Bangkok Breaking News + Election News – February 3, 2014
On this page we will keep you informed about Bangkok Shutdown, the election news plus related news, such as the farmers' protest. The posts are in reverse chronological order. The latest news is therefore at the top. Times in bold are Dutch time. In Thailand it is 6 hours later.
Common abbreviations
UDD: United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (red shirts)
Capo: Center for the Administration of Peace and Order (body responsible for applying the ISA)
CMPO: Center for Maintaining Peace and Order (responsible body for the State of Emergency that has been in effect since January 22)
ISA: Internal Security Act (emergency law that gives the police certain powers; applies throughout Bangkok; less strict than the Emergency Decree)
DSI: Department of Special Investigation (the Thai FBI)
PDRC: People's Democratic Reform Committee (headed by Suthep Thaugsuban, ex-opposition Democrat MP)
NSPRT: Network of Students and People for Reform of Thailand (radical protest group)
Pefot: People's Force to Overthrow Thaksinism (ditto)
Foreign Affairs travel advice
Travelers are advised to avoid central Bangkok as much as possible, to exercise vigilance, to stay away from gatherings and demonstrations, and to monitor local media coverage daily of where demonstrations are taking place.
State of emergency
Thirteen government buildings, buildings of state-owned companies and independent offices, including courts, are 'No Entry' for the population. These are Government House, parliament, Ministry of Interior, Chaeng Wattana government complex, Cat Telecom Company on Chaeng Wattana road, TOT Plc, Thaicom satellite station and office, Aeronautical Radio of Thailand Ltd, the Police Club.
Twenty-five roads also fall under this prohibition, but that only applies to persons who 'have a tendency to cause trouble'. These roads are: Ratchasima, Phitsanulok and roads around the Government House and Parliament, Rama I, Ratchadaphisek, Sukhumvit from Nana intersection to Soi Sukhumvit 19, Ratchavithi from Tukchai intersection to Din Daeng Triangle, Lat Phrao from Lat Phrao intersection to the Kamphaengphet intersection, Chaeng Wattana road and a bridge, Rama 8, which is occupied by the Dhamma Army.
[The above lists are taken from the website of Bangkok Post; the lists in the newspaper deviated from that. The Emergency Ordinance consists of 10 measures. The above two measures are effective immediately.]
Where should tourists stay away?
- Pathumwan
- Ratchapra song
- Silom (Lumpini Park)
- Sew
and also at:
- The government complex on Chaeng Wattana Road
- Phan Fa Bridge on Ratchadamnoen Avenue
- Chamai Maruchet Bridge–Phitsanulok Road
The locations are indicated on the attached map: http://t.co/YqVsqcNFbs. The Lat Phrao and Victory Monument sites have been defunct.
Bangkok Shutdown and the elections in images and sound:
www.thailandblog.nl/nieuws/videos-bangkok-shutdown-en-de-keuzeen/
Sunday had to be 'picnic day', action leader Suthep Thaugsuban had said. That did not fall on deaf ears, because many streets turned into picnic areas. This man came to Pathumwan crossing well prepared. In the southern province of Trang, grilled suckling pig is a popular delicacy.
Summary
Southern Thailand
There is no voting in most of southern Thailand. Because three post offices in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Songkhla and Chumphon were blocked by protesters, ballot boxes (actually boxes) and ballot papers in the XNUMX southern provinces could not be distributed. In addition, some polling stations lacked sufficient staff.
In Surat Thani, elections were canceled in all six constituencies because the ballots for the national candidates were missing. In addition, a district candidate could not be voted on because no candidate had registered to run in the elections. Surat Thani is the home province of action leader Suthep Thaugsuban.
The head of the provincial electoral council has asked the 700.000 eligible voters to report to their district office and declare that they cannot vote. If they don't, they lose their political rights.
The head of the Electoral Council in constituency 1 in Chumphon province says he twice tried to get the protesters besieging the post office to leave, but they persisted. The post office has been closed since January 21. After the Electoral Council announced that there would be no voting, they returned the key to the room where the ballot boxes and ballot papers were.
In Phangnga, the problem arose that polling stations could not be fully staffed. The law requires a minimum of nine officials to be present. In Songhkla, only nine of the two hundred polling stations managed to gather enough staff.
In Nakhon Si Thammarat, the Pheu Thai candidate has lodged a complaint with the police. A polling station remained closed, although it was not even blocked, but staff did not show up. In the province, only 5 percent of the polling stations voted.
In Pattani, elections were disrupted by a bomb explosion that killed an assistant district chief and three soldiers. The attack had nothing to do with the elections, because bomb attacks are the order of the day in the South.
Bangkok
In Bangkok, elections in 28 constituencies (6.155 polling stations) went off without a hitch. Voting was not possible in 516 polling stations in five constituencies for various reasons.
In constituencies 5 (Ratchathewi) and 6 (Din Daeng), protesters prevented the delivery of ballot boxes and ballot papers from the district offices.
In Laksi, the elections were canceled due to the firefight on Saturday afternoon.
Bang Kapi had the problem that the occupation was not complete in 38 polling stations. So was Bung Khum.
And then there was the problem that voters could not find the polling station because it was located in a different place than last time. The polling stations had to move because the owners had not given permission to use their location for fear of violence.
In Din Daeng, clashes broke out between hundreds of angry voters and protesters who prevented the distribution of ballot boxes and ballot papers. They later went to the district office and called the authorities to account.
A second clash took place after the demonstrators left. At the Thai-Japanese stadium, the two groups threw rocks and water bottles at each other for about five minutes. Finally, the demonstrators drifted off to the Victory Monument.
And it wasn't over yet. The angry voters broke down the door of the district office. "We want to drive the district chief away," one of them said. The district later decided to cooperate with the police and accept voters' complaints.
North and Northeast
In the North (17 provinces) and Northeast (19 provinces), two regions with a large Pheu Thai following, the elections went smoothly, but the turnout was meager, according to political observers.
Excitement in Udon Thani. Red Shirt leader Kwanchai Praipana, wounded in a January 22 shooting, arrived at the polling station by ambulance and was wheeled in on a stretcher. He was heavily guarded by police and his own guards had previously reconnoitred the area.
In Khon Kaen, a man wearing a mask belonging to action leader Suthep Thaugsuban walked into a polling station. The mask had to be taken off to vote.
A bomb was found in Chiang Mai. No details.
In addition, anti-government demonstrators demonstrated in scattered places in some provinces. In Prakhon Chai (Buri Ram), ten persons gathered for the city shrine and blew whistles.
Latest news
15:08 Former government party Pheu Thai expects to return to the House of Representatives (300 seats) with 500 seats, but has warned its supporters not to celebrate yet. The party thinks it has won 240 of the 375 district seats and 60 national seats. If this is correct, the party would have a larger majority than before, because in 2011 the party scored 265 seats.
Sompong Amornwiwat, who led the election campaign, says parties are not yet possible due to legal disputes. The PDRC and former opposition party Democrats want the election declared void.
Re-elections will take place on February 23 for those voters who were unable to vote in the primaries a week ago. The Democrats are boycotting the election.
14: 50 After three weeks, traffic can again drive undisturbed (apart from the traffic jams) around the Victory Monument and use the (complicated) Lat Phrao intersection. This morning, the demonstrators cleared both locations to join colleagues in Lumpini Park. Some decided to go to the location on Chaeng Wattanaweg.
The PDRC explains security concerns because both locations have had to deal with grenade attacks. On Sunday evening, a demonstrator in Lat Phrao was slightly injured by a firecracker.
A Justice official is discussing evacuating the location with the protest leader on Chaeng Wattanaweg. Lung Pu Buddha Issara does not do that for the time being; he does want to allow the employees free passage, provided the safety of the demonstrators is guaranteed.
14:35 Turnout in Sunday's election was 45 percent; the highest turnout was Nong Bualamphu province with 72,5 percent and the lowest was Samut Sakhon with 20 percent. The percentages are difficult to compare, because about 12 million Thai people could not even vote because their polling station was closed.
In terms of region, the Northeast (56,14 pc) , the North (54,03 pc) and the central region (42,38 pc) performed best, which is not surprising as the elections were not disrupted here.
09:28 The battle continues, says action leader Suthep Thaugsuban. "We want reforms first," pointing to the 20 percent turnout in Bangkok, a rate that was all-time low.
About the closure of the protest locations Lat Phrao and Victory Monument, he said that this was done in the expectation that the government would take more violent measures against the demonstrators who are staying there. "We don't want people to get hurt."
The PDRC continues to close government offices and they will not open until the government steps down to pave the way for national reform.
According to PDRC spokesman Akanat Promphan, many voters in Bangkok have not completed their ballots or have invalidated them.
09:15 If the problems don't end first, the election process will never be completed, no matter how many re-elections are held. Electoral Commissioner Somchai Srisuthiyakorn calls on all parties to settle the political conflict so that society does not again oppose elections in such large numbers.
As is known, voting could not take place in 10.283 polling stations in 18 provinces on Sunday because ballot boxes and ballot papers were missing or because the stations could not be manned. The Electoral Council is now faced with the task of organizing re-elections, including for the primaries of a week ago when polling stations were blocked.
Somchai proposes postponing re-elections for a month or more. The Electoral Council no longer has any control over the situation, he says.
08:59 Five hundred anti-government demonstrators besieged an office of the Ministry of Defense on Chaeng Wattana Road today. That office is used as a workspace by Prime Minister Yingluck and cabinet members.
The demonstrators took turns to speak, demanding Yingluck's resignation. They called Sunday's election a flop because many people did not vote. They also asked the army to stop listening to government orders. The group was reinforced by a second group at the beginning of the afternoon.
To prevent them from entering, three rows of barbed wire were rolled out. Twenty soldiers stand guard at the building.
Action leader Suthep Thaugsuban says he will discuss with other leaders whether the siege of the prime minister's home and some cabinet members will be the next step.
Reportedly, the rally site at the Ratchanakarin intersection on Silom Road would be expanded to connect with the Ratchaprasong site.
08:45 All government offices, which have been closed by the PDRC, will reopen from February 6, CMPO director Chalerm Yubamrung said. Protesters who prevent this will be arrested. Violence is not used; the police try to get them out through negotiations.
Chalerm would like to help the Electoral Council organize the re-elections; if required, he will make men available and can assist with the delivery of ballot papers to the provinces where voting was not possible on Sunday.
08:40 For the second time, the shop premises of PDRC leader Yuthapol Pathomsathit in Muang (Ratchaburi) has been fired upon. Two glass doors shattered. Neighbors say they heard loud noises on Sunday night, but they paid no attention. His ex-wife's minimart was also shot at. Police found six bullet holes.
06:06 The election has produced two losers, writes Bangkok Post in her editorial. Prime Minister Yingluck has not received a new parliament and action leader Suthep has not been able to prevent the elections. Only these two political leaders can prevent a third lost match. It is now time for them to work on political reforms.
There are already two initiatives: a group of 194 leading figures called the Network of Servants for Reform through Political Means, and a group of 74 organizations called the Reform Now Network. Both have the good intentions: to bring about reforms through democratic means.
But good intentions alone are not enough. The newspaper calls for a reform committee that is supported by all political leaders. It has a chance to reach an important decision on reforms that the country supports. Anything less than that will just result in reports that will be ignored as in the past.
05:51 Yesterday's general election was a loss for the PDRC and a sign of defiance by many voters who wanted to affirm their right to vote, said Worachet Pakeerut, a law lecturer at Thammasat University.
Since the elections could be held in most of the country, the next step for the PDRC may be to have them declared null and void. "But it won't be easy this time to ignore the wishes of the majority of the population."
Worachet accuses the Electoral Council of having done too little to campaign for the elections. 'An electoral commissioner has even predicted that many ballots will be invalid, but the actual number is probably small. The voters were eager to vote and even reported when they were stopped.'
Worachet sees these elections not as a battle between political parties, but as a battle between democratic and anti-democratic forces. “The elections show that Thailand is still on the democratic path. ' He does not see any reasons to declare the election invalid, because that defies the choice of the voter.
03:33 Army spokesman Winthai Suvari's finger, reported yesterday in Breaking News from Bangkok Post, missing from today's paper. Winthai allegedly accused the police of being too quick to conclude that PDRC guards had started Saturday afternoon's firefight in Lak Si. The newspaper does write that the army is awaiting the police investigation.
Winthai says the soldiers who help the CMPO keep order are not heavily armed. If it turns out that soldiers were involved in the gunfight, they will not escape their punishment. UDD chair Tida Tawornseth has suggested so.
In any case, the opposition party Democrats is tapping the police on its fingers. Spokesman Chavanond Intarakomalyasut suspects the police of taking sides by rushing this case. The investigation into the other incidents is progressing extremely slowly. Suspects have not yet been arrested.
cowardly free to block elections as Suthep and co do, such people belong in prison or appear before the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
Suthep and co, So all yellow shirts belong in prison?. Bold statement.
Believe me, if there were no Suthep, another figure would have been put forward.
Leave Thai politics to the Thai.
Dear Kees, you can think and say what you want of Suthep, it is entirely up to you, (by the way: why don't you just say Keesuitholland) but you cannot deny that he has not denounced how prejudicial the current government regime is for the TH people wasn't. Also those people who initially thought they were being favored by this government, eg the farmers who are still waiting for their money. An item that is at least as important is that the Yellow movement has denounced that no more than one family, one clan can run the ins and outs of a nation. Well, now you: what are you denouncing? Give some arguments instead of shouting.
Dear Soi,
The biggest argument against Suthep, in my opinion, is…..
After the coup in 2006 Suthep was “appointed” so NOT democratically elected as deputy PM…..
He has 3 years !!! had time (and was appointed to do so) to implement reforms and tackle corruption…
Now he aims to get that done in a few months……I personally find it strange……
I would have great respect for a demonstration leader who presents a realistic plan….
Just shouting that a certain family has to leave I think it's a bit thin......
And already shouting for 3 months” within a few days is “Victory-day”……
Who still believes that man….
No Patrick. Just retracing history. Suthep was NOT appointed after the coup. After the coup, a government of only technocrats was installed. Suthep was not part of that. Suthep and Abhisit came to power when the ruling party (the predecessor of the Pheu Thai) was banned by the court, and part of this old party (the Newin faction, now better known as Buriram United) defected to the opposition (and thereby helping the opposition to gain a majority). The Abhisit government may not have been elected directly through elections, but it WAS based on a majority in the democratically elected parliament.
Dear Chris, excellent explanation, clear. It's good that you bring history into the picture to once again truthfully portray the relationships between Yellow and Red. So much better and more value. Since last October, people have had time to spit bile at the Yellow Shirts as a movement, and at Suthep as one of its leaders. Now that the elections have taken place and that chapter has been written in the annals of Thailand, it is high time that the events in Bkk are approached from a more serious political perspective. Just shouting is like clucking around like a headless chicken. Suthep's movement has become a significant power factor, stands for a number of statements that represent principles, and partly determines the future of TH. Reforms could also concern Farang's position, even if it were only an extension of the visa policy and allowing him to have some input into the TH economy.
I hope for several "historical" interventions and interpretations from you.
Dear Chris,
Thanks again for your clear explanation based on facts.
With these facts, I hope many readers hold back their gut feelings.
It is good that Suthep had a reasonably good and non-violent election day.
It is good that people are demonstrating against corruption on the street and that simply requires a leader who organizes, without also wanting to become a political leader in a new government, that was not his aim.
a good greeting from Danny
Formally/bureaucratically it is correct that the Abhisit government was based on a majority in the democratically elected parliament. But after the ruling party was banned. Of course, the majority would only have been truly democratic if there had been new elections first. It is easy to guess why they did not come: then the majority would have disappeared like snow in the sun. The inappropriate use of legal means is one of the causes in Thailand of the increasingly stagnant development of the democratic process.
As far as the credibility of Suthep himself is concerned, the nature of his appointment at the time is of course not the most important. But it is true that for three years, while he was in an excellent position to do so, he has achieved nothing in terms of reforms and the fight against corruption. Even after his term of office, he never came up with a coherent change plan, with the result that when his protest movement gained momentum, he was only able to improvise incoherent initiatives for change. Suthep can now be described as a power factor, but not as a change factor on the basis of his track record. On the basis of these facts it is to be feared that he, with his followers, is only seeking power. It is logical that he denies this. He's a politician.
Dear Jan
Those elections were not necessary because all MPs from the ruling party had already seen the storm coming and founded and joined a new party the same day. THE MOST IMPORTANT fact was that part of the old party switched to the opposition. Thaksin was furious with Newin, and that will never be the case again. The coalition parties also chose money for their eggs and also switched to continue to run the money tap. Silpa Ban-ahaan, the big man of one of the small coalition parties, then sighed the historic words: not to rule means to struggle on a stick. In an earlier article I have already argued that ALL political parties in Thailand are not representatives of the population.
Chris, it goes too far to give here the whole (un)parliamentary history in Thailand of the past ten years. Anyone can find it by searching the Wikipedia for Thai Rak Thai, Democrat Party, People's Power Party and Peu Thai. You don't know what you're reading when you see all the facts at a glance.
Naturally, Newin's 'switch', openly urged to do so by the army, was an important fact in the formation of the Abhisit government, after the PPP (and two coalition partners) had been dissolved. Abhisit was then elected by parliament as head of government. Supported by 235 of the MPs, with 198 voting against. The originally elected parliament had … 480 members. Given the voting ratio, you can say that Abhisit had a majority; however: given the original total of the parliament, he relied on a minority. In my value judgment it cannot be maintained that, after all the machinations, the composition of parliament in 2008 was still an adequate expression of a democratic election. The result of the next election in 2011 underlines this. Abhisit's painful astonishment at the result of the 2011 election turns that into a double line.
The defection of Newin, openly instigated by the army and accompanied by a thick envelope containing, it is estimated, 1-2 billion baht.
Keesausholland should perhaps take a closer look at what is happening in Thailand before passing judgment. A really ridiculous statement. But yes........ that's what's bursting from here.
Despite all the skirmishes and whether or not you agree with one or the other, it must be said that all Thai people in general and those in BKK in particular deserve a compliment now that Election Day 2 Feb 2014 went so smoothly.
Read that there was a low turnout abroad to vote. Can you imagine if the following has happened to others as well? My girlfriend wanted to vote here in the village, but she was forbidden to do so because she had to vote in the Netherlands. (?) Now she has been in the Netherlands 3 x 3 months in recent years, but still. About 3 weeks ago, at my Dutch address, I received an envelope from the Thai Embassy with 12 sides and my neighbor couldn't make bread from it, because it was all Thai. I now think these were the ballots. Administratively it made sense, but I don't get it.
Gerrie, that's right, about 3 weeks ago the TH embassy sent a letter with about 10 pages. All in Thai: a covering letter, a series of pages with all the parties on it, a page with photos of local district candidates, a card made of sturdier cardboard-like paper in postcard size to fill in your vote and a pre-paid return envelope with the address of the embassy on it. You had to send it back 2 weeks ago. You may have even read my responses in two breaking/election news blogs in which I wrote about my friend registering to vote abroad and about receiving this envelope (at the time I wrote that she had entered “no vote”).
Dear Rob, my question mark actually consists of the fact that we are both in Thailand and my girlfriend has never applied to vote abroad because she lives in Thailand. But yeah, it won't stick to 1 vote either. Thanks for the information anyway. Will store the documents in my “cabinet of curiosities”.
Thank you too Gerrie, now we know (which is actually logical in view of fraud such as double voting: in TH and NL) that if you are expected to vote via the embassy, this is no longer possible in Thailand. Something to take into account if you expect to be somewhere other than where you live around an election period. It is remarkable that your wife was "automatically" registered with the embassy, my girlfriend had to fill out a form herself to register. Perhaps this happens automatically if you registered with the embassy during previous elections or indicated at any other time that you live in the Netherlands? If in future elections a Thai living in the Netherlands expects to be in Thailand at the time of the elections, it is certainly worthwhile well in advance - at least a month, which was the deadline for registration this time. at the embassy - ask at the embassy where you are registered to vote.
That's not that weird. Your girlfriend has indicated that she is going to the Netherlands incl. address in the Netherlands. She has not reported back. So for Thailand your girlfriend is still in the Netherlands. So the Thais in the voting office acted correctly. That the Thais your Ned. They don't know the address from the newspaper. If your girlfriend reports back to Thailand, is the problem solved?
Did the night train 'just' go south during the Bangkok Shutdown or was it occasionally prevented? We arrive at Suvarnabhumi early in the evening on February 16 and want to travel from Bangkok to Chumphon on February 17, but do not know whether the night train has been affected by these demonstrations? If so, it might be wiser to pay a bit more and fly from Bangkok to Koh Samui?
Thanks in advance for the information!
@ R Pluk There are no reports of disruption to train traffic and other public transport. Only some buses in Bangkok run a different route.
Is there a bus to Chanthaburi from Bangkok and from where does it currently depart from Bangkok (considering possible changes in bus schedules etc. due to shutdown)?
thanks in advance,
Julia
@ Julia Interlocal bus transport will not be affected by Bangkok Shutdown. Type in Bangkok-Chanthaburi on Google and you will find the answer to your question. Buses to Chanthaburi depart from both Ekamai and Mor Chit.