Mother of Slain Nurse Charged for Constitution Day Rally

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11 December 2018, 17:32

Protesters dressed as gods of death point to a "sinners list" depicting government and military officials responsible for the 2010 crackdown at a Sunday rally at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument.

BANGKOK — The mother of a medic killed by military snipers inside a temple during street protests eight years ago was charged with violating a public gathering law Monday night for staging a rally.

Phayaw Akkahad said Tuesday that police filed a charge of organizing an unauthorized gathering against her by holding the rally to demand justice for her daughter. The crime carries a maximum fine of 10,000 baht. She was arrested at the Democracy Monument with three other protesters – one of whom also lost his son in the 2010 crackdown.

“I denied all the charges,” Phayaw said.

Phayaw is a mother of Kamonkate “Kate” Akkahad, a volunteer nurse shot dead inside Wat Pathum Wanaram on the closing day of a military operation to clear Redshirt protesters from the capital in May 2010.

A court inquest in 2013 identified her killers as soldiers firing from the elevated BTS Skytrain track into the temple, which was designated by the government at the time as a “safe zone.”

But no security officer was ever held responsible for the killing, prompting Phayaw and three other protesters to stage the protest Monday, a public holiday marking the 86th anniversary of Thailand’s first formal constitution.

The four – which include Pansak Srithep, whose 17-year-old son was shot dead in the crackdown – were performing a skit about a god of death asking for justice when police intervened and took them to the police station. Only Phayaw was charged. A court date was set for Dec. 24.

On Tuesday the junta lifted its ban on political gatherings, but Phayaw was charged under a separate assembly law on the books.

Her protest came a week after media reports quoted sources at the Department of Special Investigation saying the agency was dropping efforts to prosecute the soldiers responsible for the 2010 deaths.

DSI chief Paisit Wongmuang disputed those reports Friday, saying the investigation is ongoing.

Phayaw said investigators are slow-walking the case, since they should have the names of the responsible soldiers by now. She said she will stage a protest at the DSI soon to ask for an explanation for the delay.

“The court inquest identified which unit they were in, so they could have asked those units for the names,” Phayaw said. “Let’s see if they will dare explain it to my face.”

Banners Fly as Thai Politics Takes First Breath Since 2014

By

Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

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11 December 2018, 17:20

A banner announcing the candidacy for Sira Jenjaka of the Palang Pracharat Party was noticed by Thai PBS reporter Yanee Waikru on Tuesday afternoon in Bangkok. Photo: Yanee_ThaiPBS / Twitter

BANGKOK — Not long after the junta lifted its ban on politics Tuesday, a campaign banner for one candidate had already appeared in Bangkok.

The pro-junta Palang Pracharat Party, which supports Prayuth’s return to the premiership, became the first party known to exercise newly returned political freedoms with several banners erected in the Chaeng Wattana district, as noticed by a Thai PBS reporter. Online, members of the Democrat Party seized the occasion to call attention to social media polls on party policy.

With a terse announcement, messaging and political engagement absent for nearly five years since the 2014 coup took the first steps back into public discourse.

ทันทีที่ คสช.ปลดล็อกการเมือง

หลัง คสช.ออกคำสั่งที่ 22/2561 ปลดล้อกการอมือง 1 ชม. "สิระ เจนจาคะ" สมาชิกพรรคพลังประชารัฐ ขึ้นป้ายภาพประวัติที่ บ้านทรงไทยย่านแจ้งวัฒนะ#ThaiPBS pic.twitter.com/VlwoFlq8re

— ญาณี_ไหว้ครู (@Yanee_ThaiPBS) December 11, 2018

But the reaction from a variety of politicians and activists to the news was reserved.

After learning about the lifting of the ban, deputy Democrat Party leader Nipit Intatarasombat said that while they are ready to start campaigning in earnest, they need time to agree on a platform.

“We are ready. … As for policies, we have met twice but will still have to go into details,” he said.

On Facebook, the nation’s oldest political party’s New Dem youth wing began eliciting votes for people to weigh in on proposed policies. As of Tuesday afternoon, two-thirds of respondents supported a proposal to make military service voluntary instead of compulsory.

The Pheu Thai Party, the political powerhouse which has handily won elections for two decades only to be deposed twice by the military, got busy with an afternoon meeting that left its secretary-general, Phumthum Wechayachai, unavailable to speak to a reporter.

The progressive newcomers at the Future Forward Party said through a spokeswoman that it’s not time to celebrate or be happy as the junta never had any legitimacy to restrict people from politics to begin with.

Pannika Wanich added however that the party will launch a platform focused on 12 policies Sunday at the Queen Sirikit Convention Center and launch campaign caravans in earnest beginning Dec. 21. Pannika stressed that this had been planned prior to Tuesday’s announcement.

Future Forward secretary-general Piyabutr Saengkanokkul pointed out that the decision did not include any amnesty for those charged for violating the junta’s rules. Those who have been charged for engaging in political activities or for opposing or criticizing the junta continue to face legal battles as the order was not retroactive, he said.

“Patriots and people who love democracy are still ‘chained’ in the name of these legal cases,” Piyabutr said.

Nuttaa “Bow” Mahattana, who has been charged several times over for her pro-democracy campaigning, said she expects to continue operating as usual but wants greater legal clarity about the change.

“It will be all the same as in the past, as I do not consider the junta’s order, which violates human rights, as legitimate.”

She also stressed that many charged with sedition for criticizing the junta or simply calling for elections will have to continue fighting in the courts.

Nutta is also concerned the election won’t be free and fair.

On Wednesday, she and representatives from at least half a dozen political parties will petition the Election Commission to reject a proposed plan to strip ballots of the logos of all political parties.

As for plans to hold street rallies, Nutta said the need will be assessed weekly. She said lifting the ban may help bring more members of the public out on the streets, an issue that has dampened the success of past efforts.

May in the Netherlands as She Fights to Save Brexit Deal

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Associated Press

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11 December 2018, 16:34

British Prime Minister Theresa May, left, and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte pose for photographers at the start of a meeting Tuesday in The Hague, Netherlands. Photo: Peter Dejong / Associated Press

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Top European Union officials on Tuesday ruled out any renegotiation of the divorce agreement with Britain as Prime Minister Theresa May launched her fight to save her Brexit deal by lobbying leaders in Europe’s capitals.

May began her quest over breakfast with Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte, a day after she abandoned a vote in the U.K. Parliament to secure support for the agreement thrashed out with the EU over more than a year, sensing that it would be rejected in London “by a significant margin.”

While May made no public comment as she met Rutte in The Hague, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker warned that the Brexit agreement cannot be re-opened for negotiation at a summit of EU leaders on Thursday, but he did say that elements of the deal could still be clarified.

“There is no room whatsoever for renegotiation,” Juncker told EU lawmakers in Strasbourg, France, as he briefed them on the summit.

Juncker, who is set to meet May on Tuesday evening, underlined that “the deal we have achieved is the best deal possible. It is the only deal possible.”

But he added that “if used intelligently, (there) is room enough to give further clarification and further interpretations without opening the withdrawal agreement.”

EU leaders have often supplemented agreements with political declarations that clarify their interpretation of elements of an accord or provide assurances about how parts of any deal might work.

In Brussels, Danish Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen also said that EU countries might be willing to clarify parts of the deal.

“It is always a political option to clarify if that is needed, what is meant, what kind of underlining is needed,” Samuelsen told reporters.

One of the main sticking points since the Brexit talks began has been how to keep goods flowing between Northern Ireland in the U.K. and EU member country Ireland, and May is sure to seek flexibility on this from her European partners.

But Juncker said that the so-called “backstop” – an insurance arrangement to ensure that no hard border appears after Brexit on March 29 – must remain, even though it was never meant to be used.

“We have a common determination to do everything to be not in the situation one day to use that backstop, but we have to prepare,” he said, and underlined that “Ireland will never be left alone.”

The European Parliament’s Brexit point man, Guy Verhofstadt, noted that with the canceled vote in London “we have spiraled again into a new mess,” and he supported Juncker’s message.

“Whatever the request may be we will never let down our Irish friends. It is out of the question to renegotiate the backstop,” Verhofstadt said.

If the Brexit agreement is accepted by the U.K. Parliament, it must still be endorsed by the European Parliament before March 29.

May also travels Tuesday to Berlin for talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and to Brussels for meetings with Juncker and EU Council President Donald Tusk, who will chair Thursday’s summit.

A senior German official said May won’t get any pledge of new negotiations while in Berlin. And he stressed that the chief negotiators were in Brussels, not the German capital.

Asked as he arrived at a meeting in Brussels what May can expect from Merkel, Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Roth replied: “I hope they will wish each other Merry Christmas, strength and all the best for the new year. It’s good to speak to each other, but there will certainly be no promises of any kind that we will reopen matters now and renegotiate.”

Story: Mike Corder, Lorne Cook

Asian Shares Mixed on Concerns Over Trade, Economic Outlook

By

Associated Press

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11 December 2018, 16:22

A man walks Tuesday past an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei 225 and other country's index at a securities firm in Tokyo. Photo: Eugene Hoshiko / Associated Press

SINGAPORE — Asian markets were mixed Tuesday in narrow trading on doubts that U.S. and China can manage to resolve their festering trade dispute.

Keeping Score

Thailand’s SET dropped to 1,638.07, a 0.7 percent decrease, on Tuesday afternoon. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 lost 0.3 percent to 21,148.02 while South Korea’s Kospi added less than 0.1 percent to 2,054.48. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was almost 0.1 percent lower at 25,741.07. The Shanghai Composite rose 0.1 percent to 2,587.88. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 added 0.4 percent to 5,575.90. Shares rose in Taiwan but fell in Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand.

Wall Street

Buying by technology companies spurred gains for U.S. indexes after steep losses in early trading. China has protested the detention of a Chinese technology executive in Canada, which was carried out at the request of the U.S. The S&P 500 index rose 0.2 percent to 2,637.72 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.1 percent to 24,423.26. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite rose 0.7 percent to 7,020.52. The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks dropped 0.3 percent to 1,443.09.

US-China Relations

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He have talked about “the promotion of the next economic and trade consultations,” a statement by the Chinese Commerce Ministry said Tuesday. It did not elaborate. This indicates that the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, in Canada will not derail trade talks. Meng is wanted in the U.S. for allegedly misleading banks about the company’s business dealings in Iran. Still, traders fear a 90-day tariffs cease-fire may not be enough for the countries to resolve deep-seated issues. China has protested the arrest and told the U.S. and Canada that it would take further steps based on their response. A bail hearing for Meng is underway in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Softer Asian Growth

On Monday, revised data showed that the Japanese economy shrank by a worse-than-expected 2.5 percent in the third quarter, partly because of natural disasters. Over the weekend, China reported that its exports and imports slowed in November, adding to concerns that its economy may slow further, sapping regional and global growth.

Analyst’s Take

“Early movers in the Asia region had commenced with a brisker tone following the U.S. lead, although the awareness that the macro picture remains unchanged seems to have tamed some of the delight,” Jingyi Pan of IG said in a market commentary.

iPhone Ban in China

On Monday, U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm said it won an order in a Chinese court banning sales of some Apple phones in China. This is part of a lengthy dispute over two Qualcomm patents allowing users to format photos and manage phone apps using a touch screen. Although Qualcomm said the ban applies to models of the iPhone 6S through X, Apple said all iPhones will remain available for customers in China. Qualcomm shares jumped 2.2 percent to USD$57.24 on the news.

Energy

Oil prices slipped Tuesday following a sharp decline. They have erased their gains from news of a production cut by OPEC countries and other major oil producers. U.S. benchmark crude lost 4 cents to $50.96 a barrel. It gave up 3.1 percent to $51 a barrel in New York on Monday. Brent crude, used to price international oils, shed 10 cents to $59.87. The contract dropped 2.8 percent to $59.97 a barrel in

Currencies

The dollar weakened to 113.14 yen from 113.34 yen late Monday. The euro rose to $1.1361 from $1.1355.

Story: Annabelle Liang

Election Results to be Declared Within Hours of Polls Closing

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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11 December 2018, 16:10

Prayuth Chan-ocha, who served as army chief at the time, casts his ballots in the Feb. 2, 2014, election in Bangkok.

BANGKOK — Election organizers said Tuesday the public will know which political parties are positioned to lead Thailand’s post-coup government no longer than five hours after polls close Feb. 24.

Election Commissioner Nath Laoseesawakool told reporters the votes will be counted immediately after polling stations close at 5pm, with unofficial results announced by 10pm at the latest.

“If one can manage the calculation, it will be known immediately who the next prime minister would be,” Nath said, referring to the new math behind rules requiring political parties to declare in advance who they will support becoming prime minister.

Nath spoke on the same day regulations governing the election came into effect, and – perhaps more crucially – the junta lifted its ban on political gatherings, allowing contending parties to campaign freely.

The commissioner also revealed other milestones for the upcoming election: Those wishing to run as MPs must register between Jan. 14 and Jan. 18; and advanced voting will take place some time between Jan. 10 and Jan. 24.

Bahraini Football Player Moved to Jail Before Extradition Hearing (Video)

By

Asaree Thaitrakulpanich, Staff Reporter

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11 December 2018, 15:43

Hakeem Ali Mohamed Ali AlAraibi led in handcuffs at the Thai Criminal Court. — Hakeem Ali Mohamed Ali AlAraibi in December led in handcuffs at the Thai Criminal Court.

BANGKOK — A Bahraini football player and political refugee has been placed in prison after the Criminal Court extended his detention another two months in anticipation of a drawn-out battle over an extradition request by his homeland.

Court proceedings to weigh Hakeem Ali Mohamed Ali AlAraibi’s extradition to Bahrain, where he alleges past torture and persecution if returned, could drag on for months. Today, the court authorized 60 days of custody in the Bangkok Remand Prison for the man who just over a year ago was granted political asylum by Australia.

Bahrain says the Pascoe Vale Football Club player is a fugitive from justice.

Two weeks after he was arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport on his way home to Australia with his wife, AlAirabi appealed for help as he was led into the courtroom today.

“Please stop them. I don’t want to go to Bahrain, I want to go to Australia. I didn’t do anything in Bahrain,” AlAlraibi said. “I am refugee in Australia.”

Human rights watchdogs say he was tortured by Bahraini authorities in 2012 due to his brother’s political activities and public criticism of the Bahrain royal family’s alleged involvement in sports scandals. He fled to Australia in 2014 after he was sentenced to a decade behind bars for vandalizing a police station – a crime he denies committing.

The conviction was the basis for Bahrain’s extradition request.

Read: Thailand Begins Extradition of Bahraini Football Player

“The big question is, what is Bahrain offering to Thailand and senior officials to make them want to favor Bahrain? There’s no transparency around the decision making. Something doesn’t look right,” said Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch. “This is going to be an ongoing tug-of-war between Bahrain and Australia.”

Nuttasiri Berkman, an attorney with Thailand’s Human Rights Lawyers Association who is representing AlAraibi, says there was no legal basis for his arrest at the airport and therefore his ongoing detention.

AlAraibi faces charges back home for arson, illegal political gatherings that disturbed the public, carrying explosives and destroying private vehicles.

Calls to the Embassy of Bahrain in Bangkok were not immediately returned Tuesday. The embassy tweeted Dec. 1 that the AlAraibi was a “suspect is wanted for security cases” and that they would be “following up with the relevant security authorities in this regard.”

The Embassy states that the suspect is wanted for security cases which the Embassy is aware of. It adds that it is following up with the relevant security authorities in this regard.

— Bahrain Embassy – Thailand (@BahrainEmbTH) December 1, 2018

Yahya Alhadid, president of the Gulf Institute for Democracy and Human Rights, said that the court proceedings were “unfair” and the detention “illegal.” Adams said that the case Bahrain is bringing against Hakeem is “completely bogus. There are no facts there.”

Sayed Alwadaei of the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy said the evidence Bahrain will submit to the Thai court is based on a confession from Hakeem’s brother, Emad AlAraibi, that was coerced through torture.

“The Thai Court should deny Bahrain’s request to extradite Hakeem, as it is in violation of legal principles, and instead must allow him to return safely back to Australia. Hakeem was already unfairly persecuted and subjected to torture in Bahrain,” Alwadaei said. “Sending him back to Bahrain will place him at risk of further torture.”

The 25-year-old footballer was granted refugee status by Australia in November 2017, which allows him to live there.

He had been set to depart Thailand after a vacation here with his wife when he was detained Nov. 27 at the airport. He was later moved to a downtown immigration detention center until a warrant was issued for his arrest this past Friday.

FIFA Supports Bahraini Football Player Detained at Suvarnabhumi

BKK Departure of Bahraini Refugee Footballer Blocked

Bangkok to Get Greasy with Aussie Reggae Act ‘Sticky Fingers’

By

Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

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11 December 2018, 13:23

BANGKOK — Music fans already have things to look forward to 2019, a year expected to be bigger than ever in terms of the live concert scene.

Bangkok is now a destination for Australian reggae fusion outfit Sticky Fingers’ world tour, announced Monday night The Very Company, local promoter who earlier this year organized an appearance by Oasis’ Liam Gallagher.

Soulful reggae-dub Srirajah Rockers will play as an opening act.

The concert will take place at 8pm on Feb. 9 at Moonstar Studio. Tickets are 2,000 baht and available online from Dec. 19.

Describing itself as a “melting pot of psych, rock, reggae and bourbon,” Sticky Fingers consists of Dylan Frost, Paddy Cornwall, Seamus Coyle, Beaker Best and Freddy Crabs. Their popular songs are “How to Fly,” “Cyclone,” “Gold Snafu” and “Australia Street.”

After going on hiatus in late 2016, the band released a comeback single “Kick On” this past April.

‘Mafia Elephant’ Searches Trucks for Goodies in Khao Yai (Video)

By

Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

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11 December 2018, 12:43

PRACHINBURI — A foraging male elephant was filmed removing belongings from the back of two pickup trucks in the Khao Yai National Park.

The footage of the pilfering pachyderm has been shared 6,500 times and watched more than 740,000 times as of noon Monday since it was first posted.

“I pray they don’t attack the car … Once he gets food he will leave,” a man can be heard commenting as the male elephant uses its trunk to search for food in the pickup truck ahead of him before approaching his vehicle.

At one point the elephant uses its trunk to fetch a plastic bottle and stuff it into its mouth before spitting it out. Then what appears to be a plastic bag filled with uncooked rice is removed from the first truck.

“Shall we go?” the man says as the elephant approaches his vehicle. A woman can be heard telling him to wait, fearing it could anger the free-roaming, wild elephant.

They also tell two children in the back of the truck to lie low to not anger the animal.

The second truck driver manages to slowly pass after the elephant rummages through their belongings.

“This is a mafia elephant,’ wrote one comment in reply to the video.

Deliverymen Fall to Death After Speeding Benz Plows Into Truck

By

Asaree Thaitrakulpanich, Staff Reporter

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11 December 2018, 12:24

A relative cries over the body of Caris Waraklan, who fell to his death Tuesday morning from the Si Rat Expressway.

Update: Elderly Benz Driver Charged For Fatal Expressway Wreck

NONTHABURI — Two furniture deliverymen fell to their deaths Tuesday morning after an elderly motorist crashed her Mercedes-Benz into their stalled vehicle on an elevated highway in northern metro Bangkok.

Woothichai Suracha, 32, and Caris Waraklan, 22, both employees of SB Design Square furniture company, were examining their stalled truck on the Si Rat Expressway at 8:30am near Wat Bua Kwan when 72-year-old Surang Supornsuk struck their vehicle. The pair were reportedly forced to leap over the guardrail and died from the fall.

“I can’t believe he’s dead. He’s the breadwinner of the family. I don’t know how life will go on. Our 3-year-old daughter will grow up without a dad,” said Thida Suracha, Woothichai’s 30-year-old fiance.

Thanathorn Poolprasert, a rescue worker on the scene, said that Woothichai and Caris had parked the truck after it overheated. Panunart Kamakklang, Caris’ girlfriend, was waiting in the cab of the truck.

That’s when Surang rammed into the truck at a high speed, forcing Woothichai and Caris to jump out of the way, Thanathorn said. They fell six meters and died on impact. The front driver’s side of Surang’s car was caved in from the impact. Both Surang and Panunak were taken to Pranangklao Hospital with injuries.

“I want to ask Surang, why did she have to drive so fast and hit them? How can he say that he didn’t see the truck as an excuse? It’s two-meters tall!” Thida said.

Both vehicles were being taken to the Rattanathibet Police Station to be impounded as evidence, since emergency responders at the scene said there would be a criminal case due to the fatalities. Two lanes of the highway remained closed as of 11am, and commuters were warned to be aware of the impact on traffic.

At noon, the police Lt. Capt. Kamapant Oatngarm said police would investigate the fatal accident as a potential crime.

Thida said usually Woothichai leaves the home at 7:30am for his deliveries after buying breakfast for his daughter and kissing the both of them goodbye.

“Usually he trims his beard, but today I remarked that his beard was growing long and told him to shave, and he did. I didn’t think that was an unlucky sign,” she said.

Panunart and Caris were set to be married next month, Thida said.

Thida Suracha cries at the scene of her husband's death. — Thida Suracha cries at the scene of her husband’s death.

A Khaosod live interview with Panunart Kamakklang.

Correction: An earlier version of the story misidentified the driver of the Mercedes-Benz as a man when in fact it was a woman.

Junta Lifts its Ban on Politics

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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11 December 2018, 12:19

Junta chairman Prayuth Chan-ocha speaks to reporters Dec. 11, 2018, at Government House.

BANGKOK — The junta on Tuesday lifted its nearly five-year-old ban on political activities, ostensibly to clear the way for the Feb. 24 election.

In an order published online by the Royal Gazette minutes after noon, the regime cited the need for the public and political parties to campaign freely for the upcoming election as the basis for its decision. The order was signed by junta chairman Prayuth Chan-ocha.

The document went on to abolish a number of previous orders enacted by Gen. Prayuth in the wake of the 2014 coup, including prohibitions on political assembly and financial activities for political purposes.

Legal actions taken prior to today’s order and ongoing court cases will not be affected.

Tuesday also marks the first day new election laws come into effect.

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