by tyler | Oct 3, 2023 | asia, CNN
Police in Thailand arrested a 14-year-old boy after a shooting at a luxury shopping mall in the capital Bangkok on Tuesday left at least two people dead and five others injured, causing terrified shoppers to flee the scene.
Local authorities held the suspect with a weapon, and are assessing the exact number of casualties, Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau said. The suspect, who is reported to have mental health issues, was taken to a nearby hospital after being interrogated by police, Thai Police General Torsak Sukvimol told reporters.
The shooting took place around 5 p.m. local time (6 a.m. ET) at the Siam Paragon Mall in Bangkok, Police Colonel Noppadol Thiammekha, Pathum Wan Police Chief told CNN on Tuesday.
One of the deceased victims is a Chinese citizen and the other a Myanmar national, Sukvimol said. Thai citizens and foreigners were among the injured, according to the director of Bangkok Emergency Center, Dr. Yutthana Setthanan.
Bangkok Emergency Center revised an earlier death toll, which stated that three people were killed in the shooting. The director of Bangkok Emergency Center, Dr. Yutthana Setthanan, told reporters he was initially told the death toll was three but later clarified that only one person was killed. The death toll later rose to two, according to Sukvimol.
Several people described chaotic scenes of employees and shoppers trying to escape the mall as the attack took place on Tuesday, according to Reuters.
Shir Yahav, 26, said the shooting happened “in just a few minutes,” the agency reported.
“We saw all the people run, run, run, we didn’t understand what was happening,” Yahav said. “We went with them and then we heard several shots, like six or seven shots. We blocked the door of the store.”
Susinee, 35, said she and about half a dozen other workers “just ran out” of a Japanese ramen restaurant, Reuters reported.
The suspect “surrendered himself” after the shooting and still had ammunition when he was apprehended, according to Sukvimol.
“Any of his personal issues, we can’t talk about that much since he’s still a youth,” the police chief said of the suspect, adding that officers have spoken to his parents.
“He has mental issues, and he is receiving treatment at Rajvithee Hospital,” he added.
The police general did not specify where the juvenile obtained the weapon.
Sukvimol commended mall security for effectively dealing with an active shooter. “When the shooting happened, there were a lot of people at the mall, it was rush hour and raining outside.”
Gun ownership in the Southeast Asian country is high compared with other countries in the region.
More than 10.3 million civilians held firearms in Thailand, or around 15 guns for every 100 people, 2017 data from the Switzerland-based Small Arms Survey (SAS) said. About 6.2 million of those guns are legally registered, according to SAS.
Thailand tallies the second-highest gun homicides after the Philippines in Southeast Asia, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington’s 2019 Global Burden of Disease database.
But mass shootings in the country are rare. In October 2022, at least 36 people were killed in a gun and knife attack at a child care center in northeastern Thailand.
The massacre in Nong Bua Lamphu province was believed to be the country’s deadliest incident of its kind.
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin expressed his “deepest condolences” to the relatives of those died in the shooting.
“I would like to offer my support to the families of the deceased and all those who were injured as well,” the prime minister wrote on X, previously known as Twitter.
by tyler | Sep 27, 2023 | asia, CNN
US Army Private Travis King has been returned to American custody, two US officials said Wednesday, weeks after he crossed into North Korea.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed that the US has “secured the return of Private Travis King” in a statement on Wednesday morning.
“We appreciate the dedication of the interagency team that has worked tirelessly out of concern for Private King’s wellbeing. In addition, we thank the government of Sweden for its diplomatic role serving as the protecting power for the United States in the DPRK and the government of the People’s Republic of China for its assistance in facilitating the transit of Private King,” Sullivan said in the statement.
Earlier North Korean state media KCNA reported that the secretive state had decided “to expel” King, who entered its territory during a tour of the Joint Security Area (JSA) between North and South Korea in July.
The KCNA report said a North Korean investigation into King “has been finished.”
US officials said King was released after “intense diplomacy” between multiple countries culminating in Wednesday’s transfer across the border into China and onward to US custody.
“The US government has successfully facilitated Private Travis King’s departure from the DPRK. His transfer culminates a monthslong effort involving multiple US government agencies undertaken out of concern for Private King’s well-being and a desire to reunite him with his family,” a senior administration official said.
King is expected to be taken to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio upon his return to the US, two US officials said.
Located at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, the medical center is the largest hospital within the Defense Department, according to the hospital’s website.
Brooke Army Medical Center also has a Department of Defense Program known as PISA (Post Isolation Support Activities) to help Americans acclimate back to normal life after being detained. Both Trevor Reed and Brittney Griner went there after they were released from detention in Russia.
Asked when King would travel to the United States, the officials said “relatively soon” but could not say specifically when he was traveling.
Sweden and China’s involvement
The Pentagon released a statement thanking the Chinese and Swedish governments for their assistance in securing King’s release.
“U.S. officials have secured the return of Private Travis King from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). We appreciate the hard work of personnel in the Army, United States Forces Korea, and across the Department of Defense to bring Private King home, and we thank the governments of Sweden and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) for their assistance,” Pentagon press secretary Brig. General Pat Ryder said in the statement.
Swedish embassy spokesman David Lunderquist confirmed that Sweden played a role in getting King released.
China’s role was limited to helping facilitate King’s transfer out of North Korea, but otherwise Bejing did not play a “mediating role,” a US official said.
The US received word earlier this month from Sweden, which acts as the US protecting power in North Korea, that Pyongyang wanted to release King.’
A spokesperson for King’s mother, Claudine Gates said she will be “forever grateful” for the efforts to free her son.
“Ms. Gates will be forever grateful to the United States Army and all its interagency partners for a job well done. For the foreseeable future, the family asks for privacy, and Ms. Gates does not intend to give any interviews,” the statement from Jonathan Franks said.
King, the senior administration official said, is in “good health and good spirits as he makes his way home.” Pressed by CNN’s Jeremy Diamond on whether King wanted to return to the US, the official said, it became “quite clear” to US diplomats that “Private King was very happy to be on his way home.”
Asked whether the US made any concessions to North Korea for the transfer, officials emphatically said no.
“The answer is simple: There were none. Full stop,” the senior official said.
President Joe Biden and other top administration leadership have been “closely briefed and following events as they unfold,” the official added.
US military officials have said that King “willfully and without authorization” crossed into North Korea in July. King had been released from a detention facility in South Korea just over a week before running across the demarcation line – punishment which appeared to stem from an October 2022 incident in which he allegedly pushed and punched a victim in the face at a club in Seoul, according to court documents.
Asked if King could be facing a court martial, or charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, an official emphasized that the focus for the next several weeks would be on King’s health as he gets back “on solid footing.”
“We’ll address any administrative actions that may follow after the reintegration process,” the official said.
The official added that the focus within the military is having a “very talented and experienced team” evaluate King and address “any medical and emotional concerns.” Asked about his absent without leave, or AWOL, status, the official said they would work through “all those administrative status questions following the completion of his reintegration.”
The officials facilitated a phone call between King and his family, an official said.
“He is very much looking forward to being reunited with his family. That is the sentiment that is pervading all else right now,” an official said.
Asked whether Biden had spoken with Private King or his family, senior administration officials demurred, pointing instead to the call they facilitated between King and his family.
North Korea claimed on Wednesday that King has “confessed that he illegally intruded into the territory of the DPRK as he harbored ill feeling against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the U.S. army and was disillusioned about the unequal U.S. society.”
CNN cannot verify whether these are King’s own words.
There is no physical barrier inside the JSA, and a US official had previously said that after bolting over the demarcation line delineating the border, King tried to enter a North Korean facility – but the door was locked. He then ran to the back of the building, at which point he was hurried into a van and driven away by North Korean guards.
King, a cavalry scout who joined the military in January 2021, was released from a detention facility in South Korea just over a week before the incident, where he had served 50 days doing labor, defense officials told CNN.
The day before he crossed into North Korea, King was supposed to board a flight to Texas, where he was to face disciplinary procedures. But after Army escorts released him at a security checkpoint at Incheon International Airport near Seoul, King left the airport on his own.
The next day, he joined a tour of the JSA he had previously booked with a private company.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said last month that it “would not be out of character” for North Korea to use the US soldier as a propaganda tool or bargaining chip.
“They certainly could. … We haven’t seen any indication that that’s exactly what’s afoot here, but certainly would not be out of character for them,” Kirby told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “The Lead.” “What we’re focused on is trying to make sure we can get information about him.”
Kirby added at that time that King’s location was unclear, as well as “the conditions he’s being held” and information about his health.
by tyler | Sep 8, 2023 | asia, CNN
North Korea launched a new “Korean-style tactical nuclear attack submarine” on Wednesday, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), during a ceremony attended the country’s leader Kim Jong Un.
The new submarine “will perform its combat mission as one of core underwater offensive means of the naval force of the DPRK,” Kim said during the ceremony according to KCNA. DPRK stands for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
The submarine, named “Hero Kim Kun Ok,” would herald “the beginning of a new chapter for bolstering up the naval force of the DPRK,” KCNA reported.
“There is no room to step back in the drive for the expansion of the naval vessel-building industry as it is the top priority task to be fulfilled without fail,” Kim said according to KCNA.
The announcement comes after North Korea said it had simulated a nuclear missile attack over the weekend to warn the United States of “nuclear war danger.”
The simulation was in response to joint military exercises conducted by the United States and South Korea, earlier in the week, KCNA reported at the time.
The US-South Korea live fire exercises, based on a counterattack against invading forces, began on August 31.
US and South Korean Presidents had pledged to step up military cooperation following a May summit meeting in Seoul, and after North Korea conducted more than a dozen missiles tests this year, compared to only four tests in 2020, and eight in 2021.
North Korea is set to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the country’s founding on September 9.
by tyler | Aug 4, 2023 | asia, CNN
Hundreds of teenage boy and girl scouts have fallen ill at a global event in South Korea as a sweltering heat wave sweeps the country, angering some parents who have called for the 12-day event to be canceled.
Nearly 40,000 participants – mostly middle and high schoolers – have traveled from 155 different countries to attend the event, a week-long festival featuring cultural performances and outdoor activities, according to Kim Hyun-sook, the chairman of the jamboree’s Organizing Committee and the Minister of Gender Equality and Family.
Their visit came as South Korea recorded consistently high temperatures up to 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit), triggering nationwide heat wave warnings and posing a major headache for jamboree organizers.
On Thursday alone, 1,486 people visited the on-site hospital at the World Scout Jamboree, held in Saemangeum, a few hours south of Seoul, according to Kim.
Of the people who visited the hospital, 250 reported skin rashes, 138 had heat-related illness, and 386 had bug bites, Kim added – but none were in a critical condition, said an official from the Jeonbuk Fire Service.
The development prompted the UK Scouts Association to announce that roughly 4,000 UK scouts and volunteers attending the jamboree would leave the event and move to hotels in the capital, Seoul.
“We will start moving our people to hotel accommodation over the next two days. As we are the largest contingent, our hope is that this helps alleviate the pressure on the site overall,” the organization said in a statement Friday.
UK scouts also acknowledged that while the decision may serve as “disappointment for some,” it will endeavour to “continue the Jamboree experience” in the capital of Seoul, working with Korean authorities “on a programme of activities.”
As more children fell ill, worried parents and observers from around the world flooded the event’s social media pages with frantic questions, angry reprimands for organizers, and demands for the event to end – with messages written in various languages.
One commenter wrote that their son had spent the night at the jamboree sleeping on the ground because there were no tents, cots or other gear available. “My wallet paid a hearty price for this chaos,” they wrote.
One writing in Spanish said their daughter was attending the event and had reported there was “no food, no way to protect them from the sun.”
CNN has reached out to jamboree organizers for a response to the parents’ comments.
Photos from the site show participants gathering at a water supply zone to cool themselves off, and resting in shaded areas.
National authorities are also getting involved, with President Yoon Suk Yeol ordering an “unlimited supply” of large air-conditioned buses and refrigerator trucks to the campsite on Monday. He also ordered organizers to improve the quality of food provided and to “immediately resolve” issues occurring from the site, according to the presidential office.
In a news release Friday, event organizers said they were working with the Red Cross to accommodate those with heat-related symptoms. The military is also helping to set up shade shelters, and improving the floors of leafy vine tunnels where participants have been hiding from the heat.
The jamboree is also ramping up its medical staff, pest control personnel, the number of portable toilets and food supplies. The number of cleaning staff – previously just 70 for the entire 40,000-person site – has been increased to more than 500, organizers said.
Kim, the minister and jamboree organizing chairman, said about 130 cooling buses will be deployed to the site on Friday, and an additional 10 refrigerator trucks would be dispatched soon. Each scout will be given five bottles of cold water each day, as well as cooling masks, hats, sunscreen, ice packs and salt pills, she added.
The fire service has been operating the on-site hospital, with about 200 fire department personnel deployed every day to the event site. They’re planning to increase that number for the upcoming culture event day on Sunday when attendance is expected to increase.
Organizers have also adjusted scheduled events, suspending activities requiring “significant physical activities” and replacing them with indoor programs, they said. However, organizers suggested they would not heed public calls to cancel the jamboree, and would “ensure the safe and stable operation of this event until its conclusion.”
The heat wave picked up in late July, with 19 reported deaths from heat-related illnesses since May 20, and 1,520 reporting heat-related illnesses, according to the country’s disease control and prevention agency. The deaths far exceed those over the same period last year, when six people died from heat-related illnesses, the agency said.
by tyler | Aug 3, 2023 | asia, CNN
Here’s a look at the Taj Mahal, India’s most popular tourist attraction. The monument is located on the banks of the Yamuna River in Agra, India.
The Taj Mahal was built in the 17th century by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan to honor his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died in childbirth.
“Taj Mahal” means “crown of palaces” in Urdu and Persian.
In fiscal year 2021-2022, more than 3 million people visited the Taj Mahal, according to statistics from the Indian Ministry of Tourism.
The site is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India, which has organized multi-year cleaning projects to restore discolored areas on the Taj Mahal’s facade caused by air pollution and excretions from insects coming from the adjacent Yamuna River.
The most recognizable feature of the Taj Mahal is the large, white, domed mausoleum, which is surrounded by four tall minarets on each corner. The exterior is made of white marble.
The main building contains two cenotaphs memorializing Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. A cenotaph is a Greek word that means “empty tomb.” The couple is actually interred in sarcophagi underneath.
The cenotaphs and the screen surrounding them are covered in intricately designed mosaics made of semi-precious stones.
On either side of the Taj Mahal are two buildings made of red sandstone: a mosque and an assembly hall.
The grounds also include gardens and a long reflecting pool.
1628 – Shah Jahan becomes emperor as part of the Mughal dynasty, ruling northern India.
1631 – His wife, Mumtaz Mahal, dies during childbirth.
1632 – Construction of the Taj Mahal begins. It is estimated that 20,000 workers helped build the structure.
1648 – The main mausoleum of the Taj Mahal is completed.
1653 – Additional features, including a mosque, guest house and courtyard are completed.
1666 – Shah Jahan dies and his remains are interred next to Mumtaz Mahal beneath the Taj Mahal complex.
1861 – The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is founded in order to help preserve and restore Indian monuments and historical sites.
1899-1905 – Britain’s Lord Curzon serves as the Viceroy of India. During his tenure, he orders the restoration of certain historic places, including the Taj Mahal.
1983 – UNESCO designates the Taj Mahal as a World Heritage site.
July 7, 2007 – The Taj Mahal is named one of the “New Seven Wonders of the World.” as part of an online marketing campaign.
April 1, 2018 – A three-hour limit for Taj Mahal visitors is implemented.
May 9, 2018 – India’s Supreme Court orders the ASI to do a better job with its restoration plan, as discoloration and stains on the Taj Mahal’s exterior have not been resolved as promised.
March 17, 2020 – The ASI orders all monuments and museums to close due to the threat of coronavirus, including the Taj Mahal.
June 14, 2021 – The ASI issues a statement that the monuments and museums closed due to the coronavirus pandemic will reopen June 16, with protective guidelines in place.
by tyler | Jul 20, 2023 | asia, CNN
A graphic video showing two women being paraded naked in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur has provoked widespread anger in the country and spurred several arrests after it emerged on social media on Wednesday.
The viral video depicts an incident from May 4, according to the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF). Manipur Police described the incident on Twitter as “a case of abduction, gang rape and murder” on Wednesday.
Officials said Thursday that four people have been arrested and that police raids are ongoing. Authorities are interrogating more than three dozen men in relation to the apparent sexual assault, Reuters reported.
The video, which has been seen by CNN, shows two terrified women being forced to walk naked through a crowd of clothed men. The victims appear to be being groped and sexually assaulted while surrounded by a mob of men, many brandishing long canes or sticks as weapons.
The horrific footage emerged amid ongoing ethnic violence in the northeastern Indian state.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the situation in the state for the first time on Thursday, saying: “My heart is filled with grief and anger. The incident in Manipur is shameful for any civil society.”
“What happened with the daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven,” Modi continued, adding the “law will take its course with all its might.”
The Upper House of Parliament was adjourned minutes into reconvening after opposition MPs sparked an outcry over the refusal to discuss the issue of Manipur.
The ITLF issued a statement on Wednesday, writing: “A video which went viral today shows a large Meitei mob parading two Kuki-Zo tribal women naked toward a paddy field to be gang-raped.”
The statement continued saying the “despicable incident” took place in B. Phainom village in Kangpokpi district and “shows the men constantly molesting the helpless women, who cry and plead with their captors.”
In recent months, Manipur has grappled with violence. Clashes broke out in the state capital Imphal on May 3 after thousands of students, mostly from the Kuki tribe, took part in a rally against the majority Meitei ethnic community, who have petitioned for special tribal status. Among other things, tribal status would enable the Meitei to buy land and provide more opportunities for government jobs.
Over 100 people have been killed and tens of thousands more displaced since then.
The incident on May 4 occurred after the women’s village was burnt down and two men were beaten to death, according to the ITLF.
India’s main opposition Congress party has been a vehement critic towards Modi’s handling of the issue, with the party’s president Mallikarjun Kharge tweeting Thursday, before the opening of Parliament: “Humanity has died in Manipur. Modi Govt and the BJP has changed democracy and the rule of law into Mobocracy by destroying the delicate social fabric of the state.”
Tagging Modi, his tweet continued: “India will never forgive your silence. If there is any conscience or an iota of shame left in your government, then you should speak about Manipur in the Parliament and tell the nation on what happened, without blaming others for your dual incompetence – both at the Centre and the State.”
Soon after, the state’s chief minister, N. Biren Singh, tweeted that an arrest had been made.
“After taking a Suo-moto cognisance of the incident immediately after the video surfaced, the Manipur Police swung to action and made the first arrest this morning,” he wrote. Suo-moto cognisance is a procedure in Indian law allowing the court to take action in a case without a complaint being filed.
He added that “a thorough investigation is currently underway and we will ensure strict action is taken against all the perpetrators, including considering the possibility of capital punishment. Let it be known, there is absolutely no place for such heinous acts in our society.”
Manipur police later said that it had made three more arrests of people accused “of the heinous crime of abduction and gang rape.”
The Indian government has issued an order to Twitter and other social media platforms, instructing them not to share the viral video, a source familiar with the matter told CNN Thursday, adding it is “imperative for social media platforms to adhere to Indian laws as the matter is currently under investigation.”
