DOCSLIB.ORG

February 24, 2021 Thai Enquirer Summary Political News • Thailand

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
February 24, 2021 Thai Enquirer Summary Political News • Thailand February 24, 2021 Thai Enquirer Summary Political News Thailand is set to receive Covid-19 vaccines today from China’s Sinovac and the Oxford- Astrazeneca, according to Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. On the political front, Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha is said to lose his temper with the media again when he was asked the popular social media “Clubhouse” application after former prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra showed up on the app, showing his support for young people’s call for charter amendments. Thaksin joined the February 22 forum as special guest under the name “Tony Woodsame” along with former ministers in his government such as Surapong Suebwonglee, Prommin Lertsuridej, Chaturon Chaisang and Pichai Naripthaphan on the app on February 22, the CARE Movement said on its Facebook page. The ex-premier attended the 2-hours long forum talking about his experience of contracting Covid-19 and then recovering from the disease as well as the origin of the “30 baht cure all” policy that his Thai Rak Thai Party came up with to tackle the country’s healthcare problems. The forum drew more than 100,000 listeners overnight. At one point, the ex-premier talked about political rallies in Thailand which he said caused by young people feeling uncertain about their future. He urged the government must communicate with these young protesters based on reason as well as find ways to make Thailand open and free. Interestingly, when asked by another guest about the Tak Bai and Kreu-Sae incidents in 2003 which led to a large number of people and insurgents being killed under his administration, the ex-premier said he hardly recalled the incidents and expressed his condolences to the victims of the incidents. This 1st appearance on Clubhouse app of Thaksin became top Twitter trend quickly followed by many questions and responses. The #Thaksin accompanied by “Tak Bai can’t remember” rose as the most popular Twitter trend this week. Some comment said Thaksin on Clubhouse but Lung (used to refer to Prime Minister Gen Prayut) is still on TikTok. Gen Prayut told the press that he did not use the Clubhouse app because he had no time for it, telling Thai people not to listen to criminals. He was quoted as saying, “Why do I have to be listening? People love listening to this criminal who destroyed the law and people are still giving him credit”. The coalition Bhumjai Thai Party said it is willing to wait for decision of the Phalang Pracharat Party (PPRP) on a punishment against 7 rebels who violated the party’s resolution on the no-confidence vote. Paradon Prisananantakul, a Bhumjai Thai MP for Ang Thong, said his party will wait for the committee’s announcement for punishment measures for the conduct of 6 rebels after its findings are to be released within 15 days. On Protest news, Ratsadon (People’s Movement) protesters yesterday rallied in front of the Royal Thai Police headquarters to protest against the corruption-plagued police promotion system. The issue was raised during last week’s censure debate by the opposition Kao Klai (Move Forward) party. A small crowd started gathering at Ratchaprasong intersection in Bangkok at about 17.00 hrs, with protest leaders taking to the stage to denounce the widespread practice of alleged nepotism and graft in police reshuffles and to urge hard-working police to rise up and fight for justice. Prominent Ratsadon core leaders Panasaya Sitthijirawattanakul and Panupong Jadnok or “Mike Rayong” were absent from the rally. Protesters then marched to the Royal Thai Police headquarters and distributed copies of a letter containing a statement among protesters. The letter was claimed to be written by a police officer addressed to his colleagues. The protesters dispersed peacefully at about 20.30 hrs. The organizers announced another rally today and ask supporters to wear black in another protest today in front of the Criminal Court to “mourn” the justice system for 112 minutes, to protest against Section 112 of the Criminal Code or the lee majeste law and the detention in prison of 4 core protest leaders, namely Parit Chiwarak, Anon Nampa, Somyos Prueksakasemsook and Patiwat Saraiyaem. On the charter amendment issue, Suthin Khlangsaeng, the opposition chief whip and Pheu Thai MP for Maha Sarakham, came out to admit that the opposition is worried that the charter amendment process could be derailed after the Constitutional Court accepted a petition asking it to rule if the process is unconstitutional. The court’s review is likely to affect the 2nd reading of the proposed charter amendments scheduled for February 24-25. The court’s schedule to consider the amendment drafts on March 4 will also affect the 3rd reading of the proposed charter amendments set for mid-March. The court’s verdict in opposition to charter amendments is likely to lead to conflict in society and the charter amendment crisis to deepen. In a related development, a report said 108 lawmakers had proposed a motion to ban members of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) and former charter drafting committee members under Meechai Ruchuphan from serving on a new Constitution Drafting Assembly (CDA). The Criminal Court is set to deliver a verdict in a case against 39 leaders of now-defunct People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) including Suthep Thaugsuban today on offences, including treason, acts of terrorism. The court’s decision is a result of public prosecutors’ decision to submit the case against 39 leaders of the movement rally on January 24, 2018. Suthep and all the defendants denied all the charges when appearing before the court. They were released on bail on condition of not leaving the country without permission from the court. The court said it had now completed the examination of witnesses in the case. Among the 39 defendants are Education Minister Nataphol Teepsuwan, Digital Economy and Society (DES) Minister Buddhipongse, Deputy Transport Minister Thavorn Senniam, Democrat MPs Sathit Wongnongtoey and Rangsima Rodrassami, former Democrat MP Witthaya Kaewparadai and Phalang Pracharat Party list MP Paiboon Nititawan. Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan, as the Phalang Pracharat Party (PPRP) leader, came out to confirm that the party will not field former police chief Pol Gen Chakthip Chaijinda as its candidate to contest the upcoming Bangkok gubernatorial election. Gen Prawit’s move came after a large banner bearing the image of Pol Gen Chakthip was hung in front of the former headquarters of the PPRP, fuelling speculation that the ex-police commissioner will run for the contest under the PPRP’s banner. Gen Prawit said the old PPRP head office building had nothing to do with the party. The cabinet formally approved the extension of the nationwide emergency decree nationwide for another month through March 31. Economic News The World Bank urged the Thai government to boost investment to 35-36 per cent of GDP, from 17 per cent at present, and double productivity growth, as Kiatipong Ariyapruchya, World Bank senior economist for Thailand, said during a Virtual Forum: Reinventing Thailand 2021 on the topic “A More Prosperous 2021”. The World Bank economist also said it will take at least 2 years for Thailand’s economy to return to its pre-pandemic level due to its heavy reliance on tourism amid volatile political situation and the trade war. Kiatipong also warned that Thailand’s poverty rates will be elevated due to economic impacts of the outbreak, with additional 1.5 million people may have entered poverty in 2020. It will take at least 4-5 years for the country to return to sustainable growth. Given such the economic prospect, the World Bank is looking to cut its previous projection of 4 per cent in 2021 due to the new round of the Covid-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate in Thailand increased to 1.69 per cent in 2020, compared to 0.98 per cent in 2019, according to the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC). Average hours worked in the private sector also fell from 45.8 hours per week to 43.2 hours per week, a drop of 5.7 per cent. The number of overtime workers (who work over 50 hours per week) fell to 17.1 per cent. This is seen as an indicator that workers had insufficient income to afford necessities. Household income fell from 26,371 baht to 23,615 baht during the 1st half of 2020, or by 10.45 per cent, according to the NESDC’s household socio-economic Survey. The government’s economic think-tank expects an increase in household debt in the 4th quarter of 2020. However, there is some good news for the export sector as Kasikorn Research Centre (KResearch) foresees a good prospect for Thai export after the global economy has been showing signs of recovery. Thailand’s exports grew 0.35 per cent year-on-year to US$ 19.7 billion in January, below the market estimate of 2.7 per cent, according to KResearch. Phusit Rattanakul Sereeruengsit, director-general of the Trade Policy and Strategy Office, also saw an uptick on exports in January of products related to agriculture, working from home trend and the pandemic. Rubber gloves gained 200 per cent year-on-year, up 14 months in a row, based on high demand from many countries. Gold exports plunged by 90 per cent year-on-year. Exports expanded for a second consecutive month thanks to recovery in global trade and national economies especially in Asia, including optimism on vaccination progress, Phusit said. However, he warned that the Thai exports could face pressure from the new Covid-19 outbreak coupled with new variants, a shortage of shipping containers, and the strengthening of baht.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Thailand White Paper
    THE BANGKOK MASSACRES: A CALL FOR ACCOUNTABILITY ―A White Paper by Amsterdam & Peroff LLP EXECUTIVE SUMMARY For four years, the people of Thailand have been the victims of a systematic and unrelenting assault on their most fundamental right — the right to self-determination through genuine elections based on the will of the people. The assault against democracy was launched with the planning and execution of a military coup d’état in 2006. In collaboration with members of the Privy Council, Thai military generals overthrew the popularly elected, democratic government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whose Thai Rak Thai party had won three consecutive national elections in 2001, 2005 and 2006. The 2006 military coup marked the beginning of an attempt to restore the hegemony of Thailand’s old moneyed elites, military generals, high-ranking civil servants, and royal advisors (the “Establishment”) through the annihilation of an electoral force that had come to present a major, historical challenge to their power. The regime put in place by the coup hijacked the institutions of government, dissolved Thai Rak Thai and banned its leaders from political participation for five years. When the successor to Thai Rak Thai managed to win the next national election in late 2007, an ad hoc court consisting of judges hand-picked by the coup-makers dissolved that party as well, allowing Abhisit Vejjajiva’s rise to the Prime Minister’s office. Abhisit’s administration, however, has since been forced to impose an array of repressive measures to maintain its illegitimate grip and quash the democratic movement that sprung up as a reaction to the 2006 military coup as well as the 2008 “judicial coups.” Among other things, the government blocked some 50,000 web sites, shut down the opposition’s satellite television station, and incarcerated a record number of people under Thailand’s infamous lèse-majesté legislation and the equally draconian Computer Crimes Act.
    [Show full text]
  • The Two Faces of Thai Authoritarianism
    East Asia Forum Economics, Politics and Public Policy in East Asia and the Pacific http://www.eastasiaforum.org The two faces of Thai authoritarianism 29th September, 2014 Author: Thitinan Pongsudhirak Thai politics has completed a dramatic turn from electoral authoritarianism under deposed premier Thaksin Shinawatra in 2001–2006 to a virtual military government under General Prayuth Chan-ocha. These two sides of the authoritarian coin, electoral and military, represent Thailand’s painful learning curve. The most daunting challenge for the country is not to choose one or the other but to create a hybrid that combines electoral sources of legitimacy for democratic rule and some measure of moral authority and integrity often lacked by elected officials. A decade ago, Thaksin was practically unchallenged in Thailand. He had earlier squeaked through an assets concealment trial on a narrow and questionable vote after nearly winning a majority in the January 2001 election. A consummate politician and former police officer, Thaksin benefited from extensive networks in business and the bureaucracy, including the police and army. In politics, his Thai Rak Thai party became a juggernaut. It devised a popular policy platform, featuring affordable universal healthcare, debt relief and microcredit schemes. It won over most of the rural electorate and even the majority of Bangkok. Absorbing smaller parties, Thai Rak Thai virtually monopolised party politics in view of a weak opposition. Thaksin penetrated and controlled supposedly independent agencies aimed at promoting accountability, particularly the Constitutional Court, the Election Commission and the Anti-Corruption Commission. His confidants and loyalists steered these agencies. His cousin became the army’s Commander-in-Chief.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ongoing Insurgency in Southern Thailand: Trends in Violence, Counterinsurgency Operations, and the Impact of National Politics by Zachary Abuza
    STRATEGIC PERSPECTIVES 6 The Ongoing Insurgency in Southern Thailand: Trends in Violence, Counterinsurgency Operations, and the Impact of National Politics by Zachary Abuza Center for Strategic Research Institute for National Strategic Studies National Defense University Institute for National Strategic Studies National Defense University The Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS) is National Defense University’s (NDU’s) dedicated research arm. INSS includes the Center for Strategic Research, Center for Technology and National Security Policy, Center for Complex Operations, and Center for Strategic Conferencing. The military and civilian analysts and staff who comprise INSS and its subcomponents execute their mission by conducting research and analysis, and publishing, and participating in conferences, policy support, and outreach. The mission of INSS is to conduct strategic studies for the Secretary of Defense, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Unified Combatant Commands in support of the academic programs at NDU and to perform outreach to other U.S. Government agencies and the broader national security community. Cover: Thai and U.S. Army Soldiers participate in Cobra Gold 2006, a combined annual joint training exercise involving the United States, Thailand, Japan, Singapore, and Indonesia. Photo by Efren Lopez, U.S. Air Force The Ongoing Insurgency in Southern Thailand: Trends in Violence, Counterinsurgency Operations, and the Impact of National Politics The Ongoing Insurgency in Southern Thailand: Trends in Violence, Counterinsurgency Operations, and the Impact of National Politics By Zachary Abuza Institute for National Strategic Studies Strategic Perspectives, No. 6 Series Editors: C. Nicholas Rostow and Phillip C. Saunders National Defense University Press Washington, D.C.
    [Show full text]
  • Thailand's First Provincial Elections Since the 2014 Military Coup
    ISSUE: 2021 No. 24 ISSN 2335-6677 RESEARCHERS AT ISEAS – YUSOF ISHAK INSTITUTE ANALYSE CURRENT EVENTS Singapore | 5 March 2021 Thailand’s First Provincial Elections since the 2014 Military Coup: What Has Changed and Not Changed Punchada Sirivunnabood* Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, founder of the now-dissolved Future Forward Party, attends a press conference in Bangkok on January 21, 2021, after he was accused of contravening Thailand's strict royal defamation lese majeste laws. In December 2020, the Progressive Movement competed for the post of provincial administrative organisations (PAO) chairman in 42 provinces and ran more than 1,000 candidates for PAO councils in 52 of Thailand’s 76 provinces. Although Thanathorn was banned from politics for 10 years, he involved himself in the campaign through the Progressive Movement. Photo: Lillian SUWANRUMPHA, AFP. * Punchada Sirivunnabood is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities of Mahidol University and Visiting Fellow in the Thailand Studies Programme of the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. 1 ISSUE: 2021 No. 24 ISSN 2335-6677 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY • On 20 December 2020, voters across Thailand, except in Bangkok, elected representatives to provincial administrative organisations (PAO), in the first twinkle of hope for decentralisation in the past six years. • In previous sub-national elections, political parties chose to separate themselves from PAO candidates in order to balance their power among party allies who might want to contest for the same local positions. • In 2020, however, several political parties, including the Phuea Thai Party, the Democrat Party and the Progressive Movement (the successor of the Future Forward Party) officially supported PAO candidates.
    [Show full text]
  • Thailand's Lengthening Roadmap to Elections
    Thailand’s Lengthening Roadmap to Elections Asia Report N°274 | 10 December 2015 International Crisis Group Headquarters Avenue Louise 149 1050 Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32 2 502 90 38 Fax: +32 2 502 50 38 [email protected] Table of Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................... i I. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 II. Road to the Roadmap ....................................................................................................... 3 III. Drafting the Twentieth Constitution ................................................................................ 6 A. First Draft................................................................................................................... 6 B. Roadmap Dead Ends ................................................................................................. 8 IV. The Road Ahead ............................................................................................................... 11 A. Revised Roadmap ...................................................................................................... 11 B. Incipient Praetorianism? ........................................................................................... 12 C. Economic Factors ...................................................................................................... 16 D. Dissent ......................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Thailand Country Report BTI 2010
    BTI 2010 | Thailand Country Report Status Index 1-10 5.84 # 59 of 128 Democracy 1-10 5.35 # 69 of 128 Market Economy 1-10 6.32 # 46 of 128 Management Index 1-10 4.58 # 76 of 128 scale: 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest) score rank trend This report is part of the Transformation Index (BTI) 2010. The BTI is a global ranking of transition processes in which the state of democracy and market economic systems as well as the quality of political management in 128 transformation and developing countries are evaluated. The BTI is a joint project of the Bertelsmann Stiftung and the Center for Applied Policy Research (C•A•P) at Munich University. More on the BTI at http://www.bertelsmann-transformation-index.de/ Please cite as follows: Bertelsmann Stiftung, BTI 2010 — Thailand Country Report. Gütersloh: Bertelsmann Stiftung, 2009. © 2009 Bertelsmann Stiftung, Gütersloh BTI 2010 | Thailand 2 Key Indicators Population mn. 67.0 HDI 0.78 GDP p.c. $ 7394 Pop. growth % p.a. 0.7 HDI rank of 182 87 Gini Index 42.4 Life expectancy years 69 UN Education Index 0.89 Poverty2 % 11.5 Urban population % 33.0 Gender equality1 0.51 Aid per capita $ -4.9 Sources: UNDP, Human Development Report 2009 | The World Bank, World Development Indicators 2009. Footnotes: (1) Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM). (2) Percentage of population living on less than $2 a day. Executive Summary The period under review commenced with continued military dictatorship in January 2007. During 2007, a new constitution was written which weakened political parties. Moreover, courts dissolved former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party (banning its executives for five years).
    [Show full text]
  • A Coup Ordained? Thailand's Prospects for Stability
    A Coup Ordained? Thailand’s Prospects for Stability Asia Report N°263 | 3 December 2014 International Crisis Group Headquarters Avenue Louise 149 1050 Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32 2 502 90 38 Fax: +32 2 502 50 38 [email protected] Table of Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................... i I. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 II. Thailand in Turmoil ......................................................................................................... 2 A. Power and Legitimacy ................................................................................................ 2 B. Contours of Conflict ................................................................................................... 4 C. Troubled State ............................................................................................................ 6 III. Path to the Coup ............................................................................................................... 9 A. Revival of Anti-Thaksin Coalition ............................................................................. 9 B. Engineering a Political Vacuum ................................................................................ 12 IV. Military in Control ............................................................................................................ 16 A. Seizing Power
    [Show full text]
  • Visa Runs 'Are Safe' Despite Violence
    Volume 11 Issue 2 News Desk - Tel: 076-236555January 10 - 16, 2004 Daily news at www.phuketgazette.net 20 Baht The Gazette is published in association with Visa runs Long delays clog ‘are safe’ IN THIS ISSUE despite NEWS: Patong Mayoral race; scores register as ‘poor’; airport arrivals Queer News.Pages 2, 3 & 4 violence By Dhirarat Boonkongsaen INSIDE STORY: The poor of Phuket – the reality. By Supaporn Sriprom Pages 4 & 5 PHUKET: Officials have admit- ted that visitors to Phuket are PHUKET: Visa runs through AROUND THE ISLAND: Facial being forced to wait up to two- Narathiwat are still safe despite stamps for fun; Students set and-a-half hours to get through a wave of attacks on police, sol- to walk the higher path. Customs and Immigration at diers and schools across prov- Page 6 Phuket International Airport be- inces close to the border with AROUND THE REGION: Second cause of chronic staff shortages. Malaysia, travel agents in Phuket Samui airport gets the go- Delays are a constant bug- and Narathiwat said on January ahead. Page 8 bear for arriving and departing 5. passengers and extreme hold- Attacks on January 4 in PEOPLE: One-to-one with a ups occur when two or three air- Narathiwat left four soldiers Phuket trail-blazer; Off the craft packed with holidaymakers dead, 20 schools torched and a Wall. Pages 10 & 11 arrive within minutes. small arsenal of weapons seized. TALES OF A TRAVELER: Con- One frustrated airline offi- Two police officers in neighbor- quering India’s Golden Tri- cial emailed the Gazette, “It is ing Pattani province were killed angle.
    [Show full text]
  • Week 49 (3Rd December 2012 – 09Th December 2012)
    Week 49 (3rd December 2012 – 09th December 2012) ASEAN Newspapers Issues pertaining to Thailand ‐ politics Number of article(s): 7 Keywords/criteria used for search: Thailand, Thai Search Engine: www.google.com Online newspapers included in search: Borneo Bulletin (Brunei) Brunei Times (Brunei) Phnom Penh Post (Cambodia) Jakarta Post (Indonesia) Jakarta Globe (Indonesia) Vientiane Times (Laos) Vietnam Net (Vietnam) Nhan Dan (Vietnam) The Star (Malaysia) The New Straits Times (Malaysia) The Strait Times (Singapore) The Philippine Inquirer (Philippines) The Japan Times (Japan) China Daily (China) The China Post (China) Headlines and Summaries THE BORNEO BULLETIN 5 07 /D EC. / 2012 ­ EX­THAI PM TO FACE MURDER CHARGE (AFP – ALSO PUBLISHED IN THE JAKARTA GLOBE, THE STRAIT TIMES) 5 ‐ Last Thursday, former PM Abhisit Vejjajiva was charged with murder over the death of civilian during 2010 “Red Shirt” rallies. ‐ The Department of Special Investigation (DSI), police and Thai prosecutors based their decision to charge the former PM and his deputy Suthep Thaugsuban on witness testimony and a court’s decision in September that a Taxi driver, Phan Kamkong, was shot by troops. ‐ The oppositional Red Shirts have raised accusations of double standards over terrorism prosecutions against 24 of its leaders, including five current lawmakers, who could in theory face the death penalty in a case that is set to begin on December 13. ‐ Rights campaigners have said both the protesters and the authorities of the time should be held accountable. 06 /D EC. / 2012 – THAI KING CALLS FOR UNITY IN BIRTHDAY SPEECH 6 ‐ At least 200,000 people flooded the capital’s historic district for rare public address by Thailand’s revered king, marking his 85th birthday.
    [Show full text]
  • Redalyc.Encuentros Y Desencuentros Político-Jurídicos. El Gobierno
    Relaciones. Estudios de historia y sociedad ISSN: 0185-3929 [email protected] El Colegio de Michoacán, A.C México Ramírez Bonilla, Juan José Encuentros y desencuentros político-jurídicos. El gobierno mexicano ante la Asociación de Naciones del Sureste de Asia Relaciones. Estudios de historia y sociedad, vol. XXXIII, núm. 131, 2012, pp. 135-180 El Colegio de Michoacán, A.C Zamora, México Disponible en: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=13725131005 Cómo citar el artículo Número completo Sistema de Información Científica Más información del artículo Red de Revistas Científicas de América Latina, el Caribe, España y Portugal Página de la revista en redalyc.org Proyecto académico sin fines de lucro, desarrollado bajo la iniciativa de acceso abierto Encuentros y desencuentros político- jurídicos. El gobierno mexicano ante la Asociación de Naciones del Sureste de Asia Juan José Ramírez Bonilla* EL COLEGIO DE MÉXICO Las administraciones 1994-2000, 2000-2006 y 2006-2012 del gobierno mexicano han colocado en un lugar privilegiado de la agenda de política exte- rior la formalización de la relación bilateral con la Asociación de Naciones del Sureste de Asia (ansea). Las contrapartes de la Asociación, no obstante, opta- ron por archivar las solicitudes del gobierno mexicano en la medida en que consideran a México como un país importante en América del Norte, pero con poca relevancia en la región del Pacífico; además, la práctica de una polí- tica exterior basada en la defensa de la democracia y de los derechos humanos por parte de la administración de Vicente Fox fue considerada riesgosa por gobiernos que toman en cuenta los principios de la Carta de las Naciones Unidas como la garantía de la convivencia internacional armónica.
    [Show full text]
  • Framing the Violence in Southern Thailand: Three Waves Of
    FRAMING THE VIOLENCE IN SOUTHERN THAILAND: THREE WAVES OF MALAY-MUSLIM SEPARATISM A thesis presented to the faculty of the Center for International Studies of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts Sara A. Jones June 2007 This thesis entitled FRAMING THE VIOLENCE IN SOUTHERN THAILAND: THREE WAVES OF MALAY-MUSLIM SEPARATISM by SARA A. JONES has been approved for the Center for International Studies by Elizabeth Fuller Collins Associate Professor of Classics and World Religions Drew O. McDaniel Interim Director, Center for International Studies Abstract JONES, SARA A., M.A., June 2007, Southeast Asian Studies FRAMING THE VIOLENCE IN SOUTHERN THAILAND: THREE WAVES OF MALAY-MUSLIM SEPARATISM (130 pp.) Director of Thesis: Elizabeth Fuller Collins This thesis examines how the Thai newspaper, The Nation (an English-language daily), portrays the violence in the Malay-Muslim South through the use of agenda- setting concepts and framing analyses in articles published about four events in 2004. Two of the events are examples of state aggression against southern insurgents whereas the other two are instances in which southern insurgents were the primary aggressors against the state and/or citizens. The history of the Malay-Muslim dominant provinces is reviewed, showing how the separatist movement has evolved into three distinct waves. The original secessionist movements focused on ethnic Malay identity; over time elements of Islamist ideology were introduced such that the current movement is not recognizably a separatist or Islamist movement. This thesis also includes a short analysis of articles published in Matichon sutsapd, a Thai-language weekly, and shows how Malay-Muslim Thais in the South demand justice.
    [Show full text]
  • CHAPTER 7 Thailand: Securitizing Domestic Politics
    CHAPTER 7 Thailand: Securitizing Domestic Politics Thitinan Pongsudhirak Introduction Thailand’s second military coup in just eight years—this time on 22 May 2014— bears far-reaching ramifications for the country’s armed forces and defense sector. The military is once again triumphant and ascendant in Thai politics. It is as if Thailand’s political clock has been turned back to the 1960s-80s when the army dominated political life during a long stretch of military-authoritarian rule, punctuated by a short-lived democratic interval in the mid-1970s. The latest putsch came after six months of street demonstrations against the government of Yingluck Shinawatra, led by erstwhile Democrat Party senior executive, Suthep Thaugsuban. The street protests paralyzed central Bangkok and eventually paved the way for the coup, led by General Prayuth Chan-o-cha, then the army commander-in-chief. Since the coup, Thai politics has been eerily quiet, partly owing to the indefinite imposition of martial law and tight control on civil liberties and civil society activism. The ruling generals, under the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), immediately abolished the 2007 constitution, initially governing through military decrees before promulgating an interim constitution after two months. After that, it ascended a clutch of governing and legislative organs to rule, including the appointment of Gen. Prayuth as prime minister. This was the kind of hard coup and direct military-authoritarian rule Thailand has not seen in decades. But interestingly, the reactions to the coup both at home and abroad were mixed. Within Thailand, the forces belonging to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Yingluck’s deposed and self-exiled brother have not taken to the streets as anticipated.
    [Show full text]