分类： society

Three days after a devastating fire swept through a popular Bangkok beer bar, leaving at least 32 dead and dozens more fighting for their lives, survivors and grieving relatives gathered at a local police station on Wednesday to give official witness statements, recover left-behind personal belongings, and push for long-overdue financial compensation. The inferno broke out late Sunday night at the Rong Beer Na Ladprao venue, a crowded nightlife spot in the Thai capital, according to updates from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. Officials confirm that 70+ people were injured in the blaze, with 24 still clinging to life in critical condition in local hospitals, while the official investigation into the exact cause of the fire remains ongoing.

Thai police have revealed that most victims were found trapped in windowless bathrooms, spaces many fled to in a desperate bid to escape the spreading flames and toxic smoke. Wiroon Supasingsiripreecha, head of the country’s Institute of Forensic Medicine, told reporters Wednesday that the vast majority of fatalities were caused by smoke inhalation, with only a small number of deaths resulting directly from severe burn injuries.

For 26-year-old Natthaphong Lakhorn, the horror of that night remains vivid. He was at the venue with four companions, seated near the main stage, when the first signs of the blaze emerged. He told reporters he initially spotted thick white smoke billowing from the stage area, and mistakenly assumed it was just a planned dry ice effect for an upcoming performance — before quickly realizing the venue was engulfed in an uncontrolled fire. “When the fire broke, I just ran, and then all power went out,” Natthaphong recalled, speaking from the Phahonyothin Police Station where he was giving his formal statement. He shared that one of his companions, a close relative, did not escape the blaze. “It was so hectic.” Natthaphong, who suffered burns to his ears and forehead that were still covered in bandages during his Wednesday visit, said he plans to file for compensation to cover his ongoing medical costs.

His account of the escape also contradicts an earlier police claim that the venue’s back door was not used by evacuees: Natthaphong said he escaped through that exact exit, located near the bathrooms, where a security guard was already on site using a flashlight to guide panicked guests to safety.

The police station walls were lined with photos of personal items — mobile phones, bags, wallets and other belongings — left behind by guests during the chaotic evacuation, as relatives came to claim the possessions of their lost loved ones. For 25-year-old Kanticha Singkhon, Wednesday’s trip was to collect her mother’s handbag and other effects; her mother was among those killed in the fire. With her mother’s passing, Kanticha is now the sole guardian for her younger brother, and she has criticized bar owners for failing to proactively reach out to grieving families to support them through the aftermath.

“Most of the victim’s families are from out of town, many would have already had to travel back to their hometowns to arrange funeral services,” Kanticha explained. “I want bar owners to be the ones to reach out to families, rather than forcing us to come all the way here to the police station on our own.” A lawyer representing the bar owners has told local Thai media that an initial one-off compensation payment of 10,000 Thai baht — equal to roughly 300 U.S. dollars — will be offered to all affected families and survivors. But Kanticha says that sum falls far short of what is needed, and that she has yet to receive any communication or financial support from the venue’s owners. “That amount isn’t even enough to cover a funeral,” she said. “I had to take out a loan just to arrange my mom’s burial, and I haven’t heard anything from anyone at the bar.”

On crisp Beijing mornings, beneath the sprawling ancient pines that fill the grounds of the Temple of Heaven, hundreds of people move in synchronized, gentle harmony. One arm arcs slowly upward while the other lowers to the side — the iconic posture “White Crane Spreads Its Wings” — a core movement of tai chi, a 300-year-old mind-body practice that remains deeply woven into modern Chinese daily life.

For 64-year-old Ye Guirong, who now leads a 30-member local tai chi group named Cypress Grove on the temple’s grounds, this open-air space provides an unmatched setting for daily practice. “The environment is great and the air is good too,” she says. “You can see we’re surrounded by trees.” A retiree who discovered the group while exploring the city on post-retirement walks in 2010, Ye recalls being drawn to the practice immediately. “I thought it looked good, so I started practicing,” she says. Today, she carries forward the tradition of passing down tai chi movements from instructor to student: when newcomers join, she teaches foundational forms, then reviews and corrects progress over time until practitioners master each level before advancing.

Most of the regulars gathering at the Temple of Heaven are retirees in their 60s and older, split between small groups practicing to soft, relaxing background music from portable speakers and solo practitioners moving in quiet solitude. Ye’s group has continued to draw new participants: 59-year-old Zu Hong, the group’s newest member, mastered a 24-movement routine in just one month and is already preparing to begin her second sequence. “I thought tai chi looked very beautiful,” Zu says. “I wanted to exercise, so I came here to the Temple of Heaven.”

The practice holds deep roots at the Temple of Heaven, a 15th-century architectural complex commissioned by a Ming Dynasty emperor. Designed to serve as a ceremonial site where emperors acted as intermediaries between humanity and heaven, offering sacrifices and prayers for abundant harvests, its iconic Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests remains one of China’s most recognizable cultural landmarks. Today, while the complex draws millions of tourists annually, its surrounding public gardens remain open space for local residents to carry on daily traditions like tai chi.

Beyond its gentle physical movements, tai chi is rooted in ancient Chinese philosophy, holding dual meaning as both a martial art (formally called Taijiquan) and a school of thought rooted in traditional understandings of the body and wellness. A core concept tying tai chi to Chinese philosophy is qi, the vital life energy believed to flow through all living things and the natural world. In traditional Chinese medicine, long-term health depends on the unobstructed flow of qi through a network of pathways called meridians that connect the body’s organs and limbs. Traditional treatments from acupuncture to movement practices like tai chi aim to regulate and strengthen this flow.

“Practices like tai chi and qigong are all about activating, regulating or improving the flow of qi in the body,” explains James Miller, a professor of Humanities at Duke Kunshan University in Jiangsu province. “That’s something very key to Daoism, but it’s also part of the broader Chinese conception of the body and of the world.” Beyond the human body, qi is also believed to animate natural landscapes — which, Miller notes, is one reason traditional Chinese culture favors building temples in mountain settings: they are valued not only for their natural beauty, but for their close connection to the qi of the natural world, a benefit practitioners say amplifies the benefits of outdoor tai chi practice.

Today, multiple distinct styles of tai chi are practiced across China and around the world, each with its own specific forms and techniques. Ye’s group gathers promptly at 7:40 every morning to practice the widely popular Yang-style tai chi for an hour and a half, rotating through sequences ranging from 24 to 48 movements, and occasionally incorporating traditional props like swords or folding fans. For the group’s regulars, the benefits speak for themselves: “Through exercising, everyone’s health has improved,” Ye says. “Our spirits are especially good.”

The oldest widely recognized form of the practice is Chen-style tai chi, developed in the 17th century by Chen Wangting, a former military commander who turned to spiritual cultivation later in life. “He practiced Daoist methods of self-cultivation including meditation,” explains Chen Haitao, a fifth-generation Chen-style tai chi master. “Then one day he experienced a sudden awakening: the meridians throughout his body all opened, his mind became enlightened, and wisdom suddenly emerged.” Transformed by this experience, Chen Wangting developed structured movement forms to share this state of balanced wellness with others, binding together the practice’s physical and philosophical roots.

For modern practitioners, that dual focus remains intact: the movements provide a accessible path to practice, while the underlying philosophy gives that practice purpose. “One of the great benefits of Taijiquan is that it is suitable for everyone,” Chen Haitao says. “As long as you learn the basic principles correctly and maintain proper alignment, whoever practices it will benefit from it.”

This report was compiled with contributions from AP video journalist Wu Jia. The Associated Press’ religion coverage receives support through collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP retains sole responsibility for this content.

In mid-July 2026, a series of powerful storms led by Typhoon Bavi have lashed multiple coastal and southern regions of China, bringing knee-deep flooding, structural damage, and widespread disruption to local communities. As extreme weather batters parts of Zhejiang, Guangxi and other southeastern provinces, residents, emergency responders, and local authorities have coordinated to minimize harm, demonstrating a widespread collective response to the natural disaster.

In Jingren village, Yongjia county, southern Zhejiang, the force of floodwaters caught many residents off guard as Typhoon Bavi made its way inland. One local villager, identified only as Yang, told reporters she rushed home Saturday morning after an urgent warning from neighbors, only to find the concrete square outside her home already submerged up to the knees in muddy floodwater. By the time she waded through the rising current to reach her property, water levels continued to climb rapidly. While Yang’s home sits on slightly elevated ground and escaped severe damage, neighboring properties on lower terrain were not as fortunate. Three adjacent homes saw floodwaters reach nearly the full height of their first floors, Yang said, and she witnessed heavy propane gas cylinders being swept away by the fast-moving current. Images from the coastal village of Dongsha, Taizhou, taken in the storm’s aftermath show residents beside collapsed walls left by the typhoon’s impact.

As the typhoon tracked toward its second landfall, local authorities activated early emergency protocols, evacuating thousands of at-risk residents to purpose-equipped shelters ahead of the worst weather. In Yueqing county, neighboring Yongjia, 500 displaced residents found safe haven at the local Civic Activity Center Friday night, as howling wind and torrential rain hammered the building’s glass exterior. Inside the shelter, the mood remained remarkably calm, thanks to thorough pre-storm preparations.

Rows of folding beds were set up throughout the center’s hallways, with stockpiles of bottled water, instant noodles, emergency medical supplies, and backup lighting arranged in advance. Volunteers circulated through the facility to address residents’ needs, on-site doctors conducted regular check-ins for elderly evacuees, and local police officers maintained overnight patrols to ensure safety. Outside the building, crews stacked sandbags at entry points to block incoming floodwaters and reinforced doors and windows with wooden planks. Backup generators and additional emergency provisions were on standby to handle any outages or supply disruptions.

For many evacuees, the organized response turned a moment of deep uncertainty into one of security. A carpenter surnamed Li, evacuated from a nearby construction site, told Xinhua News Agency he had spent hours worrying whether his flimsy temporary work dormitory could survive the typhoon’s force after work was suspended that morning. Now, resting in the temperature-controlled shelter, he said he finally felt at ease. Even as powerful gusts shook the building and glass panels hummed under the wind’s pressure, many residents felt secure enough to rest. One elderly evacuee murmured about the storm’s extraordinary strength before pulling his blanket tighter and drifting back to sleep, according to Xinhua reports.

Across the affected regions, rescue teams have been deployed to high-risk areas, with pre-positioned emergency supplies and rapid response teams ready to address flooding, landslides, and other storm-related hazards. Early warnings, coordinated evacuations, and community support have helped reduce the risk of casualties, as the entire nation rallies to support affected coastal and southern communities through the extreme weather event.