Week 45 (5th November 2012 – 11th November 2012)

ASEAN Newspapers Issues pertaining to ‐ politics

Number of article(s): 6

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) The Korean Times (South Korea)

Headlines and Summaries

THE BORNEO BULLETIN 4

07 /N OV. / 2012 – THAILAND BACKS 3.5 BILLION DOLLAR MEKONG RIVER DAM PROJECT 4 ‐ Last Tuesday, Thai Foreign Minister, Surapong Tovichachaikul said that the “Thai government [was] not opposed to the project”. Speaking on the sidelines of the Asia‐Europe Meeting in Vientiane, the Thai foreign minister assured that the Lao government had conducted studies that showed “there would be no impact on the environment and fisheries” due to the dam. ‐ Dam construction was previously delayed due to an agreement between Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam on the need for further studies on how to mitigate the environmental impact of the dam. ‐ According to Southeast Asia programme director for International Rivers (NGO) Ame Trandem, “The food security and jobs of millions of people in the region are now on the line,"

THE PHNOM PENH POST 5 11 /N OV. / 2012 – GRIDLOCK IN 5 ‐ Recently Jakarta ended its contest for the governership of the city which saw Joko Widodo being voted into office as the new boss. For Bangkok however the picture is very different with neither parties (Puea Thai or Democrats) deciding on their candidate for the fast approaching January election. ‐ The incumbent, Sukhumbhand Paribatra, has yet to receive the endorsement from his party to run for the second term. In return Sukhumbhand has hinted that he may run independently which would split voters between Sukhumbhand and the democrat candidate assuring a Puea Thai victory. ‐ This has further alienated Sukhumbhand, and he is on especially testy terms with party leader and former PM Abhisit Vejjajiva. ‐ Yet with both Abhisit and Sukhumbhand suffering from current yet separate scandals, it seems unlikely that the democrat party will be able to find a Jokowi to rescue the city. 08 /N OV. / 2012 – LOGGER SUFFERS SERIOUS WOUNDS AFTER SHOOTING 7 ‐ 23 year old Yeth Danich was shot by Thai forces last Friday after crossing into Thai territory from Oddar Meanchey province to log. 06 /N OV. / 2012 – XAYABURI DAM GETS GO­AHEAD 7 ‐ Laos announce of the start of construction of the dam contradicts assurances made to fellow Mekong River Commission (MRC) countries – primarily Cambodia and Vietnam – that the project was on hold while further studies examined the effects it could have on communities downstream. ‐ Lao Vice‐Minister of Energy and Mines Viraponh Viravong said that Laos had addressed environmental concerns by commissioning its own studies, making Laos, in effect, an example that other countries with dam projects can follow. ‐ The announcement came as 250 Thai villagers representing 24,000 people who are predicted to be affected by the dam protested yesterday in Laos.

THE STRAIT TIMES 9

06 /N OV. / 2012 – THAILAND AIMS TO EXPORT 8.5M TONES OF RICE IN 2013 9 ‐ According to Pranee Siriphand, director general of the Ministry of Commerce’s Department of Foreign Trade, the 8.5 million tonnes set to be exported in 2013 would mean that Thailand could retain its position as the world’s number‐one exporter.

THE NEW STRAIT TIMES 10

08 /N OV. / 2012 – US MAN JAILED FOR THAI INSULT SAYS LAW MUST CHANGE 10 ‐ Joe Gordon who was convict last year of translating excerpts of an unauthorized biography of his Majesty King from English into Thai and posted them online, recounts his ordeal while being charged with Thailand’s lese majeste laws. ‐ He notes that the laws hold back the country’s democratic development vowing that he would never to return until the country “allows full freedom of expression”. ‐ While recounting his experience while in prison, he states that “When the doctor knows that your case is a lese majeste or you are a Red Shirt or you are a political prisoner, they will not treat you, they will not give you medicine,” he said. The charge, which has been denied by prison official Sorasit Chongcharoen. The Borneo Bulletin

07 / Nov. / 2012 – Thailand backs 3.5 billion dollar Mekong River dam project

VIENTIANE (dpa) ‐ Thailand on Tuesday threw its support behind a controversial hydropower dam on the lower Mekong River which neighbours, environmentalists and Thai communities have opposed. "The Thai government is not opposed to the project," said Thai Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichachaikul, speaking at the sidelines of the Asia‐Europe Meeting (ASEM) in the capital of Laos. "The Lao government has already conducted studies that show there would be no impact on the environment and fisheries," Surapong said. Laos will hold a ceremony Wednesday in Xayaburi to mark the start of riverbed construction on the 3.5‐billion‐dollar project. The date was chosen to commemorate the 95th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, still a significant date in communist Laos which used to be a member of the Soviet bloc, government sources said. In December, members of the Mekong River Commission's council, consisting of water and environment ministers from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, urged a delay to allow further studies on how to mitigate the environmental impact of the dam, the first proposed for the lower Mekong. In response, Laos and its chief partner in the project, Thailand's Ch Karnchang Public Co Ltd, agreed to spend an additional 100 million dollars to revamp the design of a fish ladder and sediment flow gates. Viraphonh Viravong, deputy minister of Energy and Mines, said the redesign has satisfied all parties, including Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. "There is no need for their formal approval," Viraphonh said of Laos' neighbours that share the Mekong as a valuable natural resource. So far, only Thailand has openly expressed its support of the project. In the past, the Xayaburi project faced strong opposition from neighbouring governments and environmentalist groups who raised questions about its impact on sediment flows downstream and fish migration. The lower Mekong Basin has a fisheries sector worth an estimated 2 billion dollars per year. "The food security and jobs of millions of people in the region are now on the line," said Ame Trandem, Southeast Asia programme director for International Rivers. "Laos has never even collected basic information about the ways that people depend on the river, so how can it say that there will be no impacts?" Trandem said. Ultimately, the decision to go ahead with the project lies with Laos, as the dam site is in Lao territory. "Laos wants to build the Xayaburi dam to increase its electricity exports to Thailand," Surapong said. "That's what Laos wants, and the dam is inside Lao territory." Laos, a mountainous, land‐locked country that ranks among the world's poorest nations, has abundant hydropower which the government hopes to export to its neighbours as an engine of economic growth. The country already has 13 hydroelectric plants in operation with a total capacity for 3,000 megawatts. The Xayaburi project, to be operational by 2019, will be one of its largest, with more than 90 per cent of its electricity to be exported to neighbouring Thailand.

http://www.borneobulletin.com.bn/wed/nov7w7.htm

The Phnom Penh Post

11 / Nov. / 2012 – Gridlock in Bangkok

Bangkok and Jakarta are big, brash and ugly. They are chronically over‐crowded and suffer from flooding, pollution and horrendous traffic jams.

By any reckoning, someone who campaigns for the job of trying to govern them must be certifiably mad.

Yet a crowded field invariably competes for the governorship of both cities.

Jakarta’s contest finally ended last month when a rank outsider, Joko Widodo, was elected boss of Indonesia’s sprawling capital.

Though starting as a dark horse, Jokowi, as he is universally known, is now being hailed as “Indonesia’s most promising politician”.

Vowing to bring real change and tagged as “lean and coolly self‐possessed”, Jokowi has even been compared to United States President Barack Obama.

If only the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration could find someone like him.

But neither the ruling Puea Thai Party nor the opposition Democrats have yet managed to agree on a candidate for the city’s fast‐approaching January election.

The incumbent is a Democrat, Sukhumbhand Paribatra, and it might be thought the party would endorse him for a second term since he wants to run again.

But it has not done so, and unless it does, Sukhumbhand has hinted he may run as an independent, which would split the Democrat vote and let Puea Thai win.

Naturally, this has further alienated Sukhumbhand, and he is on especially testy terms with party leader and former PM Abhisit Vejjajiva, despite both hailing from two of Bangkok’s most elite and ultra‐rich families.

Their tiff stems in part from the way Sukhumbhand was railroaded into running for the governorship in late 2008, just weeks before the military shepherded Abhisit’s Democrats into power.

If Sukhumbhand had not been landed with the BMA, he would have become foreign minister, the post he has always coveted.

Instead, Yellow Shirt leader Kasit Piromya was rewarded with the job, and his brash manner upset Thailand’s neighbours and practically took the nation to war with Cambodia.

Poor Sukhumbhand had to watch this travesty from the sidelines, and instead of attending elegant diplomatic functions, he was obliged to get down and dirty and deal with Bangkok’s daily tribulations.

But fate is fickle, and while he slowly grew into the governor’s job, Abhisit’s premiership went steadily downhill and lasted less than three years before being walloped at the polls by Puea Thai.

Now, just as the looming BMA election offers the prospect of a rare resurrection for the beleaguered Democrats, Abhisit’s own travails have taken a dive for the worse.

Last week, a committee appointed by the defence minister found that the former PM had forged documents to avoid military conscription.

He has been stripped of the rank he was given when teaching at an army academy and ordered to repay his salary.

Those punishments, of course, mean nothing compared to the awful impression given by the official judgement that “clean” pretty‐boy Abhisit was, in fact, a liar and a cheat.

In theory, Sukhumbhand could exploit this situation and push forward his bid to be the party’s candidate for reelection as Bangkok governor.

Unfortunately, he also became embroiled in a comparable debacle last week when FIFA, the world’s governing body for football, vetoed use of a new stadium built for the 2012 Futsal World Cup in Bangkok.

Sukhumbhand’s BMA was in charge of construction and belatedly handed over a stadium which did not meet FIFA’s safety standards and so the games have been forced to move to other locations.

Lambasting this $40 million scandal, the Bangkok Post wrote: “Shame may be too soft a word to describe the utter incompetency of all the organisations involved in the hosting of the event, particularly the BMA.”

So now Sukhumbhand, tagged as utterly incompetent, and Abhisit, branded as a cheat, must still find a way to agree on who will run for governor in two months’ time.

Regrettably, they are unlikely to find any Thai equivalent of Jokowi to rescue the tempestuous metropolis.

08 / Nov. / 2012 – Logger suffers serious wounds after shooting

Yeth Danich, 23, was shot by Thai forces and seriously injured Friday after entering Thai territory from Oddar Meanchey province to log, said Ra Da, chief of operation section at Siem Reap Referral Hospital.

“He got shot twice. His wounds were swarming with worms and the stench was pretty bad,” he said adding that the wounds were exacerbated because Danich spent two days hiding in the forest from the Thai soldiers.

06 / Nov. / 2012 – Xayaburi dam gets go‐ahead

Laos announced yesterday it would begin building the controversial $3.8 billion Xayaburi hydropower dam on the Mekong River this week – in defiance of the governments of Cambodia and Vietnam, as well as environmental groups that fear it could ravage the lives of millions.

Lao Vice‐Minister of Energy and Mines Viraponh Viravong said a ground‐ breaking ceremony scheduled for tomorrow would mark the formal start of the project, the first of its type for the lower Mekong.

“It has been assessed, it has been discussed the past two years,” Viravong said. “We have addressed most of the concerns.”

Conservation groups have warned that the 1,285‐megawatt dam will block sediment flow and fish migration and open the floodgates for 10 more proposed dams on the river, including eight in Laos, which they predict could negatively affect as many as 60 million people.

Turbine contracts, job advertisements and reports of construction at the Xayaburi site, in the country’s north, meant Laos’s intention to build the dam – despite having no regional approval to do so – was no secret.

Even so, yesterday’s revelation contradicts assurances made to fellow Mekong River Commission (MRC) countries – primarily Cambodia and Vietnam – that the project was on hold while further studies examined the effects it could have on communities downstream.

The other MRC member state, Thailand, is set to receive about 90 per cent of the dam’s electricity.

Kirk Herbertson, Southeast Asia policy co‐ordinator for the environmental group International Rivers, said yesterday he had heard only initial reports of the announcement.

“But it just shows that Laos’s promises to co‐operate with neighbouring countries were never genuine,” Herbertson said. “The project was never delayed as Laos said. It was proceeding on schedule.”

Cambodia and Vietnam had requested that Laos study people’s dependence on the river for fishing and farming and examine how fish behaved, Herbertson added.

“Laos never did that. They ended up with studies with information that never asked these questions,” he said.

The Finnish government announced this week it was investigating the author of one of these studies, Finnish‐based firm Pöyry, over its role in consulting with Laos over the Xayaburi project.

“Laos has talked about how it has hired Pöyry to address concerns of neighbouring countries. While they might be the right words, they were the wrong studies,” Herbertson said.

Speculation began to mount in April that more than just preliminary work was being carried out at the site when it emerged that Thai firm Ch Karnchang had signed a construction contract with the Xayaburi Power Co – of which it is a part owner – to build the dam.

Despite numerous denials that development was forging ahead, Laos had been testing the water to see what it could get away with, Herbertson said.

“Laos has gone ahead unilaterally without agreement from other countries. It leaves the Mekong governments without a process to agree on.”

Under an agreement, MRC countries must consult each other on hydroelectric projects on the river before proceeding with construction. Discussions between the four countries – which have included Vietnam urging Laos to postpone its hydro projects for a decade – resulted in agreement late last year that a study on the transboundary impacts on downstream communities must be undertaken before Xayaburi could be built.

Viraponh said yesterday that Laos had addressed environmental concerns by commissioning its own studies, making Laos, in effect, an example that other countries with dam projects can follow.

“We are taking care more of the environment and other concerns. Other projects can follow some similar standards to Xayaburi.”

Laos has said it is committed to strengthening its economy through selling energy from its hydropower projects – a line Viraponh reiterated yesterday.

“Hydropower is a big natural advantage for Laos,” he said. “If you cannot develop the Xayaburi project, what other choice do we have?”

The announcement came as 250 Thai villagers representing 24,000 people who are predicted to be affected by the dam protested yesterday in Laos.

As officials gathered in the capital Vientiane for the 9th Asia‐Europe meeting, the protesters boarded a flotilla on Thailand’s side of the river to make their point – protests were not allowed in Vientiane.

“The [summit] provides a critical opportunity for Asian and European leaders to address the Xayaburi dam issue before regional work to ensure food security and sustainable development is undermined by the dam’s impacts,” a statement from International Rivers said.

“Numerous Asian and European governments have served as development partners and financial supporters to the [MRC], the intergovernmental body responsible for sustainably managing and protecting the Mekong River.”

Local media reported yesterday that Prime Minister Hun Sen had met with senior Laos officials to discuss its plans for Xayaburi.

Te Navuth, secretary‐general of Cambodian National Mekong Committee, could not be reached for comment, but told the Post on Sunday that Cambodia had sent a delegation to the Xayaburi site last week and would report back to the government on its findings.

Officials from the Ministry of Water, the Ministry of Environment and the MRC could not be reached for comment yesterday.

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012110659597/National‐ news/xayaburi‐dam‐gets‐go‐ahead.html

The Strait Times

06 / Nov. / 2012 – Thailand aims to export 8.5m tones of rice in 2013

BANGKOK (REUTERS) ‐ Thailand aims to be the world's biggest rice exporter by shipping 8.5 million tonnes in 2013, up from the 7.2‐7.5 million tonnes expected to be shipped this year, a senior official at the Commerce Ministry said on Tuesday. "That means we could retain our position as the world's number‐one exporter because our competitors, such as India and Vietnam, are expected to export around 7‐8 million tonnes next year," said Pranee Siriphand, director general of the Ministry of Commerce's Department of Foreign Trade.

http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking‐news/se‐asia/story/thailand‐aims‐ export‐85m‐tonnes‐rice‐2013‐20121106

The New Strait Times

08 / Nov. / 2012 – US man jailed for Thai insult says law must change

BANGKOK: A Thai‐born American who spent more than a year in prison on charges of insulting Thailand’s king says the country’s harsh laws outlawing criticism of the monarchy are holding back its democratic development. He has vowed never to return until his motherland stops being so “thin‐skinned” and allows full freedom of expression.

Joe Gordon, who was convicted last year of translating excerpts of an unauthorized biography of King Bhumibol Adulyadej from English into Thai and posting them online, said those jailed under Thai laws protecting the royal family often suffer abuse from prison guards and are treated “like animals.” While he now denies committing any crime, Gordon pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two and a half years in prison before receiving a royal pardon in July.

The punishment was a high‐profile example of the severe sentences meted out here for defaming Thailand’s royal family, a crime known as “lese majeste.” The issue has drawn international attention and raised concern about freedom of speech in this Southeast Asian kingdom best known as the easygoing Land of Smiles, a tourist paradise that draws some 19 million visitors per year.

Gordon’s case also raised questions about the applicability of Thai law to acts committed by foreigners outside Thailand, since he posted the link while residing in the U.S.

“Freedom of expression is not harassment, and Thai people don’t understand that,” Gordon told The Associated Press before his planned departure from the country Thursday. He said in Thailand the attitude is “if you don’t believe and you don’t follow us in the way we are doing things, it means you are insulting us.”

Bhumibol, the world’s longest‐reigning monarch, is revered in Thailand and is widely seen as a stabilizing force. But Thailand’s lese majeste laws are the harshest in the world. They mandate that people found guilty of defaming the monarchy — including the king, the queen and the heir to the throne — face three to 15 years behind bars.

Opponents say that lese majeste laws are often abused to punish political rivals. That has been especially true amid the political turmoil that has followed a 2006 military coup that unseated Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who among other things was accused of disrespect for the monarchy.

Supporters say the monarchy is an essential part of the Thai identity and defending it is a matter of national security.

Gordon, 55, is accused of posting links to a translation of the banned biography “The King Never Smiles” in 2007 while in Colorado.

“As an American citizen, I didn’t do anything wrong,” Gordon said. “It’s my freedom of expression on American soil.”

He acknowledges posting the links to the translated biography excerpts on his personal blog, but denies translating it. Either would be enough to face charges in Thailand, where authorities have warned that Facebook users around the world who “share” or “like” content that insults the Thai monarchy are committing a crime.

In the book, author Paul Handley retraces the king’s life, alleging that he has been a major stumbling block to the progress of democracy in Thailand as he consolidated royal power over his long reign.

Gordon, who was born Lerpong Wichaikammart in Thailand, has lived in the U.S. for about 30 years and is a naturalized citizen. He was arrested in Thailand in May 2011 after he returned to seek treatment for arthritis and high blood pressure.

He said he was in his apartment in northeastern Thailand when it was stormed by about 20 plainclothes police officers who confiscated his computer and accused him of wanting to turn Thailand, a constitutional monarchy, into a republic. It’s a charge that hardcore opponents have also leveled at Thaksin.

Gordon said an officer pointed to a poster of the Declaration of Independence — a gift from a relative — that he had hung on his wall. “He said `You want to change this country to be like this. You want a republican,”’ Gordon recalled.

After being repeatedly denied bail, he pleaded guilty in October last year in hopes of obtaining a lenient sentence. The judge said at the time that the punishment, initially set at five years, was reduced because of Gordon’s plea.

“The only easy way to get out is to accept it,” Gordon said, explaining why he didn’t fight the charges.

During his 14 months in prison, Gordon said his health problems grew worse because of conditions he described as inhumane. He said the situation was worse for those accused of political crimes, such as lese majeste prisoners or those associated with the Red Shirt political movement, which is aligned with Thaksin.

“When the doctor knows that your case is a lese majeste or you are a Red Shirt or you are a political prisoner, they will not treat you, they will not give you medicine,” he said.

There have been allegations that other prisoners charged with lese majeste have not been able to get proper treatment, including a 62‐year‐old grandfather who died of cancer in prison.

Prison official Sorasit Chongcharoen denied that lese majeste prisoners were abused.

“Doctors and prison officials are giving fair treatment to every prisoner or detainee, regardless of their charges,” he said.

Gordon said the lese majeste law should be scrapped because it is too strict and rather than protecting the royal institution causes it more harm.

“If Thailand wants to move forward to catch up with globalization, they need to get rid of lese majeste and release all the political prisoners,” he said.

He said the country’s attitude toward controversial speech was holding it back.

“Thailand needs to learn to handle the truth. Have a thicker skin to move forward,” he said.

He said his experience in Thailand has left him emotionally scarred.

“I’m very aware now that Thailand is not really the land of smiles, and you have to be careful what you are doing in this country,” Gordon said. “It seems like on the surface a nice country, but if you dig deeper it is dangerous and can harm you.” ‐‐ AP http://www.nst.com.my/latest/us‐man‐jailed‐for‐thai‐insult‐says‐law‐must‐ change‐1.168533#ixzz2C7lDx7DC