BANGKOK – The Public Relations Department said on Monday that the government is embarking on a “groundbreaking mission” to promote childbirth and make it a national priority by March.
It includes introducing the “Give Birth, Great World” initiative, steered by the Ministry of Public Health.
“Fertility clinics in hospitals are gearing up to provide all-encompassing support, including planning, diagnosing, and treating infertility. With the introduction of advanced reproductive technologies like intrauterine insemination (IUI) and in vitro fertilisation (IVF), new avenues are being opened for those dreaming of parenthood, promising a brighter future and stronger human capital.”
Health minister Cholanan Srikaew and public health officials pose with children at an event to boost the birth rate on Nov. 15, 2023.
It adds that “efforts are underway to enhance work-life balance, extend financial aid to families, streamline parental leave, and champion inclusive laws for all eager to start families. These pivotal measures aim to counteract the dwindling birth rates.”
Thailand, the department adds, faced a historically low birth rate with only 485,085 new births in 2022 and a continuous population decline.
“Thailand risks seeing its population diminish to a mere 33 million in the next six decades, posing serious threats to labour availability and economic stability.”
“The nation is rallying to come together in support of this crucial initiative, aiming to cultivate a thriving and populous Thailand. Let’s spread the word, embracing this call to action for growth and joy for generations to come,” it says.
FILE - Newly-elected Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, center, is photographed with his wife Pojamarn, left, son Parntongtae, second left, and daughters Paetongtarn, right, and Pintongta, second right, after receiving the royal command appointed him as Thailand's 23rd prime minister at a ceremony at his residence in Bangkok Friday, Feb. 9, 2001. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit,File)
He was detained in a hospital for six months and on Sunday, Thaksin was released on parole for corruption-related offenses.
Here’s a look at what may lie ahead for one of Southeast Asian most controversial politicians:
HOW DID THAKSIN BECOME POPULAR?
Thaksin Shinawatra, 74 , was twice elected prime minister, only to see his second term cut short by a military coup in 2006.
A former police official, Thaksin made fortune in telecommunications and used it to found his own Thai Rak Thai party in 1998. He promoted populist policies that appealed to lower income citizens, particularly in rural areas where most voters live. He was elected in a landslide victory in 2001, and reelected in 2005.
FILE – Thai telecommunication tycoon and leader of Thai Rak Thai Party Thaksin Shinawatra waves during campaign rally in Bangkok Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2000. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)
His supporters credited him for spreading the benefits of growth in a country with big gaps between rich and poor. He became a symbol of hope for policies benefiting the rural population that was mostly neglected by previous governments. The measures pushed by Thaksin included the universal health care — a major accomplishment — village development funds and support of rural industries and development.
WHO ARE HIS ENEMIES?
His massive popularity and unprecedented electoral support had rocked the long established political order in Thailand. It earned Thaksin powerful enemies among the country’s conservative forces, including the army. They saw him as a threat to the monarchy, revered as the bedrock of Thai national identity.
But there were other red flags: he was intolerant of criticism, especially in mass media, and failed to distance his wide-ranging business interests from governance. He was accused of mishandling complaints of minority Muslims in Thailand’s southernmost provinces, prolonging the conflict there, while human rights groups blame his war on illegal drugs for more than 2,000 extrajudicial killings of suspected traffickers.
FILE – An anti government protester walks past a poster depicting ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra behind bars outside Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday July 3, 2008.(AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)FILE – The Thai military ride on a tank launched a coup against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra next to Government house in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday Sept. 19, 2006. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit,File)
His ouster in the coup in 2006 sparked nearly two decades of deep political polarization that pitted his supporters, particularly the less well-off who benefited from his policies, against a range of opponents including members of the urban classes, fervent royalists and the army.
Thaksin has rejected legal charges against him, mostly corruption-related, as politically motivated.
He had been abroad when the army took power but returned in 2008, after a new friendly civilian administration briefly ruled Thailand. However, he skipped bail that same year just before he was sentenced in connection with a real estate deal. He fled abroad, splitting his time mostly between London and Dubai and attending to a variety of business interests. In 2007, he had purchased the Premier League football club Manchester City, but he sold it about a year later.
IS THAKSIN STILL RELEVANT?
After his ouster, Thaksin remained a highly beloved figure to millions of voters who saw him as a symbol of a government that looked after their interests. Time and again, Thaksin-backed parties prevailed in national elections, but were unable to stay in office for long due to legal challenges — firmly aligned with the conservative establishment — and destabilizing street protests engineered by Thaksin’s die-hard foes.
Militant street action in 2010 by his supporters that virtually shut down central Bangkok for two months was suppressed by the army, with at least 90 people killed in the violence.
FILE – Pro-government and supporters of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra listen ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to speak from overseas exile to his supporters at Rajamangala national stadium in Bangkok, Thailand Saturday, Nov. 1, 2008. T(AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit,File)
In 2011, Thaksin’s sister Yingluck Shinawatra led the Pheu Thai party to an landslide election victory. But her government then floated a proposal for a political amnesty that could allow Thaksin to escape imprisonment, triggering a series of protests that turned violent, leading to another coup in 2014 that installed a purely military government. It stayed in place until 2019.
Thaksin’s desire to return home seemed finally possible as Thais last year headed to a general election in which the Pheu Thai party had been considered the frontrunner.
However, it fell behind the more progressive Move Forward party, whose proposals to reform the monarchy and the military resonated with large numbers of voters who were disenchanted by the army-backed governments.
Move Forward’s victory had rattled Thailand’s conservative establishment, apparently driving them to favor reconciliation with their old enemy Thaksin and his political machine over what looked to be a more dangerous threat to their interests.
The result was a governing coalition between military-backed conservative parties and Pheu Thai. Thaksin’s dramatic return came on the day the Pheu Thai party won enough votes in Parliament to lead the government. The party, in return, softened its anti-military line and many reform plans it had promised during the campaign.
FILE – Deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra knees down and greets on the ground after walking out of VIP room at Suvarnabhumi international airport shortly after his arrival Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008 in Bangkok, Thailand.(AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong,file)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)
ROYAL CLEMENCY
After returning to Bangkok in August last year, Thaksin was sent straight to prison to start serving his eight-year term. He was moved almost immediately to a hospital on grounds of ill health, and had his sentence commuted to a year by King Maha Vajiralongkorn. He remained in the hospital until he was paroled.
He emerged in public for the first time after six months, driven from the hospital to his residence in western Bangkok with a neck brace and an arm sling. Critics have charged that his abbreviated prison stay and relatively comfortable confinement in a hospital was a special privilege that reflected a deal he and his party made with their conservative foes.
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)
It is widely speculated that after the release, Thaksin will resume political activities and wield commanding influence over the Pheu Thai party. His daughter Paetongtarn heads the party and is considered a future prospective prime minister.
Thaksin meanwhile has not yet cleared all legal hurdles. The Office of the Attorney General said it is still investigating a charge of royal defamation that were made against Thaksin almost nine years ago. It could land him up to 15 years in prison if he is ever convicted.
BANGKOK – Once again, the Thai Prime Minister has requested that the Bank of Thailand consider reducing policy interest rates in order to help people during this period of low inflation. He pleaded late at night.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin addressed a message on the X in the middle of the night, pointing out that the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) announced on Monday, February 19, that the Thai economy is in a critical state.
He noted that Danucha Pitchayanan, Secretary-General of the NESDB, emphasised that financial measures must be applied to assist propel the Thai economy forward, particularly by reducing the burden on individuals and SMEs through careful consideration of various interest rate measures.
“The NESDB Secretary-General agrees that interest rates should be reduced. I’d like to request that the Monetary Policy Committee hold an emergency meeting to discuss cutting interest rates before the regular meeting,” he added.
PM Settha also criticised Mr. Danucha, saying, “You should have spoken at the MPC meeting last week. I’m not sure what the goal of the remarks is, except to say that you did your job when you should have done it earlier.”
Danucha Pitchayanan, Secretary-General of the NESDB, holds a press conference to announce the Thai Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the fourth quarter of 2023 and the economic projection for 2024.
Earlier, the Prime Minister answered questions from the media in Udon Thani Province on his request to the Bank of Thailand (BoT) to consider lowering interest rates, but received no response. The PM stated that he had spoken with Mr. Danucha, and Mr. Danucha stated that he had spoken with the governor of the Bank of Thailand that it is time to lower interest rates.
“So I asked him, Why don’t you speak in public? and use clear words. The NESDB Secretary-General, the Governor of the Bank of Thailand, and I are all economics graduates. We’re not here to defeat each other. But is it time for interest rate cuts yet?”The Prime Minister said.
He went on to remark, “I’m not just going to reduce interest rates. However, as we can see from the data, lowering interest rates is also a method of easing the burden on Thais as a whole. For example, we are working to provide the digital wallet scheme as soon as possible.”
According to the NESDC press release on February 19, 2024, the Thai economy in the fourth quarter of 2024 expanded only by 1.7 percent (%YoY), accelerating from a growth of 1.4 percent in the previous quarter. After being seasonally adjusted, the economy decreased by 0.6 percent from the third quarter (%QoQ sa). In 2023, the Thai economy expanded by 1.9 percent, decelerating from a 2.5-percent expansion in 2022.
BANGKOK – Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Srettha Thavisin said on February 19 that he had received reports of a large number of Russian tourists travelling to Thailand, but there are insufficient flights.
As a result, the Prime Minister stated that he would consult with Thai Airways about restarting the flight between Moscow and Bangkok. Thai Airways had already resumed flights between Istanbul and Bangkok; thus, he hopes that flights between Moscow and Bangkok will revive as well.
Srettha Thavisin
The Prime Minister stated that since the end of last year, when the visa exemption for Russian tourists expanded from 30 to 90 days, Russian travellers have entered Thailand throughout the Russian winter and stayed for prolonged periods of time. More than one million Russian tourists have expressed a willingness to visit Thailand this year, which is regarded welcome.
In October 2023, the Thai government approved a unilateral and temporary tourist visa exemption scheme for holders of Russian passports or travel documents entering the Kingdom of Thailand between November 1, 2023, and April 30, 2024, allowing them to stay for no more than 90 days. This intends to make it easier for Russian tourists to visit Thailand while also strengthening people-to-people ties between the two countries.
Thai Airways
Thai Airways International Public Company Limited (THAI) previously launched the round-trip Bangkok-Moscow route with its inaugural flight on November 1, 2005, operating 3 flights per week.
On March 24, 2020, Thai Airways announced that it would temporarily restrict flights to Europe, including Moscow, due to a pandemic. Several countries have stepped up their preventive measures, including countrywide lockdowns.
Palestinian crowds struggle to buy bread from a bakery in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — More than 29,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, the territory’s Health Ministry said Monday, marking another grim milestone in the deadliest round of violence in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the offensive until “total victory” against Hamas, raising fears that troops will soon move into the southernmost town of Rafah on the Egyptian border, where over half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have sought refuge from fighting elsewhere.
The United States, Israel’s top ally, says it is still working with mediators Egypt and Qatar to try to broker another cease-fire and hostage release agreement. But those efforts appear to have stalled in recent days, and Netanyahu angered Qatar, which has hosted Hamas leaders, bycalling on it to pressure the militant group.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a gathering of Jewish leaders at the Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem, Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
The Health Ministry said 107 bodies were brought to hospitals in the last 24 hours. That brings the total number of fatalities to 29,092 since the start of the war.
The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its records, but says around two-thirds of those killed were women and children. More than 69,000 Palestinians have been wounded, overwhelming the territory’s hospitals, less than half of which are even partially functioning.
The Health Ministry is part of the Hamas-run government in Gaza but maintains detailed records of casualties. Its figures from previous wars in Gaza have largely matched those of U.N. agencies, independent experts and even Israel’s own tallies.
The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel from Gaza on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 hostage.
More than 100 captives were released during a weeklong cease-fire in November in exchange for 240 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Militants still hold around 130, a fourth of them believed to be dead.
Palestinians mourn over their relatives killed in the Israeli bombardments of the Gaza Strip at Al Aqsa Hospital in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, on Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)
Israel says it has killed over 10,000 Palestinian militants, without providing evidence. The military says it tries to avoid harming civilians and blames the high death toll on Hamas because the militant group fights in dense residential neighborhoods. The military says 236 of its soldiers have been killed since the start of the ground offensive in late October.
The war, which shows no sign of ending, has driven around 80% of the Palestinians in Gaza from their homes and has left a quarter of the population starving, according to U.N. officials.
On Sunday, Benny Gantz, a retired general and a member of Netanyahu’s three-man War Cabinet, warned that the offensive would expand to Rafah if the hostages are not freed by the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which is expected to begin around March 10. The month of dawn-to-dusk fasting is often a time of heightened tensions in the region.
The United States says it is still pushing for a truce and hostage-release, and that it would veto a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire because it conflicts with those efforts.
Hamas has said it won’t release all of the remaining hostages until Israel ends the war and withdraws from Gaza. It is also demanding the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including top militants.
International aid agencies say Gaza is suffering from shortages of food, medicine and other basic supplies as a result of the war between Israel and Hamas. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)
Netanyahu has rejected those demands, calling them “delusional.” In a speech before American Jewish leaders on Sunday, he said pressure should be applied on Qatar, which played a key role in mediating last year’s cease-fire and hostage release deal.
“Qatar can press Hamas as no one else can. They host Hamas leaders, Hamas is dependent on them financially,” Netanyahu said. “I urge you to press Qatar to press Hamas because we want our hostages released.”
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Majed al-Ansari, dismissed Netanyahu’s remarks as “a new attempt to stall and prolong the war for reasons that have become obvious to everyone,” alluding to the Israeli leader’s domestic political troubles.
Qatar denies funding Hamas and says its provision of aid to Gaza in recent years was carried out in full coordination with Israel, the U.S. and other parties.
“The Israeli prime minister knows very well that Qatar has been committed from day one to mediation efforts, ending the crisis and freeing the hostages,” al-Ansari said.
The animals were discovered in the luggage of a Mongolian passenger.
SUVARNABHUMI – Thai authorities apprehended a Mongolian passenger who attempted to transport live animals out of the Kingdom, including CITES-listed animals.
The Suvarnabhumi Airport Customs Control Section of the Investigation and Suppression Department collaborated with the National Park Department. Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department of Fisheries and Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited takes this kind of smuggling very seriously.
This Mongolian man attempted to go to Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar, from Suvarnabhumi Airport, where animals were detected under control under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
The Mongolian passenger’s suitcase is filled with wild animals.A Siamese fighting fish
The animals discovered in the luggage include two Komodo dragons and six Indian star tortoises, both of which are on the CITES list Appendix I, as well as eight iguanas, five Burmese pythons, and one reticulated python on Appendix II.
In addition, 46 live fish were discovered, including 22 guppies and two Siamese fighting fish. All of the animals in the passenger’s luggage were intended for check-in on the plane.
Mr. Panthong Loikunnan, a Customs Department official, stated that the passenger’s attempt to export out of the Kingdom is already illegal under the Convention on International Trade, which regulates specific species, including CITES-listed wild animals and plants. The man also violated the Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act, the Animal Epidemics Act, and the Royal Fisheries Decree.
BANGKOK – Sudawan Wangsupakitkosol, Minister of Tourism and Sports, announced that “The White Lotus” series productions, which Lisa, a Thai-born superstar of K-pop Blackpink, will join in the series Season 3, have begun in Koh Samui, Phuket, and Bangkok.
On Instagram, the show’s official account, “thewhitelotus and streamonmax,” last week shared a picture of a clapperboard and stated that “unforgettable experiences are in the making at #TheWhiteLotus. We are eager to welcome new guests to our resort in Thailand.”
On February 13, it was revealed that Lisa Blackpink is joining the cast of the third season to make her acting debut.
Instagram: lalalalisa_m
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is supporting the use of filming locations in Koh Samui, Phuket, and Bangkok and expects that the series, similar to “The Beach,” will create demand among viewers to follow in her footsteps and visit Thailand.
“The government has supported foreign film productions to come and shoot in Thailand. This is done through incentives such as a cash rebate of 20-30 percent of the total investment,” the tourism minister said.
She expalined the main benefit is 20 percent for investments of at least 100 million baht. Further concessions can be up to 10 percent. There is also an additional discount of 3 percent if 50 percent of the shooting days take place in secondary tourist cities. A further 5 percent is granted for the promotion of soft power and Thailand’s positive image and 3 percent for the recruitment of key Thai personnel.”
There is currently a maximum spending cap of 750 million baht for films shot in Thailand. The Ministry of Tourism is proposing that the government consider whether or not to lift the cap for big-budget films that require more than 750 million baht to shoot in Thailand. This would accommodate film productions that need to spend large sums, which would also lead to high domestic spending.
The data shows that in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, Thailand earned 4.46 billion baht from foreign film productions. In 2021, despite the ongoing pandemic, film productions still came to Thailand, generating 5 billion baht in revenue. Revenues for 2022-2023 was around 6 billion baht.
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.
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)
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
The police found the black and white dress, which the woman claimed had fallen at the scene, and kept it for examination.
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.
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.
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.
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.
