March 25, 2021 Thai Enquirer Summary Political News Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha said he will lead 4 new cabinet ministers to Amphon Sathan Residential Hall for the oath-taking ceremony on March 27. Gen Prayut vowed to assess performance of new ministers every 3 months amid rampant criticism against Trinuch Thienthong, Phalang Pracharat Party (PPPR) MP for Sa Kaeo, the new education minister. Gen Prayut yesterday came out to defend Trinuch who was criticised for her lack of experience in the Thai education arena. He said the education minister is tasked with following the government’s policy so he sees no problem with giving the high-profile ministerial portfolio to Trinuch. The Prime Minister also vowed to assess performance of all cabinet ministers, state officials and local administration organisations every 3 months to ensure that they work in line with his policies. Kao Klai (Move Forward) party-list MP and spokesman Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn criticised the face of Gen Prayut’s new cabinet line-up. Wiroj said it was clearly that Gen Prayut decided to reward PPRP MPs with cabinet posts due to their close ties with PPRP leader Gen Prawit Wongsuwan, not their talent. The Move Forward list MP cited the case of Chaiwut Thanakhamanusorn who will take up the digital economy and society (DES) DES ministry and Trinuch the Education portfolio because of their close relations with Gen Prawit. It is simple that the PPRP succeeded in taking back the ministerial quota from MPs who belonged to the faction of the People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC). “Trinuch never has a prominent role in the education field or ever showed the public about her inspiration to improve people’s lives and protect the rights and freedom of youths. She never has any role that reflects her dedication to solving problems in the Thai education system. This raised questions of how she will manage to solve problems in our education system or make it better,” the Move Forward MP said. Around 2,000 anti-government protesters led by the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration group (UFTD) gathered at the Ratchaprasong intersection yesterday evening to hear protest leaders lambast Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, demand the abolition of lese majeste law and the release of all Ratsadon (People’s Movement) protest leaders detained under lese majeste laws. More than 1,000 pro-democracy protesters took over the intersection amid a heavy police presence. A stage in the middle of the road had a huge banner that read “Reform Monarchy” while scores of demonstrators held pictures of detainees and glued them onto street signs. “It doesn’t matter how many of our friends are arrested -- 10 or a hundred -- we will not stop coming out,” Benja Apan, a Ratsadon protest leader who also faces several royal defamation charges, told the crowd. Yingcheep Atchanont, manager of the Internet Law Reform Dialogue (iLaw) group, told the protesters that the priority for the Thai people must be to abolish the lese majeste law, or Section 112 of the Criminal Code which, he claimed, has caused frustration among the police and public prosecutors. Prosecutors at the Southern Bangkok Criminal Court will decide on whether to indict Pasarawalee “Mind” Thanakitwibulpol and other 12 protest leaders on lese majeste and sedition charges under Sections 112 and 116 of the criminal code in connection with the Germany embassy rally on October 26 last year in response to lese majeste complaints filed by the Thung Maha Mek police station. Ahead of yesterday’s protest she went to temple as she fears that she would likely be put behind bars soon. Prosecutors at the Southern Bangkok Criminal Court will decide on whether to indict Pasarawalee “Mind” Thanakitwibulpol and other 12 protest leaders on lese majeste and sedition charges under Sections 112 and 116 of the criminal code in connection with the Germany embassy rally on October 26 last year in response to lese majeste complaints filed by the Thung Maha Mek police station. There are reports that Ratsadon protest leader Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul, who is currently detained at the Central Women’s Correctional Institution, and Promsorn “Fah” Veerathamjaree, detained at Thanyaburi Prison in Thanyaburi district, announced to go on a hunger strike like Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak. On “Peace Talk” Facebook Live video, Jatuporn Promphan, chairman of the United front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), threathened to mobilise the masses to topple Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha after a charter amendment draft seeking to set up a constitution drafting assembly (CDA) was voted down in parliament. Jatuporn called on UDD supporters to take to the streets on March 26 to show resistance against Gen Prayut. The UDD chairman told his supporters that the charter amendment process will never materialise as long as Gen Prayut stays in office. He can no longer put up with having Gen Prayut around as the Prime Minister. Jatuporn also sees a delay in the parliament’s push to pass a bill on national referendum into law. Phalang Pracharat Party (PPRP) list MP and chief government whip Wirach Ratanasate is certain that the referendum bill would likely sail through the parliament during a vote in the 3rd reading. Wirat said he believed government MPs would rally behind the bill and push it through. Many are eager to see the bill passed judging from the vote they gave to support changes to controversial Section 9. The referendum bill is expected to be voted an extraordinary parliamentary session convenes on April 7-8 to address various bills. He said the government typically has to face the music for rejection of significant bills such as the national budget bill. A journalist injured during the rally during the weekend by the Redem (Restart Democracy) group has filed a legal suit against the Royal Thai Police (RTP) and the national police chief over police’s dispersal of Redem protesters and the use of rubber bullets, according to human rights lawyer Janjira Janpaew who represents the injured journalist. The lawsuit has put the RTP and national police chief Pol Gen Suwat Jangyodsuk as the 1st and 2nd defendants. The Manager Newspaper reported that the journalist in question is Prachatai journalist Sarayuth Tangprasert. Sarayuth was reportedly hit twice while covering the event where anti-riot police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the crowds. The lawsuit demands compensation for the medical expenses incurred and protection of the media. Chiang Mai University issued a statement yesterday to show support for the action of the Fine Arts Faculty following a row between the Faculty and the student council. The row erupted over an exhibition in front of the art and culture gallery after a tri-color Thai national flag with the blue stripe was replaced with grey and anti- monarchy wording. However, the flag was removed on the order of Associate Professor Assavinee Wanjing, the Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, after she found that the flag was being exhibited without the faculty’s permission. Her order has triggered strong protests from the owner of the flag artwork who has refused to identify himself but claims his right to free expression and the right to exhibit his work in front of the art gallery. The university said that the Faculty of Fine Arts, which is responsible for overseeing the art gallery, has the right to remove the flag, because it was exhibited by an unidentified person without authorization being granted by the faculty. The exhibition of the altered national flag is inappropriate and in breach of the law. The opposition Pheu Thai Party refused to let the claim that the Thai army had supplied food to Myanmar’s army units via the border in Sop Moei district of Mae Hong Son to rest. Pheu Thai secretary-general Prasert Chanthararuangthong, as chief advisor to the House committee on military, petitioned General Somchai Wissanuwong, Phalang Pracharat Party (PPRP) MP for Kanchanaburi who is the chairman of the House Committee, to probe into a pile of 700 rice sacks which have now been removed from the original spot following the claim that Thailand supports Myanmar’s armed forces with food supplies. Prasert said he feared that the alleged practice by the Thai government is against humanitarian rules. Economic News The Bank of Thailand (BoT)’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) slashed its economic growth projection to 3 per cent for 2021 from 3.2 per cent it had predicted in December, on grounds of the pace of vaccination and outlook for tourism, but kept the base rate unchanged, as expected. The committee unanimously voted to maintain the benchmark policy rate at 0.5 per cent, Titanun Mallikamas, secretary of the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) said, citing that the Thai economy needs support from the ongoing low rate to withstand uncertainties and uneven recovery in the future. The committee revised down the 2021 gross domestic product forecast due to the risks from the effectiveness and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines, coupled with a cut in foreign arrivals, now projected by the MPC to reach just 3 million in 2021, down from its December forecast of 5.5 million. However, the MPC upgraded its export projection to an expansion of 10 per cent from the previous 5.7 per cent, while imports were predicted to grow 15.2 per cent, up from an earlier 7.7-per-cent projection. Looking ahead to 2022, they expect Thailand’s economy to grow 4.7 per cent. The private sector has positive response to the extension of a number of tourism stimulus measures. Chamnan Srisawat, Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) president, predicted that the extension of the Rao Tiew Duay Kan(We Travel Together ) scheme and the Tour Tiew Thai scheme in which the government will subsidise 40 per cent of the payment, up to 5,000 baht per person are likely to generate more than 12.5 billion baht to the economy.