News from Thailand – March 18, 2014

Despite UNICEF's advice not to bring children to political rallies, some protesters have no choice because no one can care for their offspring at home. So Chitpas Kikadon, co-leader and spokesman of the protest movement, started a school in Lumpini Park to keep the children present busy.

The school bears the name Under-The-Tree-School; you may guess why. School hours are 10am to 15pm. PDRC guards provide security. What are the children doing? Chitpas (28): drawing, listening to folk tales, playing games and making toys. About fifty children between the ages of 3 and 11 attend the Onder-De-Boom-School every day.

– Weird kidnapping case in Phuket. A Russian man and his girlfriend arrive in Phuket on a student visa in August. They move into a luxury home in Kathu. Family in Russia alerted the embassy a week ago that they were concerned about their safety.

The house is empty, the girlfriend is found in a hotel after a tip from the maid. She was stabbed in the neck, wrists and hands with a knife. On the floor are shredded Thai banknotes, among other things. The man is missing. The police can sort it all out. She has not yet been able to interrogate the girlfriend

– To alleviate the critical shortage of vocational teachers, the Teacher's Council of Thailand offers experts the opportunity to teach without qualifications for two years, but within that period they must obtain their teaching certificate. According to the Ministry of Education, vocational education is short of 10.000 skilled teachers, especially in oil and gas, logistics, jewelry, alternative energy and other modern fields of study.

– I don't quite understand the wording 'A baby born with conjoined heads, separate spines and shared internal organs', but I assume it refers to conjoined twins. The bay was born Friday and died yesterday. The two heads were a surprise not only for the parents but also for the hospital. According to the hospital director, this could not be seen on the ultrasound because the fetus was lying on its side.

– That cannot be a coincidence, says protest group NSPRT. It is strange that the last digits of the number plates of cars used by the Prime Minister were drawn on Sunday during the draw of the State Lottery.

For example, the first prize was 531404, while the number plate of Yingluck's Volkswagen van in which she drove in Chiang Mai last weekend bears the number 5404. Such a 'coincidence' also occurred with the price for the last two final numbers.

And that's suspicious, says NSPRT advisor Nitithorn Lamlua. [who may also believe in leprechauns] It's not the first time Yingluck's car license plates contain tips for winning numbers.

– They may be 'homemade', as the newspaper writes, but don't underestimate those self-assembled bombs. Two were found yesterday morning at the Attorney General's Office (home page photo) and the Judiciary Development Institute's office on Ratchadaphisek Road. rendered harmless.

Similar bombs are being used in the South, said EOD chief Kamtorn Uicaroen. The bombs are powerful enough to sow death and destruction within a radius of 30 to 40 meters. To be able to make it you have to be 'highly experienced'.

– It's the same song again, so it's getting annoying to mention. Action leader Suthep Thaugsuban rejects the initiative of six public law bodies for negotiations and the government says that the preconditions must be in accordance with the constitution.

So nothing new under the sun. And bad luck for the six bodies, including the Electoral Council and the National Anti-Corruption Commission, which presented their plans yesterday. They suggested that both parties submit a list of ten names of potential, i.e. neutral, mediators.

Persons named by both would be tasked with establishing a 'roadmap' and preconditions for negotiations. The selection to find five individuals could take up to a month, said Electoral Commissioner Somchai Srisuttiyakorn, who announced the plans of the Six in the National Ombudsman's office.

Action leader Suthep Thaugsuban rejected the proposal on Monday evening on the Lumpini stage, which is not surprising given his earlier statements: 'We are not negotiating. It's all or nothing.'

– The state of emergency will come to an end and instead the less far-reaching Internal Security Act (ISA) will come into effect in Bangkok and parts of surrounding provinces. The cabinet will take this decision today, says Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul (Foreign Affairs), adviser to the CMPO responsible for the state of emergency. The current members of the CMPO will form the Capo responsible for the ISA. [Guess what Capo stands for.]

Surapong wants the cabinet to ask police commissioner Adul Saengsingkaew to contact the army about the army bunkers in the city. According to Surapong, they scare off tourists and could disappear now that the state of emergency is lifted. They should be moved to government buildings. Surapong [yes, active owner] will ask foreign embassies to encourage tourists and investors to return to Thailand.

The DSI (Thai FBI) ​​has some concerns about the training protest guards receive. That training could provoke violence. According to the DSI director general, guards have previously used violence and weapons.

– The belligerent language of the red shirts has aroused the irritation of army commander Prayuth Chan-ocha. He thinks the red shirt leaders are 'people without honor'. Prayuth also does not want to negotiate with leaders who promise battle and use impermissibly foul language.

Prayuth made some peppery statements in response to the change of chairmanship at the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD, red shirts). The lead has been taken over by hardliner Jaruporn Prompan, who – let's not forget – is free on bail and charged with terrorism for his role in the 2010 red shirt riots. In his maiden speech he announced tougher actions against the anti-government movement, but they would be 'peaceful'.

Prayuth said yesterday that some Thais are encouraging comrades to fight each other. The army chief vowed to prosecute those who sow hatred and promote violence and defiance of the government. "If someone uses violence against soldiers, I will use violence against them."

The army is currently present in Bangkok and the surrounding area with 176 checkpoints. Nevertheless, attacks continue.

– I thought that the chapter of wild gaurs in Kui Buri National Park (Prachuap Khiri Khan) had ended with the finding that 24 gaurs had succumbed to a virus in December, the police are now investigating a group of poachers. He is said to be responsible for the death of a gaur, whose head and flesh were removed and which was set on fire. That seems plausible because forensic experts examine spent bullets. The carcass was found by forest rangers on Sunday near a creek in Khao Chao.

The great drought is driving the gaurs and elephants deeper into the park, making them more vulnerable to smugglers, according to the district chief. A gaur head with horns can fetch 50.000 to 80.000 baht, the price of the meat depends on its freshness.

– A new military unit, called the Budo Task Force, is looking for hiding places of insurgents in the Budo mountains in the deep South. There is training for attacks on military camps in the region.

Eleven insurgent camps have been found in the area since March 2012. The latter was located in Bacho (Narathiwat) district. A substantial amount of ammunition and military camping equipment were seized.

In Yaha, Yala, a former Special Branch officer was shot dead at his gas station. His body was set on fire. He was attacked by two men who came on a motorcycle to fill up with petrol, supposedly. They stole a notebook, money and documents from his office.

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/