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Coup chance ‘less than zero’, says Army chief as tension mounts

PoliticsNov 10. 2020Army chief General Narongpan Jitkaewthae 

By The Nation

Army chief General Narongpan Jitkaewthae has dismissed rumours of a coup, as political tension rises amid escalating protests.

Asked on Monday if there was any solution to the current political unrest, he said he reminded himself frequently that political conflicts must be solved by political means.

“If everyone is sensible and considers the issue from all angles, then we will know what to do,” he said.

When reporters pointed out that some people were urging the military to stage a coup, he responded that the possibility of a coup was less than zero. 

Narongpan’s comment came as he defended military personnel involved in controlling Sunday’s anti-government rally, when water cannon was used on protesters.

Commentators point out that similar vows were made by Prayut Chan-o-cha just months before the then-Army chief staged a coup in 2014 and became prime minister. 

Talk of an impending coup is growing louder online, as the government shows no sign of heeding protesters’ demands.

Arnon Nampa, a prominent human rights lawyer and key protest leader, has warned a coup would lead to disaster.

He also predicted the military would not stage a coup, since that would mean scrapping the current Constitution and opening the door for another party to declare a more democratic charter. Arnon’s statement echoed the protest movement’s stance that any coup would be met with fierce defiance.

“The solution must be via a compromise, as HM the King said, but when or how it will happen [remains unknown], and meanwhile the two sides are trying to prevent loss of life. So we must keep working and find a solution together,” he posted on Facebook on Monday.

Arnon was referring to a rare remark made by HM the King on November 1, when he answered a question from a foreign reporter by calling Thailand “the land of compromise”.

Key protest group Free Youth stated that coups have never brought national reform, and only ever sweep problems under the carpet. The existing Constitution, which was written by Prayut’s post-coup government, also prohibits the overthrow of the democratic system. 

The government has proposed setting up a national reconciliation committee to resolve the problems, but the opposition and protesters view the move as a delaying tactic. Meanwhile the government continues to crack down on peaceful pro-democracy protesters.

Gothom Arya, adviser to the Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies at Mahidol University, said he supported moves to launch a national reconciliation panel because it could lead to a peaceful solution.

Pro-democracy demonstrators began protesting in February, pausing during the Covid-19 lockdown before returning to the streets in July. They are demanding Prayut’s resign, a new Constitution and reform of the monarchy.

The rallies have triggered smaller counter-protests by yellow-clad royalists. Some observers speculate the establishment may be using the yellow-shirt movement as a tool to stoke tensions in order to justify a coup.

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Remembering the ‘father of Thai democracy’ as his spirit rises again

PoliticsNov 09. 2020

By THE NATION

Historian Wichitwong Na Pomphet has offered some timely historical background for escalating pro-democracy protests that have erupted in Thailand over the past six months.

Last month the student-led protest movement began calling itself Khana Ratsadon (People’s Party) 2020, after the People’s Party that led the bloodless 1932 Siamese Revolution to end absolute monarchy and usher in constitutional monarchy.

At the head of that revolution was Pridi Banomyong, the so-called “father of Thai democracy” and a hero to the young protesters out on the streets today. Pridi saw his dreams of a democratic Thailand shattered in 1947 when the military staged a coup in what became the template for Thai politics to this day.

Now, student-led protesters are seeking to break that template by demanding the resignation of General Prayut Chan-o-cha, who took power in the 2014 coup, and the rewriting of his junta-scripted Constitution.

The 73rd anniversary of the 1947 coup fell on Sunday (November 8), prompting author Wichitwong Na Pomphet to post an article about Pridi’s escape from Thailand at https://pridi.or.th, the website of the Pridi Banomyong Institute.

On November 8, 1947, Army troops seized various government installations in Bangkok. The coup, led by Lieutenant General Phin Choonhavan and Colonel Kat Katsongkhram, ousted the government of Pridi’s proxy, Rear Admiral Thawan Thamrongnawasawat, who was replaced by Khuang Aphaiwong as prime minister.

Khuang had earlier headed the government elected in January 1946, but when he resigned in March, Pridi took over in a bid to stabilise spiralling political tensions. The Pridi government marked the war crimes trial of former PM Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram, who managed to escape charges of colluding with Japan on a legal technicality.

After a general election, Pridi resigned as prime minister and took up his role of senior statesman.

A year later, the military staged a coup and armoured cars arrived in front of Pridi’s Bangkok riverside residence. Pridi had already been tipped off, though, and spent the week hiding under the care of Admiral Sindhu Songkhramchai at Royal Thai Navy headquarters. On November 20, he was smuggled to Singapore by British and US agents, before making his way to North America via Shanghai.

“The 1947 coup effectively ended Pridi’s role in Thai politics and was followed by several attempts by adversaries to strip him of his Senior Statesman title,” said Wichitwong.

“Pridi spent 36 years in exile until his death in France in 1983 at the age of 84.”

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Arnon, Parit deny charges they have been hit with in Phayao

PoliticsNov 09. 2020

By THE NATION

Human-rights lawyer Arnon Nampa and protest leader Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak showed up at Phayao’s Mae Ka Police Station on Sunday to hear charges for holding an illegal political rally in the province on July 27.

They were accused of violating the state of emergency by organising the protest – a charge they both deny. Arnon and Parit have also said they will produce documents to prove their innocence and will only testify in court.

The duo are scheduled to visit the station again on November 24.

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Thammasat student body condemns police actions against protesters

PoliticsNov 09. 2020

By THE NATION

The Thammasat University Student Union (TUSU) on Sunday condemned the police’s use of water cannons on pro-democracy protesters at Sanam Luang earlier the same day.

Protesters from various pro-democracy groups, including the Ratsadon and the red shirts, had gathered at Democracy Monument on Sunday afternoon. They occupied the streets and later decided to march to nearby Sanam Luang. At around 6.45pm, police used high pressure guns to spray water on the protesters. However, protest leaders later said that the authorities had apologised for “accidentally” spraying the high-pressure water on the crowd.

“The authorities have tried to obstruct peaceful political activities at Sanam Luang on Sunday. They have deployed blockades as well as used water cannons with no necessary reason and no early warning,” said the TUSU. “These actions are against international standards in dispersing public gathering and are a violation of people’s rights.

“The Thammasat University Student Union therefore condemns these actions and demands related authorities to take responsibility in a swift and sincere manner for these unconstitutional actions that are against democratic ways. Furthermore, the government must stop oppressing the people’s political expression.”

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Government aims to sign up 1 million retailers for shopping subsidy scheme

PoliticsNov 07. 2020

By The Nation

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is pleased with the response to the “Khon La Khrueng” (Let’s Go Halves) campaign from citizens and merchants, deputy government spokesperson Ratchada Dhanadirek said on Saturday.

According to Ministry of Finance data on November 6, more than 523,000 merchant outlets and 7.1 million citizens participated in the campaign, while accumulated spending under the campaign totalled Bt7.62 billion of which Bt3.88 billion came from the consumers and Bt3.74 billion was subsidised by the government.

The five provinces with the highest spending are Bangkok, Songkhla, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Surat Thani and Chiang Mai.

The ministry will open registration for the second round of the government’s discounted shopping campaign on November 11.

To increase the number of retailers, Interior Minister General Anupong Paochinda has instructed provincial governors and district chiefs nationwide to publicise the campaign and facilitate registration by merchants, targeting the number of merchant outlets in the scheme to hit 1 million.

“However, the prime minister was worried about some merchants taking advantage of the campaign, such as by jacking up prices or transaction fraud. Therefore, the government would like to ask registrants and merchants to follow the campaign criteria and conditions,” Ratchada said.

The campaign aimed to mitigate people’s expense burden, stimulate the grassroots economy and help small entrepreneurs by using the budget wisely and transparently, Ratchada said, adding that Krungthai Bank had set up a fraud prevention system and the rights of users who violated the campaign conditions would be suspended immediately.

“There may be legal proceedings against fraudulent activities as well,” she added.

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Royalist group to rally on Sunday in response to planned anti-government protests

PoliticsNov 07. 2020

By The Nation

A royalist group calling itself “People Protecting the Institution” will assemble on Dinso Road in Bangkok to monitor the pro-democracy protesters’ anti-government rally at the Democracy Monument on Sunday.

The royalist group said on its Facebook page on Friday that it wanted to monitor whether the pro-democracy protesters would encroach on the highest institution.

Previously, the pro-democracy protesters had posted on the Free Youth Facebook page that they would hold a rally seeking Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and his team’s exit, the drafting of a new constitution, and reform of the monarchy.

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‘Pride Parade’ rally of LGBTQ-plus group scheduled for today

PoliticsNov 07. 2020

By THE NATION

The pro-democracy group Free Gender TH announced this week that the pro-LGBTQ+ rally called “Pride Parade” would be held at Bangkok’s Sam Yan intersection at 4pm on Saturday.

The group also informed via its Facebook that the rally would move on 5pm from the Sam Yan to the Silom intersection, a distance of about a kilometre.

The Free Gender TH implied on its social media that the “pride” in the parade does not only mean pride of LGBTQ+ people. The word resonates with the Thai word “pride” which means “people”.

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Weakened Penguin declares his spirit is strong enough to keep fighting

PoliticsNov 06. 2020

By THE NATION

In a Facebook post on Thursday, pro-democracy activist Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak said he will continue fighting for democracy and that he had been discharged from hospital.

Parit, along with co-leaders Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul and Panupong “Mike” Jadnok, had been admitted to Praram 9 Hospital in Bangkok last week. Panusaya has reportedly been discharged, while Panupong is still undergoing treatment.

In his post, Parit said that though his body was not ready for the fight yet, his heart is. “I have waited to join the battle with other protesters for half a month now, and as soon as my body is ready, I will join a rally demanding the expulsion of dictators.”

Thanking doctors and nurses for caring for him, he said the backing provided by his supporters only proves that nothing can imprison a star from shining.

Though the three protest leaders have been granted temporarily release, they may end up behind bars soon owing to the 80 charges police have said they face.

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‘Bad student’ targets Prayut; protesters demand human rights in jail

PoliticsNov 06. 2020Photos by Korbphuk Phromrekha 

By The Nation

The “Bad student” protest group declared on Thursday they plan to hold an anti-government rally on November 21 on a traffic island near Bangkok’s Democracy Monument. The exact time and location of the rally would be announced later, they said.

The group accused Education Minister Nataphol Teepsuwan of lacking maturity and leadership over his failure to respond to their calls during a rally outside the Education Ministry on September 5.

The group demanded that the ministry stop threatening students, cancel outdated regulations and reform education, or else Nataphol should resign.

“As the ministry failed to meet our demands, we will hold an anti-government rally on November 21 to put them to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha instead,” said the group, which is drawn from about 50 educational institutes nationwide. They added that political problems were preventing education from being improved.

Meanwhile, another group of pro-democracy protesters led by former prisoner Ploy Dechwongsa gathered at the Central Women Correctional Institution in Bangkok’s Chatuchak District, to demand that the Department of Corrections cancel what they said were outdated regulations that threaten human rights.

The protesters – former inmates, writers, doctors and academics – held up signs with the message “they can harm us just like that” and “release political prisoners”.

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Police show protester arrest warrant when he complains about intimidation by men in dark clothes

PoliticsNov 06. 2020Nattawut Somboonsap 

By THE NATION

A pro-democracy protester, Nattawut Somboonsap, of the All People End Game group was allegedly intimidated this week by two men in Bangkok’s Rom Klao area.

The 23-year-old protester informed Lat Krabang police at 11pm on Wednesday that he was almost attacked by two men in dark clothes.

Nattawut explained that the incident took place at around 5pm on Wednesday when he was returning to the condominium where he lived. Two men appeared out of the blue. One of them held his neck in a lock while another was about to attack him.

However, a woman saw the incident and shouted “What are you doing”? The two men immediately released the protester and left the scene.

The protester told the press that when he reported his case to police, they showed him an arrest warrant and a summons for him. The documents related to two political rallies he had participated in at the Kingkaew intersection on October 18 and 24.

Nattawut also told the press that he had suffered intimidation several times at the condominium. He said that a door of his room had been knocked by unknown people, and some people had tried to extract personal information about him from securities personnel of his condo building.

Nattawut said that he had no conflict with anyone, so it could be reasonably assumed that the intimidation was related to the political activities he had taken part in.