BANGKOK — Football fans from different clubs have banded together to call upon Thailand’s military junta to dismiss the head of the national football association, citing his alleged corruption.

The group, called "Unite To Liberate Thai Football," submitted a petition with over 10,000 signatures to the junta’s National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) at the Government House today.

The petition asked the junta to remove Worawi Makudi, aka Bang Yee, from his position as chairman of the Thai Football Association. 

Mongkol Santikul, a representative of the "Unite To Liberate Thai Football" network, accused Mr. Worawi of damaging the sport and hindering the Thai National Football team for years. Mr. Worawi has held the position since 2001. 

"Thai football fans have had to endure the miserable performance of the Thai National Football team," Mr. Mongkol said. "And the referees that have made wrong judgments in the past… they have not been punished."

According to Mr. Mongkol, Mr. Worawi also influenced executives of Thai Premier League (TPL) to wrongfully ban or fine football clubs based on favoritism.

“It's unfair,” Mr. Mongkol said. “It has no standard. It has caused a division among Thai football fans.”

Mr. Mongkol also suggested that Mr. Worawi's position as an executive of the former ruling Pheu Thai Party may have facilitated his corrupt practices.  

The controversial chief was re-elected to his post last year in an election that his opponent claimed was rigged. 

The "Unite To Liberate Thai Football" group consists of supporters from several football clubs in Thailand, including Chonburi FC, Singh Tarau, PTT Rayong, and Bangkok United. 

"We Thai football fans hope that the NCPO will inspect and improve the management of the Thai Football Association, which is a state agency, so that it is transparency and fair to all sides," Mr. Mongkol said.

The NCPO says it has received hundreds of petitions since it staged a coup against the elected government on 22 May. The demands have ranged from lowering expensive food prices to punishing convicted rapists with the death penalty. 

BANGKOK — Football fans from different clubs have banded together to call upon Thailand’s military junta to dismiss the head of the national football association, citing his alleged corruption.

The group, called "Unite To Liberate Thai Football," submitted a petition with over 10,000 signatures to the junta’s National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) at the Government House today.

The petition asked the junta to remove Worawi Makudi, aka Bang Yee, from his position as chairman of the Thai Football Association. 

Mongkol Santikul, a representative of the "Unite To Liberate Thai Football" network, accused Mr. Worawi of damaging the sport and hindering the Thai National Football team for years. Mr. Worawi has held the position since 2001. 

"Thai football fans have had to endure the miserable performance of the Thai National Football team," Mr. Mongkol said. "And the referees that have made wrong judgments in the past… they have not been punished."

According to Mr. Mongkol, Mr. Worawi also influenced executives of Thai Premier League (TPL) to wrongfully ban or fine football clubs based on favoritism.

“It's unfair,” Mr. Mongkol said. “It has no standard. It has caused a division among Thai football fans.”

Mr. Mongkol also suggested that Mr. Worawi's position as an executive of the former ruling Pheu Thai Party may have facilitated his corrupt practices.  

The controversial chief was re-elected to his post last year in an election that his opponent claimed was rigged. 

The "Unite To Liberate Thai Football" group consists of supporters from several football clubs in Thailand, including Chonburi FC, Singh Tarau, PTT Rayong, and Bangkok United. 

"We Thai football fans hope that the NCPO will inspect and improve the management of the Thai Football Association, which is a state agency, so that it is transparency and fair to all sides," Mr. Mongkol said.

The NCPO says it has received hundreds of petitions since it staged a coup against the elected government on 22 May. The demands have ranged from lowering expensive food prices to punishing convicted rapists with the death penalty. 

BANGKOK — Two Redshirt activists were sentenced to suspended jail terms in martial court today for not reporting to Thailand's military regime in the wake of the 22 May coup d'etat.

Thanat Thanawatcharanon, aka Tom Dundee, and Anurak Jentavanit, aka Red Ford, were sentenced to two year suspended jail terms after pleading guilty to defying summons orders from the junta’s governing body, known as the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).  

The court fined Mr. Thanat 5,000 baht and Mr. Anurak 10,000 baht. Both men were prominent members of the Redshirt movement and helped organise pro-government rallies in the weeks leading up to the coup earlier this year.

After seizing power, the NCPO summoned over 300 individuals, mostly politicians and activists considered sympathetic to the former government, to report to the Army headquarters. Those who turned themselves in were detained in military camps for several days, ostensibly for "attitude re-adjustment," while those who defied the summons orders were sent to face trials in martial court.

Mr. Anurak was allowed to walk free after today’s trial, but Mr. Thanat was sent back to Bangkok Remand Prison to await trial for an unrelated charge of lese majeste (insulting the monarchy).

Three other prominent anti-coup figures pleaded not guilty in military court today for failing to surrender themselves to the NCPO in a timely matter. They include Worachet Pakeerut, a law lecturer at Thammasat University and co-founder of "Enlightened Jurists" group (Nitirart), labour rights activist Jittra Cotchadet, and former Pheu Thai MP Sanguan Pongmanee. 

Mr. Worachet surrendered himself to the junta on 17 June, nearly a month after he was first summoned by the military regime, citing illness as the cause of his delay. Ms. Jittra was in Sweden when she received a summons and notified the Thai Embassy in Stockholm that she could not report to the NCPO in time. She was detained by Thai authorities upon arriving at Bangkok airport on 13 June.

Mr. Saguan reported to the military on 25 June, two weeks after he was summoned by the junta.

The three defendants face a maximum of one year in prison if they are found guilty by the military court. 

Speaking outside of the courthouse today, Mr. Worachet expressed concern that he may not be entitled to a fair trial by the military tribunal, but vowed to "contest [my charges] in accordance with the procedures."

Other high-profile figures currently facing legal charges for defying NCPO summons orders include former Education Minister Chaturon Chaisaeng, who was arrested by soldiers in a dramatic raid at the Foreign Correspondent Club of Thailand on 29 May, and Pavin Chachavalpongpun, an outspoken scholar who had his passport revoked in July for refusing to report. 

CHONBURI — Police have arrested a Cambodian man who was caught on camera bullying a foreign tourist who did not rent his beach chair on the popular island of Koh Lan.

In a video that went viral on the internet last week, the man can be seen berating and kicking sand at a woman while she is sunbathing, apparently chiding her for not renting a beach chair even though she was lying in a public area. The man can also be seen pushing her away from the beach.

On Saturday, police officers on Koh Lan in Chonburi province arrested the man in the video, who was identified as a 28-year-old Cambodian national named Pueng.

According to the suspect, although the video only surfaced on social media last week, the incident took place in October 2013, said Pol.Maj.Gen. Thanet Pinmuang-ngam, acting commander of the Chonburi province police.

Pol.Maj.Gen. Thanet said the suspect, who confessed to committing the crime, has been charged with unlawful compelling, illegal entry into the country, and working without permit. 

The suspect’s Thai employer, Charlie Baopimpa, is also under police investigation in connection with the incident, Pol.Maj.Gen. Thanet said. 

The ‘eyesore’ of chair-packed beaches and the aggressiveness of beach chair vendors have been common sources of complaint among tourists visiting Thailand in recent years. 

After staging a coup on 22 May, Thailand's military rulers have cracked down on beach chair vendors in a number of top tourist destinations, such as Phuket province, in an effort to "reclaim" the public land.  

Pol.Maj.Gen. Sanit Mahathaworn, a commander of 2nd Region Police, said he recently convened a meeting with over 100 beach chair business owners on Koh Lan island to inform them of the laws protecting tourists' safety. 

"We have to prevent crimes that may happen to tourists in order to retain the good image of Pattaya and other tourist destinations in Thailand," said Pol.Maj.Gen. Sanit, referring to the resort town near Koh Lan.

The officer also dismissed a rumour that the person who uploaded the video will be prosecuted for damaging the image of Koh Lan; Thai authorities have a history of targeting whistle-blowers on the grounds that their actions "damage the reputation" of the country.

"The clip uploader did not do anything wrong," Pol.Maj.Gen. Sanit explained. "In fact, I'd like to thank [that person] for being the eyes and ears of the nation."

BANGKOK — A high-ranking military commander says Thailand’s military junta does not plan to lift martial law in northern Thailand – a stronghold of the Redshirt movement – because of ongoing anti-coup activity in the area.

"We have collected and considered all the information, and we realise that there are still dissidents who are campaigning discreetly," said Lt.Gen. Preecha Chan-ocha, chief of the northern-based 3rd Region Army.

Lt.Gen. Preecha’s brother, army chief and Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, imposed nationwide martial law on 20 May, two days beforestaging a coup d’etat. Last week, a high ranking officer said the junta – known as the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) – planned to lift martial law in 22 provinces with popular tourist attractions.

Although the northern provinces of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai are some of Thailand's biggest tourist hubs, Lt.Gen. Preecha said that lifting martial law in the region would "provide an opportunity for the dissent movement to campaign openly."

"Therefore, we have decided not to repeal martial law over the provinces that the 3rd Region Army is responsible for," he said.

Northern Thailand is considered the heartland of the Redshirts, a political faction that supported the deposed government and largely opposes the military coup. 

Since imposing martial law in May, the NCPO has invoked its special powers to ban public demonstrations, arbitrarily detain hundreds of Redshirt activists and leaders, and try dissidents in military court. Activists in Chiang Rai province were among the first to receive martial court sentences for organising anti-coup demonstrations.

Martial law also grants the military the authority to enforce a curfew, censor the media, and conduct searches without warrants. In addition, it prohibits individuals from claiming compensation for damages that may result from the exercise of these powers.

Although many economists have warned that the imposition of martial law has deterred tourists from visiting Thailand, Lt.Gen. Preecha said the law has not affected tourism or daily life in the north.

"People can still buy things normally, and there has been a steady flow of tourists," Lt.Gen. Preechai said. "There are fewer tourists these days, but it is because it is low season right now."