News from Thailand – March 25, 2013
How suspicious can someone be? In 2006, former Prime Minister Thaksin in Papua New Guinea discussed plans for the extraction of oil and gas, which is why his sister Yingluck is now visiting the island, says Democratic MP Sirichoke Sopha. And it is no coincidence that Energy Minister Pongsak Raktapongpaisal is in her entourage.
Pongsak denies any connection between the two visits. He admits that Thaksin visited the island immediately after the 2006 military coup and held trade talks with the head of government. But nothing has happened since then. According to the minister, the purpose of Yingluck's visit is to promote diplomatic relations between the two countries. Her trip has nothing to do with the activities of a delegation from the energy sector who accompanies her.
Pongsak says the government is trying to forge good ties with Port Moresby in the expectation that they could precede future energy deals from the Thai private sector. Papua New Guinea has large reserves of natural gas and coal.
- Officials from the Ministry of Education in Bangkok were implicated in the fraud of the exam for teaching assistants in January. They leaked exam papers to make sure enough candidates would pass for their area.
What aroused the suspicion of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI, the Thai FBI) was that the organizer of the exam was changed at the behest of those officials. Thanin Prempee, head of the DSI's anti-corruption bureau, says the DSI has not yet been able to fully investigate the case. On Wednesday, the special affairs committee of the DSI will decide whether the fraud is considered a special case and then the service can go wild.
According to the DSI, submissions and answers were leaked in the four northeastern provinces of Khon Kaen, Udon Thani, Yasothon and Nakhon Ratchasima and many candidates were replaced by someone else. Headmasters handed out the answers and others told the candidates how to receive the answers via their mobile phones during the exam.
The DSI will now try to follow the money trail, but that investigation could take some time because bribes are usually given in cash. The officials who went wrong can expect action from the National Anti-Corruption Commission.
– Social critic, as he is commonly referred to, Sulak Sivaraksa credits TV station PBS for having the courage to lead the public debate on important issues in the country, especially the lèse majesté law.
The discussion program Tob Jote which aired earlier this month, he called a prime example of the station's role in encouraging the public to debate sensitive issues.
The program was recently in the news for having devoted five episodes to the role of the monarchy. The fifth episode was abruptly canceled but later aired. The police have announced that they are investigating the program.
Sulak calls the people who threatened the station with lawsuits and protested against the resumption of the program 'silly'. The station is doing its duty by making airtime available to those who hold different views. Sulak (80) has been prosecuted several times in the past for lèse majesté.
The Thai media, he says, is neither pro- nor anti-Thaksin. They promote consumerism and poor entertainment without informing viewers about the significant issues of the current generation. He also has little regard for the military. "Thailand has become a police state and the army does nothing but kill its own people." [See also the item 'The sunny side of lèse majesté']
– Has Suriyasai Katasila, coordinator of the Green Politics group, looked into a crystal ball? He predicts that parliament will be dissolved and new elections will be called once the government has received parliamentary approval to borrow 2 trillion baht for infrastructure works.
According to Suriyasai, former Prime Minister Thaksin has instructed the government to pass the relevant bill through parliament. The government party can thus make a good impression with the voters during the elections, so that it will gain even more support when it is back in power. This tactic would be necessary because the current policy is failing and the future of Prime Minister Yingluck is uncertain.
A new poll by Dusit shows that most people support the infrastructure plan: 52 percent of the 1.580 respondents, but the margin is narrow, as 48 percent are against. He calls the plans risky and susceptible to corruption.
– 61 percent of respondents in a poll by Abac are afraid that the loan of 30 million baht that Yingluck has concealed will affect her role as leader. Yingluck lent that amount to the company in which her husband is a shareholder, but she failed to report it. The National Anti-Corruption Commission is currently investigating the case.
– Eight villages in the provinces of Surin and Nakhon Ratchasima were hit by a tropical storm on Saturday, resulting in six injuries due to uprooted trees and damage to fifty houses. The roof of a hospital in Ban Khon Takhian (Surin) also collapsed. Over the past two weeks, storms have wreaked havoc in four districts of Nakhon Ratchasima.
– Sunday marks 1 year since a bomb destroyed the Lee Gardens Plaza Hotel in Hat Yai (Songkhla). Security measures have been tightened in this regard. Checkpoints have been set up on all roads to Hat Yai. They are also looking for seven rebel leaders who are planning attacks in the area, and three (stolen) vehicles that can be filled with explosives.
– Aren't they sweethearts, these Miss Grand Thailand beauty pageant contestants? A total of 37 participants are in Pattani for three days to participate in competitions [sack races?] and to visit victims of bombings. In the photo they pose in front of the Lim Kor New Goddess Shrine.
– The provinces of Chanthaburi, Trat, Sa Kaeo and Chachoengsao are eligible for a 'rice trading zone', in which rice from Cambodia is processed for export. The Department of Foreign Trade has yet to decide whether the zone will be in one province or all. After the imported rice has been processed, it is exported to the EU. In addition, Thailand can benefit from the Generalized System of Preference that applies to Cambodia, because the rice comes from Cambodia.
According to deputy director-general Tikhumporn Natvaratat, Thai farmers still need to be convinced that they will not be disadvantaged by the zone. Tikhumporn believes the project could prevent the smuggling of rice from Cambodia to Thailand. Cambodian rice is smuggled into Thailand to take advantage of the high prices in the mortgage system.
– Even more about rice. Chukiat Opaswong, honorary president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, calls the extension until 2016 of the Memorandum of Understanding with Bangladesh on the supply of parboiled rice as a PR stunt. "Anyone can sign a MoU," he says, pointing out that Bangladesh mainly imports Indian rice, which is much cheaper.
– The police raided an illegal casino in Klong Tan and two in Bang Na yesterday. In Klong Tan, 425 gamblers were arrested and chips, 4 million baht in cash and equipment seized. 90 people were arrested in a raid in Bang Na. Five high-ranking police officers have been sent prison sentences for failing to act against the casinos.
– A 53-year-old woman in Lop Buri has been arrested on suspicion of murdering her three-day-old grandson. She had dumped the baby in a canal, but she and the 16-year-old mother had been spotted by witnesses. The grandmother has stated that the child was the result of an unwanted pregnancy and that her husband had threatened to kill the child if she took care of a child out of wedlock.
The sunny side of lèse majesté
Thailand is making progress on freedom of expression and the lèse majesté law. Columnist Voranai Vanijaka will write in his column on Sunday Bangkok Post hear a sound that is underexposed in all discussions.
An example. On Saturday morning, February 2, dozens of students wore a black shirt with the text 'Free Political Prisoners'. They carried fliers and posters, and many wore masks with the face of Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, the editor who was sentenced to 11 years in prison in January for lèse majesté. A popular image on social media was a photo of the grandstand where students had unrolled a large banner with the text 'Free Somyot'.
Would the students have dared to do that 10 years ago, 5 years ago or even 2? Voranai wonders rhetorically.
And so he reviews a few more things, such as writing a comment about lèse-majesté in the newspaper or posting a reaction on the website and recently the 5-part political talk show Tob Jote on the PBS TV channel, which was dedicated to the monarchy.
“The station had the courage to make the program and it went on the air without being nipped in the bud. The station resisted threats and re-aired the final episode [after it was initially cut] and formed a legal team in case it is sued,” said Voranai.
He points out that only a handful of people protested at the PBS office, army commander Prayuth Chan-ocha could do nothing more than object and the Royal Thai Police could only announce an investigation. Ten years ago, five years ago, even two years ago, the show would have been taken off the screen after 10 seconds.
Times are changing, Voranai writes, as people push their limits and the media must take the lead. Not because we don't respect the monarchy – we do – and not because we aren't loyal to the monarchy – because we are. But we take the lead because we believe healthy, constructive discussion is a cornerstone of democracy. Because we believe that an open discussion is essential for Thailand to move forward.
www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post