1,000 Protest in Myanmar to Greet ‘Meddling’ Annan

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6 September 2016, 12:57

Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, center, who chairs the recently created Rakhine State Advisory Commission, escorted by local authorities as he arrived September at the airport in Sittwe, Myanmar. Photo: Esther Htusan / Associated Press

SITTWE, Myanmar — More than 1,000 Buddhists in a Myanmar state wracked by religious and ethnic strife protested Tuesday’s arrival of former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, saying the Ghanaian is meddling in the country’s affairs by leading a government-appointed commission to find solutions to the conflict.

The Southeast Asian country set up the commission last month to help find solutions to “protracted issues” in western Rakhine state, where human rights groups have documented widespread abuses by majority Rakhine Buddhists against minority Rohingya Muslims.

The state’s dominant Arakan National Party and the Rakhine Women Network led the protest about 300 meters (yards) from the airport in Sittwe, the Rakhine capital, where Annan and other members of the Rakhine Advisory Commission arrived Tuesday morning. As Annan’s car passed, the crowd shouted, “Dismiss the Kofi Annan-led Rakhine Advisory Commission now.”

Read: Myanmar Group Dismisses Offensive ‘Coffee’ Annan Post

“We came here because we don’t want that foreigner coming to our state,” said May Phyu, a local Rakhine Buddhist resident. “I don’t know exactly what this group is and what they are doing, but I came here to protest as I don’t like them to come here.

“I cannot accept them talking about the Rakhine and kalar case in our state,” said protester Soe Thein. “Kalar” is a derogatory word used in Myanmar to refer to Muslims.

Many Buddhists in Rakhine and across Myanmar consider Rohingya to be Bangladeshis living in the country illegally, though the ethnic group has been in Myanmar for generations. Hundreds of Rohingya were killed and tens of thousands forced to flee their homes in 2012 unrest in Rakhine state, and many continue to be confined to squalid camps there.

“We are here to help provide ideas and advice,” Annan said at the Rakhine state government office, where he met government and police officials, community leaders and members of nongovernmental organizations.

“To build the future, the two major communities have to move beyond decades of mistrust and find ways to embrace, share values of justice, fairness and equity,” he said. “Ultimately, the people of Rakhine state must charge their own way forward.”

Hundreds of demonstrators hold banners and shout slogans in protest of the arrival of former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Tuesday. Photo: Esther Htusan / Associated Press

Before Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s government created the commission, her international reputation as a Nobel Peace Prize-winning democracy icon had been diminished by what some have viewed as her inaction on the Rohingya issue. Her government still does not even use the word “Rohingya.”

“You will see for yourself all the problems on the ground now,” Suu Kyi, officially Myanmar state counselor and foreign minister, told Annan and other commission members at a news conference Monday. “You will be able to assess for yourself the roots of the problems itself, not in one day, not in one week. But I am confident that you will get there, that you will find the answers because you are truly intent on looking for them.”

The commission is to address human rights, ensuring humanitarian assistance, rights and reconciliation, establishing basic infrastructure and promoting long-term development plans.

During their six-day Rakhine trip, the commission will visit the Rohingya camps and meet members of political and religious groups. But the Arakan National Party said it will not meet or work with the commission.

“Rakhine state is in Myanmar and our country has its own sovereignty and there is no way we can accept a commission that is formed by foreigners,” ANP official Aung Than Wai said Tuesday.

Story: Esther Htusan

Yellowshirt Leader Sondhi Jailed 20 Years for Fraud

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Sasiwan Mokkhasen, Staff Reporter

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6 September 2016, 12:24

Sondhi Limthongkul is taken to prison Tuesday in Bangkok after the Supreme Court upheld the verdict to imprison him 20 years.

BANGKOK — Years of legal maneuvering ended with one-time Yellowshirt leader Sondhi Limthongkul sent directly to prison Tuesday morning after the Supreme Court ruled he must serve his sentence without it being suspended.

The final verdict upheld a former Appeals Court ruling that Sondhi; founder of Manager Media Group Co., Ltd.; was guilty for creating a fraudulent report under which Manager guaranteed a billion baht loan in 1997 for another company in which he also held a stake.

Sondhi and three other executives were convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2012 but had been fighting through the appeals process until today’s decision.

Read: Anti-Graft Crusader and Yellowshirt Founder Convicted of Fraud

The courts found the four forged the report to obtain the loan without seeking approval from Manager’s board when they guaranteed a 1.08 billion baht loan from Krung Thai Bank to The M Group Co., Ltd.

They also kept the shareholders of Manager Group Co., Ltd. in the dark by not reporting to the Stock Exchange of Thailand that Manager had guaranteed the loan.

The M Group later defaulted on the loan, forcing Manager Group to repay the massive debt.

The Supreme Court said the executives’ appeal was without merit because they used the same false report six times to acquire loans, illustrating a clear intent to defraud on the part of the defendants.

Sondhi, the founder of prominent media group Manager, led the People’s Alliance for Democracy, or PAD, whose street demonstrations culminated in shutting down Suvarnabhumi International Airport in 2008 to unseat a government aligned with ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

Sondhi played a lead role in the anti-Thaksin movement and rallied against corruption.

He was charged for occupying the airport and shutting down parliament, but the trial against him and other Yellowshirt leaders has hardly moved forward after eight years.

Imprisoned Yellowshirt Founder ‘Not Enjoying Any Privileges’

Convicted Yellowshirt Leader To Share Prison With Redshirts

Anti-Graft Crusader and Yellowshirt Founder Convicted of Fraud

History Made as Obama Lands in Laos for ASEAN Summit

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Associated Press

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6 September 2016, 12:18

U.S. President Barack Obama waves upon his arrival at Wattay International Airport in Vientiane, Laos on Monday. Photo: Gemunu Amarasinghe / Associated Press

VIENTIANE — President Barack Obama on Monday became the first sitting U.S. president to step foot in the isolated Southeast Asian nation of Laos, opening a three-day visit meant to rebuild trust and close a dark chapter in the shared history between the two countries.

Obama is one of several world leaders coming to the country of nearly 7 million people, where the one-party communist state tightly controls public expression but is using its moment in the spotlight as host of the annual meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to open up to outsiders.

Under a steady, tropical rain, Obama arrived late Monday and began a full day of ceremony and diplomacy Tuesday morning with a meeting with Laotian President Bounnhang Vorachit. The president was greeted by a military band and a display of the troops at the presidential palace.

The visit comes during what is probably Obama’s final trip as president to Southeast Asia, a region that has enjoyed intense attention from the U.S. during his tenure. Obama’s frequent visits to oft-ignored corners of the Asia Pacific have been central to his strategy for countering China’s growing dominance in the region. By bolstering diplomatic ties in Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar, the Obama administration has declared it wants to compete for influence and market access in China’s backyard.

In Laos, Obama will wrestle with the ghosts of past U.S. policies.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the U.S. rained bombs on Laotian villages and the countryside as America’s war with Vietnam spilled across the border. The Laotian government estimates that more than 2 million tons of ordnance were released during more than 500,000 missions — one bomb every eight minutes for nine years.

An estimated 80 million cluster bombs did not explode, leaving tennis ball-sized “bombies” littering the impoverished countryside to wound and kill unsuspecting people.

In his meeting with Vorachit, Obama quickly acknowledged the “challenging history.” He is expected to announce additional aid to clean up unexploded ordnance, while the Laotian government is expected to offer help in accounting for missing and dead U.S. service members.

Obama said Monday in China, before he departed for Laos, that diplomatic work on war legacy issues will be “a show of good faith on the part of the country and a way for us to move into a next phase of a relationship.”

He cited Vietnam as the model. Aides said Obama’s visit will probably echo a stop in Hanoi, Vietnam, in May, when the president declared he was “mindful of the past, mindful of our difficult history, but focused on the future.”

U.S. President Barack Obama walks down the steps from Air Force One upon his arrival Monday at Wattay International Airport in Vientiane. Photo: Gemunu Amarasinghe / Associated Press

In both countries, Obama benefits from not carrying baggage that might have complicated his message. Too young to have served in the Vietnam war, Obama serves as a generational page turner — eager to speak directly to those too young to remember the troubled past.

In Laos, as he has across Southeast Asia, he’ll hold a town-hall-style event for young people. The White House said he’ll encourage Laos’ slow political opening and budding entrepreneurial culture.

Obama will be speaking to people like 33-year-old Anysay Keola, who remembers his mother’s stories of running and hiding from the bombs and of memorizing a phrase roughly translating to: “The U.S. dropped the bomb on us.”

But Keola, an entrepreneur and filmmaker and part of Vientiane’s growing creative class, also grew up on American music and fashion. The war’s ill will faded long ago, and his friends are excited about Obama’s arrival but not necessarily for political reasons.

“He is perceived as like a celebrity,” Keola said. “It’s just on the surface: ‘Ooh, Obama’s coming. Ooh, big plane.’ Or things like that. Or his Cadillac car is here. Those are the things that people share and talk about.”

While the U.S. is known as a rich country with an outsized cultural influence, China, by contrast, is seen as the huge neighbor helping to spur this small nation’s robust growth. Massive Vientiane construction sites come adorned with Mandarin script. China has committed to financing a $7 billion high-speed railroad to bisect the country.

Though Vorachit is seen as edging closer to Vietnam than to China, the country has managed a diplomatic two-step this year. As chair of the Southeast Asian nations’ group, it has projected neutrality in other countries’ disputes with China over the South China Sea.

Story: Kathleen Hennessy

Parallel But Ever Apart, Worlds Clash Through Body Movement

By

Kaewta Ketbungkan, Staff Reporter

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6 September 2016, 11:54

Ladda Kongdach performs in “Parallel [between the lines].” Photo: Yeongu Kim / Courtesy

BANGKOK — A performing artist portrays the essence of a parallel universe through body movement and expression in a work launching Friday.

“Parallel [between the lines]” is a solo movement created and performed by Ladda Kongdach, who said she’s been interested in parallel worlds since childhood and often wondered what would happen if another version of herself chose a path other than the one she has taken.

“When I was a kid, I believed I had a twin, but that thought faded as I grew up and reality dawned on me,” Ladda said. “Still, I feel related to the parallel universe theory, as we might have a twin somewhere in the universe. We often have to choose different paths which turn our lives around. So, I want to express the possibilities of the decision through my performance.”

The 45-minute show consists of simple body movements and expressions, along with a human-sized puppet whose mask is molded from Ladda’s face. The 33-year-old artist creates a sense of parallels in the clash between body and mind, puppet and puppeteer and the divergent paths of unrequited lovers.

Ladda said she is inspired by her life experiences. With seven years experience in theatre, Ladda started directing her own three years ago to explore the use of puppets and body language in expressing a meaningful insight.

The performance was part of “Dancing in the Lake,” which premiered last month in Seoul.

“Although the work is personal, the feelings presented are mutual. The audience doesn’t have to know my story, but through movement, with no use of words, people can sense happiness or sadness and what I’m trying to convey,” said Ladda.

Tickets are 400 baht and can be reserved via the Facebook event page or by phone at 081-929 4246 and 083-123-6331.
Performances of “Parallel” start at 8pm running Friday through to Sept. 20, (except Wednesday and Thursday) at Crescent Moon Space in the Pridi Banomyong Institute. The venue is a 10-minute walk from BTS Thong Lo’s exit. No. 3.

Kindergartener Among Two Killed by Deep South Motorcycle Bomb

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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6 September 2016, 11:34

The aftermath of a bombing attack near a school in Narathiwat’s Tak Bai district this morning which killed two people including a young schoolgirl.

NARATHIWAT — A weaponized motorcycle exploded in front of a school in Narathiwat’s Tak Bai district this morning, killing two people including a 4-year-old schoolgirl, police said.

The bombing appeared to mark a recent trend in separatist violence of more indiscriminate targeting of civilians, coming just two weeks after an ambulance was used in the fatal car bombing of a hotel in Pattani province.

BRN Implicated in ‘Unprecedented’ Ambulance Car Bomb

A police report released to the media said the motorcycle was parked close to where a group of police officers was standing guard in front of Ban Taba School.

The report said a man and his daughter, a 4-year-old kindergartener enrolled at the school, were killed in the attack. Eight people were also injured.

Spokesman Pramote Prom-in of the Internal Security Operation Command condemned the bomb attack as an inhumane act that disregarded civilians, even young children.

“I’d like to ask [everyone] to help monitor and condemn the behavior of the perpetrators as much as possible,” Col. Pramote said.

Sunai Phasuk of Human Rights Watch also described the bombing as a “war crime” in a tweet.

More than 6,500 people, many of whom were civilians, have died in the southern border region since secessionist violence broke out there in 2004, according to Deep South Watch.

On Aug. 23 suspected insurgents converted a stolen ambulance into a car bomb and left it to explode in front of a Pattani hotel, killing two people.

A bomb also struck a passenger train in Pattani province on Saturday, killing a railway employee and disrupting southbound trains for hours.

Perp Pressers to Continue Despite Prayuth’s Concern for Human Rights

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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6 September 2016, 10:21

A typical setting of police news conferences, a man accused of rape on Friday was presented to reporters at Bangkok's Crime Suppression Division and told to apologize for his alleged crime.

BANGKOK — For a while it seemed like a tradition in the symbiotic relationship between police and media would be brought to an end.

But two days after junta chairman Prayuth Chan-ocha sent a letter to the Ministry of Justice telling police to consider ending the commonplace practice of parading suspects in front of reporters out of concern for human rights, police Monday said the show will go on – with some modifications.

“The prime minister did not outright forbid us. He ordered us to reconsider it on a case-by-case basis,” police spokesman Piyapan Pingmuang said by telephone. “We already have our own orders as well. There are already regulations and rules, but they were not strictly enforced in the past.”

Police spokesman Piyapan said the order will be respected, and crime conferences will only include suspects who consent to participate. No more minors will appear, he said.

Police defend the practice as something that gives suspects the right to ask for clemency, and to show society how criminals operate. Rights activists say it violates suspects’ due process, amounts to a public conviction before they can face trial and encourages bad policing.

In the letter sent late last month by the Prime Minister’s Office and made public Saturday, Prayuth instructed police to consider staging crime news conferences without the suspects being present. According to the letter, the instruction followed a recent briefing by the Ministry of Justice on the human rights violated by such practices.

For Their Own Good?

Like “crime reenactments,” crime news conferences are a ritual synonymous with police work and crime news.

At the events which are repeated daily nationwide, suspects are typically seated in police station meeting rooms behind a table littered with evidence implicating them in their alleged crimes. Police recite to reporters what the suspects are accused of, and at times the latter speak to the press directly.

They’re popular with both the officers who are eager to be featured in the media, and provide ample, if redundant, images for publication.

Sometimes they end in disarray, such as this time last year when a victim sucker-punched her alleged attacker in what became a viral video clip.

National Human Rights Commissioner Angkhana Neelaphaijit said such routines violate suspects’ rights because they lead the public to judge them as guilty before their case even reaches the court.

Her agency has received several complaints about the matter and has urged police to end the tradition many times, but authorities have so far ignored her pleas, Angkhana said.

Speaking by telephone Monday, Ankhana said that all too often “the police claim that suspects have already confessed.”

“But a number of suspects, well, probably a large number of suspects, were forced to confess under interrogation,” she said. “What’s important is that we must adhere to the principle of innocent until proven guilty.”

Spokesman Piyapan and other top police officials defended the practice.

“Sometimes, the suspects want to speak at news conferences because they have the chance to repent from their actions. They can use it as a cause to ask for a reduction of their punishment in the court” Maj. Gen. Piyapan said. “Sometimes, they also want to apologize to the victims for their crimes.”

Bangkok police commander Sanit Mahatavorn went further by saying that suspect news conferences help society understand how criminals work, so that they can protect themselves and more victims can file charges.

“When suspects commit crimes like snatching purses, robbery, fraud and scam, we have to present them for the people to see that these individuals have committed wrongdoing many times,” Lt. Gen. Sanit said. “People who were victims of those crimes can file criminal complaints to prosecute them.”

He said the police will only conduct them if the suspects provide consent and the police believe it will be of public benefit.

Piyapan also suggested that it was for the benefit of the press corps.

“Sometimes, it is the media who prefer it that way,” Piyapan said. “At those pressers, reporters can take photos and talk directly with the suspects.”

Unenforced Rules

As Piyapan said, there are internal police regulations concerning suspect pressers. But they are almost always ignored.

A 2005 order issued by the Royal Thai Police bans bringing suspects to news conferences unless there is a “benefit for the public,” in which case they must seek approval from their commanders first. Underage suspects cannot be presented under any circumstances, the order said.

The same order also bans bringing reporters along for arrests and other law enforcement operations – another common practice.

Another order issued in 2007 added a clause which banned allowing the media to photograph or interview suspects in police custody, unless it “benefits the case” or the suspects agree to it.

Piyapan admitted that police have not always followed those rules, but that they will be more strict from now on, after Prayuth urged them to be more mindful.

“In some cases, such as that of minors, we won’t take them to news conferences. These are practical changes,” the spokesman said. “I think it’s a good thing for our country that the nation’s leader expressed his concern about human rights in such a way.”

Obama Cancels Meeting with New Philippine President Duterte

By

Associated Press

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6 September 2016, 10:19

U.S. President Barack Obama waves before getting into his motorcade vehicle as he arrives on Air Force One to Wattay International Airport on Monday in Vientiane, Laos. Photo: Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press

VIENTIANE, Laos — President Barack Obama called off a planned meeting Tuesday with new Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, seeking distance from a U.S. ally’s leader during a diplomatic tour that’s put Obama in close quarters with a cast of contentious world figures.

It’s unusual for one president to tell another what to say or not say, and much rarer to call the other a “son of a bitch.” Duterte managed to do both just before flying to Laos for a regional summit, warning Obama not to challenge him over extrajudicial killings in the Philippines.

“Clearly, he’s a colorful guy,” Obama said. “What I’ve instructed my team to do is talk to their Philippine counterparts to find out is this in fact a time where we can have some constructive, productive conversations.”

Early Tuesday, National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the meeting with Duterte was off.

Duterte has been under intense global scrutiny over the more than 2,000 suspected drug dealers and users killed since he took office. Obama had said he planned to raise the issue in his first meeting with Duterte, but the Philippine leader insisted he was only listening to his own country’s people.

“You must be respectful,” Duterte said of Obama. “Do not just throw questions.” Using the Tagalog phrase for “son of a bitch,” he said, “Putang ina I will swear at you in that forum.” He made the comment in a televised news conference in southern Davao City.

Eager to show he wouldn’t yield, Obama said he would “undoubtedly” still bring up human rights and due process concerns “if and when” the two do meet.

The bizarre rift with the leader of a U.S. treaty ally was the most glaring example of how Obama has frequently found himself bound to foreign countries and leaders whose ties to the U.S. are critical even if their values sharply diverge.

In Hangzhou this week, Obama’s first stop in Asia, he heaped praise on Chinese President Xi Jinping for hosting the Group of 20 economic summit in his country, an authoritarian state long accused of human rights violations. His next stop was another one-party communist country with a dismal rights record: Laos, where mysterious disappearances have fueled concerns about a government crackdown.

And sitting down with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Obama made no mention in public of the roughly 35,000 people Erdogan’s government detained following the summer’s failed coup in Turkey. Instead, he worked to reassure the NATO ally the U.S. would help bring to justice whoever was responsible for plotting the coup.

Obama also spent about 90 minutes Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, another leader whose fate seems intertwined with Obama’s in all the wrong ways. On opposing sides of many global issues, the U.S. and Russia are nonetheless trying to broker a deal to address the Syrian civil war and perhaps even partner militarily there.

“President Putin’s less colorful,” Obama said, comparing him with Duterte. “But typically the tone of our meetings is candid, blunt, businesslike.”

Managing Duterte has become a worsening headache for Obama since the Filipino took office on June 30, pledging his foreign policy wouldn’t be constricted by reliance on the U.S. Washington has tried largely to look the other way as Duterte has pursued closer relations with China, a marked shift for the Philippines considering recent tensions over Beijing’s aspirations in the South China Sea.

A public break from the Philippines would put Obama in a tough position, given the Southeast Asian nation’s status as a longtime U.S. ally. The Obama administration has sought to compartmentalize by arguing that military and other cooperation won’t be jeopardized even if it detests the current Philippine leader’s tone.

Last month, Duterte said he didn’t mind Secretary of State John Kerry but “had a feud with his gay ambassador — son of a bitch, I’m annoyed with that guy.” He applied the same moniker to an Australian missionary who was gang-raped and killed, and even to Pope Francis, even though the Philippines is a heavily Catholic nation. He later apologized.

With a reputation as a tough-on-crime former mayor, Duterte has alarmed human rights groups with his deadly campaign against drugs, which Duterte has described as a harsh war. He has said the battle doesn’t amount to genocide but has vowed to go to jail if needed to defend police and military members carrying out his orders.

Story: Josh Lederman and Kathleen Hennessey

Duterte Warns ‘Son of a Bitch’ Obama Not to Question Killings in Philippines

By

Associated Press

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5 September 2016, 23:24

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte talks to the media after welcoming Overseas Filipino Workers who were repatriated back to the country on Wednesday at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Photo: Bullit Marquez / Associated Press

MANILA — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte warned President Barack Obama on Monday not to question him about extrajudicial killings, or “son of a bitch I will swear at you” when they meet in Laos during a regional summit.

Duterte said before flying to Laos that he is a leader of a sovereign country and is answerable only to the Filipino people. He was answering a reporter’s question about how he intends to explain the extrajudicial killings to Obama. More than 2,000 suspected drug pushers and users have been killed since Duterte launched a war on drugs after taking office on June 30.

In his typical foul-mouthed style, Duterte responded: “I am a president of a sovereign state and we have long ceased to be a colony. I do not have any master except the Filipino people, nobody but nobody. You must be respectful. Do not just throw questions. Putang ina I will swear at you in that forum,” he said, using the Tagalog phrase for son of a bitch.

Duterte has earlier cursed the pope and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

It isn’t clear whether Obama planned to raise the issue of extrajudicial killings with Duterte during a scheduled meeting on the sidelines of the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Asked at a news conference in Hangzhou, China, whether he still intends to meet with Duterte and raise the issue of extrajudicial killings, Obama said he had instructed his aides to assess whether it is still possible for the two leaders to have a constructive meeting in Laos.

“I always want to make sure that if I’m having a meeting that it’s actually productive, and that we’re getting something done,” Obama said.

“We recognize the significant burden that the drug trade plays not just in the Philippines but around the world, and fighting narco-trafficking is tough. But we will always assert the need to have due process and to engage in that fight against drugs in a way that’s consistent with basic international norms. And so, undoubtedly, if and when we have a meeting this is something that is going to be brought up,” said Obama, who has been attending a meeting of the Group of 20 nations.

“Who is he to confront me?” Duterte said in his remarks, adding that the Philippines had not received an apology from the United States for misdeeds committed during its colonization of the Philippines.

He pointed to the killing of Muslim Moros more than a century ago during a U.S. pacification campaign in the southern Philippines, blaming the wounds of the past as “the reason why (the south) continues to boil” with separatist insurgencies.

Last week, Duterte said he was ready to defend his bloody crackdown on illegal drugs, which has sparked concern from the U.S. and other countries.

Duterte said he would demand that Obama allow him to first explain the context of his crackdown before engaging the U.S. president in a discussion of the deaths.

Story: Teresa Cerojano

In Blunt Terms, Govt Reminds Public Weed Still Not Legal

By

Sasiwan Mokkhasen, Staff Reporter

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5 September 2016, 21:27

Ahead of their time? Singer Baramee Chamnankit, aka Earth AF9, was arrested Aug. 27 along with three friends for growing marijuana inside his condominium.

BANGKOK — The military government is urging the public to think again before buying full-spectrum grow lights and reflective mylar to wallpaper their homes with.

While recent news reports might create the impression Thailand was already going up in a purple haze of permissive drug legalization, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam soberly reminded the public Monday that no action has been taken yet.

Read: Regime Moves to Ease Drug Laws Starting With Meth, Marijuana

The response came after media reports came out Friday that the government had already acted to take marijuana off the list of Category 5 narcotics months ago in April at the request of the Food and Drug Administration.

Wissanu said the interim cabinet has yet to issue any resolution on the proposal to remove marijuana from the list of banned substances, and the idea is still being studied.

Adding further buzzkill to the 420-minded, he said there’s no time frame for implementation, despite Justice Minister Gen. Paiboon Khumchaya’s assertion the changes would likely roll out by year’s end.

But it’s not just a pipe dream. The plan promoted by Paiboon would declassify marijuana as a Category 5 narcotic, which would loosen restrictions on licensed cultivation and use for medical purposes and research.

How far the authorities are willing to go in regulating approved uses remains to be seen.

Somyot Kittimankhong, a government physician and author of “Marijuana is a Medicine that Cures Cancer,” said weed poses a Catch-22 for the authorities.

“They want to show research to support amending the law, but then no one can conduct research here because it’s illegal,” said Somyot, a longtime advocate for marijuana decriminalization. “I think we have to amend the law first because its medical benefits are already assured by a lot of research overseas.”

While curing cancer is probably a stretch, organizations such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, National Cancer Institute and American Cancer Society have found marijuana is helpful in treating symptoms associated with cancer. Varying degrees of legalization – from medical to recreational – have come to a growing number of U.S. states.

Somyot wants to see Thailand go even further to normalize medical marijuana.

“We should cut it from the drug list and create the new category for medical herbs,” he said.

South China Sea: ASEAN Summit Taboo

By

Associated Press

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5 September 2016, 17:03

A Chinese H-6K bomber patrols the islands and reefs in the South China Sea. China is pitted against smaller neighbors in multiple disputes over islands, coral reefs and lagoons in waters crucial for global commerce. Photo: Liu Rui / Xinhua via the Associated Press

VIENTIANE — Southeast Asian leaders are likely to avoid any official mention at a summit this week of an arbitration ruling that shot down China’s expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea, according to a draft of their final declaration, in a victory for Beijing’s diplomatic clout.

But the draft also expresses strongly stated concern about Beijing’s construction of man-made islands in the South China Sea, which Southeast Asian countries fear could destabilize the region.

The draft, obtained Monday by The Associated Press, is being fine-tuned by officials for the leaders to approve ahead of the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that begins Tuesday in the Laotian capital. The final version is to be released Thursday, but most major points including those concerning the South China Sea are expected to remain largely unchanged.

Officials say Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte also plans to ask China’s premier at a meeting between ASEAN and other regional leaders whether China is trying to develop another disputed reef, Scarborough Shoal, off his country’s northwestern coast.

Duterte said last week that the Philippine coast guard has sighted Chinese barges at Scarborough, which he said could presage the transformation of the Chinese-held reef into another man-made island. One of the Chinese vessels had what appeared to be a crane, according to a Philippine official who did not want to be identified because he was not authorized to discuss classified intelligence.

The Philippine government asked China’s ambassador in Manila about the sighting of the Chinese barges, but the envoy denied any island building was under way, the official said.

China sparked widespread alarm when it converted seven reefs in the Spratly Islands into islands that the United States says could be transformed into military bases to reinforce Beijing’s territorial claims and intimidate rival claimant countries.

“We remain seriously concerned over recent and ongoing developments and took note of the concerns expressed by some leaders on the land reclamations and escalation of activities in the area,” the draft of the ASEAN leaders’ statement says. The reclamation and other acts “have eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions and may undermine peace, security and stability in the region.”

Duterte has taken a more conciliatory stance than his predecessor toward China. But a confirmation of Chinese reclamation activities at Scarborough Shoal, a rich fishing ground where Filipino fishermen have been forced away by Beijing’s coast guard, could impede relations.

U.S. officials have also expressed deep concern over the possibility of China developing Scarborough into an island or starting to erect concrete structures there, which could reinforce Beijing’s control over a swathe of the South China Sea.

Aside from China and the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia have been contesting all or parts of the strategic waterway, an important route for commerce and oil that fuel Asia’s economies.

After China seized Scarborough following a tense 2012 maritime standoff, the Philippines took its territorial dispute with China to international arbitration, a move that was condemned by Beijing, which prefers one-on-one negotiations to prevent the United States and its allies from meddling.

In a landmark ruling in July, the arbitration tribunal invalidated China’s expansive claims, including in areas where Beijing built its islands, and admonished China for blocking Filipino fishermen at Scarborough, where it said both Chinese and Filipinos could fish.

China condemned the ruling as a sham and moved to prevent it from being recognized in ASEAN communiques, something that its close ally, Cambodia, has backed in meetings of the 10-nation bloc, which operates by consensus.

Story: Jim Gomez

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