Big clean up after festival, 3,000 digital krathong floated

By:
On:
In: South-East Asia

Nearly all floats made of biodegradable natural material

PUBLISHED : 28 Nov 2023 at 12:09

Big clean up after festival, 3,000 digital krathong floated
A city worker collects krathong, most made from natural material, from the Chao Phraya River after Monday night’s Loy Krathong festival. (Photo: Bangkok Metropolitan Administration)

Almost 640,000 krathong, nearly all made from natural material, were collected from Bangkok waterways after Monday’s Loy Krathong festival, when more than 3,000 digital krathongs were also floated in Klong Ong Ang.

Bangkok Metropolitan Administration staff began collecting krathong at 8pm on Monday and finished collecting and sorting them around 5am on Tuesday. They amassed 639,828 of them, up 67,226 (11.74%) on last year, BMA spokesman Ekwaranyu Amrapan said on Tuesday.

He said 618,951 of the collected krathong, 96.7%, were made from environmentally friendly, biodegradable material such as banana-tree trunk, banana leaves, cassava, cane bagasse and bread. This was a rise on last year’s 95.7%. There were only 20,877 krathong made from styrofoam, 3.26%, down on last year’s 4.30%.

Klong Sam Wa district had the most floats, 31,575, and the highest number made of natural material, 31,560, and Pomprap Sattruphai the fewest with 160. Bung Kum district had the most foam krathong,  1,579.

Thirty-four public parks opened for the public to float their krathong, attracting 290,886 people. A total of 88,011 krathong were collected from public parks. The three most popular were Benjasiri, Lumpini and Benjakitti parks.

The collected krathong would be sent to garbage disposal centres, Mr Ekwaranyu said.

The floating of digital krathong via projection mapping was organised by the BMA for the first time, at Klong Ong Ang. People floated 3,774 digital krathong in the canal.

Visitors watch digital floats projected on the surface of Klong Ong Ang in Bangkok on Monday night, when the nation celebrated Loy Krathong. (Photo: Wichan Charoenkiatpakul)

Continue Reading

Mechanic cheated friend into thinking he could buy Mercedes-Benz for S0,000 including COE

By:
On:
In: South-East Asia

SINGAPORE: A mechanic cheated his friend into handing over more than S$22,000 (US$16,500) by lying to him that he could buy a heavily discounted Mercedes-Benz car for S$140,000, inclusive of Certificate of Entitlement (COE).

Tai Boon Huat, 48, was sentenced to eight months’ jail on Tuesday (Nov 28) for one count of cheating.

A second charge was taken into consideration as part of his guilty plea.

The court heard that Tai befriended the victim, a 43-year-old man, in early 2019.

At the time, the victim was considering investing in property.

The pair became friends and shortlisted and viewed property together.

In 2020, Tai told the victim that his company could buy Mercedes-Benz cars in bulk from Cycle & Carriage.

He told the victim that he could help buy one at a heavily discounted price from parallel importers.

This was a lie – Tai had no links to Cycle & Carriage, and he could not procure a Mercedes-Benz car at a discounted price.

At first, the victim was not keen on the idea, but Tai persuaded him until he agreed.

They agreed on a price of S$140,000 for a CLA 200 Mercedes-Benz, including COE and other taxes.

After the victim agreed to buy the car, Tai asked him to make payments to his bank account for additional fees such as administrative fees.

The victim complied and transferred a total of S$22,487 to Tai over 22 occasions between March 2020 and February 2021.

However, the victim did not receive the car. He lodged a police report in March 2022, saying he had been cheated.

Tai was arrested in May 2023 and has not made restitution to date.

The penalties for cheating are a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine.

Continue Reading

Serial upskirter at it for 10 years strikes again, hiding phone in shoe

By:
On:
In: South-East Asia

SINGAPORE: A serial upskirter who has been filming victims for 10 years struck again barely a year after being released from his latest jail term.

Tham Heng Yew, 31, cut another hole in his shoe and placed his phone in it to record videos before walking around a train station and a mall.

However, he was caught when a victim’s friend spotted his suspicious behaviour and confronted him, causing him to flee in panic.

Tham pleaded guilty to two counts of voyeurism on Tuesday (Nov 28).

The court heard that Tham was last sentenced to 10 months’ jail in November 2021 for similar offences.

On May 26 this year, he felt the urge to take voyeuristic videos again and made preparations.

He chose a pair of shoes and cut a hole in the left one. He tested the placement of the hole by inserting his spare phone into the modified shoe, with the camera lens facing up.

Tham then placed the footwear into a bag and set off for Jurong East MRT Station, where he slid the phone in the shoe before wearing it.

He walked around filming women, picking his targets before positioning his foot under their skirts.

He did so 11 times, taking videos of at least 12 women near the train station at Jem shopping mall.

Tham then went to a supermarket at the mall and targeted a 29-year-old woman.

However, the victim’s friend noticed Tham placing his foot under the victim’s skirt and asked him what he was doing.

Tham panicked and fled, with the victim’s friend giving chase and shouting for Tham to stop. He was eventually detained by a passer-by outside the mall.

Tham admitted his acts and asked the victim’s friend, who was also a woman, to give him a chance.

The woman called the police, who arrested Tham.

He told investigators that he had taken the videos despite knowing it was an offence as he was feeling depressed.

He said he wanted “to do acts that were thrilling enough to help him to reduce his stress and anxiety”, and he found voyeurism thrilling and felt excited when viewing the videos.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Jotham Tay asked for 15 to 18 months’ jail for Tham.

Tham has two previous convictions – in November 2021 and March 2020.

The March 2020 conviction included more than a hundred charges.

DOING THIS SINCE 2013: PROSECUTOR

“Essentially, he has been doing this exact same scheme since 2013,” said Mr Tay. 

“What we have is an offender who is clearly recalcitrant. The gap in time between the reoffending behaviour is also short.”

He said Tham would have been released from his latest jail term of 10 months in mid-2022, which meant he reoffended after about a year.

Mr Tay said the modus operandi in this case was quite sophisticated, with premeditation as he had to cut a hole in his shoe and make sure the camera could record videos through the hole.

In mitigation, Tham, who was unrepresented, said he was very remorseful.

“Like what was mentioned, actually I was going through a very rough time for the past at least five years because of this voyeuristic disorder that I’m facing,” he said.

“Ever since that day, I’ve been struggling with regrets and I wish that I had done something else instead to cope with my emotions.”

He said he would accept the consequences, but planned to ask for a psychologist during his sentence.

“When I’m out, I plan on seeking treatment as I really do not wish for this issue to linger any longer than it already has, as it has affected my life very negatively,” said Tham. “I wish to change and not offend anymore.”

The judge asked for further submissions on sentencing and adjourned the case to December.

Continue Reading

Minister tells Chinese envoy of concerns over crime movie

By:
On:
In: South-East Asia

PUBLISHED : 28 Nov 2023 at 11:30

Minister tells Chinese envoy of concerns over crime movie
Prime Minister’s Office Minister Puangpet Chunlaiad, right, talks with Chinese ambassador Han Zhiqiang, left, at Government House on Monday evening. (Photo supplied)

Prime Minister’s Office Minister Puangpet Chunlaiad has told the Chinese ambassador that the Chinese film ‘No More Bets’ may deter Chinese from visiting Thailand.

Ms Puanpet met ambassador Han Zhiqiang at Government House on Monday evening.

She told him that the movie depicted fraud, human trafficking, trading in organs, call scams and the abduction of rich people for ransom.

Some scenes showed messages written in Thai and that led to criticism being posted on China’s Weibo social media platform. “Chinese tourists may now have concerns about visiting Thailand,” Ms Puangpet said, according to a statement issued by the prime minister’s Pheu Thai Party.

She said such crimes did not happen in Thailand, and the Thai government had effective measures to protect tourists. She asked the Chinese ambassador to publish her message.

In response, the Chinese ambassador said he did not think the movie would have a negative impact on the number of Chinese tourists, especially during the Lunar New Year celebration early next year, according to the statement.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, he said, Thailand was a major destination of Chinese tourists, with more than 10 million coming here in 2019.

In the wake of the pandemic, the number of Chinese tourists was increasing, the ambassador said. He was confident that Chinese tourists still liked to visit Thailand, and that more Thais would visit China, the government statement said.

Continue Reading

Zhongzhi collapse could be bigger than Evergrande’s

By:
On:
In: Asia

Top executives of a major Chinese wealth management firm are being probed after the company reported a net liability of up to 260 billion yuan (US$36.5 billion) last week.

Beijing police said over the weekend that they have launched a criminal probe into the wealth management unit of Zhongzhi Enterprise Group, which reportedly manages about 3.72 trillion yuan worth of assets and is regarded as one of China’s largest “shadow banks.” 

A person surnamed Jie, who is believed to be a nephew of the firm’s late founder Jie Zhikun, is among those who have been arrested, Chinese media reported on Monday. Jie Zhikun died in December 2021 due to heart disease.

The arrested were accused of being involved in illegal fundraising activities and other suspected crimes. 

The police operation was launched a few days after Zhongzhi reported on November 22 total assets of 200 billion yuan and total liabilities of between 420-460 billion yuan, meaning the firm’s net liabilities were somewhere between 220-260 billion yuan.

On Monday, Chinese commentators published a series of articles and videos criticizing Zhongzhi for partnering with some state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and using its reputation to sell wealth products. 

They also slammed Jie’s family members and senior executives for cashing in on their wealth product investments before Zhongzhi’s financial problems were reported by the media this summer. 

“With a net liability of 220 billion to 260 billion yuan, Zhongzhi is severely insolvent and is having a huge operational risk,” a financial anchor said in her vlog posted on social media on Monday.

“The company said it’s not easy to liquidate its assets, most of which are bonds and equities that are now undervalued. It seems to be telling the public that its net liability may actually be more than 260 billion yuan.”

She says Zhongzhi’s founder and executives built a financial empire by forming partnerships between the firm and SOEs while using the latter’s reputation to raise funds over the past two decades. She says Jie’s family had accumulated as much as 25 billion yuan of wealth during the peak period.  

Zhongzhi Enterprise Group’s founder Jie Zhikun died in December 2021. Photo: Baidu

“Zhongzhi said it has lost its direction after the death of Jie in 2021. How could the company blame a dead person after a huge amount of its assets disappeared?” she asked?

“The fall of Zhongzhi may be one of the largest defaults since the establishment of the New China in 1949,” a financial columnist wrote in an article. “The negative impact of Zhongzhi’s collapse may be even bigger than that of Evergrande as Zhongzhi has huge assets under management.”

“Many senior executives in Zhongzhi have made their fortune and left the company while the company’s wealth management product clients lost their money,” he says. “Who is going to take the responsibility?”

An apology

In June, some clients complained that they could not get their money back when the wealth management products they bought from Zhongzhi and its subsidiaries such as Zhongrong International Trust matured. 

On August 11, an unnamed former employee of Zhongrong was quoted by Cailian Press, a financial website, as saying on August 11 that at least 350 billion yuan of Zhongrong’s wealth products that were sold through Zhongzhi’s sales channels had stopped payouts. 

He said the figure did not include the products directly sold by Zhongrong.

The National Financial Regulatory Administration (NFRA), China’s financial regulator, has set up a task force to examine Zhongzhi, Bloomberg reported. 

After a three-month auditing, Zhongzhi told its clients in a letter on November 22 that it wanted to apologize for its ineffective internal operation after Jie’s death. It said its management had tried to restructure the business and turn around the unfavorable situation but the moves did not achieve the expected results. 

“After the issuance of this letter of apology, Zhongzhi’s clients’ last hope that the company would survive has vanished,” a financial writer using the pen name Mi Mei says in an article. 

Over the past two decades Zhongzhi had invested in different companies and financial assets but all these investments, controlled by Jie, had seen falling returns in recent years, Mi Mei wrote. 

Zhongzhi’s liabilities are way bigger than its assets. Image: Twitter

According to a Beijing Police announcement, a person surnamed Jie was arrested for Zhongzhi’s illegal fundraising activities.

Chinese media said after Jie died, his nephew Liu Yang was appointed by the board to lead the company. At the same time, Jie’s other nephew, Jie Zizheng, a 34-year-old executive director at the firm, had the power to decide which projects to invest in.

Jie’s other successor options were his daughter Jie Huiyu, as well as his second wife, Mao Amin, a famous Chinese singer, and her two children.

Read: Chinese wealth management firm stiffs big investors

Follow Jeff Pao on Twitter at @jeffpao3

Continue Reading

Moderna begins work on China mRNA manufacturing site

By:
On:
In: Asia

SHANGHAI: US vaccine maker Moderna began construction of its first facility in China this month to manufacture mRNA medicines, the company said on Tuesday (Nov 28). Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine has yet to be approved in China, but the company said in July it had signed a deal with the cityContinue Reading

18-year-old among 71 arrested, drugs worth S7,000 seized in islandwide CNB operation

By:
On:
In: South-East Asia

SINGAPORE: An 18-year-old was among the 71 suspected drug offenders arrested during an islandwide operation conducted by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB).

Drugs with an estimated street value of S$157,000 (US$117,600) were also seized, the bureau said in a news release on Tuesday (Nov 28).

This comprised a total of about 881g of heroin, 193g of Ice, 137g of cannabis and an Erimin-5 tablet. About S$22,580 in cash was also confiscated.

Some of the areas covered during the operation from Nov 19 to Nov 24 included Ang Mo Kio, Bukit Batok, Kallang and Punggol.

KNIFE, KNUCKLE DUSTER SEIZED

On the evening of Nov 19, CNB arrested a 24-year-old man for suspected drug offences near Pasir Ris Street 11.

The Singaporean had attempted to evade arrest by climbing out of a window of a residential unit on the second floor. 

He was eventually arrested on the ground floor and escorted to his residence where about 11g of Ice, various drug paraphernalia, a knuckle duster and a karambit knife were recovered.

Continue Reading

Singapore to start technical studies into ‘Long Island’ off East Coast; reclaimed land could be twice the size of Marina Bay

By:
On:
In: South-East Asia

SINGAPORE: Singapore is starting technical studies for a decades-long project to integrate coastal protection measures with future reclamation plans on its east coast.

The “Long Island” concept could involve around 800ha of reclaimed land – nearly the size of 1,142 football fields – and potentially provide more opportunities for waterfront living and jobs.  

The reclaimed island, situated at East Coast Park’s shoreline, would be about twice the land area of Marina Bay, and would create an enclosed waterbody in front of East Coast Park, transforming it into a freshwater reservoir. 

Minister for National Development Desmond Lee announced the start of technical studies into the concept during a site-enhancement event at East Coast Park on Tuesday (Nov 28), where he planted a tree to kickstart a new 15km nature trail across the park. 

He spoke about the need for coastal protection measures in low-lying Singapore. 

“The concept of Long Island is to project coastal protection seawards, by reclaiming three new tracts of land, at a higher level, away from the current coastline. This will allow us to retain the existing East Coast Park, largely as it is,” said Mr Lee, noting that people wanted to retain the unimpeded access to the waterfront. 

The minister said Long Island would create opportunities for future generations of Singaporeans.

“They could build homes, create jobs, develop services and amenities that they need, and add around 20km of new coastal and reservoir parks, extending from the current East Coast Park. This will triple the length of the existing waterfront area along East Coast Park today.”

Continue Reading

China’s aircraft carriers racing to catch the US

By:
On:
In: Asia

China is devoting a great effort to building aircraft carriers. It has already deployed two conventionally powered carriers, the Liaoning Type 001 (60,000 tons) and the Shandong Type 002 (65,000 tons). 

China also is building a much larger aircraft carrier, the Fujian Type 003 weighing 80,000 tons. It was so important that Xi Jinping, the president of China, initially wanted it named after himself.   

The Fujian project is significant not only because of its military value but principally because it is a high-prestige project, making China “equal” to the United States.

Both the Liaoning, an updated Russian aircraft carrier hull based on Russia’s Kuznetsov aircraft carrier which the Russians call a cruiser, and the Shandong, an improved copy of the Liaoning, have a ski-jump style carrier deck for launching aircraft. The only fighter aircraft that China has capable of operating on these carriers is the J-15 Flying Shark. 

The Liaoning aircraft carrier.

The J-15 is a knock-off of a Ukrainian copy of the Russian Su-33, itself a strengthened and heavier version of the Su-27. The J-15 cannot carry a full load of weapons or filled fuel tanks when operating from these carriers because the aircraft would be too heavy for launch from the carrier deck. 

The Russians have already lost at least two Su-33s from the Kuznetsov, one while operating off the coast of Syria.

Shenyang J-15s

Russia also has a second aircraft it can use on its carriers, the MIG-29KR. One of these also went to the sea in the Syrian operation.

India operates two aircraft carriers, the INS Vikrant and the INS Vikramaditya. The Vikramaditya uses the Russian MIG-29K and is based on the old Russian Kiev-class design.  The Vikrant is planned to use the Rafale M aircraft, although it might also end up with the MIG-29K.

China does not have the MIG-29K. The J-15 Tiger Shark, although it has been improved, renders both the operational Chinese carriers limited in capability and value.

The US Marines for their amphibious assault ships like the USS Wasp (LHD-1) and the British for their new aircraft carriers the HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales use the Lockheed F-35B STOVL short take-off, vertical landing stealth fighter jet. These ships do not have launch systems or arresting wires for landing.

Like the US Marines, Japan operates two Izumo-class aircraft carriers, the JS Kaga and the JS Izumo. These are being upgraded to support the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter. The Kaga requires extensive modifications, so it will be some time before either of these ships can operate with the F-35B.

For the Fujian, China is betting it can come up with a truly flexible carrier that can launch modern fighter jets such as China’s FC-31 stealth fighter. But China also has taken a significant risk in going for an EMALS (Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System) launcher.

China has high hopes for the FC-31.

The USS Ford faced a number of problems getting its EMALS to work reliably and recent reports say it still is encountering difficulty.

EMALS offers the advantage of being able to cycle more quickly than a steam catapult, and to take up less space internally since the steam pipes and special boilers for it are not needed for EMALS.

China may be having similar problems. The initial EMALS for the Fujian was based on alternating current and high voltage (most likely copying the US Ford design). Apparently, it did not work and has been replaced with a home-designed medium voltage direct current system. 

The USS Ford’s EMALS uses a linear induction motor and alternating current. The EMALS’s 300-foot (91-meter) LIM can accelerate a 100,000-pound (45,000 kg) aircraft to 130 knots (240 kilometers per hour; 150 miles per hour).

The Fujian Type 003 (CNS-18).

Photos of the Fujian show the deck covered with three structures to hide the work on EMALS. The latest reports from social media, based on photos taken from commercial aircraft taking off from Pudong Shanghai airport and overflying Changxing island where the Fujian is located at the Jiangnan shipyard, show that testing of EMALS has begun. 

Should China be successful with EMALS, it will be moving forward to reaching its goal.  Nonetheless, some estimate that the Fujian could be four years away from being operationally ready.

Evaluation

China also has plans for a fourth carrier that will be nuclear. That is some years away because China has yet to design a nuclear reactor big enough for a large carrier. 

For example, the USS Ford uses two A1B nuclear reactors designed and manufactured by Bechtel. China uses small nuclear power plants for its submarines, but it does not have large enough reactors for a carrier.

The real question for all modern aircraft carriers is survivability.  Right now, both operational Chinese aircraft carriers carry only a small number of aircraft that cannot fly long distances or carry heavy weapons loads. 

Those aircraft are vulnerable to modern air defense systems, such as AEGIS on US destroyers and cruisers or land-based air defenses. Both carriers are limited in range and can’t operate very far from home and are easy targets for modern cruise missiles and torpedoes.

A Standard MS-3 missile is launched from the guided-missile destroyer USS John Finn, Nov. 16, 2020, in the Pacific Ocean as part of Flight Test Aegis Weapons System-44. Photo: US Navy

The Fujian promises to be a far more capable platform and will have installed offensive systems, even reportedly a rail gun. It will initially operate with the J-15B, an upgraded version of the J-15 with modern avionics, a stealth paint job, and other improvements. 

The Fujian could carry as many as 40 fighter aircraft along with an AWACS aircraft. Later it will get fighter jets like the FC-31.

The main limitation on Fujian is its power plant, limiting its range and staying power at sea. Like the other Chinese carriers, it will be vulnerable to anti-ship missiles, cruise missiles and torpedoes.

A question that applies just as much to the Ford as to the Fujian is just how much of an electromagnetic signature is generated by EMALS. It could make this class of carriers vulnerable to anti-radiation weapons, even smart glide bombs. 

Once Fujian goes to sea it will be a key addition to the growing Chinese naval fleet. How China will deploy it in operation and what its main security tasks are, remain to be determined.

Stephen Bryen, who served as staff director of the Near East Subcommittee of the
US Senate Foreign Relations Committee and as a deputy undersecretary of defense
for policy, currently is a senior fellow at the Center for Security Policy and the Yorktown Institute.

This article was originally published on his Weapons and Security Substack. It is republished with kind permission.

Continue Reading