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Pro-democracy activists hit with more lese majeste charges (nationthailand.com)

Pro-democracy activists hit with more lese majeste charges

PoliticsDec 07. 2020Somyot Pruksakasemsuk 

By THE NATION

Pro-democracy activist Somyot Pruksakasemsuk said in a Facebook post on Monday that he was summoned by the Chanasongkram Police Station to face lese majeste charges.His post also included a copy of the summons, which said Somyot and fellow activists like Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak were charged of violating Article 112 of the Criminal Code at a protest on September 19 and 20.In the post, Somyot said the lese majeste law should not be used as a weapon against the new generation. He had previously been imprisoned for seven years from 2011 for violating Article 112.Police have so far filed lese majeste charges against 18 protest leaders after Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha gave them the green light to start enforcing this draconian law, which had not been used for two years. Separately, in a social-media post on Monday, Parit said the public prosecutor was not punctual in filing lawsuits against him and other protesters in relation to their role in an August 10 rally in Thammasat University’s Rangsit campus. He and fellow protesters were charged for sedition and gathering illegally at that protest.“I don’t need to report to court in this case any more and my concerns of being imprisoned for this rally have vanished,” he said.He also said that he and other protesters, namely Panupong “Mike” Jadnok, Shinwatra Chankrajang and Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul, are scheduled to visit Nonthaburi Police Station on Tuesday to face lese majeste charges. He added that police have informed their lawyer in advance that the protesters will be detained.

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Pro-democracy protester reveals intimidation by royalists at restaurant (nationthailand.com)

Pro-democracy protester reveals intimidation by royalists at restaurant

PoliticsDec 07. 2020

By THE NATION

Prominent protester Chonthicha Jangrew was intimidated by royalists in a restaurant and had to call the police.On Sunday, the protester posted on her Facebook page that a group of royalists had threatened her and her friends while they were having dinner in a restaurant.Chonthicha said that the royalists left their table and approached her and her friends.“They shouted obscenities, and also forced me to leave the restaurant with them,” she added.She confessed that the situation shocked her. However, she was conscious enough to call the deputy commissioner of Chanasongkram Police Station, asking for assistance.Police arrived quickly at the restaurant and calmed the situation down.Chonticha added that the intimidators did not apologise for their behaviour, so the protesters later filed a case at the police station.Suuming up her post, Chonticha said that it was acceptable to cheer different political sides, but “do not claim loyalty for the monarchy as a permission to start a brawl with other people”.

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Actress whips up a storm online with caustic questions for PM (nationthailand.com)

Actress whips up a storm online with caustic questions for PM 

PoliticsDec 06. 2020Actress Focus Jeerakul posts a provocative message about flood victims on her Facebook page on December 5, drawing the attention of the public and the government.  

By The Nation

A Facebook post by an actress, scathing in its criticism of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, has drawn the attention of netizens after she posed: “Apart from praising the monarchy, are you competent on other issues?” The post drew netizens’ attention to the severe floods in the South and the intensified political unrest. In

In her post, actress Focus Jeerakul questioned the government’s allocation of a budget to build a new Parliament building, for use of water cannons and containers to block anti-establishment protesters, but does not seem to have a budget to help people in the South currently suffering from devastating floods. She said she wanted to donate money to support the affected people and wanted to ask “Loong” (referring to Prayut as uncle in Thai) five questions:

▪︎Is it the duty of the people (to help flood victims)?

▪︎What does the government spend its budget on, if it does not have a budget to support the people in the South?

▪︎Could you reduce the military budget, reduce budget spending to counter the protesters, and use the money saved to support flood victims?

▪︎Apart from praising the monarchy, are you competent to deal with other issues?

▪︎Apart from loving the monarchy, do you love the people? 

Focus posed her questions on Saturday when the government organised grand events to pay tribute to the late King Rama IX on his birthday. 

Her comments come in the backdrop of floods devastating many southern provinces, affecting more than 400,000 people and costing nine lives. 

About 100,000 netizens reacted emotionally to Focus’s post, clicking like, love and amused signs, over 3,000 made comments and over 10,000 shared her post. 

Focus is known for supporting the youth-led protesters who are demanding reform of the country, including curbing the power of the monarchy.

Mallika Boonmeetrakool Mahasook, adviser to the Commerce Minister, hit back at the actress via her Twitter account, saying Focus should investigate the matter before making a comment, as the government has an emergency budget to deal with floods in the South.

In her rejoinder, Focus said she had asked the questions because she is a citizen and if she knows so much about the issue, she will not ask. Focus also chided Mallika for her retort, saying the questions were not for her to answer.

Others have also posted their critical views about activities on December 5, which is celebrated as Father’s Day and National Day.

National Artist Suchart Sawatsi, posting on his Facebook page, demanded that National Day be celebrated on June 24, the day that marked Thailand’s shift from absolute monarchy to constitutional monarchy after the 1932 Revolution. 

After the revolution, June 24 was marked as National Day but the dictatorship government under Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat in 1960 changed it to December 5.

Pavin Chachavalpongpun, an academic living in exile in Japan, also questioned the government spending a large budget for organising events to celebrate the late King Rama IX’s birthday at the expense of the taxpayers and at a time when people in the South were suffering from severe floods.

In response to Focus’s questions, Rachada Dhanadirek, deputy government spokeswoman, assured on Sunday that the government had adequate budget to support flood victims in the South.

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US Senate resolution backs pro-democracy movement, urges end to govt violence (nationthailand.com)

US Senate resolution backs pro-democracy movement, urges end to govt violence

PoliticsDec 04. 2020Anti-establishment protesters rally at Lat Phrao Intersection on December 2 after the Constitutional Court acquitted PM Prayut Chan-o-cha of a conflict of interest. 

By The Nation

The United States Senate has introduced a resolution in support of Thailand’s pro-democracy movement. Issued on Thursday, the resolution “underscore[s] the United States’ commitment to human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Thailand”, according to the Senate press release.

“The senators’ resolution follows recent demonstrations by Thailand’s pro-democracy movement, which have been met with violence and repression by the country’s monarchy and government,” it continues.

Thai-American senator Tammy Duckworth was among the nine members of Congress who introduced the resolution.

Another was Senator Bob Menendez, who said: “Thailand’s reformers are not seeking a revolution. They are simply yearning for democratic changes to their country’s political system, for freedom of speech and assembly, and for Thailand to be a part of the community of democratic nations.”

The resolution said the junta-drafted 2017 Constitution had ”served to erode Thailand’s democracy and constitutional protection of rights”.

It also noted that several independent monitoring groups had declared the 2019 election was deeply flawed and heavily tilted to favour the military junta, “whose party, headed by Prayut [Chan-o-cha], formed a new government with the support of the military-appointed and unelected Senate”. It went on to say the opposition Future Forward Party was dissolved and banned on order of the Constitutional Court “following a flawed legal process premised on spurious charges”.

The resolution also stated that the Thai government had failed to properly investigate to violent assaults against democracy activists and government critics, as well as enforced disappearances and killings of exiled Thai political dissidents across Asia.

It also said the government had responded to ongoing peaceful protests with repressive measures, including “intimidation tactics, surveillance, harassment, arrests, violence and imprisonment”, while noting Unicef had expressed concern about the potential harm to children at demonstrations. 

Senator Duckworth, a former US soldier, said: “As a Thai-American who fought to protect the right to peacefully protest here at home, I know that both the longstanding, strong relationship between the US and Thailand as well as every individual’s inalienable democratic rights are critically important to uphold and defend.

“Thailand is a strong partner with the US – both in terms of our shared national security priorities and economic relations – and the Thai people have a proud history of democratic reform. I urge Thai leadership to listen to the people and respect the democratic principles at the heart of the government they’ve worked so hard to form.”

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Activists mount pressure on Cambodia six months after Wanchalearm’s disappearance (nationthailand.com)

Activists mount pressure on Cambodia six months after Wanchalearm’s disappearance

PoliticsDec 04. 2020

 The Friends of Wanchalearm group and Amnesty International activists went to the Cambodian Embassy in Thailand on Thursday to mark six months since the disappearance of Wanchalearm Satsaksit.They also submitted to Cambodia a list of 14,157 people who had joined a signature campaign, urging Cambodian authorities to ensure effective, urgent, thorough and transparent investigation and to deliver justice to Wanchalearm’s family.Clad in colorful Hawaiian shirts often worn by Wanchalearm, they wore Wanchalearm masks and urged people to use #6MonthsOnWeShallNotForget hashtag to show that they still remember and keep monitoring progress in this case.Wanchalearm’s sister, Sitanan Satsaksit, is in Cambodia since November 10, along with a legal team, to give evidence and provide testimony to Cambodian authorities regarding her brother’s disappearance. She is due to give her information on December 8.Piyanut Kotsan, director of Amnesty International Thailand, said that to mark six months of Wanchalearm’s disappearance in Phnom Penh on June 4, the Friends of Wanchalearm group and Amnesty International’s activists met with Ouk Sorphorn, Cambodia’s ambassador to Thailand, to discuss and know about progress in the case. They also submitted to him the signature campaign urging Cambodian authorities to expedite their investigation efforts.The 14,157 names given to the Cambodian authorities have been compiled by Amnesty International Thailand after the AI International Secretariat had launched an urgent action to invite people around the world to write to Prime Minister Hun Sen and demand that Cambodian authorities urgently investigate the enforced disappearance of Wanchalearm, and to keep his family informed of his whereabouts as well as to bring the perpetrators to justice through a fair trial in a civilian court.They also urged Cambodia to act in compliance with the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance to which Cambodia is a state party and not deport Wanchalearm to Thailand in order to act in compliance with the obligation to not send a person to a place where he/she is likely to face human rights violation.Separately, pro-democracy activist Sombat Boonngamanong mentioned on his Facebook page on Friday that Wanchalearm’s case was the catalyst in pushing people to gather under the name of Ratsadon protesters.“This murder case was complicated, and not done by normal people, but professionals who can do it overseas.The operators must have researched deliberately on their target, and kidnapped him instead of killing him at the scene. Wanchalearm’s corpse was likely concealed smartly, possibly like corpses found in Mekong River, in which cement objects were found in the stomach,” he posted.

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Panusaya consoles schoolgirl in tears over protest leader’s safety (nationthailand.com)

Panusaya consoles schoolgirl in tears over protest leader’s safety

PoliticsDec 04. 2020Photo credit: Rattapol Kaiipah Promsuwan 

By THE NATION

A young schoolgirl reportedly broke down in tears after meeting her hero, protest leader Panusaya “Rung” Sitthijirawattanakul, and expressing concerns for her safety.On Thursday, Facebook user Rattapol Kaiipah Promsuwan posted that a Grade-6 girl had visited the organisers’ zone at a protest site, asking to meet Panusaya in person.The girl cried for about half an hour while Panusaya tried to soothe her, said the post. It appeared soon after Wednesday’s rally at Lat Phrao intersection in Bangkok and also featured a photo of Panusaya hugging a girl.The girl reportedly later told the Facebook poster that she was worried about Panasaya’s safety.As of Friday, this post had around 2,200 comments and over 7,900 shares.According to the girl’s sister, her sibling was interested in politics and knew that Panusaya had been charged with lese majeste, which carries punishment of up to 15 years in prison.On Wednesday, Panusaya reportedly received a fresh summons from the Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) to hear charges of lese majeste and computer crime on December 9.The charges reportedly stem from a police complaint filed by royalist composer Nitipong Honark on November 20.Earlier this month, the BBC listed Panusaya as one of the world’s 100 most inspirational and influential women of 2020.

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Charter change will topple Thai state, warns ultraroyalist group (nationthailand.com)

Charter change will topple Thai state, warns ultraroyalist group

PoliticsDec 03. 2020

By THE NATION

Warong Dechgitvigrom and members of his ultraroyalist Thai Pakdee group asked the Constitutional Court on Thursday to halt the charter change process, claiming it could overthrow Thailand’s system of governance.A provision in the current Constitution states that the Constitution must be amended in sections, not entirely rewritten, said Warong. Therefore, redrafting the whole charter was not in line with the law, he added.Warong also claimed that rewriting the supreme law would weaken the role of Parliament members as stated in the current Constitution. This would in turn undermine the power of citizens by depriving them of representation via members of Parliament, he said.Changing the whole Constitution would also mean changing MPs and senators, as well as members of courts and other independent organisations under the law, he said.Such a move would amount to overthrowing the administration, said Warong.He also called on the president of Parliament to bring a halt to the charter change process.

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Charter court accused of overlooking questioned raised by Pheu Thai in Prayut’s Army residence case (nationthailand.com)

Charter court accused of overlooking questioned raised by Pheu Thai in Prayut’s Army residence case

PoliticsDec 03. 2020Prasert Jantararuangtong 

By THE NATION

Prasert Jantararuangtong, secretary-general of opposition Pheu Thai Party, told the press on Wednesday that his party has done its best by suing the premier for continuing to live in an Army residence after retiring as Army chief in September 2014. The Constitutional Court, however, ruled unanimously on Wednesday that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has not violated the charter by staying on in his Army residence and can remain in office. Prayut was accused of violating Articles 184 and 186 of the Constitution that forbid a minister from “receiving any special money or benefit from a government agency, state agency or state enterprise apart from that given by the government agency, state agency or state enterprise to other persons in the ordinary course of business”. In his court testimony, Prayut argued that his security team had advised him to continue living in the Army residence for his safety. Hence, he said, the lawsuit should be dismissed. Moreover, the court was told that as a former Army chief, Prayut deserves the honour and security the residence provides. The residence is within the First Infantry Battalion of Royal Guards compound on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road. Prasert said the court’s verdict was not in line with the facts his party had put forward, especially the question why this prime minister requires extra security when former premiers had lived in their official residence without requiring any special protection. He said he was also concerned about verdicts in similar cases in the future, adding that Pheu Thai will also look into the so-called Army reforms claimed to have been put in place by former commander in chief General Apirat Kongsompong. In the evening, Prasert was invited to join a talk show on Thairath TV anchored by Jomquan Lopetch to discuss the verdict, as well as the PM conflict of interest. In the show, the secretary-general pointed out that Prayut would have been found guilty if the court focused on the Constitution instead of Army regulations. He said Prayut currently holds a political post rather than one in the military, which means he should come under the purview of the Constitution, not Army regulations. However, Paiboon Nititawan from the ruling Palang Pracharath Party, who presented the other side in the show, insisted that Prayut had every right to stay on in the Army residence because he was once a soldier. Thai social media, meanwhile, was full of comments slamming the verdict and Thailand’s judiciary for finding Prayut “not guilty” even though he had blatantly violated the country’s supreme law.

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Public Health Ministry distributes face masks, hand sanitisers to protesters at political rally (nationthailand.com)

Public Health Ministry distributes face masks, hand sanitisers to protesters at political rally

PoliticsDec 03. 2020

By The Nation

The Public Health Ministry’s volunteer medical personnel force handed out face masks and hand-sanitising gels to pro-democracy protesters at the Ratsadon group’s anti-government rally at Lat Phrao intersection on Wednesday.

Related story:

Protesters occupy Lat Phrao intersection after Prayut ruled not guilty

The move came in response to the ministry’s announcement that one of the new Covid-19 patients, who had illegally entered the country, stayed in Bangkok.

In the evening, protest leaders Attapon “Kru Yai” Buapat, Arnon Nampa and Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul took turns to give speeches, mostly about the Constitutional Court verdict that Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha had not violated the charter by staying on at his Army residence after retirement.

The group called off the demonstration at 0.12am on Thursday.

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‘Court’ takes a beating after Prayut verdict (nationthailand.com)

‘Court’ takes a beating after Prayut verdict

PoliticsDec 02. 2020A rally leader smashes a spirit house as part of protests against today’s Constitutional Court ruling. 

By The Nation

Core protest leader Atthaphol Buaphat smashed a spirit house in a symbolic protest against the court verdict acquitting PM Prayut Chan-o-cha on Wednesday.

The Thai name for a spirit house is “san phraphum“, but “san” also means court.

Protesters occupy Lat Phrao intersection after Prayut ruled not guilty

Atthaphol was targeting the Constitutional Courtruling earlier in the day that found Prayut had not violated the charter by staying on in a military residence after retiring from the Army.