News from Thailand – March 11, 2014

For the third consecutive day, the front page of Bangkok Post largely devoted to the missing Malaysian Airlines Boeing. The device is still missing. Progress has been made in the investigation into the two passengers with false passports.

They ordered their ticket simultaneously from Iran at two travel agents in Pattaya and paid in Thai baht. One man would fly from Beijing via Amsterdam to Copenhagen, the other to Frankfurt.

The Malaysian Interior Minister finds it strange that no light has come on at customs in Kuala Lumpur, because the men had an Asian appearance and traveled on an Italian and Austrian passport.

– The house of action leader Suthep Thaugsuban in Phutthamonthon (Bangkok) was bombarded with two grenades on Sunday night, but both did not explode. One grenade landed 30 feet from the fence, the other was nearby. After the grenades were noticed by passers-by, they were defused by the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit (photo). Piece of cake, took 10 minutes. The police had previously placed car tires around the grenades.

The house is owned by Suthep's wife and the mother of his stepson Akanat, spokesperson for the protest movement. Around the house is an area the size of a football field that is being developed into a parking lot by a project developer.

– The police arrested two soldiers near the protest location in Lumpini park who were in possession of a .45 hand gun, an M4A1 assault rifle and a large amount of ammunition (photo homepage). They were caught when their pickup truck was stopped at a checkpoint on Lang Suanweg.

The lords confessed that the weaponry was theirs; they did not want to say more, they will keep that for the court. The army has no objection to the police prosecuting the men. The army unit to which the men belong does not use M4A1 rifles.

– The Administrative Court proposes the creation of a special police unit to protect judges. They have been threatened numerous times in recent years, says Hassavut Vititviriyakul, president of the Supreme Administrative Court. He points out that other countries have so-called court marshals to protect judges.

The Administrative Court was formed on March 9, 2001. At a press conference marking the 13th anniversary, Hassavut said a new department has been formed to deal with human resources. Each administrative court will have such a department. The aim is to deal with the relevant cases more quickly. Of all cases brought last year, 23 percent were unfair recruitment, promotion and transfers of public officials.

– Former Prime Minister Thaksin complains that 'smart and able' Pheu Thai party members leave his sister Yingluck out in the cold, according to a source at PT. Thaksin is said to have said this last weekend when he spoke to a group of PT members and cabinet members in Beijing. "I feel sorry for her, but I don't want to boss her around," says big brother Thaksin.

According to the source, Thaksin takes into account that the February 2 elections will be declared invalid by the Constitutional Court because the condition that the House of Representatives must meet thirty days after the elections is not met.

– Prime Minister Yingluck may decide this week whether to extend the state of emergency. CMPO director Chalerm Yubamrung allowed the emergency ordinance to be put away, because the Internal Security Act is sufficient now that the protest movement has retreated to the Lumpini park.

Seven private industry organizations have also called for the emergency ordinance to be withdrawn. Moreover, it is toothless, because the civil court has severely limited the powers of the CMPO (the body responsible for maintaining the state of emergency).

The state of emergency, in effect in Bangkok and parts of Pathum Thani and Samut Prakan, will expire on March 22.

– Twenty-seven senators have asked the Senate President to ask the Constitutional Court for a ruling on the status of Yingluck's premiership. They argue that Yingluck may have violated the constitution in the Thawil case.

Thawil Pliensri was removed from the post of Secretary General of the National Security Council in 2011 and was "allowed" to become Yingluck's advisor. The Supreme Administrative Court on Friday overruled the transfer. He must be back at his old post within 45 days.

Thawil is controversial because he has spoken a number of times at rallies of the protest movement. Moreover, at the time he was appointed by the (previous) Abhisit government to the post of NSC Secretary General. Thawil had to make way for another so that his position as chief of police could be taken over by Thaksin's brother-in-law.

Yingluck says she is doing her best to honor the court ruling, but "there are procedures we need to study to implement the verdict." In other words, the Council of State and the Electoral Council must first have their say. Spicy detail: Thawil will retire in six months. One guess how this case will end.

– Government spokesman Teerat Ratanasevi has complained on his Facebook page about the service of Thai Airways International (THAI) during his recent flight from Bangkok to Osaka vv. The complaint concerns cancellation of his booking by an unknown person and something with his ordered food on the way back. The management of THAI has set up a committee of inquiry, because of course you have to keep the government friendly.

– Do you remember: the loan of 350 billion baht for water works and the hearings that went anything but smoothly? The Senate committee that is considering the budget says that the proposed projects do not take into account extreme weather conditions due to climate change.

According to calculations, sensitive areas can still be flooded for at least 94 days a year. If more severe floods than in 2011 occur, all measures will be useless, so that the effect and economic damage will be much greater. The proposed waterway west of the Chao Phraya River will not solve the flooding problems in the Central Plains. This project has been heavily criticized by villagers during the hearings for being an environmental threat.

Elections

– Electoral Commissioner Somchai Srisuttiyakorn expects that a new government can be formed in June if the re-elections are not disrupted. The Electoral Council can then approve 95 percent of the seats in May. That number is the minimum required for the House of Representatives to be allowed to work.

Re-elections are scheduled for April 5 and 27, as well as April 20 and 27, if the Constitutional Court issues a timely ruling on the 28 constituencies in the South.

[Need I explain that? On February 2, a district candidate could not be voted on because their registration was thwarted by protesters in December. If those 28 seats remain empty, parliament cannot get to work.]

A second problem is the 16 electoral districts with only one district candidate. In those districts, a turnout of at least 20 percent is required. This is not expected to succeed in 10 constituencies.

Attempts by the Electoral Council to bring the government and the protest movement to the table have so far been unsuccessful. "The two sides show no interest in negotiations," Somchai said.

Political news

– Opposition party Democrats is working with the Future Innovative Thailand Institute on a blueprint for reform. The blueprint, which contains seven topics, will be discussed on March 28 and 29 at the party's general meeting of members. Elimination of corruption and restructuring in the police and media are some of the topics.

Party leader Abhisit says he wants to support any group that will use the blueprint. He also has no objection to the government using him. Abhisit says reform plans that are not backed by politicians and political parties are short-lived.

“National reform cannot progress if the government blocks it. Together we need to work on a way to move forward with the reforms. […] Reforms and general elections should take place simultaneously, but it is impossible that all issues can be resolved before an election. Moreover, there is a problem of who has the legislative power to implement reforms.'

Protest movement PDRC yesterday launched the first of six forums on reform in Lumpini Park. Action leader Suthep still believes in a people's government, saying that the reforms discussed in the forums will be implemented immediately after the formation of that government.

www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post

Editorial notice

Bangkok Shutdown and the elections in images and sound:
www.thailandblog.nl/nieuws/videos-bangkok-shutdown-en-de-keuzeen/