News from Thailand – March 8, 2014

Justice at last for Thawil Pliensri, who was ousted in 2011 as Secretary of the National Security Council (NSC). His transfer on the orders of Prime Minister Yingluck was illegal, the Supreme Administrative Court ruled yesterday. Thawil, who retires in six months, should return to his old position within 45 days.

Thawil went to court in 2012 to challenge his transfer to a post as adviser to Prime Minister Yingluck. In May last year, the Administrative Court already ruled in his favor. According to the court, Yingluck's defense that as head of government she has the power to transfer someone, did not make sense, because there must be plausible reasons for that transfer. Transfers, the court ruled, must be free of bias or political affiliation.

According to Thawil, his transfer was a typical case of patronage. He had to make way for another so that his position as chief of police could be taken over by Thaksin's brother-in-law. “The patronage system has completely destroyed the bureaucracy. How can you count on civil servants doing their job correctly, if it remains so strong?'

The NSC secretary-general says he respects the verdict, but warns Thawil will not have an easy time. Thawil has spoken on several occasions at anti-government venues. In his old position he has to work with the CMPO, the body responsible for the state of emergency, and wants to end the demonstrations.

- Isn't that a sweet face? A stern soldier behind a pile of sandbags, which is decorated with flowers. After Prime Minister Yingluck complained that the army posts in Bangkok were too intimidating for tourists and damaged the image of the country, the army immediately ran to the florist to pimp up the posts at tourist places.

The army has set up 176 posts in the capital and the immediate vicinity. They are located at protest sites and government buildings and in crowded places. The soldiers manning the posts are unarmed.

– Nice idea, but possibly against the law. So Pheu Thai candidate MPs have today hurriedly canceled their planned meeting in the chamber of the parliament. The meeting will be held at a later date. The meeting also had a nice name: Opening Parliament and Pressing Ahead with the Country's Reform.

– Two transfers in the annual reshuffle of the army (officer transfer round) are striking, as both were involved in the red shirt disturbances in 2010, which claimed the lives of some 90 people. Yesterday, the Defense Council and Prime Minister Yingluck adopted the reshuffle list, which now goes to the Electoral Council and from there to the King for signature.

Apirat Kongsompong becomes commander of the armed forces in Greater Bankok and nearby provinces, including Lop Buri. He was involved in ending the red shirt protest.

Walit Rojanapakdi, who was seriously injured in the fighting with red shirts at the Kok Wua intersection (April 10, 2010), will be head of the Fourth Army Corps in the southern provinces and not the First Army Corps in the Central Plains and Bangkok. According to an army source, that is an appropriate compromise in his case.

– The Air Force has filed a complaint against red shirt leader Wutthipong Kachathamkhun for promoting separatism and lese majeste. Wutthipong is responsible for the banner in Bangkok's Don Muang district, which some say calls for the country to be split.

Wutthipong, leader of the red shirts in Pathum Thani, has another explanation for the banner text: it is said to be sarcastic because the army is not interfering with anti-government demonstrations. The banner hangs from a walkway near the air base on Don Mueang [spelled ue].

– Today the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD, red shirts) is holding a large rally at the International Convention Center in Chiang Mai. The meeting is not only intended to support the government, but also to end the secession controversy.

“The rally gives moral support to the government. It will show the people who want to overthrow the government that the government is not alone," said one of the local leaders. According to him, many who have not previously participated in red shirt activities will come because they relate to the government.

According to some, the call for secession was a joke; it was more of a sarcastic remark than a threat. The mayor of Mae Hiah calls the chatter from a frustrated man. Nevertheless, the Internal Security Operations Command considers the call serious, as it has filed a report.

– A serious problem looms for protest leader Issara Somchai following the incident with the man who says he was thrown handcuffed into the river in Chachoengsao on his order. The man claims to have been arrested by protest guards in Lumpini Park and to have been locked up there for five days. Issara would have given the order to kill him.

The court of Chachoengsao has already issued an arrest warrant for Issara, as well as five others involved. The charges are attempted murder, assault, detention and theft of personal documents. The victim, now in the ICU at the Police General Hospital, is a former UDD guard. Issara says she never spoke to the man and never heard from the guards about what he claims.

– The security of the Lumpini Park has been increased after two shooting incidents on Thursday night. A woman and a man were injured. The man was taken to hospital, the woman had only minor injuries and was allowed to go home after treatment. It is the first time that Lumpini, where all demonstrators now camp, has been the target of an attack.

– Yesterday afternoon a grenade was fired on the grounds of the Shinawatra Building 3. The attack took place when demonstrators demonstrated in front of the building. The grenade was fired from the parking lot. No one was injured.

– Protest movement PDRC is committed to the Indian businessman Satish Sehgal, who is threatened with deportation. The PDRC is asking the civil court for an injunction against the deportation. Sehgal would have violated the emergency ordinance. He is also said to have led the siege of the Aviation Department

– Taya Teepsuwan temporarily withdraws from politics out of concerns for the safety of her family and the students of a school owned by her mother. Taya is a former deputy governor of Bangkok and one of the leaders of the PDRC. Her decision was prompted by the shelling of her mother's holiday home in Nakhon Ratchasima and two bomb attacks on her own home. Taya and her husband were recently in the news for disturbing Thaksin's ex-wife in the Emporium shopping center with whistling.

– The annual Red Cross fair is canceled this year due to the political unrest. The fair was scheduled for March 28 to April 5 at Suan Amporn Plaza in Bangkok.

– Finally clarity about the mysterious death of 24 wild gaurs in December in Kui Buri National Park (Prachuap Khiri Khan). They died of a virus related to foot and mouth disease. Mahidol University has established this in tests. Possible source is another animal that was released in the park. Many stories have circulated about the death of the animals, but we will not ruminate them.

Elections

– Re-elections will be held on April 5 in Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani. There it was not possible to vote in numerous polling stations on 2 February, because ballot boxes and ballot papers were missing or because the offices could not be occupied with the required number of officials. Voters in Satun, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phuket, Phangnga, Chumphon and Ranong will go to the polls on April 27.

No date has yet been set for re-elections in the 28 constituencies, where district candidates could not be voted on February 2 because their registration was thwarted by protesters in December. This case has been submitted by the Electoral Council to the Constitutional Court.

The dates April 5 and 27 were set at a seminar yesterday in Hat Yai. They still have to be approved by the Electoral Council. The suggestion that the re-elections be held on the same day as the Senate elections (March 30) was not met by government representatives and representatives of political parties because of fears that demonstrations against the re-elections would also affect the senate elections. And they are not controversial.

The seminar was marred by a minor quibble: the Governor of Chumphon left the room after accusing the Electoral Council of not being fully committed to the election. If the governor does not cooperate, the re-elections may be canceled.

Farmer's protest

– Two hundred farmers from the Central Plains, led by protest leader Luang Pu Buddha Issara, demonstrated yesterday at the headquarters of the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives for a fair distribution of the 20 billion baht, which will be available for payments to farmers. 'We want to make sure', says Luang Pu, 'that farmers who are not red shirt and government supporters also get money.'

The 20 billion comes from the emergency provisions of the national budget and is supplemented by 10 billion from rice sales. In total, the BAAC still has to pay 130 billion baht. Some farmers have been waiting since 2012 for payment for the rice they surrendered.

Yesterday, the farmers also went to the police's Crime Suppression Division. They filed a complaint against Prime Minister Yingluck and other ministers for corruption in the rice mortgage system.

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/