Former Thai Princess Asks Media For Privacy

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17 December 2014, 20:04

A police officer emerged from Srirasmi's residence to post a letter that appears to have been handwritten by the former princess, 17 Dec 2014.

BANGKOK — The wife of Thailand’s Crown Prince has asked reporters camped outside her home to respect her privacy following her resignation from the Royal Family last week.

After giving up her royal status on 12 December, Srirasmi Suwadee, formerly known as Her Royal Highness Princess Srirasmi, moved out of the Crown Prince's palace to live with her parents at their residence in Ratchaburi province. She has not been since in public since 13 December.

Today a police officer emerged from Srirasmi's residence and posted a letter that appears to have been handwritten by the former princess.

The brief note read:

I'd like to thank all of the reporters for taking kind interest and closely following [me]. But I'd like to ask for your compassion: at this moment I only want to practice Dharma quietly with my family in this house in a peaceful manner.

Srirasmi

17 Dec 57

Monks have been seen entering Srirasmi's residence in recent days, presumably to conduct religious ceremonies hosted by her family.

Yesterday, Pol.Lt.Col. Thanongsak Kaewpolnoi, superintendent of Wat Pleng Police Station, asked reporters camping outside Srirasmi’s house not to disturb the former princess.

"[Srirasmi] is now a commoner, we treat her like any other ordinary citizen. There is no special treatment," said Pol.Lt.Col. Thanongsak. "But many reporters have come to cover the news, so my commander has instructed me to maintain order because sometimes they disturb the area by her house. She doesn't want to be disturbed."

Several relatives of Srirasmi came to visit her yesterday, but entered through a side door as the main gate remains locked.

A small commotion also took place when a woman showed up a the front of the gate and tried to sell a portrait of a monk for 1 million baht. Police officers promptly escorted the woman away.

Srirasmi, who married Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn in 2001, resigned from her status as a member of the Royal Family following the recent arrests of many of her relatives on charges of corruption and lese majeste.

The palace did not identify the reason for Srirasmi's decision to shed her royal status, but the announcement came a week after the Crown Prince stripped several of her family members of their royally bestowed surname, presumably in response to the ongoing scandal.

The Royal Household Bureau has not addressed the status of Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, the Crown Prince and Srirasmi's 9-year-old son.

On 15 December, Ministry of Finance confirmed that the Crown Property Bureau has also granted an unspecified sum of money to the former princess to assist her cost of living.

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Russian 'Temple Intruder' Stabs Policeman While In Custody

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17 December 2014, 16:14

Police arrest two Russian men for allegedly breaking into a temple in a northern resort town and dressing as Buddhist monks, 14 Dec 2014.<br /> — Police arrest two Russian men for allegedly breaking into a temple in a northern resort town and dressing as Buddhist monks, 14 Dec 2014.

MAE HONG SON — One of the two Russian men who were arrested for breaking into a temple in northern Thailand on Sunday stabbed a police officer while in custody yesterday, police say.

The suspect, identified as Voge Vladimir (name transcribed from Thai text), was reportedly being led from his holding cell at Pai Police Station to the immigration department when he stabbed Lt. Prasert Puttawong across the head and wrist.

Police officers and the other suspect then tackled Vladimir and held him down, while Lt. Prasert was sent to hospital. Medical workers say his condition is “severe” but gradually improving.

Police say Vladimir’s knife was hidden beneath his clothes, and that officers failed to spot it when they searched him after his arrest on 14 December.

Vladimir and his accomplice, Kubik Kachchek (name transcribed from Thai text), were arrested on Sunday after they broke into a temple in the resort town of Pai. The temple's abbot told police the two suspects dressed up as monks, damaged property inside the temple compound, and stole 1,000 baht. Vladimr and Kubik tested positive for drug use upon their arrest, police say.

Pol.Col. Worapol Polmanee, superintendent of Pai Police Station, said the property damage and theft charges against the suspects were dropped after the temple abbot said he forgave the two men.

"We were waiting for the suspects' relatives to wire money from abroad to pay for damages at the temple," Pol.Col. Worapol said. "But then [Vladimir] used his knife to attack a police officer."

Vladimir is now facing an attempted murder charge and Kubrik will be deported from Thailand, Pol.Col. Worapol said.

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Slower Growth Forecast For Developing Asian Economies

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17 December 2014, 15:14

A file photo of a metal factory in Thailand Photo: Matichon

By Joanna Chiu

MANILA (DPA) — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) Wednesday revised down growth forecasts for developing economies in the region, but said declining oil prices present "golden opportunities" for some Asian countries.

Growth in the regional gross domestic product would slide to 6.1 per cent in 2014 from an initially estimated 6.2 per cent, and 6.2 per cent in 2015, down from 6.4 per cent, the ADB said.

"While growth in the first three quarters of this year was somewhat softer than we had expected, declining oil prices may mean an upside surprise in 2015," ADB chief economist Shang-Jin Wei said.

"Falling global oil prices present a golden opportunity for importers like Indonesia and India to reform their costly fuel subsidy programs," he added.

China's declining real estate prices and knock-on effects on the construction sector would make its growth go down to 7.4 per cent in 2014 and 7.2 per cent in 2015, the bank said.

India was said to be on track to reach the growth forecast of 5.5 per cent for 2014. "By eliminating diesel fuel subsidies, the government has demonstrated its willingness to tackle contentious reforms," the ADB said.

ADB said it gave financial assistance of 21.0 billion dollars in 2013, including co-financing of 6.6 billion dollars.

The bank, based in Manila, was established in 1966 to help reduce poverty in Asia and the Pacific.

In November, China and 20 other Asian nations agreed to establish a Beijing-based development bank, known as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), seen as a rival to the ADB.

The AIIB was to be set up with authorized capital of 100 billion dollars.

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Fallen Tree Narrowly Misses PM Prayuth's Car

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17 December 2014, 13:02

Two of Gen. Prayuth's bodyguards were injured by a tree that fell on the PM's motorcade, 17 Dec 2014.

BANGKOK — The Prime Minister of Thailand narrowly escaped injury after a tree fell on his motorcade in Bangkok today, injuring two of his bodyguards.

Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, who is also the chairman of Thailand’s military junta, was leaving a public event at the Bangkok Planetarium on Sukhumvit Road at around 10 am when the tree fell on his motorcade.

Two police bodyguards riding on motorcycles were injured and immediately sent to hospital.

The junta leader has yet to publicly comment on the accident. His motorcade proceeded to the Government House without any further incident.

Prior to the mishap, Gen. Prayuth was visiting an exhibition called "Returning Happiness to the Young People" at Thailand's state-owned planetarium.

CORRECTION: The original article incorrectly stated that the accident occured on Petchaburi Road.

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Thai Govt To Launch 'Twelve Values' Stickers For LINE

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17 December 2014, 11:07

A set of LINE "stickers," or cartoons and emojis that can be purchased from an online store.

BANGKOK — The Thai government has announced its "New Year's gift" for all Thais: free virtual "stickers" representing the junta leader's moral teachings for the chat application LINE.

The Ministry of Information, Communication, and Technology (ICT) is currently creating the "stickers," which will be available for free on 30 December, said Deputy Permanent Secretary of the ICT, Songpon Komolsuradet.

The stickers will depict the "Twelve Values" that junta leader and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha wants all Thais to practice, Songporn said. She called the project "a gift for Thai people" on the occasion of the New Year.

"We want to help Thai people know more about the values," Songpon said. "So that they will send the stickers to each other on New Year's [Day]."

LINE is one of the most popular messenger applications in social media obsessed Thailand. According to the Japan-based company, there are at least 24 million registered LINE users in Thailand out of a population of 65 million.

The instant messaging application is known for its "stickers," or sets of cartoons and emojis that can be purchased from an online store.

The Thai government will pay LINE seven million baht to provide the Twelve Values stickers to users free of charge, documents on the ICT website reveal.

The Twelve Values, which Gen. Prayuth bestowed to the nation in a televised broadcast in July, are the following:

1. Loyalty to the Nation, the Religion, and the Monarchy

2. Honesty, sacrifice, endurance, and noble ideology for the greater good

3. Gratitude for parents, guardians, and teachers

4. Diligence in acquiring knowledge, via school studies and other methods

5. Preserving the Thai customs and tradition

6. Morality and good will for others

7. Correct understanding of democracy with the King as Head of State

8. Discipline, respect for law, and obedience to the older citizens

9. Constant consciousness to practice good deeds all the time, as taught by His Majesty the King

10. Practice of Self-Sufficient Economy in accordance with the teaching of His Majesty the King

11. Physical and mental strength. Refusal to surrender to religious sins.

12. Uphold the interest of the nation over oneself.

Authorities have already instructed public schools and state agencies to hang a banner listing Gen. Prayuth’s teachings on their premises. State agencies have also produced a poem, song, and 12-part film based on the Twelve Values.

The film, titled "Thai Niyom," stirred controversy shortly after it was released on 6 December because of a scene in which two children are seen painting and praising a picture of Adolf Hitler.

A Cabinet minister from the Office of Prime Minister, which was responsible for the film’s production, was forced to apologise to the Israeli ambassador in Bangkok after the diplomat said he was "deeply saddened" to see the "trivialization and misuse" of Nazi symbols in an official Thai government film.

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Attack at Pakistani Army-Run School Claims 141, Mostly Schoolchildren

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17 December 2014, 11:07

School children rescued by the security forces are ushered away from the scene during an attack at the Army run school, in Peshawar Pakistan, on Tuesday. EPA/BILAWAL ARBAB<br /> — School children rescued by the security forces are ushered away from the scene during an attack at the Army run school, in Peshawar Pakistan, on Tuesday. EPA/BILAWAL ARBAB

By Zia Khan

ISLAMABAD (DPA) — More than 140 people, the vast majority children, were killed at a military-run school in north-western Pakistan Tuesday in an attack by Islamist militants, local authorities said.

At least 141 people, including more than 132 children, died before army commandos killed all the attackers and regained control of the building, said Pervaiz Khattak, chief minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

The army raised from six to seven the number of Taliban attackers it believed had held hundreds of students and teachers hostage at the Army Public School in the north-western city of Peshawar. They were killed in a five-hour long operation.

At least one the assailants detonated a suicide vest, the military said.

The Taliban had said six of their fighters were involved in the attack.

Scores of children suffered severe bullet wounds during the assault, with some in critical condition, provincial Education Minister Mushtaq Ghani said earlier.

Television pictures showed relatives being held outside a security cordon around the school as the area was sealed off.

At one point, police estimated that at least 500 students were being kept inside an auditorium.

There was "intense gun fighting" as Pakistani troops battled the assailants, Khattak said.

Witnesses heard around a dozen loud explosions and saw heavy smoke at the school. Helicopters were flying overhead.

The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the raid, saying it was revenge for a military offensive against militants in the north-western tribal region.

The army launched an offensive in the restive region in June and said recently it had killed more than 1,100 rebels.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced three days of mourning for the victims of the massacre, while Nobel Peace laureate Malala Yousafzai said she was "heartbroken by this senseless and cold-blooded act of terror in Peshawar that is unfolding before us."

Sharif added: "I feel that, until and unless this country is cleansed from terrorism, this war and effort will not stop, no one should be doubtful of this."

The international community were quick to express sympathy with Pakistan's suffering.

The prime minister of Pakistan's regional rival, India, Narendra Modi, condemned the "cowardly terrorist attack," saying: "It is a senseless act of unspeakable brutality that has claimed lives of the most innocent of human beings – young children in their school."

US President Barack Obama condemned in the strongest terms the "horrific" attack on the army-run school in Peshawar.

"By targeting students and teachers in this heinous attack, terrorists have once again shown their depravity," read a White House statement.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned the "barbaric" attack on a military-run school in Pakistan.

"Killing innocent children is a completely anti-Islamic and inhumane act, and I condemn this barbaric attack in the strongest terms," Ghani was quoted as saying in a statement.

Condemnation also poured in from the United Nations and the European Union.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemns in the strongest terms the "bloodcurdling" terrorist attack against a Pakistani school that killed nearly 140 people.

"No cause can justify such brutality, no grievance can excuse such horror," Ban says.

"Getting an education is every child's right. Going to school should not have to be an act of bravery."

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini expressed "shock" at the attack, which shows "how strong the threat posed by the Taliban still is and how fragile and dangerous" the situation in the region remains."

"When innocents are killed, when children are targeted in their place of study, it is an attack not only on universally recognised values and rights but also on the future of the country, on all our futures," the EU's top diplomat added.

EU Parliament President Martin Schulz also expressed his condolences to the victims and their families.

This abhorrent and cowardly attack leaves us stunned and speechless, and shows once again the inhumanity with which the Taliban acts," Schulz said, adding, "What is particularly shocking is that they do not draw a line at the murder of children."

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Thai Junta Chairman Vows to Hunt Down Critics of Monarchy

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17 December 2014, 11:07

Prime Minister and junta chairman Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha speaking to reporters at the Government House in Bangkok, 16 Dec 2014.<br /> — Prime Minister and junta chairman Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha speaking to reporters at the Government House in Bangkok, 16 Dec 2014.

BANGKOK — Thai authorities are seeking to extradite critics of the Thai monarchy living abroad for legal prosecution in Thailand, Prime Minister and junta chairman Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha said today.

"We are following the procedures," Gen. Prayuth said at a press conference. “You can't expect me to have all of them arrested right now."

He also said that some of the "wanted" critics told security officers they would stop commenting on the monarchy, only to later flee abroad and continue with their "libelous" remarks.

"We are monitoring them," Gen. Prayuth continued. "We have many agencies involved in this, the ICT [Ministry of Information, Communication, and Technology], the army, the Ministry of Defence. We have many."

Criticising the Royal Family is punishable by up to 15 years in prison under Section 112 of Thailand's Criminal Code, a law known as "lese majeste." Although the letter of the law only bans criticism of the King, Queen, Regent, and Heir-Apparent, in practice it is used to punish any discussion of the monarchy.

However, public criticism of the monarchy has risen in Thailand in recent years, largely due to the proliferation of Internet access and social media.

Although the Thai government says it has shut down more than "1,200 websites" deemed critical of the monarchy since the coup, there are still a number of web pages and Youtube accounts run by anti-monarchy activists living in foreign countries, such as Chatwadee Rose Amornpat, who lives in the UK and was chargedwith lese majeste by her own father earlier this year.

In June, Thai authorities revoked the passports of three Thais living abroad charged with lese majeste, including Chatwadee.

At the press conference today, Gen. Prayuth singled out a prominent critic of the monarchy, former Thammasat University professor Somsak Jeamteerasakul, who fled Thailand shortly after the military staged a coup on 22 May 2014. Somsak is believed to be living in exile in France.

"For example, Mr. Somsak, today he is still writing about the monarchy," Gen. Prayuth said today of the historian, who frequently posts his analyses of the Thai monarchy on his Facebook. "All of you have seen that. He writes about this, he writes about that, he just keeps writing."

"He's a teacher, how could he do this?" Gen. Prayuth fumed. "He can't teach people to break the law. He's supposed to teach people to respect the law. I don't know what will happen in the future, but as for today, I cannot allow this to happen."

Gen. Prayuth, a hardline royalist, has vowed to crackdown on anti-monarchy networks since he seized power on 22 May 2014. He has also granted military courts – which do not permit appeals – jurisdiction over lese majeste cases.

Responding to Gen. Prayuth's remarks, Somsak, 56, wrote on his Facebook that he felt "fin" – Thai slang for "exceedingly satisfied" – to have been mentioned by the junta leader.

"Come on, how can I not feel so fin?" Somsak wrote in a post. "It's been less than a month since I returned to writing [on Facebook], but Our Dear Leader has noticed me already."

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Thai Govt To Launch 'Twelve Values' Stickers For LINE

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16 December 2014, 20:55

LINE "stickers," or sets of cartoons and emojis that can be purchased from an online store.