Week 37 (10th September 2012 – 16th September 2012)
ASEAN Newspapers Issues pertaining to Thailand ‐ politics
Number of article(s): 8
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 Korean Times (South Korea)
Headlines and Summaries
THE BRUNEI TIMES 5
15 / SEPT. / 2012 – THAILAND SAYS MYANMAR GETTING READY FOR REFUGEES RETURN (AFP – ALSO FEATURED IN THE STRAIT TIMES) 5 • According to Thailand’s National Security Council, an estimated 120,000 Myanmar refugees along the Thai‐Myanmar border may return home within a year. This follows recent talks between the two nations. • Wichean Potephosree, Secretary‐general of NSC who recently visited Naypyidaw, discussed the issue with Aung Min, Minister in the President’s office. During the visit, Minister Aung Min told the secretary‐general that the former military junta‐ruled country would provide training and jobs for the returning refugees. • The NSC statement came as Human Rights Watch released their report condemning Thailand for failing international standards on treatment of refugees. 14 / SEPT. / 2012 – HRW CHIDES THAILAND FOR REFUGEE RULES (REUTERS) 5 • Human Rights Watch (HRW) criticizes Thailand’s refugee policies as they are considered “fragmented, unpredictable, inadequate and ad hoc, leaving refugees unnecessarily vulnerable to arbitrary and abusive treatment”. • Furthermore HRW further notes that Thailand must ratify international treaties recognizing refugees as a status. Currently, Thai law does not distinguish refugees from asylum seekers or any other migrants. • This follows as recent preliminary talks between the Myanmar and Thai government have suggested a possible early repatriation of Myanmar refugees along the Thai border. HRW has stated that such early repatriation of Myanmar refugee were unlike and daunting for the approximate 150,000 people living along the camps. • Bill Frelick, HRW refugee policy director, say that for people who were either too scared or unable to return to Myanmar should be given the opportunity to be registered or seek asylum. • HRW does not expect a mass exodus of Myanmar refugees from Thailand. According to Phil Robertson, HRW deputy director for Asia, “The younger generation [who have lived in Thailand]... have no skills and no idea on how to live and survive in rural eastern Burma. So, we're not expecting to see a return en masse any time soon”. 13 / SEPT. / 2012 – QUARTER OF THAILAND’S PROVINCES FLOODED (REUTERS) 6 • Up to a quarter of Thailand’s provinces have been inundated by floodwaters. This comes amid fears that the Thai government has been too slow in strengthen flood defenses after last year’s devastating floods. • The economic impact of last year's flood on Thailand was that Thailand registered only 0.1 per cent annual growth in 2011. • Although the latest flooding is not considered as bad as last year, however another disaster could deal a blow to PM Yingluck Shinawatra and the Puea Thai government which came under heavy criticism for negliance during the 2011 crisis.
THE NEW STRAIT TIMES 7
15 / SEPT. / 2012 – FOUR SHOT AND BURNT IN THAI SOUTH UNREST 7 • Three paramilitary soldiers and a woman were shot dead by militant/insurgents who then torched their bodies in an early morning ambush in Southern Thailand. • The attack happened as the victims drove to a market in Yala province. • Groups of militant/insurgents who want greater autonomy have carried out near‐daily attacks in the south. • Following the upsurge in violence in the South, Thai authorities have said that they have step up their efforts to talk with the militant group however analysts remain skeptical of the likelihood of peace in the near future. 14 / SEPT. / 2012 – THAI PM VISITS FLOODED PROVINCES 8 • Thai PM Yingluck Shinawatra visits flood‐hit areas on Thursday, taking the opportunity to hand out the government’s relief packs to flood victims and assess the water situation. • Leading figures in the opposition Democrat Party, including former prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, visited flood hit areas and victims in Ang Thong and Ayutthaya province a day before. • Ministry of Public Health are sending out physicians and psychiatrists to take care of people in the flood affected areas. 10 / SEPT. / 2012 – SHORING UP PEACE EFFORTS (OPINION PIECE) 8 • Steps are being taken to shore up peace efforts in Southern Thailand. On the sidelines of the Asia‐Pacific Economic Cooperation's Leaders Summit in Vladivostok, Malaysia Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his Thai counterpart, Yingluck Shinawatra discussed possible joint development cooperation in the rubber industry on the Kedah‐Thai border to address growing volatility in the area. • This comes amidst decline in demand for rubber because of the global economic slowdown. Last Friday, price rose on rubber as the decision was taken by Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia to slash exports and cut old trees. • Furthermore, last month, the Thai government admitted to have held informal talks with insurgent groups. Also last Friday, one of the Thai deputy Prime Ministers, Chalerm Yubamrung, floated the idea of elected governors and limited autonomy for the south. • As stated in the article, with two track talks and autonomy back on the discussion, a political solution to the conflict does not seem too bleak. However raising rubber prices is one thing, the article argues that there remains no short cut to end the violence. “Talking would be a good start, as would be a degree of autonomy”.
CHINA DAILY 9 12 / SEPT. / 2012 – 16 THAI PROVINCES AFFECTED BY FLOOD 9 • Thai authorities have reported that 16 provinces, mostly in Northern Thailand were hit by flood. Furthermore, it was also reported that more than 939,000 people from about 335,000 households were affected by the floods. 11 / SEPT. / 2012 – ABHISIT MAY BE SUED FOR CRACKDOWN ON RED SHIRTS 10 • Former Thai Prime Minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva and former Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thuagsuban could be charged with murder and attempted murder in connection with their alleged involvement in the military crackdown against Red Shit protesters in 2010. • The fate of the two former leaders rest with the Criminal Court, which is set to issue a ruling on whether a taxi driver was killed by government personnel. • Abhisit and Suthep chaired the now defunct military‐run center for the Administration of Peace and Order. Both have denied that they had given the orders to the military to disperse or kill the protesters. Both men place blame on the men in black who they alleged mingled among demonstrators and started the killing. • "The court's ruling on the homicide case involving the death of a taxi driver could trigger the filing of other 22 charges that would squarely put the blame on "government personnel" for the bloody incident, the DSI said."
The Brunei Times
15 / Sept. / 2012 – Thailand says Myanmar getting ready for refugees return (AFP – Also featured in The Strait Times)
ABOUT 120,000 Myanmar refugees in Thailand may return home within a year, the kingdom's National Security Council said yesterday, following recent talks between the two nations.
Tens of thousands of people, many from the Shan and Karen ethnic minorities who have fled war, are housed in camps along Thailand's border, but the end of outright military rule in Myanmar has raised hopes they will return.
Myanmar "is clearing landmines along the borders, preparing to build shelters and other infrastructure... to be ready within one year ", the NSC said in a statement, citing its secretary‐general Wichean Potephosree.
Wichean, who visited Naypyidaw last week, discussed the issue with Aung Min, a minister in the President's Office, who told him the former junta‐ruled country will also provide training and jobs for the returning refugees.
Myanmar also wants Thais "to invest in building industrial estates" on its soil to employ the tens of thousands of potential returnees, the statement added.
The NSC's comments came as Human Rights Watch released a report condemning Thailand for failing to meet international standards on the treatment of refugees. AFP
http://www.bt.com.bn/news‐asia/2012/09/15/thailand‐says‐myanmar‐ getting‐ready‐refugees‐return
14 / Sept. / 2012 – HRW chides Thailand for refugee rules (Reuters)
THAILAND must ratify international treaties and formalise policies on migrants to protect tens of thousands of refugees mostly from Myanmar from extortion, deportation and arrest, a human rights group said yesterday.
Despite ceasefires between Myanmar's reformist government and ethnic minority rebels, the prospect of early repatriation was unlikely and daunting for the estimated 150,000 people living in camps on the Thai side of the border, New York‐based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said.
So laws were needed urgently to recognise refugees and grant asylum.
"Thailand's refugee policies remain fragmented, unpredictable, inadequate and ad hoc, leaving refugees unnecessarily vulnerable to arbitrary and abusive treatment," the group said in a report.
Refugees are not legally recognised in Thailand, which has not signed a 1951 international refugee convention. The government has no legal framework that distinguishes between a refugee from an asylum seeker, or any other migrant.
Nearly one third of those in camps along the 2,107 km (1,310 mile) Thai‐ Myanmar border are unregistered and barred from leaving their camps, or seeking employment. Those who find jobs are deemed illegal and often have to bribe officials and businessmen, leaving them open to mistreatment, HRW said.
In addition to the mostly ethnic minority people who have fled decades of fighting to the border camps, between one and three million migrants from Myanmar work in Thailand and most are unregistered, labour activists say.
Bill Frelick, HRW's refugee policy director, said the people in camps who were too scared or unable to return home should have the chance to be formally registered or granted asylum. "They have an unfair choice of stagnating for years in remote refugee camps or living and working outside the camps without protection from arrest and deportation," he said.
Preliminary talks had taken place between the two countries on setting factories on the Myanmar side of the border staffed by returning migrants, but that was a long way off, as were lasting political deals with the rebels, meaning conflict could re‐ignite, HRW said.
Many of those who grew up in camps were unprepared for an immediate return to their homeland, the group said.
"The younger generation ... have no skills and no idea on how to live and survive in rural eastern Burma. So, we're not expecting to see a return en masse any time soon," Phil Robertson, HRW deputy director for Asia, told Reuters.
Thailand's Foreign Ministry said it saw "light at the end of the tunnel" as a result of the peace process in Myanmar, but insisted it was in no rush to empty the camps. It was committed to helping refugees "until they can return home in safety and dignity, or other durable solutions can be found for them," Vijavat Isarabhakdi of the department of international organisations, said in an open letter in response to the report.Reuters http://www.bt.com.bn/news‐asia/2012/09/14/hrw‐chides‐thailand‐refugee‐ rules
13 / Sept. / 2012 – Quarter of Thailand’s provinces flooded (Reuters)
UP TO a quarter of Thailand's provinces, including the tourist resort of Ayutthaya, have been inundated by floodwaters amid concerns the government failed to act fast enough to strengthen flood defences after last year's devastating floods.
Thousands have fled their homes in Northern Thailand after heavy rain caused a major river to overflow at the start of the month, sending up to a metre of water into some towns. So far, four people have died.
Scenes of residents wading through waist‐high water and stacking large sandbags around shops and homes in Sukhothai, about 430km north of Bangkok, are a stark reminder of last year's floods that killed more than 800 people.
Thailand registered just 0.1 per cent annual growth in 2011, largely as a result of the floods which swept down into Bangkok.
Although the latest flooding is not as bad as a year ago, another disaster could deal a blow to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's Puea Thai government which came under fire for mismanaging the 2011 crisis. Industrial estates have scrambled to build flood walls and dredge nearby canals in time for this year's rainy season, but other parts of the country remain vulnerable to sudden inundation.Reuters
http://www.bt.com.bn/news‐asia/2012/09/13/quarter‐thailands‐provinces‐ flooded
The New Strait Times
15 / Sept. / 2012 – Four shot and burnt in Thai south unrest
YALA, Thailand: Three paramilitary soldiers and a woman were shot dead by militants who then torched their bodies in an early morning ambush in Thailand’s restive south, police said Saturday.
The victims were attacked as they drove to a market in Yala, one of the hotbeds of the eight‐year insurgency which has claimed around 5,300 lives in Thailand’s Muslim‐majority border provinces.
“I think that they had already died before the gunmen set fire to their pick‐up truck,” said Lieutenant Colonel Charas Chinapong, of Muang district police, adding that the bodies were found inside the truck.
Hundreds of bullet cases were found at the scene, he said.
A lattice of militant groups who want greater autonomy carry out near‐daily attacks in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat provinces.
In response to an uptick in the violence over the summer Thai authorities have said they are stepping up efforts to talk with militant leaders but analysts are skeptical of the likelihood of peace in the near future. ‐‐ AFP
http://www.nst.com.my/latest/four‐shot‐dead‐and‐burnt‐in‐thai‐south‐unrest‐ 1.144037##ixzz26jmKs5mO
14 / Sept. / 2012 – Thai PM visits flooded provinces AYUTTHAYA: Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is visiting flood‐hit provinces and affected people on Thursday, taking the opportunity to hand out the government's relief packs to the flood victims and to also assess the updated water situation. Yingluck is scheduled to first visit flood‐hit and flood‐prone areas in the central Ayutthaya Province, followed by those in Nakhon Sawan and Sukhothai Provinces in the Lower Thai North. On Wednesday, leading figures of the opposition Democrat Party, including former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, visited flood victims in Ang Thong and Ayutthaya Provinces. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Health is sending physicians and psychiatrists to take care of people in the flood‐affected areas. ‐‐ BERNAMA
http://www.nst.com.my/latest/thai‐pm‐visits‐flooded‐provinces‐ 1.143598##ixzz26jlp93Ep
10 / Sept. / 2012 – Shoring up peace efforts
No short cuts to ending the strife in southern Thailand WITH rubber prices having fallen by about 30 per cent this year, it was natural that when the leaders of the world's largest rubber producers meet, measures to stabilise prices would be on the agenda. So, it was no surprise that the plan to develop the rubber industry on the Kedah‐ Thai border came up when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak talked to his Thai counterpart, Yingluck Shinawatra, in Vladivostok, Russia, on Saturday. Certainly, with the decline in demand because of the global economic slowdown, things are bad for rubber growers. But, then again, not too long ago in February, they were reaping the windfall from record high prices. On Friday, at any rate, the price rose following the decision by Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia to slash exports and cut old trees. But as worrying as the fall in the price of rubber was, it was undoubtedly the continued volatility in the rubber‐growing south that dominated the conversation on the sidelines of the Asia‐Pacific Economic Cooperation's Leaders Summit. The Malaysian response, as reiterated by the prime minister in Vladivostok, is to continue to assist Thailand in seeking a solution to the strife in the south. This includes helping with the economic development of Thailand's southern provinces, which is where rubber comes in, as it has been identified as one of the six potential areas for joint development. Interestingly, on Friday, too, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is leading the study on the "Rubber City", spoke at a seminar at the Prince of Songkla University in Hat Yai, which was organised by civil society groups to launch the "Patani Peace Process". And so did former Thai prime minister and present opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva. Last month, the Thai government admitted to holding informal talks with insurgent groups. Also on Friday, one of the Thai deputy prime ministers, Chalerm Yubamrung, floated the idea of elected governors and limited autonomy for the south. So, as there are two tracks of talks and the idea of autonomy is back on the agenda, the prospects for a political solution to the long‐running conflict do not appear to be too bleak. But, then again, as the military has been talking to the insurgents for decades and the talk of autonomy is not new, talk of peace would be premature. Shoring up rubber prices by cutting supply is one thing. But, as the recent surge of attacks in the south underscores, there are no short cuts to ending the violence. Nevertheless, talking would be a good start, as would a degree of autonomy.
http://www.nst.com.my/latest/shoring‐up‐peace‐efforts‐ 1.141459?cache=03D163D03edding‐pred‐ 1.1176%2F%3FpFpentwage63Dp%3A%2Fhe3D03Dn63Frea‐ rti3D19.3D163D03edding‐pred‐ 1.1176%2F%3FpFpentwage63Dp%3A%2Fhe3D03Dn63Frea‐ rti3D19.111w5ii%2Fed‐ 1.1176%2F%2F2.2525%2F2.2525%2F1.331200%3Fcache%3D03D163%2F7.1 84624%3Fkey%3DKuala+Lumpur%3Fpage%3D0##ixzz26jnmaZgt
China Daily
12 / Sept. / 2012 – 16 Thai provinces affected by flood
BANGKOK ‐ A total of 16 provinces, mostly in the upper part of the country were hit by flood, with the highest level of flood water of more than one meter deep, Thai authority reported on Wednesday. The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department reported on Wednesday that more than 939,000 people from about 335,000 household were affected by floods since the flood started in mid August. The 16 provinces are central province of Sukhothai, Chainat, Uttaradit, Ayutthaya, Saraburi, Uthaithani, Nakhon Sawan, Suphanburi, Phichit, Phitsanulok, Kamphaeng Phet, northern province of Chiang Rai, Lampang, Lamphun, northeastern province of Srakaew, Phetchabun. Sukhothai is still in the most critical situation. Almost 113 square kilometres of farmland were affected by flood.
http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2012‐09/12/content_15753296.htm
11 / Sept. / 2012 – Abhisit may be sued for crackdown on Red Shirts
BANGKOK ‐ Thailand's former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and former Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thuagsuban could be charged with murder and attempted murder in connection with their alleged involvement in the bloody military crackdown against Red Shirt protesters in the capital city in 2010. The fate of the two top leaders of the previous government will be known next Monday when the Criminal Court issues a ruling on whether a taxi driver was killed by "government personnel" at the height of the anti‐government protests as alleged by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI). Abhisit and Suthep, who chaired the now defunct military‐run center for the Administration of Peace and Order, have firmly denied that they had given the orders to the military "to disperse, let alone to kill" the protesters. The two told DSI investigators that their order to the military was only to "besiege the area" or to "reoccupy the area" from the Red Shirt demonstrators. Abhisit spent seven hours during the DSI questioning and Suthep 12 hours to categorically deny the allegations that they had masterminded the slaying or wounding of the victims. Both blamed heavily armed "men in black" who, they alleged, mingled with the Red Shirt demonstrators and started the killing. Reports said that some 98 people were killed and an estimated 2,000 others injured after the military dispersed tens of thousands of Red Shirt demonstrators who marched and occupied areas along Bangkok's Rajdamnern and Rajprasong districts. The Red Shirts, who are loyal supporters of deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, had demanded that Abhisit dissolve the House of Representatives and return power to the people. If the court rules in favor of the DSI, the judicial process would find out sooner or later who may have given the orders for the "government personnel", an indirect reference to soldiers, to kill the protesters while a number of other murder charges in connection with the bloodshed would follow suit.
DSI chief Tharit Pengdit said that his agency had already gathered enough pieces of evidence and questioned several witnesses, including some army soldiers, pointing to the culpability of some"government personnel" in the mass murder. This included the deaths of six victims in the compound of a Buddhist temple near Rajprasong intersection, the focal point of the anti‐Abhisit rally in 2010. The court's ruling on the homicide case involving the death of a taxi driver could trigger the filing of other 22 charges that would squarely put the blame on "government personnel" for the bloody incident, the DSI said. Tharit said that the 98 deaths and the injuries of some 2,000 victims would be split into separate murder and attempted murder charges."If a number of persons were killed at the same place, that would be filed as one case, such as the case of six people who were all killed inside the temple," he said. Tharit, however, said that soldiers, including dozens of army snipers, who were only following orders from superiors, may not be included in the filing of charges. Only two of the snipers, both being non‐commissioned officers, have been questioned by DSI officials so far. In the meantime, acting on behalf of the Red Shirt victims, Canadian lawyer Robert Amsterdam has filed a separate lawsuit in the Hague‐based International Criminal Court against Abhisit, who is currently leader of the opposition Democrat Party in the Thai Parliament, for allegedly being criminally responsible in the military crackdown two years ago. The former Thai premier has been sued as a British subject since he was born and raised in England and because Thailand currently remains outside of the ICC jurisdiction
http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2012‐09/11/content_15749522.htm