Pro-establishment protesters gather in front of the U.S. embassy in Bangkok on Oct. 27, 2020.
BANGKOK — The American Embassy in Bangkok on Wednesday denied reports that the U.S. spy agency has granted asylum to leaders of the pro-democracy movement in Thailand.
The claim was made by statistics professor Arnond Sakworawich, who accused the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, or CIA, of approving the asylum requests for multiple protest leaders and allowing them to flee prosecution in Thailand. The claim was also published as a news article by Nation TV news agency.
“Several Free Youth kids have already applied for asylum in the United States,” Arnond, who teaches at the National Institute of Development Administration, said in his Monday’s Facebook post.
“The CIA approved their application. These kids will be able to spruce up themselves and study with scholarships granted by the U.S. They will probably return and teach at Thammasat in the next five to ten years.”
But a statement released by the U.S. Embassy suggests otherwise. It said any application for asylum in the United States would be processed by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, or the USCIS.
“Recently, there has been a claim about political asylum in the U.S. which is absolutely false,” the statement wrote. “Such accusations show the lack of understanding in the asylum process, in which the applicant must be in the U.S. in order to apply for the asylum status.”
“Other government agencies in the U.S. may not process the application for asylum.”
Pro-establishment figures often claim that foreign governments are “meddling” in Thai politics and engineering the protests against PM Prayut Chan-o-cha.
Last week, Harutai Muangboonsri, a celebrity and key member of the newly founded royalist group Thai Phakdee, led a crowd of a dozen people to stage a protest in front of the U.S. embassy and urged the American government to stop waging “Hybrid War” in Thailand.
The embassy was also accused by a hardline royalist group called Thailand Vision of funding the pro-democracy rallies, a claim denied by the embassy.
Monkey House Nov. 4 in Khao To Phaya Wang Park in Satun.
SATUN — A massive enclosure looking like something out of Jurassic Park will be a new home for some 1,000 monkeys right in the middle of a park in Satun province.
“Monkey House” (Baan Ling) is an open-air structure of 20-meter high columns across a 80-meter space criss-crossed with climbing beams. City officials say the structure will serve as a sanctuary for around 1,000 homeless monkeys that routinely wreak havoc for residents and visitors in the city center.
Previous attempts to sterilize the monkey and control the population did not work.
“Even using a slingshot only chases them away for a little while. They always come back,” Jensilp Muen-tae, a guard at the park said.
Monkeys at in Khao To Phaya Wang Park in Satun.
He had been at wit’s end in dealing with the monkeys. His belongings, including his motorbike seat and side windows, have all been ripped and broken by the monkeys.
Prasert Laknasirolak, 65, a local resident in the area, also said that the monkeys have been a longtime nuisance for him, constantly damaging his roof and vegetable garden.
“I agree with the local government building them a house so they won’t cause so much inconvenience,” he said.
City workers are working to round up the monkeys and move them into their new home, which will officially open to visitors on Dec. 18. Satun city is also inviting the local communities to give an official name to the monkey enclosure.
Monkeys in Thailand can often run rampant in cities outside of Bangkok. In Songkhla, a group of monkeys overran a housewhose owner was away on Songkran vacation.
A shortage of tourists and their food offerings at the Prang Sam Yod temple complex resulted in a thousand monkeys warringfor food in March on the streets of Lopburi city.
Brian Joseph Thomas Berletic as he appears on a self-introduction video. Photo: Land Destroyer / YouTube
BANGKOK — The anonymous blogger known for his prolific anti-Western conspiracy theories and unfounded accusations against the pro-democracy movements in Thailand is no longer anonymous.
If his account is to be believed, the pseudonym “Tony Cartalucci” belongs to American citizen by the name of Brian Joseph Thomas Berletic.
Writing in a recent blog post on the Land Destroyer Report, Berletic said he is behind Tony Cartalucci and several other identities. The self-described “independent geopolitical analyst” said he had to conceal his identity to protect his family from attacks arising from his critical works against his homeland.
“My name is Brian Joseph Thomas Berletic. I am a 38-year-old American industrial designer living in Bangkok,” he wrote.
“Since I began writing about politics, I have used pen names to conceal my identity for a variety of very common reasons many journalists, commentators, and pundits use pen names for.”
For years, the blog and other affiliated websites like the New Atlas, the Global Research, and the New Eastern Outlook have been running articles vilifying former PM Thaksin Shinawatra and his supporters, as well as accusing the United States of meddling in Thailand’s domestic affairs.
Their focus shifted recently toward the ongoing student-led demonstrations, with reports claiming that they were secretly supported by the United States to instigate a regime change in Thailand.
“The real goal of U.S.-backed unrest in Thailand is similar to its motivations for sowing chaos in Hong Kong,” Berletic said in one of his blog posts. “Obviously the U.S. would prefer a client regime completely dependent on Washington financially and politically.”
A screenshot of Land Destroyer Report website.
Although the articles routinely refer to the U.S. National Endowment for Democracy’s funding of multiple NGOs in Thailand – including the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights and iLaw, a group that monitors arrests and legal actions in freedom of expression cases – they never present any evidence that prove the protests were sponsored or engineered by the U.S. government.
Despite questions over its credibility, Berletic’s works are followed by many pro-establishment politicians. Hardline conservative news sites in Thailand also often present Tony Cartalucci as a legitimate source of information.
“Exposed by foreign media! The U.S. sent NED, a civilian version of CIA, to interfere with Thai politics and society, hoping to punish Thailand for sidelining the U.S. in favor of friendship with China,” a reportby News 1 channel said, citing a website linked to Berletic as the source.
Police officials scuffle with pro-democracy demonstrators during an anti-government protest at Victory Monument in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Most famously, Suthep Thaugsuban, who organized street protests in 2013 that paved the way for a military coup a year later, once cited Cartalucci’s work onstage to accuse Thaksin of employing lobbyists to portray the protesters as violent.
A YouTube channel operated by an army public relations center also shared a video of Berletic attending a royalist gathering in front of the Grand Palace on Sunday.
In the video, he introduced himself as Berletic and was asked by a local what he felt about the event.
“Back then, I didn’t know what to do with life,” Berletic spoke in accented Thai. “But when I learned about the self-sufficient economy, I realized what to do with life. It’s practical. I can help others and solve problems. I feel that my life has been fulfilled.”
In the Shadows No Longer?
Prior to Berletic’s revelation, the real identity of the writers involved in Land Destroyer and its network of other sites had been shrouded in mystery for years – and a topic of much discussion among foreign correspondents covering Thailand.
Berletic said he decided to give up his anonymity and speak up about the alleged U.S. interference in the kingdom to avoid being falsely branded as a “misinformation” by his critics, who routinely insisted that his true identity was an American expat Michael Pirsch.
“Being anonymous at this point is more of an obstacle than an asset,” Berletic wrote.
“By coming out now, I am actually providing more protection for myself and my family than by staying semi-anonymous,” he added. “I will be able to openly speak up about U.S. interference and military aggression publicly, and in ways that cannot and will not be censored.”
A screenshot of Land Destroyer Report website.
When Khaosod English reached out to Berletic for an interview, he declined and accused the news organization of publishing false information about his identity.
“Organizations and individuals similar to Khaosod English and its staff have lied for the past six years claiming I was elderly expat Michael Pirsch,” Berletic wrote in an email. “So my question is, who would believe anything people similar to you or Khaosod English have to say about anything, ever again?”
Khaosod English has never referred to Cartalucci as Michael Pirsch in its stories.
In his blog post, Berletic said he had served in the U.S. Marines Corps for several years, where he worked as a mechanic based in Japan, before he left the force and moved to Thailand.
He said he had grown fond of the country when he first visited the country as part of the Cobra Gold joint military exercises and inspired by the teachings of the late King Bhumibol, especially his concept of the self-sufficiency economy, which “changed his life and gave him purpose.”
Khaosod English was unable to independently verify his service records.
Riot police move on pro-democracy protesters in front of Siam Paragon shopping mall on Oct. 16, 2020.
Berletic’s publications have also come under the gunsight of social media firms amid their effort to combat disinformation campaigns in recent years.
Last year, Facebook removed the Land Destroyer, the New Atlas, and the New Eastern Outlook pages for engaging in “coordinated inauthentic behaviour.”
The first two pages said they are Bangkok-based, while the latter listed an address in Moscow. They appeared to be under the same network of self-styled news outlets.
Their Twitter accounts, as well as those belonging to Berletic himself, were also suspended, though the blogs remain accessible on the internet.
In 2016, Berletic also urged his supporters to harass BBC’s British journalist Jonathan Head for his coverage of King Bhumibol’s life and death.
“Groups able to organize and peacefully control a crowd could also follow him around and make his life as difficult as a liar’s life should be,” Berletic wrote. “Heckle him, make him uncomfortable, make him look bad, but don’t be “’red shirts’” and resort to violence.”
Ornuma “Khu Jum” Plodprong at the Chaiyaphruek Police Station on Oct. 4, 2020.
BANGKOK — A kindergarten worker caught on tape beating and shoving children in her classroom was convicted by a court earlier this week, the victims’ attorney said.
The Nonthaburi Provincial Court on Monday sentenced Ornuma “Kru Jum” Plodprong, 30, to 195 days, or more than half a year, in prison for physical assault and child abuse of seven victims, lawyer Ronnarong Kaewphet wrote online.
Ornuma reportedly confessed to all charges. She is currently out on bail, having posted a bond of 49,000 baht.
Families of the seven victims are also demanding compensation of 5 million baht each, which will be discussed in a court hearing on Dec. 23.
Video footage of Ornuma slapping students at Sarasas Witaed Ratchaphruek School in Nonthaburi went viral in late September, igniting a wave of outrage on social media. More videos of other educators at Sarasas assaulting students soon followed.
Sarasas schools director Piboon Yongkamol later responded to criticism by going on TV to say a series of bizarrestatements, such as that his schools screened teachers by cleaning their teeth and that parents were only suing the school for cash.
Only on Oct. 12 did the school agree to refund tuition fees for all victims’ families – after parents asked prosecutors to help file a class-action lawsuit against the school.
Local administrators in Loei province hand their drug test samples on Nov. 4, 2020, to security officers.
LOEI — Eleven administrative officials in the northeastern province of Loei tested positive for drug use Wednesday after security officers raided their meeting and forced them to take drug tests.
The 11 included village headmen and subdistrict chiefs, or kamnan, Chiang Khan district office chief Puriwat Chotinarat told reporters. They would be prosecuted if the results are confirmed by a local hospital, Puriwat said.
The group was reportedly attending a monthly routine meeting in Chiang Khan when security officers surrounded the building and tested everyone inside for drug use. Up to 307 people were tested, including local officials, doctors, and district-level administrators, Puriwat said.
The district chief added that the raid was authorized after he received complaints from residents that some officials were involved in narcotics trade.
Drug traffickers often carry their goods through Loei, which borders Laos. Just two days ago, on Monday, security officers said they intercepted 8 million pills of methamphetamine and other drugs at a checkpoint in Loei’s Dan Sai district.
In this Aug. 9, 2019, file photo, an Indian national flag, left, is hoisted next to a Jammu and Kashmir state flag on the government secretariat building in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin, File)
The Indian Embassy in Bangkok sent the following letter to Khaosod English to explain its viewpoints on the issues of Kashmir:
2. It is regrettable that the Ambassador of Pakistan to the Kingdom of Thailand has utilised your news site for spreading fictitious information and propaganda.
3. It is also surprising that your news site/agency has published the opinion piece without verifying the facts. [Note: Khaosod English does not alter or fact-check opinion pieces. We didn’t fact-check this one either.]
I would like to clarify that the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral and inalienable part of India. The accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India in 1947 was legal, complete and irrevocable.
4. As part of the largest democracy in the world, the people of Jammu and Kashmir have consistently exercised their electoral rights in innumerable elections to the state assembly, the national Parliament as well as in the recent local body elections in October 2019 with a very high turnout.
Media has been working independently there with no restrictions placed on its functioning and a slew of progressive Central Laws enhancing political, socio-economic and civil rights of people have been made applicable to the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir. Jammu & Kashmir is in the fore front of our national efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.
In fact, the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has seen considerable positive growth and development over the last one year.
5. India has a robust, transparent and independent judicial system, drawing its strength from the Constitution of India which safeguards and guarantees the fundamental rights of every citizen of India.
6. It is requested that the above facts may be kept in view for any future reference.
BANGKOK — A theater troupe known for their politically and socially provocative shows – and art performances at pro-democracy protests – will return for their first full production in almost two years in December.
B-Floor Theater will stage multimedia and physical theater performance called “Flu-Fool (2020 Edition)” on Dec. 5, 6 ,11, 12, 13 7pm at the Bangkok Arts and Culture Centre (BACC).
“Flu-Fool” was first held in 2010 and focused on the Redshirt crackdown in the same year. The production’s 2020 version, said producer Peerapol Kijeunpiromsuk, will also encompass what happened in the decade since.
“Ten years ago we talked about the Redshirt movement. But 10 years later, we’re still talking about the same issues. It’s still very fresh,” Peerapol said. “We should check in with ourselves to see if what happened, and if anything changed at all.”
The director is Teerawat “Ka-ge” Mulvilai, and the cast will include both B-Floor’s troupe and other performers. The troupe, known for their abstract performances, came under state scrutiny under the junta.
In 2020, B-Floor could not hold performances due to the coronavirus, but have performed at anti-government protests since July, sometimes with the Free Arts group.
B-Floor troupe member Ornanong “Golf” Thaisriwong said that the staging is timely with the “current fiery politics.”
“We’ve gone to every protest that we could,” Golf said. “At the leaderless protests, people can listen to speeches or protest standing up, but we also want people to be able to express themselves politically through art.”
“As B-Floor, of course we support democracy, and we wanted to bring our skills that we think are interesting to the protests for political expression.”
B-Floor’s “Bang La Merd,” performance in 2015 by Ornanong, was watched and recorded almost every day by military officers. Ka-ge’s production of “Fundamental” in 2016 at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre was also monitored by soldiers.
B-Floor’s performance of “Flu-Fool (2020 Edition)” can be booked by messaging their Facebook or calling 094-494-5104. Tickets are 700 baht for adults, 550 for students, and 500 baht for groups of 10 or more. Early bird tickets are 500 baht if booked and paid before Nov. 10.
The performance is 1:45 hours long with a 15 minute intermission.
In this July 14, 2014 file photo Hungarian Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Peter Szijjarto speaks at the Heritage Foundation in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, file)
BUDAPEST (Xinhua) — Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto has tested positive for COVID-19, the press service of his office said Wednesday.
“After visiting Cambodia, the minister went on to Thailand, and he tested positive after arriving in Bangkok,” Mate Paczolay, chief of the ministry’s press office, told Hungarian news agency MTI.
“In accordance with local regulations, Szijjarto is currently in a hospital in Bangkok and, since his asymptomatic, negotiations on his repatriation have begun,” said Paczolay.
Szijjarto tested negative just before leaving Hungary for Asia, said Paczolay, adding that upon his return, the minister would be quarantined.
Szijjarto is the second minister of the Hungarian government to have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
On Oct. 20, Hungarian Minister of Justice Judit Varga tested positive for COVID-19. She has since fully recovered and returned to her duties.
Hungary’s coronavirus cases have risen sharply since late August. The country’s total COVID-19 cases topped 10,000 on Sept. 10, 50,000 on Oct. 21, and 80,000 on Nov. 2.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban has pledged to procure COVID-19 vaccines, which he said would be made available to all citizens who want it.
Orban said his administration was engaged in talks on purchasing vaccines from China and Russia, adding that Hungary could have access to two to three different vaccines by the spring.
In this Oct. 14, 2020, file photo, human rights lawyer Arnon Nampha raises a three-finger salute, a symbol of resistance, talks to supporters during a protest near Democracy monument Bangkok, Thailand. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)
BANGKOK (AP) — A top leader of Thailand’s pro-democracy protests insisted Tuesday that the student-led movement will not back down from its most controversial demand, that the country’s monarchy undergo reforms.
Lawyer Arnon Nampha also told a crowd outside Bangkok Remand Prison that the movement would hold a large demonstration in front of Parliament if a draft constitutional amendment the protesters are seeking is not approved in its next session, scheduled for mid-November.
“When Parliament opens, and if they do not pass the draft amendment of the constitution, we will close Parliament with our own hands,” he said.
The movement wants Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha to step down, the constitution to be amended to make it more democratic, and the monarchy reformed to make its activities more transparent and accountable. The protesters have been holding almost daily rallies around the country, some attracting upwards of 10,000 people.
Arnon spoke to more than 100 supporters who gathered outside the prison after he and three other protest leaders were freed from custody when a court refused to extend their detention, which had been requested by police.
Police have filed dozens of charges against them in connection with several protests, ranging from illegal use of a loudspeaker in public to sedition. As a result, most have been in and out of jail several times.
Arnon said the protest movement will insist on its three demands, and even if it compromises on the prime minister’s resignation and amending the constitution, it will stick to the third concerning the monarchy.
The protesters believe the monarchy wields too much power, but to royalists it is a untouchable institution that is the heart and soul of the nation. Public criticism of it is unprecedented, and a lese majeste law makes defaming the monarch and his immediate family punishable by up to 15 years’ imprisonment.
Arnon Nampha at the Criminal Court on Aug. 19, 2020.
Counter-demonstrations that have sprung up in reaction to the pro-democracy movement declare they are defending the monarchy. In recent rare appearances, King Maha Vajiralongkorn and other royal family members have reinforced royalist passions with walking tours that take them face-to-face with adoring members of the public.
The government has urged “unity” as a way of easing the political crisis, but there are fears that polarization could foster violence.
“For the next step, it is necessary for us to step forward very carefully because their backs are against the wall,” said Arnon, in reference to Thailand’s conservative ruling establishment. “They prepare to use violence against us.”
The protest movement has generally followed the tenets of nonviolent civil disobedience, a point underlined by Arnon.
“Violence is not the answer,” he told reporters. “Our opponents will also learn that. We will protest based on peace, sincerity and humanity.”
Protesters rally at Tha Phra Intersection in Bangkok on Nov. 2, 2020.
BANGKOK — Police said Tuesday they have yet to identify the perpetrator who threw a firecracker at yesterday’s anti-government rally close to the MRT Tha Phra station.
Chaos briefly broke out at Monday’s protest when a loud bang was heard close to where demonstrators were gathering at about 6pm, though no one was injured. Some protesters tried to enter the MRT station and chase after the attacker, but protest volunteer guards stopped them doing so lest the confrontation turns violent.
Deputy metro police commander Jirapat Phumjit said investigators are sifting through security camera footage around the scene, but they have yet to find anyone suspicious, despite dozens of cameras installed at the train station.
“Local police are on the hunt for the suspect,” Maj. Gen. Jirapat said. “A used firecracker was found at the scene below the MRT Thra Phra station and it is widely available in the market.”
Volunteer guards survey damage of the small blast close to Tha Phra Intersection in Bangkok on Nov. 2, 2020.
Jirapat said investigators have not ruled out any motive for the incident, which may include a school rivalry between polytechnic students, local residents affected by the protest, an agent provocateur, or protesters who wanted to fabricate attacks against themselves.
Hundreds of people occupied the Tha Phra intersection on Monday afternoon and insisted on the three demands for resignation of PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, charter amendments, and reform of the monarchy institution.
Apart from the firecracker, the rally proceeded without any violence until they dispersed at 8.30pm.
