Protest leaders on both sides of Thailand’s political divide have been jailed over the 16 years since the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) rose up against Thaksin Shinawatra’s government in 2005.
PAD leaders were joined behind bars by prominent members of the red-shirt United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), who rallied to expel PM Abhisit Vejjajiva in 2009-2010.
And on Wednesday, People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) leaders were sent to jail for their role in 2013-14 protests to oust PM Yingluck Shinawatra. Among them were two current government ministers and an ex-minister.
PAD, UDD and PDRC leaders were handed the prison sentences for causing chaos with their protests.
The Education and Digital Economy and Society (DES) ministries do not belong to the People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC), Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan announced on Thursday.
Education Minister Nattapol Teepsuwan and DES Minister Buddhipongse Punnakanta, both from the ruling Palang Pracharath Party, stand to lose their jobs after being sentenced by court for their role in yellow-shirt PDRC-led protests that ousted the Yingluck Shinawatra government in 2014.
Prawit, who is also Palang Pracharath leader, said it is necessary to reshuffle the Cabinet, adding he has yet to discuss the issue with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
“The Education and DES portfolios belong to Palang Pracharath, not PDRC because Nattapol and Buddhipongse are members of the Palang Pracharath Party,” he said, adding that the final decision on whether they lose their jobs depends on Prayut.
He also dismissed questions about whether Deputy Agriculture Minister Thammanat Prompao and Deputy Labour Minister Narumon Pinyosinwat will succeed the two ministers facing the chop.
The Criminal Court found Buddhipongse, Nattaphol and Deputy Transport Minister Thaworn Senneam from the Democrat Party guilty of insurrection, criminal association, illegal assembly and obstructing voters among other charges between November 2013 and May 2014.
Buddhipongse was sentenced to seven years, Nattaphol to seven years and four months, while Thaworn was given four years.
Suthep Thaugsuban and government ministers were among former People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) leaders sentenced to jail on Wednesday for their roles in protests against the Yingluck Shinawatra government.
The Criminal Court sentenced Suthep to five years in jail for leading PDRC rallies that paralysed Bangkok and led to turbulence in 2013 and 2014.
Prison sentences were also handed to Education Minister Nataphol Teepsuwan (6 years and 16 months) and Deputy Transport Minister Thaworn Senniam (4 years).
The Constitution bars anyone who has been sentenced to jail from taking political office, meaning a Cabinet reshuffle may now be necessary.
Meanwhile Buddhipongse Punnakanta, former digital economy and society minister, was sentenced to seven years in jail.He was among a total of 29 former PDRC members who were handed jail terms ranging from four months to 11 years after being found guilty of terrorism, insurrection or other charges.
Chaos caused by the PDRC protests culminated in a coup led by then-Army chief Prayut Chan-o-cha on May 22, 2014.
Myanmar foreign minister in Thailand for talks with Prayut, Don
PoliticsFeb 24. 2021Wunn Maung Lwin, foreign minister for the new military government
By The Nation
Myanmar’s foreign minister arrived in Thailand on Wednesday for talks with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai, according to a Thai government source.
Wunn Maung Lwin, foreign minister for the new military government, talked with Prayut and Don for around an hour at a lounge inside the Wing 6 Royal Thai Air Force base at Don Mueang in Bangkok.
The focus of the talks was political problems and protests in Myanmar that have caused concern among fellow member-countries of Asean, said the government source.
Myanmar has been engulfed in nationwide protests against the new military regime after it ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government on February 1. The new military government appointed Wunn Maung Lwin to replace Suu Kyi as foreign minister.
So far, at least three protesters have been killed in the crackdown on daily demonstrations. The Thai government has called the situation Myanmar’s internal affair, but pressure is mounting on Asean to step in and help resolve the crisis.
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi also arrived in Thailand this morning for three-way talks with his Thai and Myanmar counterparts. Indonesia is pushing for an emergency meeting of Asean foreign ministers to discuss the Myanmar crisis.
Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra recently joined the popular social media application “Clubhouse”, the CARE Movement announced on its Facebook page on Monday.
Clubhouse, an exclusive social networking app, is becoming increasingly popular among Thai netizens.This application gained in popularity during the Covid-19 outbreak when most people were forced to stay at home.
Its trendiness was also pushed by celebrity users such as Elon Musk, Jared Leto, Kanye West and exiled Thai scholar Pavin Chachavalpongpun.
CARE said Thaksin would be a special guest at Monday night’s forum, along with former ministers in his government — Surapong Suebwonglee, Prommin Lertsuridej, Chaturon Chaisang and Pichai Naripthaphan.
“Thaksin would appear under the name ‘Tony Woodsame’, as Tony is the name he had used while studying abroad,” said CARE.
During the forum, according to CARE, Thasin talked about his experience of contracting Covid-19 and then recovering from the disease, as well as the origin of the “Bt30 cure all” policy that his Thai Rak Thai Party came up with to tackle the country’s healthcare problems.
When asked what he would do if he were still the PM and faced with protesters just like in the current situation, Thaksin said: “Political rallies in Thailand are caused by young people starting to become uncertain about their future. The government must communicate with these young protesters based on reason, as well as find ways to make Thailand open and free.”
A pro-democracy group, “Mob Fest”, posted on its Facebook page on Thursday that it would hold a “Censure debate by the people” in front of Parliament on Friday from 5pm, during the fourth day of the censure debate against the Prayut Chan-o-cha government by opposition parties.
The official censure debate in Parliament, in Bangkok’s Dusit district, began on February 16 and ends on Friday, while the vote on the no confidence motion will take place on Saturday.
“Our debate will address eight key topics that reflect problems under Prayut’s administration,” said the group.
The topics are:
1. Are the government’s measures improving or worsening (people’s problems)?
2. UBI (Universal Basic Income): A solution for disparity
3. Drive the government away before they evict us
4. Thai police are slaves at heart
5. Bring peace to the deep South peaceful during our generation
6. A hell named schools
7. Politics and sex
8. NCPO (National Council for Peace and Order)’s trick in amending the Constitution.
The censure debate kicked off at 10.45am on Tuesday, with the first day wrapping up more than 12 hours later, just after midnight.
Pheu Thai leader Sompong Amornvivat was the first to take the House floor, and he started off by listing all the different ways Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has failed as a leader.
He accused Prayut of using his authority to help allies and mismanaging actions to deal with the Covid-19 crisis.
“This prime minister’s administration has worsened the economy and people’s quality of life. This is the worst government this country has ever seen,” he said.
Sereepisuth Temeeyaves, the leader of opposition Seri Ruam Thai Party, also attacked Prayut and his government for turning a blind eye to the problem of gambling dens.
He pointed out that several makeshift casinos had been found recently, such as the one on Rama III, but the premier has yet to take proper steps to deal with the issue.
Besides, he said, the person behind these dens, who hails from the East of the country, has been promoted to the post of a senator.
Sereepisuth also questioned the high salaries being paid to members of the ruling Palang Pracharath Party.
The debate, which will wrap up on Friday, started again from about 9am on Wednesday.
Police chief defends action against medical volunteer during protests
PoliticsFeb 15. 2021Pol Gen Suwat Jangyodsvisit visited injured crowd control police at police hospital on Sunday (February 14)
By The Nation
The chief of the Royal Thai Police, Pol General Suwat Jangyodsvisit, on Sunday visited Police Hospital to boost the morale of injured police officers following violence during a pro-democracy protest in front of the City Pillar Shrine on Saturday.
A total of 23 police officers were wounded and hospitalised, of whom four were discharged from the hospital. Some had chemical injuries on their faces or bruises after being struck by a hard object. Officers were spared serious injuries due to their protective equipment.
He said the protesters must not cause violence like on Saturday and that if the rally was ended as promised, there would be no further disturbances, and the police do not have to take control of the situation.
Reacting to widely shared pictures on social media showing a medical volunteer being beaten up by police, he insisted that such a person was a contributor to the chaos. The officer then had to arrest the culprit. If anyone thinks that the official has behaved inappropriately, they can make a complaint, Suwat added.
He said police will adjust their strategy to deal with protests the next time. If anyone commits an offence, they would be prosecuted, he warned.
He reiterated that police had never started the violence and urged the protesters to understand and talk first so that no chaos occurs, and the situation could be controlled.
Violence erupted at a pro-democracy rally in front of the Supreme Court in Bangkok on Saturday evening following clashes leaving 25 people injured.
Pol Colonel Kritsana Pattanacharoen, deputy police spokesman, said that some protesters attempted to attack some people who they believed were gunmen shooting at the protesters and police were injured in the situation.
Police later detained the suspect at Nang Loeng Police Station.
Kritsana said police needed to follow their tactics to prevent the protesters from entering the area.
Rocks and firecrackers were reportedly thrown at the police line, leaving 20 police injured. They were taken to police hospital for treatment.
Police detained a group of 7-8 protesters at Chana Songkhram Police Station and Nang Loeng Police Station for obstructing officers from performing their duties but have not charged them with any offence.
According to Bangkok Emergency Medical Service Center (Erawan Center), as of 7am on Sunday, 25 injured people from the rally on February 13 were brought to the hospital — 20 officers to Police Hospital, 2 persons to Klang Hospital, one person each to Vajira, Mission and Phaetpanya hospitals.
The Ratsadon group started congregating at Democracy Monument at around 3.20pm. Police had placed steel barriers to block the protesters. One of the protest leaders, Panupong Chadnok aka Mike Rayong, said that there will be no orders to retreat on Saturday.
At 3.25pm, a Samranrat police officer told the assembly to disperse since it was against the law. The protesters reportedly started confronting the police and chased them away. Police retreated from the area and closed traffic around Democracy Monument.
At 5.30pm, Ratsadon group moved plant pots of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration around the Democracy Monument to the pavement.
At 6pm, the protesters raised the three-finger salute during the national anthem, and unfurled a large red cloth with various messages to cover the monument.
Attapon Buaphat demanded the release of arrested protest leaders before walking to Bangkok City Pillar shrine.
At 7pm, Ratsadon group members marched towards the Supreme Court, while police attempted to block the protesters using barbed wire fences and metal barricades.
Matters got out of hand when there was a collision between protesters and crowd control officers. The protesters reportedly threw objects at the police and dismantled the barbed wire fence. Witnesses said that during the violence, the sound of explosions occurred three times. The protesters gradually left the area, shouting curses.
At around 7.45pm, police officers negotiated with the protesters to send their representatives. The demonstrators sent Panupong and Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul to negotiate at the police’s barricade and allowed the media to send four representatives to take pictures.
Following negotiations, police opened the way for four Ratsadon members to pay a symbolic homage at the City Pillar Shrine. The protesters’ representatives performed a water-pouring ceremony, asking the City Pillar to protect the people. After paying homage, as they walked back to the assembly line, they warned that if four arrested leaders were not freed within seven days, the protest level would be raised. After February 20, more groups from different provinces will join the protests.
The protesters called it a day at 8.20pm. However, soon after, a loud sound like an explosion occurred, causing disorder. Volunteer guards hurriedly took Rung out of the area. Once the situation had calmed down, Rung urged everyone to go home. There were 5-6 cases of minor injuries.
Meanwhile, the situation near the barricades was still tense. There were constant clashes between the guards and the officers, with the guards reportedly refusing to back down. Objects were thrown at staff. The officials issued a warning that if the protesters continued to throw objects at them, more stringent crowd control measures would be taken.
Close to 9pm, police gave the protesters a 30-minute deadline to leave the area, and if the activities did not end, the protest would be dissolved with force.
After the police announcement, there were continuous explosions, reportedly thrown by volunteer guards continuously at the police. Then the police announced that special weapons should be prepared ti dissolve the assembly. Two protesters got arrested immediately.
Colonel Kritsana said the police did not use any force at the rally. He said 7-8 protesters were arrested and taken to Chana Songkhram Police Station, and more than 20 policemen were injured.
Prawit Wongsuwan
Wunn Maung Lwin, foreign minister for the new military government
Photo: Facebook @careorth
Prayut Chan-o-cha
Pol Gen Suwat Jangyodsvisit visited injured crowd control police at police hospital on Sunday (February 14)
.jpg)
SootinClaimon.Com 