Gothom Arya, advisor to Mahidol University’s Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies and former election commissioner, told the press on Wednesday that he backed the government’s moves to preserve peace in the country.
He made this statement after Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha decided to set up a committee to deal with the ongoing political conflicts.
Gothom said he agreed with the idea of setting up a committee, even though some critics believe it is not a practical idea.
As for the issue of monarchy reform, Gothom said it will bring peace among people if the demand is considered and acted upon. People also need to wait for a signal from the King via a representative, such as the Parliament speaker, he said.
The academic also said he backed the Parliament’s decision to consider the constitutional changes proposed by the people, adding that Internet Law Reform Dialogue (iLaw) should be present as Thai peoples’ representative during the discussion.
Pro-democracy activist Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak was taken to the Bangkok Criminal Court under heavy police presence on Wednesday morning over charges that he violated a court order on August 8.
The activist had delivered a speech that day outside the court, demanding that other activists Arnon Nampa and Panupong Jadnok be released.
The court had earlier installed a sign prohibiting anyone from “annoying or taunting” people in the vicinity. It also prohibited the use of amplifiers.
On September 11, the court summoned the activist. He denied any knowledge of the recording of a speech presented as evidence against him. The court then postponed the hearing to October 28.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha categorically stated in Parliament on Tuesday that he will not resign or “run away from problems during a crisis”. He was responding to an opposition proposal that he should step down amid the student-led political protests.
“You should think back to the political rallies in 2006 and 2014, when the ones in power also did not resign,” he told the opposition coalition during an extraordinary session of Parliament, in which the opposition proposed that he quit.
“I refuse to comply with the proposals that do not represent the needs of the majority of the people, and will not run away from problems or abandon the country during crisis,” he stated.
“Ask yourself whether the victory you will gain on top of the country’s wreckage will be worth it or not, because by then we will have nothing left to change. Think about the children. Don’t use them to drive political movements.”
The prime minister then thanked Parliament members who expressed their opinions and suggested solutions to solve the political problem, and vowed to adapt them based on real situations.
“However, what worries me the most is the outbreak of Covid-19. I want every party to be extra careful as I don’t want to see the country go back into lockdown as in April,” he warned.
Prayut said the government is working on problems to do with the economy and prioritise solving unemployment and providing welfare to all groups of affected people.
“The political rallies could undermine the confidence in our economy, but what worries me is that it could cause a rift in Thai society. We used to say that Thais treat each other as family members and respect one another. I don’t want to see this culture disappear because of misunderstanding between generations,” he said.
About the incident in which Pheu Thai Party MP Visan Techatirawat slashed himself with a knife in Parliament earlier on Tuesday, Prayut said a news source revealed that the incident had been prepared in advance to gain attention from media around the world.
“However, I regret that it happened, as such an incident has never taken place in Parliament before,” Prayut added.
Pai Dao Din reveals what he said to German ambassador
PoliticsOct 28. 2020From left : Protest leaders Jatupat Boonpattararaksa, Passarawalee Thanakijwibulpol and Warin Patrick McBlain pose for a photo in front of the German Embassy in Bangkok during the pro-democracy rally on Monday. Photo Credit: Pai Jatupat FB.
By The Nation
Jatupat “Pai Dao Din” Boonpattararaksa has revealed details of what was said when three protest leaders met with German Ambassador Georg Schmidt on Monday.
Pai, Passarawalee Thanakijwibulpol and Warin Patrick McBlain handed over letters to the ambassador asking Germany to investigate whether HM the King was conducting Thai affairs from German soil. Warin handed over a letter from Khana Ratsadon International, the overseas branch of the student-led pro-democracy movement.
Pai recounted the conversation with the ambassador on Monday evening after he and his two friends entered the embassy at around 7.40pm following a protest march from Sam Yan.
“What I said was that there will be no peace without justice, no justice without telling the truth, and no one can tell the truth without freedom of expression,” Pai posted on Facebook.
He said he went on to explain that when HM King X ascended the throne, the lese majeste law was enforced against people who had shared a BBC Thai news biography of the King – an act for which Pai himself was jailed. Then, the Computer Crimes Act was imposed to suppress freedom of expression. This year, Wanchalearm Satsaksit was forcibly disappeared, he noted, referring to the kidnapping of a Thai political dissident living in exile in Phnom Penh.
He said he told the ambassador that since October 13, the government had cracked down on protesters by arresting 80 people, including youths and one individual with a mental disorder.
“Now eight of our friends remain in the custody. We are being arrested because we want to reform the monarchy institution into a genuine constitutional monarchy,” said Pai, recounting the conversation with Schmidt.
He said he pointed out that Thailand’s state of emergency and special emergency decree violated basic rights – rights which are guaranteed by the German constitution.
Pai said the ambassador pledged to forward the letters to the German government or Parliament for further action. The ambassador also said that “talking is a good starting point”, Pai said.
There were clashes in Parliament on Tuesday after the opposition Move Forward Party called on the prime minister to quit to help resolve the political crisis.
The government Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) immediately objected, saying that the resignation of the PM would inevitably trigger yellow-shirt protests, which would worsen the crisis.
Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn
On day two of the extraordinary session, opposition MP Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn of the Move Forward Party said General Prayut Chan-o-cha had lost all legitimacy and must resign to free the country from rule by the junta National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).
He accused the government of adding heat to the crisis by seeking to force its viewpoint on citizens.
“We cannot get rid of people with different opinions. The government’s stance is crucial because the parliamentary mechanism must be used to resolve problems and create a safe space to talk with each other and reduce stress. But the government did the opposite. You did not listen to the voice of the people, and the PM thinks he has done nothing wrong”, said Wiroj.
He warned the government of the consequences of using sensitive issues to provoke violence, citing the 1976 Thammasat University massacre and 2010 crackdown on red shirts.
He added that institutional reforms should be discussed rationally in a safe space and an atmosphere of trust.
“I call for the prime minister to resign and the coalition government to withdraw, so we can elect a new PM without the shadow of NCPO to drive amendment of the Constitution. Mr Prime Minister, please make this sacrifice so that people can begin to move their future forward.”
Senator Thawil Pliensri accused Wiroj of spreading falsehoods by comparing the 1976 massacre and 2010 crackdown to the current crisis, where no violence had been used against protesters.
Chaiyawut Thanakamanusorn
Palang Pracharath MP Chaiyawut Thanakamanusorn added that protesters had dragged the monarchy into the debate and said they would not argue with the dog (government) but with the dog’s owner.
“The original Khana Ratsadon [revolutionary People’s Party] benefited the country in 1932, but how will its namesake in 2020 change the government,” he asked, referring to the student-led protest movement.
He said the movement operated by misrepresenting facts on social media, and questioned whether it was funded from abroad. In the past, certain groups had exploited popular protests to win political power, he said, adding that the goal this time was more than simply ousting the PM.
Chaiyawut then gave his thoughts on five options to resolve the crisis – resignation of the PM, dissolution of Parliament, a military coup, a national referendum on the protesters’ demands, and the government continuing as normal.
“The votes of 376 lawmakers are needed for the PM option. How can we create a new government without the Senate’s votes? We may follow the [protesters’] demand, but yellow shirts (royalists) will not be happy about it. If the current government stays, protesters will also come out. I don’t think the PM quitting or parliament disbanding are solutions; they would just buy more time,” said Chaiyawut.
Pro-democracy activist Jutatip Sirikhan announced on Facebook on Tuesday that she has received a summons from Pathumwan Police Station for participating in the October 16 rally.
The summons was dated October 20.
Jutatip, a former president of the Student Union of Thailand and a core leader of the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration, said it is intolerable that she is being charged for violating the emergency decree, when in reality she was at the protest exercising her right to demand better laws.
She also accused the government of trying to block people from fighting for their motherland. “I reproach all intimidation and violence. This battle must end in our generation,” she said.
The government has been widely slammed for using violence to disperse peaceful pro-democracy protesters from Pathumwan intersection on October 16.
Dr Tossaporn Serirak, a former Pheu Thai MP who was arrested for helping protesters injured in the October 16 government crackdown, updated the press on Tuesday of protest leader Arnon Nampa’s condition and slammed the PM for his action against protesters.
On Tuesday morning, Arnon was released from Chiang Mai Central Prison, but re-arrested and detained in Bangkok’s Chana Songkram Police Station. Police then took Arnon to the Ratchada Criminal Court to seek permission to hold him at the Bangkok Remand Prison.
Tossaporn said he visited Arnon, who is also a human-rights lawyer, and found him in a cheerful state.
The doctor recorded a clip of Arnon telling his supporters that he was fine and that they should continue fighting. “Being imprisoned is okay for me, because I was born to fight,” he said.
Meanwhile, Tossaporn said capturing, releasing and re-capturing protest leaders was a far cry from the “stepping back” claim Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha made last week. He also accused Prayut of deceiving people and said the only way he can prove his sincerity is if he resigns.
During the Parliament’s extraordinary session on Monday, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said the third reading of the charter amendment should be completed by December and that the Cabinet will propose a bill on national referendum to Parliament next week.
As for opposition leader Sompong Amorvivat’s demand that the premier step down to end political turmoil and “take responsibility for his failures”, Prayut said that according to Article 167 of the Constitution, the entire Cabinet will have to quit if he steps down.
“The current Cabinet will need to continue working until a new PM is elected and a new Cabinet is formed,” he said. “I’m not sure if that is what you all want.”
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said if Prayut were to resign now, then his successor will have to be selected based on regulations stipulated in the current version of the Constitution, not the amended one.
Wissanu Krea-ngam
“However, the list of PM candidates will only contain five names if Prayut and Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit’s names are removed, due to the latter being banned from politics for 10 years by the Constitutional Court,” he said.
“This means the next PM candidate must receive a majority vote from both the House of Representatives and the Senate, or more than 366 of 732 votes.
“However, with people demanding that senators be stopped from voting, then that means all 366 votes must come from MPs alone, which will be tough to achieve and may eventually land us in a dead end,” Wissanu said.
“Some may suggest that Palang Pracharat MPs should all vote for someone else within the coalition and this will ensure the 366 votes required for the choice of a new PM. However, though this is doable, we have to also consider each MP’s right to choose, especially since some want Prayut to continue as prime minister.”
The Election Commission (EC) on Monday decided to file criminal charges against former Future Forward Party (FFP) leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit for giving loans of Bt191 million to his party in January and April 2019, and against 15 party executives for taking the loan.
Article 72 of the Political Party Act BE 2560 prohibits political parties from receiving donations of money or assets from any sources which it knows are unlawful or have reasonable doubt of it being unlawful. It also prohibits the receiving of donations in excess of Bt10 million per year from an individual.
Article 92(3) of the same act allows the Constitutional Court to consider dissolving any political party that violates Article 72.
In December 2019, the EC had petitioned the Constitutional Court to dissolve Future Forward Party. The court subsequently ordered the party’s dissolution on February 21, as well as banned its leader and 15 party executives from political activities for 10 years. This prompted Thanathorn to step down and start his new “Progressive Movement”, while Future Forward MPs led by Pita Limjaroenrat established the Move Forward Party on March 8, vowing to continue the work of Future Forward.
The EC on Monday said that Thanathorn and 15 FFP executives had also violated Article 66 of the Political Party Act, which prohibits an individual from donating more than Bt10 million per year to a political party. The donor violating this article is punishable with a maximum five years’ imprisonment or Bt100,000 fine, or both, and will be barred from voting for five years, while the receiver of the donation is punishable with a maximum three years’ imprisonment or Bt1 million fine.
Pro-democracy activists submit letter to German envoy as Parliament debates protests
PoliticsOct 27. 2020Pro-democracy demonstrators read their statement outside the German embassy on Monday. Photo by: Korbphuk Phromrekha
By The Nation
Pro-democracy demonstrators submitted a letter to the German embassy in Bangkok on Monday asking its government to investigate whether HM the King is ruling from German soil.
Student-led activists gather in front of the embassy in Bangkok after receiving support from large numbers of office workers, school and university students and seniors during their march from Sam Yan intersection.
Meanwhile, Democrat Party leader and deputy PM Jurin Laksanavisit told an extraordinary session of Parliament that a national reconciliation committee should be set up to solve the political crisis.
Pro-democracy demonstrators gathered at Sam Yan intersection from 3.30pm on Monday for a march down Rama IV Road to the German Embassy on Sathorn Road, where they arrived at 7pm. The student-led Free Youth protest group claimed that about 100,000 activists joined the rally.
Student-led activists gather in front of the embassy in Bangkok after receiving support from large numbers of office workers, school and university students and seniors during their march from Sam Yan intersection.
Three rally leaders were invited inside the embassy to submit the letter to German Ambassador Georg Schmidt.
Outside, rally representatives stood up before the large crowd to read the statement in Thai, English and German.
The statement recounted the authorities’ violent crackdown on October 16, when water cannon was used on peaceful protesters, as well as the arrest and detention of dozens of protest leaders.
They asked the German government to investigate whether HM the King is using Germany as a base to conduct Thai politics.
Such actions could potentially be a violation of German law or territorial sovereignty, they said.
“The request is aimed at reinstating HM the King to Thailand so the Palace is placed under the Constitution and Thailand can return to being a genuine constitutional monarchy,” the statement said.
Demonstrators also raised a large banner in front of the embassy that read “Reform the Monarchy”, before ending their rally at about 9pm.
Meanwhile German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said his government is continuing to look into the behaviour of HM the King, who tends to spend long stretches of time in Bavaria, Reuters reported on Monday.
“We are monitoring this long-term,” Reuters quoted Maas as saying. “It will have immediate consequences if there are things that we assess to be illegal.”
A two-day extraordinary session of Thai Parliament kicked off on Monday morning, with Paiboon Nititawan, an MP for the ruling Palang Pracharath Party, accusing protesters of trying to overthrow the monarchy.
Jurin Laksanavisit, leader of the ruling coalition’s Democrat Party, proposed that a national reconciliation committee be set up to find solutions to the political unrest.
Opposition leader and Pheu Thai Party chief Sompong Amornvivat called for PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to resign and release the protest leaders. Dozens of pro-democracy leaders have been arrested and temporarily released in the last two weeks, but eight remain in custody after being denied bail.
Phicharn Chaowapatanawong, MP for the opposition Move Forward Party, urged Parliament to open the door for a rewrite of the Constitution, including provisions related to the monarchy’s role.
From left : Protest leaders Jatupat Boonpattararaksa, Passarawalee Thanakijwibulpol and Warin Patrick McBlain pose for a photo in front of the German Embassy in Bangkok during the pro-democracy rally on Monday. Photo Credit: Pai Jatupat FB. 
Jutatip Sirikhan 
Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit 
Pro-democracy demonstrators read their statement outside the German embassy on Monday. Photo by: Korbphuk Phromrekha 
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