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Re: Protests update
Civil Discourse and Civil Society: The dysfunctional culture of Thai academia
It is a strange irony that in Thailand a small group of people can take over the country at gun point, yet no one can turn round and tell them to f*ck off without somehow occupying the moral low ground.
Many times, after making тАШstrongтАЩ statements about the junta, or about social and political issues in general, I have been told by Thai colleagues, typically academics, that it is inappropriate for me, as an `educatorтАЩ, to use harsh language to express my opinions. DoesnтАЩt it set a bad example to my students? ShouldnтАЩt I, as an educator, `educateтАЩ people instead of always criticizing? 1
As an academic, speaking to other academics, I considered this a curious response тАУ at first. In a single instance, encountering such knee jerk conservatism, not to mention fundamental lack of understanding of an academicтАЩs raison dтАЩetre, could be easily dismissed. Only gradually, but with an increasing sense of disbelief and horror, did I begin to realize that such attitudes, far from being rare in a Thai university environment, are almost uniformly held by those responsible for `educatingтАЩ the nationтАЩs youth.
But, before going any further, let me introduce myself. I am a physical scientist, working as a lecturer and researcher at a Thai university. I am not a political scientist, a specialist in educational theory, in Southeast Asian studies, Thai studies, or any other branch of the social sciences. In my daily working life I am concerned more with waves and particles, fields and forces, and the paradoxes of simultaneously dead-and-alive cats which plague modern quantum theory, than with the complex and infuriatingly nuanced interactions of human society. Yet I am a part of that society. I was born with both a heart and a brain. Through a combination of innate capacity and training I acquired the ability, and hence the responsibility, to think critically and to judge. Such, in my world, are the aims of education. I moved to Thailand about 18 months ago, and my world changed drastically.
Through my work, I was shocked to encounter foreign academics, familiar with the Thai university system, that all but refused to refer to Thai academics as qualified, preferring instead the term `credentialedтАЩ. In short, I was shocked to find that the possession of bachelorтАЩs, masterтАЩs or even Ph.D. certificates from Thai institutions are not seen as guarantees of basic competence at an international level, comparable with their nominal equivalents elsewhere in the world (including other developing countries). This is true to a lesser degree in the physical vis-├а-vis the social sciences but is still a widespread problem...... (read more)......
http://kyotoreview.org/yav/dysfunctional-thai-academia/
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Re: Protests update
Govt Officials Permit Anti-Activist Protest in Loei Province
June 30, 2015
LOEI тАФ Dozens of people gathered in northeastern Thailand this morning for an unexpected rally denouncing the student activists who were arrested in Bangkok last Friday for "inciting unrest" with a peaceful pro-democracy demonstration.
Officials allowed today's rally outside of Loei City Hall to go forward, highlighting the uneven application of the junta's ban on political gatherings, which has been consistently invoked to snuff out anti-coup protests but rarely used to silence supporters of the military government.
The demonstration was led by a local administrator, Sombat Tonkam, who said the crowd of nearly 100 protesters hailed from six villages in Khao Luang subdistrict..... (read more).....
http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.ph ... 6§ion=
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Re: Protests update
The law is the law: PM
ANAPAT DEEECHUAY,
KASAMAKORN CHANWANPEN
THE NATION July 1, 2015
PRAYUT STANDS FIRM ON JAILING OF STUDENTS IN WAKE OF CRITICISM FROM EU, UN
PRIME Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha stood firm in the face of growing condemnation from the European Union (EU) delegation in Bangkok and the regional United Nations (UN) rights body of the detention of 14 anti-coup students.
"The law is the lawтАж" Prayut said, referring to the students who were arrested on Friday for allegedly committing sedition and disobeying the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO)'s ban on political gatherings of five or more people.
"If there is a law and it's applied against one but not applied against others, will more people come out [to the street to protests]?" Prayut asked..... (read more)....
http://linkis.com/nationmultimedia.com/7Lr9s
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Re: Protests update
When one considers there's daily corruption at all levels - from simple police shake-downs to the number of overseas criminals and (worse) fugitives from international justice who swan around Pattaya and elsewhere, with a blind eye turned by the authorities in return for tea money..... a statement such as "the law is the law" seems just a little out of place.
All "allegedly", of course.
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Re: Protests update
I particularly liked France's action granting political asylum to a number of Thai exiles
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Re: Protests update
BURNING ISSUE
It's an insecure regime that uses twisted logic to cage students
PRAVIT ROJANAPHRUK
July 1, 2015
ANY REGIME that arrests students who gather peacefully to call for liberty and democracy must be terribly insecure.
The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) put 14 university students, representing the Neo Democracy Movement (NDM), behind the bars on Friday. These youngsters could each face up to seven years in prison for allegedly violating the NCPO's ban on gatherings of five or more people as well as apparently committing sedition.
Three days after the students were arrested, dozens of people gathered to show their support for Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha, who is also NCPO chief, offering him flowers and urging him to stay in power for another three years.
Clearly, the NCPO ban on gatherings does not apply to those who openly show their satisfaction with military rule.
Now the fight is not just against military dictatorship, but also against hypocrisy and twisted logic.
Consider the following:..... (read more).....
http://linkis.com/nationmultimedia.com/51Uy0
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Re: Protests update
Thai Junta Leader 'Uncomfortable' With Jailing of Student Activists
July 1, 2015
BANGKOK тАФ Thailand's military leader said he is personally troubled by the arrests and imprisonment of fourteen pro-democracy activists, but insisted that the investigation must go on.
"I am looking for a measure to open up dialogue and put an end to this matter," Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha said this morning, five days after the 14 activists were arrested in Bangkok for a peaceful demonstration against his military government. "I have to admit that I feel uncomfortable at the use of the laws against these students."
"But at the same time," he continued, "we have to look at it from another angle, we have to look at the behavior and expression of these people. Are these actions of innocent children? Are politicians behind them? We have to prove it. We are investigating it right now."..... (read more).....
http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.ph ... section=11
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Re: Protests update
PM brands free care as 'too costly'
2 Jul 2015
NEWSPAPER SECTION: NEWS | WRITER: PATSARA JIKKHAM
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has branded the universal healthcare scheme a "costly populist" policy which helped deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra win the 2001 election.
The health scheme benefits about 47 million people - two-thirds of the population.
Commenting on the conflict between the National Health Security Office (NHSO) and the Public Health Ministry, Gen Prayut said Wednesday that Thailand is not financially ready for such a multi-billion-baht health insurance project...... (read more)....
http://bangkokpost.com/news/politics/60 ... too-costly
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Re: Protests update
Thai public TV might face fine over program on 14 embattled anti-junta activists
Submitted by editor2 on Wed, 01/07/2015
The Thai Public Broadcasting Service (Thai PBS), a public media outlet supported by the state, might face 50,000 Baht fine from the Thai authorities for broadcasting a program about the backgrounds of the 14 embattled anti-junta student activist.
According the Nation Breaking News, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission of Thailand (NBCT) summoned the executive board members of the Thai PBS over a TV news program called тАЬBefore becoming a New Democracy Group: Looking Back to the Movements of the 14 Student from Dao Din and in front of BangkokтАЩs Art and Culture CenterтАЭ, which was broadcasted on June 28, for a discussion.
The TV program presented the backgrounds of the 14 embattled anti-junta activists most of whom are students, such as the Dao Din Group from the northeastern Khon Kaen Province, who has long been engaged in activities against a gold mine in Loei Province together with the locals.
The program pointed out that the 14 anti-junta activists were also engaged in activities against the Amnesty Bill, a bill aimed to give impunity to people involved in the 2010 political violence and Thaksin Shinnawatra a controversial ex-Prime Minister, proposed under the last elected government under Yingluck Shinawatra, the former PM before the coup dтАЩ├йtat...... (read more)....
http://linkis.com/www.prachatai.com/en/2FBqa
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Re: Protests update
Ease tensions, experts urge
Pravit Rojanaphruk,
Piyaporn Wongruang,
Kasamakorn Chanwanpen
The Nation July 2, 2015
NCPO, anti-coup students told to engage in dialogue before matters get out of hand
The escalation of political confrontation between the military junta and the 14 detained anti-coup students and their supporters should be quickly toned down before it is too late, concerned scholars said yesterday.
The call came as Mahidol University peace expert Gothom Arya volunteered to talk to the government in order to avoid the situation getting out of control.
"There's a need to have someone to talk to both sides. I can go and talk to the military," Gothom said yesterday.
Gothom suggested that his colleague Ekaphan Pinthawanij, also a peace and human-rights expert at Mahidol, could talk to the detained students, as many of them know and trust him..... (read more)....
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politic ... 63575.html
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Re: Protests update
Sulak issues warning
PRAVIT ROJANAPHRUK
THE NATION July 3, 2015
THE police have launched preliminary investigations into a possible lese majeste offence allegedly committed by social critic Sulak Sivaraka.
Sulak, meanwhile, said yesterday that arresting him unfairly would signal the downfall of this government, adding that this move was likely politically motivated. "I have praised [Prime Minister] Prayut [Chan-o-cha] for not having the National Council for Peace and Order [NCPO] summon me earlier. I believe he is patient," Sulak said.
"I understand that hawkish men in his contingent are now telling him to deal with me, much in the manner of slaughtering a chicken to set an example to the monkeys, by using the lese majeste law against me." He was referring to the Thai idiom of punishing someone else to instil fear in others..... (read more)....
http://linkis.com/nationmultimedia.com/JPm5g
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Re: Protests update
Thai PBS stands firm on TV programme about anti-junta activists
Submitted by editor2 on Thu, 02/07/2015
After being summoned by the Thai broadcasting authorities, Thai PBS, a public media company supported by the state, clarified that it was only doing its duty in broadcasting a TV programme about the 14 embattled anti-junta activists.
According to Thai PBS News, Wanchai Tantiwitthayaphithak, Deputy Director of the Thai Public Broadcasting Service (Thai PBS), on Thursday, 2 July 2015, said that the recent Thai PBS TV programme about the 14 anti-junta activists is not a violation of the 2007 Act to Assign Radio Frequencies and Regulate Broadcasting and Telecommunication Services.
He mentioned that the Thai PBS was only doing its duty as a media outlet in the public interest.
тАЬAs a public media outlet, Thai PBS performs its role strictly in accordance with Article 4 of the Thai PBS Act (governing the Thai PBS code of conduct and operations) to promote media freedom and foster a democratic society in which people can have equal access to information,тАЭ said Wanchai.
On Monday, 29 June 2015, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission of Thailand (NBCT) summoned for discussion the executive board members of Thai PBS over a TV news programme called тАЬthe Analysis of the Movement of the Student Activists under the Governance of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO)тАЭ, a TV programme on the 14 anti-junta student activists, which was broadcast on June 28.,..... (read more).....
http://prachatai.org/english/node/5247
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Re: Protests update
Amnesty International pressures Thai govt to release 14 students
Pravit Rojanaphruk
The Nation July 3, 2015
London-based rights group Amnesty international (AI) launched an urgent operation asking its members from around the world to ask for the release of 14 anti-coup students in Bangkok.
Members were asked to write letters in English or any language member uses to Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha demanding immediate and unconditional release of the 14 who are members of New Democracy Movement (NDM). AI said in a statement issued on Thursday that the organization considers the 14 as prisoners of conscience and call for the end of the restriction on the right of freedom of assembly in Thailand. The campaign will run until August 11.
http://linkis.com/nationmultimedia.com/nWcXQ
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Re: Protests update
Hundreds urge students' release
3 Jul 2015
WRITER: ONLINE
Hundreds of people on Friday evening covered a wall in central Bangkok with Post-it notes denouncing the military government and demanding the release of 14 jailed student activists.
The "Post Freedom" activity was staged by the anti-coup Resistant Citizen and New Democracy groups on the BTS Skywalk near the National Stadium station.
Participants wrote messages on colourful Post-it notes for their friends in jail and stuck them on the "Wall of Democracy" erected on the Skywalk near the Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre. Around half of the space on the skywalk was barricaded by police..... (read more)....
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politic ... s-flourish
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Re: Protests update
The myth of ThailandтАЩs bureaucratic state
By
Khemthong Tonsakulrungruang
тАУ 30 June 2015Posted in: Thailand
ThailandтАЩs latest coup was meant to replace greedy, inept politicians with benevolent bureaucrats better able to lead the country. Nothing could be further from the truth.
It is no secret that Thailand has never been short of bad policies.
The administration has often produced policies devastating to peopleтАЩs livelihoods and natural resources. One of the most popular explanations among supporters of the latest coup is the narrative of greedy and incompetent politicians. As uneducated local mafias, politicians are short-sighted because they are too concerned with the next election. That same concern forces politicians to support the wishes of their financial patrons, mostly business corporations, over those of the public.
The effect of this explanation is two-fold. First, it justifies anti-democratic sentiment because it claims that elections are the source of ThailandтАЩs administrative failures. Second, it gives rise to the bureaucratic state because this explanation blames all mistakes on politicians while giving legitimacy to bureaucrats. Thai bureaucrats then portray themselves as benevolent experts who have to succumb to the ill-wishes of their elected superiors. If the assumption that the cause of ThailandтАЩs evil is simply politicians is correct, then the military government of General Prayuth Chan-ocha should have produced numerous smart policies that will help Thailand leap forward..... (read more)....
http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandal ... tic-state/
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Re: Protests update
Court tipped to free protester students
Panadda confident they had no hidden agenda
6 Jul 2015
NEWSPAPER SECTION: NEWS | WRITER: POST REPORTERS
Speculation is mounting the military court will release the 14 arrested students of the New Democracy Movement (NDM) when it decides their fate tomorrow.
The speculation started after positive comments from Prime Minister's Office Minister ML Panadda Diskul on Saturday regarding their arrest.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha also said he has made a suggestion to the "judicial side" on how to handle the issue.
The students were arrested on June 26 following their rally against the military regime....... (read more).....
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politic ... r-students
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Re: Protests update
Junta says Int'l orgs donтАЩt understand the 14 activists' arrests in Thai political context
Submitted by editor2 on Mon, 06/07/2015
International organizations calling for the release of the 14 embattled anti-junta activists do not understand the arrests in the Thai political context, said a junta spokesman.
Maj Gen Weerachon Sukontapatipak, spokesman for the juntaтАЩs National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) stated that the government understands the role of international organizations and do not have a problem with the studentsтАЩ way of thinking.
However, the junta is concerned about certain groups who hope to take advantage of the student activistsтАЩ protests by turning it into a situation similar to the 14 October 1973 Student Uprising, stated Weerachon. Therefore, international organizations pressuring for the activistsтАЩ release must understand the Thai political context and goals of various interest groups first, stated the junta spokesman..... (read more).....
http://prachatai.org/english/node/5263
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Re: Protests update
Thai northerners gather to support the 14 embattled anti-junta activists
Submitted by editor2 on Mon, 06/07/2015
People gathered in the northern province of Chiang Mai, Thailand, to show moral support to the 14 embattled anti-junta activists under tight monitoring of the police and military officers.
On Sunday, 5 July 2015, a crowd gathered in front of Chiang Mai University to hold an event called тАШPost Its for FreedomтАЩ to urge for an immediate release for the 14 embattled anti-junta activists who have been detained since last week, 26 June 2015.
The event was organised under the heavy presence of police and military officers in and out of uniforms, who tightly monitored the event.
The event was similar to the тАШPost Its for FreedomтАЩ in Bangkok on 3 July, where the event participants wrote messages on post its to support the 14 activists, read poetries, and performed live music..... (read more).....
http://prachatai.org/english/node/5266
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Re: Protests update
The demise of the Red Shirts?
July 5, 2015 uglytruththailand
Giles Ji Ungpakorn
The arrest and imprisonment of 14 pro-democracy student activists has exposed the state of the тАЬdemocracy movementтАЭ in Thailand.
In a previous post on this site I explained that the student activists had тАЬthrown down a challengeтАЭ to all of us. That challenge was whether or not people were prepared to rebuild a mass movement to overthrow the dictatorship. Make no mistake, the Prayut dictatorship is planning to cast its ugly shadow on Thai politics well beyond the day that the murderous military gang formally step down from office and allow so-called elections under their deformed rules.
The junta are now jack-booting their way into peoplesтАЩ houses or offices and threatening anyone associated or related to the students. They are telling other activists to stop criticising the junta on social media and they are putting pressure on the media to stop reporting anti-junta activities.
...... .(read more and if you are in Thailand you will need a vpn or dns proxy server)....
https://uglytruththailand.wordpress.com ... ed-shirts/
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Re: Protests update
Military Court Rules to Release 14 Anti-Junta Activists from Prison Tonight
July7, 2015
BANGKOK тАФ Bangkok's military court has ordered to release fourteen anti-junta activists from prison while they await trial on sedition charges for leading a peaceful pro-democracy rally last month.
The fourteen activists - eleven of whom are university students - were ordered to spend 12 days in prison by the court after they were arrested on 26 June for wrapping black banners around Bangkok's Democracy Monument.
They were charged with inciting unrest, which carries up to seven years in prison, and violating the juntaтАЩs ban on public gatherings, which has been in place since the May 2014 coup that overthrew a democratic government...... (read more).....
http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.ph ... 6§ion=
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Re: Protests update
Gen Tawatchai : Father says son was brainwashed
in Politics | July 7, 2015
A member of the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) says the father of one of the 14 detained student activists has revealed that his son was brainwashed by a foreign organisation before having adopted anti government attitude.
Gen Tawatchai Samutsakon, former commander of the Second Army Region, and now a NLA member, said he met and talked to the father of a student activist who is a Surin resident yesterday.
The father told him that his son was taken out by a foreign organisation for two nights in a brainwashing session a month ago.
From that day his son has changed and turned to have adopted anti government attitude, he said.
The father also said he wanted bail for his son, he said.
He said he didnтАЩt want to elaborate but confirmed such movement from foreign organisation happened frequently in Surin province, starting from Khon Kaen to other provinces in the Northeast.
http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/gen-ta ... rainwashed
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Re: Protests update
Anti-coup protests tipped to continue
KASAMAKORN CHANWANPEN,
WASSAMON AUDJARINT
THE NATION July 8, 2015 1
ACADEMIC WARNS AS STUDENTS' RELEASE ORDERED
THE 14 anti-coup student activists are due to be freed this morning (Wed)after the first round of pre-trial detention ended yesterday and the Military Court rejected a police request to hold them for further 12 days.
However, police will continue to investigate the students, who face charges of sedition and violating a National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) ban on political gatherings of five or more people.
Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha called the court's move an act of mercy..... (read more)....
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politic ... 63991.html
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Re: Protests update
THE NATION July 8, 2015
FACED WITH accusations that he violated the interim constitution, social activist Baramee Chairat stood by his innocence and said he would continue to fight for freedom and democracy.
In trouble for sheltering and observing anti-coup students
PRAVIT ROJANAPHRUK
THE NATION
FACED WITH accusations that he violated the interim constitution, social activist Baramee Chairat stood by his innocence and said he would continue to fight for freedom and democracy.
Baramee, a key member of the Assembly of the Poor, was with the 14 anti-coup students who were arrested last month. He was in charge of the Suan Ngern Mee Ma premises on Charoen Nakhon Road, where the students were given shelter for two nights before they were arrested. He also accompanied them when they staged a protest against the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).
"I have been wrongly accused. I feel restricted [under the junta] and would like to ask how long will all of you put up with this?" Baramee said. "I think every citizen has the right and freedom to express themselves in order to protect his or her rights and liberty."
Baramee said he did not take part in the protest, but had merely been observing the students from a 10-metre distance at Democracy Monument..... (read more)....
http://linkis.com/nationmultimedia.com/Lx4Xg
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Re: Protests update
Junta Chairman Lectures Youth on Thai-style Monarchy & Democracy [Transcript]
July 8, 2015
BANGKOK тАФ Speaking to a group of young Thais who were raised abroad, junta chairman Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha stressed the importance of revering the Thai king, who he described as a "deity" that never interferes in politics.
Gen. Prayuth was speaking to 37 children and teenagers who were raised in America and invited by the government to visit Thailand and learn about its culture.
In the speech, the general explained that the Thai monarchy is "unique" and needs the special protection of the KingdomтАЩs lese majeste law, Section 112 of the Thai Criminal Codes, which punishes criticism of the royal family with up to 15 years in prison.
Gen. Prayuth, who came to power by staging a coup d'etat against an elected government on 22 May 2014, also told his young audience that he would return democracy to Thailand after a new constitution is approved in a referendum, which is set to take place in January of next year..... (read more)...
http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.ph ... 6§ion=
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Re: Protests update
Junta Asks Overseas Thais to Explain Coup to Foreigners
July 8, 2015
BANGKOK тАФ The secretary-general of Thailand's ruling military junta has urged Thais living abroad to explain the reasons behind the May 2014 coup d'etat to foreigners.
"I want all of you who live abroad to explain the situation in our country to foreigners, so that they can understand what happened," said Gen. Chatchalerm Chalermsuk. "That the military does not want to hold on to power, and how we have been trying to restore peace in the country and move the nation forward, and enforce the laws."
Gen. Chatchalerm made the remark in an address to representatives of a Boston-based Thai charity who met with him at Government House in Bangkok to donate one million baht to soldiers stationed in southern Thailand to combat a separatist insurgency...... (read more).....
http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.ph ... 1436266628
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Re: Protests update
From the Diplomat..... It's Time for the US and the EU to Get Tough on Prayuth's Thailand
Prayuth Chan-o-chaтАЩs approach to Southeast AsiaтАЩs migrant crisis cannot be allowed to continue.
By Rob Edens
July 07, 2015
Since 1932, there have been 18 military coups that have overthrown the ruling Thai governments. In 2014, Thailand experienced its 19th led by General Prayuth Chan-o-cha. PrayuthтАЩs latest junta with its accompanied National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) toppled Yingluck Shinawatra and her extended clan on grounds of corruption, disrespecting the monarchy, and not uniting or bringing prosperity to the Thai people. But this military clampdown on dissenting political figures is rather a seizure of absolute power lending itself to a military dictatorship. What was supposed to be a caretaker cabinet to accelerate a democratic transition, purging the ill affected from governing over the Thai people, the new moral тАЬsoldier with a democratic heartтАЭ has thwarted freedoms, civil liberties, and any opposition through fear and silence..... (read more)....
http://thediplomat.com/2015/07/its-time ... -thailand/
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Re: Protests update
Junta to Invite Yingluck, Abhisit for TV Discussion
July 9, 2015
BANGKOK тАФ Thailand's ruling military junta is planning to invite prominent politicians from the country's rival factions to discuss the government's reform plans on national television.
Gen. Udomdet Sitabutr, a junta member and army chief, said the TV show will be launched by the junta-appointed Center for Reconciliation and Reform (CRR), and allow politicians to air their views on the military government's reform efforts since the May 2014 coup.
According to Gen. Udomdet, the invitees will include former Prime Ministers Yingluck Shinawatra and Abhisit Vejjajiva, who are top leaders of ThailandтАЩs two chief political camps тАУ known colloquially as the Redshirts and the Yellowshirts тАУ that have been locked in a protracted power struggle for the past decade..... (read more).....
http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.ph ... 6§ion=
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Re: Protests update
Police Investigating Rumor that Prayuth Transferred 10 Billion Baht to Singapore Bank
July 9, 2015
BANGKOK тАФ Thai police say they are monitoring the people who started a rumor on social media alleging that junta chairman Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha had transferred 10 billion baht to his personal bank account in Singapore.
Speaking at a press conference today, Thai police commander Pol.Gen. Somyot Pumpanmuang said those who started the allegation, which Gen. Prayuth has denied, will be charged with violating the Computer Crime Act.
According to Pol.Gen. Somyot, police have already identified at least one person who helped spread the rumor, but declined to say whether the person has been detained..... (read more).....
http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.ph ... 6§ion=
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Re: Protests update
Thai Consulate attacked.... PM defends Uighur expulsion to China
10 Jul 2015
NEWSPAPER SECTION: NEWS | WRITER: POST REPORTERS
The deportation of some 100 Uighur migrants to China followed proper procedures, insists Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, despite an overnight protest at the Thai honorary consulate in Istanbul, where Turks are angry about the way the Uighur minority are being treated.
The government's expulsion of the group to China, after an earlier batch was sent to Turkey, has also drawn criticism by the UN and rights groups....... (read more)...
http://bangkokpost.com/news/general/618 ... n-to-china Search
Thailand condemned for repatriation of 109 Uighurs to China
Associated Press
By THANYARAT DOKSONE
BANGKOK (AP) тАФ Thailand faced a blizzard of international criticism Thursday, and its consulate in Istanbul was ransacked, after it deported 109 ethnic Uighur refugees to China despite fears that they would face persecution there.
The U.N. refugee agency called Thailand's action "a flagrant violation of international law." The United States also condemned the deportations, and voiced deep concern about protection of asylum-seekers in Thailand. Amnesty International said that the Muslim Uighurs could face detention or torture in China.
Protesters in Turkey, which has cultural ties to the Uighurs and accepted an earlier group of Uighur refugees from Thailand, ransacked the Thai Consulate in Istanbul overnight. Police in the capital, Ankara, used pepper spray to push back Uighur protesters who tried to break through a barricade outside the Chinese Embassy........ (read more).....
http://news.yahoo.com/thailand-sends-10 ... 52174.html
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Re: Protests update
Govt adds fuel to fire as resentment builds
What's all the fuss about the arrest of 14 so-called students who broke the law? Many in social media have expressed their bewilderment.
Published: 10/07/2015
Writer: Wasant Techawongtham
That reminds me of a saying: "Where there's smoke, there's fire." The students are the smoke while the fire has been burning or smouldering in many places.
And what have the authorities done to douse the fire? They throw in more fuel.
Some high-ranking officials have complained to the press that the students allowed themselves to be a tool of some third party which they refused to name.
Some others almost foamed at the mouth accusing the young activists of obstructing the government which has been trying to bring stability and peace to a faltering country. Fortunately, they stopped short of calling the youngsters traitors or terrorists.
Many junta supporters in social media resorted to familiar discrediting tactics. ''Where were these *&^%$ students when the previous government ran the country to the ground?'' they asked...... (read more).....
http://m.bangkokpost.com/opinion/618920
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Re: Protests update
PDRC acquitted of disrupting Feb 2 election
10 Jul 2015 at 18:37
WRITER: ONLINE REPORTERS
The Criminal Court has dismissed a case in which a number of People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) protesters were accused of obstructing the Feb 2, 2014 election.
Public prosecutors filed the charge against the PDRC members who had surrounded Bangkok's Din Daeng district office on the election date. They successfully prevented officials from bringing ballots to the district's 175 election units.
The result was all units were closed and no voters in the district could exercise their right on that day.
The court ruled on Friday the PDRC demonstration was legitimate based on a judgement by the Constitutional Court.
The protest at the district office was also peaceful and unarmed. Besides, there was no proof all the suspects padlocked the gate of the office as accused by the prosecutors, the court said...... (read more)......
http://bangkokpost.com/news/politics/61 ... 2-election
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Re: Protests update
Saksith Saiyasombut & Siam Voices
Facebook and Thai politics: Press тАШLikeтАЩ, and hope for the best
By Saksith Saiyasombut & Siam Voices Jul 07, 2015
By Thitipol Panyalimpanun
On the night of June 26 in Bangkok, the Thai police arrested 14 student activists for staging a non-violent demonstration against the junta. They were then charged with sedition and are now being detained. Following the incident, videos, live reports and political statements flooded Facebook. The New Democracy Movement emerged as a new page, demanding that the junta unconditionally release the students. Meanwhile, on the same social network, the juntaтАЩs supporters justified the arrests, claiming there were vested political interests behind the student protest.
Amid the juntaтАЩs ban on political gatherings, people are turning to Facebook as a platform for political discussion. Since the coup last year, the media space for critical political reportage has been shrinking...... (read more).....
http://asiancorrespondent.com/133891/fa ... -the-best/
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Re: Protests update
ThailandтАЩs Junta Ignores Southern Thai Insurgency
Posted on July 9, 2015 By Our Correspondent Headline, Politics, Thailand
ThailandтАЩs Junta Ignores Southern Thai Insurgency
Initiatives begun by Yingluck government have been allowed to gather dust
Despite a commitment by the Thai junta that took power in 2014 to pursue talks with Muslim separatists in the far south of the country, the junta тАЬhas focused on preserving bureaucratic and military prerogativesтАЭ without any effort to resolve the long-running insurrection, according to the International Crisis Group.
Since the confrontation blew up in 2004, more than 6,000 people have died, both Muslims and Buddhists, and more than 10,000 have been injured. There are concerns that the insurgency, formerly an ethnic struggle for more autonomy, has been taken over by hardline Jihadis who have declared war on both the Buddhist minority and local Malay Muslim moderates.
The insurgency has grown less lethal over the past year, according to the ICG, but there are worrying indications militants may have expanded operations beyond the traditional conflict zone of the four southernmost provinces..... (read more)....
http://www.asiasentinel.com/politics/th ... nsurgency/
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Re: Protests update
Academic blames military for weakening democracy
KASAMAKORN CHANWANPEN
THE SUNDAY NATION July 12, 2015
THE MILITARY is the primary cause of the retreat of democracy in Thailand and Southeast Asia, and the extensive power obtained by coup-makers encourages more putsches in the future, a Thai studies scholar says.
Tyrell Haberkorn from Australian National University said granting amnesty to those launching military coups and passing laws like Article 44 of the provisional charter granting the junta leader absolute power could lead to more coups.
Haberkorn stressed the repercussions from creating a history of coups..... (read more)....
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politic ... 64278.html
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Re: Protests update
Southern Thailand: Dialogue in Doubt
8 Jul 2015
REUTERS/Damir Sagolj
The south Thailand insurgency has grown less lethal over the past year, but there are worrying indications militants may have expanded operations beyond the traditional conflict zone of the four southernmost provinces. Malay-Muslim rebels have been fighting against Thai rule for more than a decade in what they see as a national-liberation struggle. An official dialogue process between Bangkok and separatist leaders that began in 2013 was doomed by divisions on both sides. Since the 22 May 2014 coup in Bangkok, the junta has focused on preserving bureaucratic and military prerogatives. Although it has vowed to pursue talks, the junta rejects pluralism and political debate, promoting тАЬThainessтАЭ and тАЬunityтАЭ concepts that are unlikely to reduce tensions in the south. Resolution of the conflict demands a new relationship between the state and society in the region, which will most likely require greater political decentralisation. All sides should now work to prepare infrastructure for future talks, including dedicated dialogue teams, communications procedures and means for popular participation.
In February 2013, the Yingluck Shinawatra government initiated a dialogue process, facilitated by Malaysia, with representatives of Barisan Revolusi Nasional Melayu Patani (Patani-Malay National Revolutionary Front, BRN), the principal insurgent group...... (read more).....
http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/regions/a ... doubt.aspx
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Re: Protests update
Thai Chinese Sub Buy Challenges US Pivot
By Wendell Minnick1 day ago
TAIPEI тАФ Thailand's move to purchase Chinese submarines has exacerbated tensions with the US and poses a challenge to Washington's "pivot" to the Pacific.
The military junta, which declared a coup in May 2014 and created the National Council for Peace and Order, could turn to China for political and military support and cooperation, analysts said. The junta-led Cabinet approved the purchase of three Type 039A (Yuan) attack submarines in early July.
After the coup, the US reduced its presence at the annual Cobra Gold military exercises held with Thailand, and postponed further discussion on planning 2016 exercises.
There are fears in the region that US sanctions are pushing Thailand into China's political sphere, said Martin Sebastian, head of the Centre for Maritime Security and Diplomacy, Maritime Institute of Malaysia..... (read more)......
http://www.defensenews.com/story/defens ... /29904545/
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Re: Protests update
CDC bows to key judiciary demands
OJC outsiders, judge appeals rules dropped
14 Jul 2015
NEWSPAPER SECTION: NEWS | WRITER: MONGKOL BANGPRAPA
The Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) has bowed to judiciary demands and axed two controversial proposals from the draft charter.
The proposals concerned the composition of the Office of the Judicial Commission (OJC) and allowing judges facing disciplinary action from the OJC to appeal to the Supreme Court.
CDC spokesman Borwornsak Uwanno said the decision to drop the provisions followed growing opposition from judges who reportedly planned to gather and hand an open letter to the CDC to voice their disagreement with the proposals.
One proposal required at least one-thirds of OJC members to be non-judges, as opposed to the current set-up which allows only two outsiders тАФ screened and appointed by the Senate тАФ to sit on the commission...... (read more).....
http://bangkokpost.com/news/politics/62 ... ry-demands
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Re: Protests update
French envoy gets list of lese majeste suspects in exile
The Nation July 14, 2015
Justice Minister General Paiboon Khumchaya yesterday handed a list of suspects facing lese majeste charges to French Ambassador to Thailand Thierry Viteau for acknowledgement.
At the meeting, Paiboon said that Thailand did not want France to take action against these individuals, but just wanted France to learn about facts and understand Thailand's point of view. It is reported that some of these suspects have fled to Franc.
The minister said Thailand understood the question of rights and freedom of expression if cases are politically based, but those related to security offences concerning the monarchy were different and the state gave more importance to these.
Though still unconfirmed, it is believed that at least three names were handed to the ambassador.
Paiboon will also be chairing a meeting with the Foreign Ministry;s high-ranking officials today to follow up on lese majeste cases.
http://linkis.com/nationmultimedia.com/z68hc
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Re: Protests update
Thailand approves $1.8 billion in loans for farmers hit by drought
BANGKOK | Mon Jul 13, 2015
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand has approved loans of up to 60 billion baht ($1.77 billion) to support farmers affected by drought, the finance minister said on Monday.
The wet season is under way, but Thailand is contending with drought conditions in seven out of 67 provinces, the National Disaster Warning Center said, and water rationing is taking place in almost a third of the country.
Thailand's state-owned Bank of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) has approved loans for 1 million farmers, following a meeting chaired by Finance Minister Sommai Phasee...... (read more).....
http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSK ... 3?irpc=932
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Re: Protests update
10 Jailed for Running Anti-Monarchy Broadcasting Network
July 14, 2015
BANGKOK тАФ A martial court in Bangkok has handed down jail terms to ten alleged members of an anti-monarchy network that produced nearly 400 online video clips criticizing Thailand's royal family.
Police cracked down on the group, known collectively as the "Banpodj Network," in February and arrested a total of 14 suspects.
The 64-year-old man accused of leading of the network, Hasadin Uraipraiwan, aka Banpodj, was arrested at a hotel in Bangkok on 9 February.
The group was sent to face trial in military court on charges of violating Section 112 of the Thai Criminal Codes, which outlaws criticizing the monarch and carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, and violating the Computer Crime Act, which bans circulating defamatory content and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison.
Hasadin and seven others were sentenced to five years in prison today, while his wife and a motorcycle taxi driver were sentenced to three years in jail for "providing assistance" to the network. The judge said their jail terms were halved from the original 10-year and 6-year sentences because the defendants plead guilty.
Four other suspects have decided to contest their charges in martial court. They are Ngernkhoon Udomkunakorn, Sivaporn Panya, Thara Wanichpongpan, and Anchan Preelert.
According to the court briefing, the Banpodj Network had produced nearly 400 video and audio clips since 2009 that defame the Thai monarchy. The segments were published on the internet, mostly through Youtube.
Banpodj was well known among a radical wing of the Redshirt movement for constructing complex conspiracy theories about the Royal Family.
http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.ph ... 06§ion