Suttipong eyes Bolivian holiday

Thailand might have its own version of Edward Snowden in Suttipong Thamawit, host of TV Burapha’s “Khon Kon Khon”, who’s been blowing a tune on his Facebook whistle about possibly contaminated rice coming from the mills of the Northeast. In a post since deleted, he said the toxin in the rice – “a substance that can kill a rat in five minutes” – wouldn’t dissolve in water.
Suttipong even named the rice mills and the brands involved. It was up to the reader to decide if he was telling the truth, he said, “but I must declare that I have no benefit whatever to gain from what I post. I’m just doing this out of good intentions.”
A rumour soon went around that Suttipong’s Facebook page had been blocked, but he was back yesterday – minus the whistle symphony. Presumably he was having legal jitters, but he was still challenging the millers to allow independent inspections of their rice.
Popular thanks to his top-quality documentaries on TV, Suttipong garnered large and immediate support on Facebook, though some people expressed fear for his safety. Maybe the millers and corrupt politicians will be envisioning a target on his back, but, in a parting shot on the issue, Suttipong said he didn’t raise it “to find fault with others”.

Suds not duds
Don’t say anything about soap operas being a silly waste of time if Assistant Professor Nalineed Sitasuwan is around. The award-winning writer of “Peak

Thong” (“Gold Wing”, 1982) and “Si Phandin” (“Four Reigns”, 1991) who’s now at TPBS, is tired of hearing TV dramas denigrated as lowbrow.
The soap creators “have as much dignity as those in news, documentary and other TV shows”, Nalineed says. “We just work in different factories.

Nobody is better or more important than anybody else. TV drama has its own rules and grammar. It shouldn’t be stigmatised as a waste of time.”
Fair enough, but it’s also true that a lot of news stories are a waste of time as well.