Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha accepted an invitation to visit the White House extended by US President Donald Trump during a brief phone conversation on Sunday.

Trump called both Prayut and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong as he marked his first 100 days in office to address his commitment to longstanding alliances in the context of stability in the Asia-Pacific region, notably the Korean Peninsula.

“President Trump and Prime Minister Prayut expressed a strong shared interest in strengthening trade and economic ties between the two countries,” said a White House statement.

“President Trump affirmed the commitment of the US to playing an active and leading role in Asia, in close co-operation with partners and allies like Thailand,” it said.

In the conversation, Prayut congratulated Trump on his election and first 100 days as president. He also thanked Trump for his message of condolences last year on the passing of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, deputy government spokesman Werachon Sukondhapatipak said.

Prayut thanked and accepted Trump’s invitation to visit the US and extended an invitation to the president to visit Thailand at a convenient time, he said.

The introductory call lasted around 15 minutes with no specific issue dominating the conversation, said the spokesman, who was on hand to interpret for Prayut, although the premier mostly spoke directly to Trump in English.

Relations between Thailand and the US cooled during Barack Obama’s administration due to the former president’s criticism of the Prayut-led military coup in 2014 and his comments on the suppression of human rights and democracy.

Under the Trump administration, Thailand is still listed on the US unfair trade “watch list”, but Werachon said the two leaders did not mention US concerns about the trade deficit.

Female divers in Korea’s southern island of Jeju have been designated as an Intangible Cultural Property of Korea, Cultural Heritage Administration said Monday.

Hanyeo, which roughly translates as “women of the sea,” refers to female divers on Jeju Island who harvest marine products using minimal diving gear. The divers use basic tools like wetsuits, goggles and chest weights, but are not assisted by oxygen tanks.

“The culture of ‘haenyeo’ has stood the test of time to represent Korea’s traditional maritime and fishing culture. It not only refers to the divers themselves, but also encompasses the techniques, knowledge and rituals related to them,” the CHA said.

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It said the techniques used by the divers — which include their ability to hold their breath for long periods of time — along with knowledge of the maritime environment and the culture of sharing and co-operation were worth recognition as a cultural asset.

The CHA said it will not be picking any specific individual or organisation as part of its listing, as the culture itself is subject to designation. This was the case for the 2015-designated Arirang — a collection of Korean folk songs – and the Korean traditional sport of ssireum.

Ironically, haenyeo culture was recognised at an international level before it was deemed worthy of national recognition.

Last year, UNESCO included the unique culture in its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity last year. Jeju Island and the CHA had applied to UNESCO for the designation in 2014.

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It was the same for Arirang, which was recognised by UNESCO in 2012 but took three more years to be listed a cultural asset by the Korean government.

There has been concern that the haenyeo culture may be dying out due to shortage of younger divers taking up the occupation.

According to the Jeju provincial government, there are currently only 4,005 haenyeo left. The figure is less than one-third of the 14,143 registered in 1970.

A greater concern lies in the fact that only 12 of the remaining divers are less than 50 years old. None of them are under the age of 30.

Last week, 9,500 former and current female divers founded a federation of haenyeo to preserve their culture.

ARREST WARRANTS have been issued for three police officers from Kong Koy precinct in Mae Sariang district as part of the investigation into the scandal involving the forced prostitution of girls under 18 in Mae Hong Son.

Deputy national police commissioner General Srivara Ransibrahmanakul said yesterday that the Mae Hong Son Court had approved warrants for three policemen over allegations they were involved in the gang rape of a minor.

The three would also be dismissed from the civil service due to the serious breach of discipline, Srivara said, adding that investigators would soon apply for more arrest warrants for at least eight individuals, he said.

The warrants were issued as advocates for children and women’s rights urged the government yesterday to punish those involved in the scandal involving the forced prostitution of girls under 18 in Mae Hong Son that reportedly catered to state officials.

They called for accused Mae Hong Song governor Suebsak Iamwichan and policemen to be transferred out of the northern province to prevent any abuse of power or interference in the investigation.

The call for the transfers was part of four demands made yesterday during a press conference after a seminar on the matter at the Thai Journalists Association in Bangkok.

According to Thicha na Nakhon, director of the Ban Kanchanapisek juvenile centre, the three other demands were a call for the Royal Thai Police to speedily proceed with criminal prosecution of those involved, a call for the government to allow representatives of children and women’s groups to take part in a |fact-finding probe, and a call for the Justice Ministry to provide protection to witnesses, as the information they provide could be useful in future human |trafficking cases.

The child sex scandal was revealed by a 43-year-old former police informant who was seeking justice for her teenage daughter, who was allegedly lured into taking drugs and coerced into prostitution. The woman filed a complaint |yesterday at the Crime Suppression Division in Bangkok against Mae Hong Song police chief Pol Maj-General Preecha Wimonchaijit, Muang Mae Hong Son precinct superintendent Somkiat Sawngsuk and police investigators who |previously handled the case.

The woman, whose name was withheld, accused the officers of malfeasance in office, as she felt that she did not get justice in the case, her lawyer Kerdpol Kaewkerd said.

He said the woman’s complaint against forced prostitution suspect, Senior Sgt-Major Yutthachai Thongchat of the Nam Piang Din precinct, led to a fact-finding probe by four officers. The investigation ended abruptly as the officers claimed they found no wrongdoing. This was contrary to the Anti-Human Trafficking Division (AHTD)’s probe later that led to arrest warrants issued last week for Yutthachai and two women.

A police source revealed that two women accused of procuring girls aged under 18 into forced sex work had been interrogated and were sent to Bangkok on Sunday to face legal action by the AHTD.

The AHTD said if the women implicated state officials in the scandal, arrest warrants would be issued.