Debate Over Women's Empowerment Behind Charter Drafter's Resignation

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3 March 2015, 14:12

Thicha na Nakhon, ex-CDC member, speaking to reporters, 3 March 2015.

BANGKOK – One of four women appointed to Thailand's Constitutional Drafting Committee (CDC) says she resigned this week because of the committee's lack of commitment to addressing gender imbalances in politics.

Thicha na Nakhon, who stepped down from the charter drafting body on 1 March, said at a press conference today that she "lost her faith" in the committee after her calls for establishing a quota of female representatives in national and local parliaments were repeatedly shot down by other charter drafters.

Thicha na Nakhon before holding a press conference on her resignation from the CDC, 3 March 2015.

The CDC was appointed by Thailand’s military junta to write a new constitution following the 22 May 2014 coup d'etat. Four of the committee's original 36 members, including Thicha, are women.

Thicha said she repeatedly advocated for including a provision in the new charter that would require one third of party-list MPs and local councilors be female.

"But many CDC members, who are men, opposed and disagreed with my reasoning," said Thicha, a well-known advocate for women’s rights and used to work in state shelters for women and youth. "I insisted to them that it's not about giving privilege to women's rights, and it's not about blocking or belittling men's rights, but it's about aiming to open up the field for women to join the effort to drive society forward to equality."

Even though slightly more than half of voters in Thailand are female, the country's top governmental bodies are consistently dominated by men. As a result, issues related to women’s rights are rarely discussed in national political bodies.

The current interim legislature, whose members were handpicked by the all-male junta, has one of those lowest percentages of female representation in recent years. Only 12 out of its nearly-200 members are women, amounting to six percent. The rest are male military officers, policemen, businessmen, and former politicians and bureaucrats.

The percentage of female MPs in the previous parliament, elected in 2011, also only amounted to 15.8 percent. The average global participation rate of women in national-level parliaments is 20 percent.

Speaking to reporters today, Thicha attributed the chronic gender imbalance in Thai politics to cultural forces, and argued that legal mechanisms like quotas are needed to overcome these obstacles.

"Women have been assigned their roles to stay at home for a long time. Therefore, the effort to push these women into public spaces for a balance in society is not something that will happen on its own by nature. There needs to be a change in society, culture, and politics that requires a temporary special measure," Thicha said.

When the majority of CDC members refused to accept her proposal, Thicha said she felt it was time to leave.

"I'm not fighting with anyone," Thicha insisted. "When I meet them, I wai them, greet them as normal."

She also confirmed that CDC chairman Bowornsak Uwanno was not the main factor behind her resignation, as a controversial Matichon news report had suggested.

"I am content with the CDC chairman's perspective, especially about the quota. He has his stance but he was willing to compromise. But a certain group of members won't accept it at all," Thicha said.

Yesterday, CDC chairman Bowornsak told reporters that the committee was still debating Thicha's proposal.

"The proposal about establishing a quota of women in political office is still pending in the CDC," Bowornsak said at a press conference. "Everything is still possible, but it has to depend on the majority of the voices in the CDC."

He also suggested that if the measure were implemented, Thailand would be more progressive than many democratic nations.

"It would be a progress that goes beyond the nations that teach us democracy," he said, noting that the US and Japanese constitutions do not include electoral quota systems. "If we implement it, it would be world-class progress. But it depends on the opinion of majority of the CDC. We have to stick to the majority."

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Singapore Keeps Top Spot as World's Most Expensive City

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3 March 2015, 11:28

Foreign tourists pose in front of the skyline in Singapore's financial district, 23 February 2015. Singapore has been named the world's most expensive city for the second year running, a survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) showed on Tuesday. EPA/WALLACE WOON<br /> — Foreign tourists pose in front of the skyline in Singapore's financial district, 23 February 2015. Singapore has been named the world's most expensive city for the second year running, a survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) showed on Tuesday. EPA/WALLACE WOON

SINGAPORE (DPA) – Singapore has been named the world's most expensive city for the second year running, a survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) showed on Tuesday.

Using the cost of living of New York as a base, the EIU's Worldwide Cost of Living survey found the South-East Asian city-state beating over 130 cities to the top spot.

For example, basic groceries in Singapore cost 11 per cent more than New York, and clothes cost 50 per cent more.

Due to Singapore's Certificate of Entitlement system for car ownership, transport costs are almost three times more in Singapore than in New York.

The top five cities – Singapore, Paris, Oslo, Zurich and Sydney – have remained unchanged from the previous year, a situation that the EIU recognised as "very rare".

However, the EIU acknowledged that if the survey took into consideration the recent jump in the value of the Swiss franc – due to Switzerland's unplugging its currency from the euro – Zurich and Geneva would emerge as the most expensive cities.

The Worldwide Cost of Living Survey is a bi-annual survey comparing prices of over 400 individual prices across 160 products and services in 140 cities in 93 countries. It is meant to provide an online tool for expatriates to calculate cost-of-living allowances and compensation packages.

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Body Found on New Zealand Glacier After More Than 40 Years

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3 March 2015, 03:46

An archive photo of Mount Cook National Park in New Zealand.

WELLINGTON (DPA) – Human remains found next to a New Zealand glacier were likely those of a teenager who went missing in the area 42 years ago, a news report said Monday.

The body found at the foot of the Tasman Glacier in the Mount Cook national park on the South Island was likely to be that of a 19-year-old man missing since an avalanche on September 16, 1973, NZ Newswire reported.

It was spotted by independent guide Gavin Lang and another climber, it said.

He first saw some "meshy material" attached to an old tent peg and a glove and socks. "There was the body with leathery skin, and some boots nearby but I didn't want to look inside them," he was quoted as saying.

Low snowfall and warmer temperatures this year could explain the discovery, a Stuff.co.uk report quoted Canterbury police rural area commander Inspector David Gaskin as saying.

The 19-year-old was climbing with another man aged 64 when the cornice they were walking on gave way beneath them, Shirley Slatter, a ranger with the Department of Conservation, said according to the report.

Rescuers found the body of the older man, and the bag of the missing teenager, during the initial search of the avalanche, which was more than 9 metres deep in places, she said.

The bodies of 62 climbers missing in the Mount Cook National Park since 1907 remain missing, most on the mountain itself, the report said.

As the glacier melts and shifts, remains left unlocated for decades surface occasionally.

Slatter told Stuff that the most recent find was in unusually good condition.

"To get whole remains to come out and that can be identified is really good – it's great for the family," she said.

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Bill Gates Tops Forbes' List of Billionaires

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3 March 2015, 03:18

NEW YORK (DPA) – Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates on Monday topped Forbes magazine's list of the richest people in the world.

Gates, who has been in the top position 16 of the past 21 years, has a fortune estimated at 79.2 billion dollars. That's 3.2 billion dollars more than last year, Forbes said.

His net worth grew despite a gift in November of 1.5 billion dollars of shares in Microsoft to his charity, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Telecommunications magnet Carlos Slim of Mexico is in the second spot again while star US investor Warren Buffett was third.

The magazine, which has compiled the list for 29 years, said it found a record 1,826 billionaires in the world last year. There were 290 newcomers, including 71 from China.

The average net worth of people on the list is 3.86 billion dollars, which the magazine said is down 60 million dollars from the 2014 average.

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Northern Japan Braces for Blizzard

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3 March 2015, 02:14

<br />
Japanese macaque monkeys in Yamanouchi, central Japan, 19 January 2014. A blizzard is expected to hit northern Japan later Monday, with dozens of train services already cancelled on the island of Hokkaido. EPA — Japanese macaque monkeys in Yamanouchi, central Japan, 19 January 2014. A blizzard is expected to hit northern Japan later Monday, with dozens of train services already cancelled on the island of Hokkaido. EPA

TOKYO (DPA) – A blizzard is expected to hit northern Japan later Monday, with dozens of train services already cancelled on the island of Hokkaido.

Weather authorities warned of strong winds, heavy snow and high waves in the region as the low-pressure system approached.

The Meteorological Agency said it expected snow accumulation to reach up to 80 centimetres in some parts of the island over a 24-hour period.

With heavy snow and strong winds already falling in some areas, train operator JR Hokkaido announced the cancellation of dozens of train services on the island, Hokkaido newspaper reported.

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Channel 3 Investigated for Misidentifying Crown Prince’s Ex-Wife

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2 March 2015, 21:05

Princess Soamsawali presides over the opening ceremony of an exhibition of history of French cuisine at Silpakorn University, 19 August 2012

BANGKOK – Thailand's top media regulatory board has launched an investigation into a state-owned TV station after one of its anchors misidentified a member of the Royal Thai Family in a news program.

Lt.Gen. Peerapong Manakit, a member of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission (NBTC), told Naew Na newspaper that the incident took place this morning when a Channel 3 anchorwoman "incorrectly stated the royal name and rank" of Princess Soamsawali, former wife of Thai Crown Prince, in a news report about Her Royal Highness' trip to a temple.

Princess Soamsawali was married to Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn in 1977. The couple divorced in 1991.

According to Lt.Gen. Peerapong, the mistake constitutes a violation of the 2008 Thai Public Broadcasting Service Act, which forbids airing content that could "lead to an overthrow of the regime of democracy with the King As Head of State or affects the national security, peace and order, and good morality of the people."

Representatives of Channel 3 have been summoned to give testimony to the NBTC "urgently," said Lt.Gen. Peerapong, adding that any punishment will be decided after the commission listens to Channel 3's side of the story.

"We want to be fair and give Channel 3 the opportunity to explain," Lt.Gen. Peerapong was quoted as saying by Naew Na. "Then we will use the testimony in our deliberation of punishment."

The general also asked media agencies not to publish details about Channel 3's alleged wrongdoing, or else they will be liable for prosecution as well.

Thailand has a number of laws that strictly prohibit criticism of the Royal Thai Family, including Section 112 of the Criminal Codes, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison for defaming the monarchy.

Due to these laws, Khaosod English is complying with Lt.Gen. Peerapong's request and withholding other information about Channel 3's news coverage.

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CDC Chairman Considers Suing Matichon Over 'Misleading' Reports

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2 March 2015, 20:11

BANGKOK – The chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) said he is considering filing a lawsuit against Matichon newspaper for two "misleading"news reports.

Bowornsak Uwanno told reporters in a press conference today that he was misquoted in a Matichon column and falsely described in a separate article as the reason behind a former CDC member’s recent resignation.

Asked whether he would take any legal action against Matichon, Bowornsak said that he is "considering" a libel lawsuit against the newspaper.

"I don't want to say anything about the lawsuit, because I may be accused of threatening the media, but I believe there should be some lesson in this matter," Bowornsak said. "Since you asked – since a reporter asked – please be a witness: I am not threatening to sue anyone. I am merely considering it."

On 1 March, an opinion piece in Matichon newspaper (right) written under the pseudonym “Gartong” wrote the following next to a photo of Bowornsak speaking at press conference:

"Ultimately the constitution that is being drafted will serve the idea that "people are not yet ready to have equal rights, because most people still lack knowledge, thoughts, and conscience of a true democracy. Therefore, the system cannot build quality politicians. It opens the way for a certain group of people to use elections to benefit their personal interests. We need to design a new political system to bar stupid and idiotic people. We should only allow them some level of rights.""

The quote was lifted from the column and widely shared on social media among Redshirts, many of whom are farmers in Thailand’s rural provinces and often cast by conservatives as “too uneducated” to be trusted with electing the country’s leaders.

Thakoon Boonparn, an executive of Matichon Group, which owns Matichon and Khaosod, later posted a statement on Facebook conceding that the use of quotation marks in the column was misleading. However, he wrote that those who read the article "carefully and with a neutral heart" would realize that the quoted section was intended as a paraphrase of Bowornsak’s ideas, not a direct quote.

He also wrote that Matichon's editorial board would publish a formal statement about the incident in the newspaper, and stressed that Matichon is willing to apologize for its mistakes.

"Matichon and other businesses in the Group are media agencies that are routinely scrutinized and criticized," Thakoon said in his Facebook post. "Sometimes we commit errors, like all humans do, but we are ready to apologize for these mistakes and fix them. They were not intended to defame anyone. And we are ready to listen to criticism and scrutiny from society that is reasoned, fact-based, and free of any prejudice."

Bowornsak Uwanno holding a copy of Matichon newspaper in a press conference on 2 March, 2015.

In a press conference today, CDC chairman Bowornsak held up Thakoon’s statement and said that it was too "half-hearted" and full of "personal bias."

"I'd to urge this newspaper to show its moral courage and responsibility, so that I may have fairness," Bowornsak said.

The CDC chairman also criticized Matichon over a separate article that suggested he was behind women's rights activist Thicha na Nahkon's recent resignation from the CDC and the National Reform Council (NRC).

The article, published on 1 March, quoted an unnamed source as saying that an argument broke out between Thicha and other CDC members, including Bowornsak, when she tried to propose that the new charter should require a quota of female representatives. The report was titled, "Angered at Bowornsak on Women Rights Issues, Thicha Tearfully Resigns from CDC – NRC."

Bowornsak called the article baseless and misleading.

"It makes people think that I was the reason that Ms. Thicha resigned, and that I am opposed to women rights, whereas in reality I have been supporting women rights since the beginning," he said.

Bowornsak, a conservative law scholar, was appointed chairman of the CDC and deputy chairman of the NRC by the military junta following the military coup on 22 May 2014.

The CDC is expected to complete its drafting of a new constitution – Thailand's 20th since democracy was established in 1932 – by September of this year.

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CDC Chairman Considers Suing Matichon Over 'Misleading' Reports

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2 March 2015, 20:11

Bowornsak Uwanno holding a copy of Matichon newspaper in a press conference on 2 March, 2015. <br /> — Bowornsak Uwanno holding a copy of Matichon newspaper in a press conference on 2 March, 2015.

BANGKOK – The chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) said he is considering filing a lawsuit against Matichon newspaper for two "misleading"news reports.

Bowornsak Uwanno told reporters in a press conference today that he was misquoted in a Matichon column and falsely described in a separate article as the reason behind a former CDC member’s recent resignation.

Asked whether he would take any legal action against Matichon, Bowornsak said that he is "considering" a libel lawsuit against the newspaper.

"I don't want to say anything about the lawsuit, because I may be accused of threatening the media, but I believe there should be some lesson in this matter," Bowornsak said. "Since you asked – since a reporter asked – please be a witness: I am not threatening to sue anyone. I am merely considering it."

On 1 March, a Matichon columnist, under the pseudonym “Gartong,” wrote the following next to a photo of Bowornsak speaking at press conference: