Former Anti-Govt Protester Arrested for Destroying Police HQ Sign

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19 May 2015, 12:07

The restored sign in front of the Thai Police HQ in Bangkok, 5 March 2014 [photo provided by the Royal Thai Police]

BANGKOK — Police say they have arrested a man who vandalized a granite entrance sign in front of the Royal Thai Police headquarters during anti-government protests in Bangkok sixteen months ago.

Weerachart Premkamol has been charged with illegal assembly, inciting unrest, and damaging public property for allegedly dismantling and spray painting the sign along with other protesters on 22 January 2014.

The anti-government demonstrators were protesting the Thai police's perceived support of then-Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

Anti-government protesters vandalize the police HQ sign in Bangkok, 22 Jan 2014.

The court issued an arrest warrant on Weerachart in March 2014, but he was not arrested until yesterday afternoon while he was at the Revenue Department office in Bangkok. He was then brought to the Division of Special Investigation and later granted bail after posting a bond of 50,000 baht.

Speaking to reporters upon his release, Weerachart said he joined protests organized by the Student and People Network for Thailand Reform (STR) in front of the police headquarters on 22 January 2014, but did not participate in the vandalism of the sign.

"I also didn’t know the court issued an arrest warrant on me until this afternoon," Weerachart said. "If I had known there was an arrest warrant on me, I would have surrendered myself to the police on my own."

Police said repairing the sign cost 300,000 baht.

Weerachart has been instructed to report to the police on 26 May, 2 June, and 9 June, sad his lawyer, Puangthip Boonsanong. She also said she has requested the names of ten other protesters charged with vandalizing the sign, and will inform them to report to police.

The protest in January 2014 was a part of the campaign by STR and other ultra-conservative groups to topple Yingluck and replace her with a royally-appointed PM.

The campaign came to an end when the military intervened and staged a coup d'etat on 22 May 2014.

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Yingluck Appears in Court on First Day of Criminal Trial

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19 May 2015, 12:04

Former Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra (C) leaves after contesting her retroactive impeachment before the National Legislative Assembly, in Bangkok, 09 January 2015. A fortnight after she was removed from office by a court ruling in May 2014, a military junta took power. EPA/NARONG SANGNAK

BANGKOK (DPA) — Former Thai premier Yingluck Shinawatra appeared in court on Tuesday on the first day of her corruption trial, almost a year after her party was ousted in a military coup.

Yingluck, flanked by supporters and party members, arrived at the Supreme Court to face charges of corruption over a rice subsidy plan.

Speaking to reporters on the courthouse steps, the former premier maintained her innocence and called for a fair trial.

Her statements were accompanied by chants from her supporters who loudly proclaimed "keep fighting Yingluck."

In court, the judges explained the charges of negligence and corruption.

Yingluck denied all the charges against her.

The Supreme Court also banned her from travelling overseas and demanded that she show up to all future hearings.

Yingluck's brother Thaksin Shinawatra was found guilty of corruption and fled abroad to avoid serving a two-year jail term.

The first woman prime minister of Thailand has already been impeached over the charges and was banned from politics for five years.

The impeachment removed her from office and the subsequent caretaker government was overthrown in a military coup one year ago this week.

If found guilty, Yingluck could face up to 10 years in prison.

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British Tourist Drowns in Koh Chang Hotel Pool

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18 May 2015, 19:56

File photo of Koh Chang, an island in Trat province.

TRAT — Police say a British tourist was found dead in the pool of a hotel on Koh Chang island yesterday morning.

The deceased was identified as a 43-year-old female tourist from the United Kingdom.

An initial autopsy revealed she died of drowning, said Pol.Lt. Eue-angkoon Kaewmueangklang, an officer at Koh Chang Police Station.

"We found no wound on her body," he told reporters.

Police were alerted of her death by hotel staff, who said she and her British husband checked in on 16 May. The pair was seen arguing with each other loudly later in the day, the staff told police.

Pol.Col. Arwat Pibulsawasdi, commander of Koh Chang Police Station, said police have ruled out murder. He said the deceased's husband told police she was drinking heavily on the night of 16 May. At around 3 am on 17 May, the woman left the room she was staying with her husband, and hotel staff later found her body in the pool at 6 am, Pol.Col. Arwat said.

"However, police will send the body for a detailed autopsy at the central forensic institute for another clear examination," he said.

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Thai Monk Arrested, Defrocked for Getting Drunk in Police Car

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18 May 2015, 19:04

Phra Kamsaen Teeradhammo in a cell at Mueang Bueng Kan Police Station, 17 May 2015

BUENG KAN — A monk in northeastern Thailand has been arrested and defrocked for drinking alcohol in a police vehicle in Bueng Kan province yesterday, police say.

Pol.Lt. Pibul Soongklang, an officer at Mueang Bueng Kan Police Station, said he was driving to work on 17 May when he saw a monk on the side of the road, and offered to give him a ride in his pick-up truck. The 48-year-old monk, Phra Kamsaen Teeradhammo, reportedly told the officer he was on his way to a funeral.

Pol.Lt. Pibul said he later looked through his rear window and noticed that Phra Kamsaen had started drinking alcohol, a violation of Buddhist doctrine.

"So I brought him to the police station for interrogation and defrocking," Pol.Lt. Pibul told reporters today.

However, Phra Kamsaen was visibly intoxicated by the time he arrived at the station and reportedly tried to attack police officers. The monk was then detained in a cell for one night, and sent to a temple for formal defrocking this morning.

Phra Kru Uthaiworakhun, the senior monk who oversaw the defrocking ceremony, told Phra Kamsaen he could not return to the monkhood until he gave up his drinking habit. Police say they have not charged the ex-monk with any crime.

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Suspected Kingpin of Thai Trafficking Ring Arrested

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18 May 2015, 17:24

The alleged kingpin of human trafficking operations in southern Thailand, Patchuban Angchotipan (sitting in white), at a police press conference in Bangkok on 18 May 2015.<br /> — The alleged kingpin of human trafficking operations in southern Thailand, Patchuban Angchotipan (sitting in white), at a police press conference in Bangkok on 18 May 2015.

BANGKOK — The alleged ringleader of a human trafficking operation in southern Thailand surrendered to police in Bangkok today after a week on the run.

Police say Patchuban Angchotipan, aka Ko Tong, is the kingpin of a crime syndicate that ran jungle camps near the Thai-Malaysian border where traffickers held and abused migrants until their relatives paid hefty ransom fees.

Patchabun, who is a former local administrative official and owns resorts in Satun province, was charged with human trafficking and illegal detention on 11 May.

He surrendered to police in Bangkok today, dispelling rumors that he had fled to Malaysia. He reportedly denied all charges and said he would only testify in court.

Since the beginning of the month, Thai police have issued 65 arrest warrants in connection with human trafficking operations in the south. Thirty people, including Patchuban, have been arrested so far.

The police crackdown was launched after security officers discovered an abandoned detention camp on a mountain in Songkhla province on 1 May. Four other similar camps were uncovered in the following days.

Police have also encountered 313 migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh who were abandoned by their smugglers in the jungle after the crackdown began.

According to the Pol.Maj.Gen. Phuttichart Ekachan, deputy commander of Ninth Region Police, 64 migrants have been determined to be victims of human trafficking, while the rest allegedly paid smugglers to help enter Thailand and are being prosecuted for illegal immigration.

"They are currently being prosecuted for illegal entry to the Kingdom," Pol.Maj.Gen. Phuttichart said. "Of these number, 48 have already been sentenced by the court, and they will be transferred to the Immigration Department for deportation to their country."

He estimated that the deportation process will take "3-4 months," adding that he believes security forces will not find any more migrants because officers are tightening border areas.

The crackdown in Thailand has disrupted traditional smuggling routes in the region and unintentionally contributed to a humanitarian crisis at sea, where thousands of migrants are now stranded. Over the past week, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia have towed overcrowded boats of migrants back and forth across their waters in an effort to avoid taking responsibility for the asylum-seekers from Myanmar and economic migrants from Bangladesh.

Human rights groups have condemned the "push-backs" and called for an immediate search-and-rescue operation.

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Locals Speak Out Over Rohingya Influx, Amid International Criticism

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18 May 2015, 17:03

Migrants bath in the sea in Kuala Langsa, Aceh, Indonesia, 17 May 2015. As thousands of Rohingya continue to board unsafe boats for Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, residents in those countries have their own perspectives on the crisis. EPA/HOTLI SIMANJUNTAK<br /> — Migrants bath in the sea in Kuala Langsa, Aceh, Indonesia, 17 May 2015. As thousands of Rohingya continue to board unsafe boats for Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, residents in those countries have their own perspectives on the crisis. EPA/HOTLI SIMANJUNTAK

BANGKOK (DPA) — Malaysia, and Indonesia have been widely criticized for not doing more to help the thousands of migrants drifting off their shores, and for sparking a humanitarian crisis.

The international response does not always take into account local sentiment, which is often reflected in the government response.

A Police officer stands guard in front of migrants at a temporary shelter in Kuala Langsa, Aceh, Indonesia, 17 May 2015. EPA/HOTLI SIMANJUNTAK

In Thailand, the line from Bangkok that there must be a regional solution to the problem has been readily accepted by the public.

While media narratives have focused on the humanitarian toll of the crisis, Thais are more worried about foreigners' perceptions of their own country.

"The Rohingya problem must be met with a regional solution," wrote Suriyasai Katasila, a prominent political activist and secretary of the defunct New Politics Party, on his public Facebook page.

"If we can set up temporary camps to help these people, then we can surely be upgraded from a Tier 3 country," referring to the US ranking of Thailand as a human trafficking county.

Attempts made by US Secretary of State John Kerry to persuade the Thai government to do more to help the migrants have sparked a pushback on Thai social media.

On Twitter, the hash tag #USAMustHelpRohingya has gone viral, drawing tens of thousands of mostly negative comments on US meddling.

"Just let them stay in ur country, always nosey with other countries," one post read.

Others were less confrontational and appealed to reason. "Religion or nationality is not the important point. The main point is we do not have [enough resources]."

In Muslim-majority Malaysia, one of the migrants' destinations of choice, reactions have been more mixed to the arrival of the Rohingya, an ethnic minority from Myanmar.

"Rohingyas are fellow Muslims so we should not run away form our responsibility in helping our brothers and sisters," said Ustadz Husam Amin, 60, an Islamic teacher and scholar in Kuala Lumpur.

Yet even Amin agrees that "we cannot accommodate them all in Malaysia."

His views are echoed by the people on Langkawi Island where the migrants have been landing.

"[We] cannot take a heavy influx of thousands of migrants," said D Akerusamy, a lawyer from Langkawi. "We cannot be sure if these migrants can blend well with the local people."

Indonesia, the largest majority-Muslim country in the world and another destination for the Rohingya, has also had to balance pragmatism with the call of Islamic solidarity.

"We have to help them in every way we can," Muslim activist Tengku Muslem said in Aceh. "Not only because they are our fellow Muslims, but also as they are victims of persecution," he said.

The suggestion to return the Rohingyas to Myanmar "would amount to killing them," he said.

Public pleas from people like Tengku Muslem have prompted many locals to offer their assistance where possible.

Aceh fishermen have rescued hundreds of migrants and have housed them in temporary shelters.

"They are our Muslim brothers," Aceh's deputy governor Muzakir Manaf said. "Their suffering is ours too."

But while the local population are sympathetic to Rohingyas that get through, the government has adopted a more pragmatic approach out at sea.

Armed forces chief General Moeldoko, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, said on Metro TV on Saturday that the military would try to bloc migrant boats.

"We will try prevent them from entering our territory, because once they do, social problems will emerge," he said.

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Thai Junta Leader Asks Media to Let Navy Handle Migrant Crisis

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18 May 2015, 16:33

Thai junta chairman Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha speaking to reporters in Bangkok, 17 May 2015.<br /> — Thai junta chairman Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha speaking to reporters in Bangkok, 17 May 2015.

BANGKOK — Thailand’s military leader has asked journalists to let the Thai navy document any encounters with the boat people from Myanmar and Bangladesh who are languishing off shore as no country in the region races to rescue them.

"Naval officers will inspect the boats. Reporters don't have to board the boats," Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha said today. "Navy officers will ask where they want to go. We will document all kinds of evidence: photos, videos."

A boat of abandoned refugees from Myanmar found by reporters and naval officers off the coast of Satun province on 14 May 2015. [Photo: Royal Thai Navy]

Over the past week, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia have towed overcrowded boats of migrants back and forth across their waters, unwilling to shoulder the responsibility of dealing with the thousands of asylum-seekers from Myanmar and economic migrants from Bangladesh.

Gen. Prayuth’s comment came several days after a New York Times reporter helped the Thai navy locate a boat of approximately 350 Rohingya migrants near a Thai island in the Andaman Sea. After the navy then barred reporters from accompanying their mission to provide food and water to the ship, journalists from the New York Times and BBC rented their own speedboat to make contact with the passengers.

The Rohingya refugees, which included women and children, told reporters they had been abandoned by the boat’s crew without enough food or water, and that at least ten people had died onboard.

The Thai Navy then provided provisions and repaired the boat’s engine before towing it back out to sea.

According to the Thai government, the migrants requested the push-back because they said they were headed for Malaysia, but a Channel 3 journalist who spoke to the boat’s passengers said that not all of them wished to be sent back.

Thai authorities say their policy is to provide humanitarian assistance to boats off shore, and inform migrants that they can either continue to another destination, or disembark in Thailand and face prosecution for illegal entry.

"We have our laws. Once they enter the country illegally, they will be prosecuted," Gen. Prayuth said today. "If they are in the water, we will take care of them under humanitarian principles, but it will be up to them to decide where they want to go. If they are outside our waters, we cannot do anything to them. But once they enter Thailand, it is considered illegal. Illegal entry to the Kingdom. Every country has to respect that. Every country has its own laws."

The general also repeated that Thailand will not build permanent refugee camps for the Rohingya, a stateless Muslim minority that has faced violent persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar.

"We don't have enough space," he said. "If they keep coming, what can we do? I have instructed officials to look for space to control these people. But I insist that it's [temporary] detention center, not a shelter center or a refugee center."

Thailand is scheduled to host an international summit to discuss the migrant crisis on 29 May, but the United Nations and other human rights agencies say twelve days is too long to wait, as an estimated 8,000 migrants risk starvation and other dangers off shore.

In a statement released today, Amnesty International called upon governments in the region to "immediately step up and co-ordinate efforts for search and rescue in the region and to protect the rights of people stranded at sea."

When a reporter asked Gen. Prayuth whether Myanmar will send representatives to the summit, Gen. Prayuth replied, "As far as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told me, all countries say they will attend. But if the news is too loud, there will be limitations. Because many countries have their own internal problems. If we pressure them too much, or if we put blame on them, they won't want to attend the meeting because they feel they are being targeted."

Myanmar, whose state-sanctioned discrimination against the Rohingya is considered a root cause of the exodus, has expressed ambivalence over attending the regional summit.

"We do not accept it if they (Thailand) are inviting us just to ease the pressure they are facing," a Burmese official told AFP on Friday.

Gen. Prayuth sought to dispel this notion today, promising that ASEAN countries would not "pick a fight with eachother" over the issue.

"I and leaders of other countries have understanding about everything," he said. "I am well aware that each country has its own limitations and restrictions. We always give moral support to each other."

Thailand assures UN of its 'humanitarian practice'

Yesterday, Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki Moon spoke on the phone to Gen. Prayuth and other leaders in the region about the mounting humanitarian crisis.

Ban expressed concern over the plight of the refugees and stressed the need to "protect lives" and go forward with a "timely disembarkation," according to a UN statement.

Gen. Prayuth assured Ban that Thai authorities have been strictly adhering to "humanitarian principles," said Thai government spokesperson Maj.Gen. Weerachon Sukhonthapatipak.

"The practices of Thailand do not only rest on the humanitarian principles, but also on the principles of international laws, maritime laws, and other related laws," Maj.Gen. Weerachon told reporters yesterday. "The Prime Minister has stressed [to Mr. Ban] that every country has its own laws concerning practices toward the ongoing situation. Therefore, any procedures must consider that fact."

He continued, "In the latest case Thai officials were asked to repair the [refugees'] boats, and to give assistance in terms of food, water, medicine, and fuel for their journey toward the third country that they voluntarily requested."

The Prime Minister also told the UN Secretary-General that the upcoming summit on 29 May will "show the solidarity of ASEAN in its mission to take responsibility for humankind," Maj.Gen. Weerachon said.

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Thai Junta Leader Asks Media to Let Navy Handle Migrant Crisis

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18 May 2015, 16:04

A boat of abandoned refugees from Myanmar found by reporters and naval officers off the coast of Satun province on 14 May 2015. [Photo: Royal Thai Navy]<br /> — A boat of abandoned refugees from Myanmar found by reporters and naval officers off the coast of Satun province on 14 May 2015. [Photo: Royal Thai Navy]

BANGKOK — Thailand’s military leader has asked journalists to let the Thai navy document any encounters with the boat people from Myanmar and Bangladesh who are languishing off shore as no country in the region races to rescue them.

"Naval officers will inspect the boats. Reporters don't have to board the boats," Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha said today. "Navy officers will ask where they want to go. We will document all kinds of evidence: photos, videos."

Thai junta chairman Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha speaking to reporters in Bangkok, 17 May 2015.