BANGKOK — The Governor of Bangkok has filed a libel charge over a satirical newspaper article that lampooned his perceived failure to stop floods in the capital city.

Sukhumbhand Paribatra assigned two assistants to file the charge against the paper, ASTV Manager, on his behalf at Chanasongkram Police Station today.

An assistant of Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra filed a libel charge on the governor's behalf over a satirical article in ASTV Manager, 7 May 2015.

The piece was published on 6 May in ASTV Manager’s “Pujadkuan” section, which leads with a disclaimer explaining that all articles published in the section are fictional.

The article joked that Sukhumbhand had mobilized all virgin women in Bangkok plant lemongrass – a Thai superstition said to ward off rain storms.

"Anything that will make the public feel relieved, the Governor is willing to do," the article quoted a fictitious "source" as saying. 

Sukhumbhand has been criticized for failing to adequately prepare for regular floods in Bangkok, despite promises during his re-election campaign in 2013. After a particularly severe flood on 26 March, Sukhumbhand suggested that people who want Bangkok to be free of floods should simply "go live on a mountaintop," setting off a deluge of criticism on social media and in the press.

The public outcry prompted junta chairman Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha to call on Sukhumbhand to apologize to the people. The governor eventually explained in another press conference that he was only "joking." In reference to the controversy, the ASTV Manager article on 6 May concluded by stating that Sukhumbhand urged Bangkokians to prepare to live on the mountain in the event that the lemongrass ceremony failed. 

Wasan Meewong, one of Sukhumbhand's assistants, told reporters today that the article violated Thailand's libel laws because it presented false information that could "damage" the Governor’s reputation.

"This charge filing is the first time in six years that the Bangkok Governor has taken legal action against media agencies that try to present false news and cause hatred toward the Governor," Wasan said. "In order to protect Sukhumbhand’s reputation, and prevent any presentation of news like this in the future, I would like to ask all media to work ethically, and only report news based on facts."

Police said they will investigate the matter. 

Known for its royalist and conservative editorials, ASTV Manager frequently mocks Redshirt activists and Pheu Thai politicians in its satire section, often with crude language. 

On 1 July 2014, the newspaper published a "parody" piece describing in graphic detail about how a transgender anti-monarchy activist would be gang raped by male prisoners after the junta finally tracked her down. The online version of the article was later pulled. 

Last March, the section "quoted" a progressive actress, Intira Charoenpura, as urging Redshirts to start a separatist campaign in northern Thailand. The piece became popular among pro-monarchy Thais, many of whom failed to realize that it was satire. 

BANGKOK — Thailand's National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has urged the ruling military junta to invoke its sweeping emergency power to eradicate human trafficking networks.

Niran Pitakwatchara, chairman of the NHRC, said he has been closely following the plight of Rohingya refugees who flee ethnic persecution in Myanmar only to be intercepted by traffickers in Thailand, where they may be held for ransom or sold as slave labor. 

 Security officers carrying the remains of one of six bodies found in Songkhla province on 6 May 2015.

In the past week, police have discovered several abandoned camps near the Thai – Malaysian border that they believe were used by traffickers to detain Rohingya refugees for ransom. Mass graves and at least 30 corpses have been found near the camp sites, which are located deep in the jungle.

"Because of these [discoveries], no agency will dare deny the existence of a trafficking operation in Thailand," Niran said. "I am also glad that Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, the Prime Minister, has announced that combating human trafficking is a top priority."

Gen. Prayuth, who is also chairman of the military junta, has pledged to crackdown on trafficking networks, which he has said may require the use of Article 44, a clause in the interim constitution that grants him power to unilaterally issue orders and enact laws.

Niran said yesterday that he welcomes the idea. 

"If the government exercises its power under Article 44 to solve this problem, especially by using the administrative power to deal with bureaucrats or local politicians who are involved, and to root out the causes of the problem, then it may be a good solution."

International human rights groups have largely condemned Article 44, which has been described as a "dictatorial" power because of its sweeping scope.  According to Brad Adams, Asia director of the New York-based Human Rights Watch, the use of Article 44 has deepened Thailand's "descent into dictatorship." 

The NHRC has come under steady criticism from pro-democracy activists in Thailand for its perceived failure to challenge the junta's suppression of civil rights since the 22 May 2014 coup. Critics also accuse the agency of harboring a bias against the Redshirt movement, which supported the former government toppled in the takeover.

In late December 2014, an UN agency warned that it may downgrade the NHRC for failing to act as an impartial watchdog. 

Security officers search the coast of Phang Nga province to look for suspected Rohingya detention camps, 6 May 2015.

10-day deadline to clear out camps

Gen. Prayuth has given local authorities 10 days to find and dismantle any other trafficking camps in their jurisdictions, said junta spokesperson Maj.Gen. Sansern Kaewkamnerd.

The junta chairman also said he would activate Article 44 to deal with complicit officials, Sansern said.

"If they discover information that state officials are involved, and make it unable for local authorities to handle the cases in their areas, they can report about it to the Department of Provincial Administration," Maj.Gen. Sansern explained. "The Prime Minister will use his power under Article 44 to solve problems for them." 

For years, successive Thai governments have failed to effectively dismantle trafficking networks in the country, in part because of the protection offered by some Thai officials involved in the lucrative trade.

Last year, the United States government cited the complicity of Thai officials as one the reasons for downgrading Thailand to the lowest rank in its annual assessment of how foreign governments combat human trafficking.  

Since the downgrade, the Thai military government has pledged to turn the country’s reputation around, enacting new legislation and toughening the legal penalties for convicted traffickers. This week, at least 50 police officers in southern Thailand, including high-ranking commanders, were transferred following the discovery of the suspected trafficking camps. 

At least four people, including three local Thai officials in Songkhla province and one Burmese national, have been charged with human trafficking, illegal detention, and abduction for ransom for their alleged connection to the camps. 

Meanwhile, the search for more detention camps and suspects related to the operation continues. Yesterday, the remains of four men and two women were found in Songkhla province near the mass grave discovered over the weekend.   

YALA — Suspected separatists shot two motorists dead and burned their bodies in the southern border province of Yala this evening.

Police say the assailants shot a man and woman inside a pick-up truck near Tan Yong village in Bannang Sata district, poured gasoline on the car, and set the vehicle on fire before fleeing the scene. The identity of the victims has not been released. 

Police believe the attack was committed by local militants as a part of their bloody separatist campaign against security forces and civilians in the region. Shadowy Islamic insurgent groups have launched regular attacks since 2004 in an effort to secede Yala and its two neighboring provinces, Narathiwat and Pattani. At least 6,200 people have died in the violence, according to data compiled by human rights groups.  

In a similar incident last year, a teacher riding a motorcycle was shot dead and burned in Pattani province. A pamphlet denouncing Thai authorities was found close to her body, leading police to believe insurgents were behind the attack.

Experts say the protracted conflict is mostly fueled by ethnic and religious differences. While the vast majority of Thailand is Buddhist, the three southern border provinces are dominated by Malay Muslims who speak a distinct dialect and trace their ancestry back to the sultanate of Patani, which was annexed by Thailand in early 20th century.  

Meanwhile, officers at Kalyaniwatthana military base in Narathiwat province organized a religious ceremony today to mark the second anniversary of the base’s founding.

The ceremony, conducted in both Buddhist and Muslim traditions, was dedicated to security officers who have died in the effort to quell the southern rebellion. The latest military fatality was an army ranger who was killed by a roadside bomb attack on 4 May. 

Security officers also staged a demonstration of counter-terrorism operations at the camp for members of the public to see. 

SURAT THANI — The leader of the street protests that paved the way for the May 2014 coup has praised Thailand’s military leader and welcomed him to stay in power for up to five more years.

Speaking to reporters today, Suthep Thaugsuban described junta chairman Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha as an ideal Prime Minister because he solves problems "without seeking personal gain."

"If Gen. Prayuth can stay and keep solving problems and making this country and the livelihood of the people better, he can stay for three years or five years," Suthep said. "We should not only try to have what looks cool."

Gen. Prayuth stepped in and seized power from an elected government on 22 May 2014 after mass anti-government protests led by Suthep had paralyzed parts of Bangkok for six months.

Suthep, a veteran Democrat Party politician and former deputy Prime Minister, maintained a high profile as the leader of the movement, which aimed to oust then-Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and suspend democracy in Thailand to undergo a national reform effort. The junta has largely adopted the protesters' platform by postponing national elections and appointing various committees to pen a new constitution and enact a wide range of reforms.

After the coup, Suthep joined the monkhood and has largely stayed out of the spotlight. Speaking to reporters today, he said he had no plans to return to politics.

"Today, I am not a politician anymore," said Suthep, whose monk name is Phra Suthep Paphakaro. "I resigned from the Democrat Party, and I will not run in any election again." 

He also dismissed calls from politicians and pro-democracy activists to organize a referendum for the junta’s new charter.

"If the constitution is good and appropriate for Thailand, if it's designed to fit the body like a shirt that fits Thai people and makes them handsome, then there is no need for a referendum," Suthep told reporters at his monastery today.

Critics have slammed the charter’s anti-democratic features, such as a clause that allows MPs to appoint an unelected Prime Minister, the establishment of an unelected Senate, and the creation of various unelected "independent" watchdog agencies and reform councils.

The junta has not yet said whether a referendum will be held for the new charter, which is expected to be formally promulgated by September this year and followed by national elections in February 2016 at the earliest.