Week 28 (9th July 2012 – 15th July 2012)

ASEAN Newspapers Issues pertaining to ‐ politics

Number of article(s): 14

Keywords/criteria used for search: Thailand, Thai

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)

Table of Contents

THE BRUNEI TIMES 6

15 / JULY / 2012 – THAI PM TO SEEK DELIBERATION OF COURT RULING (XINHUA ALSO FEATURED IN CHINA DAILY) 6 • It was reported that the Thai PM forwarded the ruling of the Constitution Court to the Council of State for deliberation on next steps to take. • The ruling on Friday determined that parliament can only amend the charter, section by section. • PM Yingluck reaffirmed that the ruling will push ahead with a constitutional amendment as it was part of the ruling party's electoral campaign. • PM stated that she believed the ruling would not delay the charter amendment process and that people had heard the ruling in a peaceful manner • The ruling is seen by critics as a compromise which helped ease mounting political tension 14 / JULY / 2012 ­ THAILAND’S COURT DISMISSES PETITION AGAINST RULING PARTY (REUTERS ALSO FEATURED IN STRAIT TIMES) 6 • It is reported that Thailand’s constitutional court rejects charges that constitutional amendments sponsored by ruling party threatens the Thai monarchy. • However the court ruled that a referendum was needed for a rewrite of the charter. • Red shirts were said to be “jubilant with verdict”. The ruling allowed amendments to be made to the constitution however if the government wanted to get an elected assembly to overhaul the whole constitution, “as it wants to do”, a referendum would be needed. • Political science professor at Chulalongkorn University, Siripan Nogsuan Sawasdee, quoted for stating that "This is a ruling that keeps the balance between the opposition and the ruling party,". She further adds that this would allow the whole constitution to be amended yet provide the opposition time. • The article further notes that the government maintains its proposed changes are part of efforts to bring reconciliation to Thailand, altering a constitution seen by some as undemocratic. Opponents of the amendments have argued the changes threaten the constitutional monarchy and that one undeclared aim was to pave the way for former premier to return. 13 / JULY / 2012 ­ ‘CAMBODIAN TROOPS FIRE AT THAI PASSENGER JET’ (AFP) 7 • It was reported that the Thai army was quoted for saying that Cambodian troops fired shots at a passenger plane flying near disputed border, believing it to be a spy plane. • This is confirmed in the report by Cambodian military stating that troops had open fire at an aircraft at 7 pm last Wednesday. • Article further states that relations between the two country have however warmed significantly since the current Thai government took office.

THE PHNOM PENH POST 8

13 / JULY / 2012 – BORDER INCIDENT ACCOUNTS CLASH 8 • Article states that Cambodia and Thailand are in disagreement over if one of two aircrafts Cambodia military fired at Wednesday night was a military plane or a Thai Airways passenger plane. • The Cambodian military was quoted for saying that two Thai military planes had crossed into Cambodian air space over Banteay Meanchey drawing warning shots from anti‐aircraft installations. • Thai military quoted for saying that Cambodian military had mistakenly shot at a Airways passenger flight. • Incident happened a day before Thai PM was to address a high level business meeting in Siem Reap. It is further reported that Yingluck will meet separately with Hun Sen to discuss border dispute

THE JAKARTA POST 9

13 / JULY / 2012 ­ THAILAND COURT TO ISSUE CRUCIAL VERDICT (AP) 9 • It is reported that it is expect that Thai Constitutional Court to issue a ruling on 13th of July in a significant case which could trigger new round of political chaos and violent street protests if court order ruling party to dissolve. • Proponent of charter amendments see the current constitution as undemocratic while opponent of charter amendments see the amendments as a threat to monarchy as well as could help Thaksin return to power. • Court is reportedly seen as closely allied with the elite/ conservative establishment. However analysts predict a move to dissolve the ruling party would be unlike as it would provoke a severe backlash. 11 / JULY / 2012 – MAN JAILED FOR TRANSLATING THAI KING BOOK FREED (AP) 11 • Article relates to a statement issued by US Embassy last Wednesday that, Joe Gordon, a Thai‐born American citizen who was jailed two and half years ago for translating the banned biography on His Majestic and posting the content online, has been freed by royal pardon. • US Embassy spokesman Walter Braunohler was quoted for stating that the US was pleased that His Majestic granted Joe Gordon a royal pardon. He further adds that the US would urge Thai authorities on a “regular basis, both privately and publically, in Bangkok and in Washington, to ensure that freedom of expression is protected in accordance with its international obligations.” • The article further notes that Lese Majeste laws in Thailand are the harshest in the world. It particularly mentions the Computer Crime Act as making prosecutors enable to increase Lese Majeste sentences.

THE JAKARTA GLOBE 12

10 / JULY / 2012 – THAI RED SHIRT SENTENCED OVER ROYAL SEATING CLAIM (AFP) 12 • Jatuporn Prompan was given a suspended jail term for slander over claims he accused the former PM of sitting incorrectly during an audience with Thailand’s revered king. • Jatuporn saw his jail term suspended because he has not been convicted for any other crime. Yet he is currently facing many pending cases including terrorism charges over his involvement in the violent street protests in 2010. 10 / JULY / 2012 – DETAINED THAIS TO FACE CHARGES: MYANMAR STATE MEDIA (AFP ALSO FEATURED IN STRAIT TIMES) 13 • Nine women and 52 men were reported to have been detained during a Myanmar army sweep/raid in a southern border region. • According to the Myanmar news source, the New Light of Myanmar, weapons and ammunition were seized and no shots were reportedly fired during the raid. • It is further noted that the Thai detainees who had encroached upon Myanmar territory were rubber farming on a commercial scale. • Deputy prime ministers, Yutthasak Sasiprapa, said that Thailand would negotiate for their release but told that the task had been complicated due to that the Myanmar army had found both illicit drugs and arms.

THE STRAIT TIMES 14

13 / JULY / 2012 – THAILAND, CAMBODIA INVESTIGATE JET INCIDENT 14 • Authorites on both sides of the Thai and Cambodia border are investigating on reports that Cambodian troops fired on a Bangkok Airways passenger flight, mistaking it for a spy plane. • Thai army officer was quoted under anonymity for saying that Cambodian military open fire as plane circled the border region in bad weather. There were no reports of damage. • Thai Foreign Minister Surapong Tovijakchaikul denied the reports 13 / JULY / 2012 – THAILAND STEPS UP SECURITY FOR KEY COURT RULING (AFP) 14 • The article states that Thailand is increasing/boosting security in advance of the charter amendment case, deploying nearly 2,000 police officers around the Constitutional Court and providing judges special police protection • Deputy Prime Minister Yutthasak Sasiprapa warned that Friday’s verdict had the potential to trigger violence yet said that was no specific threat of unrest. 11 / JULY / 2012 – THAI PARDON FOR US CITIZEN JAILED FOR ROYAL INSULT (AFP ALSO FEATURED IN NEW STRAIT TIMES, THE STAR AND JAPAN TODAY) 15 • This article focus on the recent royal pardon and release of Joe Gordon, Thai‐born US citizen who was charged under the Thai Lese Majeste laws. • The article further reports that his release came just before Thai PM Yingluck Shinawatra was scheduled to meet US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at a business forum in Cambodia.

THE NEW STRAIT TIMES 15

16 / JULY / 2012 – THAI BORDER ON ALERT ON CAMBODIAN CHILD DEATH 15 • Recent death of a Cambodian child of sever hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) has reportedly caused quarantine experts to take stern measures against Cambodian immigrants. • It is reported that Cambodian families are crossing into Thailand thorugh Thai border district of Aranyaprathet. Thai officials have reportedly refused two children entry into Thailand as they had a high fever.

CHINA DAILY 16

13 / JULY / 2012 – THAI PM URGES ALL PARTIES TO ACCEPT COURT VERDICT PEACEFULLY (XINHUA) 16 • Thai PM Yingluck was quoted calling all parties to stay calm and accept the Court’s verdict. She further calls on the public not to resort to violence following the verdict. • The bill sponsored by the government to amendment the constitution is seen by the opposition as attempt to topple the constitutional monarchy. • Security has been increased leading up to the court ruling 10 / JULY / 2012 – RED SHIRT LEADER SENTENCED FOR DEFAMATION (XINHUA) 16 • It is reported that Thailand’s criminal court last Tuesday decided to put Jatuporn Prompan, six month in jail, suspended for two years, for defaming rival ex‐PM • Following the verdict , Jatuporn said that he would appeal

The Brunei Times

15 / July / 2012 – Thai PM to seek deliberation of Court ruling (Xinhua Also featured in China Daily)

THAI Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said yesterday that she will forward the ruling of Constitution Court to the Council of State for deliberation on the next steps, Thai News Agency reported.

The prime minister made her remarks after the Constitution Court on Friday ruled that the parliament can only amend the charter, section by section.

Yingluck, who has returned from the ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in Phnom Penh, said she will send the court ruling to the Council of State to lay out possibility of the next procedures before pursuing the charter amendment.

The Council of State's recommendations then will be raised in the cabinet meeting, said the premier, adding that the charter amendment will be done under parliamentary mechanism.

Yingluck reaffirmed that the ruling Pheu Thai Party will push ahead with a constitutional amendment as the issue was part of the party's election campaign.

The premier said she believed the ruling will not delay the charter amendment process, while expressing her gratitude that the public heard the court ruling in a peaceful manner. In the crucial verdict, the judges voted unanimously that there were insufficient grounds to support the complainants regarding alleged attempts to overthrow the constitutional monarchy.

The court said the constitution could be amended article by article, but not be entirely rewritten. The ruling is seen by critics as a compromise which helped ease mounting political tensions. Xinhua

http://www.bt.com.bn/news‐asia/2012/07/15/thai‐pm‐seek‐deliberation‐ court‐ruling

14 / July / 2012 ‐ Thailand’s court dismisses petition against ruling party (Reuters also featured in Strait Times)

A THAI court yesterday rejected charges that constitutional amendments proposed by the ruling party threatened the revered monarchy, but ruled a referendum was needed for a rewrite of the charter.

The decision should ease political tensions that have spiralled in Thailand over the last few days.

The government's "red shirt" supporters, who had been massing near parliament and had threatened protests if the ruling went against them, were jubilant with the verdict, waving flags and cheering. The ruling left the way open for parts of the constitution to be changed but said that if the government wanted to get an elected assembly to overhaul the whole constitution, as it wants to do, a referendum was needed.

The ruling was being watched closely because it could have opened another violent chapter in Thailand's seven‐year political divide between the pro‐royal establishment in Bangkok and the rural‐based red shirts.

Powerful royalists oppose any change to a constitution enacted under a military‐ backed government in 2007.

The verdict of the court would appear to remove that threat, giving the government time to work how out to proceed without giving either its supporters or opponents cause to protest. "This is a ruling that keeps the balance betweeen the opposition and the ruling party," said Siripan Nogsuan Sawasdee, associate professor in the political science faculty at Chulalongkorn University.

"I believe that the referendum will allow the whole charter to be amended because of the overwhelming support for this government," she said, adding, however, that the opposition Democrats should also be pleased because the process could not now be pushed through quickly.

If the court had found against the government, it might also have found reason to dissolve the ruling party for trying to push through illegal changes, potentially bringing down the government of Yingluck Shinawatra.

The government maintains its proposed changes are part of efforts to bring reconciliation to Thailand, altering a constitution seen by some as undemocratic.

Its opponents had argued the changes would threaten the constitutional monarchy and that one undeclared aim was to pave the way for former premier Thaksin Shinawatra to return from self‐exile without serving time in jail for a graft conviction. Reuters

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:HAxRW2K9VsYJ:www .bt.com.bn/news‐asia/2012/07/14/thailands‐court‐dismisses‐petition‐against‐ ruling‐party+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk

13 / July / 2012 ‐ ‘Cambodian troops fire at Thai passenger jet’ (AFP) CAMBODIAN troops fired shots at a passenger aircraft flying near the country's disputed border with Thailand, believing it to be a spy plane, the Thai army said yesterday.

"The Cambodian military fired because there was a Thai passenger plane ‐ Bangkok Airways ‐ which could not land at Siem Reap airport because of bad weather," said deputy army spokesman Colonel Sirichan Ngathong.

"It was misunderstood by Cambodia to be spy plane," he said, adding that no one was hurt in the incident near the northern Cambodian tourist destination of Siem Reap.

Cambodian military at the border — the site of deadly territorial clashes between the neighbouring countries last year — confirmed troops had opened fire at an aircraft. "It was dark so we could not see what type of plane it was. But it was circling many times and then our soldiers fired 18 shots from a machine gun, but it missed the plane because it was flying very high," Commander Seng Phearin told AFP. "I think a passenger plane would not fly around the border. We suspected it was a spy plane, so we fired to defend our airspace," he said, adding the aircraft had been around 10km inside Cambodia. He said the incident happened at 7pm local time on Wednesday, although the Thai authorities said it occurred yesterday morning. AFP was unable to immediately contact Bangkok Airways. Cambodia and Thailand traded heavy arms fire over a disputed border in early 2011 under the previous Thai government, but ties have warmed significantly since Yingluck Shinawatra took power in Thailand.AFP

http://www.bt.com.bn/news‐asia/2012/07/13/cambodian‐troops‐fire‐thai‐ passenger‐jet

The Phnom Penh Post

13 / July / 2012 – Border incident accounts clash

Cambodia and Thailand are in disagreement over whether one of two aircrafts Cambodian armed forces fired at last night was a military plane or a Thai Airways passenger plane.

Royal Cambodian Armed Forces officials said two Thai military planes had crossed illegally into Cambodian air space over Banteay Meanchey last night, drawing what they termed warning shots from anti‐aircraft installations.

So Chan Heng, commander of RCAF’s Division 51, said the two patrolling planes flew from O’Lahong village in Malai district to the international checkpoint in Poipet.

“Thai planes violated our air space with the intention of spying, but we did not shoot the planes down. We had just shot as a warning in order to show that the planes must fly properly inside Thai air space,” Heng said.

But a Thai army official said that Cambodian troops had actually mistakenly fired at a Bangkok Airways passenger flight.

“The Cambodian military fired because there was a Thai passenger plane – Bangkok Airways– which could not land at Siem Reap airport because of bad weather,” said deputy army spokesman Colonel Sirichan Ngathong.

He added that no one was hurt during the incident.

The incident came a day before Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is due to address a high‐level business conference in Siem Reap.

Yingluck will meet separately with Prime Minister Hun Sen to discuss the long‐ simmering border dispute around the Preah Vihear temple. http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012071357395/National‐ news/border‐incident‐accounts‐clash.html

The Jakarta Post

13 / July / 2012 ‐ Thailand court to issue crucial verdict (AP)

Thailand's Constitutional Court is expected to issue a ruling Friday in a pivotal case that some fear could trigger a new round of political chaos and violent street protests if judges take the extreme step of dissolving the ruling party. The case involves an attempt by lawmakers to establish a drafting committee to amend the constitution, which they see as undemocratic because it was created in the wake of a 2006 army coup. Opponents say the plan is part of a plot to dismantle the Southeast Asian nation's constitutional monarchy — a claim proponents staunchly deny. The complex legal case is the latest convulsion of a sometimes‐violent tug‐of‐war between allies and adversaries of the exiled billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra, the populist former prime minister who was overthrown six years ago. It is also marks one of the biggest tests yet of the stability of the government led by Thaksin's sister Yingluck Shinawatra, which rose to power 12 months ago in a landslide election that was widely viewed as a referendum on Thaksin's rule. Chaturon Chaisang, a senior member of the ruling Pheu Thai Party, which has vowed to amend the charter, said any outcome beyond the court determining it has no authority to try the case would be "illegitimate." "The damage to the country will depend on the content of the verdict," Chaturon told The Associated Press. "If they stop us from amending the constitution, it will be terrible. But if they go further — if they dissolve the (ruling) party — it will be disastrous." The court is closely identified with a conservative, elite establishment that has long seen Thaksin's popularity as a threat to its own power and influence. There are complaints the court wields too much power and that its rulings serve political aims. The court's members have removed two Thaksin‐allied prime ministers in the last four years, and they have dissolved major political parties and banned top politicians from politics. If the court rules the attempt to change the charter illegal on Friday, it could exact political punishment and order Yingluck's party dissolved. Analysts believe such a move is unlikely in part because the judges know it could provoke a severe backlash. But the fact that it remains a possibility — and the judges have invoked that power before — has sharply increased tensions over the last week. Another possible result: a legal ruling that bars an immediate attempt to change the charter but leaves the ruling party intact, free to pursue another approach. Either way, the nation's divide will simmer, with both sides girding for another showdown. The daily newspaper The Nation summed up the grim mood in an editorial Thursday: No matter what verdict, "things will get worse before they get better." In the run‐up to the Friday's session, police have been deployed 24 hours a day to protect the judges, some of whom have hired their own bodyguards. Up to 2,000 police will also be deployed around the court itself to boost security. The case began last week when the court called 15 witnesses to argue both sides for two days. The current charter was drafted in 2007, one year after the coup, by an interim, military‐backed government. It was approved by Thai voters, but they had no real option if they wished to see constitutional rule and electoral democracy quickly restored. In response to Thaksin's substantial mandate, the new constitution sought to limit the power of elected politicians, changing the Senate from an all‐elected body back to a partly appointed one. It also strengthened the power of independent state agencies and the judiciary. "This is a system designed by the coup‐makers," Chaturon said. The Constitutional Court in particular is enormously powerful, entrusted with the ability "to remove the prime minster, dissolve parties they don't like — to overthrow governments they don't like. That's the problem. That's not democracy ... that's why" the constitution needs to be amended. Wiratana Kalayasiri, a lawmaker from the opposition Democrat party and one of the complainants in the case, said the issue was that proponents of constitutional change want to redraft the entire document, although the ruling party has not made their intentions clear either way. "The charter only allows the constitution to be amended, but not totally rewritten," he said. Yingluck's party has so far said it only wants to set up a 99‐member drafting, and the current case involves changing one amendment that would enable them to begin that process. That the court agreed even to hear the case has surprised some analysts, who say it had no jurisdiction to do so. "It's not really sensible to make legal sense of these proceedings," said Verapat Pariyawong, an independent Harvard‐educated lawyer. "You have to look at this as a political phenomenon." Opponents of changing the charter are mostly Thaksin's critics, who fear it could help him return to power. The former premier, a deeply divisive figure despite his popularity, now lives in exile in Dubai to avoid a 2008 corruption conviction he says was politically motivated. Clashes between the two sides have shaken the country's stability repeatedly. In 2008, Thaksin's opponents seized the prime minister's offices for three months and Bangkok's two airports for a week. In 2010, Thaksin's supporters held street demonstrations that degenerated into violence, leaving more than 90 people dead and almost 2,000 injured.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/07/13/thailand‐court‐issue‐ crucial‐verdict.html

11 / July / 2012 – Man jailed for translating Thai king book freed (AP) An American sentenced to two and a half years in Thai prison for translating a banned biography about the country's king and posting the content online has been freed by a royal pardon, the U.S. Embassy said Wednesday. Joe Gordon was convicted in December for translating excerpts of the book "The King Never Smiles" from English into Thai. The punishment was a high‐profile example of the severe sentences meted out here for defaming Thailand's royal family, an issue that has raised concern about freedom of expression in this Southeast Asian kingdom. No reason was given for the pardon, but U.S. officials have pressed Thai authorities to release the Thai‐born American since he was first detained in May 2011. Gordon was freed from Bangkok's Remand prison late Tuesday, U.S. Embassy spokesman Walter Braunohler said. "We are pleased that His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej granted Joe Gordon a royal pardon, which allowed him to be released from prison," Braunohler said. "We urge Thai authorities on a regular basis, both privately and publically, in Bangkok and in Washington, to ensure that freedom of expression is protected in accordance with its international obligations." Braunohler declined to comment on Gordon's whereabouts or what his future plans were. Gordon's lawyer, Arnon Numpa, told The Associated Press he would likely return to America within several days. 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. The nation's 2007 Computer Crimes Act also contains provisions that have enabled prosecutors to increase lese majeste sentences. Opponents of the laws say that while the royal family should be protected from defamation, 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. Many had hoped the administration of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, which assumed power after elections a year ago and has prominent supporters who have been accused of lese majeste, would reform the laws. The issue remains highly sensitive, however, and Yingluck's government has been as aggressive in pursuing the cases as its predecessors. Gordon, posted links to the banned biography of the king several years ago while residing in the U.S. state of Colorado, and his case has raised questions about the applicability of Thai law to acts committed by foreigners outside Thailand. In the banned book, author Paul M. 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 lived in the U.S. for about 30 years, was visiting his native country to seek treatment for arthritis and high blood pressure at the time of his arrest. 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.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/07/11/man‐jailed‐translating‐ thai‐king‐book‐freed.html

The Jakarta Globe

10 / July / 2012 – Thai Red Shirt Sentenced Over Royal Seating Claim (AFP)

A key Thai Red Shirt leader was on Tuesday given a suspended jail term for slander over claims he accused the former premier of sitting incorrectly during an audience with Thailand’s revered king.

Jatuporn Prompan was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years, after the Thai Criminal Court found him guilty of slandering former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva in 2009.

The court heard that the firebrand activist accused the then Thai leader of sitting on a chair of an equal height to one being used by King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

In Thailand where it is customary to remain at a lower level than the monarch, such a move could be perceived as discourteous.

In court Abhisit successfully argued that since the chair had been provided by the royal household, his sitting on it could not be seen as a mark of disrespect.

“The court finds the defendant did not honestly criticize the plaintiff,” the judge said, adding that Jatuporn had been an opposition MP for the now‐ruling Puea Thai party at the time, and that his comments had “political motivation.”

Jatuporn, who is facing a slew of court cases including terrorism over massive 2010 Red Shirt protests that ended in bloodshed, saw his jail term suspended because he has not been convicted for any other crime.

He was stripped of his parliamentary seat in May after the Constitutional Court said that his election was invalid because he was held over a separate lese‐ majeste case at the time. He has yet to stand trial.

The monarchy is a highly sensitive topic in politically turbulent Thailand, where the 84‐year‐old king is revered as a demi‐god by many Thais.

Agence France‐Presse

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/seasia/thai‐red‐shirt‐sentenced‐over‐royal‐ seating‐claim/529762

10 / July / 2012 – Detained Thais to Face Charges: Myanmar State Media (AFP also featured in Strait Times)

Dozens of Thai nationals will face charges in neighboring Myanmar after they were held for illegally crossing the border to run rubber plantations, state media said Tuesday.

Nine women and 52 men detained during a Myanmar army sweep in a southern border region were “safe, but to face charges,” according to a report in the state mouthpiece New Light of Myanmar.

The newspaper detailed weapons seized — including nine assault rifles, 11 “homemade” guns and a landmine — but said no shots were fired during the raids in the country’s southeastern Tanintharyi region.

“The Thai detainees have encroached upon Myanmar’s territory and worked rubber farming on a commercial scale and held arms and ammunitions for their security,” the English language newspaper said, adding that Thailand had been informed through “diplomatic means.”

One of Thailand’s deputy prime ministers, Yutthasak Sasiprapa, put the number of detained at 49 and said officials from the Thai border province of Ranong would negotiate for their release.

But he said the task would be complicated because the Myanmar army had found both illicit drugs and arms.

“They trespassed onto Myanmar soil to work and planted marijuana, while Myanmar has also seized weapons. But I am convinced they will be freed before President Thein Sein’s official visit,” he said, referring to the Myanmar leader’s previously delayed visit to Bangkok, now set for July 22.

Many poor Myanmar nationals stream across the porous 2,400 kilometer (1,500 mile) border between the two countries in search of employment in affluent Thailand. Movement by Thais into impoverished Myanmar is rarely reported.

Agence France‐Presse

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/seasia/detained‐thais‐to‐face‐charges‐ myanmar‐state‐media/529826

The Strait Times 13 / July / 2012 – Thailand, Cambodia investigate jet incident

BANGKOK (AP) ‐ Authorities in Thailand and Cambodia are investigating reports that Cambodian troops fired on a Bangkok Airways passenger jet after mistaking it for a spy plane. A senior Thai army officer says Cambodians opened fire as the plane circled the border region in bad weather this week. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject. There were no reports of damage. Thailand's Foreign Minister Surapong Tovijakchaikul denies the reports.

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_821926.ht ml

13 / July / 2012 – Thailand steps up security for key court ruling (AFP)

BANGKOK (AFP) ‐ Thailand on Wednesday said it was boosting security ahead of an incendiary charter amendment case that could lead to the dissolution of the ruling party, with judges given special police protection. Deputy Prime Minister Yutthasak Sasiprapa warned that Friday's verdict, which threatens to rip open the kingdom's bitter political divisions, 'could trigger violence", but said there was no specific threat of unrest. Nearly 2,000 police officers are to be deployed around the Constitutional Court as it prepares to rule over claims that plans by Thai premier Yingluck Shinawatra's party to amend the constitution are a threat to the deeply‐revered monarchy. A verdict against the ruling party could lead to its dissolution, risking fresh conflict in a nation that has been racked by bloody street rallies since huge protests against Ms Yingluck's brother, Thaksin helped topple the tycoon from power in 2006.

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_821484.ht ml

11 / July / 2012 – Thai pardon for US citizen jailed for royal insult (AFP also featured in New Strait Times, The Star and Japan Today)

BANGKOK (AFP) ‐ A Thai‐born US citizen jailed for insulting Thailand's king has received a royal pardon, officials said on Wednesday, a move welcomed by Washington which had issued a rare rebuke to Bangkok over the case. Joe Wichai Commart Gordon, a car salesman from Colorado, was sentenced to two‐and‐a‐half years imprisonment in December under Thailand's lese majeste laws, which rights campaigners say are used to stifle freedom of expression. His release came just before Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is scheduled to meet US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at a business forum in Cambodia on Friday. The 55‐year‐old was arrested in May 2011 while on a visit to Thailand, after he had posted material online from his own Thai translation of a banned English‐ language biography of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_821103.ht ml

The New Strait Times

16 / July / 2012 – Thai border on alert on Cambodian child death

BANGKOK: Quarantine experts are taking stern measures against Cambodian immigrants following the death of a Cambodian child from a deadly strain of hand, foot and mouth disease, Thai News Agency (TNA) reported. The lethal ‘Entero‐virus Type 71’ strain has been confirmed in Cambodia’s Battambang Province – about 70 kilometres from the Thai‐Cambodian border ‐‐ where the child has reportedly died. Cambodian officials say they are still trying to verify the case. Meanwhile, thousands of Cambodian families are crossing into Thailand through the Thai border district of Aranyaprathet on fears that their children will catch the disease. Thai officials say so far, two Cambodian children aged two and three years, accompanied by their parents, have been refused entry to Thailand as both had high fever. ‐‐ BERNAMA

http://www.nst.com.my/latest/thai‐border‐on‐alert‐on‐cambodian‐child‐death‐ 1.108294##ixzz20uFDXSCw

China Daily

13 / July / 2012 – Thai PM urges all parties to accept court verdict peacefully (Xinhua)

BANGKOK, July 13 (Xinhua) ‐‐ Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, before departing Bangkok for a meeting in Cambodia on Friday, called on all parties to stay calm and accept the Constitution Court's verdict on the constitutionality of the charter amendment bill. Asking the public not to resort to violence and act within legal limits, she said the government is duty bound to continue working and asked all parties including the red shirts to wait for the court decision. "Any move should be within the legal framework. Don't resort to any violence. Eventually, (I)believe all sides should be able to talk to each other as we are all Thais," she added. The Constitution Court is scheduled to deliver its verdict around 3 p.m. local time . The judges will rule whether the bill to amend Section 291 of the Constitution contravenes Section 68. The opposition claimed the ruling Pheu Thai party’s move to amend article 291 to set up a drafting committee is tantamount to an attempt to topple the constitutional monarchy. The Metropolitan Police Bureau deployed three companies of police to provide security and to keep order at the Constitution Court. Police reinforcements are possible depending on the situation. Deputy Prime Minister Gen Yuthasak Sasiprapa said the military is ready to reinforce police to cope with situation after the court ruling.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/xinhua/2012‐07‐13/content_6434789.html

10 / July / 2012 – Red Shirt leader sentenced for defamation (Xinhua)

BANGKOK, July 10 (Xinhua) Thailand's criminal court on Tuesday decided to put JatupornPrompan, one of the Red Shirt's core leaders six month in jail, suspended for two years, for defaming rival Democratic Party leader and ex‐Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. The verdict said that Jatuporn,at a press conference at the Pheu Thai Party headquarters on Jan 13, 2009, reprimanded then‐ PM Abhisit for his impropriate behavior during an audience with the King. The hard‐core and outspoken Red Shirt leader was found guilty of defamation. In addition to jail term, the court also delivered a fine of 50,000 baht (1580 U.S. dollars) to Jatuporn and a order for him to pay to publish the verdict on two Thai newspapers for seven consecutive days. Following the verdict, Jatuporn said he would seek for appeal. Earlier this year, Jatuporn was disqualified by the Constitution Court as the ruling Pheu Thai 's list on the grounds that his membership of the party was voided when he was jailed. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/xinhua/2012‐07‐10/content_6406403.html