify the respon-
sibilities of those that can issue and
promote ICOs and those of related
intermediaries. They also cover other
forms of transactions in the rapidly
emerging investment sphere. The aim
of the measures is to help reduce the
risks that investors are exposed to,
including from fraud, the SEC says,
The regulations equip the public
sector with the tools to investigate
money laundering and crack down
on the use of digital currencies to aid
the practice.
Under the measures, ICO issuers
must be companies according to Thai
laws, with certain business plans,
audited financial statements and
PORTUGAL DRIVES FOR RISE IN THAI INVESTMENTS
AEC
% %
-0.64 SHANGHAI SE 3,067.15
-0.89 SOUTH KOREA 2,451.58
-0.84 MALAYSIA 1,782.15
+0.38 SINGAPORE 3,438.30
INDONESIA 5,992.13
-0.70
-0.15 PHILIPPINES 7,740.74
-0.56 VIETNAM 1,039.01
-1.76 LAOS 927.61
Asean poised for tourism bonanza
BUT STATES SEEK
MORE FOREIGN FUNDS
TO ENSURE FACILITIES
KEEP PACE WITH
VISITOR INFLOWS
SOMLUCK SRIMALEE
THE NATION
SEOUL
COUNTRIES in the Asean region are
gearing up to exploit the economic
gains from a projected surge in the
ranks of foreign tourists from 120
million last year to just shy of 200 mil-
lion in 2030.
“We need investors to expand their
outlays to develop Asean's infra-
structure and the range of tourism
projects required to support the rise
in the number of visitors to the
region," Rashidi Hasbullah, secretary
general of Malaysia’s Ministry of
Tourism and Culture, said at the
Asean-Korea Tourism Investment
Seminar 2018 in Seoul yesterday.
He said that efforts to attract
tourism investments form part of the
key strategic actions outlined in the
Asean Tourism Strategic Plan 2016-
2025. The Asean tourism ministers
at the gathering in the South Korean
capital reaffirmed that “driving
investments in infrastructure to keep
pace with tourism growth” is one of
the main priorities for this year.
The member states of the region-
al bloc have forward-looking plans to
attract investors in strategic tourism
sub-sectors of interest to individual
countries, Hasbullah said.
The region's increased infrastruc-
ture investment will have significant
multiplier effects on consumption in
the future through increased employ-
ment, higher incomes and corporate
earnings, he said.
Asean had a combined gross
domestic product (GDP) of US$2.6
trillion in 2016, making it the world's
sixth-largest economy. It is expected
to become the fourth-largest econo-
my by 2030.
“If we look at the demographics,
clear requirements for digital token
holders, along with the disclosure of
source codes, prospectuses and peri-
odic progress reports of projects and
financial use.
Offering of coins must be made via
SEC-approved ICO portals, which
will screen projects and apply know-
your-customer standards to prospec-
tive investors.
Each ICO can be sold to institu-
tional investors, special major
investors and joint ventures to an
unlimited degree, but digital assets of
no more than Bt300,000 can be
offered to individual retail investors,
among other conditions.
Trade centres, brokers and dealers
of digital assets, whose licences must
be granted by the finance minister,
should have registered capital of no
less than the amount required by the
SEC. The SEC has agreed to exempt
utility tokens from the regulations
governing the offering of digital
tokens to the public.
Tipsuda Thavaramara, deputy
secretary-general of the SEC, said:
“We’ve tried to find a balance between
the support of innovation and the
building of confidence for related par-
ties for the regulations launched.
Opinions from all parties have been
considered. The regulations may not
be perfect but make a start for learn-
ing together for the authorities and
business sector.”
■ GOLD
-1.36 THAI - BAR
-0.77 THAI - ORNAMENT
-0.20 HONGKONG
-1.00
-1.88 LONDON
-0.80
+0.22
+1.40
WELCOME MAT
Asean incentives for foreign investors in tourism
Myanmar
100% ownership
in hotels
Vietnam
tax holiday for the
first 4 years, with
50% discount for the
5th to 9th years
Thailand
tax holiday of
up to 8 years
Cambodia
after Board of
tax holiday
Investment
for 9 years
approval
Malaysia
100% ownership
Singapore
17% flat rate
corporate income tax
Indonesia
100% ownership
Source: Asean-Korea Tourism Investment Seminar 2018
Asean has a combined population of
634 million people where 65 per cent
of the population will be classified as
middle income by 2030, compare to
a mere 29 per cent in 2010,” he said.
“This growing number translates into
spending power that enables growth
in consumption demand.”
Thailand's permanent secretary
of the Tourism and Sports Ministry,
Pongpanu Svetarundra, told partic-
ipants at the seminar of the govern-
ment’s policy to develop infrastruc-
ture projects in the country’s Eastern
Economic Corridor (EEC), which
covers the provinces of Chon Buri,
Chachoengsao and Rayong. The tar-
geted projects are worth Bt1.5 trillion
Food processing operator finds the right blend for success
SOMLUCK SRIMALEE
THE NATION
VISIT Limlurcha breathed fresh life
into the family business started by his
father by modernising the food pro-
cessing operation and adding the
company’s own brands to the output
under a heightened focus on exports.
The family company had earlier
carried out food processing for prod-
ucts that went out under its cus-
tomers’ brands. But Visit, now 50,
explored ways to expand the business
when he began to work alongside his
father Somchit Limlurcha after grad-
uating from university. With the new
ideas implemented, the company’s
export success has led to it generat-
ing an average annual income of
Bt250 million.
“My father started out in his own
business by buying agricultural prod-
ucts such as soybeans and corn from
farmers and then selling them to
manufacturing plants, which then
produced animal feed,” Visit said in
an interview with The Nation
recently.
“Then a friend of his suggested
that he should move into canned
bamboo shoots for export when this
friend saw a business opportunity for
exports. As a result, my father decid-
ed to invest Bt10 million to set up a
manufacturing plant in 1987.”
From the start with bamboo
shoots, Somchit diversified into the
processing of other vegetables and
fruit, as production for the bamboo
shoots was limited to just two months
>> 3B
nationmultimedia.com/business
nationmultimedia.com/aec
■ INTEREST RATES
19,600.00 19,700.00 SAVING
19,253.20 20,200.00 CURRENT
1,296.92 1,297.27 FIXED12MONTHS<10M
1,296.90 1,297.40 FIXED12MONTHS>=10M
FIXED24MONTHS
FIXED36MONTHS
Philippines
tax holiday of
4 to 6 years
(maximum
8 years)
NATION GRAPHICS
under a spending programme to
2022. The investment outlays form a
key part of the government’s efforts
to boost the economy and support
growth in tourism businesses,
Pongpanu said. "Thailand welcomed
35 million foreign tourists last year
and that number is expected to be 38
million this year, before rising to 60
million in 2030.
“We need more investment to
develop the country's infrastructure
to support the strong demand in the
future. The opportunities are open to
the private sector in both the domes-
tic and overseas markets to expand
the investment in our country.”
Pongpanu estimates that the
N AT I O N
Visit Limlurcha, managing director of
Great Oriental Food Products Co Ltd,
presents some of the company’s
processed food products that are
winning over customers in 30 countries.
a year. For the other 10 months, the
production lines were kept busy with
corn, longans, rambutans and other
produce.
For the first year of operations, the
business generated sales of Bt20 mil-
lion, on the way to double-digit
growth each year. By the third year,
THE NATION
Saturday
June 9, 2018
■ FX RATES
0.50 CURRENCY / BAHT
0.00
1.40
1.40
1.45
1.60
Representatives from Asean countries and South Korea present a unified force
in seeking to maximise the advantages of the tourism boom. At the
Asean-Korea Tourism Investment Seminar 2018 in Seoul yesterday, they
outlined the incentives their governments are rolling out to attract more
foreign investors.
number of tourists to visit the Asean
region will increase from 120 million
last year to 198.57 million in 2030,
based on the average growth rate of
4 per cent a year from now.
Laos' director of the tourism plan-
ning and development division of the
Tourism Development Ministry of
Information, Culture and Tourism,
Somxay Sipaseuth, said that the
country had succeeded in attracting
more investment to develop the coun-
try's infrastructure projects to serve
the growing number or tourists. At
the end of last year, the country
recorded 3.86 million foreign tourists
and they brought in revenue of
US$648.06 million.
Cambodia's deputy director gen-
eral of international cooperation and
tourism investment under the
Ministry of Tourism, Rothasak
Thong, said the number of foreign
tourists to the country last year rose
12 per cent from 2016 to 5.6 million.
Cambodia expects tourist arrivals to
jump to 13 million in 2028.
More investment in infrastructure
would be required to manage this
growth in tourism, Rothasak Thong
said. He pointed to the country’s
Profile
Company: Great Oriental Food
Products Co Ltd
Business: Produces and distributes
processed vegetables and fruit
Salees: Bt250 million a year
Staff: 100
the friend of Somchit said he wanted
to exit from a joint venture they had
set up. That paved the way for
Somchit to train up Visit in the busi-
ness, with a focus on the export side.
“I then began to learn how to man-
age the exports while I was in my third
year at university,” Visit said. “Then I
graduated with a bachelor’s degree
business in 1990 and started to work
with my father to manage
our marketing and
exports.”
A move to add the pro-
cessing of sweet corn in
1990 has paid off for the company,
Great Oriental Food Products Co Ltd.
Exports go out to 30 countries –
including in Europe, the United
States, the Middle East, Africa and
Australia. Nearer to home the sweet
corn is sold in China, Japan, India
and Nepal.
Up to 90 per cent of the compa-
ny’s exports go out under its cus-
tomers’ brands, with the remainder
sold under the family business’s own
brands, ATA and All Like. The latter
is the brand for products destined for
both the home and overseas markets.
Bank Rate
Sell Buy
USD 32.32 31.62
HKD 4.21 3.93
JPY 29.89 28.60
EUR 38.35 37.14
CNY 5.17 4.60
NATION
aggressive investment to develop new
airports for Siem Reap and Phnom
Penh and an expressway from Phnom
Penh to the coastal resort of
Sihanoukville. The projects are sup-
ported by investment from the
Chinese government.
“We also open to investment from
other sources, including South Korea,
to develop our country's infrastruc-
ture projects," he said.
Myanmar's deputy director gen-
eral of directorate of hotels under the
Tourism Ministry of Hotels and
Tourism, Khin Than Win, said
Myanmar's government provides tax
holidays for foreign investors of
between three and seven years,
depending on the location of their
investments.
The incentives are part of the
country’s efforts to encourage for-
eigners to expand their investments
and develop the country's infrastruc-
ture in line with the rising number of
tourists.
Representatives from Indonesia,
Singapore, Vietnam and the
Philippines also presented their
incentives for foreign investors in the
infrastructure and tourism sectors.
The company’s success has creat-
ed work for some 100 farmers in Tak
province. They supply the sweet corn,
bamboo shoots and other vegetable
and fruit types that are processed at
the plant, also in Tak province. These
farmers have land amounting to some
3,000 rai in the province.
The company has set aside an
investment budget averaging Bt10
million a year for upgrades to the pro-
duction plant following a move to join
the One Province, One Agro-
Industrial Product (OPOAI) scheme
set up by the Industry Ministry.
This success has helped the com-
pany to cut production costs by about
2 per cent on average. With these sav-
ings, it has been able to maintain its
net profit margin at a time when the
baht’s strength has eroded some of its
revenue.
“The stronger baht
strong has been having an
impact on our revenue
since 2016, but we can
maintain our net profit growth when
we manage our production cost in
line with the OPOAI programme,”
Visit said.
Visit said that the key to the suc-
cess of his business has been its focus
on quality and the addition of new
products, helping it to withstand the
pressure from the big players in the
industry.
“We are a small firm in the food
industry, but we strive to learn what
our customers want and this has
helped to differentiate us from our
competition in the market,” he said.
 AEC ( )
2B THE NATION Saturday, June 9, 2018

ASEAN asianews.network
ECONOMIC nationmultimedia.com/section/aec
COMMUNITY

Axe swings in corporate Malaysia
FALLOUT FROM POLL SHOCK SEES INVESTORS TRYING TO DISCERN REFORM FROM REVENGE
THE STRAITS TIMES
ASIA NEWS NETWORK
KUALA LUMPUR
HEADS are rolling in corporate
Malaysia, as the axe falls on chiefs of
institutions and state-linked firms
accused of using their positions in a
failed attempt to keep then-prime
minister Najib Razak in power.
The housekeeping of the admin-
istration of Prime Minister Mahathir
Mohamad has seen the chiefs of the
central bank and national telecom-
munications provider as well as a
powerful director of state oil giant
Petronas being swept out the door in
less than a day, but more are expect-
ed to follow in their wake.
But while the market will likely get
over the initial shock of such sweep-
ing changes, investors are watching
closely for the names of replacements
to indicate if these are efforts at pol-
icy change or driven by revenge and
the expediency of rewarding loyal-
ists.
“While these latest developments
should help restore credibility to
Malaysia's institutions, Mahathir
inevitably wants his own people in
top state jobs,” said risk consultancy
Eurasia Group's Asia director Peter
Mumford. “We are concerned that
decisions will be excessively driven by
vengeance, with any policy, institu-
tions or people closely associated with
Najib dismissed regardless of their
merits.”
Some of these changes have been
expected after the May 9 elections,
which saw a shock change of govern-
ment. Both Bank Negara governor
Muhammad Ibrahim and Telekom
Malaysia (TM) chief executive
Shazalli Ramly have suffered due to
links with the Najib administration
and unpopular decisions. TM shares
have risen as much as 10 per cent on
the back of the leadership change.
But a replacement at the central
bank has yet to be decided, and adds
to uncertainty in the market, which
has seen foreign funds pull out about
6 billion ringgit from the local bourse
in May alone.
Other purges are less straightfor-
ward. Petronas has consistently per-
formed across more than four
decades in existence. Aside from
director in charge of remunerations
Omar Mustapha Ong, who resigned
on Thursday, chairman Sidek
Hassan's contract is not expected to
be renewed at the end of the month,
and they are both Najib appointees.
The next cohort reported to be
headed for the exit is set to include
Bursa Malaysia chief executive
Tajuddin Atan - whose seven years in
charge has seen robust growth in the
Kuala Lumpur stock exchange.
Muhammad Ibrahim's departure
this week has left Bank Negara
Malaysia without a leader at a time of
Malaysia's biggest political upheaval
in decades.
It is understood that other top
brass in government investment
funds such as Khazanah and
Permodalan Nasional Berhad have
also sought assurances over their
positions.
“They have met with leaders of the
new government, including the
Council of Eminent Persons,” a source
said, referring to Prime Minister
Mahathir's team of advisers led by his
confidant and former finance minis-
ter Daim Zainuddin.
"Tellingly, other Bank Negara offi-
cials aside from the governor have
been meeting the council and also
attending briefings by the council for
investors," the source said.
Muhammad would have seen the
writing on the wall, given the new
administration's insistence that the
central bank's 2 billion ringgit pur-
chase of government land in January
this year was to bail out financially
strapped state fund 1Malaysia
Development Berhad (1MDB).
The government has pursued the
1MDB scandal relentlessly, with
Najib on a no-fly list and his various
homes raided.
Businessman Low Taek Jho -
whom Home Minister Muhyiddin
Yassin on Thursday called the "main
criminal" in the saga - said he has
"instructed his lawyers to make con-
tact with" the graft busters.
Low is accused of being the mas-
termind behind 1MDB, which United
States investigators say had resulted
in US$4.5 billion being siphoned out
of the state investment fund.
HSS lost 290m ringgit job
after MRT 3 cancellation
HSS Engineers Bhd says its contract as
the independent consultant engineer for
the Mass Rapid Transit Line 3 (MRT 3)
had been terminated by Mass Rapid
Transit Corp Sdn Bhd.
The termination notice came follow-
ing the Government’s decision not to pro-
ceed with the project, the company said
in a filing with Bursa Malaysia today.
HSS Engineers was awarded the con-
tract, valued at 289.9 millio ringgit on
April 12.
“The decision is not expected to have
any significant impact on the operations
and financials of the company given that
only preliminary works have commenced
this far, which will be compensated for in
accordance with the terms and condi-
tions of the contract,’ it said.
MRT 3 was planned as a loop line to
integrate the lines, with most of its sta-
tions underground. – The Star
Del Monte Philippines
defers IPO

Go-Jek backers said to

Food producer Del Monte Philippines
Inc. has deferred its 17.55-billion peso ini-
tial public offering, citing turbulent mar-
ket conditions.

offer $1 billion funding While the offering had been cleared

THE JAKARTA POST
ASIA NEWS NETWORK
JAKARTA
GO-JEK, the Indonesian ride-hailing
provider, has been offered at least
US$1 billion of new funding from
existing investors eager to accelerate
its overseas expansion, people with
knowledge of the matter said.
Current backers including Tencent
Holdings Ltd, China’s biggest inter-
net firm, and Warburg Pincus have
informally discussed providing more
funding to ensure Go-Jek’s first for-
ays outside its home market are suc-
cessful, according to the people. Go-
Jek hasn’t decided whether it wants
the additional capital, the people said,
asking not to be identified because
the information is private.
New investors may also decide to
participate if Go-Jekproceeds with
the fundraising, the people said.
The Jakarta-based startup recent-
ly raised funds from investors includ-
ing Google, Singapore state invest-
ment company Temasek Holdings Pte
and Chinese online shopping giant
JD.com Inc. Go-Jek’s latest funding
round brought in about $1.5 billion
of new capital and valued the com-
pany at roughly $5 billion, Bloomberg
News has reported.
Go-Jek said last month it will
invest $500 million to expand its
ride-hailing and other services to
Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and
the Philippines, taking advantage of
Uber Technologies Inc.’s pullout from
Southeast Asia to expand.
That move will pit Go-Jekdirectly
against larger rival Grab Inc, which is
also growing its presence after buy-
ing Uber’s business in the hotly con-
tested region of more than 600 mil-
lion people.
Deliberations are at an early stage,
and no final decisions have been
made, the people said.
Representatives for Go-Jek and
Warburg Pincus declined to com-
ment. A spokeswoman for Tencent
didn’t immediately respond to an
email and text message seeking com-
ment.
Go-Jek, led by Chief Executive
Officer Nadiem Makarim, started as
an app to book motorbike taxis. It’s
since added services that allow users
to pay bills, order food and buy movie
tickets.
by both the Philippine Stock Exchange
and the Securities and Exchange
Commission, parent conglomerate Del
Monte Pacific Ltd. said “market condi-
tions continue to be volatile and the com-
pany has been advised by its bankers and
advisors that it would be in the best inter-
est of the company and DMPI to defer the
offering until such time when market
conditions improve.”
The main-share Philippine Stock
Exchange index has pulled back by over
14 per cent since peaking on Jan. 29 at
9,078.37 in intraday trade.
It is now trading below last year’s fin-
ish of 8,558.42.
BDO Capital & Investment Corp. is the
issue manager, sole global coordinator
and sole bookrunner for the offering.
The joint domestic lead underwriters
are BDO Capital, BPI Capital and China
Bank Capital. Joint international lead
underwriters are DBS Bank Ltd. and
Nomura Singapore Ltd.
E PA - E F E
The participating underwriters are
PNB Capital and RCBC Capital Corp.
About 587.43 million secondary shares
of DMPI will be offered to the public at as
HIGH GROWTH FOR INDONESIA much as 29.88 peso each.
Based on an offering circular issued
by the PSE, the equity deal was sup-
Two men work on a farm in Denpasar, Bali. The Indonesia National Bank (BI) estimates the country’s economic growth posed to have been priced on June 6
in the first quarter of 2018 will be close to 5.1 per cent due to domestic demand for investments in both building and while the offering would have run from
non-building sectors. June 8 to 18.
Listing on the stock exchange was
originally scheduled for June 25.

Handover of 12 VN advised to develop wind power via clear policy

– Philippine Daily Inquirer

Amru bags rice deals

blocks will save VIET NAM NEWS
ASIA NEWS NETWORK
power, the Government must
increase its support for the devel-
wind power development, including
policy, technology, the cost of
cessfully utilised the benefits of wind
power, including China and India,
worth almost $10M
Pertamina, HANOI

VIETNAM needs to focus on devel-

opment of the industry.
Secretary General of GWEC
Steve Sawyer said that the organi-
exploiting wind power and integra-
tion of wind power into the nation-
al grid.
who are making strong progress in
this area and have achieved unex-
pected results.
Amru Rice Group, one of Cambodia’s
largest rice exporters, on Thursday signed
a contract purchase agreement with

minister says oping the wind power industry and

THE JAKARTA POST
ASIA NEWS NETWORK
JAKARTA
INDONESIA’S ENERGY and
Mineral Resources Minister
Ignasius Jonan is optimistic the
handover of 12 on-production oil
and gas blocks is enough to give
state-owned energy giant
Pertamina a boost.
“The handover [of the 12
blocks] also shows the govern-
ment’s commitment to making
Pertamina the leading oil firm in
terms of upstream production," he
said at a press briefing on
Thursday.
The 12 blocks are Mahakam,
implementing transparent policies
on granting investment licences to
wind power projects.
Experts said at a seminar on the
development of wind power in
Vietnam held in Hanoi on June 7 by
the German and Danish embassies,
alongside the GIZ – German inter-
national cooperation organisation.
The seminar was a chance for
Vietnam to learn from experiences
of foreign countries and interna-
tional experts in the development of
wind power.
During the seminar, the Global
Wind Energy Council (GWEC) said
that to abolish some of the major
barriers and to bring into play the
full potential of Vietnam’s wind
sation intends to help Vietnam reap
the benefits of the wind power sec-
tor, which are a clean and affordable
energy source for economic devel-
opment, the enhancement of ener-
gy security and the development of
technology.
According to GWEC, the coun-
cil is ready to help create favourable
conditions and to support Vietnam
in wind power development.
To develop the wind power
industry, Vietnam needs to establish
a national wind power association
and boost the sector to take advan-
tages of wind resources.
According to a representative of
the German Development
Cooperation Agency (GIZ),
Vietnam has many problems in
In addition, Vietnam should con-
tinue to standardise electricity trad-
ing contracts for wind power proj-
ects under international standards.
The process of getting approval for
such projects should be simplified
to increase the confidence of
investors.
According to the adjusted power
plan VII, Vietnam has set a target
of reaching a wind power capacity
of 800MW by 2020 and 6,000MW
by 2030.
However, the development of the
sector is still very slow. At present,
only seven projects have been put
into operation, with a total capaci-
ty of 190MW.
Meanwhile, many countries in
the world have developed and suc-
At the seminar, Nguyen Van
Thanh, deputy head of the
Electricity and Renewable Energy
Department under the Ministry of
Industry and Trade, said there are
still many difficulties that the sec-
tor is facing, such as land use, lim-
ited capital, hesitancy to approach
new technology and a lack of back-
up power.
The selling price of wind power
is currently not attractive enough
for investors.
The Ministry of Industry and
Trade (MoIT) has been studying a
suitable level of selling price in the
coming time to ensure fairness
between renewable energy sources,
and to reflect current technology in
the world, said Thanh.
4,000 organic rice farmers in Preah Vihear
province.
The agreement effectively means
that the company will reserve nearly $10
million to purchase around 30,000
tonnes of organic paddy during the com-
ing harvest season.
Also on Thursday, The Cambodian
Agriculture Cooperative Cooperation – an
Amru Group subsidiary – signed a pur-
chase agreement with farmers in the
same province to buy 10,000 tonnes of
dried cassava, reserving about $1 million
for it.
This is the fifth year in a row that
Amru has secured contract farming
agreements in Preah Vihear province for
organic rice.
However, it is the first year it is doing
so for dried cassava. – Phnom Penh Post

Cell sites major hurdle

Offshore Northwest Java (ONWJ),
North Sumatra Offshore (NSO),
Ogan Komering, Southeast
Sumatra Block, Tuban, East
Kalimantan Block, Attaka, Tengah
Block, Sanga-Sanga, Pendopo-
Raja and Jambi Merang.
Of the 12 blocks, Mahakam is
the biggest deal as it is the coun-
try’s largest gas block.
In 2017, the Mahakam block
produced 1,255 million standard
cubic feet per day (mmscfd) of gas
and 52,000 barrels oil per day,
respectively accounting for
20 percent and 6 percent of
Indonesia’s oil and gas lifting that
year.
Jonan said the blocks were
expected to increase Pertamina's
contribution to national oil pro-
duction to 40 per cent next year
from the current 20 per cent.
“We hope Pertamina doesn’t
stop at 40 percent, but rather
intensifies its exploration activities
to improve its production rate,” he
said.
to Globe’s 5G rollout
PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER
ASIA NEWS NETWORK
MANILA
FIFTH GENERATION or 5G wire-
less technology will make its com-
mercial debut in the Philippines by
the middle of next year.
This was announced by Globe
Telecom, which plans to launch the
first-ever 5G service for homes with
wireless speeds of 50 megabits per
second (Mbps) to 100 Mbps.
The driver remains the insatiable
demand for video streaming, said
Globe CEO Ernest Cu.
“People are watching more and
more video. As video traffic goes up,
we have to deliver higher speeds, not
only to one screen but multiple
screens in a household,” Cu told
reporters. Globe said its 5G service
would be available by the second
quarter of 2019. This comes as the
GSM Association plans to release the
final standards for 5G next year.
By 2025, Asia Pacific will account
for the largest share of 5G connec-
tions, GSMA had said.
Globe is rolling out 5G with sup-
port from its partners, mainly China’s
Huawei Technologies.
Among the main benefits of 5G are
higher speed, lower latency and
increased capacity. Cu said its appli-
cations included financial services,
healthcare and gaming.
“This will enable Globe to deploy
fixed wireless broadband at a fiber
speed,” Globe said in a statement.
GIC, Temasek join Ant Financial funding
THE STRAITS TIMES
ASIA NEWS NETWORK
SINGAPORE
SINGAPORE'S sovereign wealth investors Temasek
Holdings and GIC are part of a group of investors
pumping in about US$14 billion (S$18.7 billion)
in Ant Financial, the Chinese company said
yesterday.
The Series C equity financing includes a yuan-
denominated tranche raised by Ant Financial from
domestic investors, and a US-dollar tranche raised by
Ant International, a wholly owned offshore subsidiary
of the company, from international investors.
Ant Financial said that the funds raised will be
used to accelerate Alipay's globalisation plans and
invest in developing technology to further enhance the
company's ability to deliver "inclusive financial servic-
es to unbanked and underbanked consumers and
small enterprises globally".
"In addition, the capital will be used to cultivate
high-tech talent in emerging markets to help commu-
nities take advantage of the opportunities arising
from digital transformation."
Other international investors include Khazanah
Nasional Berhad, Warburg Pincus and Canada Pension
Plan Investment Board.
Eric Jing, executive chairman and CEO of Ant
Financial, said: "We are pleased to welcome these
investors as partners, who share our vision and mis-
sion, to embark on our journey to further promote
inclusive finance globally and bring equal opportuni-
ties to the world.
“We are proud of, and inspired by, the transforma-
tion we have affected in the lives of ordinary people
and small businesses over the past 14 years. Now, with
the help of our partners, we are going to accelerate our
strategy."
Jing added: "We are dedicated to building an open
ecosystem with all our partners in China and beyond.
We will continue to invest in technology and innova-
tion in order to serve unmet financial needs of people
everywhere and to enable them to benefit from the
development of the digital economy."
 THE NATION Saturday, June 9, 2018 BUSINESS 3B

Portugal drives for rise in Thai investments

AUTO, IT, ENERGY, REAL ESTATE AMONG SECTORS BEING PROMOTED
NOPHAKHUN LIMSAMARNPHUN
THE NATION
PORTUGAL, a member of
European Union, has stepped up its
effort to attract Thai companies to
invest in digital, renewable energy,
tourism, food, and other sectors of
its economy as the two countries cel-
ebrate their 500th anniversary of
diplomatic relations this year.
The first Thai-Portugese friend-
ship and trade treaty was signed in
1518 during the Ayutthaya period.
Pedro Siza Vieira, the visiting
PM's Office minister of Portugal,
said major Thai companies such as
Minor Group, Indorama and Thai
Union Group have already invested
substantially in Portugal but new-
comers are welcome to take advan-
tage of the Portugese economy
growth, which was nearly three per
So far, Minor Group has invested
400 million euro in a hotel chain in
Portugal using the Six Senses brand,
while Indorama's investment in the
petrochemical industry is worth
about 150 million euro.
The minister said Portugal has a
liberal economic and investment
policy offering tax and other incen-
tives to foreign investors as well as
the right to own their business and
property 100 per cent. The country
is seen as a competitive platform for
Thai firms to tap the vast EU mar-
ket of 28 countries as well as to reach
more than 300 million Portugese-
speaking consumers in South
America and Africa.
Automobile, IT, energy, real
estate, hotel and tourism, food and
beverage as well as petrochemical
are among the sectors being pro-
moted by the Portugese government
software, cyber-security and digital
tech companies will visit Thailand
shortly as Portugal joins hands with
the Thai Ministry of Digital
Economy and Society to boost bilat-
eral cooperation.
Dr Pichet Durongkaveroj, the dig-
ital economy and society minister,
also held a meeting with Vieira to
exchange opinions on development of
digital government and tech start-
ups in the two countries. Regarding
the Thai government's Pracharat vil-
lage internet project, the Portugese
minister said it is an important infra-
structure to implement the digital
government policy and help reduce
economic inequalities.
In addition, both countries hope
to work closely to promote the soft-
ware and digital tech sectors while
Portugese firms are invited to visit a
new industrial and digital innova-

cent last year.
According to the minister, the
Portugese economy has fully recov-
ered from its previous crisis.
while Portugese companies are also
interested in tapping Thailand as a
platform to enter the Asean market.
The minister said a delegation of
tion zone at Thailand's Eastern
Economic Corridor (EEC) project,
which covers parts of Chonburi,
Rayong and Chaserngsao.
NATION
Pedro Siza Vieira, left, the visiting PM's Office minister of Portugal, shakes hands with Dr Pichet Durongkaveroj, the Thai digital
economy and society minister during a meeting at the Portugese embassy in Bangkok.

AT A GLANCE
IKEA
Group to rid all single-use
plastic items by January 1, 2020
IKEA has committed to removing single-use
plastic products from its home furnishing range
globally by 1 January 2020, including plastic
straws, plates, cups, freezer bags, garbage bags
and plastic-coated paper plates and cups.
The announcement came as part of
Democratic Design Days in Almhult, Sweden,
where IKEA product developers displayed home
furnishings made from innovative and recycled
materials, as well as solutions that enable peo-
ple to live a more sustainable everyday life. The
IKEA team also launched a new People and
Planet Positive sustainability strategy, which sets
the direction for all IKEA franchisees in three
focus areas: Healthy & Sustainable living, Circular
& Climate Positive, Fair and Equal
The business aims to be climate positive by
2030 – meaning it will reduce greenhouse gas
emissions by more than the value chain emits. To
do this, IKEA plans to:
Design all IKEA products with new circular
principles, with the goal to only use renewable
and recycled materials while also enabling prod-
ucts to be repurposed, repaired, reused, resold,
and recycled - generating as little waste as possi-
ble.
Pack products in materials that renewable
and/or recycled
Phase out virgin fossil plastic from products
Increase the proportion of plant-based choic-
es in the IKEA food offer.
IKEA Southeast Asia, the franchisee that
owns and operates IKEA stores in Malaysia,
Singapore and Thailand, is contributing to the
global ambition through its operation and long
term commitments to:
Increase energy efficiency, generate renew-
able energy and increase its share of renewable
energy consumption
Contribute zero waste to landfill
Secure responsibly sourced supply chain for
products and services
Build and renovate IKEA stores and IKEA-
anchored Shopping Centres to meet sustainable
certified standards
Support at least one social enterprise for
every market
Enable and inspire our co-workers, customers,
visitors and community to live a healthier and
more sustainable life
TRIS
Sahakol Equipment assigned
“BBB-” in company rating
TRIS Rating has assigned the company rating
of Sahakol Equipment PLC (SQ) at “BBB-”.
The rating reflects the strong, well-estab-
lished core business of the company, as it is a
leading mining contractor.
The rating also reflects the stable income
streams SQ receives from long-term service con-
tracts with creditworthy project owners and a
sizable project backlog.
These strengths are partially offset by high
leverage and business concentration risk, since a
few large projects comprise most of SQ’s revenue
and profits.
TOKIO MARINE
Thai unit sets GWP target
of Bt9.1 billion in 2020
Tokio Marine Insurance (Thailand) has set a
target of Bt9.1 billion in gross written premium
(GWP) in 2020, according to its statement on
Thursday.
Last year it posted total GWP of Bt7.999 bil-
lion, with a net profit of Bt656 million, as
Thailand's economy recovered and the increas-
ing numbers of car sales following the end of the
first-time car-buyer programme .
Hironori Kiryu, President of Tokio Marine
Insurance (Thailand) PCL said this year, the com-
pany expects growth to be higher than 4 per cent
with GWP at Bt8.346 billion. It has set a GWP
target of Bt9.1 billion by year 2020.
The company has joined with ‘InsurTech
Sandbox’ , promoted by The Office of Insurance
Commission (OIC) to initiate an InsurTech hub in
Thailand. This is an opportunity for the company
to cooperate with InsurTech startups to develop
new insurance products and services for Thai cus-
tomers and drive the domestic insurance industry
forward.
As for claim services, the company is develop-
ing ‘Merimen Project: The Claim Process
Integration’ - an international software that can
cover all insurance platform and link with all
process systems.
The Merimen will connect all claim services
systems from call centre to the garages with con-
venience, speed abd accuracy and the system
can also track customer satisfaction survey for
service improvement.
The company expects to launch the service by
the third quarter this year.
Shinkichi Mike Miki, Managing Director of
Tokio Marine Asia said “Tokio Marine Asia as a
regional headquarter will liaise with Tokio Marine
Holdings Inc to support sharing of knowledge
and global expertise in the area of digital to
extend maximum benefits for Thai customers.”
Tokio Marine Asia has set up a regional direct
& digital team to work across companies under
Tokio Marine Asia to explore innovation to the
industry. The prjectis
Ma expected to
This year, the company also plans to generate
revenue from its new businesses such as
discuss plan for
Agricultural Loan Protection programme , Event
Cancellation Insurance and Cyber Insurance. digital free
THAI-C
CHIILE COMMER
RCE trade zone
Bilateral trade rose
17% to $357m in Q1 with Mahathir
The trading volume between Thailand and
Chile has continued to grow, thanks to the SIN CHEW DAILY
Thailand-Chile free trade agreement, which took ASIA NEWS NETWORK
effect in late 2015, according to the Department KUALA LUMPUR
of Trade Negotiations director general Auramon
Supthaweethum. ALIBABA Group founder Jack Ma
Their bilateral trade in the first quarter this may be visiting Kuala Lumpur soon
in order to meet Prime Minister
year surged 16.9 per cent year on year to US$357
Mahathir Mohamad.
million, of which $238.1 million were the export
Alibaba founder Jack Ma may
value.
visit Malaysia to meet Prime
Thailand's export to Chile under the free trade
Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad
deal in the period was US$235.6 million, reflect-
soon to re-negotiate the Digital
ing that the local exporters fully use their right to
Free Trade Zone (DFTZ) plan
export to Chile under the free trade deal.
which has been signed with the for-
In the South American continent, Chile is the
mer government of Malaysia. The
third largest trading partner of Thailand. The
meeting, arranged by a business-
main export products from Thailand to Chile in man who declined to be named, is
the first quarter include cars and car parts, believed to be re-negotiating with
canned sea food, washing machines, machinery, the new government on Digital Free
and rubbers. Trade Zone project it has signed
Currently 90 per cent of goods items in their with the Malaysian government
free trade agreement list are already subject to under former Prime Minister Najib
zero per cent tariff. Tun Razak.
SMART LO
OGISTICS
THE PLAN IS A JOINT VEN-
JD.com begins use of TURE BETWEEN MALAYSIAN
PV power in warehouses AIRPORT HOLDINGS AND CAI
NIAO, ALSO PART OF DFTZ IN
China's e-commerce giant JD.com has begun
using photovoltaic (PV) generators in its smart
MALAYSIA.
THE INVESTMENT FOR THE
logistics centre in Shanghai.
JD.com are installing PV systems for its logistic FIRST TWO YEAR EXCEEDS
centers around the country. PV will provide clean
energy for the warehouse's robots and automat- 500 MILLION RINGGIT.
ed sorting system.
By the end of 2018, JD.com will have installed
PV cells on millions of square meters warehouse The meeting is arranged by a
local corporate figure. The busi-
roof, according to Chu Xuhui of the company.
The 40,000-square-meter business-to-cus- nessman who declined to be named
confirmed with Sin Chew Daily that
tomer (B2C) unmanned logistics center in
Shanghai, "Asia No 1," can handle 200,000 both parties are still finalising on
the meeting. Dr Mahathir would be
online orders per day. - Xinhua
attending Asia International
Conference in Japan from 10 to 12
June. The meeting will be held after
Mahathir returns from Japan.

Cambodia’s ISP provider links up Thailand affirmed ‘BBB+’ with stable outlook Ma was scheduled to be in Kuala
Lumpur two weeks ago. However,
as the new Malaysian government
with Thai-based LXT Networks THE NATION

FITCH RATINGS has affirmed

THE PHNOM PENH POST
ASIA NEWS NETWORK
PHNOM PENH
EZECOM, Cambodia’s wholesale
internet service provider (ISP),
announced on Thursday that it has
reached a partnership agreement
with Thai-based LXT Networks to
offer a combined connectivity solu-
tion which will bridge five countries in
Asean.
The company’s public relations
manager, Houng Sopheakdara, said
on Thursday that the partnership
enables the two companies to fulfill
the capacity requirements and con-
nectivity needs of ISPs seeking to
deliver services in Myanmar, Laos,
Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand.
He said it will strengthen the abili-
ty of both companies to provide all
kinds of internet and telecom services
to its customers, as well as promote a
more connected Asean.
“It provides a lot of benefits to our
customers especially local and inter-
national companies because they
need internet services that are direct-
ly connected to major overseas desti-
nations to ensure smooth and secure
data transfers,” he said.
Through the partnership, LXT
Network can access EZECOM’s hold-
ings in the Malaysia-Cambodia-
Thailand (MCT) and Asia-America
Gateway (AAG) submarine cable sys-
tems.
Meanwhile, EZECOM can take
advantage of LXT Network’s exten-
sive access to intra-Asian submarine
cable systems operated by its share-
holder StrataNet, which holds signifi-
cant capacities on various submarine
cable systems such as SJC, APCN2,
AAG, APG, ASE and JUS.
Tom Sastararuchi, the CEO at LXT
Networks, said the company is satis-
fied with the partnership agreement
with EZECOM, which serves to boost
the strength of its network.
“The partnership with EZECOM
adds further value to investments
made by our shareholder StrataNet
and the development of an innova-
tive and flexible optical network
throughout Southeast Asia,”
he said.
Thailand’s long-term foreign-
currency issuer default rating
(IDR) at ‘BBB+’ with a stable
outlook.
The rating is underpinned by
solid external and public
finances, which enhance resilien-
cy to economic shocks.
These strengths are balanced
by weaker structural features rel-
ative to peers, such as lower
income per capita and World
Bank governance indicators.
Political uncertainty around
the anticipated transition back to
civilian rule also constrains the
rating, Fitch said.
Fitch expects the current-
account surplus to remain large
on the back of strong goods and
tourism services exports, but to
narrow modestly to 8.1 per cent
of GDP by 2019, from 10.6 per
cent in 2017, as improved domes-
tic demand spurs import growth.
Sustained current-account
surpluses and higher capital
inflows over the past several
years have driven an appreciation
of the Thai baht and facilitated
the accumulation of foreign
reserves to US$213 billion in
May from $156 billion in 2015.
The country’s net external
creditor position has continued to
improve, reaching 46.3 per cent of
GDP in 2017, according to Fitch
estimates, substantially higher
than the BBB and A medians.
GDP growth in Thailand
accelerated to 3.9 per cent in
2017, from 3.3 per cent in 2016,
bolstered by favourable global
economic conditions and a nas-
cent pickup in domestic invest-
ment.
Exports grew at their fastest
pace since 2012, at 5.5 per cent.
Higher private investment in
export-oriented industries
helped mitigate a decline in pub-
lic investment due to delays in
project disbursements.
Fitch forecasts ongoing
growth momentum following
strong 1Q18 growth, with the
economy likely to expand by 4.2
per cent in 2018 – above the BBB
median of 3 per cent, but below
Southeast Asian peers.
Fitch expects a modest decel-
eration in growth to 3.9 per cent
in 2019 as global growth edges
down from its 2018 peak.
A potential increase in trade
protectionism poses a downside
risk for the economy, given
Thailand’s reliance on external
demand.
It also expects the Bank of
Thailand’s policy stance to
remain accommodative, with the
policy rate on hold at 1.5 per cent
for the remainder of 2018 as
inflationary pressures remain
subdued.
Relatively weak governance
scores constrain Thailand’s rat-
ing – in the 43rd percentile of the
World Bank’s governance indica-
tors compared with the BBB
median score in the 58th per-
centile.
Continued delays to the gen-
eral election date over the past
year, which is now expected in
February, add further uncertain-
ty to the political landscape.
It does not appear that politi-
cal uncertainty has significantly
weighed on growth and invest-
ment outcomes over the past few
years, but the potential for
renewed political fissures
remains during the transition
back to civilian rule.
has placed its priorities in handling
the financial issues of the country,
Ma’s visit to Malaysia has been re-
scheduled.
He said Ma has made the initia-
tive to meet Dr Mahathir. Apart
from making a courtesy call, it
could be re-negotiation of the col-
laboration plan of DFTZ which has
been signed earlier.
Former Prime Minister Najib
Tun Razak and Ma jointly lauched
the ground breaking ceremony of
DFTZ to kick-start the project on
November 3 last year.
The cabinet under Najib
approved the purchase of a 60 acre
land in KLIA Aeropolis. Alibaba
Group by Cai Niao Technology Ltd
Co under Alibaba Group to build a
cross border digital trade platform.
The plan is a joint venture
between Malaysian Airport
Holdings and Cai Niao, also part of
DFTZ in Malaysia. The investment
for the first two year exceeds 500
million ringgit.
However, as Najib administra-
tion has been toppled, whether the
joint venture would proceed or
change would depend on the out-
come of Ma’s negotiation with the
new government.
 4B WORLD BUSINESS
Slowdown fear as
German industrial
production falls
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
FRANKFURT AM MAIN
INDUSTRIAL production in
Germany unexpectedly fell in April
after rebounding in March, official
data showed yesterday, adding to
fears of a slowdown in Europe’s
powerhouse economy.
Industrial output fell 1.0 per cent
month-on-month, federal statistics
authority Destatis said, following an
upwardly revised 1.7-per cent rise in
March.
The drop surprised analysts sur-
veyed by Factset who had predicted
a modest 0.25-per cent increase in
production.
The slump comes a day after
Germany’s industrial orders disap-
pointed again, falling for the fourth
month in a row as businesses fret over
trade tensions with theUS President
Donald Trump.
“The economy is clearly treading
water and is not managing to shift up
a gear,” said ING Diba bank analyst
Carsten Brzeski.
April’s plunge in industrial pro-
duction was led by declines in ener-
gy output and production of con-
sumer and producer goods.
The only bright spot was con-
struction output, which jumped 3.3
per cent.
The economy ministry said indus-
trial production got off to “a weak
start” in the second quarter, partial-
ly because of public holidays.
But considering the steady drop in
new orders, it admitted that “indus-
trial growth is likely to slow down” in
the near future.
Brzeski said it was getting “hard-
er and harder” to blame Germany’s
weak start to 2018 on one-off effects
like the weather or public holidays.
“It seems as if supply-side con-
straints are increasingly hampering
Germany’s growth prospects,” he
said.
Also yesterday, Destatis issued fig-
ures showing that Germany’s oft-
criticised trade surplus shrank from
almost 22 billion euros (Bt834 bil-
lion) in March to 19.4 billion in April
as imports outweighed exports.
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$1.4-bn ZTE deal may be sign
of progress in trade dispute
SETTLEMENT AFTER
CHINA AGREES TO
BUY MORE US GOODS
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
WASHINGTON
WASHINGTON and Beijing have
reached a deal to ease sanctions that
brought Chinese smartphone maker
ZTE to the brink of collapse, a pos-
sible indication of progress in
fraught trade talks between the
world’s two largest economies.
US Commerce Secretary Wilbur
Ross, who announced the deal, reit-
erated a denial that there was any
connection between the two.
But the ZTE settlement comes
just days after Beijing reportedly
offered to ramp up purchases of
American goods to help cut the
yawning trade imbalance with the
United States, moving part-way
towards meeting a major demand of
US President Donald Trump.
The defusing of tensions with
Beijing is good news for Trump, who
is preparing to face outraged allies
at this week’s Group of Seven sum-
mit in Canada, where Europe and
Canada will voice their strenuous
objections to US steel and metal
tariffs.
Not all was rosy, US lawmakers
threatened legal action against the
ZTE deal, saying the telecoms firm
posed an “espionage risk” to the
United States in addition to having
violated its sanctions on Iran and
North Korea.
Ross told CNBC on Thursday the
deal was tough and would keep ZTE
on a short leash.
“This is a pretty strict settlement,
the strictest and largest settlement
fine that has ever been brought by
the Commerce Department against
any violator of export controls,” he
said.
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The ZTE logo is seen on a building in Beijing. US officials have reached a deal to ease sanctions on the company.
In April, Washington banned the
sale of crucial US components to the
company after finding it had repeat-
edly lied and failed to take action
against workers responsible for the
sanctions violations.
The company was fined $1.2 bil-
lion (Bt38.4 billion) last year. But
under the deal announced
Thursday, ZTE will pay an addi-
tional $1 billion penalty and put
another $400 million in escrow to
cover possible future violations.
ZTE will also be required to
change its entire board of directors
and hire outside legal compliance
specialists who will report to the
Commerce Department for 10
years.
•‚‹‰‰šiÒš‹ 
In return, Washington will strike
the company from a sanctions list.
Both Republican and
Democratic lawmakers threatened
to take congressional action that
could block or alter the deal, calling
ZTE a threat to US national
security.
“There is absolutely no good rea-
son that ZTE should get a second
chance and this decision marks a
180-degree turn away from the pres-
ident’s promise to be tough on
China,” Chuck Schumer, the Senate’s
top Democrat, said in a statement.
“It’s up to Congress now to act to
reverse the deal.” Republican
Senator Marco Rubio said: “After
today’s decision to give ZTE a pass,
China’s trade surplus
with US jumps in May
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
BEIJING
CHINA’S TRADE surplus with the
United States jumped in May, offi-
cial data showed yesterday, wors-
ening the imbalance at the centre
of tensions between the economic
titans while Beijing’s advantage
with the rest of the world shrank.
The figures may reinforce
Washington’s determination to
move forward with new tariffs on
tens of billions of dollars of Chinese
imports as early as next week.
Beijing has warned those tariffs
would void agreements made
between the two powers over
months of trade negotiations
between the world’s two largest
economies.
The record imbalances are at the
heart of US President Donald
Trump’s anger at what he describes
as Beijing’s unfair trade practices
that are hurting American compa-
nies and destroying jobs.
Trade is also expected to domi-
nate upcoming G7 talks, which do
not include China, with Canada
and leading European nations
warning Trump they will not back
down over tariffs.
For the first five months of the
year, China’s surplus with the US
crossed the $100 billion (Bt3.2 tril-
lion) mark, hitting $104.8 billion.
World’s largest fintech firm raises $14bn
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
SHANGHAI
CHINESE digital payments giant Ant
Financial said yesterday it had raised
THE NATION Saturday, June 9, 2018
AFP
we have introduced a bipartisan
amendment to restore penalties on
ZTE.”
The clash raised the prospect that
Trump’s own Republican party
could work to undermine key planks
of his trade agenda.
Despite the settlement, there was
no sign Trump had veered from
plans this month to impose as much
as $50 billion in tariffs on Chinese
imports to punish Beijing for its
alleged theft of American technol-
ogy and know-how.
Washington and Beijing have
pursued a halting series of trade
talks, with Trump demanding a
$200 billion reduction in its trade
deficit with China.
with businesses around the world.
Customs data showed the sur-
plus grew 11.7 per cent on-year to
$24.6 billion in May, with exports
to the US rising by about 12 per
cent and imports up 11 per cent.
With the wider world, Chinese
demand has outpaced its shipment
growth, with its surplus of $24.9
billion for the month down 38.9
per cent from last year.
China’s exports grew 12.6 per
cent in May while imports jumped
26 per cent on-year, outpacing
forecasts of 11.1 per cent growth
and 18.0 per cent respectively, by
analysts pooled by Bloomberg
News.
“The particularly strong May
figures are due to uncertainties
from the trade negotiations,” said
Iris Pang, an economist at ING
Groep NV in Hong Kong.
“Exports risks are mounting, so
the exporters expedited importing
components for re-export.”
Despite some positive signs for
a trade deal with the US, analysts
cautioned China faced other trade
hurdles.
“Chinese trade growth is still
likely to edge down over the com-
ing year as the global economy loses
momentum and headwinds to
domestic demand from slower
credit growth intensify,” said Julian
Evans-Pritchard, a China watcher
at Capital Economics
Alipay and Tencent’s WeChat Pay
are China’s online-payments leaders,
profiting handsomely as consumers
throw themselves into e-commerce,
ordering goods and services via
QUICK NEWS
McDonald’s plans US layoffs
in cost-cutting move
Fast food giant McDonald’s plans to
cut an unspecified number of jobs as
part of a restructuring to save $500 mil-
lion (Bt16 billion) and boost its US busi-
ness.
McDonald’s USA President Chris
Kempczinski announced the job cuts in a
message to employees.
A company spokeswoman said the
move was part of a previously-
announced plan to cut $500 million in
spending by 2019.
“We are always evaluating ways to
better serve our customers and continue
to grow our business,” said the spokes-
woman, Terri Hickey.
“With that in mind, we are putting
into place a new US field structure that
will better support our franchisees and
will ensure McDonald’s continues on a
path to being more dynamic, nimble and
competitive.”
The fast food giant plans to stream-
line the management structure, and the
specifics will be outlined on June 12.
UK telecoms group BT says
chief executive to step down
BT, the British telecoms and televi-
sion broadcasting company, said yester-
day that its chief executive Gavin
Patterson would depart his role later this
year, following shareholder unrest over
the group’s outlook.
“The Board is fully supportive of the
strategy recently set out by Gavin and
his team,” BT chairman Jan du Plessis
said in a company statement.
He however added that “broader
reaction” to recent results “demonstrat-
ed to Gavin and me that there is a need
for a change of leadership to deliver this
strategy”.
BT last month said it plans to axe
thousands more jobs to slash costs and
move out of its historic London head-
quarters.
BT has in recent years launched a
costly push into broadcasting live
Premier League football matches, hurt-
ing the group’s bottom line.
Unibail-Rodamco takes over
Australian mall operator
French group Unibail-Rodamco,
Europe’s biggest commercial property
company, has completed the acquisition
of Australian mall operator,Westfield.
The completion of the $24.7-billion
(Bt792 billion) takeover creates a new
company, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield,
Originally unveiled in December and
approved by Westfield shareholders last
month, the deal is the biggest-ever cor-
porate takeover in Australia.
Unibail-Rodamco is Europe’s biggest
commercial landlord, while Westfield
has a large presence in the United
States, Britain and Italy.
The takeover of Westfield comes as
mall operators consolidate their busi-
ness in the face of increasingly tough
competition from online shopping sites.
Italy fines Ryanair for mass
flight cancellations
Italy’s competition authority (AGCM)
on Thursday hit Ryanair with a 1.85 mil-
lion euro (Bt70 million) fine for mass
flight cancellations late last year and
failing to adequately inform affected
passengers of their rights.
In a statement, AGCM said it
launched the procedure in September
2017 for “incorrect commercial practice”
after the low-cost airline cancelled thou-
sands of flights “due to organisational
and management problems”.
The problems were not “unforeseen
issues or problems beyond the airline’s
control, causing major inconvenience to
customers”, the statement continued.
AGCM said Ryanair initially failed to
inform passengers correctly of their right
to financial compensation, as provided
for by European law, only offering them
the option of changing their ticket or
getting a refund.
After AGCM launched the procedure
Ryanair updated “the information on its
website” in February.
Tencent previously chose to list on
Wall Street or in Hong Kong.
But China has been making moves
to encourage future listings on
domestic markets to keep a new gen-

‰œ~ šŠ¤šÀ $14 billion (Bt449 billion) in its lat-
est financing round, making it the
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ahead of an expected mammoth IPO.
The cash infusion for Ant, an affil-
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iate of e-commerce heavyweight
Alibaba, provides fresh resources as
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Tencent for supremacy in the vast and
growing market for global digital
transactions and other services.
Ant said in a statement that the
funds will be invested in new tech-
nologies and to accelerate Alipay’s
expansion abroad and into new
sectors.
mobile apps and online.
Ant Financial did not provide a
eration of technology titans closer to
home as it pushes to challenge the US
total value for the company, but
Bloomberg News recently reported it
was raising funds at a $150 billion
for primacy in the strategic sector.
Ant Financial says Alipay and its
overseas partners in several countries
valuation. serve around 870 million annual
Bloomberg said the latest round active users globally, and over 15 mil-
lion small businesses in China.
ern Chinese city of Hangzhou, the
world’s largest fintech firm.
Ant Financial is believed to be
planning an IPO expected to become
one of the largest in years, amid spec-
Ant said the latest financing came
from unnamed domestic investors, as
well as foreign entities including
Singapore wealth funds GIC and
Temasek Holdings, the Canada
ulation it could list on one of China’s Pension Plan Investment Board, and
two exchanges. Alibaba and other big global private equity firm Warburg
tech companies such as Baidu and Pincus.
 THE NATION Saturday, June 9, 2018
[IN CINEMAS]
Movies are playing at most multiplex
chains, unless otherwise noted.
See You Up There
Director Albert Dupontel’s dark
dramatic comedy is set at the end of
the First World War and tells the
story of Edouard Pericourt who, while
working to save the life of his
comrade Albert Maillard, has his
lower face torn off by mortar fire.
Saved at the point of death, he
recovers in a military hospital. Fearful
of being sent back to his father, a
powerful and distant Parisian banker,
Edouard convinces Albert to help him
take on the identity of a homeless
person who died in combat. In 1919,
the two men settle in Paris in a
modest home, where Edouard, a
talented artist, comes up with a scam
to denounce the patriotic hypocrisy
and gets Albert, to work for his father
to raise the necessary funds.
Rated 15+ in French with English an nd
Thai subtitles
China Salesman
Chinese IT engineer Yan Jian (Li
Dong-xue) volunteers to go to North
Africa and help the company he
works for win a competition and
therefore get the rights to controlling
the communication between south
and north. French spy Michael works
for the West. His boss has ordered
him to go to the North Africa and win
the competition, which will allow
them to control the great mineral
resources of Africa. When Michael
hires Lauder (Steven Seagal), the
best mercenary in Africa, and a
former general Kabbah (Mike Tyson)
to help him, Yan discovers their
conspiracy and tries to stop them.
Rated 13+
High Power
When the Universe decides what it
wants, it’s pointless to resist.
With his family’s life at stake,
Joseph Steadman finds himself the
unwilling test subject of a maniacal
scientist in a battle that could save
the world, or destroy it.
Rated 15+
Jurassic World:
Fallen Kingdom
Three years after the
destruction of the
Jurassic World theme
park, Owen Grady (Chris
Pratt) and Claire
Dearing (Bryce Dallas
Howard) return to the
island of Isla Nublar to
save the remaining
dinosaurs from a
volcano that’s about to
erupt. The two arrive on the unstable island just as lava begins raining
down, only to uncover a conspiracy that could destroy the entire planet.
Rated G
[CROSSWORD]
ACROSS 32 Muffin topper
1 Exercise activity 34 Full-body animal
5 Foolish costume
10 Dance term literally 35 Part of a gift that
meaning ‘thrown’ needs to be returned
14 Officer’s verb 39 ‘I figured as much’
15 ‘That’s so sweet!’ 40 Skeptical words
16 Stylish energy 41 It may look like a
17 Exec’s hire, perhaps great deal
18 Unlikely to become a 42 It folds for easy
decorator storage
20 ESPN.com post 43 Textron Aviation
22 Theoretical parallel brand
world access 46 – touch
23 Trip approx. 48 Bacon output
24 Debt securities 51 User-created video
26 Source of ancient game alteration
wisdom 52 River rat
30 In order to 54 Take the edge off?
Tudtoo Koo Chat
In this latest comedy from director
Poj Anon, a group of villagers both
gay and straight, volunteer to serve
as spies in the army of
Yasotharawadee, who is moving to
attack their kingdom of Asoraya.
They are caught out by the enemy
after learning that their village is
about to be attacked and have to
find a way to escape so they can
warn their fellow villagers. Phetthai
“Mum Jokmok” Wongkhamlao,
Charoenporn “Kotee Aramboy”
Ornlamai and Charnarong
“Tik Klinsee” Khanteetao.
Ratted 15+
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Ron Howard directs this standalone
Star Wars instalment focusing on the
young Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich), a
self-described driver and flyer, who
receives an offer of employment
56 Kids may use them to
make turkeys
60 Wad embellishers
61 Skin-healing aid
62 Get ‘em all right
63 Good source of
protein
64 It followed a postwar
boom
65 Noticeably bored
66 Ceremonial pile
DOWN
1 Halloween
inevitabilities
2 Not tricked by
3 Comment about
contagion
4 Like a movie about
from his mentor, Tobias Beckett
(Woody Harrelson) to work for crime
boss and notorious gangster, Dryden
Vos (Paul Bettany). Beckett explains
Vos is putting a crew together and
warns Solo that accepting the offer
means devoting himself to “this life
for good”. Solo accepts. In need of a
ship, Solo and Beckett seek out an
old friend of Solo’s, Qi’ra (Emilia
Clarke), who introduces them to
Captain Lando Calrissian (Donald
Glover) of the Millennium Falcon.
Calrissian, along with his droid
companion and co-pilot, L3-37
(Phoebe Waller-Bridge), accompany
Solo and his crew on their daring
escapades deep within the
dangerous criminal underworld.
Rated G
Love, Simon
Everyone deserves a great love story.
But for 17-year-old Simon Spier (Nick
Robinson) it’s a bit complicated: he’s
yet to tell his family or friends he’s
gay and he doesn’t actually know the
identity of the anonymous classmate
he’s fallen for online. Also stars Josh
Duhamel, Katherine Langford and
Jennifer Garner. Ratted G
Backstabbing for Beginners
Michael (Theo James) lands his
dream job as a programme
coordinator for the UN’s Oil for Food
program. He is thrown into an already
fraught post-war Iraq where
government agents and power-
hungry countries are circling Iraq’s oil
reserves like sharks. He seeks answers
from his diplomat boss Pasha (Ben
Kingsley). The more Michael learns,
filmmakers making a movie
5 Animated miner
6 Longing words
7 Aviation guide
8 One unlikely to shake hands
9 Nomadic shelter
10 Kraft Foods trademark
11 Fan of the Bulldogs
12 Summer vacation ‘souvenir’
13 Extreme
19 Dark background that makes
a pitched baseball easier to see
21 Party holder
25 ‘We’ve got clearance’
27 Holds a benefit, say
28 Basilica recess
29 Chuckle bit
31 PGA Tour Champions
golfer Jay
33 Wool source
36 Things few understand
37 Evidence of frequent travel
38 Injection molding inventory
39 Stop on the trail
40 ‘Silent Sunday Nights’
network
44 Affectionate turndown
45 Holiday hymn opener
47 Organize, in a way
49 Strength
50 Prom gown material
53 Lunch –
55 Easy win
56 Witch
57 Maugham’s ‘Cakes and –’
58 Exclusion prefix
59 Place for a mud bath
however, the more he suspects a
conspiracy at the highest level. The
only way out will be to expose it all –
risking his own life, his mentor’s
career, and the life of the Kurdish
woman he loves. Rated 15+
The Strangers:
Prey at Night
The sequel to the 2008 film “The
Strangers” begins when a family of
four takes a road trip to a secluded
mobile home park to stay with their
uncle and aunt. They need this
bonding time as their young teenage
daughter is soon being sent to
boarding school after her recent
rebellious actions.
Once they arrive at the trailer park,
they discover to their surprise that it’s
mysteriously deserted. As dark falls,
the family is visited by three masked
psychopaths, who terrorise them.
Their phones are destroyed, the local
landlines have been disconnected
and there’s no one around to help
them. Rattedd 18
8+
Tully
Marlo (Charlize Theron) lives with her
husband, two young children and a
newborn baby. Even though she has
a sympathetic husband, she’s
overwhelmed by the seemingly
endless chores that go with being a
wife and mother. When her brother
suggests she get a nanny, she
hesitates at first before accepting the
idea. Tully (Mackenzie Davis), the
nanny who arrives, turns out to be
surprisingly warm and thoughtful,
taking care not only of Marlo’s
children, but of Marlo too. Rated 13+
Deadpool 2
After surviving a near fatal bovine
attack, a disfigured cafeteria chef
Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds)
struggles to fulfil his dream of
becoming Miami’s hottest bartender,
while also learning to cope with his
lost sense of taste. Wade must battle
ninjas, the yakuza, and a pack of
sexually aggressive canines, as he
journeys around the world to discover
the importance of family, friendship,
and flavour - finding a new taste for
adventure and earning the coveted
coffee mug title of World’s Best
Terminal
In the dark heart of a sprawling
and anonymous city, two
assassins carry out a sinister
mission, a teacher battles a fatal
illness and an enigmatic janitor
and a curious waitress lead a
dangerous double life.
Murderous consequences
unravel in the dead of night as
their lives intertwine at the
hands of a mysterious criminal
mastermind who is hell-bent on
revenge. Margot Robbie and
Simon Pegg star. Rated 18+
SIDELINES
Kids on the Slope
A family situation forces
first-year high school
student Kaoru Nishimi
(Yuri Chinen) to move from
Yokosuka to Sasebo in
Kyushu to live with
relatives. Until then, Kaoru
was an honour roll student
who tended to keep to
himself, but meeting
notorious “bad boy”
Sentaro Kawabuchi
(Taishi Nakagawa) starts
to change him. Through his
devil-may-care classmate,
Kaoru learns how much
fun it is to play jazz and
finds the first person he
can call a real friend. He
also falls in love with
Ritsuko Mukae (Nana
Komatsu), his beautiful
classmate. Rated G in
Japanese wiith En nglish and
Thai subtitles
NUMBERS
CINEMAS
■ Apex: Lido, (02) 252 6498;
Scala, (02) 251 2861
www.ApexSiam-Square.com
■ Century: (02) 247 9940
www.CenturyTheMoviePlaza.com
■ Embassy Diplomat Screens:
(02) 160 5999
www.EmbassyCineplex.com
■ House: (02) 641 5177-8
www.HouseRama.com
■ Imax: Paragon, (02) 129 4631;
Chiang Mai, (053) 288 852;
Quartier, (02) 261 0199;
Ratchayothin, (02) 511 3311;
Pinklao, (02) 435 3750
■ Major Cineplex (EGV,
Esplanade, Mega, Paradise,
Paragon, Quartier):
Bangkok, (02) 515 5555;
Chiang Mai Central Airport,
(053) 283 939; Chiang Mai
Central Festival, (053) 288
852; Hat Yai, (074) 339 716;
Khon Kaen, (043) 001 888;
Nakhon Ratchasima,
(044) 288 288;
Pattaya, (038) 052 227
www.MajorCineplex.com
■ Major Hollywood:
(02) 718 7999
www.MajorHollywood.co.th
■ SF Cinemas: Bangkok, (02)
268 8888; Emprive Emporium,
(02) 268 8899; Maya
Chiang Mai, (052) 081 000;
Promenada Chiang Mai, (053)
142 777; Khon Kaen, (043) 001
888; Pattaya Beach, (033) 003
555; Phuket, (076) 209 000;
Patong, (076) 600 555
www.SFCinemaCity.com
■ Vista: Chiang Mai, (053) 894 415
VistaShowtime.blogspot.com
■ Bangkok Screening Room,
(090) 906 3888
https://bkksr.com/
FILM RATINGS
■ G – General audiences.
■ P – Promote as educational.
■ 13+, 15+, 18+ – Suggested
minimum ages for viewers.
■ 20- – Restricted to viewers
aged 20 and older; ID check
mandatory.
Lover. Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin,
Julian Dennison, Zazie Beetz and TJ
Miller also star. Rated 15+
Book Club
Four successful women in their sixties
— Diane (Diane Keaton), Vivian (Jane
Fonda), Sharon (Candice Bergen)
and Carol (Mary Steenburgen) —
have almost given up on their love
lives. Until Vivian convinces the other
three to tackle the infamous novel
“Fifty Shades of Grey” as the
selection of the month for their book
club. From discovering new romance
to rekindling old flames, they inspire
each other to make their next
chapter, the best chapter. Rated 15+
Nong Pee Theerak
(Brother of the Year)
Chat (Sunny Suwanmethanont) and
his sister Jane (Urassaya Sperbund)
have fought since they were kids.
Chat gets annoyed because Jane acts
more like his mother than his sister
and therefore plays up. In fact, the
only time Chat acts like an older
brother is when someone shows
interest in Jane. Chat will bully her
admirers into leaving her alone. So
when Jane meets her perfect half-
Japanese boyfriend Moji (Nichkhun
Horvejkul), she does everything to
keep their relationship a secret … with
predictable results. Rateed 13+
+
5B
[ KEEP IN
TUNE ]
Nothing mild about Mild
The music videos for pop band Mild’s
new songs “Dee Tor Jai” (“To Get Her”)
and “Over” have become popular because
their stories are so touching, as well as
interrelated. Fans are going crazy sharing
the videos directed by Bin Buamuenchol.
“The number of views on YouTube has
been steadily increasing,” says grateful
saxophonist Paisit “Pae” Khamklin. “I also
sang on Mild’s ‘Master Peace’ album, but
this is the first time I’ve handled the pro-
motion too.
“Thanks to all the fans for listening to
our songs and watching the videos,” says
guitarist Gent “Tao” Manopinwes. “Every
Mild album has to have a song sung by me
and the song must be simple and differ-
ent from the typical Mild sound.”
Keep up to date with Mild on the
“spicydisc.fanpage” and “mildband”
Facebook pages.
Ad pays homage to Chonlatee
Yuenyong “Ad” Ophakul, frontman of
songs-for-life rock band Carabao, has just
released “Devadha
Pleng”, the second
album in a luk
thung series from
Warner Music
(Thailand) paying
tribute to a master
of the genre. The
first was the late
Sayan Sanya’s “Rak
Sayan Noi Noi Tae
Rak Nan Nan”.
The object of
Ad’s admiration is Chonlatee Tharnthong,
and the licensing fee for the copyright to
his songs is being donated to the Miracle
of Life Foundation.
Kittisak Sainamthip arranged all 14
songs, which include “Luk Sao Phu Karn”,
“Riak Phi Dai Mai”, “Thaharn Arkas Khad
Rak”, “Wannee Suay Kwa Muea Wan” and
“Ai Noom Tangkay”. The title track is the
first luk thung song Ad wrote. Inside is a
cloth bag bearing Ad’s liner notes and his
autograph.
Here’s UNB to say hello
Korean boy band UNB is venturing out-
side the homeland today with its first fan
meeting in Thailand, “You & Me”, at Show
DC’s Ultra Arena in Bangkok. Jun, Euijin, Go
Ho-jung, Feeldog, Marco, Ji Han-sol,
Daewon, Kijung and Chan recently
released their first mini-album,
“Boyhood”, with hits including “Only One”
and “Feeling”. Passes cost Bt2,000 to
Bt5,000 at www.ThaiTicketMajor.com
and (02) 262 3456. Check out
www.411Ent.com and “fouroneoneent”
on Facebook.
Hop for the hip
The Thailand Hip-Hop Festival at the
JJ Mall in Chatuchak district today has
“Meet the legends” as its theme. Onstage
will be Thaitanium, Da Jim, Rastafah, B-
King, Chom Chumkasian and 1 Flow, PP
Dreams, Pok Mindset, Urboy TJ, CP Sming,
JSR Youngbong, Youngohm, FIIXD, Cleo-P
“VKL X Sweed Gangz” and Maiyarap.
The DJ line-up includes Whatdatfrog,
Kong, Bonnie, Deeboy and Dogga, and B-
Boy competing will be Oman, Ajay,
60Rock, Prai-1 and Guru. You can also
watch graffiti artists Pakorn, Jesus 103
Rua MHS, Bows, Qucan and Ghost
Trappers do their thing.
Tickets cost Bt700 at 7-Eleven and
www.AllTicket.com. Details at
www.Facebook.com/
Thailandhiphopfestival.
 6B TIME OUT
DOWNTOWN RAMATHIBODI HOSPITAL IS ALL SET TO OPEN ITS NEW THERAPEUTIC GARDEN
THE NATION
HER ROYAL HIGHNESS Princess
Maha Chakri Sirindhorn graciously
paid a visit to Ramathibodi Hospital
to chair the 2018 Annual General
Meeting of Ramathibodi Foundation
at the hospital’s Somdech Phra
Debaratana Medical Centre.
Princess Sirindhorn was warmly
greeted on her arrival by representa-
tives from Ramathibodi Foundation
and the Faculty of Medicine,
Ramathibodi Hospital including
Emeritus Prof Dr. Kasem
Watanachai, Prof Rachata
Rachatanawin, Prof Piyamitr Sritara,
Khunying Wanna
Sirivadhanabhakdi, Khunying Jada
Wattanasiritham and Emeritus Prof
Termsak Krishnamara. After the
meeting, Princess Sirindhorn
inspected the country’s biggest
“Healing Rooftop Garden” located on
the 10th floor of the hospital.
Prof Piyamitr Sritara, dean of the
Faculty of Medicine and president of
the Ramathibodi Foundation, reaf-
firmed the hospital’s commitment to
continually increasing efficiency and
being the main force in the develop-
ment of the country’s healthcare serv-
ice.
He spoke of the mega project that
aims to raise standard and increase
The Probike Classique Duathlon 2018, a collaboration between Probike’s Natee Chaisinthop and Warawut Silpa-archa of
Suphan Buri Football Club, will be held at Suphan Buri Provincial Stadium on July 21-22.
On your BIKES
PROBIKE JOINS WITH SUPHAN BURI STADIUM
FOR THE COUNTRY’S FIRST DUATHLON
KITCHANA LERSAKVANITCHAKUL
THE NATION
PROBIKE, one of Thailand’s lead-
ing bike and accessory distributors,
gets into competition cycling with
the inaugural Classique Duathlon
2018 taking place next month in
Suphan Buri.
The town, which is often referred
to as the City of Gold and also City of
Sports, is hosting the event at its
Provincial Stadium on July 21 and
22.
Is a duathlon a step below the
triathlon?
“We wouldn’t say it like that,”
says Natee Chaisinthop, marketing
executive of Probike.
“This event is very challenging. A
cyclist can ride 120 kilometres but
can’t run five kilometres. Likewise,
a runner can do a marathon but
can’t ride 30 kilometres. Exercise
helps us survive any emergency and
it’s known to be good for people suf-
fering from panic disorders and
anxiety.”
For this first event, the duathlon
has its own motto –“Challenging
Never Ends”, which Natee says
means “everybody must be happy
and safe.”
“It’s our dream to build a sports
culture in this country,” he says, “We
A place to chill and heal
From left, Professor Piyamitr Sritara, Professor Dr Kraisit
Tantisirin and Professor Sarikapan Wilailax
capacity of medical service as well as
produce new medical staff – the
Chakri Naruebodindra Medical
Institute (CNMI), which opened at
the end of last year. When operating
at full capacity, the CNMI will be able
to take 1 million outpatients and
17,000 inpatients per year.
“Moreover, Ramathibodi Hospital
plans to open the country’s mid-town
‘Therapeutic Roof Garden’, which is
part of our determination to build a
truly Green hospital. This garden,
which is supported by the
Ramathibodi Foundation on the con-
have been in the business for 28
years and have always promoted the
challenges and enjoyment of this
alternative sport. Most importantly,
it helps us to make friends easily. So
now, we’re organising a duathlon
and encouraging cyclists to chal-
lenge their limits.
“We have organised many bike
events over the last 28 years includ-
ing the ‘Probike Family Day’, which
had as its slogan ‘Together We Make
a Family.’ By ‘family’ we don’t just
mean people who are related but all
cyclists. We also held the Probike 24
Hours MTB Race, the Probike MTB
Challenge in Sattahip and Century
Ride, which has now been held
more than 50 times and draws large
families with lots of kids. This time,
we are offering a challenging and
safe experience under the rules of
the International Triathlon Union.
Natee says Probike selected
Suphan Buri as the venue because
of its reputation as a city of sports.
“The roads are very wide,” he points
out.
Probike has chosen to collabo-
rate on the event with Suphan Buri
Football Club.
“Suphan Buri doesn’t have any
hills – just five flyovers that are con-
siderably smaller than hills. But we
see an increasing number of people
Thanpuying Pensri Watcharothai, Khunying Wanna
Sirivadhanabhakdi, Khunying Kingkaew Pisitkasem
Uathavikul and Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul
cept ‘Man-healing garden, City-heal-
ing garden’, has been built by resur-
facing the 10th floor of the Somdech
Phra Debaratana Medical Centre.
Turning the hard surface into a green
space will help absorb rain and heat,
thus decreasing the temperature
inside the building and purifying the
air,” he said.
“This garden is the prototype of
holistic treatment and will see
ecotherapy being used as part of the
healing process as well as for social
activities and relaxation.
Asst Prof Supatara Leelapiwat,
coming to the stadium to exercise,
whether running, cycling, skate-
boarding or playing futsal,” says
Warawut Silpa-archa, son of Chart
Thai Pattana’s late party leader
Banharn and president of the
Suphan Buri Football Club.
The duathlon is divided into four
groups for men – 18 years and up,
30-39 years old, 40-49 years old
and 50 and over, and two groups for
women –18 years and up and 30
plus. All bicycles are accepted
except folding bikes and fatbikes.
The event will also feature a
Probike Mini Expo at the stadium
offering bikes and sports gear at
bargain prices, food trucks and
sponsor zones. Proceeds from sales
will go to charity.
PEDAL
POWER
■ The Probike Classique
Duathlon 2018 is limited just
500 participants.
■ Registration costs Bt3,000
and should be made at
https://RideRight.probike.co.th.
secretary and executive director of
the foundation said: “For more than
49 years, we have served as a fund-
raising centre both through dona-
tions and sales of souvenirs. We have
received generous support from gov-
ernment and private organisations,
as well as from the artists who volun-
teer. They all contribute to the treat-
ment of more than 2 million patients
per year through our projects, which
include assistance to poor patients,
procurement of medical equipment
such as Thailand’s first robot for brain
surgery, a hybrid surgery room for
Manhattan takes a bow
NEW YORK COMES TO THE VERY HEART OF BANGKOK AT THE ANNUAL ST REGIS CHARITY GALA
THE NATION
THE Big Apple was at the very core
of one of most prestigious social
events of the year, the St Regis
Bangkok Charity Gala 2018 – which
this year raised a massive Bt7 mil-
lion for the Maha Chakri
Sirindhorn Foundation for the
Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn
University.
The ball, which this year was on
the theme “Manhattan Flair”, has
been held annually since 2013 and
has so far raised more than Bt40
million for the various charities
selected by Her Royal Highness
Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.
Guests were transported back in
time, to New York City of the 1940s
and 1950s era, with the Astor
Ballroom transformed into a scene
with pure Manhattan flair.
Immersed in the theme, the
entire evening was presented in
theatrical proportions, with a tal-
ented jazz trio setting the mood.
Daran Zeththinich
Chanavarasutthisiri, from “The
Face Season 3”, performed an excit-
ing New York Cabaret and guests
were blown away by the acclaimed
musical genius of Neung Jakkawal,
appearing with his big band and
accompanied by singers Viyada and
Kittinan.
There was a spectacular
Pasinee Limatibul and Tepee
Jaratjarungkait
Chettha Songthaveepo and Yupin Chaivikrai were the top bidders for a trip to Paris.
THE NATION Saturday, June 9, 2018
HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn visited Ramathibodi Hospital to chair the 2018
Annual General Meeting of Ramathibodi Foundation and inspect the soon-to-open
Therapeutic Roof Garden.
patients with complicated illnesses
that make them unsuited to conven-
tional surgery, as well as medical
research and development and the
construction of this Therapeutic Roof
Garden.
The 1,500-square-metre garden
boasts a flower room, a multi-pur-
pose space decorated with paintings
of flowers and kanpai Mahidol (the
plant that serves as the symbol of
Mahidol University) and a pergola, a
shaded tunnel walkway and shelter
that can serve up to 200 people.
The Recycle Wall has been creat-
ed from more than 700 recycled saline
bags as a plant wall, while the Aroma
Garden and Braille Railing are used
for therapeutic purposes. The walk-
From left, Jantana Selby, Buppa Kingchatchaval, Khunying Piyapas Bhirombhakdi,
William E Heinecke, Araya Chittaropas, Krongkarn and Pongphiphat Chomanan
From left, Peter and Elizabeth Romhild, Arto and Sirin Artinian, Guy Bedarida, Talar
Zambakjian, Marlin Brown and Saro Artinian
Broadway rendition of “New York
New York (It’s a wonderful town)”,
while the grand finale featured the
live sounds of renowned Australian
singer-songwriter Mahalia Barnes.
This year’s gourmet delights
were some of the St Regis’ finest
with Mark Arnao, executive chef of
the St Regis New York flying in to
man the kitchen for this special
event.
Richard Sawyer, the hotel’s
director of culinary operations, also
led his team, among them chef Lak
Preeprem, and pastry chef
Thitiphong Suanborae in a selec-
tion of dishes that didn’t fail to
impress. The evening’s nostalgic
cocktails were conjured up by the
hotel’s expert mixologist Alessandro
way is designed to help gait training
and is filled with different sizes of peb-
bles to alternate weights while walk-
ing, and handrails for the blind are
covered with the Braille code of the
poem “Love Song”, which was writ-
ten by Princess Sirindhorn.
There is also an urban farming,
plant and herb study area for students
and others supported by the Faculty
of Pharmacy, Mahidol University and
a Healing Circle Amphitheatre for
holding small to medium sized shows
and performances.
Ramathibodi Hospital’s
Therapeutic Roof Garden will open
soon. This garden is considered a new
dimension of sustainable healthcare
supported by nature.
Nicki & Rekha von Bueren, owners of
Lotus Arts de Vivre
Stringardi.
With the auction lots receiving
generous bids from guests and the
tables sold out, the proceeds raised
will go to support the operations of
the Faculty of Arts at
Chulalongkorn University, Princess
Sirindhorn’s alma mater. These
include funding visiting local and
international experts as keynote
speakers and special lecturers in
subjects most beneficial to the stu-
dents and supporting the research
of faculty professors.
The Princess graduated with
both bachelor and master’s degrees
from Chulalongkorn’s Faculty of
Arts, with a focus on history, Thai
and other Oriental languages.
 THE NATION Saturday, June 9, 2018 GADGETS 7B

In a WORLD
of your OWN
WITH THE NEW
AUDIO-TECHNICA
PHONES, YOU CAN
SHUT OFF THE
TROUBLESOME NOISE
OF THE ENVIRONMENT
AND BE AT ONE
WITH THE MUSIC
PAISAL CHUENPRASAENG
THE NATION
A NEW PAIR of headphones from
premium manufacturer Audio-
Technica, the ATH-ANC700BT
come with QuietPoint Wireless
Active Noise-Cancelling technolo-
gy, which allows you to enjoy lis-
tening to music even in the nosiest
of environments.
The default is set to the noise
cancelling function when you turn
on the Bluetooth headphones but
can switched off simply by cover-
ing the touch panel on the left ear
cup with your left hand. You repeat
the process to turn them back on.
The ANC700BT is designed to
use its built-in microphone to pick
up noise from the surrounding
environment, like the sound of
vehicles and the hum of the air con-
ditioner, then cancel out that noise
by producing sounds in a negative
phase. This results in a reduction in
the sounds in your environment.
The product’s noise-cancelling
function mainly reduces noises of
300 Hz or lower. Because of this, it
has almost no effect on noises above
that frequency, such as ringtones
or someone speaking.
During the test, I found the
headphones gave me a quiet listen-
ing environment in my bedroom,
effectively shielding off the loud
humming of my air-conditioner.
However, used in Bluetooth
mode, the phones do not support
High-Resolution Audio sounds
because they lack Hi-Res Audio
Bluetooth streaming formats of
either LDAC or aptX HD. Instead,
they support Bluetooth streaming
codecs of aptX, AAC and SBC.
Despite that, the sound quality
is good with excellent clarity and
powerful bass. The phones use
40mm drivers and have a high sen-
sitivity of 98dB when the battery-
powered noise-cancellation is used.
The sensitivity drops to 95dB when
the noise-cancellation is turned off.
The ANC700BT has impedance of
150 ohms when the noise-cancel-
lation is used or 35 ohms without.
The headphones also have good
battery life, lasting up to 25 hours
when both Bluetooth and noise
cancellation are turned on. When
only the Bluetooth is used, the bat-
tery can last up to 30 hours.
I was able to enjoy Hi-Res Audio
signals on the ANC700BT with a
provided 1.2-metre detachable
audio cable. The headphones have
a frequency response of 5 to 40,000
Hz. I found that when the head-
phones were used with cable in Hi-
Res Audio mode, the sound quali-
ty was great with very good music
details and a deep and powerful
bass.
In wire mode, I was able to turn
on the power switch on the left ear
cup allowing me to use only the
noise cancellation function to enjoy
high-quality sound in a quiet envi-
ronment.
Another nice feature in
Bluetooth mode is that the phones
provide a touch panel on the left ear
cup for controlling music playback
and talking on the phone.
For example, while listening to
music, you can touch the Audio-
Technica logo in the middle of the
left ear cup to play or pause the
music. You hold it for a little longer
to activate the speech recognition
function, such as Siri.
You can touch the top part of the
left ear cup to increase the volume
and the bottom part to decrease the
volume.
You swipe the touch panel down
to play the previous track and swipe
up it up to play the next track. I
tried this with the JOOX music app
and it worked well.
To take an incoming call to the
smartphone connected to
ANC700BT, simply touch the mid-
dle of the touch panel to answer it.
You can also touch and hold it for
two seconds to reject it and if you
want to hang up during the call just
touch in again. Increasing and
decreasing the phone volume works
the same way as for playing music.
The headphones are light and
comfortable so I was able to wear
them for hours on end. The
ANC700BT comes with a foldable
design and a carrying pouch is pro-
vided, so you can conveniently carry
them around with you.
Audio-Technica ATH-
ANC700BT is distributed by RTB
Technology with a suggested retail
price of Bt7,990.
[GADGETS]
Efficient and powerful
B&W T7 is a portable Bluetooth speaker
with 18 hours of battery life on a single charge.
It is powered by Class D amplifier with 2x12
watts of power and it uses two 50mm full-
range drivers and two bass radiators for power-
ful bass response. It has a 3.5mm stereo-in jack
apart from Bluetooth connection. It retails for
Bt16,900.
KEY
SPECS
■ Driver Diameter: 40 mm
■ Frequency Response: 5 –
40,000 Hz
■ Sensitivity: 98 dB/mW (when
noise-cancellation used); 95
dB/mW (when noise-cancella-
tion not used) Stay amazingly fit
■ Impedance: 150 ohms (when Xiaomi MI Amazfit Bip is a fitness smart-
noise-cancellation used); 35 watch that comes with a 1.28-inch LCD with
ohms (when noise-cancellation 176x176 pixels, plus GPS for running and biking.
not used)* It also has heart-rate sensor and will pass on
■ Battery: DC3.7 V lithium poly- alerts from a connected phone. It retails for
mer rechargeable battery Bt2,299 in the Xiaomi store on Lazada.
■ Battery Life: Maximum 25
hours (when Bluetooth and
noise-cancellation used);
Maximum 45 hours (when only
noise-cancellation used)
■ Charging Time: Approximately
5 hours (for 0-100% charge)
■ Weight: 250 g without cable
■ Cable: Detachable 1.2 m cable
■ Connector: 3.5 mm stereo
mini-plug, L-shaped
■ Accessories Included: 30 cm
USB charging cable,
protective pouch
■ Microphone: Condenser
■ Sensitivity (Microphone):
-44 dB (1V/Pa at 1 kHz)
■ Frequency Response
(Microphone): 50 – 4,000 Hz Try a French phone
■ Polar Pattern (Microphone): View Max, a new smartphone from French
Omnidirectional firm Wiko Mobile, comes with a 5.99-inch dis-
■ Communication System: play in 18:9 ratio in 1440x720 pixels and a large
Bluetooth Version 4.1 battery capacity of 4,000mAh. It is powered by
■ RF Output: 3.2 mW EIRP a 1.3GHz quad-core processor and has 3GB of
■ Output: Bluetooth RAM and 32GB of storage. It also has a 13-
Specification Power Class 2 megapixel rear camera and a 5MP front cam-
■ Maximum Communication era. It has Face Unlock and a fingerprint reader
Range: Line of sight – approxi- for added security. It retails for Bt3,890.
mately 10 metres
■ Compatible Bluetooth ■
Profiles: A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP
■ Support Codec:
aptX, AAC, SBC

Fun learning with an app

MONTESSORI PRESCHOOL
LAUNCHES A FREE
APPLICATION TO ENCOURAGE
KIDS AGED FOUR AND OVER
TO LEARN AT HOME
PAISAL CHUENPRASAENG
THE NATION
MONTESSORI, the school system
that provides a child-centred
approach to education, woos par-
ents of pre-school children with the
Montessori Preschool app from
Edoki Academy.
Available for iPad or iPhone, the
learning tool covers colours, shapes,
phonics, reading, counting, addi-
tion, subtraction and music.
The number of lessons on the free
app is limited and parents wanting
to take it further will need to pay a
monthly or annual subscription to
get full access.
The app is designed by certified
Montessori teachers with years of
classroom experience. The fun child-
centred app is divided in four sub-
jects: Maths, Early Literacy, Arts and
Practical Life.
The app allows the child to play
mini-games, interact with cute
avatars and customise his or school
using the points earned while play-
ing.
The Maths curriculum covers
learning to count, recognising num-
bers and tracing them from zero to
1 million. An introduction to addi-
tion and subtraction using
Montessori materials is also avail-
able.
For example, in one lesson, a fairy
tells the child to touch a castle and
says one castle.
In the Early Literacy section, your
kid will be exposed to sounds, which
will train their ears to identify the
sounds before giving them a name.
In the Sandbox activity, the little one
will hear how each letter sounds.
When he or she taps letter “A”, the app
will pronounce it.
In the Initial Sound activity, the
game lets the child touch a picture
and hear the word then select the let-
ter with which the word starts.
The Arts class includes an intro-
duction to colours (primary and sec-
ondary) as well as many games using
colours and shapes. It also offers
music games to discover pitches,
rhythm and nursery rhymes.
In the Busy Shapes and Colours
activity, the child can drag a circle,
square, triangle to the correct hol-
front and left back wheel to earn stars
and the song will move to the next
rhyme.
In the Practical Life, your kid will
find a range of activities like dust-
ing, taking care of plants, cleaning a
mirror or washing clothes.
Montessori Preschool welcomes
users in a digital school with lock-
ers, a corridor full of daily responsi- Safer headphones from A-T
bilities or discoveries. Audio-Technica Sport70BT Bluetooth
In the free-activity School headphones have sweat and water protection
Infirmary, children will learn about certified with IPX5. The control and micro-
basic first aid in school. phone allow you to operate music and hear
And in the Chinese Classroom, surrounding sound without removing the head-
which is also provided in the free phones from your ears, for outdoor safety. The
version, your kid will learn Chinese battery supports up to six hours of continual
words, such learning to count from use. Available in black and rose-gold for
one to 10 in Chinese and see how Bt4,990.
each number is written in the lan-
guage.
I tried the app on an iPad Pro 10-
inch and it played smoothly.
The app is free and the monthly
subscription is Bt99 while the annu-
al subscription is Bt699.
KEY
SPECS
low frame and hear their name read ■ Seller: Edoki Academy
out. ■ Size: 651.2 MB
The free version also provides a ■ Category: Education
colouring book. ■ Compatibility: Requires iOS
A fun song in the Interactive 9.0 or later. Compatible with Be a rock star
Wheels on the Bus activity invites the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch Dreamwave RockStar is a portable
child to learn and play along with the and Apple TV. Bluetooth speaker for parties. It has 80 watts
nursery rhyme in the free version. ■ Languages: English of power and comes with a 26,000mAh bat-
For example, the song starts with ■ Age Rating: Rated 4+ tery that supports up to 12 hours of audio play-
“the wheels on the bus go round and ■ Price: Free back. It also has DSP for karaoke. It can handle
round”. The child must touch the left up to 8 audio inputs. It retails for Bt24,900.
XP ES
SIO
N
PR
EX
The Bee Gees
are coming
back to life
at a tribute
concert in
Thailand.
Brothers
THAI SINGERS
REMEMBER THE BEE
GEES AS THEY SET
OUT TO RAISE FUNDS
TO HELP VETERAN
SONGWRITERS
KITCHANA LERSAKVANITCHAKUL
THE NATION
THE Bee Gees – the greatest pop and
disco trio of all time whose fraternal
harmonies were instantly
recognisable –disbanded forever in
2012 following the death of Robin –
but remain in the hearts of fans
around the world. The band is still
fondly remembered in Thailand and
its hits are being brought back to life
again at a tribute concert, titled “Care
for Each Other: The Night To
Remember Bee Gees”, that’s being
staged in August at the Thailand
Cultural Centre.
“I have been a professional and
successful songwriter for 23 years as
well as a producer. In my career, I’ve
met and worked with many other
songwriters and also learnt that none
of them are eligible to receive any
benefits or support from any
organisation, governmental or
otherwise. Most veteran songwriters
are now living in poverty and a lot of
them are in poor health, being victims
of cancer. So, I want to set up a fund
for cancer patients,” says Thawichaya
Tungsaharangsee, executive producer
of music label Classy Records, which
is organising the concert.
“I have decided to call the fund
Classy For Friends and am starting by
THE NATION Saturday, June 9, 2018
WILD
ABOVE: More than 30 artists will perform
The Bee Gees’ 35 songs at “Care for Each
Other: The Night To Remember Bee
Gees”, a tribute concert that will be
held at Thailand Cultural Centre
on August 19.
BELOW: Pom Autobahn, Ie Weeranukul,
Pun Paibulkiat, Thawichaya
Tungsaharangsee, and DJ Roj Kwantham
talk about the brothers Gibb during a
press conference.
ON YOUR BIKES >> 6B
IN A WORLD OF
YOUR OWN >> 7B
nationmultimedia.com/life
giant LED screen six metres high and
14 metres wide to the Thailand
Cultural Centre. We will also design
the graphics for all songs and show
them on that big screen.”
Those coughing up for the Bt3,000
tickets will take home a CD, “A Cordial
Tribute to the Bee Gees”, featuring six
songs – “Words” by Surasee Itthikul,
“Our Love (Don’t Throw It All Away)”
by Chotchoo “Pom Autobahn”
Puengudom, “Melody Fair & In The
Morning” by Cheepchanok Sriyamart,
“How Can You Mend A Broken Heart”
by Sobchai “Ford” Graiyoonsen, “First
of May” by Triple J Jazz Trio featuring
Narinpan “Jo” Pantarawong, and
“How Deep Is Your Love” by Ie
(Thananya) Weeranukul.
The tribute concert will feature a
set list of 35 Bee Gees songs divided
into four parts: jazz, ballads, Andy
Gibb and disco. Contributing artists
include Suchart “Ton” Chawangkul,
Suttipong “Chompoo Fruity”
Wattanajung, Gunpol “Ping Fruity”
Pridamanoch, Edward Vanzo, Thiti
“Zonx” Prukchaum, Attapong “Oat
COURTESY OF CLASSY RECORDS
Street Funk Rollers” Boonsermsap, 2
Is Better Than 1, Triple J Jazz Trio,
Atthaporn “Toon The Voice”
Kornchaiya, Puwadon “Yamin”
Weerasatien, Rawiwan “Oui” Chinda,
Christophe Descamps, Mum Laconic,
and a group of students aged seven
and eight from Music Box music
school in Chanthaburi province.
raising money through a concert “It’s unbelievable how well these
dedicated to the Bee Gees, as both kids sing the Bee Gees’ songs,” says
Robin and Maurice died of cancer. I Thawichaya, it adding that it the
am, of course, paying the copyright fee concert will also feature several of his
for the 35 songs we will be performing. label’s artists, among them Rawiwan
“I also want to devote the fund to
my father, who died of cancer in 2012.
The principle is simple: To become
“Oui” Chinda, Paibulkiat “Pun”
Kheokaew, Isaree “Mameow”
Namphacharoen, a former member
part of the Classy For Friends Fund,
a songwriter pays Bt500 for
of girl trio 3G, Pimpetch “Palmie”
Kunjara Na Ayuthaya, and Walai
membership and receives a T-shirt. “Jiab” Pipatcharoenkij. They’ll be
All membership fees will be put into backed by a 13-strong ad-hoc Classy
the fund alongside donations and Band featuring musicians, chorus
other money raised and the singers and a brass section.
songwriter will receive dividends or “The Bee Gees had very
medical expenses if he or she is recognisable harmonies, with Barry’s
diagnosed with cancer,” Thawichaya R&B falsetto shining out from the late
explains. 1960s to the early 1970s and Maurice’s
The show will mark Classy Records clear vibrato in the mid-1970s, which
debut in the concert-organising world was really the trio’s heyday. Their
and it will also be handling the popularity soared when their songs
production. The label is planning to featured on the ‘Saturday Night Fever’
stage one or perhaps two concerts a soundtrack in 1977. In addition to
year, with the second tribute concert their own hits, Bee Gees worked with
expected to pay respect to the great other artists, writing Barbra
master, Paiboon Butrkhan, whose hits Streisand’s ‘Women in Love’ and
include “Mon Rak Lukthung”. Kenny Rogers’ ‘You and I’. At the
“We know that the Bee Gees are height of their popularity, Thai artists
still popular here and are confident sang Bee Gees’ covers especially ‘How
that their fans will come to the Deep Is Your Love’ and ‘Too Much
concert,” says Thawichaya. “We plan Heaven’,” says DJ Roj Kwantham, who
to make the show greater than other worked at Nite Spot in that era.
previous tribute concert, bringing a “I listened to the Bee Gees in the
COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL MUSIC (THAILAND)
days when I was singing and playing
guitar with a band at the Windsor
Hotel. We used to be known as the
young Bee Gees. Among the Thai
artists who could imitate Barry’s
falsetto were Danupol ‘Jae’ Kaewkarn
and Grand Ex’ Nakorn ‘Tong’
Vejsupaporn. I loved the ballads like
‘Words’ and ‘First of May’. ‘Spirits
Having Flown’ marked the tail end of
the Bee Gees’ most successful era and
the album sold more than 20 million
copies worldwide. For this concert,
we will all be singing Bee Gees’ songs
in our individual styles, not trying to
imitate them,” says Pom Autobahn.
“I love the Bee Gees but never
thought of covering their songs
because it was too hard trying to copy
Barry Gibb’s wide vocal range. But, for
this concert, I will make the
impossible possible,” says Ie
Weeranukul, who will perform two
songs “How Deep Is Your Love” and
“Spicks and Specks.”
“I love watching movies about
music and ‘Melody Fair’ was amongst
my favourites. I liked the Bee Gees
both in terms of lyrics and music but
never tried to copy Barry Gibb’s voice.
I also like ‘You and I’, the song they
wrote for Kenny Rogers, which is very
melodious,” says Pun Paibulkiat.
“If the new generation comes to
this concert, they will get to know the
Bee Gees on the big screen, which will
show the portraits of the brothers
together with their stories and their
songs,” says Thawichaya.
“It really is all about The Bee Gees.”
MORE THAN
“WORDS”
■ “Care for Each Other: The Night
To Remember Bee Gees” is the
tribute concert that will be held at
the Main Auditorium of Thailand
Cultural Centre on August 19 at
5pm.
■ From 3pm, concert-goers and
fans can browse and buy from the
booths outside the venue selling
the Bee Gees’ CDs and vinyl
recordings as well as other
memorabilia.
■ Tickets cost from Bt1,000 to
Bt3,000 including the CD. They’re
available at Thai Ticket Major
counters, by calling (02) 262 3456
and online at
www.ThaiTicketMajor.com.
■ Proceeds after a deduction for
expenses will go to the Classy for
Friends Fund.