(Asia Correspondent)
Pravit Rojanaphruk, a prominent journalist for The Nation newspaper, was released by the Thai military junta on Saturday after being detained for almost one week. He described his six days in detention as “surreal,” a means of “psychological warfare” designed to gather information from him and other detainees.
Read the story here.
BANGKOK — Thailand’s Journalist Association (TJA) has criticised security forces for disguising themselves as reporters during their abduction of an anti-coup protester yesterday.
The comments came in response to footage of a lone protester being forcefully taken away by suspected undercover police officers, one of whom was wearing an official press badge, near an anti-coup demonstration at Ratchaprasong Intersection in Bangkok yesterday afternoon.
TJA spokesperson Manop Thip-osot told Khaosod English that that the association is "gravely distraught" to see one of the undercover policemen wearing a press badge and green arm band that TJA issues exclusively to journalists.
According to Mr. Manop, this was not the first time police officers have dishonestly worn TJA's green arm bands. He said that plain-clothed police officers are known to disguise themselves as reporters while collecting intelligence reports in protest sites, but yesterday was the first instance of officers making an arrest while sporting the journalist disguise.
Mr. Manop said TJA is worried that such action may put journalists and photographers covering the anti-coup protests at risk.
"Now the protesters may be suspicious [of the reporters]. They may aggressively demand to see our identification cards from now, which may lead to unnecessary confrontation," Mr. Manop said.
If the police continue to disguise themselves as reporters and wear the press arm bands, TJA will consider taking legal action against the police force, Mr. Manop said.
Mr. Manop added that the TJA is planning to issue a new design of arm bands to prevent further incidents of abuse. Furthermore, he urged all members of the press to refrain from handing over their arm bands to security forces or non-media individuals.
TJA has already sent a letter to the NCPO expressing its concern over the restriction of media freedom in the post-coup environment.
On 26 May, NCPO-leader Gen Prayuth responded by asking the Thai Journalists Association to stop making demands.
You can also find Khaosod English on Twitter and Facebook
http://twitter.com/KhaosodEnglish
http://www.facebook.com/KhaosodEnglish
BANGKOK — In an effort to "return happiness" to Thai society after months of political unrest, the military junta is organizing road cleanups, army-band concerts, and free haircuts for the people.
Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, the army chief who led a coup on 22 May, recently said that the "happiness" of Thai people is among the top priorities of the military junta, known as the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).
"Thai people, like me, have probably not been happy for nine years, but since May 22, there is happiness," Gen. Prayuth said in a national address laying out a roadmap for the country, which includes 2-3 months of "national reconciliation" followed by a year of constitutional reforms.
Today, soldiers from a cavalry division based in Saraburi province were deployed to cleanup the area around Victory Monument in central Bangkok – the site of several anti-coup demonstrations last week.
Billed by the military as "Big Cleaning Day," the effort was aimed at bringing beauty and cleanliness back to the people, army officers said.
The military also held free concerts over the weekend, with soldiers playing guitars, keyboard, saxophone, trombone, and drums to the applauses of happy-looking audiences.
The concerts also featured free haircuts and dessert.
This Friday, the NCPO will begin airing a weekly television program to keep the public informed of it's efforts to return happiness to the 'Land of Smiles.'
"It will be an explanation of the NCPO's works, and will answer people's questions," an army spokesman explained on 31 May.
Since seizing power, the NCPO has summoned and detained more than 300 people, censored and closed down a number of TV stations and radios, and arrested protesters who voiced their opposition to the military junta.
NCPO spokesman Col. Winthai Suwaree said today that the military's crackdown on dissidents is a necessary part of the happiness project.
"Although those who disagree with the NCPO's ways are few, they affect the NCPO's mission to return happiness to the country," Col. Winthai explained.
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
(Prachatai English)
A dozen academics in Chiang Mai province reported themselves to the 7th Infantry Regiment in Chiang Mai at 1pm this afternoon after they were summoned by the army. They were released around 4.30 p.m.
The army told them to stop all political activities for the sake of the nation’s “reconciliation.”
Read more here.
Note: Khaosod English is not responsible for content on other websites.
YANGONG (DPA) — Myanmar will allow five companies to be listed on the Yangon Stock Exchange when it is launched next year, local media reports said Monday.
"Six local public companies have applied to be listed on the Yangon Stock Exchange and we have already granted permission to two companies," Deputy Finance Minister Maung Maung Thein told The Standard Times.
"To ensure the quality and compactness of the stock exchange we have decided to go with just five companies initially although there have been many applications," he said.
Two local public companies, Asia Green Development Bank (AGD) and Myanmar Agribusiness Public Corporation (MAPCO) have been approved for listing and another three will be chosen before the launch of the stock exchange in October 2015.
Maung Maung Thein said the Japanese Finance Ministry's research team, the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) and Myanmar's Ministry of Finance had together drafted rules and regulations for the Yangon Stock Exchange and had submitted them to the General Attorney last month.
The stock exchange will be operated by the Myanmar Economic Bank in partnership with Japan's TSE and Daiwa Securities Group, he said.
PHNOM PENH (DPA) — Cambodia has demanded that Thailand tear down a fence it says Thai forces erected last week on disputed border land near an 11th-Century temple, local media reported Monday.
The fence was erected on Wednesday and "violated the MOU (memorandum of understanding) from 2000" over the Preah Vihear temple site, foreign affairs spokesman Koy Kuong told The Cambodia Daily.
The 2000 agreement "says that the area has to remain status quo, meaning that there can be no development in that area," he was reported as saying.
Thailand's ambassador to Cambodia could not be reached for comment Monday.
While the temple complex falls inside Cambodia, there has long been a dispute with Thailand over ownership of an area of border land adjacent to it.
In November, the International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled that Cambodia's sovereignty extended to all of the natural promontory bearing the monument, but rejected Cambodia's claim to a nearby hill.
But the ruling did not map out what it meant by natural promontory, essentially leaving it to Thailand and Cambodia to decide on the ownership of most of a 4.6-square-kilometre plot of land adjacent to the temple that was the source of clashes in 2008.
Both countries accepted the court's decision peacefully as the sometimes fractious relations had improved since Yingluck Shinawatra became Thailand's premier. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen is close friends with her brother Thaksin.
The fence was allegedly erected shortly after the ousting of Yingluck and a military coup in Thailand in May.
(The Phuket News)
PHUKET — A local expat has completed a gruelling sailing trip alone in a Laser dinghy, spending 77 hours on board the tiny boat and battling storms and severe pain.
Yassine Darkaoui, originally from Morocco, has been planning to beat the Guinness World Record for the longest distance sailed in a Laser dinghy for about two years.
Read the rest of the story here.
Note: Khaosod English is not responsible for content on other websites.
Singapore (DPA) — China hit back at the US and Japan Sunday for initiating "dispute and trouble" through "provocative action" in speeches made at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
Lieutenant General Wang Guanzhong, deputy chief of staff of the People's Liberation Army, deviated off-script to respond to speeches by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel earlier during the security summit this weekend.
Wang accused the two countries of having coordinated with each other in "targeting China."
"They supported each other, they encouraged each other and they took the advantage of speaking first at the Shangri-La Dialogue and staged provocative action and challenges against China," he said.
Abe had given the opening keynote address on Friday night, while Hagel spoke Saturday morning on the US contribution to regional security. Both criticized China, accusing it of "destabilizing unilateral action" and not abiding by the "rule of law."
Wang criticized Abe for not living up to the "spirit of this dialogue," and described Hagel's speech as "full of hegemony, full of words of threat and intimidation."
China is embroiled in territorial disputes in both the East and South China Seas with Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam. Tensions with Hanoi reached a high point following the sinking of a Vietnamese fishing boat last week. Both sides blamed each other for the incident.
Wang also accused Japan and the US of stoking tensions.
"On bilateral and multilateral occasions and at the Shangri-La Dialogue, China has never been the first to provoke dispute and trouble," he said. "I think everyone understands who actually initiated dispute and trouble."
(Prachatai English)
BANGKOK — On Sunday night the military junta ordered 38 people, including a Prachatai journalist, to report to the military on Monday and Tuesday at the Thai Army Club in Bangkok.
Read more and see the list of those summoned here.
Note: Khaosod English is not responsible for content on other websites.
BANGKOK — Transportation companies in Thailand are taking a serious hit from the economic slowdown caused by the country’s ongoing political crisis, said the President of the Land Transport Federation of Thailand (LTFT).
A contraction in the demand for transportation has left approximately 30% of Thailand’s trucks — around 300,000 vehicles — sitting idle in parking lots, LFTF President Mr. Yoo Jienyuenyongpong said on Sunday.
“Since the protests broke out at the end of 2013, the demand for good transportation has shrunk to no less than 5-10%, particularly after the Songkran Festival” said Mr. Yoo. “Rainy season is typically low season for transport, and the demand has sharply dropped 30%, even less than last year’s 20%.”
According to Mr. Yoo, the political situation has also caused a decrease in the number of newly purchased vehicles.
“Companies have purchased only 8,000 vehicles so far this year,” Mr. Yoo said. “The number has not made it up to 50% of last year’s figure at approximately 40,000 newly-purchased trucks. It is expected that the number will drop further throughout the year.”
The political situation in Thailand has affected the country’s balance of exports and imports, which is now in deficit. Investor and consumer confidence have also taken a dive because of uncertainty about the country’s future.
Many transportation companies lack policies to lay off drivers because they are accustomed to the recent years of labour shortage, Mr. Yoo said. He predicted that the companies will have no choice but to sustain their businesses until the political crisis is solved and the economic is revived.
“However, if the economy does not improve, small transport companies may be forced to shut down”, said Mr. Yoo.
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
