Week 49 (3rd December 2012 – 09th December 2012) ASEAN Newspapers Issues pertaining to Thailand ‐ politics Number of article(s): 7 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) Headlines and Summaries THE BORNEO BULLETIN 5 07 /D EC. / 2012 ­ EX­THAI PM TO FACE MURDER CHARGE (AFP – ALSO PUBLISHED IN THE JAKARTA GLOBE, THE STRAIT TIMES) 5 ‐ Last Thursday, former PM Abhisit Vejjajiva was charged with murder over the death of civilian during 2010 “Red Shirt” rallies. ‐ The Department of Special Investigation (DSI), police and Thai prosecutors based their decision to charge the former PM and his deputy Suthep Thaugsuban on witness testimony and a court’s decision in September that a Taxi driver, Phan Kamkong, was shot by troops. ‐ The oppositional Red Shirts have raised accusations of double standards over terrorism prosecutions against 24 of its leaders, including five current lawmakers, who could in theory face the death penalty in a case that is set to begin on December 13. ‐ Rights campaigners have said both the protesters and the authorities of the time should be held accountable. 06 /D EC. / 2012 – THAI KING CALLS FOR UNITY IN BIRTHDAY SPEECH 6 ‐ At least 200,000 people flooded the capital’s historic district for rare public address by Thailand’s revered king, marking his 85th birthday. ‐ The king, who is seen as almost a demi‐deity by many, told the crowd that the “goodwill” Thais had shown by attending the ceremony together bought him confidence that Thais’ kindness was key to bringing unity to the people and the nation. ‐ King Bhumibol Adulyadej, whose 66 years of service makes him the world’s longest reigning monarch, suffered a minor brain bleed in July, but has since made several official appearances including meeting with Barack Obama during the US president’s visit to the country last month. ‐ The monarch has no official political role but is seen as a unifying figure in a country that has seen frequent political unrest. ‐ Thailand is in the grip of a long‐running political crisis pitting royalist against supporters of ousted PM Thaksin Shinawatra and the government which is currently led by his sister Yingluck Shinawatra. THE JAKARTA POST 7 06 /D EC. / 2012 ­ EX­THAI PM WILL FACE MURDER CHARGES OVER CRACKDOWN (AP – ALSO PUBL ISH ED IN THE NEW STRAIT TIMES) 7 ‐ Murder charges are to be filled by investigators against Thai former PM and his deputy for their roles in the deadly 2010 crackdown on anti‐ government protest. ‐ This is seen as the first prosecutions of officials for their roles in the incident. ‐ Democrat Party spokesman, Chavanond Intarakomalyasut called the decision “an abuse of government’s power to threaten its opponents”, further noted that charges were filed as parliament was in recess lifting the two men’s immunity from arrest. ‐ Department of Special Investigation chief, Tharit Phengdit, denied that the decision was political motivated and said that the case was significant “for society because the deaths were inflicted by an act of government officers”. ‐ The democrat spokesman insisted the security body set up to contain the protests issued no order to use force against or kill civilians, only to keep order in dealing with "black shirts," armed men who served as guards for the demonstrators. He said both Abhisit and Suthep "are ready to prove their innocence," and that "those who brought up false charges will have to take responsibility." ‐ DSI chief Tharit told that factors leading to the planned charges include the continuing use of force over time and the killing of civilians without resorting to other methods of controlling protesters. 04 /D EC. / 2012 – FLIGHT ATTENDANT OUT OF JOB AFTER FACEBOOK REMARK 8 ‐ Cathay Pacific flight attendant lost her job after posting that she wanted to throw coffee in a passenger’s face because she happened to be the daughter of someone who she intensely dislikes: ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawtra. She posted a picture of Paetongtarn’s seating number on a Bangkok‐to‐Hong Kong flight she worked on Nov. 25. ‐ Cathay Pacific said last Monday on its Thailand Facebook page that the posting of a passenger’s personal information was unauthorized and against the airline’s privacy rules. It further said, without elaborating, that the flight attendant is “no longer an employee”. THE STRAIT TIMES 8 06 /D EC. / 2012 – HUNDREDS OF THAI SCHOOLS CLOSE AFTER TEACHER ATTACKS 8 ‐ Teachers in Thailand’s southern province suspended lessons last Thursday following to gun attacks on two educators last week. ‐ Local teaching association had called for all state schools in the area to close for two days after a teacher was shot dead on last Monday. ‐ They demanded effective security measures for teachers. Ms. Chatsuda Nilsuwan 32, who was shot as she left school on Monday, became the 155th education worker killed in the Thai south, which has been in the grip of insurgency for nearly nine years. 05 /D EC. / 2012 – BUMPY RIDE AHEAD FOR THAI PM 9 ‐ Earlier last week, Cathay Pacific stewardess had to leave her job after posting on facebook that she felt like throwing coffee at the daughter of Thailand’s former prime minister during a recent flight. ‐ This is just one of many signs of tension simmering beneath the calm political façade of the Thai capital Bangkok as bitter opponents cool off for the next few weeks out of respect for the country’s revered monarch King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who turned 85 on 5th of December. THE STAR 9 06 /D EC. / 2012 – FORMER THAI PM ABHISIT CHARGED OVER CRACKDOWN DEATHS 9 ‐ Thailand’s equivalence to the FBI, The Department of Special Investigation (DSI), charged Abhisit and former deputy PM Suthep Thaugsuban for their role in the 2010 events. ‐ The decision by DSI to press charges against the two former PM and Deputy PM was influence by a court ruling on September 17 in the inquest into the death of taxi driver Phan Kamthong during the protest. ‐ The two politicians where charged under article 288 of the criminal code. If found guilty they could face the death penalty or up to life in prison. ‐ The former deputy Prime Minister, Suthep Thaugsuban, headed the Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation(CRES), a centre who authorised "live fire" zones during the protest and used emergency powers to shut down websites, radio stations and a television station. Government‐backed troops forcibly dispersed the crowd on May 19 2010, prompting rioting and arson attacks that saw over 30 buildings set ablaze in some of the worst violence in modern Thai history. ‐ Some analysts claims that the charges were a way for the ruling Puea Thai Party to pressure the opposition into accepting a broad amnesty deal that could whitewash guilt on both sides of the conflict and bring Thaksin home from his self‐imposed exile in Dubai. ‐ According to analyst and director of Siam Intelligence Unit, Kan Yuenyong, for Suthep and Abhisit a trial is unavoidable because so many lives were lost. However he further noted that jailing a Thai politician for ordering a military crackdown would be a first. ‐ According to human rights watch, Sunai Phasuk "For the country to get out of this cycle of violence, justice needs to be impartial and accountability accepted on both sides including violence committed by protesters and black shirts," The Borneo Bulletin 07 / Dec. / 2012 ‐ Ex‐Thai PM to face murder charge (AFP – Also published in The Jakarta Globe, The Strait Times) BANGKOK (AFP) ‐ Former Thai premier Abhisit Vejjajiva is to be charged with murder over the death of a civilian during 2010 "Red Shirt" rallies, officials said Thursday, the first government figure to face court over the bloodshed. Abhisit, who was prime minister during the mass anti‐government rallies and oversaw a military crackdown on the protests, will be questioned next week and charged over the fatal shooting of a taxi driver by soldiers during the unrest. The Department of Special Investigation (DSI), police and Thai prosecutors jointly decided to charge the former leader and his deputy Suthep Thaugsuban under article 288, the section of the Thai criminal code that deals with murder, said DSI chief Tarit Pengdith. "Their actions ‐ repeatedly sending the armed forces against civilians ‐ show an intention to endanger life," he said. He said the group based their decision on further witness testimony as well as a court's decision in September that taxi driver Phan Kamkong was shot by troops ‐ the first completed inquest into the around 90 deaths during the country's worst political violence in decades. Abhisit and Suthep will be summoned by letter to hear the charges and to be questioned on December 12, Tarit said, adding that authorities would not seek court permission to detain the men, who are both now opposition lawmakers. They will be given an opportunity to defend themselves before considering whether to refer the case to the prosecutor, who would then be responsible for deciding if the case should go to court. Two months of rallies by the Red Shirts ‐ mostly supporters of ousted Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra ‐ brought parts of central Bangkok to a standstill, with around 100,000 people joining the demonstrations at their height. Street clashes between Red Shirt demonstrators and security forces left nearly 1,900 wounded and culminated in a bloody military crackdown in May 2010.