Week 4 (21st January 2013 – 27th January 2013)

ASEAN Newspapers Issues pertaining to ‐ politics

Number of article(s): 11

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 Po st (China)

Table of Contents

THE BRUNEI TIMES 6

22 /J AN. / 2013 – THAI ARMY CHIEF WANTS OFFICERS PROBED FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING (REUTERS – ALSO PUBLISHED IN THE STRAITS TIMES) 6 ‐ Thai media last Sunday reported that a police investigation had found senior army officers, some with ranks as high as major and colonel, were involved in smuggling Rohingyas from Myanmar into Malaysia via Thailand and that the trafficking had been going on for several years. ‐ Thai Army chief Prayuth Chan‐ocha said last Monday that “…Anyone found to be involved — especially soldiers — will be prosecuted, expelled and charged with a criminal offence,” ‐ Prayuth further noted that some army officers might have got involved in the Rohingya situation because it was "hard not to sympathise with their plight ".

THE PHNOM PENH POST 7 22 /J AN. / 2013 ­ HUN SEN BASHES EX­THAI PM 7 ‐ Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen last Monday blasted former Thai Prime Minister and Thai opposition activists for what he said were attempts to use Cambodia as a cudgel to score political points on sensitive issues back home. ‐ This came after a protest was organized on the 20 of January to oppose any International Court of Justice ruling on the Preah Vihear territorial dispute. ‐ The Cambodian Prime Minister stated that “This former prime minister was always accusing former Thai Prime Minister of benefiting from Cambodia over an oil and gas deal in the overlapping claims area, and opposing the ICJ’s jurisdiction,” further noting that he “…would like Abhisit to bring up evidence. But if there is no evidence, don’t rally to cheat more than 60 million Thai people, [as well as] 14 million Cambodian people.”

THE JAKARTA GLOBE 7

23 /J AN. / 2013 – THAI ACTIVIST JAILED FOR 11 YEARS FOR ‘ROYAL SLURS’ (AFP – ALSO PUBL ISH ED IN THE STAR) 8 ‐ Thai political activist, Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, 51, was jailed for 11 years last Wednesday in the latest sentence under the kingdom’s controversial royal defamation law. ‐ The European Union said it was “deeply concerned” by the punishment imposed. It further stating that “the verdict seriously undermines the right to freedom of expression and press freedom,”. ‐ Amnesty International described the Criminal Court ruling as “a serious setback for freedom of expression in Thailand.” ‐ United Nations human rights chief Navi Pillay expressed deep concern about the verdict and “extremely harsh” sentence. She further stating that “The court’s decision [was] the latest indication of a disturbing trend in which lese majeste charges are used for political purposes,” . ‐ Pillay criticized the length of Somyot’s pre‐trial detention and the fact he was shackled. ‐ Brad Adams, Asia director at New York‐based Human Rights Watch said “The courts seem to have adopted the role of chief protector of the monarchy at the expense of free expression rights,”. ‐ The activist’s defense team said he would appeal the long jail term

THE STRAITS TIMES 10

26 /J AN. / 2013 – LESE MAJESTE CONVICTION SPARKS OUTRAGE 10 ‐ Analysts said the sentencing of a magazine editor to 10 years in jail for defaming the Thai monarchy has drawn wide outrage and is another public relations disaster for the monarchy. ‐ Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, 51, was convicted of publishing two articles deemed offensive to the royals in the anti‐establishment Voice of Taksin magazine in 2010. ‐ The two articles were written under a pseudonym by Mr Jakrapob Penkair, who was government spokesman when Thaksin Shinawatra was prime minister. ‐ In its verdict last Wednesday, the court said Somyot, held without bail since 2011, knew the articles were aimed at the monarchy but published them anyway. 23 /J AN. / 2013 – TEACHER SHOT DEAD AT SCHOOL IN THAILAND’S VIOLENCE­WRECKED SOUTH (AP) 10 ‐ Police Colonel Pakdee Preechachon said last Wednesday that 51‐year‐old Chonlathee Charoenchon was killed by gunmen at Ban Tanyong School in Bacho district in Narathiwat province. ‐ Col Pakdee said four gunmen entered the school's compound on two motorcycles, and one of them took the teacher's car after having shot him. ‐ Nearly 160 school personnel have been killed since an Islamist insurgency first flared in Thailand's three southernmost provinces in 2004 23 /J AN. / 2013 – THAI MAGAZINE EDITOR JAILED FOR 10 YEARS FOR INSULTING KING (REUTERS) 10 ‐ Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, editor of Voice Of The Oppressed, a magazine devoted to self‐exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was found guilty of publishing articles in 2010 defaming King . ‐ The two articles criticized the role of a fictional character meant to represent the king, public prosecutors said in a July 2011 report. ‐ "The accused is a journalist who had a duty to check the facts in these articles before publishing them. He knew the content defamed the monarchy but allowed their publication anyway," a judge said in passing sentence. 22 /J AN. / 2013 – HIGH­RANKING THAI OFFICERS INVESTIGATED IN ROHINGYA TRAFFICKING (AP) 11 ‐ A colonel and another high‐ranking Thai army officer have been temporarily removed from their posts while they are investigated for suspected involvement in trafficking refugees from Myanmar's Rohingya ethnic minority to a third country, the senior commander for southern Thailand said last Tuesday. ‐ More than 800 beleaguered Rohingya were found in raids in Thailand's southern border province of Songkhla this month after they fled sectarian violence in western Myanmar that has killed hundreds of people and displaced some 100,000 more since June.

THE NEW STRAITS TIMES 11

23 /J AN. / 2013 – THAILAND’S STATE OF CONFUSION 11 ‐ Concerning the Southern insurgency and instabilities o Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung and National Security Council (NSC) chief Paradorn Pattanatabutr have different theories on who was behind the recent torching of 76 security cameras in seven districts of Yala province on Jan 14. o Chalerm suspected business conflicts were behind the burning of the CCTVs while Lt Gen Paradorn blamed militants. o The vandalised cameras only confirmed that the government and security authorities are struggling to achieve what they long for. They are hardly offered cooperation by locals. o The insurgents hit 43 locations to destroy the cameras, with the authorities clueless to it happening, even though it was the early hours of Monday morning when any traffic stands out. o Another 26 cameras were burned and severely damaged in the Sai Buri district of Pattani on Dec 22 and thus far, the names of those behind the operation is still blowing in the wind. ‐ Concerning Rohingya immigration issue, o Chalerm had shown sympathy towards the minority group while Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra had said they should stay in Thailand for humanitarian reasons while waiting for other countries to come and take them away. o However, the security camp led by Supreme Commander Gen Tanasak Patimapakorn and other generals were not impressed with the display of generosity and wants them to leave as soon as possible. Yet blaming the top brass for showing no sympathy to them is too cruel, consider Thailand’s experience with Cambodian and Laos refugees during the Indochina wars. ‐ They have different roles to play for international and domestic consumption. Yet, which position should the public listen to?

THE STAR 13

23 /J AN. / 2013 – THAI MILITANT KILL TEACHER IN SCHOOL CANTEEN 13 ‐ Thai insurgents shot dead a teacher in front of dozens of children in a school cafeteria last Wednesday, police said. ‐ Cholathee Charoenchol, a 51‐year‐old Muslim, was shot in the head at Tanyong school in Bacho district in Narathiwat province as at least 30 pupils and several teachers looked on. ‐ He was the 158th teacher and other school staff killed during a nine‐year‐ old insurgency that has gripped Thailand's Muslim‐majority deep south near the border with Malaysia. ‐ Thousands of schools closed temporarily in December in protest at a lack of security for teachers, who are targeted by the shadowy network of militants for their perceived collaboration with the Thai state. ‐ Colonel Pramote Promin, the spokesman for the army in the south, said a lack of cooperation from Muslim villagers was making it hard to protect teachers "no matter how strict security measures are". ‐ More than 5,300 people, both Buddhist and Muslim, have been killed since 2004, according to local conflict monitor Deep South Watch.

THE INQUIRER 14

23 /J AN. / 2013 – EDITOR GETS 10 YEARS IN JAIL FOR THAI ROYAL INSULT (AP – ALSO PUBL ISH ED IN THE JAPAN TIMES) 14 ‐ Prominent Thai labor rights activist and magazine editor, Somyot Pruksakasemsuk, was sentenced to a decade in prison last Wednesday for violating much‐debated laws designed to protect Thailand’s royal family. ‐ The articles in question were published under pseudonyms in Somyot’s now‐defunct Voice of Taksin magazine, which he launched in 2009 to compile political news and anti‐establishment articles from writers and contributors. ‐ Somyot said he would appeal the verdict but would not seek a royal pardon. ‐ Although Somyot’s articles were published in 2010, he was only arrested the following year after launching a petition drive to revoke Article 112 of the nation’s criminal code, which mandates three to 15 years in jail for “whoever defames, insults or threatens the king, the queen, the heir to the throne or the regent.” ‐ Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch said in a statement, “The court’s ruling appears to be more about Somyot’s strong support for amending the lese majeste law than about any harm incurred by the monarchy.”

CHINA DAILY 15 23 /J AN. / 2013 – TEACHER KILLED IN SCHOOL IN S THAILAND (XINHUA) 15 ‐ The murder occurred last Wednesday about 12.20 pm at Ban Tanyong School in Narathiwat's Bacho district. Four men arrived at the school on two motorcycles, stormed into the school and shot dead teacher Chonlathee Charoenchol. After the shooting, the killers stole the teacher's car. ‐ Police blamed suspected southern separatists. ‐ According to Deep South Watch, since violence erupted in January 2004, more than 5,000 people have been killed and more than 9,000 hurt in over 11,000 incidents, about 3.5 incidents a day, in Thailand's three southern border provinces ‐ Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and four districts of Songkhla.

(AFP) – Agence France‐Presse (ANN) – Asia News Network (AP) – Associated Press (Reuters) – Thomson Reuters (Xinhua) – Xinhua News Agency The Brunei Times

22 / Jan. / 2013 – Thai army chief wants officers probed for human trafficking (Reuters – Also published in The Straits Times)

THAILAND'S army chief called yesterday for a probe into senior army officials suspected of helping to traffic Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar through Thailand and on to a third country.

"This problem has been going on for some time. Anyone found to be involved — especially soldiers — will be prosecuted, expelled and charged with a criminal offence," army chief Prayuth Chan‐ocha said.

Thai media on Sunday reported that a police investigation had found senior army officers, some with ranks as high as major and colonel, were involved in smuggling Rohingyas from Myanmar into Malaysia via Thailand and that the trafficking had been going on for several years.

The United Nations estimates about 13,000 boat people, including many Rohingya, fled Myanmar and neighbouring Bangladesh in 2012, a sharp increase from 7,000 a year earlier

Around 800,000 Rohingyas live in Myanmar but are officially stateless and regarded as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants by the Myanmar government. Hundreds have fled recent sectarian violence involving majority Buddhists in Myanmar's western state of Rakhine. Malaysia has offered asylum to some in the past.

Prayuth said some army officers might have got involved in the Rohingya situation because it was "hard not to sympathise with their plight ".

More than 600 Rohingya have been detained this month in what Thai authorities described as anti‐trafficking raids and more than 1,000 are now being held, including some whose boats had come ashore, said Sihasak Phuangketkeow, permanent secretary at the foreign ministry.

Some of those detained in the raids had been in hiding for many weeks. It remains unclear if they were being held against their will or simply waiting to sneak into Malaysia.

The Thai government has said it will cooperate with international humanitarian agencies to provide assistance to migrants detained after the raids, but it says Rohingya arrested for illegal entry will be deported.Reuters

http://www.bt.com.bn/news‐asia/2013/01/22/thai‐army‐chief‐wants‐officers‐ probed‐human‐trafficking

The Phnom Penh Post

22 / Jan. / 2013 ‐ Hun Sen bashes ex‐Thai PM

Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday blasted former Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Thai opposition activists for what he said were attempts to use Cambodia as a cudgel to score political points on sensitive issues back home. Hun Sen was apparently reacting to a protest in Bangkok yesterday organised to oppose any International Court of Justice ruling on the Preah Vihear territory dispute, which is expected later this year. Taking that as his launching pad, he said that Abhisit, whose Democratic Party shares political views with the protesters, had to “submit evidence” backing claims he’s made in the past about dealings between the two countries over a resource‐rich overlapping claims area in the Gulf of Thailand. “This former prime minister was always accusing former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra of benefiting from Cambodia over an oil and gas deal in the overlapping claims area, and opposing the ICJ’s jurisdiction,” Hun Sen said at in Stung Treng’s Siem Bok district where he distributed land titles. “Today, I would like Abhisit to bring up evidence. But if there is no evidence, don’t rally to cheat more than 60 million Thai people, [as well as] 14 million Cambodian people.” The first weeks of 2013 in Thailand have been marked by heated rhetoric over territory surrounding the Preah Vihear temple, which the ICJ awarded to Cambodia in a 1962 ruling. Hearings over the disputed area around the ruin are taking place this April at the court in The Hague. Like the temple, the overlapping claims area has been a source of tension between Cambodia and Thailand. Developing the 26,000‐kilometre area, believed to be rich in oil and gas, could mean new streams of revenue for both countries, and for companies holding concessions. A memorandum of understanding to jointly explore the area was first signed in 2001, but in more than 10 years, hopes for the agreement’s implementation have risen and fallen depending on who is in office in Thailand.

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013012260907/National/hun‐sen‐bashes‐ ex‐thai‐pm.html

The Jakarta Globe

23 / Jan. / 2013 – Thai Activist Jailed for 11 years for ‘Royal Slurs’ (AFP – Also published in The Star)

Bangkok. A Thai political activist was jailed for 11 years on Wednesday in the latest tough sentence under the kingdom’s controversial royal defamation law, to the dismay of human rights defenders.

The European Union said it was “deeply concerned” by the punishment imposed on Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, 51, in connection with two articles that appeared in his magazine in 2010.

“The verdict seriously undermines the right to freedom of expression and press freedom,” the EU delegation in Bangkok said in a statement.

Amnesty International, which considers Somyot to be a “prisoner of conscience,” described the Bangkok Criminal Court ruling as “a serious setback for freedom of expression in Thailand.”

And the United Nations human rights chief Navi Pillay expressed deep concern about the verdict and “extremely harsh” sentence.

“The court’s decision is the latest indication of a disturbing trend in which lese majeste charges are used for political purposes,” she said in a statement.

Somyot is a supporter of the “Red Shirt” protest group, which is broadly loyal to ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

The activist’s defense team said he would appeal the long jail term, which comprises 10 years for two counts of lese majeste and one year for an earlier suspended defamation sentence.

“I can confirm that he did not intend to violate Article 112,” his lawyer Karom Polpornklang said after the verdict, referring to the lese majeste legislation.

“He was doing his job as a journalist. We will seek bail for him,” he added.

Rights groups noted the activist’s arrest in April 2011 came just days after he launched a campaign to collect 10,000 signatures for a parliamentary review of the lese majeste law.

He was brought to court in shackles, having been held for nearly two years without bail.

Pillay criticized the length of Somyot’s pre‐trial detention and the fact he was shackled.

“The courts seem to have adopted the role of chief protector of the monarchy at the expense of free expression rights,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at New York‐based Human Rights Watch.

“The court’s ruling appears to be more about Somyot’s strong support for amending the lese majeste law than about any harm incurred by the monarchy.”

The royal family is a highly sensitive subject in politically turbulent Thailand. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 85, is revered by many Thais but has been in hospital since September 2009.

Rights campaigners say the lese majeste law has been politicized, noting that many of those charged are linked to the Red Shirt movement.

Under the legislation, anyone convicted of insulting the Thai king, queen, heir or regent faces up to 15 years in prison on each count.

Somyot’s wife Sukanya expressed disappointment at the ruling.

“The punishment does not make sense,” she told AFP.

“We have to talk with our lawyer to advise us whether it would be better to appeal or stop fighting and ask for a royal pardon. We fought through the legal process but it didn’t work so we’re not sure it would be any better appealing.”

Thailand has been riven by political divisions since Thaksin was topped by royalist generals in a coup in 2006.

Two months of mass street protests by the Red Shirts against the previous government in early 2010 triggered the kingdom’s worst civil violence in decades with 90 people killed, mostly in a bloody military crackdown.

Many Red Shirts seek the return of Thaksin, a former telecoms tycoon who lives overseas to avoid a prison sentence for corruption that he contends is politically motivated.

His sister, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, took office in mid‐2011 after a landslide election victory by Thaksin’s allies, but she has said she will not seek to change the royal defamation law.

At a press conference last year, Somyot’s wife said the legislation was futile. “You can physically put them in prison, but you cannot jail their thoughts,” she said.

Agence France‐Presse

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/seasia/thai‐activist‐jailed‐for‐11‐years‐for‐ royal‐slurs/567316

The Straits Times

26 / Jan. / 2013 – Lese majeste conviction sparks outrage

BANGKOK ‐ The sentencing of a magazine editor to 10 years in jail for defaming the Thai monarchy has drawn wide outrage and is another public relations disaster for the monarchy, analysts say. Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, 51, was convicted of publishing two articles deemed offensive to the royals in the anti‐establishment Voice of Taksin magazine in 2010. They were written under a pseudonym by Mr Jakrapob Penkair, who was government spokesman when Thaksin Shinawatra was prime minister. After Thaksin's ouster in 2006, Mr Jakrapob became a firebrand leader and ideologue of the "red shirt" movement. He fled to Cambodia amid a crackdown on red shirts in 2009, when the army‐backed Democrat Party was in power. In its verdict on Wednesday, the court said Somyot, held without bail since 2011, knew the articles were aimed at the monarchy but published them anyway.

http://www.straitstimes.com/the‐big‐story/asia‐report/thailand/story/lese‐ majeste‐conviction‐sparks‐outrage‐20130126

23 / Jan. / 2013 – Teacher shot dead at school in Thailand’s violence‐ wrecked south (AP)

PATTANI, Thailand (AP) ‐ Police say a Thai teacher was shot dead while having lunch at his school's cafeteria, the first death of an educator this year in Thailand's violence‐wracked south. Police Colonel Pakdee Preechachon said today that 51‐year‐old Chonlathee Charoenchon was killed by gunmen at Ban Tanyong School in Bacho district in Narathiwat province. Col Pakdee said four gunmen entered the school's compound on two motorcycles, and one of them took the teacher's car after having shot him. Nearly 160 school personnel have been killed since an Islamist insurgency first flared in Thailand's three southernmost provinces in 2004…

http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking‐news/se‐asia/story/teacher‐shot‐dead‐ school‐thailands‐south‐20130123

23 / Jan. / 2013 – Thai magazine editor jailed for 10 years for insulting king (Reuters)

BANGKOK (REUTERS) ‐ A Thai magazine editor was jailed for 10 years today for insulting the royal family under the country's draconian lese‐majeste law. Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, editor of Voice Of The Oppressed, a magazine devoted to self‐exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was found guilty of publishing articles in 2010 defaming King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The articles criticised the role of a fictional character meant to represent the king, public prosecutors said in a July 2011 report. Discussions about the role of the monarchy are forbidden. "The accused is a journalist who had a duty to check the facts in these articles before publishing them. He knew the content defamed the monarchy but allowed their publication anyway," a judge said in passing sentence…

http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking‐news/se‐asia/story/thai‐magazine‐ editor‐jailed‐10‐years‐insulting‐king‐20130123

22 / Jan. / 2013 – High‐ranking Thai officers investigated in Rohingya trafficking (AP)

BANGKOK (AP) ‐ A colonel and another high‐ranking Thai army officer have been temporarily removed from their posts while they are investigated for suspected involvement in trafficking refugees from Myanmar's Rohingya ethnic minority to a third country, the senior commander for southern Thailand said on Tuesday. More than 800 beleaguered Rohingya were found in raids in Thailand's southern border province of Songkhla this month after they fled sectarian violence in western Myanmar that has killed hundreds of people and displaced some 100,000 more since June. Thai police arrested eight trafficking suspects after one of the raids and are searching for three others, including an influential local politician. Thai media reported over the weekend that at least two senior military officers were involved in the trafficking network…

http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking‐news/se‐asia/story/high‐ranking‐thai‐ officers‐investigated‐rohingya‐trafficking‐20130122

The New Straits Times

23 / Jan. / 2013 – Thailand’s state of confusion

THE best description of how the Thai government is tackling violence in the far South and the latest problem in that region, the Rohingya, could perhaps be: two voices are worse than one; there is one voice that should not be ignored; so far, not so good. Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung and National Security Council (NSC) chief Paradorn Pattanatabutr obviously have different theories on who was behind the torching of 76 security cameras in seven districts of Yala province on Jan 14. Chalerm suspected business conflicts were behind the burning of the CCTVs. He was not convinced that insurgents were behind the damage. Lt Gen Paradorn blamed militants for crippling the cameras and suspected that the vandalism was a prelude to more damaging operations by insurgents. Last week, Chalerm boasted about better cooperation from Malaysia to calm the insurgency in border areas. It is good to hear that. But as long as the two main men of the Thai government responsible for putting an end to insecurity in the troubled region do not speak the same language and do not head in the same direction, it is difficult to see violence being scaled down. The vandalised cameras only confirmed that the government and security authorities are struggling to achieve what they long for. They are hardly offered cooperation by locals. The insurgents hit 43 locations to destroy the cameras, with the authorities clueless to it happening, even though it was the early hours of Monday morning when any traffic stands out. Another 26 cameras were burned and severely damaged in the Sai Buri district of Pattani on Dec 22 and thus far, the names of those behind the operation is still blowing in the wind. Narathiwat is the only province where security cameras survived. How much longer will they function if those who want to embarrass the authorities again attack them? The question about what to do with the Rohingya being sheltered in southern provinces is even more confusing. Chalerm had shown sympathy towards them. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra had said they should stay in Thailand for humanitarian reasons while waiting for other countries to come and take them away. The security camp led by Supreme Commander Gen Tanasak Patimapakorn and other generals were not impressed with the display of generosity and wants them to leave as soon as possible. Blaming the top brass for showing no sympathy to them is too cruel, given the bitter experience Thailand has had in handling Cambodian and Laos refugees when the region was plagued by the Indochina war, as well as refugees from Myanmar along the northern border today. They have different roles to play for international and domestic consumption. Yet, which position should the public listen to? An attempt by the Foreign Ministry to hold talks with Myanmar to verify the refugees' origin will be a nightmare because the Rohingya are treated as third‐ class citizens by their government. And then there is the lone voice of former foreign minister Noppadon Pattama. He is extremely frustrated that nobody is listening to him over the Preah Vihear issue ‐‐ so he offered 2 million baht (RM204,490) in cash to anyone who challenges him. His problem is his credibility because he is a close aide to former prime minister Thaksin Shina‐watra. He was right to back a joint‐statement with Cambodia on the listing of the temple as a world heritage site in 2008. That was the first time Cambodia had indicated that the 4.6 square km of disputed land was really a problem. It will have legal implications for Thailand if it fights for the land claimed by the two countries in the future. That future includes this year's legal battle with Cambodia in the world court over sovereignty in that area.

http://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnist/thailand‐s‐state‐of‐confusion‐ 1.205935#ixzz2JIbbI64Z

The Star

23 / Jan. / 2013 – Thai militant kill teacher in school canteen

NARATHIWAT, Thailand: Thai insurgents shot dead a teacher in front of dozens of children in a school cafeteria on Wednesday, police said, in the latest deadly attack on an education worker. Cholathee Charoenchol, a 51‐year‐old Muslim, was shot in the head at Tanyong school in Bacho district in Narathiwat province as at least 30 pupils and several teachers looked on, according to officials. He was the 158th teacher and other school staff killed during a nine‐year‐old insurgency that has gripped Thailand's Muslim‐majority deep south near the border with Malaysia. Bacho police said two insurgents parked their motorcycle in front of the school canteen and walked into the building, where one of them shot Cholathee with a pistol. "There were between 30 and 40 students in the cafeteria when he was shot," local police chief Colonel Pakdi Preechachon said. Thousands of schools closed temporarily in December in protest at a lack of security for teachers, who are targeted by the shadowy network of militants for their perceived collaboration with the Thai state. They reopened after the government pledged to beef‐up security. Colonel Pramote Promin, the spokesman for the army in the south, said a lack of cooperation from Muslim villagers was making it hard to protect teachers "no matter how strict security measures are". "This school is situated in an area where 100 percent of the villagers and all of teachers and students are Muslims," he said. Near daily attacks ‐ including shootings, bombings and even beheadings ‐ mean violence is a part of life for many in Thailand's far south. More than 5,300 people, both Buddhist and Muslim, have been killed since 2004, according to local conflict monitor Deep South Watch. –AFP

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2013/1/23/reutersworld/130123 2125‐thai‐militants‐kill‐teacher‐in‐school‐c&sec=reutersworld

The Inquirer

23 / Jan. / 2013 – Editor gets 10 years in jail for Thai royal insult (AP – Also published in The Japan Times)

BANGKOK — A prominent Thai labor rights activist and magazine editor was sentenced to a decade in prison Thursday for violating much‐debated laws designed to protect Thailand’s royal family. The verdict came despite repeated calls by rights groups to free Somyot Pruksakasemsuk, who has been jailed since 2011. It also underscored the harsh nature of Thailand’s lese majeste laws, which have been criticized as a violation of free speech. The articles in question were published under pseudonyms in Somyot’s now‐ defunct Voice of Taksin magazine, which he launched in 2009 to compile political news and anti‐establishment articles from writers and contributors. Judges found both articles in question contained content that defamed the royal family and argued that Somyot, as a veteran editor, knew that and chose to print the stories anyway. The court handed down two five‐year jail terms — one for each story. Somyot said he would appeal the verdict but would not seek a royal pardon. Although Somyot’s articles were published in 2010, he was only arrested the following year after launching a petition drive to revoke Article 112 of the nation’s criminal code, which mandates three to 15 years in jail for “whoever defames, insults or threatens the king, the queen, the heir to the throne or the regent.” “The courts seem to have adopted the role of chief protector of the monarchy at the expense of free expression rights,” Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. “The court’s ruling appears to be more about Somyot’s strong support for amending the lese majeste law than about any harm incurred by the monarchy.”

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/345631/editor‐gets‐10‐years‐in‐jail‐for‐thai‐ royal‐insult

China Daily

23 / Jan. / 2013 – Teacher killed in school in S Thailand (Xinhua)

BANGKOK ‐ A teacher was shot dead while looking after schoolchildren at a school in restive southern province of Narathiwat on Wednesday, Bangkok post online reported. The murder occurred about 12.20 pm at Ban Tanyong School in Narathiwat's Bacho district. Four men arrived at the school on two motorcycles, stormed into the school and shot dead teacher Chonlathee Charoenchol. Police blamed suspected southern separatists. More than 5,000 people have been killed and more than 9,000 hurt in over 11,000 incidents, about 3.5 incidents a day, in Thailand's three southern border provinces ‐ Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and four districts of Songkhla ‐ since violence erupted in January 2004, according to Deep South Watch, which monitors the regional violence. http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2013‐01/23/content_16166693.htm