Buddha Issara Defends Brutality of PCAD Guards

By

-

12 May 2014, 15:24

Buddhist monk and anti-government activist Buddha Issara leads protesters to the CAPO headquarters, May 2014.

BANGKOK — Buddhist monk and anti-government activist Buddha Issara has defended the savage attacks on innocent bystanders that anti-government militants have committed in recent weeks.

Security guards employed by the People's Committee for Absolute Democracy With the King As Head of State (PCAD) have been making headlines with tales of their intimidation and physical assaults on random motorists and bystanders.

Speaking to Daily News newspaper yesterday, core PCAD leader Buddha Issara admitted that the anti-government guards are known to be violent, but also asked the public to "understand the situation."

"We want to maintain security for our brothers and sisters," Buddha Issara said. "It may affect your traveling, but if you understand the situation and don't let your emotion cloud your judgment, I think, every side will understand our actions."

In the last week alone, PCAD guards beat up a pilot en route to Don Mueang Airport, leaving him unconscious, and stabbed an ice delivery man in the lung, causing him to fall into a coma.

In April, PCAD guards assaulted and shot at an army colonel on Chaeng Wattana Road, forcing the man to seek prolonged medical treatment in a hospital. PCAD guards later apologised to the Royal Thai Army over the incident, but the colonel's family has vowed to pursue legal actions against the guards.

Many of the violent outbursts appear to be prompted by the slightest sign of provocation; all three aforementioned incidents followed victims' attempts to remove traffic cones placed on the roads by PCAD guards.

Buddha Issara defended the guards' defence of traffic cones, claiming that the guards are tasked with establishing safe perimeters around the protesters to prevent potential assailants from approaching the demonstrators and lobbing grenades at them.

The monk also credited PCAD guards with successfully preventing any fatalities from occuring in the rally site on Chaeng Wattana Road, despite frequent grenade attacks targeted at the campsite over the past few months.

"I admit that sometimes the guards' actions affect other people, but we have always apologised and offered compensation for the damages," Buddha Issara was quoted by Daily News as saying. "If those persons want to sue us, we also accept that."

The police have not attempted to arrest any of the PCAD guards accused of committing violence or searched their outposts, despite evidence that many of the militants possess firearms.

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

Phuket Police Face Heat Over Disappearing Charge Against Australians

By

Khaosod English

-

12 May 2014, 11:55

(Phuketwan)

PHUKET — Police on Phuket who failed to provide evidence linking two Australians to a shooting in Patong are likely to face dereliction of duty counts and possibly further serious charges, an investigating officer says.

Colonel Pravesana Mulpramook, Secretary-General of the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission, told Phuketwan that officers from Kathu Police Station had failed to present ''substantial evidence'' to the Phuket prosecutor over the widely reported case.

Read the rest of the story here: http://phuketwan.com/tourism/phuket-shooting-patong-police-face-heat-disappearing-charge-against-aussies-20238/

_{Note: Khaosod English is not responsible for content on other websites.}

Thailand Cracks Down on Visa Border-Runs

By

Khaosod English

-

12 May 2014, 11:50

(The Chiang Rai Times)

CHIANG RAI — New visa restrictions could create headaches for travelers and expats who relied on Thailand’s easy border-run policies to stay in the country for long periods of time.

Those without proper long-stay visas have for some time been able to take advantage of the border-run system, exiting the country at an official border point and re-entering the same day. This would usually give them another 15 or 30 days in the country, depending on their nationality and the regulations at the time.

That all seemed to have come to a stop this weekend, however, as the government escalated a crackdown on people using visa runs to stay in country.

Read the rest of the story here: http://www.chiangraitimes.com/thailand-crackdown-on-visa-runs-create-headaches-for-expats.html

_{Note: Khaosod English is not responsible for content on other websites.}

ASEAN Summit Focuses on South China Sea Tensions

By

Khaosod English

-

12 May 2014, 11:46

Myanmar President Thein Sein talks to media during a press conference after the 24th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Naypyidaw, Myanmar, 11 May 2014 (DPA).

By Peter Janssen (DPA)

NAYPYITAW — South-east Asian leaders on Sunday called for "self-restraint and non-use of force" in the South China Sea, where member states and China have sparred over disputed territorial claims.

A joint declaration issued at the 10-member Association of South-east Nations summit hosted for the first time by Myanmar, called on all sides to "refrain from taking actions that would further escalate tension and to work towards an early conclusion of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea."

The statement followed Vietnamese charges that Chinese boats had rammed Vietnamese vessels and used water cannon against them last week in the South China Sea, and more recently erected an oil rig in disputed territorial waters.

A similar statement issued by the ASEAN foreign ministers Saturday reportedly irked Beijing, where Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chun Ying said China's disputes in the South China Sea should be dealt with bilaterally.

China has in the past been reluctant to sign a code of conduct in relation to the South China Sea, and has preferred to tackle maritime disputes on a bilateral basis, rather than as an ASEAN regional security issue.

"ASEAN expressing its common view on the South China Sea is not meant to be unfriendly against any country, including China," said Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa.

The meetings, held twice a year, end with declarations on regional issues such as economic integration and common security concerns.

Myanmar, which is hosting the ASEAN summit for the first time, has steered clear of the South China Sea issue in its official statements.

China was one of the few counties to stand by Myanmar during its pariah years, when it was under junta rule and subject to economic sanctions by Western democracies. China is currently Myanmar's leading foreign investor and trade partner.

Myanmar President Thein Sein chose to concentrate on climate change in his opening address to the forum.

He proposed the establishment of a regional humanitarian assistance centre to boost the capacity to respond to natural disasters, and a regional campaign to reforest coastal areas with mangroves.

Central Myanmar was devastated by Cyclone Nargis in May 2008, which claimed at least 138,000 lives at a time when the country was still under military rule.

"Mangrove forests not only reduce the greenhouse gases but also reduce the impact of storms and floods in low-lying coastal areas," Thein Sein said.

The retired army general is credited with pushing through several political and economic reforms since taking office in 2001.

Reforms including the release of political prisoners and allowing opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to join mainstream politics as a member of parliament prompted Western democracies to drop economic sanctions that had been in place for decades.

Myanmar was selected to host an ASEAN summit for the first time since it became a member in 1997 of the bloc that includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Chinese Woman Begins Ascent to Redeem Everest Climbing Season

By

Khaosod English

-

12 May 2014, 11:39

KATHMANDU (DPA) — A Chinese woman was on her way up Mount Everest, in the first attempt to reach the summit after expeditions were called off following a deadly avalanche, officials said Sunday.

"We have received information that Wang Jing is making her way up toward the Base Camp with a group of three supporting Sherpa climbers," said Dipendra Poudel, secretary of the mountaineering department of Tourism Ministry.

The 40-year-old Wang has already climbed seven peaks above 8,000 metres. The ministry said climbing guides were working to fix new ropes and ladders over the icefall since the April 18 avalanche.

Poudel said another group of 10 climbers was to head toward Everest next week from Kathmandu for an expedition.

Altogether, 334 climbers had sought permits to climb Everest this year before expeditions were called off after an avalanche struck the mountain, killing 16 Nepali climbing guides on April 18.

An American woman was also on her way up Mount Lhotse, another peak in the Everest region at 8,501 metres.

The 51-year-old Cleonice Weidlich got a head start on a helicopter to Camp 2, altitude 6,500 metres, with her equipment.

"We only allow helicopters to go up to camps in case of emergency," said Dipendra Poudel, secretary of the mountaineering department of Tourism Ministry.

"A section of the climbing ladder was broken after the avalanche at the Khumbu icefall, which might have been the reason she had to fly to Camp 2."

Climbers to both Everest and Lhotse follow the same route up to Camp 4 before branching out in different directions.

According to law, helicopters are only allowed on the slopes of the mountain for rescue operations. But Poudel said the government has been under pressure to save face this climbing season after most of the expeditions were called off last month.

Weidlich was accompanied by a climbing guide and a porter. She had successfully reached the 8,848-metre Everest summit in 2010.

Police Apologise To Buddha Issara For Tear Gas Barrage

By

Khaosod English

-

10 May 2014, 19:43

BANGKOK — The police have formally apologised to a core anti-government leader for spraying him with tear gas and a high-pressured water hose during a skirmish in Bangkok yesterday.

The clash between protesters and police occured when the monk and activist Buddha Issara led supporters of the People's Committee for Absolute Democracy With the King As Head of State (PCAD) to the headquarters of the Centre for Administration of Peace and Order (CAPO) on Viphavadee Road.

The monk and his entourage attempted to enter the CAPO compound, and police responded by firing barrage of tear gas and high-pressured water at them, forcing Buddha Issara to retreat.

The monk later pressed charges with Thoong Song Hong Police against the police force, accusing them of attempting to murder him and violating his constitutional right to peaceful assembly.

Today Buddha Issara led hundreds of protesters back to the CAPO headquarters to demand a formal apology from police. When the police initially failed to respond to his request, Buddha Issara ordered supporters to start dismantling concrete barriers around the entrance to the CAPO compound.

PCAD guards also briefly blocked Viphavadee Road and the elevated tollway during the demonstration, disrupting traffic and forcing a number of foreign tourists to walk with their luggages to find another way to reach Don Mueang Airport.

However, the police eventually sent several representatives bearing traditional garlands to apologise to Buddha Issara. The officers knelt down humbly and asked the monk to forgive police for their actions on the previous day.

Pleased with the gesture, Buddha Issara accepted the apology, and the protesters dispersed peacefully from the area.

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

Police Apologise To Buddha Issara For Tear Gas Barrage

By

Khaosod English

-

10 May 2014, 19:43