Singer and pro-democracy activist Chaiamorn Kaewwiboonpan, better known as “Ammy the Bottom Blues”, told the press on Thursday that he will continue singing and delivering speeches in political rallies, but will adhere to court conditions.
The singer visited the court in Bangkok’s Dusit district to report himself in line with bail conditions.
Chaiamorn was arrested along with 18 other protesters at the October 13 rally near Bangkok’s Democracy Monument. The singer faces several charges from breaching the emergency decree to violating traffic laws.
Chaiamorn and other protesters were granted bail on October 19 under condition that they do not repeat their offences and report to the court every two weeks.
He told the press that he has been officially charged and faces legal action in 11 cases. He also said he will continue participating in peaceful rallies and that he has spoken to his lawyer on this matter. The lawyer has told him that he can deliver speeches provided they are on safe subjects and do not violate bail conditions.
Progressive Movement leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit said yellow-shirt protesters who mobbed a car in Nakhon Si Thammarat on Wednesday were acting in the mistaken belief that he was inside. Posting on Facebook, Thanathorn expressed concern for the victims, who he said were ordinary people unrelated to him.
A clip of the incident shared widely on social media shows a crowd of royalists dressed in yellow surrounding a car and shouting for Thanathorn to “get out of Thailand”. They also accuse Thanathorn of wanting to overthrow the monarchy and “sell the country to foreigners”. One protester thrashes the car with a flag.
Thanathorn confirmed he was in the South, helping politicians campaign for local elections.
He said the yellow-shirt protesters were living under an illusion that he was the problem, when in fact it was corrupt local politicians who had taken over their lives. They had been lied to and made to believe that those seeking changes for a better of society were planning to overthrow the monarchy, he added.
Months of anti-government protests have in recent weeks triggered counter-protests by government supporters and royalists. Concern is now growing over possible violence between pro-democracy protesters seeking reform of the monarchy and royalists who find the idea deeply offensive.
Former election commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn said the incident in Nakhon Sri Thammasat recalled the time when red-shirt protesters surrounded PM Abhisit Vejjajiva’s car in 2009. He called for tolerance and said any conflict should be settled in court.
Senators ‘fear protests’, want charter-change vote during daytime
PoliticsNov 11. 2020Parliament President Chuan Leekpai
By The Nation
Parliament will convene on November 17-18 for a special session to debate seven charter-amendment drafts, said Parliament President Chuan Leekpai.
Chuan discussed the debate agenda on Wednesday with government and opposition whips as well as senators’ representatives. Six of the drafts were proposed by government and opposition MPs while the seventh was written by the Internet Dialogue on Law Reform (iLaw) and backed by more than 100,000 citizens.
Senators have asked to vote on the drafts during the daytime as they are worried about protests. Chuan said he told them that protesters who gathered outside Parliament during the previous debate had caused no problems. The voting would take about four hours, he added.
Government chief whip Wirat Rattanaset, said the government will try to convince senators to back its Constitution amendments. Senators want five-hour time slots to debate the seven drafts.
Parliament should vote to pass the drafts in the first reading, then scrutinise them in the second and third readings, he said. To pass, a draft needs a majority of parliamentary votes (at least 375), of which at least a third, or 84, must come from the 250 junta-appointed senators.
The military-sponsored Constitution contains conditions designed to make it almost impossible to amend the supreme law, which critics blame for extending the military’s grip on power and expanding the reach of the monarchy.
Pro-democracy protesters have voiced support for iLaw’s draft, which includes a provision to make the monarchy more transparent and accountable. The protesters plan to hold another big rally on Saturday.
Amnesty urges Thai, Cambodian govts to ensure Wanchalearm sister’s safety
PoliticsNov 11. 2020Photo Credit : Amnesty International
By THE NATION
Amnesty International welcomes the move by both Thailand and Cambodia to allow Wanchalearm’s sister to travel to Phnom Penh to give evidence in the case of the missing activist after a wait of more than five months, the organisation said in a press statement.
Amnesty International Thailand director Piyanut Kotsan noted in the statement that after more than five months since Wanchalearm Satsaksit was last seen in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, there has been barely any progress in the investigation into his forced disappearance.
His family still looks forward to finding out his whereabouts and the reasons for his disappearance, identifying the perpetrators and having them brought to justice, Piyanut said.
It has been reported lately that Sitanan Satsaksit will travel to Cambodia on Wednesday with a team of lawyers to give evidence to Cambodian authorities regarding the disappearance of her younger brother. Although she was due to give evidence on December 8, due to the Covid-19 pandemic there is only one flight a month to Cambodia, so she has to travel almost one month in advance.
“We welcome Thailand’s and Cambodia’s facilitation of the trip, including the issuance of special visas to make it possible for Ms Sitanan Satsaksit, Wanchalearm Satsaksit’s sister, and her team of lawyers to give evidence pursuant to the summons issued by the Municipal Court of Phnom Penh.
“We urge both countries to ensure the safety of Wanchalearm’s sister and her team of lawyers while they stay in Cambodia. As members of the family of the activist who disappeared, they deserve protection and the right to know the truth and to restore justice.
“We hold firm on our outstanding demand for the Cambodian authorities to expedite the effort to effectively, urgently, thoroughly and transparently investigate Wanchalearm’s disappearance and to bring justice to the family immediately, since the last five months have seen no progress in terms of the legal case,” Piyanut said.
“Previously, Amnesty International launched the global Urgent Action campaign to invite our supporters around the world to write to Prime Minister Hun Sen and to demand Cambodian authorities expedite the effort to investigate Wanchalearm’s disappearance and to inform his family about his whereabouts as well as to try any suspect in this case in a civilian court through a fair trial.
“We also urge 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 to not deport Wanchalearm to Thailand in compliance with the international obligation to refrain from sending a person to a place where it is highly likely that person will see a violation of his human rights.
“Amnesty International Thailand has sent the names of more than 10,000 supporters to Wanchalearm’s sister, who will hand over the list to Cambodia,” Piyanut added.
Pro-royalist group “Loyal Thai” tried on Wednesday to contact Amnesty International Thailand to demand protection for a Russian man who was head-butted by a member of pro-democracy group Ratsadon.
Loyal Thai leader Warong Dechgitvigrom announced on his Facebook fan page that Amnesty’s office was closed and required that the group submit a document next week instead.
On Sunday evening, the Russian was injured in an altercation with a pro-democracy protest leader in Pattaya.
Witnesses said that while a protester named Sirawith Seritiwat was giving a speech on stage, a commotion occurred at the venue when the foreign tourist got into a heated argument with protest leader Narathiwat Khamma.
Narathiwat allegedly headbutted and pushed the foreigner to the ground. Police officers monitoring the situation intervened immediately. The protesters dispersed shortly after the incident.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha stated that the incident would hurt the good image of Thailand. He also said the assault has “defamed all Thai people”.
DES Ministry monitoring 500,000 ‘illegal’ social-media posts
PoliticsNov 11. 2020DES Minister Buddhipongse Punnakanta
By THE NATION
The Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry told the press on Wednesday that more than 500,000 politics-related social-media posts could be considered illegal.
DES Minister Buddhipongse Punnakanta noted that the 500,000 posts violating the Computer Crime Act were found on Sunday and Monday.
He added that ministry will study these posts and prosecute those behind the ones that are considered illegal. As for those who share these posts, he said their intention will be considered before they are prosecuted.
The minister also said that any illegal website can be shut down if permitted by court, and though pages or groups on social-media platforms cannot be closed, legal action can be taken against the creators.
The Facebook page “Mob Fest” announced on Tuesday that its next pro-democracy demonstration would be held this Saturday from 2pm under coordination with more than 20 pro-democracy groups.
The page said “all issues” relating to the Constitution would be talked about at the rally.
The Mob Fest said it and its supporters would monitor a motion to consider a draft version of the people’s Constitution, which was expected to take place at a future Parliament meeting.
The motion was planned by Parliament President Chuan Leekpai despite Palang Pracharat MPs and senators voting that the motion should be decided by the Constitution Court.
Deputy Prime Minister and Palang Pracharat leader General Prawit Wongsuwan said he did not know why 25 party MPs submitted an appeal to House Speaker Chuan Leekpai to ask the Constitutional Court to determine the legitimacy of an amended constitution draft.
Prawit promised to ask the party members about their motive.
When asked about the incident that Palang Pracharat deputy leader Paiboon Nititawan and the party’s Bangkok MP Sira Jenjaka criticised the suitability of Chuan as a commissioner of the reconciliation panel, Prawit said it is their personal business though he has already discussed the issue with the two.
Meanwhile, government chief whip Wirat Rattanaset, who is also Palang Pracharat party-list MP, said he had been notified during a discussion with government coalition MPs that during a Parliament meeting on November 17 and18, they would vote to approve the first reading of the amended constitution draft, which consisted of drafts proposed by both the government coalition and the opposition.
“As for the amended constitution draft submitted by the Internet Law Reform Dialogue [iLaw] and signed by 100,000 people, I believe it was written by one or two persons, while the rest were just supporters,” he said. “The iLaw draft consists of an amendment in the King’s section as well as a proposal to ‘cancel’ all independent organisations, which need to be considered and approved by Parliament first.”
National Legislative Assembly member Kittisak Rattanawaraha said he had appealed to Parliament that it should inspect NGOs that receive funds from overseas, after he found that iLaw was funded by foreign parties and suspected it might be the group behind the political unrest.
“iLaw receives funding from foreign parties, therefore it could be highly inappropriate for them to submit a draft to amend the constitution of Thailand, as we have never been a colony or a servant of any country,” he said.
Parliament president Chuan Leekpai told press on Tuesday he had consulted Privy Councillor Surayud Chulanont and former PM Somchai Wongsawat about plans for a national reconciliation committee to resolve rising political conflict.
Chuan said that Surayud, a former Army chief and post-2016 coup PM, declined to express an opinion on the topic.
“However, he asked all sides to consider the community at large,” he added.
Meanwhile Somchai agreed to do whatever was in the national interest.
Chuan also said that the reconciliation panel would not consist of representatives from all sides of the conflict, as proposed by King Prajadhipok’s Institute.
The youth-led protest movement has already dismissed the panel as a waste of time and reiterated its demands for the PM’s resignation, dissolution of Parliament and monarchy reform.
Chuan said the panel would represent as many sides as possible.
Last week, the institute advised that the reconciliation committee take one of two forms – representatives from all sides of the conflict, or independent middlemen selected by different sides.
Chuan said the second option was a possibility, and suitable middlemen were currently being approached.
He said last week that the two proposed panel formats could be adjusted or merged, adding he would hold talks with stakeholders before making a final decision.
The Thammasat Pitaktham group, which consists of Thammasat University alumni, on Monday condemned the attempts of pro-democracy protesters to enter the Palace Office on Sunday. The group also condemned the Thammasat University Students Union (TUSU) for supporting the “illegal actions” of the protesters.
Thousands of pro-democracy protesters were prevented by police on Sunday evening from reaching the Palace Office to petition for reform of the monarchy. They occupied the streets and later decided to march to nearby Sanam Luang to deliver speeches criticising the government. At around 6.45pm, police had used high pressure guns to spray water on the protesters but later apologised for “accidentally” spraying water.
The TUSU had published a statement on Sunday condemning the police’s use of water cannons on protesters and accused the authorities of trying to obstruct peaceful political activities.
In a statement, Thammasat Pitaktham said: “The protesters’ actions were illegal in mocking and defaming the monarch and trying to break into the Inner Palace which is a prohibited area. The police action was in compliance with international standards in dispersing public gathering and preventing illegal actions.
“We condemn the actions of these protesters, as well as the TUSU for supporting them. Their rally was not peaceful as they claimed and was radically against the ideology of Thammasat University,” said the statement. “We urge them to stop their actions immediately, and authorities should pursue legal actions against anyone who broke the law.”
Chaiamorn Kaewwiboonpan 
Parliament President Chuan Leekpai 
Photo Credit : Amnesty International 
DES Minister Buddhipongse Punnakanta 
Chuan Leekpai 
SootinClaimon.Com 