News from Thailand – July 8, 2013

Are they really the voices of former Prime Minister Thaksin and Deputy Prime Minister Yutthasak Sasiprasa (Defense) in an audio clip on YouTube or are their voices faked?

Pheu Thai spokesperson Prompong Nopparit says they are being imitated, but opposition party Democrats are in all states because Thaksin and Yutthasak are talking about a plot to get Thaksin to return to Thailand.

The two talk about a plan to arrange amnesty not through a bill, but through a cabinet decision, because that goes faster. They also talk about changing the rules governing the transfer of senior army officers and strengthening the government's grip on the army.

'Horrible', says Suthep Thaugsuban (left in the photo), former deputy prime minister in the Abhisit cabinet and now deputy leader of the opposition party Democrats. “This is an insult to the public and a mockery of the rules. We can't accept that.' Suthep warns of a popular uprising if amnesty were indeed to be rustled that way.

Opposition leader Abhisit is equally shocked. The clip shows glimpses of future conflict and division. This can lead to chaos. […] The conversation between the two men raises concerns that peace and reconciliation will never be achieved. They want to abuse state power for personal gain.'

Abhisit now also understands why Prime Minister Yingluck had to become Defense Minister if necessary, and the top ministry has been expanded with a Deputy Minister. “The deputy minister has been brought in to do the dirty work. If the audio clip is real, the government's claim about the cabinet change is a lie.'

– In a fire in the Sai Noi police station (Nonthaburi), four detainees were burnt alive in their cells on Saturday night. The two-story building went up in flames. Five officers were on duty when the fire broke out. The suspected cause is a short circuit in a transformer.

About fifty relatives demanded yesterday at the agency that the police take responsibility for the deaths. A teenager was so angry that he punched a cop, which led to some chaos. Governor Wichian Phuttiwinyu has promised that an attempt will be made to compensate the relatives.

– No less than 117 teenagers were arrested yesterday in Chon Buri because they were street racing. The police, who had set up a blockade, seized 76 (often staged) motorcycles. The teenagers made the road unsafe every weekend, to the irritation of the residents who had raised the alarm with the police. They also have to give their pee to see if they are taking drugs.

– Minister Chaikasem Nitisiri (Justice) wants to sell old prison complexes in order to raise money for the construction of new prisons. Expansion of the number of cells is urgently needed because of the growing number of detainees. Chaikasem is thinking of selling Klong Prem Central Prison, also known as Lard Yao Prison.

The minister has other ideas to boost his budget: selling shares or asking the private sector to build prisons and then lease them to the Corrections Department.

Thailand has 233.252 prisoners; 2.300 are added each month. Next year, the country is expected to be saddled with 300.000 prisoners. According to the Corrections Department, 27 new prisons are needed. With the current budget, the Ministry can build one per year.

– They had hidden in a remote corner of the island of Koh Tarutao (Satun) and thought they were safe from the strong arm, but that kite did not fly. On Saturday night, police and national park rangers rounded up 170 refugees, including Rohingya. The refugees presumably came from Malaysia and were on their way to Australia. They come from Bangladesh, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia and Pakistan.

The police suspect that they were brought to the island by two brokers, a Thai and a Malaysian, but they are on the run. They would later go to Australia by boat. On the island they were guarded by three Thais, but they fled at the start of the raid.

One of the refugees said he had to pay 60.000 baht for the trip with his family. The Rohingya will be housed in a shelter, with the Rohingya detained at the beginning of this year. The others are being prosecuted.

– Four managers of hulling mills will be prosecuted for misappropriation of rice, which was surrendered under the mortgage system for rice. These are rice mills in Chai Nat, Pathum Thani, Songkhla and Phatthalung. Some mills had more paddy in stock than reported.

The police are on the trail of 27 warehouses and peeling mills where tampering has occurred. Eight may not receive any more paddy. There is more paddy than reported and there is no peeled rice.

www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post