Asia in 3 minutes: Things to avoid – Mario Kart tours in Japan, Russian sex classes in Thailand
Indian media slammed over coverage of Bollywood actress Sridevi’s death; Indonesian police seize yacht linked to 1MDB and Hong Kong businessman
Thais arrest 10 Russians for holding sex training classes in Pattaya
Thai police arrested 10 Russians suspected of running sex training courses in the seaside resort city of Pattaya. Authorities said 33 Russian tourists attended the class held at a hotel, but only the “instructors” were arrested on Sunday. “The hotel management said they had no details on the event but they booked it for a seminar and training,” a Pattaya tourist police official said. Police also found white T-shirts with the words “sex animator” and certificates intended for those who took part in the class.
What next: Thailand’s government is sensitive to its reputation, and Pattaya’s sex tourism still thrives despite prostitution being illegal. On Tuesday, officials said they had sent a letter to the Gambian government after an official there reportedly described the kingdom as a destination for sex tourists.
Tourist hit-and-run threatens future of Japan’s Mario Kart tours
A hit-and-run accident involving a tourist driving a Nintendo-themed go-kart in Tokyo may be the final straw for the popular holiday activity. Police arrested Taiwanese man Zhang Ren Jie this week after the accident in Chiyoda Ward. Zhang – who was dressed as a character from Nintendo’s Mario Kart game – allegedly turned left in his go-kart and hit a cyclist. Zhang failed to stop and has been charged.
What next: It was not the first accident involving the tours and there have been calls for them to be banned. Police in Osaka have reported two accidents involving the vehicles, and there have been 12 in Tokyo in recent years.
Media slammed over coverage of Bollywood actress Sridevi’s death
Thousands of heartbroken fans and Bollywood actors lined Mumbai’s streets on Wednesday to pay respects to Indian superstar Sridevi Kapoor after her shock death from accidental drowning in a Dubai hotel bathtub, aged 54. Crowds flocked to the public service in the thousands. Afterwards, Sridevi’s family and husband, film producer Boney Kapoor, said their final goodbyes in a private Hindu ceremony. India’s media was later chided for its distasteful coverage of her untimely death, with some outlets reporting unproven causes of death before the facts were known or simulating her drowning with hurriedly produced animations, or suggesting alcohol was somehow involved.
