Pro-democracy activists set up camp at October 14 Memorial in Bangkok
PoliticsAug 27. 2020Jatupat Boonpattararaksa (Pai Dao Din), centre, and Parit Chiwarak, right, camp at the October 14 Memorial in Bangkok on August 27. /Korbphuk Phromrekha/#NationPhoto
By The Nation
Anti-government protesters led by Jatupat Boonpattararaksa, better known as Pai Dao Din, erected a campsite around the October 14 Memorial on Ratchadamnoen Klang Road on Thursday evening.
Jatupat invited others to join his “Camp Not Jail” campaign by erecting tents around the monument, which commemorates protesters slain during the 1973 uprising against dictatorship.
He said he will report to Samranrat Police Station tomorrow morning to answer a summons stemming from his presence at an anti-government protest at Democracy Monument in Bangkok on July 18.
He has also been ordered to report to police tomorrow in his home province of Khon Kaen, for joining a protest there.
Jatupat spent more than two years in jail for lese majeste and violation of the Computer Crime Act for sharing a BBC Thai Facebook biography of His Majesty the King in December 2016.
The Thai government has been cracking down on pro-democracy protesters and those it deems to be undermining the monarchy. The protesters have launched almost daily rallies nationwide calling for a new Constitution, dissolution of Parliament, and an end to intimidation of activists. Some of the youth-led protests have also called for reform of the monarchy, breaking a deep taboo against debate on the royal institution.
Two pro-democracy Free Youth activists were granted bail yesterday (August 26) at 5.50pm on condition they do not repeat their alleged offences.
Tattep “Ford” Ruangprapaikitseree and Panumas “James” Singprom were arrested yesterday morning for participating in a pro-democracy protest on August 18 and taken to Samranrat Police Station in Bangkok. They were slapped with an arrest warrant over seven charges, including sedition and illegal assembly.
The court granted them conditional release, provided they do not repeat their alleged offences. If they break the condition, they will be fined Bt100,000.
Upon being released, Tattep said he believed what he did was within the boundary of the law and constitution.
“I haven’t discussed anything with the organiser of the next rally that will take place on September 19, but want to urge Parliament to draft a new constitution and allow people to question any controversial sections,” he said.
“Our group still insists on three demands: the government must stop harassing people, draft a new constitution and dissolve Parliament. If by September 30 there are still senators working in office, we will increase the level of protest,” he warned.
Appointment of top Finance Ministry officials hits snag in Cabinet
PoliticsAug 26. 2020Finance Minister Predee Daochai.
By The Nation
A move to appoint top-ranking Finance Ministry officials was withdrawn during yesterday’s (August 25) Cabinet meeting after ministers failed to agree on the list of names. The hitch came as the ministry faces an urgent battle to revive the virus-hit economy.
New Finance Minister Predee Daochai said the Cabinet failed to reach consensus on the proposed appointment of four high-ranking civil servants.
An informed source said the appointments proposed by the Cabinet were as follows:
1. Jamroen Potiyod transferred from Finance Ministry inspector-general to deputy permanent secretary.
2. Phachara Anantasil, transferred from director-general of the Excise Department to director-general of the Customs Department.
3. Lawan Sangsanit transferred from director of the Fiscal Policy Office to director-general of the Excise Department.
4. Woranuch Phu-im transferred from Treasury Dept adviser to Ministry Inspector at the Office of the Permanent Secretary.
However, the Finance Minister objected and requested that Lawan instead take the position of director of the State Enterprise Policy Office (SEPO), replacing Prapas Kong-ied, who would take the post of director-general of the Excise Department instead of Phachara.
Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said the change could not be made since the Cabinet list did not match the Finance Ministry’s proposed appointments. Predee then agreed to withdraw his agenda and present it again at the next Cabinet meeting.
Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob said the Cabinet had approved the appointment of Chayathon Promson as the new transport secretary in place of Chaiwat Thongkoon, who will retire on September 30. Chayathon is currently director of the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning.
The Cabinet also gave the green light for Danucha Pichayanan to be promoted from deputy secretary-general to secretary-general of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) from October 1.
Meanwhile ministers approved the Energy Ministry’s proposal to appoint a 10-member electronic transactions committee.
Top Congress leaders write to Sonia Gandhi demanding change in party leadership, big meet tomorrow
PoliticsAug 24. 2020Congress President Sonia Gandhi and party leader Rahul Gandhi. (Photo: IANS)
By The Statesman
Around 23 top Congress leaders, including former Chief Ministers, MPs, former Union Ministers and Congress Working Committee (CWC) members have written to Congress president Sonia Gandhi regarding complete change in the party leadership and the current internal crisis in the Congress, according to reports.
Tomorrow, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) will be meeting online and this issue is most likely to be discussed by the top brass of the party, reported NDTV.
The letter calls for an urgent need for “full time and effective leadership”, which is both “visible’’ and “active’’ and an “urgent establishment of an institutional leadership mechanism” to “collectively guide the party’s revival’’, according to The Indian Express’s report.
It also asked for decentralisation of power, elections in the party at all levels and empowerment of its state units.
The letter is reportedly signed by many senior leaders of the party including Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, Kapil Sibal, Manish Tewari, Shashi Tharoor Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Prithviraj Chavan, P J Kurian, Renuka Chaudhary, and Milind Deora.
Earlier, on August 17, sacked Congress leader Sanjay Jha had said that around 100 Congress leaders, including Member of Parliament, had written to Sonia Gandhi regarding the change in the party leadership and transparent elections in the party, but the party denied his Twitter revelation.
Taking it to Twitter, Jha had said, “It is estimated that around 100 Congress leaders (including MP’s), distressed at the state of affairs within the party, have written a letter to Mrs Sonia Gandhi, Congress President, asking for change in political leadership and transparent elections in CWC.”
Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala had reacted on the allegation and linked it to the Facebook row by saying, “Special Misinformation Group on Media-TV Debate Guidance” in its what’sapp of today directed to run the story of a non existant letter of Congress leaders to divert attention from Facebook-BJP links. Of course, BJP stooges have started acting upon it.”
Sanjay Jha was sacked as the Congress spokesperson in June after writing a column criticising the functioning of the political party.
Today, again Jha tweeted and said, “And Randeep Surjewala called me a “ BJP stooge”. He denied the letter.”
The current Congress President Sonia Gandhi took the interim position after her son Rahul Gandhi had resigned after suffering a massive defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Her one-year term as the party President ended on August 10, but the party said that she will continue on the post till a proper procedure was implemented.
Notwithstanding the Congress position about status quo on the party chief’s post, there have been demands within the party to appoint a new party President. Leaders close to Rahul Gandhi have on at least three occasions demanded that he should be brought back as Congress President.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had demanded it during a CWC meeting. The demand was echoed during the meetings of Congress’ Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs in July as well.
A lot of hectic activity is on within the party to this end. Many leaders have met to convey the CWC to appoint a full-time President as the opposition party is facing a crisis after rebellions by Congress leaders and MLAs in Rajasthan and earlier in Madhya Pradesh in the last six months, according to reports.
Senior government officials in Tokyo have expressed some hope for Joe Biden who emphasized the importance of U.S. allies in his presidential nomination acceptance speech during the Democratic National Convention on Thursday.
However, as there is still a lingering uncertainty regarding how Biden will deal with China, the Japanese government continues to monitor the situation to see if the Japan-U.S. alliance and policies toward China will be impacted.
“I will be a president who will stand with our allies and friends,” Biden said in his speech on Thursday.
“It’s good that he clearly stated the importance of maintaining alliances,” said a senior Foreign Ministry official in Tokyo. “He probably wanted to differentiate himself from the Trump administration, which is committed to its ‘America First’ policy.”
Biden, however, did not specifically discuss his policy toward China in the speech. Instead, he stressed his commitment to tackling climate change.
The Obama administration, under which Biden served as vice president, prioritized cooperation with Beijing on tackling climate change and other issues, and as a result, it took a soft stance toward China-related policies, such as countering its maritime expansion, compared to the Trump administration.
The current administration has shown a conspicuous disregard toward its allies by calling to reduce the number of U.S. troops stationed overseas, as well as other moves. However, on the other hand, the administration has taken a clear position against China’s military buildup, reassuring Japan.
There are concerns within the Japanese government that if Biden wins the November presidential election, his administration could once again take a weak stance on security to deter China.
“I’m concerned about how strong Biden’s security policies will be against China,” said a senior government official.
The 2020 Democratic Party Platform, which was adopted on Tuesday, stipulated that “the United States will work to strengthen ties with and between our key allies in the region, including Japan, South Korea, and Australia.” However, making climate change a top priority, it also clearly stated, “America must approach our relationship with China with confidence … while also pursuing cooperation on issues of mutual interest like climate change.”
Coalition MPs sparked a public outcry on Friday by voting to purchase two more submarines as the economy sinks under the impact of Covid-19.
The subcommittee for procurement, ICT, state enterprises and revolving funds, which is vetting the annual budget bill for 2021, voted 5:4 on Friday to spend Bt22.5 billion on two more submarines.
The vote was deadlocked after four coalition MPs from the Palang Pracharath, Democrat and Bhumjaithai parties approved the Navy budget for the China-made subs, while four opposition MPs voted against. The opposition lawmakers were from Move Forward, Pheu Thai and Seri Ruam Thai (Thai Liberal Party).
The chairman of the subcommittee, a member of the pro-military Palang Pracharath Party, then voted in support, resulting in approval of the Navy budget.
Each submarine will cost Bt11.25 billion.
The planned purchase is part of a deal signed by the military-backed government of Prayut Chan-o-cha to buy three subs from China. The first submarine was purchased in 2017 and will be delivered in 2024.
News of the vote spread quickly on social media and sparked uproar among netizens. Many accused the coalition MPs who voted for the purchase of wasting taxpayers’ money at a time when people were suffering severe financial hardship from the virus crisis.
The vote comes amid growing anti-government protests nationwide, especially among students and workers.
Netizens began sharing the names of MPs who voted for the deal on Friday, and called on citizens not to vote for them in the next election.
The five who voted in favour of purchasing the submarines are Suphol Phong-ngam, party-list MP for Palang Pracharath; Siriwan Pratsachaksatthru, party-list MP for the Democrats; Jiradech Srivirat, Palang Pracharath MP for Phayao province; Kornis Ngamsukolratana, Palang Pracharath MP for Bangkok; and Chayuth Phumaganchana, Bhumjaithai MP for Prachinburi.
The deal may be reviewed during the upcoming second reading of the budget bill in the House of Representatives.
Political activists are accusing the government of falsely charging pro-democracy leaders with sedition under Section 116 but actually hitting them with lese majeste charges. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha had said earlier that “Section 112 for lese majeste has not been used thanks to a Royal order”.
However, the Democracy Restoration Group activists’ post on Facebook said that this statement goes against the details provided in the detainees’ police files, which are similar to those of lese majeste.
For instance, the police record on prominent human rights lawyer Arnon Nampa says: “On August 3, Arnon delivered a speech inciting hatred toward the monarchy. The accused also used Facebook to post messages persuading people to gather and undermine the monarchy. The protestors are showing the intention of overthrowing the crown.”
Pro-democracy activists say the authorities are using the already severe Section 116 as a pretext to implement the unforgiving lese majeste law.
The opposition has warned the government against using the Covid-19 outbreak as an excuse to extend the state of emergency and control the ongoing anti-government protests.
Opposition chief whip Sutin Klungsang said the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s proposal to extend emergency had little to do with concern over public health as the situation in Thailand is getting better.
He said he believes it is a political strategy to stop protests, adding that putting the country under emergency will further affect the economy. The Office of National Economics and Social Development Council has already said that the gross domestic product stands at minus 12 per cent.
Sutin said the prime minister should listen to the protesters’ voices and try to solve problems instead of using the emergency decree, because it will only push the country to a point of no return.
The leading opposition party has proposed a motion to the House Speaker to open a debate on the government’s performance but without culminating in a vote of no confidence.
Suthin Khlangsaeng, chief opposition whip and a Pheu Thai MP from Maha Sarakham province, on Thursday (August 20) presented a motion to House Speaker Chuan Leekpai to open a House of Representatives meeting without a vote of no confidence under Section 152 of the Constitution.
Pheu Thai MP for Bangkok Jirayu Huangsub, who accompanied Suthin to submit the motion, said that the debate aims to seek clarification from the government as well as provide suggestions regarding the economic crisis due to the Covid-19 outbreak and the ongoing political unrest.
Chuan said that the motion was proposed by MPs of Pheu Thai Party only and did not include representatives from other parties in the opposition coalition. He promised to present it to the Cabinet and find a suitable date for the meeting, which is expected to be around the middle of September.
Chuan added that on September 1, the House of Representatives will hold a meeting to consider the Budget Bill for fiscal year 2021 in the second and third readings, as well as consider the motion submitted earlier by the opposition coalition to amend the 2017 Constitution.
The prime minister on Tuesday gave a blunt answer when asked how long it would take the economy to recover, as he prepared to chair the first meeting of the Economic Rehabilitation Committee tomorrow (Wednesday).
“It is beyond I can say. Thanks for your question,” PM Prayut Chan-o-cha told a press conference after today’s Cabinet meeting, before abruptly walking away from the podium.
Earlier, he said urgent solutions were required for economic problems of consumption and employment, adding that he had assigned the tasks to the Labour Ministry.
Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin said he has already informed Cabinet of the national employment situation. The ministry will look to solve the unemployment problem in collaboration with the private sector, including finding additional measures to assist workers.
“Since the lockdown eased, the actual number of unemployed people is estimated to be more than 400,000, while another 1.7 million are being monitored as they are at risk of unemployment,” said Suchart.
Jatupat Boonpattararaksa (Pai Dao Din), centre, and Parit Chiwarak, right, camp at the October 14 Memorial in Bangkok on August 27. /Korbphuk Phromrekha/#NationPhoto 
Finance Minister Predee Daochai. 
Congress President Sonia Gandhi and party leader Rahul Gandhi. (Photo: IANS)
Joe Biden.
Arnon Nampa
Sutin Klungsang
SootinClaimon.Com 