Trump’s Trial Begins, Senators Vowing ‘Impartial Justice’

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17 January 2020, 09:00

President Donald Trump listens during an event on prayer in public schools, in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Senate opened the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump with quiet ceremony Thursday — senators standing at their desks to swear an oath of “impartial justice” as jurors, House prosecutors formally reciting the charges and Chief Justice John Roberts presiding.

The trial, only the third such undertaking in American history, is unfolding at the start of the election year, a time of deep political division in the nation. Four of the senators sitting in judgment on Trump are running for the Democratic Party’s nomination to challenge him in the fall.

“Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye!” intoned the Senate’s sergeant at arms, calling the proceedings to order just past noon.

Senators filled the chamber, an unusual sight in itself, sitting silently under strict rules that prohibit talking or cellphones, for a trial that will test not only Trump’s presidency but also the nation’s three branches of power and its system of checks and balances.

The Constitution mandates the chief justice serve as the presiding officer, and Roberts made the short trip across the street from the Supreme Court to the Capitol. He has long insisted judges are not politicians and is expected to serve as a referee for the proceedings. Senators rose quickly when he appeared in his plain black robe.

“Will all senators now stand, and remain standing, and raise their right hand,” Roberts said.

“Do you solemnly swear that in all things appertaining to the trial of the impeachment of Donald John Trump, president of the United States, now pending, you will do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws, so help you God?”

The senators responded they would, and then they lined up to sign an oath book.

Trump faces two charges after the House voted to impeach him last month. One, that he abused his presidential power by pressuring Ukraine to investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden, using military aid to the country as leverage. Trump is also charged with obstructing Congress’ ensuing probe.

The president insists he did nothing wrong, and he dismissed the trial anew on Thursday at the White House: “It’s totally partisan. It’s a hoax.”

Eventual acquittal is expected in the Republican-controlled Senate. However, new revelations are mounting about Trump’s actions toward Ukraine.

The Government Accountability Office said Thursday that the White House violated federal law in withholding the security assistance to Ukraine, which shares a border with hostile Russia.

At the same time, an indicted associate of Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, Lev Parnas, has turned over to prosecutors new documents linking the president to the shadow foreign policy being run by Giuliani.

The developments applied fresh pressure to senators to call more witnesses for the trial, a main source of contention that is still to be resolved. The White House has instructed officials not to comply with subpoenas from Congress requesting witnesses or other information.

“What is the president hiding? What is he afraid of?’’ asked Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer.

“The gravity of these charges is self-evident,” he said. “The House of Representatives has accused the president of trying to shake down a foreign leader for personal gain.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the new information from Parnas demands an investigation, which she doesn’t expect from Trump’s attorney general. “This is an example of all of the president’s henchmen, and I hope that the senators do not become part of the president’s henchmen.”

Before the swearing-in, House Democrats prosecuting the case stood before the Senate and Rep. Adam Schiff of the Intelligence Committee formally read the articles of impeachment.

Seven lawmakers, led by Schiff and Rep. Jerrold Nadler of the Judiciary Committee, made the solemn walk across the Capitol for a second day.

All eyes were on Schiff as he stood at a lectern in the well of the chamber, a space usually reserved for senators.

“House Resolution 755 Impeaching Donald John Trump, president of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors,” he began, reading the nine pages.

The other House prosecutors stood in a row to his side.

Senators said later that when Roberts appeared the solemnity of the occasion took hold. Security was tight at the Capitol.

“I thought this is a historic moment, and you could have heard a pin drop,” said Republican John Cornyn of Texas. “And so I think the gravity of what are undertaking I think was sinking in for all of us.”

Republican House Majority Leader Mitch McConnell took a far different view of the charges and proceedings.

He opened the chamber decrying Pelosi’s decision to hand out “souvenir pens” on Wednesday after she signed the resolution to transmit the charges to the Senate.

“This final display neatly distilled the House’s entire partisan process into one perfect visual,” McConnell said. “It was a transparently partisan process from beginning to end.”

GOP Sen. James Inhofe was absent, home in Oklahoma for a family medical issue, but plans to take the oath when he returns as the full trial begins next week, his office said.

The Senate will issue a formal summons to the White House to appear, with the president’s legal team expected to respond by Saturday. Opening arguments will begin on Tuesday.

The president suggested recently that he would be open to a quick vote to simply dismiss the charges, but sufficient Republican support is lacking for that.

Instead, the president’s team expects a trial lasting no more than two weeks, according to senior administration officials. That would be far shorter than the trial of President Bill Clinton, in 1999, or the first one, of President Andrew Johnson, in 1868. Both were acquitted.

It would take a super-majority of senators, 67 of the 100, to convict the president. Republicans control the chamber, 53-47, but it takes just 51 votes during the trial to approve rules, call witnesses or dismiss the charges.

A group of four Republican senators is working to ensure there will be votes on the possibility of witnesses, though it’s not at all certain a majority will prevail for new testimony.

Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Mitt Romney of Utah, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee are among those involved.

“I tend to believe having additional information would be helpful,” Collins said in a statement. “It is likely that I would support a motion to call witnesses.”

Romney said he wants to hear from John Bolton, the former national security adviser at the White House, who others have said raised alarms about the alternative foreign policy toward Ukraine being run by Giuliani.

The House managers are a diverse group with legal, law enforcement and military experience, including Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Sylvia Garcia of Texas, Val Demings of Florida, Jason Crow of Colorado and Zoe Lofgren of California.

Two are freshmen — Crow a former Army Ranger who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, Garcia a former judge in Houston. Demings is the former police chief of Orlando, and Jeffries is a lawyer and member of party leadership. Lofgren has the rare credential of having worked on a congressional staff during President Richard Nixon’s impeachment — he resigned before the full House voted on the charges — and then being an elected lawmaker during Clinton’s.

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Associated Press writers Zeke Miller, Alan Fram, Matthew Daly, Andrew Taylor, Mary Clare Jalonick, Laurie Kellman, and Padmananda Rama contributed to this report.

Suicides in Japan Hit Record Low, Down for 10th Year in Row

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Kyodo News

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17 January 2020, 09:00

A Japanese web site about how to commit suicide is seen on a computer laptop near the area on the mountainside where four men and three women were found dead in a car October 14, 2004 in Saitama Prefecture. Image: Getty/Kyodo

TOKYO (Kyodo) — The number of suicides in Japan fell 4.2 percent in 2019 from the previous year to a record low 19,959, down for the 10th straight year, police data showed Friday.

It is the first time the preliminary figure has fallen below 20,000 since the National Police Agency began compiling data in 1978. But the number could rise later when the data is revised in March.

Continue reading the story here.

Thailand is Sending Submarine Crew to Train in China

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Tappanai Boonbandit, Staff Reporter

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16 January 2020, 18:36

Thai and US navy officers during a joint submarine drill in the Andaman Sea in 2017. Image: Royal Thai Navy

BANGKOK — The Royal Thai Navy on Thursday said the first group of Thai submariners would receive their training in China, where Thailand’s first submarine fleet in nearly 70 years are being built.

Navy spokesman Prachachat Sirisawat said the navy will select a group of sailors to take training courses in China within this year. Their training would be completed just in time when the first of the three submarines is expected to be delivered to Thailand in 2023.

“Candidates must be able to communicate in English and Chinese, as well as physically and metally fit to work within the confined body of submarines,” Vice Adm. Prachachat said in an interview.

Read: Admiral Behind Submarine Deal Defends Need for ‘Dream Weapon’

He would not say how many submariners would be trained, but said the training program would take two years to complete for each batch of crews.

The spokesman also confirmed the 22-billion baht deal to buy three brand-new submarines from China is sailing forward as planned. The acquisition was inked in 2017, or 65 years after Thai navy last had submarines under its command.

Three S26T submarines in total were commissioned at the price of two subs, according to the navy.

“The 3-for-2 deal is still on,” he added. “We proposed only two submarines under the agreement, but they gave us three in the price of two.”

timeline 20191227 130235 e1579175323752 — A US-Thai joint submarine drill in the Andaman Sea in 2017. Image: Royal Thai Navy

Previous attempts by the navy to acquire submarines were met with criticism and eventually torpedoed. The opposition also lashed out at the latest submarine program when the House debated the budget for the 2020 fiscal year last week.

Future Forward MP Surachet Pravinvongvuth wanted the proposal scrapped, saying the submarines would not be able to dive through the Gulf of Thailand.

“The S26T submarine we ordered from China is not suitable for Thailand,” Surachet told the Parliament. “They normally operate at a depth of 60 meters, but the Gulf of Thailand is only 40-50 meters deep.”

But navy spokesman Prachachat disputed the lawmaker’s claim. He pointed to past visits by foreign submarines to Thai waters as proof that the subs can safely operate in the Gulf of Thailand.

Prachachat also said it is too costly now to scuttle the deal.

“The procurement would be made in accordance with our plan to acquire three submarines,” Prachachat said. “We already ordered the first one back in 2017, so two more submarines would reduce the overall administrative and operational costs of the program by billions of baht.”

After hours of debate, the Parliament on Jan. 8 approved the 125-billion baht defense budget by the votes of 247 for, 195 against, and 11 abstaining. The government’s victory also secured the fate of the 22-billion submarine program.

Thailand’s previous fleet of submarines was built by Japan in 1938. The four aging subs were decommissioned in 1951, the same year a group of navy officers attempted to launch a coup against the army-led junta.

Two Senior Democrats Leave Party to Form New Faction

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Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

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16 January 2020, 17:20

Attawit Suwanpakdee, left, and Korn Chatikavanij, right. Image: Matichon.

BANGKOK — Two leading members of the Democrat Party are said to be planning to launch a new group together, though details are scarce.

Former MP Attawit Suwanpakdee, who tendered his resignation today, said he and former deputy party leader Korn Chatikavanij would join force together in a “political startup,” a term seen by observers interviewed for this story as a reference to a new party.

“I agree with P’Korn that it’s time to act,” Attawit, who served as an MP from 2008 to 2014, wrote online. “The kind of politics that I want to see is politics that is quick, clear and able to handle the crisis of global change in order to take the country forward. It will be a political startup that’s outside the box, creatively governing the country.”

Korn left the Democrat Party on Wednesday after 15 years under its wings. His career with the party includes holding key posts like the Finance Minister and the party’s head of economic policies. He also served as an MP in the current Parliament session.

Korn didn’t specify the reasons for his departure in the resignation letter, though he wrote online that he would not be leaving politics for good. He could not be reached for comments on Thursday.

“I have a dream. I want to make politics of change. Politics that dare to think and act,” Korn wrote. “Politics that will encourage able people in Thai society to jointly design and propel Thailand together.”

Korn added that his future intention is to “walk together” with everyone.

When reached for comment, party leader Jurin Laksanawisit said he doesn’t know why Korn quit and maintained that he did not have any personal conflicts with Korn.

In an interview, Democrat MP Thepthai Seanapong said Korn likely resigned after it was clear that he had no important role in the party under Jurin, who replaced Abhisit Vejjajiva as the Democrat chairman in May 2019.

“It may be because Korn has no role left in the party, and he was not a party executive,” Thepthai said.

The Nakhon Si Thammarat MP also said he believes Korn has an idea to start his own political party to carry out his visions.

Political scientist Titipol Phakdeewanich said Korn’s decision to leave might be partly influenced by his failed leadership bid within the party last year.

“[Korn] didn’t see any future for himself in the Democrat Party,” said Titipol, a dean of political science faculty at Ubon Ratchathani University. “He is looking for a new opportunity, a new political role. It was severely sidelined under new leadership.”

He continued, “Someone like Korn needs a political platform and a role in politics.”

Deputy Democrat Party leader Nipit Intarasombut said losing Korn dealt a blow to the party, but added that he was confident that no exodus would follow.

“I am not sure why he left, but I personally feel that it’s a loss of an important person. He’s one of the quality members of the party,” Nipit said. “It would be wrong to say it doesn’t have an impact on the party.”

Gov’t MP Disappears as Court Convicts Him of Disrupting ASEAN Summit

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Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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16 January 2020, 16:15

BANGKOK — The Supreme Court on Thursday found a pro-government lawmaker guilty of crashing an international summit back in 2009, weeks after he disappeared from the Parliament.

Phalang Pracharat MP Waipoj Apornrat was convicted in absentia by the court in Pattaya, who also issued a warrant for his arrest. A previous order by the court to have Waipoj apprehended back in December arrived at the Parliament days after he went missing, and his aides claimed to have no knowledge of where he might be.

Read: Gov’t MP Can’t be Arrested Because Warrant Hasn’t Arrived

In a verdict delivered today, Waipoj was sentenced to four years in jail for his role in disrupting the ASEAN summit in Pattaya a decade ago. Waipoj was a co-leader of the anti-military Redshirt movement at the time, before he switched his allegiance to the pro-junta party in 2018.

Waipoj was also fined 200 baht for the intrusion, which forced international leaders to flee the meeting venue.

The verdict was previously scheduled for Dec. 4, 2019, but Waipoj refused to show up at the court, prompting the judges to issue him with an arrest warrant and reschedule the judgment to today.

Over the next several days, Waipoj continued to show up for work at the Parliament, where officials said they were powerless to detain him because the arrest warrant had yet to arrive.

When police finally delivered the warrant a week later – on Dec. 11 – Waipoj already disappeared. His party maintained it has no information concerning his whereabouts.

Fpllowing today’s verdict, the Parliament voted to revoke his MP membership.

From Drug Dealer to Stage Actor: Play Gives Youths New Life

By

Tappanai Boonbandit, Staff Reporter

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16 January 2020, 13:15

Tossawat Chandapon performs “Broken Violin” stage play on Jan. 14, 2020.

PRACHUAP KHIRI KHAN — Four years ago when he was only 17, Tossawat was arrested for using and selling drugs. But on Tuesday night, he was a leading actor for a play that aimed to inspire teens like him to turn their lives around.

During the inaugural performance of “Broken Violin” held in the resort town of Hua Hin, Tossawat Chandapon, now 21, performed a skateboarding-filled play about his own dark past, which organizers hope would serve as art therapy for young legal offenders in Thailand, where up to 17,000 minors are being held behind bars.

“My family was divided and they often got into quarrels, so I decided to run away from my home,” Tossawat said during the performance. “My friends then brought me into the world of drug dealing. I made a lot of money before I was eventually arrested and thrown into a juvenile detention center.”

His story is similar to five other youths who made up the “Broken Violin” cast the plot of which centers around the gloomy days of their childhood and their journey to find the light within.

“The place didn’t polish my behavior at all. Instead, my criminal skills toughened up and I became a repeated offender,” he continued, before turning to the crowd: “Is this the destiny of troubled kids like us?”

Elements of performance arts, music, and skateboarding were subtly blended into a hour-long show that aimed to ruminate on bad parenting habits such as intimidation and setting high expectations. And yes, there was violin-playing on a skateboard.

The 22-strong cast also consists of skate crews from Phra Pradaeng district south of Bangkok in Samut Prakan province, students from Patravadi School, as well as professional musicians and choreographers.

Director Patravadi Mejudhon said that she hoped the show would serve as art therapy for both actors and their intended audience – kids running with the wrong crowd and abusing drugs which can mire them in problems such as teen pregnancy, crime, prostitution, and so on.

“After having studied art therapy and listening to what youths want to do, I created this show to develop the psychological well-being of youths who have chosen the wrong path,” Patravadi said.

According to the Department of Juvenile Observation and Protection, there are currently 17,238 minors being held at 77 facilities across the country. A majority of them are incarcerated on drug offenses.

Tossawat, the lead actor who is currently serving his sentence at a juvenile detention center, said the show provided him a space to unleash his hidden talents and creativity that were previously put off by drugs and other vices.

“I felt myself being useful after I began to take on arts into my life,” he said in an interview. “Rather than spending days doing nothing, I practice my musical skills so that I can use them after I get out.”

One day close to his heart was when he and his friends were allowed to temporarily leave the facility to busk for a charity near Victory Monument. He said the crew was able to raise around 4,000 baht within two days, which they donated to a girl who was hospitalized after being assaulted by her parents.

“That was the first time someone cried happy tears because of me,” Tossawat said. “Before, I used to make people cry because of something horrible I did.”

“Broken Violin” will be performed from Feb. 7 to 9 at Hua Hin Skate Park inside Patravadi School before moving on for shows around the country. The next stop will be at Chet Samian Market in Ratchaburi’s Photharam district from Feb. 14 to 15. All shows are free, but the audience is encouraged to donate to the Dhamma Theatre Foundation, who organized the shows. The show is in Thai, with English surtitles.

Dates for its Bangkok rendition are yet to be announced.

Director Patravadi Mejudhon, center, holds hands with juvenile cast members.

MP Calls for Legalizing Brothels ‘to Reduce Rape’

By

Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

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16 January 2020, 13:00

A photo of Nana Plaza, the self-proclaimed "world's largest adult playground." Image: Blemished Paradise

BANGKOK — Fully legal brothels should be introduced to combat sex crimes, a government coalition lawmaker said Wednesday.

Thai Civilized Party leader Mongkolkit Suksintharanon, who also chairs the House Committee on sexual violence, said brothels and sex shops would help potential offenders “release their manhood. But the director of an organization that asists rape victims criticized Mongkolkit’s remark as ignorant and misleading.

“We must understand that humans are born to procreate. The laws and prohibitions came after. Morality came after,” Mongkolkit said. “Most rape cases occurred because men have no venue for release of manhood.”

Apart from his proposal to legalize brothels and sex shops, the 38-year-old politician said male bed-ridden patients should be given sexual services that would release their libido. He also said decriminalizing brothels would help eliminate the culture of bribery within the law enforcement.

Read: Citylight Coffee Shines in the Shadow of Sex Tourism

Mongkolkit backed his argument by citing Switzerland’s liberal policies on prostitution as a successful model to reduce sexual crimes.

His proposal came after years of campaigning by several NGOs, including a sex worker advocate group, to decriminalize and regulate Thailand’s notorious sex industry, which remains illegal despite its global reputation.

But a director of the Women and Men Progressive Movement Foundation said Mongkolkit’s proposal would not do much, because rapes are rooted in patriarchy and sexist cultures that dominate Thai society.

“It stems from the attitude that men are powerful,” Jaded Chouwilai, whose group renders help to victims of sexual violence, said in an interview. “If we want to solve it, our outdated school curriculum that teaches women are housewives must be changed. People must be taught how to respect women,”

While Jaded said he supports legalizing of sex work as long as the businesses are restricted in certain areas, he said priority should be given to protecting the sex workers and not only benefiting owners of the establishments.

According to statistic published by the police, nearly 1,700 rape complaints were filed in 2019, but experts say the actual figures far exceed the official numbers, as many victims chose not to seek legal action.

December Consumer Confidence Index Lowest in 68 Months

By

Xinhua News Agency

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16 January 2020, 09:50

PM Prayuth Chan-ocha visits a durian market in Yala province on Aug. 7, 2019.

BANGKOK (Xinhua) — A Thai academic institution released a report indicating that Thailand’s consumer confidence index was at 68.3 in December, the lowest level in 68 months from May 2014.

Thai consumers were concerned about the economic slowdown and the index fell from 69.1 in November because consumers felt that the economic recovery remained slow despite some improvements in the employment sector and prices of farm products have increased slightly, said Thanavath Phonvichai, vice president of the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC).

Thanavath also said that the on-going drought and the increasing oil price also affected consumers’ confidence.

The drought was the severest in a century in some areas and without off-season rice cultivation, farmers’ income would drop by 7 to 10 billion baht, Thanavath said.

The UTCC academic vice president, however, said that he believes the Thai economy could pick up in the second half of this year because the government spending from the 2020 budget should enter the economic system in June.

He also said that in the second half of the year, the Thai government will be launching an auction for 5G communication frequencies, which would lead to investments.

Meanwhile, consumer spending would slow down until the middle of the second quarter this year, Thanvath said.

Huawei Expands Investment Efforts in UK, Ireland

By

Xinhua News Agency

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16 January 2020, 09:02

(190609) -- BEIJING, June 9, 2019 (Xinhua) -- China's telecom giant Huawei displays 5G technology at the 2018 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, Feb. 26, 2018. (Xinhua/Guo Qiuda)

LONDON (Xinhua) — Chinese tech giant Huawei launched its investment plan and developer tools at the company’s first ever UK and Ireland Huawei Developer Conference on Wednesday, with the aim to support local developers looking to work with Huawei Mobile Services (HMS).

HMS is Huawei’s dedicated mobile ecosystem. To mobile phone users, HMS brings them many essential features like Huawei ID, push notifications, payments and other services. Meanwhile, the integration of HMS will allow businesses to receive direct access to Huawei’s hardware and artificial intelligence technology.

The 24 HMS core kits launched at the conference held in London is aimed at providing businesses and developers with access to open source developer kits so they could have an exceptional user experience when developing and then integrating their apps into the Huawei App Gallery, according to the company.

The company also announced an investment plan of 20 million pounds (around 26 million U.S. dollars) to help promote UK and Irish developers working with HMS and intending to join the Huawei App Gallery.

The investment is part of a wider global plan presented by Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei’s Consumer Business Group, in Munich last September, which provides a total investment of three billion U.S. dollars.

“Ultimately, we envision an all-scenario intelligent consumer experience for the future of Huawei Mobile Services and will provide businesses and developers with the opportunity to reach new audiences, expand and monetize, as they prepare for the fully connected world,” said Anson Zhang, managing director of Huawei UK’s Consumer Business Group.

HMS already has four million users in the UK alone, according to figures provided by Huawei.

Hong Kong Police Foil Bomb Plot Ahead of Weekend Protest

By

Kyodo News

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16 January 2020, 09:01

HONG KONG (Kyodo) — Hong Kong police said Wednesday they have busted a plot to attack police using a pipe bomb and made 10 related arrests, ahead of a mass anti-government protest planned for the weekend.

The bomb, along with flammable liquids, helmets, facemasks, bulletproof vests and some marijuana were discovered in a raid on a residential flat in the Mong Kok district of Kowloon, police spokesman Chan Tin-chu said.

Continue reading the story here.

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