BANGKOK – A machine allegedly found in the room where Dhammakaya Temple founder Phra Dhammachayo used to stay has been identified as a multi-million-baht hyperbaric chamber.

A large machine allegedly found in the room where Dhammakaya Temple founder Phra Dhammachayo used to stay has been identified as a multi-million-baht hyperbaric chamber – sparking debate on social media that the device might the reason for the fugitive monk’s well-preserved appearance.

The image of the machine went viral on social media following the raid on Dhammakaya Temple on Wednesday in search of the former abbot, who has two arrest warrants issued against him.

According to an article on Mahidol University’s website by trauma surgeon Dr Supaporn Opasanon, from the institution’s Faculty of Medicine (Siriraj Hospital), the device is used in hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy.

Read also: Thai cops find tunnel in manhunt for elderly monk

The therapy involved breathing in pure oxygen in a pressurised space or via a tube to boost the oxygen intake into a patient’s body, the doctor said.

This helped the patient to have better cell and capillary growth while their white blood cells had a higher capacity to destroy germs, the doctor said.

The blood supply to organs improved, swelling was reduced and air bubbles in the blood supply were also reduced.

Supaporn said hyperbaric oxygen therapy was effective in treating chronic wounds from diabetes or radiation injuries, as well as serious infections with swelling of cells or bones.

It was also helpful in preventing a disability from organ removal and when battling serious swollen wounds.

Read also: Monk still at large after second day of search by Thai police

Facebook user Wirangrong Dabbaransi commented that the device cost Bt15 million and was used by cosmetic hospitals for rejuvenation treatments.

Wirangrong speculated that the device might have been used to treat the monk’s injured leg on a regular basis, meaning there was a higher chance he was still in the temple’s sprawling Pathum Thani compound.

She urged authorities to seize the device or seal the room it is kept in. “If you can’t find Phra Dhammachayo, just follow the device and you will,” she said.

Another Facebook user, Channarong Daosuwan, commented that the device should be seized and sent to a mid-sized rural hospital.

Kim Ji-young, a mother of a 7 year-old boy in Seoul, has been busy shopping.

“My kid becomes a first grader this school year and there’s a lot to buy before he starts to attend classes,” she said, adding that she has been looking for a desk.

“I want to have a nice desk for him at home so that he can study after he gets back from school. I hope he will concentrate more on studying from now on.”

A desk is not the only thing that Kim has in mind.

A backpack, a foldable cellphone and clothes are next on her shopping list.

But the problem is that she wants all the items to be special and unique, so her child can attend school with confidence.

Kim is one of many Korean parents with soon-to-be first graders who are fervent in making sure their children have everything they need to keep up with their studies.

This desire among parents has led to the rapid growth of the children’s market here.

“This year, the average spending on five major products for the new semester — children’s bags, shoes, clothes, stationery and furniture — have increased by 21 per cent compared to 2013,” said GMarket, a major online retailer, in a statement Friday.

To attract more customers, the online retailer is offering discounts and coupons for those purchasing the necessary items for the new semester.

There has also been fierce competition among Korean furniture companies for a bigger market share.

Along with different marketing strategies, many furniture makers have adopted the latest technologies to produce desks that allow children to study well.

Hanssem, a Korean furniture brand has been promoting its JOY Magic Desk, which can be slanted up to a maximum of 45 degrees by pressing a button.

Its height can also be adjusted up to 90 centimeters to keep up with a child’s physical growth.

Hanssem has also released the JOY Storage Bed, which comes with USB ports that can be used to connect lighting or charge mobile phones.

Taking into account how some children’s sedentary lifestyles have led to health issues, Casamia has also launched a motor operated height adjustable desk called FLEXI, which helps lessen the pressure on the spine when sitting for long periods.

Iloom has recently revealed two new series, Roy and Linki Plus, with similar features.

“From now on, we are planning to release genuine products that are designed and manufactured with customers’ lifestyles in mind,” said the company.

The cost of school supplies, however, have jumped tremendously over the years.

School bags that are dubbed “premium” and “luxury” cost at least 100,000 won (S$87). The most expensive kind can be more than a million won, according to industry insiders.

Describing the new customer base as “golden kids,” experts say the market targeting them could grow much more.

“They could have whatever they want to through ‘eight pockets,'” said a market insider, referring to family members, including grandparents and parents’ siblings, who are willing to spend on the children.

Such consumption patterns arose due to the growing number of families in which an only child receives undivided attention and care from adults.

President Rodrigo Duterte would resign “immediately” if Sen. Antonio Trillanes could prove his accusation that he had over P2 billion in various bank accounts.

In a interview taped on Thursday at the presidential guest house in Panacan, Davao City, Duterte said: “This I can say: If Trillanes can prove his allegations that I have amassed P2 million illegally, or if that bank account under my name has a total deposit at one time of even just half a billion, I will resign as president immediately.”

Earlier, Trillanes challenged the President to make public his bank transactions to disprove he had P2.2 billion in three bank branches from 2006 to 2015.

But the President said the accusation was “an old and rehashed issue.”

“I have answered this allegation before I became president,” he said, alluding to the campaign period during which Trillanes first made the accusation. “The people have already, they placed me in the office with 16 million votes.”

He told the senator to go to court and charge him rather than talking to media.

“I would advise Trillanes to go to court and file the proper case against me and advise him further to stop opening his mouth if he has nothing to say anyway,” he added.

‘Lucrative business’

He has also belittled Trillanes’s dare for him to resign.

The senator, he pointed out, is on his last term and would have no more political career to speak of after the end of his term. This would explain his penchant for always daring the President to resign, he said.

“Trillanes is already on his last term and will have nothing to lose if he resigns from office, which explains his penchant for always daring President[s] to resign,” he said.

Trillanes, he added, also had his own illicit activities.

“It is known in the Senate that Trillanes uses his office to ask for retainers and that this has become a lucrative business for him,” he said.

Wife got money from her businesses

The President defended his common-law wife, Honeylet Avanceña, whom Trillanes also accused of having millions deposited in the bank.

“This is amusing how Trillanes came up with his accounting,” Duterte said. “He even included day-to-day transactions of my partner Honeylet. This just shows his ignorance with regards to banking business.”

He said Honeylet worked hard for her money, unlike the senator whom he described as merely “ambitious.”

“Trillanes, alam mo, iyang si Honeylet, started her doughnut business 18 years ago,” Duterte said. “She supplies meat sa five malls dito sa Davao. Siya yung nagsu-supply ng karne ng baboy.”

(“You know, Trillanes, Honeylet started her doughnut business 18 years ago. She supplies meat to five mall here in Davao. She’s supplies them with pork.”)

“Diyan kalaki ang pera ng babaeng yan – matiyaga, hindi kagaya mo ambisyoso,” Duterte added. “My mutiny-mutiny ka pa wala ka palang bayag. Tapos taas kaagad ng kamay pagdating ng pulis. Nakakahiya ka, sa totoo lang. Kung pamilya mo gutom noon o ngayon huwag mo kaming isali. Hindi kami kasing malas sa pamilya mo. Hindi kami mahirap, really. Tatay ko governer noon. May iniwan sa amin. Ikaw anong iniwan sa’yo? Hangin pati yabang. Tulisan ka sa totoo lang,” he added.

(“That’s how that woman got so much money. She’s patient, unlike you – you’re ambitious. You dare to engage in mutiny when you don’t have the balls. You immediately put your hands up in surrender when the police arrive. You’re an embarrassment, really. If your family is getting hungry then or now, don’t include us. We’re not us unlucky as your family. We’re not really poor. My father was governor before. He left us something. What was left for you? Just hot air and bluster. In truth, you’re a bandit.”)

Daughter earns as a lawyer

The President also answered Trillanes’s allegations against his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sarah Duterte-Carpio.

“He must also have forgotten that my daughter Sara is a lawyer by profession and that she earns from this and that she has clients that actually pay for her services and not from illegal retainers that Trillanes is so used to so doing,” he said.

MANILA – The Armed Forces of the Philippines is not closing its doors on the transgender lawmaker who expressed interest in joining its Reserve Force.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Thursday said it welcomed the expressed intent of Bataan First District Rep. Geraldine Roman, the country’s first transgender legislator, to join the military and become an officer of its Reserve Force.

The AFP said in a statement that it does not discriminate applicants in terms of gender, either in the regular or reserve force of the military.

It said the military institution has its own gender and development programme that handles gender issues.

“The AFP welcomes the expressed interest of Rep. Roman. We highly value the patriotism of our citizens and will work to cultivate this. She will be a welcome addition to the reservists force,” the statement said.

The AFP reminded all applicants who will train in the military service that they would be entering an institution placed in high esteem.

“As such, we admonish them to maintain the dignity of the uniform; observe discipline, propriety and decorum; and measure up to the steep standards of the service,” the statement said.

“Else, they have no room in this noble profession of arms,” it added.

Commendation

In a statement, Roman commended the AFP for its policy of accepting members of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community and expressed her strong support for the return of the Reserve Officers Training Command (ROTC) for the youth.

“Change is truly happening in our country now as promised by President(Rodrigo) Duterte,” Roman said, as she thanked the President, Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and AFP Chief Gen. Eduardo Año for allowing the entry of the LGBT in the military force.

To show her support for the President, Roman said she will encourage the youth to join and promote the ROTC.

She said this will prepare them for the country’s defence and for earthquake and typhoon rescue operations.

SEOUL – Handcuffed and tied with white rope, the scion of one of the world’s biggest conglomerates, Samsung Group, was taken on Saturday for questioning by South Korean authorities after spending a night in a small detention cell.

Samsung Group chief Jay Y. Lee was arrested on Friday for his alleged role in a corruption scandal that has led to the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye.

The 48-year-old Lee, who has a net worth of $6.2 billion, heads the technology giant that is the world’s biggest manufacturer of smartphones, flat-screen televisions and memory chips.

Lee arrived at the special prosecutor’s office at about 2:20 pm (0520 GMT) clean-shaven and expressionless. He was wearing a dark suit, white shirt and no tie as he was escorted by officials from a justice ministry van.

The special prosecutor’s office accuses Lee of bribing a close friend of the president to gain government favours related to leadership succession at the conglomerate. It said on Friday it will indict him on charges including bribery, embezzlement, hiding assets overseas and perjury.

He spent the night at the Seoul Detention Centre on the outskirts of the capital in a small single cell with a toilet in the corner behind a partition.

Special prosecution spokesman Lee Kyu-chul said on Friday that officials were working to supplement inadequacies in their investigation into Lee, without elaborating.

While Lee’s detention is not expected to hamper day-to-day operations at Samsung firms, which are run by professional managers, experts said it could hinder strategic decision-making at South Korea’s biggest conglomerate, or chaebol.

Samsung is going through a restructuring to clear a succession path for Lee to assume control after his father was incapacitated by a heart attack in 2014.

Decisions that could be complicated by Lee’s arrest include deliberations over whether to reorganise the group under a holding company structure, as well as its plan to abandon its future strategy office, a central decision-making body that came in for criticism during the scandal.

TOKYO – Former North Korean spy Kim Hyon-hui said the alleged assassins of the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appeared to be amateurs, the Mainichi newspaper reported on Saturday.

Kim Jong Nam, the older half-brother of Kim Jong Un, was killed in an apparent assassination on Monday at Kuala Lumpur international airport in the Malaysian capital.

Malaysian police said on Saturday they had arrested a North Korean man in connection with the murder, after detaining two female suspects earlier this week.

Kim Hyon-hui, who bombed a Korean Air jet in 1987 after being trained as a North Korean agent, told the Japanese newspaper in a written interview that it was unthinkable that the women received strict training. “I felt suspicious. They don’t seem to have taken strict psychological and physical education and training in North Korea,” Kim Hyon-hui told the paper.

According to Malaysian media reports, the women told police they had been involved in a prank. “They would not have run away if that was the case,” Kim Hyon-hui said.

She also emphasised a link with North Korea as the date of the murder was close to the Feb. 16 birthday of the late leader Kim Jong Il, father of Kim Jong Un and Kim Jong Nam, and that Kim Jong Il’s nephew Lee Han-young was shot dead on Feb. 15, 1997.

Lee Han-young, a North Korean defector, was shot and killed in South Korea by two assailants who were never caught but were suspected to be North Korean agents.

Kim Hyon-hui and another North Korean spy planted a bomb on a Korean Air flight in 1987, the year before South Korea was to host the Olympics. All 115 crew and passengers were killed when the plane exploded in mid-air over the Bay of Bengal.

Kim was sentenced to death by a Seoul court but received a presidential pardon in 1990. She won sympathy as someone whom the reclusive North had used as a pawn, but largely dropped out of the public eye after leaving prison.

MANILA – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said he will review his minister’s order to close more than half the country’s mines for environmental violations, following an outcry from affected producers. “I will review. There’s such a thing as exhaustion of administrative remedies,” Duterte said in a speech late on Friday.

It was the first time Duterte said he would review the decisions of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Regina Lopez to shut mines and cancel mining contracts.

The firebrand leader, angered by the environmental harm mining has caused, had initially thrown his support behind Lopez’s actions, “I will not judge her now. I will see if there’s something wrong,” Duterte said on the decision to shutter mines.

Lopez on Feb. 2 ordered the closure of 23 of the country’s 41 operating mines. Another five mines were suspended.

The Philippines is the world’s top supplier of nickel ore and the affected mines account for about half of its annual output.

A committed environmentalist who describes herself as an eco-warrior, Lopez said the mines were located in watershed zones and have caused siltation of coastal waters and farmlands.

This week, she ordered the cancellation of 75 contracts for undeveloped mines she said were located in watershed areas.

Duterte, however, said “We get something like 70 billion pesos a year out of the mining operations in the entire Philippines. We have to also take (that) into consideration.” Miners whose operations were suspended or ordered to close have said they will take legal action to overturn Lopez’s ruling.

A mining industry group has said the move to shut and suspend operating mines would affect 1.2 million people.

The first option for affected companies is to appeal to Duterte, and failing that, they could seek relief with the appellate court and later the Supreme Court.

Australian miner OceanaGold Corp, which runs the Philippines’ biggest gold mine and was ordered to suspend operations, said earlier this week it had filed an appeal with Duterte’s office, putting a stay on the execution of the suspension order.

Marcventures Mining and Development Corp, whose nickel mine was ordered to close, said on Friday it will take legal action to prevent implementation of the order and that it plans to ship out ore next month.