Bangkok Produce and Alliances Use Satellite Tech to Battle PM2.5

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19 February 2024, 16:27

Bangkok Produce and Alliances Spearhead Cutting-Edge Traceability and Satellite Tech to Battle PM2.5 Problem

Bangkok Produce Merchandising Public Company Limited, a subsidiary of the leading agri-food conglomerate Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Limited (CP Foods), is at the forefront of a unified campaign with governmental bodies, business partners, and farmers to address the ongoing PM2.5 dust challenge.

This initiative encourages farmers to cease the practice of crop burning in preparation for the upcoming planting season, as part of the “Partner to Green: Corn Suppliers Fighting Haze Alliance Project.”

The alliance employs Satellite Imaging Technology to significantly diminish, and ultimately aim to eradicate, the burning practices in its corn supply chain. The company invites the Thais people to help monitor and report crop burning incidents via the “F.Farm” application, fostering a collaborative approach to mitigate environmental concerns.

The “Partner to Green: Corn Supplier Allies Fighting Haze” scheme, initiated by Bangkok Produce, signifies a coordinated endeavor between public institutions, private sectors, and corn growers, organized as a Public-Private Partnership. This strategy aims to manage the corn supply chain for animal feed responsibly.

Focused on environmental preservation and public health protection, this program aligns with Charoen Pokphand Group’s policy to refrain purchasing or importing corn from deforested areas and locations susceptible to crop burning. The initiative involves sharing daily satellite imagery updates of hotspots with local corn collectors, thereby enabling targeted monitoring of burning activities.

When burning is detected, company officials and partners quickly visit the site to engage with farmers and verify the incidents. Should repeated burning be identified, the company will enforce a suspension of corn purchases from the implicated plot for one year.

Furthermore, Bangkok Produce advocates for public engagement in overseeing agricultural burning activities. This advocacy is supported through a reporting channel for corn crop burning via the “F.Farm” application or the corn traceability system website. This collaborative effort seeks to eradicate smoke and haze issues, leveraging the Corn Traceability system developed by Bangkok Produce since 2016 for sourcing traceable animal feed corn.

This system digitally records essential farmer information and cultivation plots, ensuring the sourced corn is from explicit source, non-deforested, and non-burnt areas. The integration of blockchain technology has enhanced the data’s reliability and transparency.

In addition to efforts to halt crop burning and mitigate smoke and haze sources, Bangkok Produce has partnered with government agencies to impart knowledge to corn farmers, raising them to Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) standards for more effective and sustainable cultivation.

The “F.Farm” app development supports corn growers by providing access to vital information, such as rainfall, temperature, and fertilization tips, aiding in boosting productivity and income, and promoting a responsible corn supply chain for animal feed.

Launched in 2016, the corn traceability system was Thailand’s inaugural initiative for sourcing a feed raw material capable of tracing back to its origin. Currently, over 40,000 corn farmers and more than 600 agricultural collectors are enrolled to market their produce through the system, covering an area exceeding 2 million rai. This ensures that the food’s origin is not linked to deforestation or burning practices, contributing to the resolution of the haze and PM 2.5 issues and the sustainable reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

This initiative underscores Bangkok Produce and CP Foods’ commitment to responsible agricultural sourcing and traceability. Bangkok Produce is expanding the corn traceability system to seven countries, including Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, the Philippines, India, and Bangladesh, with a plan to digitize corn sourcing data from Myanmar within this year as well.

Thai Ex-Prime Minister Thaksin, Just Freed From Detention, May Still Face a Royal Defamation Charge

By

Associated Press

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19 February 2024, 16:02

BANGKOK (AP) — Thai prosecutors said Monday that further investigation is needed to decide whether to bring former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to trial for defaming the monarchy, just a day after he was freed from a prison sentence on other charges he was serving in a hospital.

Thaksin was released on parole Sunday from the hospital in Bangkok where he spent six months serving time for corruption-related offenses. He had been in self-imposed exile since 2008, but returned to Thailand in August last year to begin serving an eight-year sentence.

On his return, he was moved almost immediately from prison to the hospital on grounds of ill health, and about a week after that King Maha Vajiralongkorn reduced his sentence to a single year. Thaksin was granted parole earlier this month because of his age — he is 74 — and ill health, leaving him free for the remainder of his one-year sentence.

Thaksin was briefly detained Sunday by police from the Technology Crime Suppression Division as he left Bangkok’s Police General Hospital but was allowed temporary release to return home as it was not a working day for the prosecutor’s office, Prayuth Bejraguna, a spokesperson for the Office of the Attorney General, said at a news conference on Monday.

The attorney general’s office had announced earlier this month it had revived an investigation into whether Thaksin almost nine years ago violated the law against defaming the monarch, a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

Thaksin was originally charged in 2016 with violating the law for remarks he made to journalists when he was in Seoul, South Korea, a year before that, but the investigation could proceed only after he was presented with the charge in person in the hospital last month, officials said.

Prayuth said Thaksin reported to the attorney general’s office on Monday for the charge, also known as lese majeste, and he was granted release on bail by posting a 500,000 baht ($13,900) bond without conditions beyond those of his parole. The conditions include travel restrictions and reporting himself every month for the remainder of his sentence.

S 127320076 scaled — Prayuth Bejraguna, a spokesperson of the Office of the Attorney General, talks to reporters during a news conference in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, Feb. 19, 2024. (Khaosod Photo)

Prayuth said the attorney general has taken into consideration Thaksin’s statement in his own defense and decided to order a further investigation of his case. He was ordered to return to the office on April 10.

Thaksin became prime minister in 2001 after using his telecommunications fortune to build his own political party and promoting populist policies. He was easily reelected in 2005, but ousted by a 2006 military coup after being accused of corruption, abuse of power and disrespect for the monarchy.

His popularity and unprecedented electoral support unnerved Thailand’s traditional ruling class, including monarchists and the military, and his ouster set off years of sometimes-violent confrontations between his supporters and opponents. Political parties with his backing continued to win elections but were forced from power several times by the courts and the army, both bulwarks of royalism.

Thaksin’s return to Thailand last year came the same day that the Pheu Thai party — the latest incarnation of the party he originally led to power in 2001, and for which he is considered the de facto leader — won a parliamentary vote to form a new government.

Thaksin’s critics have questioned whether his move from prison to more congenial conditions in the hospital reflected special privilege as part of a political deal between his supporters and opponents.

AP23234114313764 — Thailand’s former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, second left, walks with his son Panthongtae, his daughters Pinthongta and Paetongtarn, second right, as he arrives at Don Muang airport in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Wason Wanichakorn)

His release appeared to reflect a reconciliation with his enemies in Thailand’s conservative elite, who had believed his brash populist politics and electoral popularity posed a threat to the monarchy, which they consider the linchpin of Thai society.

Parties supported by Thaksin continued to reign at the polls after his ouster. However, last year, Pheu Thai managed just a close second-place election finish to the more progressive Move Forward party, whose proposals for reform of the army and the monarchy alarmed the royalist conservative establishment more than Pheu Thai, which had softened its anti-military line and was anxious to get back into power.

Move Forward was blocked from taking power when the members of the military-appointed Senate refused to approve its candidate for prime minister. Pheu Thai then put together a governing coalition including conservative parties that was acceptable to the Senate and formed the current government.

“In one sense, Thaksin going home to his family is an end to a personal and political journey that began with the 2006 coup when Thailand’s most popular prime minister was ousted,” Kevin Hewison, a professor emeritus at the University of North Carolina and a veteran Thai studies scholar, said to The Associated Press. “It is the delayed end to a period of political turmoil that brought the monarchy back to the center of the country’s politics, with Thaksin then cast by his opponents as a threat to the monarchy.”

“Thailand’s politics is highly personalized, and Thaksin alienated many when in power. This residual hatred and mistrust is likely behind such moves against Thaksin,” said Hewison. “With so much wheeling and dealing already, a few Thaksin haters are unlikely to undo the grand conservative pact.”

It is also possible, he speculated, that the charge can be left pending as a threat to keep Thaksin in line, in case his political activities are seen as unacceptable.

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Police Probe a Chinese Woman’s Sex Attack Claim Against Thai Man

By

Khaosod English

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19 February 2024, 14:29

CHONBURI – Investigators from Nong Prue Police Station and the Tourist Police are continuing on Monday to investigate the case of a Chinese female tourist. She claimed to have been lured into the wild by a Thai man to assault her on Sunday, February 18.

The incident occurred behind the Siam Country Club Golf Course, near Highway 2081 (Polo Road – Ban Bueng), Moo 9, Pong Subdistrict, Bang Lamung District, Chonburi Province, at dusk on Sunday.

burn chinese5 — The Chinese woman and her younger brother arrive at Nong Prue Police Station on Sunday night, February 18, 2024.

The 29-year-old Chinese woman, accompanied by her younger brother of the same nationality, had been hitchhiking along Highway 331 (Sattahip – Nakhon Ratchasima), about 10 kilometers from the incident site, intending to return to Pattaya. Two Thai men on motorcycles passed by and offered to give them a ride. They both sat on each motorcycle.

During the journey, her brother’s motorcycle ran off into the distance while her motorcyclist turned into the wild. He forced her to get off the bike and tied both her hands with a rope. He then tried to attack her, but was unsuccessful. The man then spread lotion on her body, similar to destroying fingerprints, before pouring gasoline on the meadow and setting it on fire before fleeing.

burn chinese4 — The Chinese woman and her younger brother report the incident at Nong Prue Police Station.

She sat in the middle of the fire, extremely frightened, and tried to escape by using the fire to burn through the ropes tied around her wrists. When the ropes finally broke, she escaped and quickly called her brother for help and informed the authorities.

When investigating the crime scene on Monday, February 19, near the entrance of private land, the police discovered that the surrounding wild had been burned within a radius of 70-80 meters. They kept the black and white dress, which the woman claimed had fallen at the scene, for examination.

burn chinese2 — The police discovered that the surrounding wild had been burned within a radius of 70-80 meters.

According to Miss Nuan, the guard of the location, this land will always be watched during the day, and outsiders are not permitted to enter or exit. At night, the fence will be closed. The inside location spans several dozen rai and includes labour camps.

Police investigated CCTV footage and discovered that two Chinese tourists hitchhiked to Pattaya on two motorcycles. They then attempted to locate the vehicle by checking its licence plate number.

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Thai Ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Gets Free on Parole, but Can He Restore His Old Political Luster?

By

Associated Press

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18 February 2024, 23:23

JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI, BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the Southeast Asian nation’s most controversial politician for more than two decades, was released on parole early Sunday from a Bangkok hospital where he spent six months serving time for corruption-related offenses.

The telecoms billionaire was toppled in a 2006 coup but voluntarily returned from self-exile to Thailand in August last year and reported to prison to begin serving an eight-year sentence. Critics charged that the 74-year-old Thaksin’s early release reeked of a deal that short-circuited justice for political reasons.

Current Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, a leading member of the ruling Thaksin-backed Pheu Thai party, expressed congratulations to his predecessor.

Thaksin was seen wearing a neck brace, a sling on his right arm and a surgical mask inside one of the cars in a convoy that left the Police General Hospital just before sunrise. He was accompanied by his two daughters on his way to his residence in western Bangkok.

“Thaksin is still believed to wield huge influence, and will still maneuver for sure, he will conduct the music behind the scenes,” Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political science professor at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University, said. “But Pheu Thai has less power than they used to and we’ll have to see how he does it.”

After his return from exile, Thaksin was moved almost immediately to the hospital on grounds of ill health and about a week later, King Maha Vajiralongkorn reduced his sentence to a single year.

The former leader had won unprecedented electoral support but also influential enemies among Thailand’s traditional royalist ruling class during his time in office in 2001-2006.

He was accused of corruption and abuse of power as well as disrespect for the monarchy when the military removed him from power in 2006. Thailand’s conservative elite, including the army, regarded his popularity and brash populist politics as a threat to the royal institution, which they see as a linchpin of Thai society.

AP24048855054467 — Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra sits in a vehicle after being released on parole Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024, n Bangkok, Thailand. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Even after his ouster, Thaksin’s supporters and opponents had continued their struggle for power with violent street fighting, election battles, confrontations in the courts and another coup in 2014 that ousted a government that had been formed by Thaksin’s sister.

Last year’s elections brought change when the progressive Move Forward party unexpectedly finished first, the first time since 2001 that a Thaksin-backed party failed to top the polls. Move Forward’s proposals for reforms to the monarchy and the military resonated with large numbers of younger voters, weary of the army-backed governments that had held power since a 2014 coup.

Move Forward was stymied when the military-appointed Senate refused to approve its candidate for prime minister, paving the way for Pheu Thai to form a coalition government including parties linked with the military. Pheu Thai also softened its longstanding anti-military line and reform proposals it promised during the election campaign.

Critics charged the deal included a soft landing for Thaksin upon his return last year.

“In one sense, Thaksin going home to his family is an end to a personal and political journey that began with the 2006 coup when Thailand’s most popular prime minister was ousted,” Kevin Hewison, a professor emeritus at the University of North Carolina and a veteran Thai studies scholar, told The Associated Press.

He said the deal to bring him home and allow his Pheu Thai Party to lead a coalition government with military-backed parties “shows how the progressive politics of Thailand’s younger generation and the electorally successful Move Forward Party have left Thaksin and Pheu Thai behind.”

AP24048847115771 — Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, center, sits in a vehicle with his daughters Paetongtarn and Pinthongta after being released on parole Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Move Forward, which now leads the parliamentary opposition, issued a statement Sunday reflecting widespread suspicion that Thaksin had received a sweetheart deal because of the political influence he can still wield. The circumstances raised questions over whether he benefited from double standards in the justice system, it said.

At the same time it acknowledged that Thaksin’s ouster was unfair and undemocratic. Thaksin has insisted that his prosecution in the courts was politically motivated.

Thaksin will still have to report to parole officers every month for the remainder of his sentence and will have a travel restriction, but he is not required to wear an ankle monitor due to his age and health conditions, officials have said.

He is not yet clear of all legal challenges. Thai officials said earlier this month that they have reopened an investigation into allegations of defaming the monarchy made against Thaksin almost nine years ago. If the Office of the Attorney General decides to indict him, Thaksin could be detained again.

His youngest daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who recently became Pheu Thai party chief, on Sunday afternoon posted a photo on her Instagram account of Thaksin sitting in shorts by a swimming pool, still wearing a neck brace and a sling on his arm.

“After not breathing air and seeing the sun on the outside for 180 days, and not being back to this house for 17 years … Dad came to sit outside like this. He sat there for quite some time. #finallyhome″ she wrote, adding a heart emoji at the end.

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Associated Press writer Grant Peck contributed to this report.

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Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Is Released on Parole

Despite Car Accident Pain, Cambodians Run into Thai Jungle

By

Khaosod English

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18 February 2024, 14:58

CHANTHABURI – Cambodian workers fled into the jungle with their children despite injuries sustained in a car accident in Chanthaburi Province, fearing arrest for illegal entry. Rescuers needed to be persuaded to come out and treat the wound.

The accident happened on February 18 at 1:45 a.m. on Road 317 in Chanthaburi, Sa Kaeo, outbound, Ban Hin Lat, Village No. 8, Pathawee Subdistrict, Makham District, Chanthaburi Province. A white passenger van with a Bangkok licence plate flipped on its side in the middle of the road.

The rescue workers from the Sawang Katanyu Dhamsathan Association in Chanthaburi rushed to assist injured Cambodians, many of whom were crying in pain on a traffic island in the middle of the road. Four people were sent to Makham Hospital for additional treatment.

According to a Thai-speaking Cambodian worker, the van carrying Cambodians was returning to the country at the border when it was involved in an accident. Some injured people, including children, fled into the jungle on the side of the road for fear of being caught by officials.

The rescue workers then brought the Cambodians, yelling for the injured people hiding in the forest to come out so that they could be treated and checked on; otherwise, there would be more danger in cases of blood loss or deformed limbs, particularly in young children. They finally consented to come out and accept treatment.

As for foreign workers, the police will work with relevant agencies to proceed with the legal procedures.

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Detained Senior Police Officer Commits Suicide Amid Rape Accusations

By

Kyodo News

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18 February 2024, 13:27

HIROSHIMA – A senior superintendent who had been detained over accusations of raping at least three women last year died in a police cell in Hiroshima in an apparent suicide, police said Sunday.

Koichi Iwamoto, 58, was found unconscious with his long johns around his neck and tied to the door of the toilet in his cell in Hiroshima Chuo Police Station at around 8:20 p.m. Saturday and pronounced dead at a hospital, the police said.

According to the police, Iwamoto left what appeared to be a suicide note.

The officer, who was on suicide watch, was indicted of raping three women whom he met through a dating app and was recently served a fresh arrest warrant for the alleged rape of two others.

During the first hearing of one of the three women at the Hiroshima District Court in January, Iwamoto’s defense side pleaded not guilty, saying he went to a hotel with her but did not have sex with her.

Police allege that he blackmailed the three women by telling them he would report them to the police unless they agreed to sex, and forced them to sign documents admitting to prostitution.

On loan from the Okayama prefectural police since March of last year, Iwamoto served as a senior instructor at the police school at the Chugoku Shikoku Regional Police Bureau.

Katsutoshi Ono, who oversees the management of detention in the Hiroshima prefectural police, said, “It is regrettable that an incident like this occurred. We will have a thorough probe to prevent a recurrence.”

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Opinion: Who is the Thai PM Now? Srettha or Thaksin?

By

Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

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18 February 2024, 13:00

Former inmate Thaksin Shinawatra has finally returned home after 17 years today. He was first ousted in the coup in September 2006 and subsequently faced corruption-related charges before being sentenced upon returning to Thailand late last year.

He never spent a full night in a proper prison as he was transported to the Police General Hospital due to a “medical emergency” in the middle of his first night in jail, then granted a partial royal pardon by the King while in hospital. He is now out and back home at Baan Chan Song Lah, or Mansion of the Shining Moon, in Bangkok’s Bang Phlat District on parole early this morning.

That “PM” Srettha Thavisin has to say a few hours after Thaksin returns home that there is only “one PM” in Thailand. This reflects the growing speculations and anxiety over the question as to who is the real boss running the government now – is it Srettha Thavisin or Thaksin Shinawatra?

Srettha insists this morning Thailand is not being run by two prime ministers. Is that the case? And if so, who is the real prime minister of Thailand now? For the record, Deputy PM Phumtham Wechayachai went even further on the same day this morning, saying Srettha is not a puppet.

At any rate, we all know that Thaksin has always been the supreme leader of the Pheu Thai Party. Back in 2011, the Pheu Thai Party’s electoral motto was “Thaksin Thinks, Pheu Thai Acts.” His younger sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, then became PM in August 2011 after an election victory before being ousted by the constitutional court, followed by another military coup in 2014 which unconstitutionally removed the Pheu Thai Party.

Fast forward to 2024, his daughter, Paetongtarn, is now the leader of the ruling Pheu Thai Party – or some would say the Shinawatra Party. So, the question is, if his health permits, what kind of role will Thaksin play as PM Srettha was chosen by the party as a compromised candidate more palatable to the conservative established elites and even anti-Thaksinites.

Will Thaksin, at 74, take a de facto driver seat, be hands on, and start to direct the Pheu-Thai-government’s policies in a very public way through posts on social media, thus making PM Srettha Thavisin look like a marionette? Or will he be content with working quietly behind the scenes as kingmaker, pulling the strings whenever he felt necessary and as the supreme advisor of the government and the Pheu Thai Party?

Unless his health is as truly severe as the doctors claimed, it is impossible to think that Thaksin would retire himself to a quiet non-political life at his Mansion of the Shining Moon as he could have done that long, long time ago (abroad) when he was ousted in the 2006 coup, nearly two decades ago.

Instead, the ex-premier was politically active from Dubai, London, Hong Kong, Singapore or wherever on earth where he happens to be stationed. Nevertheless, it is likely that he will wait and see the public’s reaction in the days and weeks ahead before deciding his next move.

For Srettha, the 62-year-old former real estate tycoon, will have to work even harder and quickly prove to the public and his party that he is in charge and an indispensable asset to the Pheu Thai Party and to Thailand and not just a bench warmer for PM Paetongtarn, or head of an interim PM for another Shinawatra PM to be readied. Thaksin’s daughter Paetongtarn, who is at the helm of the Pheu Thai Party, could replace Srettha sooner than later if Srettha proves himself to be an ineffective and unpopular PM.

As for the lese majeste charge against Thaksin, it is still in an early stage and in the end, he could still get another royal pardon.

It would be wise for Thaksin, for the Shinawatra Party, sorry, the Pheu Thai Party, to let PM Srettha prove himself in the next six to 12 months at least. Any visible move to override Srettha’s authority would destabilize politics and could backfire on Thaksin, the Pheu Thai Party, and definitely not good news for Thailand.

Puppet or no puppet, Thaksin should wait and let Srettha prove himself as PM.

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Is Released on Parole After Serving 6 Months in a Hospital

By

Associated Press

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18 February 2024, 08:34

Thailand Thaksin — Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, right, sits in a vehicle with his daughter Paetongtarn in front of his residence after being released on parole, Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024, in Bangkok, Thailand. (AP Photo/Wason Wanichakorn)

JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI, BANGKOK — Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was released on parole early Sunday from a Bangkok hospital where he spent six months serving time for corruption-related offenses.

Thaksin was seen wearing a neck support, a sling on his right arm and a surgical mask inside one of the cars in a convoy leaving the Police General Hospital just before sunrise. He was accompanied by his two daughters and they arrived at his residence in western Bangkok less than an hour later.

A homemade banner with the words “Welcome home” and “We’ve been waiting for this day for so so long” was seen hanging at the front gate of his house. Thaksin and his daughters rode straight into the compound and did not give any reaction to a throng of reporters gathered on the street.

AP24049017019699 — A supporter waits in front of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s residence before Thaksin was released on parole, Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024, in Bangkok. (AP Photo/Wason Wanichakorn)

Thaksin was accused of corruption and abuse of power during his time in office from 2001 to 2006, when he was toppled in a coup, and he remains one of the most polarizing figures in Thai politics over the last two decades. Analysts believe his release represents a drift toward reconciliation with his enemies in Thailand’s conservative elite, who saw his popularity and brash populist politics as a threat to the monarchy, which is considered a bedrock of Thai society.

Thaksin is still believed to wield huge influence and will continue to “conduct the music behind the scenes” for the ruling Pheu Thai party — led by his daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra — but how much political power he can now exercise is unclear, said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a professor of political science at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University.

Thaksin’s original eight-year sentence was commuted to only a year by King Maha Vajiralongkorn on Sept. 1, shortly after he voluntarily returned from more than a decade of self-imposed exile.

Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong confirmed the approval of Thaksin’s parole last week, saying he is in the eligible category of inmates who have serious illnesses, are disabled or are aged over 70. Thaksin is 74 years old.

AP24049002432587 — Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, right, sits in a vehicle in front of his residence after being released on parole, Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024, in Bangkok, Thailand. (AP Photo/Wason Wanichakorn)

Thaksin will still have to report to parole officers every month for the remainder of his sentence and will have a travel restriction, but he is not required to wear an ankle monitor due to his age and health conditions, officials have said.

But he is not yet clear of all legal hurdles. Thai officials said earlier this month that they have reopened an investigation into allegations of defaming the monarchy made against Thaksin almost nine years ago. If the Office of the Attorney General decides to indict him, Thaksin could be detained again.

Thaksin arrived back in his homeland the same day Srettha Thavisin of the Pheu Thai party — the latest incarnation in a string of parties Thaksin has supported since he was removed from office — secured the post of prime minister with the support of military-linked parties. Thaksin was sent straight to prison after his arrival but was moved almost immediately to the hospital on grounds of ill health, without spending a single night behind bars.

Opponents have charged that serving his sentence in a hospital was a special privilege.

After his 2006 ouster, Thaksin’s supporters and opponents continued their struggle with violent fights in the streets, contests at the ballot box, showdowns in the courts and another coup in 2014 that ousted a government that had been formed by Thaksin’s sister.

Thaksin, a telecommunications billionaire who used his fortune to build a populist political party, was once considered a symbol for a different Thailand. Parties he has controlled polled first in every general election until last year, when a more progressive rival topped the field. The Move Forward party’s unexpected win pointed to a strong mandate from voters for real structural change in Thai politics, and its reformist policy proposals alarmed the conservative forces more than Pheu Thai ever did.

Thaksin announced his plan to return just days before Thailand headed to polls last year when the Pheu Thai party was considered the frontrunner. His movement faded after the party finished second in the election, but after repeated delays, his return plan seemed to become more solidified as Move Forward struggled to win enough support to form the government.

AP24048845677456 — Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, center, sits in a vehicle with his daughters Paetongtarn and Pinthongta after being released on parole Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024, in Bangkok, Thailand. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Move Forward was blocked from taking power when the members of the military-appointed Senate refused to approve its candidate for prime minister.

Military-backed parties fared badly in the election, and Thailand’s royalist conservative establishment was believed to have favored reconciliation with Thaksin’s political machine in order to keep the more progressive Move Forward party out of power. The runner-up Pheu Thai then put together a governing coalition including conservative parties that was acceptable to the Senate and formed the current government.

Pheu Thai has since softened its anti-military line and many reform agendas it promised during the election campaign.

Real change that voters had hoped to see after the election has become unlikely under this government, and the Pheu Thai party now “functions as a representative of Thailand’s conservative forces to keep the status quo,” said Puangthong Pawakapan, a professor of political science at Chulalongkorn University.

Puangthong says that Pheu Thai has lost a substantial number of supporters and that the party’s image is compromised after the wheeling and dealing it employed to take power, but she thinks it will not affect its stability as a government as long as the party “does not touch the (old) power and major capitalists.”

Phuket Cab Mafia Damages Grab Taxi Despite Foreigners Are Inside

By

Khaosod English

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17 February 2024, 23:05

PHUKET – On February 17, 2024, officers at Cherng Talay Police Station in Phuket received a report that a Grab driver was threatened by a group of men, believed to be local cab drivers, in front of foreign tourists at Maya Hotel in Cherng Talay at around 2:30 a.m.

When police arrived, they found Mr. Jakkree Thummee, a 42-year-old Grab driver, in a state of shock. Inside the car they found two foreign female tourists who were also in shock. They did not know what had happened. The perpetrators had already fled the scene.

Mr. Jakkree later told reporters that he had just dropped off another client in the Cherng Talay area before the incident. He then received a call via Grab from two foreign female tourists he was supposed to pick up at Maya Beach Club.

He was scared because he had already heard of similar incidents. So he spoke to the customers and asked them if they could meet him further from the club. However, the customers had not read his message yet, so he went to the meeting point to pick them up.

When he arrived, a fat man knocked on his window and asked if he was there to pick up customers. When he said yes, the man smashed his car and called 4-5 other men to surround his car. One of them parked a tuk-tuk in front of his car to block it. Mr. Jakkree was horrified and called 191 and the customers were also terrified and sat frozen. When the police arrived, the men had already fled.

tuktuk mafia — A tuk-tuk blocks the Grab taxi at the Maya Hotel in Cherng Talay, Phuket.

“I would like to ask the police to take care of this situation because this is a major tourist destination. Most foreigners come here and this is a popular place for them. When something like this happens, it’s not only the drivers who are scared, but also the tourists. I would like to know how this problem is going to be solved,” said Mr. Jakkree.

A similar incident occurred in the same location on November 3, 2023, when an out-of-town cab driver picked up a customer and was severely beaten by a group of men. In this case, the Cherng Talay police arrested two of the perpetrators and charged them with assault.

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Taxis Who Reject Passengers Will Face Larger Fines

Two Burmese Murder Suspects Will Be Sent From Cameroon

By

Khaosod English

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17 February 2024, 21:26

BANGKOK – Interpol has apprehended two suspects in the murder of a Burmese businessman who may have been involved in a counterfeit currency fraud in Bangkok’s downtown, three days after fleeing Thailand. They were detained in Cameroon.

On February 14, a 51-year-old Burmese businessman, Kyaw Zeyar, was brutally beaten and killed at Saranjai Mansion in Bangkok’s Khlong Toei Subdistrict. His mobile phone and 5 million baht in cash were both stolen.

The culprits were identified as Mr. Robinson Zaha, a 32-year-old Cameroonian national, and Mr. Viscio DeLord, a 36-year-old Cameroonian.

cameroon1 — The police officers inspect the room on the 23rd floor of a condominium on Sukhumvit Soi 4, Khlong Toei District, Bangkok, where the Burmese man was murdered on February 14, 2024.

On February 16, Pol. Lt. Gen. Thiti Saengsawang, commander of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, reported that the two foreigners had escaped Thailand on Lion Air flight SL100 from Don Mueang Airport to Singapore on the early morning at 5:01 a.m. on February 14.

When the Metropolitan Investigation Team coordinated with Singaporean authorities, they discovered that the two suspects had flown to Istanbul, Turkey, so they rushed to Interpol to issue a red notice to coordinate with Turkish authorities to locate them.

Interpol eventually apprehended the two in Cameroon and conducted a thorough investigation before returning them to Thailand to face legal action.

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