News from Thailand – March 2, 2014

The death toll in Friday's tragic bus crash in Prachin Buri has risen to XNUMX. One of the students passed away yesterday. Relatives of the dead and injured have called for long-distance trips to be stopped. In the photo, a student is comforted, who lost her mother and younger sister.

– The holiday bungalow of real estate magnate Sasima Srivikorn in Nakhon Ratchasima was hit with a barrage of bullets yesterday.

The attack is attributed to the action of her daughter and husband who treated Potjaman na Pombejra, the ex-wife of former Prime Minister Thaksin, to a flute concert in the Emporium shopping center. A homemade bomb had already been thrown at the couple's home on Thursday evening, but it did not explode.

The bungalow was hit at 3 a.m. by 30 bullets fired from a pickup truck. Sasima and the others sleeping in the house were not hit. The police interpret the shooting as a threat, not an assassination attempt.

Mother Sasima called Potjaman after the whistling incident and apologized for her daughter's misconduct. She said that she had given her daughter and son-in-law a blow for that.

– Today voters in the 32 polling stations of the third constituency in the province of Phetchaburi go to the polls. The Electoral Council does not expect any problems. Voters are given a second chance because they were unable to vote on February 2 due to protests by the anti-government movement.

Those who then threw a spanner in the works are being prosecuted and have been released on bail with the condition not to reoffend. They know very well that their bail will be revoked if they dare to disrupt the elections again.

The PDRC did make a symbolic gesture on Friday when the polling station committee received training. But they did not disrupt training or interfere with the transportation of ballot boxes that day. If there are incidents today, it will be considered whether it is necessary to cancel the elections again. But that is not expected because the polling stations are guarded by more agents.

– The Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission [not to be confused with the National Anti-Corruption Commission, whose office has been sealed off by red shirts – after a conversation with the police they left, I read in a sub-clause in another article] will investigate to some polling committees, who would all too easily have closed their desks on February 2 or who did not show up at all. This is called dereliction of duty and is punishable by law.

The PACC is the first to deal with a committee member in the constituency of Ratchathewi (Bangkok). He did not show up and had no valid reason. He also failed to report his absence to the authorities. The man is called by the PACC for questioning.

In Bangkok, except in Ratchathewi, voting was not possible in the districts of Bang Kapi, Din Daeng, Lak Si and Bung Kum. In other districts, some offices remained closed. The PACC is also investigating closed polling places elsewhere in the country.

– A police officer says Friday by ten guards of the protest movement to be mistreated. He has filed a complaint against them. The officer was stopped by a guard in Siam Square. When he refused to be searched, he was attacked. A group of demonstrators would then have forced him to wear a whistle. They kidnapped him on a motorcycle, he managed to jump off on the way, but he was apprehended again and taken to the Ratchaprasong protest site. Only after questioning was he allowed to go to the hospital. According to his statement.

– The US Secretary of State John Kerry calls on the Thai authorities to quickly investigate the attacks that killed four children. "As an ally and close friend of the Thai people, we are deeply saddened by the deaths and injuries." Kerry calls violence "not an acceptable means of resolving political differences."

The minister emphasized that the US does not take sides in Thai politics. The Thais themselves have to make up for their differences.

– The change to the regulation that guest workers from Myanmar who have worked in Thailand for four years are obliged to return to their country only to be allowed to return after three years has been delayed because the government is outgoing and organizations such as the Migrant Workers are making Rights Network is seriously concerned about. Human trafficking could flourish as a result.

An estimated 100.000 guest workers are affected by the rule. When the new rule comes into effect, they will only have to cross the border for one day. The organizations expect Myanmarese to ignore the current arrangement and secretly return. There is plenty of work, for example in the fishing industry.

The advocacy groups are proposing not to penalize employees who violate the regulation, nor to fine employers who hire them, as required by the Immigration Act.

www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post

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The Bangkok Breaking News section has been canceled and will only be resumed if there is reason to do so.

Bangkok Shutdown and the elections in images and sound:

www.thailandblog.nl/nieuws/videos-bangkok-shutdown-en-de-keuzeen/