Xi Emphasizes “Struggles” to Achieve National Rejuvenation

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4 September 2019, 11:04

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, makes a speech during the opening ceremony of a training program for young and middle-aged officials at the Party School of CPC Central Committee (National Academy of Governance), Sept. 3, 2019. Photo: Liu Bin / Xinhua

BEIJING (Xinhua) — President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called on officials, particularly young officials, to maintain a fighting spirit and strengthen their ability to struggle, to strive for achieving the two centenary goals and the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the statement during the opening ceremony of a training program for young and middle-aged officials at the Party School of CPC Central Committee (National Academy of Governance).

Xi reminded the officials of both a hard-won historic opportunity and a series of major risks and tests the country faces, adding that maintaining a fighting spirit and strengthening the ability to struggle is a must in meeting the targets set by the Party.

He warned of growing complexity of risks and tests which can be “unthinkably challenging,” stressed the long-term nature of various struggles, and called for the courage to fight and the mettle to win.

Xi said a general direction in carrying out various struggles is that the leadership of the CPC and the country’s socialist system must be unwaveringly upheld.

He called for absolute determination to fight and overcome any risk or challenge that endangers the CPC leadership and the socialist system, harms China’s sovereignty, security, and development interests, jeopardizes the core and fundamental interests of the country and the people, or hinders the realization of the two centenary goals and the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

Xi said leading officials should have foresightedness to be aware of where risks lie, how they manifest themselves and what trends they follow, and have the resolve to fight when they are called for.

He emphasized the art of struggle and the need to apply proper strategies and methods.

Xi stressed rigorous ideological, political and practical training for leading officials, noting that no matter what post they hold, it is necessary to develop and maintain a firm spirit, a resolute will and outstanding capabilities to carry out various struggles in their work.

Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, attended the ceremony.

Chen Xi, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, presided over the ceremony.

The two centenary goals are to finish building a moderately prosperous society in all respects by the time the CPC marks its centenary and to build China into a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, and harmonious by the time the People’s Republic of China celebrates its centenary.

Russian Investigators Drop Charges Against 5 Protesters

By

Associated Press

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4 September 2019, 10:59

In this photo taken on Aug. 10, 2019, Vyacheslav Abanichev and Alisa Abanicheva, parents of Sergei Abanichev charged with rioting connected to an opposition rally, hold a poster saying "Free My Son" with the names of all those arrested as they attend an opposition rally in Moscow, Russia. Fourteen Russians have been slapped with charges of rioting stemming from an opposition protest in July in Moscow in a criminal inquiry largely seen as a Kremlin intimidation tactic. (Daria Zelenaya/Novaya gazeta via AP)

MOSCOW (AP) — Five protesters who were arrested and charged with rioting connected to recent anti-government rallies walked free on Tuesday after Russian investigators dropped the charges against them. Separately, two protesters who accepted a plea bargain were given jail sentences in an expedited trial.

The Investigative Committee’s decision to drop the charges marks a U-turn in what has largely been seen as a widening crackdown on Russia’s opposition and its supporters. Fourteen people, mostly with no history of political activism, have been charged with rioting, which carries up to eight years in prison. The charges relate to an unauthorized protest on July 27 that was marked by police violence. The protesters, however, weren’t seen attacking the police, and no property damage was reported.

The investigators said Tuesday that they “found no criminal activities” in the actions of the five people and dropped the charges against them.

The investigators also said that they have asked the court to release two more suspects who have been under house arrest.

25-year-old Sergei Abanichev, who was accused of throwing a paper cup toward the police and has been in jail for a month, walked out of a police station Tuesday evening to embrace his sobbing mother who had waited outside together with his father for several hours. They found out about Sergei’s impending release from an Associated Press reporter several hours earlier.

“I would go to sleep every night, thinking that tomorrow I will go home,” Abanichev, who works as a sales manager, said upon release. He said that he was not given an explanation for his release or an apology, but merely told that he is no longer accused of rioting.

Abanichev said that the investigators had tried to make him confess to the violence he did not commit. He credited wide public support and media coverage for his release.

Earlier on Tuesday, a Moscow district court sentenced Ivan Podkopayev and Danil Beglets, both 25, to three and two years in prison, respectively, for using force against the police.

The court held an expedited hearing for both men and did not study the evidence after they accepted a plea bargain. The prosecutors said in court that Podkopayev sprayed tear gas on two police officers while Beglets grabbed an officer by the wrist, allegedly trying to prevent another protester’s arrest.

The probe against the protesters was seen as an attempt to crack down on anti-Kremlin demonstrations that erupted in Moscow in mid-July after election officials barred a dozen opposition candidates from running for the city legislature. Authorities originally allowed the weekend protests to go unhindered, but later outlawed the gatherings and started detaining and beating the demonstrators, which only helped to swell the crowds.

But as the authorities reversed the prosecution of some of the protesters, they appeared to be turning the heat on the opposition leaders.

One of the protest leaders, Lyubov Sobol, was detained late Monday and was fined by a court Tuesday, just days before the local vote that set off the protests, on charges of repeated violations of the law on public gatherings.

Police also detained municipal lawmaker Ilya Azar on Monday, picking him up from his home and leaving his toddler alone in an unlocked apartment, according to his wife and other local lawmakers. Azar’s lawyer said they would complain about the police actions.

Story: Nataliya Vasilyeva.

TAI Evolves Its Arbitration System to Keep up with Digital Age

By

Khaosod English

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4 September 2019, 06:00

The Thai Arbitration Institute (TAI) of the Office of the Judiciary has been providing public and private sectors in Thailand excellent legal consultation as an intermediary in arbitral proceedings ever since 1990. In 2019, TAI has taken a further step by establishing
E – Arbitration – an electronic arbitration system that has worldwide accessibility. The establishment of this new online platform brings speed and high-quality assurance to various procedures in the arbitration system and is accessible on any electronic device.

Dispute parties and related persons have fast access in proposing Statement of Claim/Statement of Defense and related documents, evidences, and other paperwork to the institute. In addition, arbitrators can conveniently consider various disputes online. Therefore, traveling expenses and time used in the arbitration process are saved for both the disputing parties and the arbitrator because of E – Arbitration system that is open 24/7. Internal and external communication is convenient and fast. Not only are these features useful for domestic users, but these features are also valuable for parties and arbitrators who are abroad – allowing Thailand to grow into a hub for first-class, international arbitration and dispute resolution.

TAI’s E – Arbitration is the most effective system available to run and support arbitration proceedings in Thailand at the moment, especially with its end-to-end function which has comprehensive management of arbitration from the beginning of the case up until awarding.

Moreover, the user’s privacy is crucial and is of the utmost importance. Only those involved in the dispute can see the dispute information. The system is designed with regards to the security of the dispute’s information and maintains consistency with TAI’s principle of confidentiality.

Statistic reports are collected in an accurate, efficient, and up to date manner. Disputes can run through without any technological interruptions as the reports ensure that the system is always top-notch.

The Thai Arbitration Institute is ready to proceed in settling disputes with
E – Arbitration’s fully integrated online arbitration system that is certified by international standards. Whether it be the parties’ view, the arbitrator’s view, the TAI officer’s view, or the director’s view, TAI’s E – Arbitration acknowledges and gives the utmost importance to every individual and to every step of the process.

In this regard, the TAI’s staffs recently introduce and demonstrate the E – Arbitration system to the Department of Civil Dispute Settlement and Arbitration (Office of the Attorney General) and various leading law firms such as Baker & McKenzie Ltd., Tilleke & Gibbins International Ltd., Watson Farley & Williams (Thailand), Hunton Andrews Kurth (Thailand) Ltd., DEJ-UDOM & ASSOCIATES, DLA Piper (Thailand) Ltd., Weerawong, Chinnavat & Partners Ltd., and International Legal Counsellors Thailand Ltd. in order to encourage the use of such system.

Two Fishermen Charged for Killing Dolphins for Jerky

By

Tappanai Boonbandit, Staff Reporter

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3 September 2019, 18:06

Screenshot from a video showing dolphins being brought up on board. Image: Anuwat Fuangthongdeng / Facebook

PATTANI — Two fishermen were charged on Monday for illegal fishing after a video of them catching several dolphins in a fishing trawl sparked online outrage.

The police said Monday that the ship’s captain Thanchai Mingmit, 56, and his aide Santi Buaphut, 49, confessed to ordering their crew to slaughter four dolphins to make sun-dried meat.

The four dolphins were among 30 netted and brought on board the Malaysian-flagged, but Thai-crewed fishing boat KNF 777, which was set to sail for longtail tuna in Malaysian waters.

The pair claim that the rest of the pod was released back into the sea, but the police believe that some of the dolphins might have died from broken backs incurred from being pulled up the fishing trawl.

Police Lt. Gen. Charuwat Waisaya, from the Command Center for Combating Illegal Fishing, said Monday that the police will summon both fishermen to pay fines.

The Royal Decree on Fisheries prohibits catching sea mammals and endangered species. Offenders are liable to fines of up to three million baht, but Charuwat said the exact amount will be determined by a committee.

Although the crime was committed on board a foreign ship outside of Thai territorial waters, Charuwat confirmed that charges can be pressed against the fishermen. Thailand has assumed obligations under international law to conserve and manage sustainable fisheries, which allows for the prosecution of Thai nationals under Thai law regardless of a ship’s location or flag.

Video of the original clip posted by news anchor Anuwat Fuangthongdeng, starting at 0:36.

Thai Idol Docufilm ‘Girls Don’t Cry’ Wins German Prize

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Asaree Thaitrakulpanich, Staff Reporter

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3 September 2019, 16:32

COLOGNE, Germany — A documentary about Thailand’s premier idol girl group won best in its category at the Soundtrack Cologne film fest, the film’s director announced Tuesday.

“BNK48: Girls Don’t Cry” won the Best Documentary Feature award at the Soundtrack Cologne 2019 awards in Germany, beating out submissions from the US and Europe.

“Getting to screen there was already a surprise. Getting an award got me confused 555,” director Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit wrote on his Facebook Tuesday.

The film documents the band’s early days in 2016 and 2017, and the emotional trials of the girls, aged 13 to 23.

“BNK48: Girls Don’t Cry”(2018) beat out other documentary films in its category. They included “Kate Nash: Underestimate the Girl” (2018), a US film about the UK singer and “Once Aurora” (2018), a Norwegian film about the then 16-year-old singer.

“Thanks to the judges for seeing something in this movie, but biggest thanks to the members, whether or not you’re still in the band, because this is your film. Your lives and dreams will live on in it, no matter if 365 days pass or how many festivals it screens at,” Nawapol wrote.

The Soundtrack Cologne awards have been held since 2004. BNK48 is the Thai sister group of the Japanese idol group, AKB48.

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SEA Junction: Where Southeast Asia Enthusiasts Cross Paths

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Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

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3 September 2019, 15:11

BANGKOK — For those with a passion for Southeast Asia, all roads lead to SEA Junction in the heart of Bangkok.

Into its third year, SEA Junction offers a space for Southeast Asians and lovers of Southeast Asia alike to cross paths. Anyone can come to read books about the region — the shelves boast more than 2,500 volumes — or for regular workshops and panels.

At the center of the junction is founder and director Rosalia Sciortino, a 59-year-old Italian who has spent three decades in Southeast Asia.

“At SEA Junction, you go beyond tourist spots and learn a little bit more,” Sciortino explained. “You can start to appreciate the complexity, diversity and richness [of Southeast Asia].”

Trained in anthropology, Sciortino was formerly a regional director based in Bangkok for the Rockefeller Foundation. Fluent in Bahasa Indonesian, she married an Indonesian who passed away in 2013. They both loved Thailand so Sciortino chose Bangkok as the base to setup SEA Junction.

Whenever SEA Junction holds a panel discussion, Sciortino tries her best to secure speakers who are Southeast Asians. Friday saw two Thai speakers and one Indonesian speaker discuss fake news and information wars. Topics covered at SEA Junction events range from refugees, gender, democracy, to information technology.

For Sciortino, a challenge facing Southeast Asia is the question of how to appreciate one another beyond narrow national boundaries.

“I believe in a world without borders,” Sciortino said, wondering aloud whether the more than 100,000 refugees living along the Thai-Myanmar border should be given Thai citizenship.

SEA Junction’s activities are not limited to Bangkok either. It’s currently exhibiting a painting exhibition in Jakarta about women leaders from 1800 to the present.

But Bangkok is SEA Junction’s base and Sciortino says people are always welcome for coffee and tea while perusing the Southeast Asian crafts on display.

“I believe in the idea of broadening borders. Interaction is very important,” Sciortino explained.

SEA Junction is located in Room 408 on the fourth floor of the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. It’s open every day except Monday from 10.30am to 7.30pm. SEA Junction welcomes donations and support from the public.

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Abbot Raped Teen for Five Years, Refuses to Exit Monkhood

By

Asaree Thaitrakulpanich, Staff Reporter

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3 September 2019, 13:32

Left: Wat Muang Doo as of Sept. 2, 2019 in Buriram. Right: Sa-nga Wongmuang.

BURIRAM — An abbot who confessed to serially raping a teenager over a period of five years until she fell pregnant is refusing to leave the monkhood as of Tuesday.

Sa-nga Wongmuang, 52, the abbot of Wat Muang Doo in Buriram City, negotiated a cash payment of 150,000 baht to the teen’s poverty-stricken family to persuade them to drop the criminal case Tuesday. He has allegedly fled to another province.

“The only option is for him to be defrocked,” Sompong Muadtaisong, director of the Buriram Provincial Office of Buddhism, said on Tuesday. “After we informed him, he said he just needed to go pack up his things at the temple. But he never came to get defrocked. We suspect he fled to Saraburi.”

The mother of the victim, who is now 18, spoke up to the office because she was afraid he would sexually assault other girls.

“I noticed that she hadn’t asked me for money for pads for months. But even when I kept asking, she said nothing,” the mother said. “The abbot performed deeds that are too cruel for Buddhists to accept.”

The raping began in 2015, when the then-13-year-old was in Matthayom 2 (equivalent of eighth grade). One day, she asked her teacher if she could go lie down in the nurse’s office since she was feeling sick. The abbot, who periodically led her and her friends in meditation, picked her up at the nurse’s office and took her to the temple.

At the temple, he gave her a drugged bottle of water that caused her to pass out. When she woke, she was naked. The abbot then raped her.

He continued to rape her for five years, threatening that he would leak clips of the sexual assault if she told anyone.

Her mother, who raised her as a single parent, noticed in August that the now 18-year-old’s belly was unusually swollen. The daughter admitted that she had been raped by the abbot for five years, and was five months pregnant.

A Khaosod reporter stationed in Buriram said that the girl would not be able to find abortion services in the rural province, especially with a 5-month-old fetus.

After the abbot confessed and was charged with rape, he offered to pay the family 150,000 baht in return for them withdrawing the case. The mother and the 18-year-old agreed.

The punishment for raping someone 18 and older is punishable by 20 years in jail and a fine of 40,000 baht. Since the case was filed to the police after the victim turned 18, tougher laws for raping minors would not have been applicable.

This isn’t the first time a monk has been the center of a sexual assault case. Wirapol Sukhol was sentenced to 16 years in prison for raping a 13-year-old girl, who he also impregnated. Sexual assault is widespread in Thai society, with a recent survey finding one in five Thais have been assaulted.

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Bones at Nat’l Park Belong to Missing Karen Activist: DSI

By

Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

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3 September 2019, 13:28

Porlajee “Billy” Rakchongcharoen poses with his wife and child. Photo: Courtesy of his family

BANGKOK — The Department of Special Investigation said Tuesday that bone fragments of a Karen community rights activist missing since 2014 have been found.

At a presser on Tuesday, the Department of Special Investigation said that bone fragments belonging to Porlajee “Billy” Rakchongcharoen, who went missing after being detained in Kaeng Krachan National Park in April 2014, match those of his mother.

The bone fragments were found in May inside a 200-liter oil tank submerged in water near a suspension bridge inside Kaeng Krachan National Park in Phetchaburi province.

“The tank that was found was burnt. The bones were also burnt,” DSI deputy chief Kornwat Panpraphakorn said.

The DSI said parts of the bone fragments, which came from the skull, share DNA with Billy’s mother, Pairoh Rakchongcharoen.

Activists have accused then-director of Kaeng Krachan National Park Chaiwat Limlikhit-aksorn of engineering the disappearance of the local Karen activist.

Several suspects have been questioned, but officials refused to name them and said that the investigation is still ongoing.

Chaiwat and several park officials briefly detained Billy on April 17, 2014 to reprimand him for “wild honey theft” but claim they later released him without charge. Billy, a campaigner for community rights, had not been seen since. His friends and family fear the 30-year-old activist was abducted and murdered for his opposition to the government’s eviction efforts.

No chance of survival

A written press release issued by the investigation committee today concluded that the burning of the bones was an attempt to cover up the murder, reasoning the bones must have been exposed to flames between 200 to 300 degrees celsius. The committee called it “a heinous crime.”

More than one investigator at the presser stressed that the Karen activist could not possibly be alive as the bone fragments came from vital parts of the body, such as the left side of Billy’s skull.

DSI Chief Pol. Col. Paisit Wongmuang refused to spell out how Billy might have died, though he acknowledged the burnt state of the bones and oil tank. Four burnt wooden sticks and two metal rods have also been found.

“Whether he died through torture is something we will look into through collecting evidence,” Paisit also said.

Former National Human Rights Commissioner Angkhana Neelapaijit posted on Facebook after the press conference that the two metal rods may have been used to lock the metal drum’s lid in place while the body burned.

When asked about the significance of the two metal rods by a reporter, the DSI refused to elaborate.

Divers located the underwater oil drum by using sonar machines.

Nearby, investigators also found 20 more bone fragments underwater in August, which are awaiting DNA tests.

The DSI has asked anyone with information regarding the case to call their center at 1202.

A DSI official pointing at a poster which shows evidence such as an oil drum, two metal rods, bone fragments, and wooden sticks found at the scene during a press conference on Sept. 3.

A DSI official pointing at a poster which shows the analysis of bone fragments found at the scene during a press conference on Sept. 3.

Photos of the oil drum found at the scene.

The suspension bridge, one of the major tourist attractions inside Kaeng Krachan National Park, where parts of the missing activist were found. Photo: Kaeng Krachan National Park / Facebook

This is a developing story and may be updated without notice.

Additional reporting Asaree Thaitrakulpanich and Tappanai Boonbandit

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Third Bangkok Bombing Suspect Arrested

By

Tappanai Boonbandit, Staff Reporter

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3 September 2019, 12:52

Muhammad Ilham Saeed being escorted by police commandos to Crime Suppression Division headquarters on Sept. 2.

BANGKOK — Another suspect has been arrested in connection to bomb attacks that rocked the capital on Aug. 2.

Muhammad Ilham Saeed, 28, was flown from a detention center in the Deep South to Bangkok for further interrogation on Monday, after he was arrested at a border checkpoint in Narathiwat on Aug. 5.

The police said investigators believe he was involved in planting an explosive device in front of the Office of the Permanent Secretary of Defense on Sri Saman Road on Aug. 2. He was accused of delivering the bomb to another perpetrator who then carried out the attack, before he fled to the southern border.

Four charges are to be brought against him: cooperating in criminal activity, possessing explosive devices, attempted manslaughter, and handling explosive devices in public spaces.

He’s set to be the third suspect prosecuted for allegedly conspiring in the bomb attacks. Police pressed the same charges against two southern men, Wildun Maha and Luai Sae-ngae, on Aug. 14.

Deputy police spokesman Police Col. Kritsana Pattanacharoen said on Monday that warrants so far have been issued against 13 other men alleged to be involved in the bomb attacks. He insisted that the suspects are not scapegoats and the investigation process is strictly following forensic evidence.

Five arrest warrants were also issued for four more men on Monday: Mayaki Malasing, 25 (two warrants), Usman Jeteh, 30, Sattha Awae, 29, and Sukree Duramana, 25.

The arrest came despite earlier claims by officials that the bomb in front of the Office of the Permanent Secretary of Defense was only an exploded spotlight. Khaosod English reporters at the scene found skid marks from ball bearings, a common component of improvised explosive devices.

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Thailand, South Korea Sign Cooperation Agreements, MOUs

By

Xinhua News Agency

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3 September 2019, 11:24

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, second from left, reviews the guard of honor during a welcoming ceremony held by Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha in Bangkok Sept. 2, 2019. Photo: Rachen Sageamsak / Xinhua

BANGKOK (Xinhua) — Thailand and South Korea on Monday signed several agreements in varied aspects of bilateral cooperation.

At Government House, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and the visiting South Korean President Moon Jae-in witnessed the signing of the cooperation agreements between the two governments. Thailand and South Korea are mutually viewed as strategic partners at bilateral, sub-regional and regional levels.

The South Korean president is paying an official visit to Thailand as guest of the Thai government from Sunday until Tuesday.

The signed agreements included a memorandum of understanding on national water management on equitable, sustainable basis; a memorandum of understanding on a study of the Korean language by Thai students; a memorandum of understanding on trade, industry and energy affairs with intent to promote industrial investments and SMEs’ competitiveness and develop human resources among others.

Besides, the Thai and South Korean governments signed a cooperation agreement on infrastructural development and rail transports and an exchange and cooperation agreement on classified military intelligence in relation to national security and defense of both countries.

During a Thai-South Korean business forum held on Monday at a Bangkok hotel, Prayut said CLMVT (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand) is the “true heart” of ASEAN in terms of connectivity, manufacturing, trade, investment and tourism. In particular, he said, South Korea is being welcomed to launch investment projects equipped with technology and innovation in Thailand’s EEC project for which skillful human resources can be provided.

No chance of survival

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