Veteran Day Ceremony Cancelled By Protests

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30 January 2014, 10:54

A flame eater performing at protest site in Pathumwan Intersection, 30 January 2014

(30 January) Due to ongoing anti-government protests, the ceremony for Veteran Day will not be held at Victory Monument this year.

Col. Paphathip Sawangsaeng, spokesperson of the Ministry of Defence, said there won′t be any honourary parade or laying of wreaths at the Monument on the Veteran Day, which falls on 3 February each year, as supporters of the People′s Committee for Absolute Democracy With the King As Head of State (PCAD) are still camping around the area.

PCAD has been occupying a number of key intersections and landmarks across Bangkok as a part of their "Shutdown Bangkok" campaign.

However, despite the cancellation of the main event, some religious events commemorating the veterans and their spirits will proceed as usual on 24 January to 3 February, Col. Paphatip said.

Officials from the War Veterans Organisation of Thailand Under Royal Patronage of His Majesty the King are also instructed to visit veterans who are staying at Veterans General Hospital and Phra Mongkut Klao Hospital, the spokesman added.

Furthermore, the sales of Poppies, which cost 20 baht each, will still take place as usual to raise money for the charity fund supporting war veterans and their families.

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Schools Closed By Protest, Students Say 'Respect My Future'

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29 January 2014, 19:19

(29 January) Frustrated by the protest which closed down their schools, many students gathered for a candlelit vigil asking the protesters to respect their future.

At Banglampoo Circle in Bangkok′s Phra Nakhorn district last night, groups of students gathered to demand for peace under the campaign “Respect My Future”, after many schools were closed thanks to the protest led by the People′s Committee for Absolute Democracy With the King As Head of State (PCAD).

The vigil was attended by students from various schools and colleges in Bangkok such as Bavorn Niwet School, Wat Rajabopit School, Bansomdejchaopraya Rajabhat University, Phranakhon Rajabhat University, Thammasat University.

A number of local residents also joined the event.

Some students wrote on white boards expressing their frustration with the ongoing political crisis, while others piled up their textbooks on the ground to symbolise their inability to attend classes. Many more chose to simply read their books under the candle light.

The group then lit up candles together, as a symbol for peace, and shouted for the election on 2 February to go ahead.

Mr. Jinnawat Wongprakhong, the 17 year old President of the Benjamabopit Student Union, stated that the students from his school have been affected by the protest for nearly 3 months.

The Student representative complained that their daily life has been changed, citing that they have to finish school at 18.00 and attend extra classes every weekend.

"The protesters have the right to protest, but they must understand that students do have the right to study as well", said Mr. Jinnawat, explaining that many schools have been ordered to temporarily close after the anti-government protest broke out in November.

The teenager asked every party to respect the rights of the public, for the sake of peaceful country.

At Tha Prachan Campus, Thammasat University, a group of academics and student also joined a seminar under the topic of “Changing Thailand”. The group later lit up candles to demand for peace and an election on 2 February.

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BKK Governor Defends 'Spy Camera' On Mobile Toilets

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29 January 2014, 18:25

(29 January) Police officers at the Police Club have been alarmed by discovery of small CCTVs on mobile toilets provided by Bangkok authority.

The cameras were reportedly attached to toilet paper cartridges next to the sinks on both male and female mobile toilet cars stationed at the Police Club, which serves as headquarters of the Center for Maintaining Peace and Order (CMPO).

The mobile toilets are operated by the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority (BMA).

Officers who used the toilet during daytime were the first to notice the camera, which surprised and shocked many police officers who fear their privacy might have been infringed.

The discovery also came at a time when relationship between the Pheu Thai government and the Democrat-led Bangkok authority is said to be immensely strained.

Mr. Sanya Mingma, the BMA official in charge of operating the mobile toilet buses, stated that the authority has dispatched 6 such buses to the Police Club as requested by CMPO.

The cameras were installed on the mobile toilets for security reasons after the Redshirts protests in 2010, in which some BMA properties had been looted and torched, Mr. Sanya claimed.

He asserted that only 4 out of new-generation mobile toilets have been equipped with such cameras so far.

Mr. Sanya also explained that the cameras are only aimed to capture images of potential wrongdoers, as they point to a stairways leading into and out of the bus. He denied the possibility that the camera was zooming into the toilets or the urinals section.

Meanwhile, Mr. Banjong Sookdee, Deputy Permanent Secretary of BMA, refused to comment about the news, citing the need for further investigation.

However, he explained that the cameras were attached to prevent crimes involving the mobile toilets, such as the torching of one mobile toilet "in July 2013", the assault of a child near Tiger God Shrine in Bangkok′s old quarters, and the use of illegal substances in male toilet.

The Deputy Permanent Secretary stressed that installment of the cameras was only an experiment to prevent the crimes, and to protect the safety of the public.

Mr. Banjong also insisted that BMA did not harbour any ill intention behind the dispatch of two mobile toilets equipped with such cameras to the Police Club.

The Bangkok Governor, Mr. Sukhumbhand Paribatra, likewise declared that he had no insincere motive against the CMPO in any way, and he did not intend to send the buses with CCTVs to CMPO in particular, as the buses were randomly shuffled in different locations every now and then due to flood of requests for the mobile toilets.

Each bus is not meant to go to any specific place, said Mr. Sukhumbhand, who also offered that the BMA is ready to remove the cameras if any parties are made uncomfortable by the devices.

"If the CMPO would like to question us, the BMA is willing to answer any question," Mr. Sukhumbhand told reporters, "But if CMPO has nothing to hide, then there is nothing CMPO should worry about"

He added, "I don′t want to spy on anyone".

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Ladprao Intersection Rally Rocked By M79 Attack

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29 January 2014, 18:00

(29 January) Anti-government rally site at Ladprao Intersection has been attacked by M79 grenade launcher this morning, witnesses said.

Mr. Issara Somchai, a leader of the People′s Committee for Absolute Democracy With the King As Head of State (PCAD), told reporters that the explosion was heard near the protesters′ campsite at around 03.47 earlier today.

PCAD guards later inspected the scene and found that the explosion has injured one protester, damaged two cars, and slightly damaged a ventilation machinery of the nearby metro station, Mr. Issara said.

Mr. Issara said the explosion was likely caused by M79 grenade launcher, and he believes the assailant intended to fire the weapon at the protesters′ tent but missed due to a short window of opportunity.

Witnesses reported they had spotted a suspicious black pick-up truck on the tollway overlooking the protest site earlier.

The volunteer guards were instructed by Mr. Issara to increase security measures around the rally, and forensic police accompanied by EOD team inspected the crime scene later at 07.00.

Four soldiers were also present at the scene, taking pictures and collecting evidences of the explosion.

Mr. Saman Boonlert, the injured protester, said he was sleeping next to the damaged car when the explosion occurred. He reportedly woke up with the realisation that the shrapnel had hit his hip and feet.

Shadowy attacks on anti-government protesters and the residences of their leaders have been occurring almost on a nightly basis since the PCAD began their "Bangkok Shutdown" operation 2 weeks ago.

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Phitsanulok Rice Protesters ‘Intimidated’ by Redshirts

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29 January 2014, 16:49

Protesters at Indochina Intersection in Phitsanulok province, 28 January 2014

(29 January) Farmers in Phitsanulok province have alleged that they had been coerced into disbanding their protests for the rice money promised by the government.

A group of rice farmers has been protesting at Indochina Intersection in the province for days, calling for the money the government owed them under the controversial rice-pledging scheme.

The protest in Phitsanulok was merely one of widespread shows of discontent among rice farmers in many provinces, who were angered by the missed promises of the government to compensate them.

But the protesting farmers in Phitsanulok suddenly announced today that they will no longer continue the rally.

Explaining the group′s sudden disbandment, Mr. Chatree Amphoon, the leader of the farmer protesters, burst into tears and alleged that a group of local pro-government Redshirts had threatened to commit violence against his family members should he keep protesting.

High-ranking governmental officials are also reportedly involved in the intimidation campaign.

Mr. Chatree also expressed his difficult decision to stop protesting, since he is torn between the need to protect his family and the determination to speak on behalf of other rice farmers in distress.

"We would like to see the Governor of Phisanulok to help us, but he ignored us," Mr. Chatree said, "I don′t know what is going on, since he had stated previously that he is on the side of the people".

However, Mr. Chatree remains optimistic that "the governor is looking for a solution for every farmer in trouble".

Our correspondent reported that after Mr. Chatree explained about his worries, a group of farmers had also broke down in tears, and angrily shouted about their troubles.

Ms. Waraphon Kanya, 29, from Phrompiram district, told our correspondent that her families, including her parents, are relying on rice-farming as their main occupations.

According to Ms. Waraphon, her family owns 6.4 Hectare of Rice Farm, while her parents rent 24 Hectare, costing them 810,000 baht rental cost per year.

She claimed that rice farming has become really expensive recently. Her family had to spend 80,000 baht per year for fertilizer, and another 7,000 baht to pump water into their rice field as well as the land rental cost, Ms. Waraphon said.

The farmer also lamented that her dream to earn 329,000 baht from the government’s rice-pledging scheme has now been destroyed, even though it is her only hope to sustain her business.

“I felt cheated by the government” Ms. Waraphon complained, noting that the government has indefinitely postponed the payment of the scheme out of legal concerns.

“We all love farming, it helps our family living. We had suffered big loss sometimes, but we fight to sustain the living”, said Ms. Waraphon.

She added, "I do not know if I will have the chance to enjoy the money, as I have to repay my debts from borrowing from underground source with daily interest rate of 2%. I do not have money to support my children to school, nor to buy food for our living. We are now really in distress".

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Man Accused Of Stealing Male Athlete's Underpants

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29 January 2014, 16:09

(29 January) A group of Paralympics male athletes have captured a man who is accused of repeatedly stealing their underpants.

According to Mr. Akkrachai Pimthong, 40, a Thai Paralympian Archery, many underpants of his and his friends′ had been stolen for a period of time from their athlete residence near Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok′s Hua Mak area.

The theft has become more frequent after he and his friends returned from ASEAN Paragames, which was held in Myanmar’s Capital Nay Pyi Taw previously in January, Mr. Akkrachai said.

The group then decided to set up watches around their dormitory, and started to observe outside visitors.

In the evening of 28 January, the group reportedly noticed a man stealing their underpants, but they failed to capture him. The athletes later set up a trap by hanging an underwear as a bait, and waited for the thief to come back while several people kept watch on the trap.

Eventually, at around 23.00 last night the suspect returned to the scene and started stealing the underpants from the hangers again. This time, however, Mr. Akkrachai and his friend gave chase by riding handicapped-friendly motorcycles, and contacted the security team to help capture the man.

Once the group stopped the suspect and searched his car, they were surprised to find over 100 underpants stored in there, Mr. Akkrachai said. The suspect was later brought to the police.

The suspect, identified as Mr. Pachara Saengrojasuk, 50, confessed of his crime, telling police that he has stolen the items simply because he wants to wear them. The man has been charged with theft, and will be prosecuted soon.

Police have urged all victims of Mr. Pachara′s alleged theft to file complaint to the police before the prosecution starts.

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Govt Mortgaged Rice To Be Sold 'By Jan-Feb'

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29 January 2014, 15:17

(29 January) The Thai government is planning to auction off its mortgaged rice by late January and early February, officials said.

Under the general auction programme, the Department of Foreign Trade (DFT) is reportedly expecting to release at least 500,000 – 1,000,000 tonnes of rice by the end of this year.

According to DFT officials, the government has been forced to rely on auction instead of selling the mortgaged rice under Government to Government (G2G) agreement , after the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) ruled that the DFT′s involvement in the G2G agreement lacks adequate transparency.

Officials insisted that they will carefully restrict the quantity of rice selling in each auction, as it may affect the future market price for the goods.

They also stressed that the DFT is ready to testify to the NACC regarding the investigation into the G2G scheme.

The NACC has previously expressed its suspicion that the G2G scheme is selling Thai rice to non-existent state-owned enterprises in China, but officials interviewed by Khaosod insisted that the agreement is legitimate, explaining that each province in China has the ability to form its own state-owned enterprise and engage in international trading on its own.

The debate is in fact centering around NACC′s definition of state-owned enterprise, one official said, since NACC might define it strictly as a federal level, while DFT also defines it as regional level.

Meanwhile, Ms. Korbsook Iamsuri, President of the Thai Rice Exporters Association (TREA), agreed that the government should release the rice under the general auction method, but she cautioned that auction must be conducted under strict transparency.

She noted that the price rate of Thai rice in global market remains unchanged at approximately 400 USD per tonne, and is currently competing with Vietnamese rice.

However, Ms. Korbsook stated that the general auction, which will be joined by private companies, may also propose a difficulty to the competitiveness of Thai rice in global market. Recently, many buyers turned to other competitors, so the Thai distributors must actively improve their marketing plans to increase the popularity of Thai rice again, said Ms. Korbsook.

The government should also use other methods, for example, matching the export distributor with individual rice mills, suggested the President of the TREA.

"But I am not sure whether the laws would allow the caretaker government to do that," Ms. Korbsook said.

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Man's Vehicle Vandalised By Jealous 'Ex-Girlfriend'

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29 January 2014, 13:30

(29 January) A "jealous" ex-girlfriend has spray-painted her former boyfriend's car to express her anger, said the victim's brother who reportedly witnessed the scene.

The incident took place near Ranong Bus Terminal in Mueang Ranong district, Ranong province.

At the scene, police found a silver colour pick-up truck spray-painted in red with vulgar curse words. Many parts of the vehicle were also damaged, reports said.

In front of the car, police found a funeral wreath of flower dedicated to Mr. Krittaphas Rossukhon, the owner of the car.

According to a witness, who is a brother of the victim, he saw a "tall, skinny" woman in white T-shirt and short trousers arriving at the vehicle on the night of 27 January and vandalising the car, along with leaving the funeral wreath.

The witness said he suspected the woman to be his brother’s former girlfriend, who has moved to Bangkok several years ago. He speculated that she might have returned to Ranong province and committed the crime out of "jealousy".

The police said they are investigating CCTV footage to identify and arrest the suspect on the charge of damaging other people′s belongings at night.

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Police Preparing Security Plans For 2 Feb Election

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28 January 2014, 19:10

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra arrives at the Army Club for the meeting with Election Commissioners, 28 January 2014

(28 January) The police are drafting plans to ensure that the 2 February election would go ahead smoothly, the deputy police spokeswoman said.

The advance voting for the election, which was held on 26 January, was marred by anti-government protesters′s seizing of numerous polling stations in Bangkok and 10 other provinces, clashes between the protesters and voters, and a shooting incident which killed one protest leader.

There are fears that the protesters, led by the People′s Committee for Absolute Democracy With the King As Head of State (PCAD), would mount an even fiercer campaign to disrupt the poll on 2 February; PCAD has demanded that the election be scrapped in favour of the formation of an unelected "People′s Council".

Citing such possible violence, the Constitutional Court has ruled that the government and the Election Commission (EC) possess joint authority to postpone the election, throwing out the constitutional requirement that the snap election must be held within 45-60 days after a House dissolution.

However, following the highly anticipated meeting between EC officials and Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra today, the government has announced that the election will proceed as planned on 2 February.

Responding to the fears that the protests could escalate on the election day, Pol.Col. Vichayakorn Nichabawarn, Deputy Spokeswoman of the Royal Thai Police, said the police force is drafting plans to provide security to the polling stations, and to deter any violent incident.

The main focus of the plan would be to prevent clashes between anti-election protesters and those who wish to vote, and the protection of ballot boxes, Pol.Col. Vichayakorn said.

"The police will ensure, with the best of our ability, that the public can exercise their voting rights," Pol.Col. Vichayakorn insisted.

The police have been heavily criticised for failing to maintain order during the hectic advance voting day of 26 January.

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Policeman 'Mistaken' As Gunman, Brutally Beaten By Protesters

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28 January 2014, 18:09

(28 January) A policeman was brutally beaten by anti-government protesters after they mistook him as a hostile gunman, a governmental body has claimed.

The chaos broke out today when the protesters were besieging Army Club on Vibhavadi-Rangsit Road, where Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and her Cabinet members were appointed to meet with Election Commission (EC) officials for discussion.

The protesters, who were led by the People′s Committee for Absolute Democracy With the King As Head of State (PCAD), have threatened to storm into the venue and apprehended Ms. Yingluck along with her entire Cabinet.

Police officers and soldiers, backed by concrete barricades and other reinforcements, guarded the entrance to the Army Club. The situation became markedly tense when protesters broke through the front gate, and slowly approached the police line.

Just then, a gunshot was heard from other side of the multiple-lane Vibhavadi Road. A large group of protesters immediately ran to investigate the source, while others ran for cover in panic.

What happened next is extremely hazy, our correspondent said. A shout went up among the protesters that the gunman had been apprehended at a soi opposite the Army Club, a number of individuals injured by the gunshots has been reported.

PCAD guards also claimed to have found some evidences in the area, such as a motorcycle allegedly driven by the gunman, a motorcycle taxi jacket, a pair of handcuffs, and a magazine of 11 mm. handgun.

It later emerged that the assailant has been mobbed by the protesters and transported to hospital. The injured protesters were likewise sent to hospital, but it is not immediately clear how many have been wounded by the gunfire.

Police officers, distrusted by the protesters, were not allowed to inspect the crime scene, and the evidences reportedly found at the scene were handed to military personnel who were assisting the protesters instead.

The Center for Maintaining Peace and Order (CMPO) later released a statement claiming that the alleged gunman apprehended and assaulted by PCAD protesters was in fact a police detective officer who had been placed among the protesters for intelligence gathering.

According to the statement released by CMPO, the policeman was falsely accused of shooting at the protesters and assaulted by the nearby protesters, who also allegedly attempted to seize his sidearm. The officer reportedly tried to flee the scene, only to be mobbed by more anti-government protesters.

CMPO described the officer′s injuries as "severe".

The claim cannot be independently verified at the moment; both governmental officials and anti-government leaders have accused each other of deploying provocateurs to stage numerous violent incidents in the past weeks.

Meanwhile, PCAD spokesman, Mr. Ekkanat Prompan, accused the police force of conspiring with individuals who attacked one of the protesters′ convoy at Wat Sri Eiam Temple on 26 January. A PCAD prominent leader was also shot to death during the clashes.

Mr. Ekkanat also demanded that the police step up their investigation on other cases of violence against the protesters, such as the grenade attack on PCAD rally at Victory Monument on 19 January, and alleged that the police are deliberately slow in their effort to locate the suspects.

"If the police still do nothing, it would demonstrate that the RTP is related to these incidents," Mr. Ekkanat said, referring to the Royal Thai Police.

Furthermore, Mr. Ekkanat criticised the police force for planting undercover police officers who "behaved suspiciously" in their protest sites.

"In many incidents, the police infiltrated into the protests and behaved suspiciously," Mr. Ekkanat said, "But when an incident occurred, they would always blame a third hand party".

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