Military court releases fourteen detained students
A military court in Thailand released fourteen students yesterday. The thirteen men and a woman were arrested on June 26 because they were protesting against the military regime.
The group of students who protested in Bangkok on Friday against the military coup of May 22, 2014, must stop doing so or face severe punishment, NCPO spokesman Col Winthai Suvaree said.
News from Thailand – February 8, 2015
A selection of today's most important Thai news, including:
– Poll: Majority of Bangkokians accept martial law
– Students of Thammasat University protest against junta
– Minister: Cheap food at food courts as compensation
– Dead in major fire head office Siam Commercial Bank
– French expat (53) attacked with an ax at his home on Phuket
News from Thailand – January 19, 2015
A selection of today's most important Thai news, including:
– New law for digital economy is dangerous according to critics.
– Indians and Canadian arrested for stolen credit cards.
– Beach vendors in Pattaya do not follow the rules.
– Two Thai women arrested for defrauding tourists.
News from Thailand – November 27, 2014
Today in News from Thailand:
• Prime Minister Prayut has a taste for foreign travel
• Thousands of fish die in fish pond Makkasan
• It no longer stinks in the Siam Square One shopping centre
Dissatisfaction with junta is growing
Six months after the coup, dissatisfaction with the military's takeover of power has begun to grow. The junta treats critics as enemies and that attitude does more harm than good, political observers warn.
News from Thailand – November 8, 2014
Today in News from Thailand
• Five capitals join forces: 'Five Cities – One Destination'
• Severe weather is coming in the South of Thailand
• Army has 'good conversation' with activists and Pheu Thai members
Composition Reform Council draws criticism and praise
The National Reform Council, which is in the making, is drawing criticism and praise. The names of the 250 members have been leaked and that is grist to the mill of Bangkok Post to unpack.
Plea: Junta, look beyond your nose
The NCPO needs to look beyond the small pool of people it trusts in forming the National Reform Council, said Wuthisarn Tanchai, deputy secretary general of the King Prajadhipok Institute. The council must consist of people 'who are free to express divergent ideas'.
Cabinet with 11 soldiers in the starting blocks
A cabinet of 11 military personnel and 21 bureaucrats and technocrats will lead Thailand in the coming year. Yesterday, coup leader and prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha announced the composition. Tomorrow the new cabinet will be sworn in by the king at Siriraj hospital.
100 days junta, 100 days happy?
It is becoming a (good) habit to judge a new government after 100 days in office. 100 days after May 22 is exactly August 31. Chris de Boer takes stock of the takeover of power by the army.
'Sin City' Pattaya tries to stay ahead of junta
The authorities in Pattaya want to end the dubious reputation of 'sin city' before the junta starts to tighten the strings in the city. Soliciting ladyboys and prostitutes are the losers and renters of beach chairs must comply with the rules.
NCPO expanded; will Thailand get two cabinets?
Coupleider General Prayuth Chan-ocha would like to expand the NCPO (junta), which currently consists of seven members, by seven members, creating a 'super cabinet'. Yesterday he received the royal command, confirming his appointment as interim prime minister by the king.
Prayuth: Junta and government divide the work
When the interim cabinet takes office next month, the NCPO (junta) will have a firm finger in three areas: the fight against corruption, drug trafficking and the illegal use of state land.
High praise for Thailand's new interim prime minister
Lots of Prayuth Chan-ocha today in Bangkok Post. 'NLA picks Prayuth as prime minister' headlines the newspaper pontifically on the front page. The coup leader receives praise from all sides, but a political scientist warns: "Prayuth is an ordinary person, not a superman."
Budget 2015: Farmers pay off
Bangkok Post opens today with criticism of the 2015 budget. Former governing party Pheu Thai and opposition party Democrats note that the junta has cut sharply in the budget for the countryside. Freely translated: The farmers are the child of the bill.
The clock runs forward and not backward
A deafening silence surrounds those who ignored the military's orders. Activists and academics have fled or been forced to remain silent. Some are determined to speak out in the name of justice. Spectrum, the Sunday supplement of the Bangkok Post, lets a few speak.