World
LA artist behind portrait of murdered Thai man condemns surge in racist violence

The US artist behind a portrait of an elderly Thai man who died after a brutal attack outside his San Francisco home, has voiced his disgust and sadness at the rise in anti-Asian sentiment in the US. Los Angeles artist Jonathan D. Chang drew the portrait of 84 year old Vicha Ratanapakdee and posted it on Instagram as a tribute to the murder victim.
“My condolences to the family of Vicha Ratanapakdee. I hope justice will be served.”
Since then, the image has been adopted by social media users campaigning for an end to the rise in anti-Asian racism that has worsened since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The portrait has garnered thousands of “likes”, with netizens adopting it as their profile picture to highlight the rise in violence again Asians and Asian Americans.
Meanwhile, in Thailand, there has been growing outrage on social media, with the hashtags #Asiansarehuman and #justiceforvicha trending on Twitter today.
Chang, who was born in Taiwan and has lived in the US since he was a toddler, says he was outraged by the attack on Vicha, which was caught on CCTV. 19 year old Antoine Watson and a 20 year old female, Maylasia Goo, were subsequently arrested, although Goo has since been released without charge.
“I felt really disgusted, angry and sad when I saw that video. As you know Asians really hold our elders to the highest regard. To see someone attack an 84-year-old grandpa like that really shocked me.”
The United Nations says there have been over 1,800 racist incidents against Asian-Americans during an 8 week period ending in May 2020. US President Joe Biden has already signed an executive order for government agencies to fight the rise in racially-motivated attacks against Asians and Pacific Islanders.
“Today, I’m directing federal agencies to combat the resurgence of xenophobia, particularly against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, that we’ve seen skyrocket during this pandemic. This is unacceptable and it’s un-American.”
SOURCE: Coconuts
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Crime
Cambodian dog slaughterhouse shut down, owner says he is “ashamed”

After increasing calls to end the dog meat trade, a Cambodian slaughterhouse is shutting down, with its owner saying he is “ashamed.” Ouk Mol, the owner, says the dog slaughterhouse has killed more than a million dogs since opening in 1995.
According to Four Paws animal rights group, Cambodia slaughters between 2 to 3 million dogs per year, while offering the cheap meal of protein at more than 100 dog meat restaurants in Phnom Penh, its capital.
Mol’s slaughterhouse is responsible for all the supply to Phnom Penh, but he says he will no longer be killing dogs, citing increasing pressure from animal rights groups and civilians alike. The 50 year old former soldier says he feels ashamed.
“But I want to quit the business because I am getting old and a lot of people have criticised me about the dog meat trade.”
The operator was offered financial support from Four Paws to open a grocery store if they shut down their slaughterhouse with Ouk Mol’s wife, Sao Phally, saying she is glad they have found a way out of the business.
“We were always worried about sin because of our killing. People looked at us in a bad way.”
The slaughterhouse, which uses vats to drown the dogs, and blowtorches to remove their fur, slaughtered up to 200 dogs per day. Now, as of yesterday, the company has shut down, with the remainder of dogs being sent to animal charities for rehabilitation and placed for international adoption.
Phnom Penh is the 2nd city in Cambodia to follow increasing calls to close the dog meat trade, as Siem Reap banned the trade last year in a victory for animal rights groups. Until 2020, Siem Reap, Cambodia’s largest tourist city, was known by rights groups as the “lynchpin” of the trade.
Despite Cambodia’s efforts to begin closing down its dog meat trade, it is not the only Asian country that features dog meat as a cuisine. Consuming dog meat in Vietnam is more popular than in Cambodia, which shows the industry has a long way to go with regards to respecting animal rights.
SOURCE: Thai PBS World
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Pattaya
Pattaya police raid nightclub suspected of presenting pornographic shows

Pattaya City Police inspected a nightclub after reports that the venue was hosting pornographic shows on the weekends. Although the nightclub, Dragon Man Club, wasn’t presenting a sexually explicit show when officers came by, the owner was arrested for operating an entertainment business and selling alcohol without the proper permit.
Police say a tip was made through social media from an anonymous source. Officers asked the nightclub owner for the venue’s license, but the owner did not have the document at the time. Police arrested the owner. The nightclub owner was not named in reports.
SOURCE: Pattaya News
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Crime
Bangkok Military Court issues arrest warrant for medic accused of injecting troops with fake Covid-19 vaccine

The Bangkok Military Court has issued an arrest warrant for a Royal Thai Army medic who is accused of injecting troops with a fake Covid-19 vaccine. He reportedly made more than 100,000 baht by charging troops, who were on a United Nations mission, 500 baht each for a tetanus vaccine and a fake Covid-19 vaccine, which an internal army investigation determined was just saline solution.
The Thai Army held a press conference after the medic’s fake vaccine scam made headlines, saying the incident had tarnished the army’s image. The field medic, who was also a lieutenant, injected more than 250 Thai troops stationed in South Sudan on a UN peacekeeping mission with the fake vaccine, claiming it was the head doctor’s order, Army Army spokesperson Santipong Thammapiya confirmed. He says the medic was in the Thai-South Sudan Horizontal Military Engineering Company.
“This incident affects the image of the Thai Armed Forces and Thailand in the United Nations mission. It is a serious disciplinary offence and also violates ethical standards as the wrongdoer is a doctor.”
The medic injected troops with a legitimate vaccine for tetanus as well as a saline solution shot he claimed was a Covid-19 vaccine. He charged 500 baht for the vaccine package, adding up to more than 100,000 baht, according to a UN investigation.
The medic had been sent back to Thailand. The Bangkok Military Court has now issued a warrant for his arrest. Previous reports said the medic’s license was revoked, but a recent report by Nation Thailand says the Medical Council is considering whether to revoke his doctor’s license.
SOURCE: Nation Thailand
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Brian
Friday, February 5, 2021 at 12:20 pm
Anyone who wants to know more about this subject should check out the work of Colin Flaherty.
Alexandra
Sunday, February 7, 2021 at 7:36 am
Post a photo of his killer. And you will see the ground zero of violence against Asian Americans.
Alexandra
Sunday, February 7, 2021 at 8:29 am
https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/teen-facing-murder-pleads-not-guilty-in-death-of-elder/
J Wets
Sunday, February 7, 2021 at 12:55 pm
In fact Asian people are statistically safe in America. The highest murder and violence rates are among blacks killing blacks in Democrat Black states and cities. Stay out of black communities and your survival is almost guaranteed.
Mike
Monday, February 8, 2021 at 2:41 am
Usually not whitey attacking asians or going out of the way to demean and shun people. Maybe some of the other races that need a talking to.