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Top exec suggests use of previous charter provisions to heed protesters’ demand for monarchy reform 

PoliticsOct 24. 2020Banyong Pongpanich 

By THE NATION

Businessman Banyong Pongpanich has proposed using provisions in a previously used charter to reform the monarchy and end the ongoing standoff between the government and pro-democracy protesters.

In his Facebook post on Friday, he suggested restoring provisions on the monarchy in a previous constitution and laws related to Palace affairs, which were in force during the time of King Rama IX, and undoing the changes made by the junta.

The protesters are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha and reforms to the country’s monarchy.

Banyong is executive director of Kiatnakin Phatra Financial Group, and has held other important political positions in the past, including being a former member of the State Enterprise Policy and Supervisory Committee.

In August, pro-democracy protesters of the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration had made 10 demands as part of reforms to the monarchy, including:

▪︎annulling Article 6 of the Constitution, which prohibits any legal action against the monarch;

▪︎scrapping the lese majeste law, which shields the King from criticism; 

▪︎separating the King’s personal wealth from assets under the Crown Property Bureau, which are estimated to be worth many billions of dollars; 

▪︎cut the Palace’s annual budget in line with economic conditions;

▪︎ end donations to the Royal Family;

▪︎end one-sided education that praises the royal institution;

▪︎investigate the suspected forced disappearance of individuals who had been outspoken against the monarchy.

“Although I do not fully agree with the 10 demands of the protesters, I would like to propose a way that could help reform the monarchy,” he said. “It is evident that the late King Rama IX was a righteous ruler whose royal projects have overwhelmingly benefited the country and Thai people during his 70-year reign, while using his power and assets that existed under the previous constitution. “Therefore, we should go back to use that constitution and undo all the changes made by the National Council for Peace and Order, the National Legislative Assembly of Thailand, and the current government.

“It is true that everything needs adjustment from time to time to suit the changing world, but during this time of disagreement and confusion, we must at least find common ground so we could start at the point where everyone agrees that it works,” he added.

“I hope that my proposed way will be considered kindly by both protesters and royalists, and finally lead to the end of disagreement before it escalates into violence that could bring regression to our country,” said Banyong.

His proposal drew support from many people, including prominent figure Piyasvasti Amaranand, a former energy minister and member of the Thai elite. Piyasvasti said the Crown Property Bureau law, and laws related to the Palace administration, should be amended.

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Amnesty calls for release of peaceful protesters, drop ‘politically motivated’ charges

PoliticsOct 24. 2020

By THE NATION

Amnesty International on Saturday urged the Thai government to immediately drop all charges against peaceful protesters and release those still detained.

“As peaceful protests in Thailand grow, the authorities continue to use vague, overly restrictive laws to harass and silence people,” said Rajat Khosla, Amnesty International’s senior director for research, advocacy and policy.

“The steadily growing protests across Thailand are clear proof of how much people value their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

“Instead of maintaining a safe space for people to express their opinions, authorities have repeatedly criminalised peaceful protests through Thailand’s vaguely worded and draconian laws. Charges brought against the supposed protest leaders are merely tactics to scare the whole movement. They are arbitrary, unwarranted and politically motivated,” Khosla said.

At least 84 people have been charged since October 13, the start of a wave of near-daily mass rallies that followed regular protests across Thailand starting in February. The protests were prompted by the Constitutional Court dissolving the Future Forward party, popular with many young people. Among those charged are two teenagers, aged 16 and 17.

The overwhelmingly peaceful protests have coalesced around three demands: dissolving Parliament and holding fresh elections; political reforms including reforms to the monarchy and revising the military-drafted Constitution; and ending the harassment of peaceful government critics.

In response to mounting protests, on October 15, the authorities declared a “severe” state of emergency, banning gatherings of five people or more in Bangkok, as well as the publication of news or online messages that “could create fear”, affect national security or damage public morale.

The “severe” state of emergency was lifted on Thursday, following a televised address by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha the previous evening. Authorities, however, continue to enjoy emergency powers under a separate Emergency Decree in effect since May 2020, ostensibly to control the Covid-19 pandemic.

In his speech on Wednesday, the prime minister described the protesters as “peaceful, well-meaning people who are genuine in their desire for a better society and a better nation”, although he accused a minority of committing crimes. He highlighted the role of the special parliamentary sessions scheduled on October 26-27 to “discuss and resolve these differences through the parliamentary process”.

“The prime minister acknowledged that protesters have been overwhelmingly peaceful and lifted the state of emergency. This was a welcome recognition by the government of the right to protest and a de-escalation in the authorities’ approach,” said Khosla.

“But the authorities must now move beyond rhetoric and drop the charges against peaceful protesters. This should include quashing convictions of all others penalised since the 2019 elections for peacefully calling for reform or expressing political views.”

A total of 90 people have been detained since October 13, with 84 charged. Six were released without any charges, most others were released on bail. Eight remain in detention, including student protest leaders Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul and Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak; lawyer Arnon Nampa; former prisoners of conscience Patiwat “Bank” Saraiyaem, Ekachai Hongkangwan and Somyot Pruksakasemsuk; activist Panupong “Mike” Chadnok and child welfare activist Suranat “Tan” Paenprasert.

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Protesters ‘waiting’ to know Prayut’s response to demand for his resignation

PoliticsOct 24. 2020

By THE NATION

Pro-democracy activist Jatupat “Pai Dao Din” Boonpatararaksa said on Saturday that the protesters gathered in front of Bangkok Remand Prison would not move, as they are waiting for Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s answer to their demand for his resignation.

Jatupat urged pro-democracy people across the nation to create a form of rally, which would allow everyone to participate under the campaign “Prayut Kor Tong Rai, Nang Sue Kor Tong Arn, Kan Ban Kor Tong Tum” (we must cast Prayut off, read books, and finish our homework).

Pro-democracy protesters of the Ratsadon (The People) group have gathered in front of Bangkok Remand Prison in Chatuchak district since Friday afternoon, urging the authorities to release protest leaders who had been arrested and held at the prison.

The protesters also vowed to stay overnight, while deploying steel barriers on Ngamwongwan Road, blocking traffic and allowing only the vehicles of rally participants and ambulances.

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Angkhana expects no resolution of political crisis from special parliamentary session

PoliticsOct 24. 2020

By THE NATION

A prominent human rights activist has attacked the government’s intention to use Parliament as an opportunity to defend its suppression of pro-democracy protesters, instead of seeking a peaceful solution.

Former National Human Rights commissioner Angkhana Neelapaijit posted on her Facebook on Friday night that several people have read the prime minister’s documents informing the house speaker about main reasons to open the extraordinary session of Parliament on October 26 and 27.

Angkhana said that the document gave no hope about resolving the current political issues. The documents clarified that the government, during the special session,will talk about the danger of Covid-19 spreading due to the protesters’ rallies to explain the police’s violent crackdown on October 16, and the obstruction of the royal motorcade by some protesters.

Angkhana predicted that the government would use the extraordinary session to protect itself as well as the police. The government would also try to accuse someone behind the scenes as instigating the student protests.

Angkhana said that the government would not pay attention to the pro-democracy group’s demands to amend the present Constitution, or to stop threatening people.

“It is unfortunate that Parliament will not be a place to deal with political problems anymore” she added.

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Arrested activist blames Prayut for current political problems

PoliticsOct 24. 2020Parit Chiwarak 

By THE NATION

Arrested pro-democracy activist Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak accused Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha of being the cause of Thailand’s current problems, and asked him to resign in three days as demanded by the protesters .On Friday, the activist’s Facebook fanpage published a message claimed to be from Parit himself.

The activist said that he had heard recently from his lawyer that the Prime Minister had asked protesters to step back on Wednesday.

He dubbed the PM’s actions as merely a political performance, adding, the emergency decree implemented last week was unfair.

The activist slammed the PM’s claim that he had heard the people’s demand and lifted the state of emergency, adding the Prayut administration was the origin of political problems this time.

“If the PM wants Thai politics to be positive, he must resign from his position within three days, as demanded by the pro-democracy protesters” Parit said.

He said the PM has no right to demand that people step back, as he was a “plunderer of people’s sovereign power”.

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Protesters set Oct 24 deadline for Prayut’s resignation, demand release of their leaders

PoliticsOct 24. 2020

By THE NATION

Pro-democracy protesters of the Ratsadon (The People) group have gathered in front of Bangkok Remand Prison in Chatuchak district since Friday afternoon, urging the authorities to release protest leaders who had been arrested and held at the prison.

The protesters also vowed to stay overnight while deploying steel barriers on Ngamwongwan Road, blocking traffic and allowing only the vehicles of rally participants and ambulances.

Protest leaders took turns in giving anti-government speeches, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha and the release of arrested leaders, namely Anon Nampa, Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattankul, Panupong “Mike Rayong” Chadnok, Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, Ekachai Hongkangwan, Suranat Paenprasert, Somyot Pruksakasemsuk, and Patiphan Leucha.

During their speeches, protest leaders also made five demands of the government: Stop all prosecution of arrested leaders; stop harassing the public by limiting their freedom of speech; General Prayut must resign by October 24; allow the amendment of the Constitution as proposed by the people and revoke senators’ voting rights; and reform the monarchy.

At the rally site there was also a music performance by Jatupat “Pai Dao Din” Boonpatararaksa, a protest leader who was freed on bail from Bangkok Remand Prison earlier on Friday, as well as a street art exhibition on a single white canvas of over 100 metres along Ngamwongwan Road.

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Protesters deploy codewords and sign language to confound authorities

PoliticsOct 23. 2020Photo by Thanachart Chuengyaempin 

By By Thai PBS World Syndicate/ANN

Young Thai protesters have come up with a secret code to communicate with each other while rallying to oust the government and reform the monarchy over the past week.The code words reflect the protesters’ creativity, but also the sharp sense of humour and playfulness behind months of rallies inspired by manga, Harry Potter and other themes. The humour has served to defuse tension, as protesters challenge the establishment and break the deep taboo against debate of the monarchy. The vocabulary of the new protest lingo appears to be mainly food based. For instance, the green-clad military are referred to as “broccoli”, while “mocha” is used for the coffee-coloured uniformed police. Saffron-attired monks are “carrots” (obviously). But what about “baby carrots”? Novice monks, of course. Following the same logic, it’s not difficult to guess that “huachaithao” (white radish) stands for nuns. Meanwhile “the Blueberry Gang” refers to the blue-attired Border Patrol Police, a company of which was used in the frontline of the crackdown against protesters on October 16, when water cannon was used to clear the crowd. That evening, the crowds also encountered “O-liang” (iced black Thai coffee) – the riot police in black uniforms – and also the hot version, “O-yua”, or anti-riot vehicles equipped with water cannon. “Yua” is also Thai slang for angry or hot-headed. Protesters hit by blue-dye fired by water cannons were named “Smurfs”, after the comical blue cartoon creatures. Continuing the cartoon theme, men in yellow shirts with short military haircuts at royalist gatherings were dubbed “Minions” – the yellow characters from the “Despicable Me” animated series. Food vendors, meanwhile, are named “CIA” for their uncanny ability to predict where protesters will gather, arriving at rally sites just before the demonstrators. Some are also suspected of handing information on the rallies to the authorities. “Natasha Romanoff”, Marvel Comics’ fictional Russian spy, refers to spies infiltrating the protests. The protesters jokingly call Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha “Donald Dumb” – the Thai version of the US president. The Thai curry “Kaeng The Po” has also been given a new meaning by protesters. Now it refers to the strategy of stirring police confusion about the location of their daily rallies. The protest jargon has spread quickly, even being adopted by mainstream media over the past week. But as the authorities start to break the code, the youngsters keep coming up with new terms to keep them guessing. As well as codewords, protesters have invented other ways to communicate with each other. Since vehicles carrying amplifiers are banned, protest leaders have to give directions through sign language or word of mouth. Now, protesters just whisper instructions like “sit down”, “don’t run” or “go straight” into each other’s ears, or pass on warnings like “water-cannon truck coming” and “disperse when police arrive”. Hand signals have also been created to direct large crowds. For instance, forming an X with both hands means “danger” and drawing a circle in the air with the index finger means “run from attack”. The sign language was only created last weekend, when groups began practising the moves together as they prepared for a prolonged confrontation with authorities.

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Arrested activist Somyot predicts victory for pro-democracy protesters

PoliticsOct 23. 2020Somyot Pruksakasemsuk 

By THE NATION

Imprisoned activist Somyot Pruksakasemsuk predicted that those who attacked or slandered the pro-democracy protesters would be defeated by the youngsters.

On Wednesday, the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) posted an interview with the activist via its Facebook page. The date on which the interview was conducted was not specified clearly, but it was possibly on Wednesday.

The TLHR said that the activist had been imprisoned previously for seven years for violating Article 112, before being released, and has been imprisoned again on a sedition charge, due to his speech at the political rally on September 19.

Somyot informed the TLHR representatives that life quality in the Klong Prem Central Prison in Bangkok was bad, though he had been imprisoned before and was accustomed to life in the jail.

He said that the police had called him a protest leader, and accused him of inciting people to invade the closed Thammasat University campus on September 19. 

Somyot explained that he was in fact not related to the protesters’ efforts to enter the university. He claimed that he had entered the university after the gates were opened and then gave his speech to the people there.

He said police also accused him of being the rally organiser, which he clarified he was not. The activist claimed that he had only invited his friends online to join the rally.

Somyot added that he had  expressed his views under his freedom of speech, and did not think he would be imprisoned again.

Speaking of the situation outside, the activist said that the pro-democracy protesters would win their battle. In conclusion, he said: “Those who attack or slander the protesters are shameful. They will eventually be defeated by the youngsters.”

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Protest leader ‘Rung’ held in crowded cell with 48 other inmates, her signature dyed-blonde locks chopped off

PoliticsOct 23. 2020Image: Thai Lawyers for Human Rights’ facebook 

By THE NATION

The Thai Lawyers for Human Rights Centre reported on the well-being and condition of pro-democracy protest leader Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul in a Facebook post on Thursday, after its representative visited her earlier in the day at the Central Women Correctional Institution in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district.

Panusaya was arrested on the morning of October 15 at her hotel on charges of sedition and illegal gathering among others in relation to her role in the September 19 rally in Sanam Luang.

“Rung was seen with short black hair, which is different from her usual long, dyed blonde hair. She was wearing a blue fabric face mask and a face shield as well the brown prisoners’ garb,” the post read. “She has been told that the centre has filed an appeal after court denied bail for her as well as for fellow protest leaders Parit ‘Penguin’ Chiwarak and Panupong ‘Mike’ Jadnok.

“Rung said this holding cell was even more crowded than the cell in Thanya Buri Prison in Pathum Thani, where she had been held earlier,” the post said. “She is being kept with 48 other female inmates in the quarantine cell and has said that some inmates recognised her and came up to greet her.”

When asked if she had any message to share with other protesters outside, Panusaya said: “I’m alive and well, and my ideology will always be with you, though my body is stuck here in prison. I’d like to send my best wishes to everyone who is still fighting against dictatorship and feudalism, and thanks or their support from all of us inside prison.

“Please come out and join the rally to prove the power of the people. If the dictator still fails to meet our conditions, we will increase the protest levels,” she said, referring to the letter the protesters had submitted to Prateep Keeratirekha, the prime minister’s deputy secretary in political affairs on Wednesday night during their rally outside Government House.

The letter calls on Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha to resign, and demands that legal action against arrested protest leaders be stopped immediately.

Former national human rights commissioner Angkhana Neelapaijit also condemned the prison for not allowing Panusaya’s mother to visit her daughter, citing the 14-day isolation period imposed on Panusaya.

“Rules in the justice system are important, but the correctional institute must pay attention to human rights as well,” Angkhana said. “If the lawyer can meet the inmate, the inmate’s mother should be allowed to meet her daughter as well.”

Forcefully dying Panusaya’s hair and taking her glasses also violated her rights as well as the institute’s own rules, as she is not a convicted prisoner, she added.

She said the correctional institute should review its regulations.

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Yellow shirts mark Chulalongkorn Day, vow to protect monarchy

PoliticsOct 23. 2020

By THE NATION

Yellow-shirt royalists assembled at Bangkok’s Royal Plaza on Friday morning to commemorate Chulalongkorn Day, which marks the death anniversary of King Rama V.

The royalists were ex-vocational students, under the pro-royalist group calling themselves “Archeewa Pok Pong Sathaban” (vocational students to protect the institution). The representative of the group told the press that his group stands by the people, with the aim to protect the monarchy.

King Chulalongkorn is considered one of the greatest kings. He was the fifth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, the son of King Mongkut, or King Rama IV.

King Chulalongkorn ruled between 1868 and 1910. His reign was characterised by extensive social and economic development, such as the abolition of slavery and the import of western technological advancement into Siam.

Similar to the members of Archeewa group, some royalists paid their respects to the late monarch by placing wreaths on Friday at his Equestrian Statue in Bangkok.