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Week 4 (21St January 2013 – 27Th January 2013)

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Week 4 (21St January 2013 – 27Th January 2013) Week 4 (21st January 2013 – 27th January 2013) ASEAN Newspapers Issues pertaining to Thailand ‐ 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 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. ‐ 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 Thaksin Shinawatra 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 Bangkok 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 Bhumibol Adulyadej. ‐ 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.
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