#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Education minister unfazed by students’ protests, ready to hear their suggestions

PoliticsSep 05. 2020Nataphol Teepsuwan (right) 

By The Nation

The planned protest by “Bad students” at the Ministry of Education at 3pm on Saturday is not really a debate because the ministry has the same views as the children about reforming education, Education Minister Nataphol Teepsuwan said on Saturday (September 5).

Bad student is a group of high school students and student organisations from 50 schools nationwide who are demanding that the ministry reform education.

Nataphol said the ministry has categorised students and visitors’ demands as follows: student hairstyles, dress code, outdated learning courses, channels for expressing opinions, teachers’ burden, O-Net exam cancellation, sexual harassment in school, sexual diversity in school, increasing English and third language learning courses and education inequality.

“We have unlocked rules on teachers’ burden and students hairstyles, but the development of learning courses may not be as same as other countries because it must be in line with the context of Thailand, while we cannot cancel the dress code because students in countries worldwide still wear uniforms to ensure students’ safety,” he said.

He said to deal with sexual harassment in school, the ministry had established a centre for sexual assault victims’ protection to investigate cases received from all sectors. He added that 15 teachers who had committed offences had been fired.

“The ministry is working on sexual diversity in school as Thailand has a Civil Partnership Bill, while the ministry will discuss the cancellation of O-Net exam next week as the Covid-19 pandemic has made it difficult for schools to reopen at the same time, resulting in inequality during the test,” he said

For solving the problem of educational inequality, he said the ministry had launched the Digital Education Excellence platform, and it was also reviewing all learning courses.

“Also, we will open 185 Human Capital Excellence Centres nationwide,” he said. “For increasing English and third language learning courses, the ministry will hire 20,000 foreign teachers.”

He added that the ministry has urged schools to allow students to express their opinions, and had opened the website: www.nataphol.com to enable students to submit comments directly to the ministry.

He said he was not opposed to the Bad Students’ protest at the Ministry of Education.

“We are ready to hear their suggestions if they come to hold a protest at the ministry,” he said.

“If they want me to resign because I cannot meet all their demands, government officials in the ministry also would resign because the ministry has solved various issues for them, while there were a variety of channels to express opinions unlike in the past.”

In the case of some 109 educational institutes not allowing students to make symbolic expressions, he added that this would not occur again. The ministry had already talked with teachers, students and parents, while there were no schools that had instructed students to refrain from making symbolic expressions, he added.

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Thanathorn, Pannika join protesters to seek release of detained activists

PoliticsSep 05. 2020

By THE NATION

Progressive Movement leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit and Pannika Wanich, a former spokesperson of the now-dissolved Future Forward Party, on Friday (September 4) evening showed up along with a group of protesters in front of Bangkok Remand Prison in Chatuchak district, urging officials to release two pro-democracy activists, Arnon Nampa and Phanuphong Chadnok.

The two were arrested last month on charges of sedition and breaching the emergency decree and public health rules, among other alleged offences.

Arnon had been granted bail on August 8 after being arrested for attending an anti-government gathering on July 18.

Police arrested him again on August 19 after his participation in an August 3 rally speech at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument.

Police issued a third arrest warrant against Arnon after he attended an August 10 protest at Thammasat University’s Rangsit campus. Phanuphong was first arrested on August 7 and again on August 24. The Bangkok Criminal Court revoked bails for both of them due to alleged repeated offences.

The protest in front of the prison was a peaceful one with speeches by anti-government activists interspersed with music performance on stage. At 10pm the protesters light candles in front of prison gate while singing together before dispersing.

Related Story: Protest leaders Arnon, Phanuphong jailed after bail revoked

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Soon-to-retire police chief could be eyeing Bangkok governor’s post

PoliticsSep 03. 2020

By THE NATION

National Police chief Pol General Chakthip Chaijinda, who will retire on September 30, may run for Bangkok governor next year.

After a meeting at Show DC shopping complex in Huay Khwang district yesterday (September 2), attended by the Bangkok police administration committee, the committee organised a congratulatory party for Chakthip.

The MC at the party announced on stage that he had talked to Chakthip and received confirmation that the police chief would run in the election for Bangkok governor.

“Over the years of service, the police chief has gained several accomplishments in serving the public, including tackling flood problems and helping victims of natural disasters,” the MC said.

Chakthip had previously dismissed rumours that he would take part in the election for governor, citing that he had no interest in politics.

He will be succeeded by deputy commissioner-general of the Royal Thai Police Pol General Suwat Jangyodsuk.

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Predee: I quit because of sclerosis, not conflict with deputy

PoliticsSep 02. 2020Predee Daochai

By The Nation

Now former finance minister Predee Daochai, in an exclusive interview, told Bangkokbiznews, under The Nation group, that his decision to resign was based on his health.

He said he developed sclerosis, with left-arm numbness, some 3-4 years ago. His condition appeared to improve after that. However, after accepting the finance minister’s post, the symptoms returned. He believed his health condition worsened from the pressure of wanting to succeed in his post.

“I had discussed this with another senior member. He advised me to not let the symptoms get worse as this would lead to lifelong paralysis. That is the reason why I resigned,” he said.

Predee denied having any conflict with Deputy Finance Minister Santi Promphat, and said they could work and discuss matters together despite having different approaches and varying points of view in management.

Predee is the sixth finance minister to see a relatively short term in power. Pote Sarasin had only four days in the post. He was temporarily promoted and then resigned after elections in 1957.

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Finance minister quits after 27 days in office

PoliticsSep 01. 2020Finance Minister Predee Daochai

By The Nation

Finance Minister Predee Daochai has tendered his resignation and it will be effective as of Wednesday (September 2), it was announced in the Royal Gazette on Tuesday.

Predee reportedly cited health reasons for his decision to step down after having taken the post on August 6.

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

No mastermind behind students’ high-risk fight for democracy, says Rung

PoliticsSep 01. 2020Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul 

By The Nation

There is no leader or mastermind behind political protests launched by the Student Union of Thailand, SUT spokesperson Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul insisted.

Panusaya, 21, read out an unprecedented 10-point manifesto for monarchy reform during a protest of about 1,000 students at Thammasat University’s Rangsit Campus just north of Bangkok on August 10.

In response, royalists have accused the students of being manipulated by politicians behind the scenes, a charge which they deny.

The manifesto calls for transparency of the monarchy and its accountability to Parliament, among other things. It also forms part of the students’ three key demands for reform of the establishment, namely an end to government intimidation of critics, a new Constitution, and dissolution of Parliament.

By breaking the longstanding taboo against discussion of the monarchy, the students are risking prosecution under the lese-majeste law, which carries a penalty of up to 15 years in jail.

“If we used a teacher [university lecturer] as an adviser, he would not have allowed me to read the 10 demands. We did it without consulting anyone else [outsiders]. We have planned and thought carefully before taking action,” Panusaya said, in an exclusive interview with Krungthep Turakij newspaper.

She recounted that just before giving her speech on August 10, she warned her lecturer at the back of the stage, “Please be prepared.”

“He did not know what we were going to say. When I finished the speech, he said ‘it [the manifesto] was aggressive, wasn’t it?’”

The Thammasat students plan an even a bigger protest on September 19 in Bangkok, to mark the military coup in 2006.

Small events will be organised in the run-up to the big rally to sustain the movement’s momentum, said Panusaya.

Unlike previous protests, the September 19 rally will run overnight, though student leaders have yet to decide how many days it will last for.

The 10-point manifesto remains their main focus for solving political structural issues, along with the three key demands of the Free Youth group.

The three demands are important because if they cannot be met, then nor will the 10 points in the manifesto, she said,

Panusaya is well aware of the risks involved, since several pro-democracy activists have already been charged with serious offences including sedition, which carries up to 7 years jail. And she acknowledges the risks are even higher from raising the taboo topic of the monarchy.

“It put my life on the line. [But] I talk straight, I cannot keep silent. It is a problem that must solved. If we do not tackle the structural issues, to accommodate everyone, then the chronic issues will persist. The country must achieve real democracy,” she explained.

Many people have suffered a lot, especially during the Covid-19 crisis. The current unjust political system denies them their rights, Panusaya lamented. She wanted to see Thailand become a welfare state, like the Scandinavian countries, in the future.

She said it was necessary to engage in a parallel fight, both outside and inside Parliament,  to achieve the goal.

She hailed social media as an important tool for raising political awareness among students and the young generation. “It wakes up many people. There are a lot of people who think like us.”

“It is human nature that if we know that many people share our views, then we have the courage to speak out … our fear is lessened,” she said.

Free People is an alliance of many groups, though Panusaya admitted she did not know how many. 

“But we will see on September 19,” she said, hinting that people might be surprised by the size of the rally.

Panusaya herself is getting used to surprises. The student-led movement gathered momentum in July and quickly mushroomed beyond her expectation into nationwide protests. An even bigger surprise was the large number of school students protesting in solidarity, she said.

She said her mother had voiced opposition to her political activism over safety concerns, but that had not stopped her. Panusaya has two older sisters who support her cause.

“I feel that it is the right thing to do. … I do not want to wait for others to act, since I can act now, I must act now,” she said.

She added that she planned to enter politics in the future with an ambition to become an MP.

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Royalist leader denies cleaner assaulted by rally guards

PoliticsAug 31. 2020

By The Nation

Warong Dechgitvigrom, leader of the royalist group Thai Pakdee (Loyal Thai), today denied media reports that a guard at the group’s rally on Sunday beat up a Bangkok street sweeper because he was wearing a red shirt.   

Warong, a former Democrat Party MP, set up the group to counter student-led anti-government rallies that have called for reform of the monarchy. 

He posted a five-point rebuttal of the claim that his group’s guards had assaulted the street sweeper during its rally at Bangkok’s Dindaeng Thai-Japanese Stadium.

No guards had been employed for the event, since police had been informed in advance to secure the rally area, he wrote on Facebook.

He added that the crime scene was not close to the rally, and the victim was a cleaner at the stadium who wore a red shirt with no political implications.

However, an argument broke out after the man splashed participants heading to the rally while sweeping water off the road, he said.

“A witness said he saw a man trying to calm both sides down, before the suspect punched the cleaner and then called a taxi and left.” 

The incident was merely a public order offence and had nothing to do with politics, Warong added.

Related story: Innocent street sweeper beaten up when royalists ‘see red’

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Thai journalist in US feels unsafe after package from Thailand warns he’s being watched

PoliticsAug 30. 2020

Credit: Jom Petchpadab Facebook

Credit: Jom Petchpadab Facebook 

By The Nation

A Thai journalist living in exile in the United States has accused the Thai government of making veiled threats to his life and safety.

Jom Petchapradad, who lives in exile in Los Angeles, posted on his Facebook page that a FedEx package sent to him from Thailand contained threatening materials.

The package contained photographs that showed Jom’s home was under surveillance and he was being followed. Jom said that the sender had sent a coded threat — a photograph of the cover of the book “Catch Me If You Can”.

The parcel was sent from Sakon Nakhon province, Northeast of Thailand. Jom said that those behind these materials aimed to threaten him and put fear in him that he was being watched.

Jom flied a complaint with Los Angeles police about the incident.

He lamented that living in exile in democratic and developed countries, such as the United States, may not guarantee him freedom from intimidation by the Thai dictatorship regime.

Even some Thais living in Los Angeles had accused him of working for former prime minister Thaksin Shinwatra and accused him of undermining the monarchy, said Jom.

Red shirt activist Phontip Weeden had also received the same materials sent from Thailand, according to Andrew MacGregor Marshall, a Thailand critic and former reporter at Reuters news agency. Marshall, who is based in England, claimed that he was also stalked.

The incident came as the UN Human Rights Office said it was profoundly concerned over continuing reports of enforced disappearances in Southeast Asia, and has urgently called on all countries in the region to criminalise the act and ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

About 10 Thai dissidents living in exile in Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia have been victims of enforced disappearance and some were found dead later while others have not been found yet.

Wanchalearm Satsaksit, a Thai dissident living in Cambodia, was abducted in Phnom Penh in June. Thai political activists believe that the case had some connection with the Thai government.

The abduction of Wanchalearm was believed to be the trigger for the current nationwide youth-led protests against the government. The protesters are demanding an end to government intimidation of its critics, rewriting of the Constitution, dissolving Parliament and reforming the monarchy.

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Democrat MP Thepthai and his brother get jail sentence over provincial poll fraud

PoliticsAug 28. 2020Thepthai Senapong and his brother Manoch Senapong 

Democrat Party member of Parliament Thepthai Senapong and his brother Manoch Senapong were sentenced to two years in jail after being found guilty of fraud in a Nakhon Si Thammarat Provincial Administrative Organisation (PAO) election seven years ago.

The ruling by the Nakornsrithammarat Provincial Court on Friday also disqualified Thepthai as an MP for 10 years.

The former chief executive of the Nakhon Si Thammarat PAO, Pichai Bunyakiat, had filed a case against the two for offering inducements to secure votes.

The Election Commission had begun prosecution of the two Democrats. Subsequently, the Appeal Court suspended Manoch’s right to stand for election and ordered the filing of a criminal charge. The case, however, did not make much headway.

Pichai saw that the long delay was damaging the case, so he approached the provincial court.

#ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

Top court upholds guilty verdict against Bhumjaithai MP Natee

PoliticsAug 28. 2020File photo of Natee (left) 

By THE NATION

The Supreme Administrative Court on Thursday (August 27) upheld the guilty verdict for Natee Ratchakitprakarn, a Bhumjaithai party-list MP after the March 24, 2019 election, for concealing assets and debts worth of Bt95 million.

The Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders had earlier ruled Natee guilty for non-disclosure of her personal finances.

The case came to light after Natee filed her financial report with the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) as required under the law, after the House of Representatives was dissolved in December 2013. The NACC took the case to court after discovering that she had failed to include in her disclosure property and land worth about Bt2 million that she owned in Phatthalung province, as well as debts owed by her and her husband totalling Bt93 million.

The Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders on July 9, 2019 halved the penalty of two months in jail and a Bt8,000 fine, and suspended the jail term for a year because Natee had no police history. The court also divested the politician of her electoral rights for five years from December 9, 2013 and due to this, she also lost her party-list MP seat.

Natee challenged the verdict in the Supreme Administrative Court but the top court ruled against her.