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Australian gold miner hit with Thai encroachment charge

NationalOct 15. 2020

By The Nation

Thai authorities will charge Akara Resources with encroaching on state forest, in the latest twist to a longstanding legal dispute with the Australian gold miner.

The Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division on Thursday accused Akara’s Chatree gold mine of encroachment, unauthorised exploitation and destruction of more than 73 rai of public land in Phichit and Petchabun provinces. 

The junta government shuttered the provinces’ Chatree mine – the largest gold pit in the country – on January 1, 2017 following allegations it was polluting the surrounding countryside.

Division chief Pol Maj-General Pitak Uthaitham said the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) had collected enough evidence to prosecute Akara under the Forest Act and Highway Act. 

The DSI has also sent evidence to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) that illegal changes were made to Akara’s mining plan in order to benefit private companies in 2016.

A total of 15 new cases against Akara, based on evidence from the Royal Forest Department, will be forwarded to Central Investigation Police Headquarters, Pitak added. 

He insisted that the cases would not affect ongoing arbitration talks between the Thai government and Akara.

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3 more protest leaders denied bail

NationalOct 15. 2020

By The Nation

Three more protest leaders have been denied bail after being arrested in an ongoing government crackdown on the pro-democracy movement.

Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul and Nutchanon Payakaphan remain in jail after Pathum Thani Provincial Court refused to grant them bail on Thursday.

Meanwhile the Facebook accounts of human rights lawyer Arnon Nampa and fellow prominent activist Prasiddhi Grudharochana have disappeared after the two were arrested together.

Arnon had previously said in a Facebook post that he had been denied access to a lawyer, a move that violated his basic rights and endangered his safety.

On Thursday, protesters heeded a call made earlier by Arnon to gather for a rally at Bangkok’s Ratchaprasong intersection, in defiance of emergency rule imposed overnight.

Arnon was later reportedly transported to Chiang Mai to face sedition charges for speaking on stage about the monarchy at prior rallies in Chiang Mai and Pathum Thani.

Also reportedly still in jail is Jatupat “Pai Dao Din” Boonpattarasaksa, who was arrested on Tuesday in Bangkok. He was detained along with 19 other protesters, who refused the offer of bail-release unless Jatupat was also set free.

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Protest leaders call for calm in tense Bangkok stand-off with police

NationalOct 15. 2020Protesters at Ratchaprasong Intersection decide to sit down after failing to push back a police cordon surrounding their rally. 

By THE NATION

Large numbers of school and university students, many wearing their student uniforms, joined the anti-government protest in Bangkok on Thursday.Protesters rallying at Ratchaprasong Intersection in defiance of an overnight ban raised the three-finger salute against dictatorship and chanted “release our friends” – referring to the dozens of protest leaders arrested since Tuesday. They also chanted “my tax money”, in reference to the protest movement’s calls for more transparency in allocating government budget to the Palace.

Tensions between protesters and police at Ratchaprasong began to ease at 5pm as rally leaders including Panupong Jadnok called for calm and emphasised the non-violent character of protests so far.

Protesters began gathering at the intersection at 4pm, after police cleared their camp at Government House overnight in response to the sudden imposition of citywide emergency rule by the prime minister. Police were deployed to the intersection and surrounding area in force, preventing the protesters from moving out of the rally site.

The crackdown on protest leaders continued on Thursday with news that Arnon Nampa, prominent activist and human-rights lawyer, has been flown to Chiang Mai to face sedition charges for speaking on monarchy reform at rallies in Chiang Mai and Pathum Thani.

Facebook accounts belonging to Arnon and fellow protest leader Prasiddhi Grudharochana have disappeared, after Arnon posted he had been denied access to a lawyer.

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Security at Bangkok railway stations tightened under emergency rule

NationalOct 15. 2020

By The Nation

The Rail Transport Department has ordered transport system operators in Bangkok to beef up security after the government declared a state of emergency on Thursday.

Operators have been ordered to check stations and luggage more frequently and ensure that their security cameras and communication systems are functioning round the clock.

They were also told to to be ready to evacuate passengers in case of emergency.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha declared a state of emergency banning gatherings in Bangkok effective from 4am on Thursday, in a clampdown on escalating pro-democracy protests.

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Arnon flown to Chiang Mai to face sedition charges, denied representation in court

NationalOct 15. 2020

By The Nation

Arnon Nampa, prominent activist and human-rights lawyer, has reportedly been flown up to Chiang Mai to face sedition charges for speaking on stage about the monarchy earlier in Chiang Mai and Pathum Thani.

Sunai Phasuk, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, said on Twitter that Arnon had been forcibly taken by a special commando unit to the North.

The activist also said in a Facebook post that he had been denied access to a lawyer, which is in direct violation of his rights and endangered his safety.

Meanwhile, Chiang Mai University students have started gathering in the campus to show their support of the pro-democratic movement and pressure the authorities to release Arnon and activist Prasiddhi Grudharochana, who was arrested at the same time.

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Emergency medical teams deployed around Ratchaprasong rally site

NationalOct 15. 2020Dr Narong Aphikulvanich, Medical Services Department deputy director-general 

By The Nation

Medical teams are being posted in readiness after anti-establishment protesters announced they will rally at Bangkok’s Ratchaprasong intersection on Thursday, in defiance of the government’s overnight ban on gatherings.

Dr Narong Aphikulvanich, Medical Services Department deputy director-general, revealed

that medical units from the Police Hospital, Chulalongkorn Hospital and Ramathibodi Hospital will be deployed to the Pathumwan Intersection, Ploenchit Intersection and Ratchaprasong Intersection to provide emergency care for illness or injuries.

He insisted the medical teams will treat all sides equally and take precautions against the spread of Covid-19 outbreak among the crowd. He advised rally participants to wear masks and keep their hands clean with alcohol gel.

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Crackdown violates Thai govt’s international obligations, rights group warns

NationalOct 15. 2020

By The Nation

Amnesty International has condemned the government’s overnight crackdown on peaceful protests, slamming its ban on gatherings as a “drastic” escalation of authorities’ onslaught on freedom of expression.

Responding to news that the Thai authorities have ordered a ban on gatherings of five or more people in Bangkok and on sharing information that “could create fear”, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for campaigns, Ming Yu Hah, said: 

“This vague, drastic order will lead to more people unfairly arrested, detained and prosecuted. 

“With further public assemblies expected to happen today, we urge the Thai authorities to engage in constructive dialogue with the protesters. 

“The scale of today’s early morning arrests seems completely unjustified based on yesterday’s [Wednesday] events. The assemblies were overwhelmingly peaceful. These moves are clearly designed to stamp out dissent, and sow fear in anyone who sympathises with the protesters’ views.” 

He urged authorities to release the protesters immediately and unconditionally, and give those detained access to legal counsel. 

“Instead of ruling by decree and mass arrests, the Thai authorities must reverse course. 

They must comply with their international obligations to respect the rights of anyone who simply wishes to peacefully speak their mind, on social media or in the streets,” he said. 

According to news reports, at least 20 protesters were arrested in the early hours of Thursday for allegedly violating the state of emergency ostensibly used to control Covid-19.

At least 21 more, including prominent activist Jatupat “Pai Dao Din” Boonpattararaksa, were arrested on Tuesday. 

 Amnesty International urged the authorities at the time not to use the state of emergency to violate human rights. 

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Chiang Mai University research team successfully creates new rice breeds using ion beams

NationalOct 15. 2020

By THE NATION

Chiang Mai University’s Institute of Scientific and Technological Research has been successful in using ion beam to induce mutation in existing rice breeds to create new ones that provide better yield and are resilient against diseases and pests, researcher Dr Boonyarak Panchaisri said.

“Our research team has been working for more than 10 years with Dr Thirapat Wilaithong from the university’s Physics Excellence Centre who developed a particle accelerator to create ion beam to induce rice mutation,” Boonyarak said.

“We were able to create three new rice breeds, namely FRK-1 fragrant rice for consumption, MYS-4 rice for the starch industry and OSSY-23 rice for animal feed. These breeds give better yield and can withstand several diseases as well as pests.”

Buoyed by this success, the university has recently signed an MoU with the Ratchaburi Farmer Council, which will test the new breeds out in the province’s Huai Phai subdistrict. If the crop is successful, then they will begin distributing seeds as well as instructions to farmers in the provinces of Kanchanaburi, Kamphaeng Phet, Chai Nat, Pathum Thani, Prachinburi, Phichit, Phitsanulok, Phrae, Lopburi, Saraburi, Singburi, Sukhothai, Ayutthaya, Ang Thong and Uttaradit.

“We hope these new rice breeds will help boost output and revenue for rice farmers, reduce disparity as well as attract new graduates to pursue careers in agriculture,” he added.

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Stormy weekend forecast for most of Thailand

NationalOct 15. 2020

By The Nation

The Meteorological Department has announced that Thailand will be affected by storms until Monday.

A Category 1 active low-pressure cell east of the Philippines has intensified into a Category 2 tropical depression, and as of 10am on Thursday, it was moving slowly northwest into centre of South China Sea with maximum sustained winds at about 55 kilometres per hour.

On Saturday and Sunday, it is expected to intensify to a Category 3 tropical storm making landfall in central Vietnam.

Meanwhile, heavy to very heavy rains have been forecast in some areas in the North, Central, Northeast and East, with warnings of flash floods and runoffs.

In addition, a strong monsoon trough is lying across lower Central region, upper South and the East, while strong Southwest monsoon is covering the Andaman Sea, the South and the Gulf of Thailand. These will bring isolated heavy to very heavy rains.

Meanwhile, up to 3-metre high waves have been forecast in the Andaman Sea and the upper Gulf, which are expected to rise higher during thundershowers.

People have been warned of surf, ships have been told to proceed with caution, while small boats are advised to remain ashore.

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Police offer 12 alternative routes to avoid rally at Ratchaprasong intersection

NationalOct 15. 2020

By The Nation

Metropolitan police have recommended 12 alternative routes for drivers to avoid the political rally at Ratchaprasong Intersection in Bangkok on Thursday.

Relate Story:

Police deployed in Ratchaprasong area amid planned protest, warn against ‘illegal’ assembly after 5pm

The student-led protesters announced they would continue their rally at the intersection from 4pm today, after quitting their anti-government protest at Government House overnight.

CentralWorld staff has set up barriers around the department store, while Royal Thai Police headquarters has shut its entrance on Rama I Road.

Police advised people to avoid using roads near Ratchaprasong Intersection from 2pm onwards and recommended the following 12 alternative routes:

1. Ratchaprarop Road

2. Phetchaburi Road

3. Phaya Thai Road

4. Rama IV Road

5. Henri Dunant Road

6. Sarasin Road

7. Silom Road

8. Sathon Road

9. Witthayu Road

10. Sukhumvit Road

11. Langsuan Road

12. Soi Tonson

Police said they will monitor the situation and prepare plans in case protesters change their rally location, adding that traffic updates were available at the Traffic Police Division hotline on 1197.