News from Thailand – November 11, 2013
A Cambodian street vendor at the central market of Phnom Penh (Cambodia), built by the French in the 60s. The country celebrated on Saturday that it became independent XNUMX years ago. The ruling of the International Court of Justice in The Hague is also eagerly awaited in the neighboring country.
Is the flame in the pan today or is it all going well? Joost may know, but the signs are anything but reassuring. The Center for the Administration of Peace and Order takes into account disturbances of public order [read: skirmishes] and has increased security measures.
Today is an exciting day because the Senate is considering the controversial amnesty proposal and the International Court of Justice in The Hague rules in the Preah Vihear case, i.e. is the 4,6 square kilometer area of the temple disputed by both countries Thai or Cambodian territory? The Senate is expected to vote on the proposal, but that does not mean that the cold is out of the air, because then the proposal will go back to the House of Representatives.
That is why MP Suthep Thaugsuban, who is in charge of the Democrats' rally on Ratchadamnoen Avenue, has given the ultimatum: the proposal must be off the table by 18 pm today. "At six o'clock, the Shinawatra family must turn on the television to listen to me," Suthep said menacingly [?]. He has called on the population to join the protest.
Minister Chaturon Chaisaeng (Education) yesterday called on the government to promise not to reintroduce the proposal if the Senate rejects it. Most protesters are against the political amnesty, but they don't want to overthrow the government. It's only a small group that wants that. They can do that better with constitutional means.' According to the minister, dissolution of the House of Representatives does not offer a solution, because Pheu Thai has a good chance of being re-elected.
Other amnesty news:
- Opponents of the amnesty proposal are demonstrating today around noon in various places in Bangkok: Silom, Asok, Saphan Khwai and Ratchadapisek. Then they march to Ratchadamnoen Avenue.
- Three anti-government groups, which have pitched their tents at the Phan Fa bridge on Ratchadamnoen Avenue, have expanded their package of demands since Saturday: not only must the amnesty proposal be dropped, but the government must also pack its bags. They have no intention of leaving if the Senate, as expected, rejects the amnesty proposal today.
- Two former leaders of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD, yellow shirts) today announced their positions and plans. So far they have not intervened in the protests.
- Demonstrations are being organized across the country. There are fears that red shirts and anti-government protesters will attack each other.
- Yesterday, the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) held a large rally at the SCG Muangthong United football stadium. According to the organizers, there were 100.000 people, the newspaper puts it at 50.000. UDD chairman Tida Tawornseth added fuel to the fire. “We need to strengthen our movement to push back the conservative movement. Today is another round of battle. The democratic forces must attack.'
- About 2010 red shirts gathered around noon yesterday at the Ratchaprasong intersection, the site they occupied for 68 days in XNUMX. Later they left for the stadium, but some stayed for one candle lit ceremony in memory of the victims of that time.
- Secretary of State and Red Shirt leader Nattawut Saikuar claims on his Facebook page that the protesters on Ratchadamnoen Avenue are going to besiege Government House today. Suthep denies that. "We are not fools like the red shirts," referring to the siege by red shirts in 2010. The then Democratic government then moved the cabinet meeting to the military base at Don Mueang airport. "There's no point besieging Government House."
- 3.200 people left Surat Thani, a Democratic stronghold, for Bangkok yesterday to strengthen the demonstration on Ratchadamnoen Avenue.
- The Department of Special Investigation (DSI, Thailand's FBI) warns the leaders and funders of the anti-amnesty protests that the protests violate the Internal Security Act. It points out that there is no reason to demonstrate any longer because the coalition parties no longer support the controversial proposal and because the six other proposals have been withdrawn. The DSI says continuing the protests could lead to violence and chaos, as in the past.
- Fifteen schools near Ratchadamnoen Avenue are closed today. The authorities fear for the safety of the students. Moreover, roads are closed, making it difficult to reach the schools. The Mattayom Wat Makutkasat school in Dusit is open today, but extracurricular activities have been canceled so that students can go home early. Eight other schools in Dusit (one of the three districts covered by the ISA) are open as normal.
– Three soldiers and two civilians were injured in a bomb attack in Rueso (Narathiwat) yesterday. The bomb was placed next to the concrete wall surrounding the home of the mother of a former mayor of Rueso. When a truck and pickup with eighteen soldiers and a pickup with civilians passed, the bomb was detonated.
In Yaring (Pattani) a village chief was shot dead early yesterday morning. The man was riding his motorcycle when he was fired upon from a pickup truck that had followed him.
In Rueso (Narathiwat), a man (18) was shot dead from an ambush on Saturday evening. His two friends (16 and 26) were injured.
– A second suspect, arrested in the murder case Jakkrit (the man who was shot dead in his Porsche), says that Jakkrit's mother-in-law is the mastermind behind the murder. Voraphanpuree 'Mam' Montri-areekul (picture homepage), who works at a security company, is an acquaintance of Jakkrit's wife. She would have approached a lawyer at the mother's request to arrange the assassination attempt.
Once the woman has been questioned, police will apply for arrest warrants against all suspects, including the wife and her 72-year-old mother. According to the suspect, the mother paid 1,2 million baht to the lawyer.
The mother-in-law would have decided on the rigorous measure because she was afraid that Jakkrit would harm her daughter and children. He had already been arrested once for threatening his wife and mother and was released on bail.
– Today at 16 pm Thai time, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague will rule in the Preah Vihear case. On her Facebook page, Prime Minister Yingluck asks the population to have confidence in the government. I'll leave out the other blabla, anyone can think of that. A waste of space on Thailandblog.
Yesterday, the Thai-Cambodian Regional Border Committee met in Surin. The members pledged to strive for peace along the border. The two forces will remain in their current positions at the border regardless of the ICJ's ruling. Both army commanders will have telephone contact every hour. This contact should prevent misunderstandings or provocations.
Commander Chea Mon of Cambodia's Fourth Region Army denies that reinforcements have been brought in. Those rumors are based on a misunderstanding. Soldiers have brought relief supplies to flood victims, he says.
Today and tomorrow, forty schools at the border will remain closed.
Ta Muen Thom and Ta Kwai temples in Phanom Dong Rak, where fighting took place in 2010 and 2011, were open as normal yesterday. Soldiers from both countries meet every afternoon at 3 o'clock. The location is considered extremely sensitive because the soldiers are stationed quite close together.
– Four smugglers were shot dead in a gunfight between rangers and drug smugglers on the border with Myanmar in Chiang Mai. 400.000 speed pills were also seized. The other smugglers managed to escape. There were no casualties on the Thai side.
– Three parks in Chatuchak are merged, creating a green area of 727 rai. The new park will be the largest in Bangkok. It should be done within two months. The three are the Chatuchack park, Queen Sirikit Park and the Vachirabenjata Park, which is also known as Suan Rot Fai railway park. Furthermore, two parks are under construction in Bangkok: a park of 3 rai at Charan Sanitwong Soi 42 in Bang Phlat and one of 34 rai in Vatcharapol.
– To date, 129 individuals have succumbed to dengue fever and 139.681 cases have been diagnosed. The number of cases is expected to decrease during the coming cool season.
– 72 percent of respondents in a poll by Abac have less confidence in the government, against 10 percent more. 70 percent think the army will not intervene. 78 percent feel happy about the protests in Bangkok because they are proof of the unity of the population.
www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post
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Breaking News The 72-year-old mother-in-law of murdered Olympic sports shooter Jakkrit Panichpatikum (the man who was shot dead in his Porsche) confessed this afternoon that she had ordered a hit man to kill him. His wife would not be involved. As an explanation, the woman gave that despite repeated apologies, Jakkrit regularly abused his wife.
Personally, I don't believe the widow of Jakkrit knew anything about this. She had a new boyfriend for some time and wanted to divorce Jakkrit. His death makes her a mother in prison richer but also reportedly 100 million baht (from Jakkrit's life insurance policy). Money enough for a white lie, I secretly think.
The mother also said that her daughter - when she was pregnant for the third time - was so beaten by Jakkrit that she had a miscarriage. She didn't say who the father was………I think Jakkrit knew………………
Who knows, the real answers will come in the near future.
Breaking News Cambodian territory near the temple extends to the natural promontory on which the temple stands, the ICJ ruled this afternoon. The Court rejected Cambodia's demand to also assign the nearby Phnum Trap or Phu Makheu hill in Thailand to her. Pheu Makheu is located in the disputed 4,6 square kilometers. (Source: Bangkok Post website)
That is only a small part where Hans. The protests that started a week ago were initially against the Amnesty Bill and now that it is off the table, the protests continue against what is arguably the most corrupt and incapable government in the history of this country. The Protestants don't need a minute at all in the form of the ICJ decision. The minut is delivered daily by the thoroughly corrupt PTP.
The only groups that really have problems with the temple are the Dhamma Army group, led by 'has been' Chamlong Srimuang, a man nobody takes seriously, and the Thai Patriots, a group of extremely nationalistic crybabys with a minimal following. The current protests are directed against the highly corrupt signature of this regime, led by a remote control PM. All, I mean all protesters I know, that whole temple will be a sausage. This government has to go.
The protests against the amnesty law are – in my opinion – not organized and controlled by the Democrats at all. If they did, they would have known beforehand how many latent supporters they had. Despite the criticism of the bill, PARTICULARLY from outside parliament, the bill was passed in the House. The compensation promised by Thaksin for voting FOR was apparently more attractive to the members of the Pheu Thai than listening to THE people.
This arrogance of the Pheu Thai provoked a kind of chain reaction among very diverse groups: from lawyers, doctors and nurses, presidents of universities, descendants of the royal family, the judiciary. If you work in Thailand (like me) you are confronted with the discussion in the office on a daily basis. Yingluck should have been wise enough to withdraw the proposal.
The fact that it is now waiting for the verdict of the Senate only makes the protest movements angrier and more determined not to stop with the amnesty proposal but to continue until this government resigns, for contempt for the opinion of the people . That is a matter of time, if you can still think independently as a PM.
diIt is just waiting for a clear map about where the border is now and where it was according to Thailand and where it was according to Cambodia.
The Bangkok Post talks about the promontory being assigned to Cambodia:
“Cambodia's sovereignty over a disputed temple on its border with Thailand extends to the natural promontory bearing the monument, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) unanimously ruled Monday.
However, the court rejected Cambodia's claim that it was also awarded a nearby hill, called Phnum Trap or Phu Makheu in Thailand, by the 1962 ICJ ruling that was being interpreted in Monday's judgment.
Pheu Makheu is in the disputed 4.6 square kilometer area.”
Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/379284/icj-promontory-is-cambodian
As I read it, part of it has been assigned to Thailand (the hill up to the natural ledge?) and part right next to the temple to Cambodia. I would like to see it on a map exactly where that border is, that makes a lot clear.
As far as I can see/read, the temple and the territory around it is for Cambodia and not for Thailand. It's a whole wall of text to sift through.
http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/files/151/17704.pdf
I'll just wait it out. The last 2 comments contradict each other (at least as far as I understand)
Breaking News The government cannot withdraw the controversial amnesty proposal and certainly not before 6 am today, as the Democrats have demanded. The law does not allow that, now that the bill is being considered by the Senate. If the Senate rejects the proposal, it will go back to the House of Representatives, which will decide what to do with it after 180 days.
The government whips will propose to convene a joint meeting of the Senate and House of Representatives on November 13 to break the deadlock.
To explain: A whip is a person who, prior to a vote in parliament, must ensure that members of his own party are present and vote for the correct proposal. The term is used in British, American and Canadian politics.
There is no such function in the Netherlands, if only because it would be illegal. The Dutch Constitution stipulates that members of parliament vote without burden or consultation. (Source: Wikipedia)
Dear Dick,
Thanks for the good explanation of a whip. I had no idea yet.
It's nice and good that Dick also explains the news in the afternoon after the translation of the Bangkok Post.
Many fallang in this area follow your news reports and explanations.
a good greeting from Danny
Just watch television and you will see anti-Thaksin demonstrations in the south of the country, but also in Ubon Ratchatani, Udonthani…so in the lion's den…..
Rice farmers are also getting angry because they have not received payment for their rice since early October and the Agriculture Bank is bankrupt if the Ministry of Finance does not step in. And they don't do that until January, they say........you must be a farmer.....
Hans, you don't also commit the mistake like the Red Shirt sympathizers, by jokingly dismissing the numbers of demonstrators as insignificant compared to the numbers that the Red Shirts get on their feet. Most opponents of this regime all have jobs that they have to go to every day and pay the taxes that misfinanced the rice mortgage fiasco.
There were also protests in various countries. For example, last weekend, Sunday at the Thai embassy in The Hague, I also saw photos of a protest in London on Facebook. I didn't count the heads, but in The Hague there must have been 200, I think? We were able to enter the embassy, then shouted for a while opposite the embassy and sang the national anthem, then walked to the Peace Palace. There was also a Thai media, a journalist and cameraman, although I don't know from which channel. He interviewed various people (Thai and Dutch). Afterwards, many people thanked the police (my girlfriend, friends and me too).
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Thai-protests-against-amnesty-bill-spread-to-other-30219115.html
(I can't find photos of the protest yesterday at the Thai embassy in The Hague, except for private/closed Facebook accounts)
After some googling I only found this link, but little or nothing else can be found about it, not even in local/regional media such as TV West:
http://www.dichtbij.nl/den-haag/lifestyle/zorg-en-welzijn/artikel/3172271/haagse-protestmars-amnestiewet-thailand.aspx
And on this forum a couple of pictures:
http://thailandgek.actieforum.com/t1008-thai-in-den-haag-protesteren-tegen-omstreden-amnestiewet#1675
Dear Hans,
1. google is nice but does not reflect the truth but the view of the various media on the events. As a worker I am in the middle of the facts and I can assure you that the protests were not controlled by the Democrats but that they are now trying to be. With Suthep in charge (who also has a less good image), this attempt to contain and use the protests to benefit the Democrats is doomed to fail.
2. Thailand is not a democracy and has not even moved towards it in recent decades because the 'elected' politicians do not learn from the mistakes made by their own parties and the other parties. People are stuck in an egoistic oligarchy. A 'new' road is needed and it does not run through the existing parties or new parties to be set up by the old elites.