BANGKOK — A senior Chinese minister reportedly praised the May 2014 military coup in Thailand and vowed to strengthen ties between the two countries during his state visit in Bangkok today.

Gen. Chang Wanquan, Minister of the Defense of the People's Republic of China, expressed his "understanding" of the political situation that led to the coup, according to Col. Kongcheep Tantrawanich, a spokesperson for the Thai Ministry of Defense. 

Gen. Chang Wanquan (L) and Thai junta chairman Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha in Bangkok, 6 Feb 2015.

"The Chinese government understands the political situation in Thailand because it has been following very closely," Col. Kongcheep quoted Wanquan as saying. "The Chinese government is aware that Thailand has gone through complicated changes in recent years. He also praised the Thai armed forces for taking control of the situation to restore peace and order, as desired by the people." 

Thailand's military junta says it imposed martial law and toppled an elected government on 22 May 2014 to restore order after the country had been rocked by six months of sporadically violent anti-government street protests.

According to Col. Kongcheep, Wanquan said "the Chinese government respects the Thai government's solution to its domestic problems, and will not interfere."

Wanquan's visit to Bangkok follows the cooling of diplomatic relations between Thailand's post-coup military government and the United States, which has criticized the coup and called for a return to democratic rule. On Thursday, a senior US State Department official told reporters that the US would not fully restore its military alliance with Thailand until the junta cedes power to a democratically elected government, AFP reported. 

Last month, US Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel raised the ire of Thai officials by urging the junta to repeal martial law and all restrictions of civil rights. The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the speech “disappointing” and accused Russel of interfering in Thailand’s domestic affairs. The MFA later summoned the US Charge d'Affaires in Bangkok to discuss Russel's remarks. 

In contrast to the US and other western countries, the Chinese Communist regime has never publicly criticized Thailand’s military coup. Three days after the military takeover, The Global Times, a pro-government Chinese daily, published an editorial describing the coup as a result of the "disorder" caused by experiments with Western-style democracy in Thailand.  

"As Western democracy has thrown many small countries into disorder, more and more people began to realize that destructive elements may be activated if China adopts it," the editorial said. "Fortunately, China has the wisdom and capability to seek an independent political path."

According to Col. Kongcheep, Wanquan assured the Thai government that Chinese authorities will support Thailand in various fields, such as exchanging intelligence reports and cracking down on the narcotics trade, human trafficking, and other transnational crimes.

China will also "support Thailand's defense industry" and cooperate economically with the Kingdom, Col. Kongcheep told reporters.

Despite diplomatic tensions, the US is still set to commence its annual Cobra Gold military exercise in Thailand on 9 Februray. 

For comments, or corrections to this article please contact:[email protected]

You can also find Khaosod English on Twitter and Facebook
http://twitter.com/KhaosodEnglish
http://www.facebook.com/KhaosodEnglish

BANGKOK — The Thai military has reportedly denied legal counsel to a Redshirt activist who was arrested for spreading a fake royal statement, citing powers granted to the military under martial law.

Police say Krit Bootdeecheen, 25, was "among the first" to share a document on social media that purported to be issued by His Majesty the King on 2 February. The statement claimed that King Bhumibol had appointed a Regent to act on his behalf. Within an hour, the Thai government announced that the document was forged. 

Krit, who has been identified as member of the Redshirt movement, is currently facing charges of lese majeste (insulting the monarchy) and violating Computer Crimes Act, which criminalizes using a computer to spread false information.

Winyat Chartmontri, a lawyer dispatched by Redshirt leaders to assist Krit today, told reporters he was refused entry into the 11th Infantry Regiment headquarters, where Krit has been detained since his arrest yesterday. According to Winyat, military officers claimed they had the right to detain Krit without any access to legal representation for up to seven days under martial law. 

Winyat said he cited a series of other laws in an effort to change the minds of the military officers, including Section 4 of the junta’s interim charter, which proclaims the protection of every citizen’s civil rights, and Section 7/1 of the Thai Criminal Codes, which outlines a suspect's rights to legal assistance while in custody. 

"The officers that met with me told me to forget all those laws, because the country is under martial law at the moment," Winyat said. "So they wouldn't let me meet with the suspect. They said I can only meet him after seven days of detention."

He continued, "I would like to inform all relevant authorities that suspects deserve protection in accordance with human rights principles and the Constitution, even though martial law is in place at the moment."

Since seizing power last May, the Thai military junta has used martial law to ban all political activities, censor the press, detain more than 300 individuals in military camps for several days without charges, and try dissidents in military courts, where appeals are not permitted. The junta has also granted military courts jurisdiction over lese majeste lawsuits and other cases that concern "national security."

Worawut Wichaidith, a spokesperson of the Redshirt organization the United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), raised concerns that authorities may be "selectively" prosecuting Redshirt activists in connection with the forged royal document. 

"Do the authorities have an intention to politically bully Redshirts?" Worawut asked. 

Jatupon Prompan, a top UDD leader, compared Krit's treatment to that of a royalist newspaper, ASTV Manager, that published the false statement on its website. 

"Krit is no different than the website of ASTV Manager," Jatuporn said. "But they were treated so differently. Because Krit is a Redshirt, he is detained like a major criminal."

The Redshirt movement is regularly accused of harboring anti-monarchy elements in its ranks. Redshirt leaders have repeatedly denied the allegations, though a number of radical Redshirt activists are known for their criticism of the monarchy. 

For comments, or corrections to this article please contact: [email protected]

PATTANI — Police say secessionist insurgents in southern Thailand have hung several banners accusing Thai authorities of human rights violations.

The banners were spotted in Pattani, Narathiwat, and Yala – a region known as the Deep South – between 6-7 am this morning. All of the banners bear the same English text: "People are in suffering because of losing human rights due to Siamese Colonization."

Police believe the banners were hung by local Islamic insurgents who have been battling Thai authorities for the past decade in an effort to revive the independent sultanate of Pattani, which was incorporated into modern-day Thailand, then known as Siam, in the early 20th century. 

EOD teams were dispatched the remove the banners out of fear that the insurgents may have planted explosives nearby, as has happened the past.  However, there were no reports of explosives being found in today's operations. 

In December, suspected insurgents hung a series of banners across the region questioning the sincerity of the Thai junta, which had declared its intention to organize peace talks. The banners, written in Thai, English, and Malay, read: "Is it appropriate to negotiate with the coup government? There is no guarantee for sincerity." Homemade explosives were planted near several of the banners. 

In contrast to the rest of the country, which is dominated by Buddhists, a majority of those living in the Deep South are Muslims who speak a Malaysian dialect. 

More than 6,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the simmering conflict over the past decade, according to data compiled by rights groups.

The shadowy insurgent groups regularly target public schools andteachers, presumably because they are viewed as "instruments" of the Buddhist state. Nearly 200 teachers have been killed in the region since 2004. Many teachers now travel with a large convoy of bodyguards and soldiers. 

Human rights groups have also criticised the Thai military's occasionally heavy-handed approach to stamping out violence in the southern border provinces, as well as their reliance on rangers, many of whom are armed volunteers.

BANGKOK — The Association of Hmong in Thailand has condemned a talk show on a state-owned TV channel that it says aired "racist" comments about the ethnic group.

In a statement released to the press today, the Association said the remarks were made during a talk show called "The Family Gang" on Channel 3 on 31 January 2015. The show featured a children's folk band called "Nok Lae," whose members are not Hmong but dress in traditional Hmong clothing.

During the interview, the founder of the band, Somkiat Sayarat, said he decided to dress the group's members in traditional Hmong garb because he was inspired by the lifestyle of the Hmong people in northern Thailand. He also claimed that the Hmong "never washed their clothes" and "never took baths," prompting one of the hosts to respond with laughter and say, "Ah, I thought the maids were cooking salty fish or something in the studio. It was the smell of the costumes! It stinks up the entire studio!"

The Association of Hmong called such remarks false and"racist."

"They may mislead the general public to perceive the Hmong in an incorrect, humorous manner, and see them as a disgusting, dirty ethnic group," the statement reads.

The statement added that the video of show has been widely circulated and criticized among Hmong communities around the world, especially after a Hmong TV channel in the United States picked up the issue. It is estimated that more than 200,000 Hmong are living in the US, 150,000 in Thailand, and 460,000 in Laos. 

"The Association of Hmong and the brothers and sisters of Hmong in Thailand and other countries hereby request Somkiat, the members of Nok Lae band, and the talk show hosts who said those remarks to apologize publicly to the Hmong communities," the statement says. "We also request all relevant groups, both state and private, to take responsibility for the incident … and find measures to prevent such incident from happening again in the future."

According to MThai, a entertainment website, Somkiat apologized for his "reckless" remark and said that he never intended to offend the Hmong. Channel 3 has not yet publicly commented on the issue. 

Surapong Kongchantuk, the official in charge of minority rights at the Lawyers Council of Thailand, told Khaosod he is deeply disappointed to see the founder of Nok Lae band spread false stereotypes about the ethnic group that inspired his musical career. 

"Nok Lae, a band that reflects the spirit of tribal children, should have understood the ethnic group, but it ends up making fun of them," Surapong said. "Concerning racist remarks toward ethnic groups, people should exercise caution when they speak, because, as they can see, wars in many places around the world happened because of lack of acceptance and understanding about ethnic groups."

BANGKOK — The Association of Hmong in Thailand has condemned a talk show on a state-owned TV channel that it says aired "racist" comments about the ethnic group.

In a statement released to the press today, the Association said the remarks were made during a talk show called "The Family Gang" on Channel 3 on 31 January 2015. The show featured a children's folk band called "Nok Lae," whose members are not Hmong but dress in traditional Hmong clothing.

During the interview, the founder of the band, Somkiat Sayarat, said he decided to dress the group's members in traditional Hmong garb because he was inspired by the lifestyle of the Hmong people in northern Thailand. He also claimed that the Hmong "never washed their clothes" and "never took baths," prompting one of the hosts to respond with laughter and say, "Ah, I thought the maids were cooking salty fish or something in the studio. It was the smell of the costumes! It stinks up the entire studio!"

The Association of Hmong called such remarks false and"racist."

"They may mislead the general public to perceive the Hmong in an incorrect, humorous manner, and see them as a disgusting, dirty ethnic group," the statement reads.

The statement added that the video of show has been widely circulated and criticized among Hmong communities around the world, especially after a Hmong TV channel in the United States picked up the issue. It is estimated that more than 200,000 Hmong are living in the US, 150,000 in Thailand, and 460,000 in Laos. 

"The Association of Hmong and the brothers and sisters of Hmong in Thailand and other countries hereby request Somkiat, the members of Nok Lae band, and the talk show hosts who said those remarks to apologize publicly to the Hmong communities," the statement says. "We also request all relevant groups, both state and private, to take responsibility for the incident … and find measures to prevent such incident from happening again in the future."

According to MThai, a entertainment website, Somkiat apologized for his "reckless" remark and said that he never intended to offend the Hmong. Channel 3 has not yet publicly commented on the issue. 

Surapong Kongchantuk, the official in charge of minority rights at the Lawyers Council of Thailand, told Khaosod he is deeply disappointed to see the founder of Nok Lae band spread false stereotypes about the ethnic group that inspired his musical career. 

"Nok Lae, a band that reflects the spirit of tribal children, should have understood the ethnic group, but it ends up making fun of them," Surapong said. "Concerning racist remarks toward ethnic groups, people should exercise caution when they speak, because, as they can see, wars in many places around the world happened because of lack of acceptance and understanding about ethnic groups."