Asia in 3 minutes: No rest for the weary in North Korea, no sympathy for US tourists in Thailand
Japan gears up for war games in space (kind of) and a warning to Indonesians: don’t wash hands with acid
No day off on Kim Jong-un’s birthday – again, calendar shows
North Koreans wanting to celebrate the birthday of their leader Kim Jong-un will have to do it at work next year. A North Korean calendar for 2018 does not mark Monday, January 8, his birthday, as a national holiday. North Koreans know that the date is the birthday of the current leader. But the year he was born is a state secret. It is believed he was born in 1983 or 1984.
What next? Since he became leader, Kim’s birthday has never been declared a holiday. By contrast, the birthdays of his grandfather – the country’s founder Kim Il-sung – on April 15 and father Kim Jong-il on February 16, have been designated public holidays every year. The anniversaries are known for large-scale celebrations, with major weapon tests often held around those dates.
American couple detained for mooning at Thai temple
Two tourists from San Diego have been held for “inappropriate behaviour” after sharing photos of them baring their buttocks at Wat Arun, a famous Bangkok temple. Joseph and Travis DaSilva, both 38 and married, have been accused of indecent exposure, a criminal offence that carries a fine of up to 5,000 baht (HK$1,200) and may face charges of posting pornographic pictures online – punishable by up to five years in prison – and insulting or defaming a religion, which carries a possible seven-year sentence. The allegations have inflamed the Thai, Buddhist and gay communities in San Diego. “It’s disrespectful on so many levels,” said Jennifer Ing-aram of the Thai Association of Southern California.
What next? The Dasilvas have exposed their bums in photographs at some of the world’s most well-known landmarks and posted them online. The couple’s Instagram account, called “travelling Butts”, had more than 14,000 followers before it was taken down on Tuesday.
