Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Monday 23 october 2017
New film claims to have

solved Jim Thompson mystery

By GRANT PECK said Barry Broman, the film’s While some of the film’s
Associated Press producer. conclusions are plausible
BANGKOK (AP) — A new The filmmakers, from Ad- based on what is known
documentary is set to stir venture Film Productions, about Thompson’s life,
fresh debate over one of said they got their break there is nothing definitive
Asia’s most enduring mys- out of the blue: An old con- given that it relies on sec-
teries: What happened to tact approached them ond-hand information from
Jim Thompson, Thailand’s with a tale of a death-bed relatives of those allegedly
legendary silk king. confession. involved and leaves many
In this undated file photo, Jim Thompson smiles shortly before he The former American intel- They eventually found a questions unanswered.
disappeared while going for a walk on Easter Sunday, March 26, ligence officer turned tex- second source whose in- During World War II, Thomp-
1967, in the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia. tile tycoon went for a walk formation dove-tailed with son was a highly decorated
Associated Press in the Malaysian jungle 50 the first. operative with the Office of
years ago and never re- Their conclusion: Thompson Strategic Services, the fore-
turned. Despite a massive was slain by rebels from the runner of the CIA.
search, no trace of Thomp- Communist Party of Ma- After the war, he was sta-
son was ever found. One of laya who grew suspicious tioned in Thailand with the
the most prominent West- after he arrived in the jun- OSS and chose to make his
erners in Asia had simply gle and began requesting home there after turning
vanished. a meeting with the party’s businessman and founding
Theories abound: He was secretary-general, at the his silk firm in 1948.
killed by a tiger; he got time Malaysia’s most-want- Thompson helped revive
lost and perished in deep ed man. the Thai silk industry and his
forest; he disappeared Rather than vacationing, company has since grown
himself as part of a politi- the filmmakers said, Thomp- into one of Thailand’s flag-
cal intrigue. Those behind son was on what turned out ship luxury brands. His for-
the documentary say they to be a final, fatal mission. mer Bangkok home, once
have new evidence that Broman, who has decades the site of legendary par-
Thompson was killed. of Asia experience as a ties, is now a museum filled
Their film, “Who Killed Jim photographer, U.S. marine with his fabulous collection
Thompson,” premiered and diplomat, said the of Asian art and antiques.
Oct. 20 at the Eugene Inter- conclusion is unequivocal: Both have become must-
national Film Festival in the “Jim was never going to be see attractions for the mil-
U.S. state of Oregon. found. He was murdered.” lions of tourists who visit
“There’s been all sorts of The filmmakers acknowl- Thailand each year.
theories and mostly silly the- edged the murder theory’s The company declined
ories, but I’m hoping that not new, but they believe to comment on the new
this will put some closure to, their version is more sub- claims about the fate of its
you know, the whole story,” stantial. founder. q

UK paper sorry for airbrushing

out Solange Knowles’s braids

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s
Evening Standard newspa-
per has apologized to So-
lange Knowles for digitally
altering an image of the
singer on the cover of its
magazine.
Knowles — who had re-
leased a song called
“Don’t Touch My Hair” —
complained on Instagram
that an elaborate braided
crown on her head had
been digitally removed
from the cover photo.
The magazine article fea- In this Thursday, March 2, 2017 file photo, U.S singer Solange
tured the singer talking Knowles, left, and french actress Isabelle Huppert, right, look on
about her experiences prior to the show for Chloe’s Fall-Winter 2017-2018 ready to wear
spending time at her moth- fashion collection presented in Paris. Associated Press
er’s salon as a child. She The magazine said in a caused. The statement
also discussed braiding’s statement Saturday that said: “Plainly we made the
importance to her and the photo was altered for wrong call and we have of-
praised it as “its own art “layout purposes” but it fered our unreserved apol-
form.” was sorry for the offense ogies to Solange.”q