Court Jails Redshirt Leader For False Crackdown Accusation

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28 January 2015, 15:05

Jatuporn Prompan, a core leader of the United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), at the Criminal Court in Bangkok, 28 Jan 2015.<br /> — Jatuporn Prompan, a core leader of the United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), at the Criminal Court in Bangkok, 28 Jan 2015.

BANGKOK — The Criminal Court has sentenced a prominent Redshirt leader to two years in prison for falsely accusing former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of "murdering" protesters in 2009.

Jatuporn Prompan, a core leader of the United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), was found guilty today of the libel charge filed against him by Abhisit for a speech he made in October 2009.

According to the lawsuit, Jatuporn accused Abhisit of ordering the murder of civilians during a military crackdown on Redshirt protesters in Bangkok in April 2009. Official records did not indicate that any protesters were killed by security forces during the operation, though two people were killed during a clash between Redshirt protesters and residents in Nang Loeng district, and over 90 people were killed in a crackdown ordered by Abhisit the following year.

Jatuporn also accused Abhisit of attempting to block Redshirts' attempt to petition His Majesty the King to dissolve the corruption convictions of former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, the de facto of the Redshirt movement.

Today the Criminal Court ruled that both accusations were false, and that Jatuporn "caused damages" to Abhisit with those remarks. The court then handed down an unsuspended sentence of two years in prison to Jatuporn. The court also ordered him to print a summary of the court verdict on three newspapers for seven days, using his own funds.

Winyat Chartmontri, Jatuporn's lawyer, said he would appeal the verdict. He added that he has already posted a bail of 200,000 baht for Jatuporn's release.

Defamation is a criminal offense in Thailand, defined under Thai law as any statement made by one party that is likely to impair the reputation of another party or expose the latter to hatred. The offense is punishable by up to two years in prison and a fine of 200,000 baht.

The law has been frequently criticised by rights activists, who say it is abused by authorities and large corporations to silence critics and create a climate of fear.

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'What Would America Do?' Thai Junta Asks US Envoy

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28 January 2015, 13:39

Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha (L) speaking with Gen. Thanasak Patimaprakorn after the latter's meeting with US State Dept official Daniel Russel on 26 Jan 2015.

BANGKOK — Thailand's military junta has denounced a speech made by a senior United States official that criticized the ongoing suppression of human rights in Thailand.

In a talk given at Chulalongkorn University on 26 January, Daniel Russel, the US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, called upon the Thai military to repeal martial law and all restrictions on freedom of expression.

"We are concerned about the significant restraints on freedoms since the coup," Russel said, "Ending martial law throughout the country and removing restrictions of speech and assembly – these would be important steps as part of genuinely inclusive reform process that reflects the broad diversity of views within the country." (Read the full speech here).

According to a spokesperson of the Thai military government, Russel repeated his remarks in a meeting with Gen. Thanasak Patimaprakorn, a member of the Thai junta and the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

"As for the demand from the United States that Thailand lift martial law, Gen. Thanasak asked Mr. Daniel, if your country is like ours, with all the factors and restrictions, what would you do without martial law?" said the spokesperson, Maj.Gen. Sansern Kaewkamnerd. "Mr. Daniel could not answer that question, because his country never faced such a situation before."

The Thai military staged a coup against an elected government on 22 May 2014, ostensibly to put an end to the anti- and pro-government protests, and restore order in Thailand. Since seizing power, the junta has invoked martial law to ban public protests, detain individuals without charges or a court warrant, and try detractors in martial courts where appeals are not permitted.

According to Maj.Gen. Sansern, Russel "understood" the situation in Thailand after his meeting with Gen. Thanasak on Monday.

"Mr. Daniel has received information from every side. I believe he will exercise his judgment about which information he will consider. The Thai government has granted every side the right to talk freely with [the US diplomat] who asked for information," the spokesperson said, referring to the formal name of the junta, the National Council of Peace and Order.

Russel, the highest-level US official to visit Thailand since the coup, also met separately with former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who led the government toppled in the 22 May 2014 takeover, and former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, the leader of the opposition Democrat Party. Russel did not meet with the coup-leader and current Prime Minister, Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha.

Speaking to reporters yesterday, Prayuth dismissed the US diplomat's call for lifting of martial law.

"If we don't have martial law, won’t it lead to chaos?" Gen. Prayuth said. "I am not bothering anyone. I only want to make this country peaceful."

He continued, "Since I came to power, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been doing a lot of outreach in terms of trade, investment, national security, and giving information to foreign nations. The superpowers understand us more. There are only few nations that are still stuck on the word democracy. But these countries still trade with us as usual. No one pressures us at all. Some countries even say, Thailand is in better shape than ever. It's just that they cannot say they agree with us."

On Wednesday, Somsak Jeamteerasakul, a well-known historian and critic of the coup currently living in exile, offered an answer to the question Gen. Thanasak reportedly posed to Russel during their meeting.

"Thanasak asks the US, what would you do?" Somsak wrote in a Facebook post. "Answer: The President would relieve the army chief of his command and court-martial him on a charge of high treason."

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Search for AirAsia Bodies to Continue Despite Army Withdrawal

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28 January 2015, 13:35

Indonesian military personnel show the Cockpit Voice Recorder of the AirAsia flight QZ8501 after its recovery from the sea floor off the coast of Pangkalan Bun, in Pangkalan Bun, Central Borneo, Indonesia, 13 January 2015. A preliminary report on last month's crash of an AirAsia plane will not include an analysis of the flight recorders. EPA/KHAIRUL BASYAR<br /> — Indonesian military personnel show the Cockpit Voice Recorder of the AirAsia flight QZ8501 after its recovery from the sea floor off the coast of Pangkalan Bun, in Pangkalan Bun, Central Borneo, Indonesia, 13 January 2015. A preliminary report on last month's crash of an AirAsia plane will not include an analysis of the flight recorders. EPA/KHAIRUL BASYAR

By Ahmad Pathoni

JAKARTA (DPA) – The search will continue for bodies from the AirAsia plane that crashed last month with 162 people on board despite the military's withdrawal, the operations chief said Wednesday.

"As long as I the search and rescue coordinator have not said the operation has ended, it will continue," said Bambang Sulistyo, the head of the National Search and Rescue Agency.

But he said he had given personnel two days off and allowed ships to resupply because they had spent one month in the sea.

He said the military could still join the search again at the agency's request. The operation will be reviewed in seven days.

The military said on Tuesday it was ending the search and pulling out its personnel after teams failed to raise the broken pieces of the fuselage or find more bodies there.

The announcement prompted protests from some relatives of the victims who still hoped that the remains of their loved ones would be retrieved.

So far only 70 bodies have been found.

"The fuselage is no longer intact and it's fragile like crackers after a month in the sea, so it's very difficult to lift it," armed forces chief General Moeldoko said.

Many divers had to be hospitalized for serious decompression sickness after spending days in the sea, the military said.

Flight QZ8501 was en route from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore when it crashed into the Java Sea on December 28, killing all 162 people on board.

The National Transport Safety Committee said Wednesday it had submitted a preliminary report on the crash to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

"It has been sent to ICAO but won't be made public," said Nurcahyo Utomo, one of the investigators.

ICAO requires a preliminary report within 30 days after an air accident, he said.

The report contains general information, such as the number of passengers and details on the aircraft, but not an analysis of data from the flight recorders, he said.

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Thai Military Govt Summons US Diplomat After "Disappointing Speech"

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28 January 2015, 12:08

Thai PM and junta chairman Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha at the Government House on 27 Jan 2015.<br /> — Thai PM and junta chairman Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha at the Government House on 27 Jan 2015.

BANGKOK — Thailand’s military government has summoned the head of the United States Embassy after a senior US official criticized the junta's use of martial law and called for a return to democratic rule in Thailand.

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Don Paramatwinai, said today that the US Charge d'Affaires to Thailand, W. Patrick Murphy, has been summoned to discuss a keynote speech given by a top US State Department official on Monday.

A spokesperson from the US Embassy in Bangkok confirmed the meeting but declined to comment further.

In the talk on Monday, Daniel Russel, the US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, called upon the Thai military to repeal martial law and all restrictions on freedom of expression.

He insisted that the US was not taking sides in Thai politics, but raised concerns over the impartiality of the impeachment of former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra by the junta's interim lawmaker body last week.

"When an elected leader is removed from office, is deposed, and then impeached by authorities — the same authorities that conducted the coup — and then when a political leader is targeted with criminal charges at a time when the basic democratic processes and institutions in the country are interrupted, the international community is going to be left with the impression that these steps could in fact be politically driven," Russel said to a crowd at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. (Read the full speech here).

According to the Thai Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Russel's remarks caused many Thais to be "worried and disappointed."

"Mr. Russel spoke about politics, instead of using the opportunity to speak about good things, especially topics that promote the relationship between Thailand and the United States," said Don, who used to serve as Thailand's ambassador to Washington DC.

"The aforementioned speech did not benefit anyone. It became news that negatively affected the reputation of the country. It is deeply disappointing. It is an interference in Thailand's politics."

Don added, "The impeachment of Ms. Yingluck is not a political issue. It was done through judicial procedures. The United States does not understand Thailand’s political situation."

Former PM Yingluck was retrospectively impeached and banned from politics for five years last Friday by the National Legislative Assembly, whose members were handpicked by the ruling military junta that toppled her government on 22 May 2014.

The lawmakers accused Yingluck of failing to stop corruption in her administration’s rice-pledging policy. On the morning that Yingluck was impeached, the Attorney-General also announced plans to pursue criminal charges, carrying a maximum 10 year sentence, against her in connection with the rice scheme.

In response to the US envoy’s call for the repeal of martial law, Don insisted that a majority of Thais are not affected by the law, which grants the military sweeping powers to curb freedom of speech and assembly. Since seizing power, the junta has invoked martial law to ban public protests, detain individuals without charges or a court warrant, and try detractors in martial courts where appeals are not permitted.

"If we comply with the [US] and lift martial law and it leads to problems, how will those people who are asking for the lifting of martial law take responsibility?” Don said. "In reality, Thais don't even know there is martial law. A majority of Thais accept it and are not worried by it. The people who are worried about it are the minority."

He also claimed that the military coup on 22 May 2014 was not a coup after all.

"I insist that the military takeover in Thailand is not a coup, theoretically speaking," he said. "It was in fact a revolution to install stability."

During his visit to Thailand, Russel, the highest-level US official to visit Thailand since the coup, met with former PM Yingluck, former PM Abhisit Vejjajiva, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Thanasak Patimapakorn, but did not meet with Thai junta chairman and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha.

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Thai Military Govt Summons US Diplomat After "Disappointing Speech"

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28 January 2015, 11:08

Daniel Russel, the US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, meeting with former PM Yingluck Shinawatra on 26 Jan 2015.<br /> — Daniel Russel, the US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, meeting with former PM Yingluck Shinawatra on 26 Jan 2015.

BANGKOK — Thailand’s military government has summoned the head of the United States Embassy after a senior US official criticized the junta's use of martial law and called for a return to democratic rule in Thailand.

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Don Paramatwinai, said today that the US Charge d'Affaires to Thailand, W. Patrick Murphy, has been summoned to discuss a keynote speech given by a top US State Department official on Monday.

A spokesperson from the US Embassy in Bangkok said a statement on the summons is forthcoming.

In the talk, Daniel Russel, the US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, called upon the Thai military to repeal martial law and all restrictions on freedom of expression. He insisted that the US was not taking sides in Thai politics, but raised concerns over the impartiality of the impeachment of former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra by the junta's interim lawmaker body last week.

"When an elected leader is removed from office, is deposed, and then impeached by authorities — the same authorities that conducted the coup — and then when a political leader is targeted with criminal charges at a time when the basic democratic processes and institutions in the country are interrupted, the international community is going to be left with the impression that these steps could in fact be politically driven," Russel said to a crowd at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. (Read the full speech here).

According to the Thai Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Russel's remarks caused many Thais to be "worried and disappointed."

"Mr. Russel spoke about politics, instead of using the opportunity to speak about good things, especially topics that promote the relationship between Thailand and the United States," said Don, who used to serve as Thailand's ambassador to Washington DC. "The aforementioned speech did not benefit anyone. It became news that negatively affected the reputation of the country. It is deeply disappointing. It is an interference in Thailand's politics."