Chatwadee “Rose” Amornpat. Pic via the New Mandala website.
Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has moved to bring a Thai woman back from England on lese majeste charges. According to MCOT,
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reached out to other agencies,
including the Royal Thai Police, to bring Chatwadee “Rose” Amornpat to
trial under the country’s lese majeste law.
Rose was born in Thailand but moved to England, where she started a family. She took to social media
to post messages critical of Thailand’s monarchy. Rose often posts
videos to Facebook and those who support her have called her an “angel
of democracy.” However, earlier this spring, her parents reported her to
authorities, submitting several of her videos as proof of her critical
attitude. Prachatai reports that her parents were “heavily bullied”
before they reported their daughter, and that Rose herself is “subjected
to hatred and bullying online and offline.” Violating the lese majeste
law is a serious offense in the country, and can mean three to 15 years
in prison. According to the International Federation of Human Rights
(FIDH), six people are currently imprisoned in Thailand for violating
the lese majeste law.
MCOT reported that
Sek Wannamethee, Director-General of the Department of Information of
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told journalists this week “that the
foreign ministry, the Royal Thai Police and the Office of the Attorney
General are currently working on legal provisions” to bring Rose back
from London to face lese majeste charges. Thailand does have an
extradition treaty with the United Kingdom, but because Rose has British
citizenship, it is unclear if that will complicate the process. MCOT
also noted that while the extradition process is looked into, the Royal
Thai Embassy in London will begin verifying Rose’s address, and the
addresses of other reported lese majeste offenders currently living in
the UK.
According to the UK government website,
extradition requests must pass a dual criminality test, which “means
that for someone to be extradited, their alleged conduct has to be a
criminal offence in both the surrendering and the requesting state.” The
site also states that there are 32 categories of offenses for which the
dual criminality test does not apply, but anything outside those 32
must be considered a criminal offense in the state requesting
extradition and in the UK in order to qualify.
Thai PBS reported
that Pol Gen Somyos Pumpanmuang, the deputy police chief, told
reporters that police were being instructed to follow up on all lese
majeste cases that “are still pending with the police or which are yet
to be lodged with the police.”
Rose was in the news
earlier this week after a Thai man posted a video of himself going to
her former home and painting the Thai flag on her door and flashing a
gun (now believed to have been an air gun). Prior to that, a woman
posted a video, also of her visit to Rose’s home, saying she planned to
slap Rose and throw eggs at her, according to Prachatai. However, the
news site reported Rose had said she moved out of that home after
separating from her husband so the visits were to no avail.
In other lese majeste news, a lecturer known to be critical of the
law and the coup was released on Thursday after one night in detention,
according to the Phuket Gazette.
Worachet Pakeerut, a legal expert and lecturer, was questioned about
his political stances and released on 20,000 baht bail, on the condition
that he would not join any political movements or leave the country.
Following the May 22 coup in Thailand, as the political crisis has deepened, so has the degree of hyper-royalism, which has proliferated out of control. This time, the battlefield is no longer confined within the Thai borders. Thai hyper-royalism has gone global.
An example of this in fascinating microcosm involves an anti-monarchist named Chatwadee ‘Rose’ Amornpat, a London-based hairdresser, who for months has been in open war with the Thai royal family. Born a Thai, Rose settled in England, marrying and giving birth to two children. She later separated from her husband and moved out of their shared house. Recently she has become a YouTube sensation by posting numerous video clips blaspheming the much-revered monarchy. Her action has outraged royalists.
Many have condemned Rose for attacking the monarchy on a personal level, employing extremely vile language to reflect her radical anti-monarchic attitude. But Rose has done something beyond anyone’s imagination—violating the most guarded Thai taboo of cursing the monarchy. She has broken all the barriers when it comes to speaking out. Rose has set a new standard, for good or bad.
Because she is now a British citizen, Rose has also challenged the draconian lèse-majesté law which states that defamatory or insulting comments about the king, queen, heir apparent and officers of the royal court incur three to 15 years in jail. Obviously, Rose has violated the law and is now being hunted by the junta, which instructed the Thai Foreign Ministry to seek cooperation from the British government to extradite Rose to Thailand. But because the UK has no lèse-majesté law, Rose will not be deported.
After legal means became futile, hyper-royalists apparently decided to take the matter into their hands. Last week a Thai woman named Kae Kanyarat arrived at Rose’s residence with a dozen eggs. She rang the bell several times, but nobody answered the front door. Rose was nowhere to be seen. The woman then began to shout loudly, knocking at the doors of Rose’s neighbors as well, asking about her whereabouts. When the neighbors did not cooperate, she threw eggs at them before taking off in her vehicle, apparently with a British friend as the driver.
A few days later, a young Thai known as DJ Ken also turned up at Rose’s home, vandalizing the front door by painting a Thai flag on it and flashing a supposed fake gun in an apparent attempt to threaten the woman. In both cases, the assailants filmed their own acts and posted them online. The video clips have gone viral. Rose announced that she would file complaints with the British police. Back in Bangkok, hyper-royalists offered their moral support to the “brave” two Thais who harassed Rose. They became national heroes.
For several years, hyper-royalism has emerged as a dominant ideology designed to identify potential enemies of the monarchy and give the practitioners the legitimacy to punish them. This has built a protective wall around the monarchy, encapsulated within the concept of the monarchy being the most sacred, untouchable and inviolable institution in a country where democratic institutions have been treated with disdain.
The need to defend the monarchy at all cost has come to rule the Thai consciousness. Those who fail to display love and respect, let alone insult it, will be hit with stiff social sanctions and prosecution. As the end of the current reign nears, with King Bhumibol Adulyadej increasingly frail, royalists have become anxious about the uncertainty ahead. After more than six decades of the king’s rule, Thailand is now confronting a new reality in which the future of the monarchy will face numerous challenges. This sense of extreme anxiety has resulted in the proliferation of hyper-royalism.
This unhealthy phenomenon has taken root and proliferated everywhere – in politics, the media and throughout society. There is no space for non-royalists today, either in Thailand or even in foreign lands, as Rose can attest. Many hyper-royalists would be willing to expel their fellow Thais to leave the country should they not express their love for the King.
Such a discourse, of a country exclusively for monarchists, has become popular and authoritative. It is repeatedly referred to by defenders of the monarchy to justify their actions and policies against their opponents, even when those actions and policies are incompatible with democratic principles.
Army Chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha, the leader of the coup, has meanwhile continued to exploit the monarchy to justify his intervention in politics. Using lèse-majesté as a weapon, he has instructed the army to arrest critics of the coup and possibly charge them with lèse-majesté. A climate of fear has been created.
The social alienation of those with different political opinions and attitudes has indeed divorced the King from his a growing number of his subjects and intensified a sense of resentment which now represents a source of anti-monarchy sentiment both domestically and among Thais living overseas. Since the coup of 2006, the debate over whether the monarchy should readjust itself for the sake of its own survival in a new climate of political openness has become more vigorous as well as divisive.
Some hyper-royalists never hide their aspiration to take Thailand back to the old days under absolute monarchy, as Sondhi Limthongkul, a core leader of the People’s Alliance for Democracy, which worked furiously worked to bring down elected governments, famously said: “Let’s return power to the King. His Majesty is a Dhammaraja King. This is the only way we can prevent Thailand from falling into becoming a failed state.”
But in another reality in rural areas, most residents who lent their support to both former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and the Red Shirts have become more aware of the political involvement of the monarchy. Rose is an example of how forced affection of the monarchy has failed. Monarchists are the ones breeding anti-monarchists in Thailand.
Pavin Chachavalpongpun is associate professor at Kyoto University’s Centre for Southeast Asian Studies. A warrant has been filed by the Thai government for his arrest.
BANGKOK (AP) - The jailed activist who helped
organize protests against last month's military takeover in Thailand has
some advice for his followers: The coup is an accomplished fact, so
concentrate on keeping the junta honest.
In this picture take Thursday June 12, 2014 Sombat
Boonngam-anong, centre, arrives at the military court in Bangkok,
Thailand. The jailed activist who helped organize protests against last
month's military takeover in Thailand has some advice for his followers:
The coup is done, so concentrate on keeping the junta honest.(AP
Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Sombat Boonngam-anong,
speaking Thursday to an Associated Press reporter at a prison in
Bangkok's northern outskirts, also had some words for the ruling
military: don't expect to achieve reconciliation among the country's
sharply polarized people by continuing to suppress free speech.
Sombat, 46, is a veteran social activist who used social media to spearhead the "Hunger Games"-inspired three-finger salute campaign to protest the May 22 coup, even as he was in hiding.
"The
more that protesters keep up overt resistance, the longer it will give
an excuse for the military to keep martial law in the country," Sombat
said.
He had to shout through a window to speak to his prison
visitors, so his voice was hoarse and he had to pause briefly a few
times as he was interviewed. It was not clear if he felt he could speak
frankly.
Sombat was arrested on June 5 in eastern Thailand after
being one of a handful of people - among hundreds summoned - to defy an
order to report to the military authorities.
Under regulations
imposed by the military, people who don't report in as ordered are
subject to prison terms of up to two years and a fine of 40,000 baht
($1,250). They are also threatened with up to seven years in prison
under an existing statute against causing public disorder. Sombat's
political activity leaves him open to additional charges as well,
including under a broadly defined law covering online activity.
Sombat
was captured after organizing groups of demonstrators to come together
on Sundays for peaceful anti-coup protests despite a ban on political
gatherings of five people or more. The numbers of protesters have now
dwindled in the face of a massive show of force by police and soldiers.
"My
message for supporters is that now that the coup is a done deal, they
should stop their resistance and instead focus on the issue of
transparency for the junta's actions. Promote more checks and balances for their projects," Sombat said.
The
junta has announced a raft of measure that it says will fight
corruption and cronyism and clean up society. Some of their proposals
involve massive spending, and with no legislature in place, there is no
oversight.
The coup came after months of sometimes violent
protests demanding that Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra make way for
an appointed government to institute reforms and remove her powerful
family's influence from politics. Although the army said it stepped in
to curb violence, its agenda is nearly identical to that of the
protesters.
Like other detainees, Sombat was first held at an army
camp, where he was interrogated and told the military's line on
political developments.
"They came to talk to me a lot and asked a
whole host of questions to see whom I have contacted and what kind of
activities I was doing," Sombat recalled. "I agreed with the soldiers
about the part about the conflict, that the country was divided and that
it could turn out badly," he said. "What I don't understand is how they
think there could be reconciliation when they haven't allowed anyone to
speak freely."
The army closed down many television and radio
stations, allowing them to reopen only on the condition they do not
broadcast controversial political material. Newspapers face the same
restrictions.
"No matter what, you have to open up for
participation from people from every level and every side. People need
to talk. Reconciliation cannot succeed if you don't allow people to talk
openly," Sombat said.
Sombat was one of the first people to
organize protests against Thailand's previous coup, in 2006, and became
known for his imaginative and non-violent tactics. He was loosely
associated with the so-called Red Shirt movement, which supported
Thaksin Shinawatra, the prime minister who was ousted in 2006, and more
recently his sister Yingluck Shinawatra, who was forced out of office by
a court ruling last month slightly ahead of the coup.
Sombat's
first 12-day detention period ends Monday and he may ask for temporary
release, although another arrest warrant involving allegations of
anti-monarchy comments - which could carry 15 years' imprisonment -
means his time in prison might be prolonged.
Thai anti-coup protesters say it with sandwiches | Asian Correspondent AP News Jun 09, 2014
BANGKOK (AP) — Activists protesting last month’s military takeover in
Thailand face a possible two-year jail term if they get too strident,
so they’ve found a new way to show their sentiments: handing out
“sandwiches for democracy.”
A small group of student activists from Bangkok’s Thammasat
University were hoping to hold a picnic rally Sunday, but found the park
next to their campus sealed off. So instead they paraded down a nearby
street, handing out sandwiches and cakes to anyone who wanted them. One
older man accompanying them shouted to onlookers, “Sandwiches for
democracy!”
Other activists have held silent public readings of symbolic works
such as “Nineteen Eighty-Four,” George Orwell’s indictment on
totalitarianism. But the intimidation level is high, with authorities
rolling out thousands of troops and police whenever they anticipate a
protest.
(Reuters) - Around 15 Thai political leaders allied to the ousted government plan to establish a movement outside Thailand to lead a campaign of civil disobedience to military rule, two members of the group said on Thursday.
General Prayuth
Chan-ocha seized power on May 22 and has since led a crackdown that has
stifled dissent and silenced the "red shirt" supporters of former Prime
Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and her brother, billionaire former premier
Thaksin Shinawatra.
The
military has detained many politicians and activists and demanded as a
condition of release that they sign documents stating they would avoid
politics and halt anti-coup activities.
If
the plan proceeds, the group would represent the first attempt to mount
organized opposition to military rule. The two activists said they had
yet to formulate exactly what measures the group would use, but said
they would be peaceful and would aim to fill the leadership vacuum among
anti-coup elements.
"We believe democracy in Thailand
has been systematically destroyed," said former government minister and
red-shirt founding member Jakrapob Penkair in a telephone interview
from Phnom Penh, the capital of neighboring Cambodia.
"People
have been chastened, hunted and bullied with no sense of fairness,
justice or decency. We aim to create an organization for all groups
protesting the coup inside and outside Thailand. This would be a
non-radical group using civil disobedience."
Thaksin,
who lives in exile, is not involved in the movement, said both Jakrapob
and a second member of the group, fugitive former member of parliament
Sunai Julapongsathorn.
It
is unclear how much momentum the movement would gain among those opposed
to the junta without the backing of Thaksin, who revolutionized Thai
politics and commands the loyalty of millions in the populous north.
The
coup was the latest twist in nearly a decade of confrontation between
Thaksin and the Bangkok-based royalist establishment, which sees him as a
threat to their interests.
Thaksin
has given no guidance to his supporters since the military seized
power. The former prime minister has effectively funded and controlled
the red shirt movement from self-imposed exile since fleeing a 2008
conviction for abuse of power. He was ousted by the military in a
previous coup in 2006.
"We
will advance with or without him," said Jakrapob, a former spokesman
for Thaksin. "He's not involved and had no influence in setting this
up."
Jakrapob was forced
to resign as a minister in May 2008 after being accused of violating
Thailand's strict lese-majeste laws and has lived in Cambodia for some
time.
"RED SHIRT" LEADERS SUMMONED
The military has summoned Jakrapob along with other prominent red shirt leaders to report on June 9.
Asked
if the military had heard of the plans to set up such a movement
overseas, Winthai Suvaree, deputy spokesman for the military’s National
Council for Peace and Order, said: "Thai law can't touch those who flee
abroad but if we know where they are we will ask for international
cooperation to bring them back to Thailand."
"We
are monitoring groups resisting the coup. Those who were summoned and
do not show up will face the law and their case will be treated as
criminal. If they return to Thailand and have cases pending then these
may be brought to military court," he told a news conference.
Kuy Kuong, a spokesman at Cambodia's foreign ministry, said no request for such cooperation had yet been received from Thailand.
But
Kirth Chantharith, a deputy national police chief, told Reuters that
Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen would not allow resistance groups to
base themselves in the country. "We won't allow anyone to use our
soil to plot against any country. Our position is clear," Kirth
Chantharith said. Sunai, the Thai activist, said some members of the
group would remain inside Thailand.
"We
will fight with information but the strategy is not yet clear," he told
Reuters in a conversation over Skype. Sunai said he was in Thailand,
but declined to say where. He is on the run after ignoring a military
summons in the days after the coup.
"In
three months, the military will have relaxed its grip. That is when we
will move. This won't be quick. It will take a long time."
Both Jakrapob and Sunai said the movement would be based in a neutral country outside Thailand. Both declined to say where.
The group would not base themselves in Cambodia to avoid putting in a difficult position, Jakrapob said.
The
group may call itself the "Free Thai Movement", adopting the name of
the underground resistance in Thailand to Japanese occupation during
World War Two, Jakrapob said. Sunai said no name had been chosen yet.
The group had considered and then ruled out the possibility of forming a government in exile, Jakrapob said.
The
junta has banned meetings of more than five people and at the weekend
flooded Bangkok with thousands of troops and policemen. Opposition to
the coup has been limited to small flash mob protests, and they have for
the most part been peaceful.
Some
protesters have expressed defiance through the use of a three-fingered
salute inspired by the hit film "The Hunger Games", where the gesture
symbolized rebellion against a totalitarian regime.
Others
Bangkok protesters have sat in groups of less than five reading books
about civil disobedience or that criticize authoritarian government,
such as George Orwell's "1984".
(Additional reporting by Pracha Hariraksapitak in BANGKOK and Prak Chan Thul in PHNOM PENH; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
Hunger Games Stars Back Thai Salute Protesters | Sky News
Sky News, 03 June 2014
Actors from the film franchise tell Sky News that
the use of the three-fingered gesture is a positive way of fighting
oppression.
Stars of the Hunger Games have shown their support for
anti-coup protesters in Thailand who have been using the films'
three-fingered salute as a way of showing opposition.
Actress Natalie Dormer told Sky News she thought it was "incredible"
that people have chosen to use the gesture as a symbol of opposition
following the May 22 coup.
"Anything that galvanises people in a positive way to fight against
oppression cannot be criticised in any shape or form. If it's helping
them, then it can only be a positive, " she said.
The Thai military says it will arrest anyone who uses the salute, which
is also a response to bans on political gatherings of more than five
people. Natalie Dormer made the comments at the Glamour Women of the Year awards
Junta spokesman Colonel Weerachon Sukhondhapatipak said authorities
were "monitoring the movement" and would take action if the salute is
performed in large groups.
He said that if protesters ignore a warning to stop "we will have to make an arrest".
Sam Claflin, who plays Finnick Odair, said it easy to forget "how big
these films are and how many people do hear every word that is spoken".
In the Hunger Games books and films, which also star Jennifer Lawrence
as Katniss Everdeen, the salute symbolises rebellion against
totalitarian rule.
Critics of the coup, including the youngest daughter of ousted former
premier Thaksin Shinawatra, have posted photographs of themselves
flashing three fingers on Facebook and other social media sites. Jennifer Lawrence in the Hunger Games franchise
"Dear #HungerGames. We've taken your sign as our own. Our struggle is non-fiction," wrote one Twitter user.
It is unlikely that people who post photos of the salute on the internet will be detained.
Despite the warning to protesters, the junta offered a reprieve to the country's vital tourism industry.
It lifted the curfew at three popular beach resorts - Phuket, Koh Samui and Pattaya - to ease the impact on tourists.
The Hunger Games films, which also star the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, have become worldwide box office hits.
Last week Taylor Swift apologised to fans after cancelling a Bangkok concert scheduled for June 9 due to events in the country.
Protesters raise three fingers during an anti-coup demonstration in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday. Pic: AP.
BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s military rulers say they are monitoring a
new form of silent resistance to the coup — a three-fingered salute
borrowed from “The Hunger Games — and will arrest those in large groups
who ignore warnings to lower their arms.
The raised arm salute has become a symbol of opposition to Thailand’s
May 22 coup, and a creative response to bans on political gatherings of
more than five people.
Junta spokesman Col. Weerachon Sukhondhapatipak said Tuesday that
authorities were “monitoring the movement” and would take action if the
salute is performed in large groups.
He said that if protesters ignore a warning to stop, “we will have to make an arrest.”
In “The Hunger Games” books and films, the salute symbolizes rebellion against totalitarian rule.
Sombat
Boonngamanong - more commonly known by his nom de guerre "Nuling" - is
one of Thailand's leading and most courageous pro-democracy Red Shirt
activists.
Since
the military coup of 22nd May Nuling has been sought by the Thai junta
and Thai Army. Since going on the run the Army have targeted Nuling's
16year old daughter in an attempt get him to hand himself in.
At the moment Nuling remains "underground" but I recently had the chance to interview him (the Thai version appears here).
How do you feel about the Thai Army harassing your daughter?
It
is disgusting that the army is harassing my family and daughter as they
have no political role. But they want to put pressure on me - to make
me feel worried. They want me to know that they can reach my daughter
and this is the method that those "strong" soldier use.
Why did you go on the run?
I
am summoned by the coup leaders - it is wrong for those who use force
or ams to seize the people’s power and to then order any citizen to
report to them. As one of the leaders of Red Sunday group my group had a
leading role in holding an anti-coup rally during the 2006 coup and has
since continued to do pro-democracy activities, I can’t accept the
military coup so I refuse to hand myself in. But since I've started
doing more anti-coup activities via social media they are making a very serious effort to hunt me down.
Do you have a message for the Thai junta?
What
I want to tell the dictatorial military junta is what you think your
powers derive from are actually the fundamental political rights of the
people. You don’t perform your army duty to protect us but to rob the
people of our basic rights. You are not heroes but political thieves.
Can you divulge any future plans?
My
plan to to oppose to the coup. I will do activities to let the world
know that Thai people do not agree with the coup and we will be like a
sharp thorn stabbing the coup leaders. We will constantly remind them
that we don’t agree with them and will oppose them. I want to use this
opportunity to awake people's democratic consciousness even whilst they
are living in fear.
Despite ban on public gatherings, demonstrations have occurred daily since military takeover
Soldiers patrol at the Ratchaprasong intersection in Bangkok. Photograph: Pornchai Kittiwongsakul/AFP/Getty Images
Thousands
of police and troops were deployed to Thailand's capital Sunday in a
bid to crush planned mass protests against the country's recent military coup.
Deputy police chief Somyot Poompanmoung told Reuters
that 5,700 police and soldiers are headed for Bangkok Sunday, with
plans to quash demonstrations in other areas of Thailand. According to
numerous media reports, Bangkok's commercial center has been largely
shut down.
Despite the heavy crackdown, approximately 100 protesters gathered in a Bangkok mall to protest the coup, the Bangkok Postreports.
"I am here because I don't want a coup. I want elections and
democracy,'' a 66-year-old female protester identified as Ratchana told
the Bangkok Post.
Since seizing power on May 22, Thailand's military has banned public
gatherings of five or more people. Despite the prohibition, protests
against the coup have taken place daily.
Coup leader Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha announced Friday that elections will not take place for more than a year, citing the need for political "reconciliation."
Updates and reports as protests unfold through the day are being posted to Twitter:
Thailand’s
junta deployed thousands of soldiers in central Bangkok yesterday to
counter small protests from groups opposed to the May 22 coup, two days
after its leader General Prayuth Chan-Ocha called for unity.
Protesters show three fingers representing liberty, brotherhood and
equality during an anti-coup demonstration in Bangkok, Thailand.
Photograph: Sakchai Lalit via AP Photo
The
military blocked roads and suspended train services in Bangkok’s
Ratchaprasong shopping district, forcing protesters to move a rally to a
nearby retail mall on Sukhumvit Road, one of the capital’s most popular
tourist areas.
Hundreds of demonstrators stood on an elevated
walkway outside the Terminal 21 mall, shouting ‘Democracy’ in English
and Thai and holding signs saying ‘Junta, get out’ and ‘No coup’.
Soldiers played patriotic songs from their vehicles, and later closed
the mall and a train station linked to the building. Normal rail service
was restored at 3:30 p.m. local time, the operator announced on its
official Twitter feed.
Coup leader Prayuth said May 30 that
martial law gives the military “total control to stop the ongoing
violence” and said a nationwide curfew will remain in place until law
and order is restored. It may take at least a year to return Thailand to
civilian rule because an interim administration will need time to
implement electoral reforms and unify the country, he said in a
nationally televised address.
“It will not happen if there are still protests without a true
understanding of democracy,” Prayuth said. “All we are asking for is
give us time to reform in order to mend our democratic system.”
Street Protests
The army has said it had no choice except to seize power in Southeast Asia’s
second-largest economy to end more than six months of political turmoil
that led to an annulled election in February and the ouster of Prime
Minister Yingluck Shinawatra by the courts three months later. Protests
have sprung up in Bangkok and the northern city of Chiang-Mai in
defiance of martial law that was imposed two days before the coup.
The
military and the police tolerated months of street rallies led by
opposition politician Suthep Thaugsuban, and allowed the group to
blockade parts of Bangkok and occupy government buildings without being
arrested. Yesterday, a lone protester in the city’s main shopping
district was detained by undercover security officials for defying the
junta’s ban on demonstrations, the Bangkok Post reported.
Prayuth’s
plan to restore unity broadly reflects the demands of Suthep’s
movement, which had called on the army to seize power and replace
Yingluck’s government with an unelected council. Supporters of the
ousted administration have accused the army, the courts and state
agencies of colluding with Suthep’s supporters to provide the army with a
justification to seize power.
‘More Conflicts’
Suthep
had called for laws to be rewritten to erase the influence of the
Shinawatra family from politics. Yingluck’s brother Thaksin was ousted
in a 2006 coup and parties linked to him have won the past five
elections.
Thaksin’s opponents say his electoral dominance is
based on economically damaging populist policies and accuse him of
corruption, abuse of power and disrespect for the monarchy. Thaksin
lives in self-imposed exile abroad to avoid a jail sentence in a
corruption case he says was politically motivated.
“We cannot
keep fighting each other just because we think differently, or use the
law to our own advantage,” Prayuth said in his May 30 speech. “This will
only create more conflicts. People will be unhappy and the country will
be unstable and lose its credibility among the international community.
All sides must cooperate and unite.”
‘Moral Support’
Security
forces will negotiate with protesters before taking stronger measures
to counter demonstrations, army spokesman Winthai Suvaree said
yesterday.
The junta has detained hundreds of people since the
coup, including Yingluck, activists from both sides of the political
divide, academics and journalists, sparking the condemnation of foreign
governments and human rights groups.
“In the past week, many
changes have happened in our country,” Yingluck said yesterday in a post
on her official Facebook page. “I would like to thank you again for the
moral support you’ve given to me all along, and would like to extend my
moral support to all Thais.”
The U.S. scrapped joint military
programs with Thailand in the days after the coup, and the European
Union called on the junta to release detainees.
Australia’s
government at the the weekend expressed “grave concerns” about the
actions of Thailand’s military, and said it will prevent coup leaders
from visiting, in a foreign affairs department statement. It also
postponed three joint activities with the Thai military planned in the
coming weeks.
Consolidate Democracy
Thailand isn’t
retreating from democracy, Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs
Sihasak Phuangketkeow told reporters yesterday in Singapore, rejecting comments made a day earlier by U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.
“We’re
committed to democracy, we’re committed to staying the course of
democracy and we want to consolidate our democracy,” he told reporters.
“The restrictions on freedom of expression were taken, but that was
because we didn’t want during the early period any attempts to instigate
conflict.”
To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Tony Jordan in Bangkok at tjordan3@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Stanley James at sjames8@bloomberg.net Garry Smith, Jim McDonald
BANGKOK (AP) - In junta-ruled Thailand, the simple act of reading in public has become an act of resistance.
A group of anti-coup protesters read books along an
elevated walkway during a protest in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, May
31, 2014. In junta-ruled Thailand where the army recently took power in a
coup, the simple act of reading in public has become an act of
resistance. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
On
Saturday evening in Bangkok, a week and a half after the army seized
power in a coup, about a dozen people gathered in the middle of a busy,
elevated walkway connecting several of the capital's most luxurious
shopping malls.
As pedestrians trundled past, the protesters sat
down, pulled out book titles such as George Orwell's "Nineteen
Eighty-Four" - a dystopian novel about life in a totalitarian
surveillance state - and began to read.
In a country where the
army has vowed to crack down on anti-coup protesters demanding elections
and a return to civilian rule, in a place where you can be detained for
simply holding something that says "Peace Please" in the wrong part of
town, the small gathering was an act of defiance - a quiet demonstration
against the army's May 22 seizure of power and the repression that has
accompanied it.
"People are angry about this coup, but they can't express it," said a human rights activist who asked to be identified only by her nickname, Mook, for fear of being detained.
"So
we were looking for an alternative way to resist, a way that is not
confrontational," she said. "And one of those ways is reading."
Their
defiance, if you can call it that, is found in the titles they chose.
Among them: "Unarmed Insurrection," ''The Politics of Despotic
Paternalism," ''The Power of Non-Violent Means."
The junta has
banned political gatherings of five people or more. But it is unclear
what laws, if any, such low-key protests could be breaking.
The
coup, Thailand's second in eight years, deposed an elected government
that had insisted for months that the nation's fragile democracy was
under attack from protesters, the courts and, finally, the army.
The
leader of the junta, Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, says the military had to
intervene to restore order after half a year of debilitating protests
that had crippled the former government and triggered sporadic violence
which killed 28 people and injured more than 800.
Since taking
over, the military has made clear it will tolerate no dissent, and it
has launched a major campaign to silence critics and censor the media.
The junta has warned all citizens against doing anything that might
incite conflict, and the list of targets has been long.
At least
14 partisan TV networks have been shut down along with nearly 3,000
unlicensed community radio stations. Independent international TV
channels such as CNN and BBC have been blocked along with more than 300 Web pages,
including New York-based Human Rights Watch's Thailand page.
Journalists and academics have been summoned by the army. Activists have
fled.
A sudden interruption of access to Facebook on Wednesday
fueled widespread speculation that the nation's new rulers were testing
their censorship power; the junta, though, insisted it was merely a
technical glitch.
Kasama Na Nagara, who works in the financial sector, said about 20 people were participating in the book readings. Saturday marked the third day that the group had organized such a protest. They have been careful to avoid soldiers.
On
Friday, the group was supposed to gather on another walkway where they
had conducted a reading a day earlier. But when troops showed up, they
called it off.
Human Rights organizations are deeply concerned over how far the clampdown will go.
Some
people have begun using encrypted chat apps on their smartphones, for
fear of being monitored. And at least one major bookstore in Bangkok,
Kinokuniya, has pulled from its shelves political titles that could be
deemed controversial.
So far, Orwell's "Nineteen Eighty-Four," in
which authorities operating under the aegis of "Big Brother" fit homes
with cameras to monitor the intimate details of people's personal lives,
is not among them.
"But we have Big Brother watching us now,"
Kasama said. "It has become too risky to speak out. It's sad. But it's
safer to be silent in Thailand right now."
On Sunday, thousands of
troops deployed in multiple locations across Bangkok to stop expected
protests by a separate group of anti-coup protesters, raising fears of
possible violence if the soldiers crack down. Authorities closed several
elevated "Skytrain" stations to try to prevent large groups from
gathering.
So far, the other anti-coup protests have been
relatively small. As many as 1,000 people marched through Bangkok and
scuffled with troops several times last week, though no injuries have
been reported.
Those protesters have carried hand-made signs and banners
with messages like "No dictatorship" and "Pro-Democracy" and
"Anti-Coup." Some have shown up with masks of prominent political
figures to conceal their faces and black tape across their mouths to
protest the increasing repression.
___
Associated Press writer Thanyarat Doksone contributed to this report.
The generals
who now control Thailand are making a big show of shifting their
attention from guns to butter. Coup leaders are conferring with the
central bank, the stock exchange and economic experts to safeguard growth. They would have better luck if they could communicate their ultimate intentions to the rest of the world.
Military takeovers are rarely, if ever, good for an economy, never mind one like Thailand's that was already heading for recession
when the army grabbed power last week. It's true that Thais, who have
endured 12 coups in the last eight decades, are more inured to them than
most. But the way the generals are behaving this time seems almost
certain to tip the economy into the red.
Instead of following
usual procedure and soothing markets with talk about restoring democracy
and basic freedoms, Thai Army Commander Prayuth Chan-Ocha is cracking
down on dissent. Coup leaders sent a worrying signal by detaining
deposed Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra
and almost 200 leaders of her party, family and supporters; by
switching off television channels; and by muzzling the news media. Even
more frightening were orders for dozens of academics and writers to turn
themselves in to the military, presumably for a bit of re-education.
The
junta is dangerously mistaken if it thinks it can run a complex and
unbalanced $366 billion economy and placate foreign investors while
rounding up professors and banning TV stations in the age of the
Internet, smartphones and high-frequency trading. Investors who provide
capital and multinational companies that create jobs in Thailand don't
want to see shows of strength -- they want certainty. If they think
Thailand will remain a stable and prosperous place, they will stay. Instead the junta is giving foreign businesses all too many incentives to look elsewhere.
Although
Thailand is a bitterly divided nation, many of its 67 million people
are beginning to agree on one thing: this coup was completely
gratuitous. That goes for the "Red Shirts" fighting for the return of
Yingluck's brother, ousted Premier Thaksin Shinawatra, but also for the
pro-royal "Yellow Shirts" who loathe her family's hold on the nation.
No doubt, the Reds, made up of mostly rural Thais, are the angrier
group. In 2006, their beloved Thaksin was also forced from office by
the military and then convicted in 2008 of corruption. Thaksin's
critics, the urban Yellows, accuse the billionaire-turned politician of
using his office to enrich his business interests and of buying votes
among the rural poor. Yet even Thaksin's foes are sure to become
disgruntled about the open-endedness of this military adventure.
What if the Reds and Yellows joined forces against coup leaders? Such a
step wouldn't just be ironic, but dangerous. Most pundits are busy
assigning odds to a Thai civil war in the next few years. I can't help
but wonder if the real risk is an effort by millions of Thais to wrest
power from the clutches of the generals. Would Prayuth and his men stand down?
It's impossible to tell, and that's just the problem for Thailand's
economic outlook. The circus is meant to visit town -- not to stay
there. The moment has come for the junta to present a timeline for when a
credibly civilian government will be back in place.
To contact the writer of this article: William Pesek in Tokyo at wpesek@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this article: Nisid Hajari at nhajari@bloomberg.net.
The junta has already embraced key elements of the Thaksin’s dual
track development policy, combining international economic liberalism
with domestic populist schemes, by reviving the 2-trillion baht
infrastructure program and rapidly making payments to farmers under the
rice-pledging program. As hypocrisy knows few boundaries, Democrat and
former Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij has quickly hailed the junta’s
payments to farmers under the rice scheme, after years of criticizing
the same program when implemented by Yingluck.
A key message in the 2012 election campaign was that “Thaksin Thinks,
Puea Thai Acts” and the junta seemingly tries to adapt a “Thaksin
Thinks, Prayuth Acts” model when restoring key economic policies of the
party they just overthrew.
Economic policies may be a minor issue compared to the gross human
rights violation in the aftermath of the coup, including arbitrary
detentions, restrictions on free speech, and the suspension of
democracy. Yet, reviving the ailing economy is top priority for Thailand military junta and its success in reinitiating growth will have a major impact on events in the aftermath of the coup.
Realizing that the complexities of a modern economy is beyond the
grasp of aging generals, the junta quickly brought in a policy making
team largely made up of former Thaksin loyalists. Somkid Jatusripitak a
co-founder of Thai Rak Thai that held both commerce and finance
positions in Thaksin cabinets will oversee foreign affairs for the
military government. Pridiyathorn Devakula overseeing the juntas
economic policy, was appointed Governor of Bank of Thailand during the
first Thaksin administration. He also served as finance minister in the
military government following the 2006 coup that introduced disastrous
capital controls leading to a collapse of the stock market. Narongchai
Akrasanee, a former Minister of Commerce that served as an advisor to
the Thaksin government, will assist Pridiyathorn.
The rapid adoption of Thaksinomics by the junta, is a reflection of
the model’s total dominance within Thailand’s policy circles. It’s dual
track nature – with economic liberalism to attract foreign capital
combined with populist domestic programs to attract broad domestic
support – is attractive to policy makers seeking to both maintain
Bangkok centered economic growth and appease the largely rural
electorate. Thaksinomics is likely to continue to dominate the country’s
economic policies given the repeated electoral success of Thaksin’s
political parties and the lack of credible alternative models, as the
elitist sufficiency economy has failed to attract widespread rural
support.
The junta’s economic team faces a difficult task with an economy in
contraction. Political uncertainty has stalled investment and consumer
sentiment fell to a 12-year low in the months before the coup. Key
economic decisions will put the military government at a test. While
future support to rice farmers will be difficult to swallow for the
Bangkok-based supporters of the military takeover, removing all
subsidies is out of the question. With market prices at a third of the
price guaranteed under the Yingluck government program, ending rice
subsidies would ensure a quick demise of any rural support for the
junta. We are most likely to see a continuation of rice support and
other populist programs under new names, in moves similar to the
rebranding of Thaksinite policies done after the 2006 coup and the
Abhisit government.
The suspension of all checks and balances under direct military rule
opens up opportunities for gross corruption. A country with a long
history of military power grabs, Thai generals inevitably amass huge
fortunes while in power. Resumption of the 2 billion-baht infrastructure
program, appointment of generals to the boards of state-owned
enterprises and the inevitable increase of the military budget will
ensure that the junta leaders not only grab political power, but also a
fair share of the Thailand’s riches.
Anders Engvall is a Research Fellow at the Stockholm School of Economics
The Hon Julie Bishop MP, Minister for Foreign Affairs
Senator the Hon David Johnston, Minister for Defence
31 May 2014
The Australian Government continues to have grave concerns about the actions of the military in Thailand.
Since the military seized control of government functions on 22 May,
the Government has registered our concerns to authorities in Bangkok
through Australia’s Ambassador to Thailand and the Thai Embassy in
Canberra.
In line with our concerns, Australia is reducing our engagement with
the Thai military and will lower the level of our interaction with the
Thai military leadership.
Australia has postponed three activities planned for coming weeks in
Thailand: a military operations law training course for Thai military
officers; a reconnaissance visit for a counter improvised explosive
device training exercise; and a reconnaissance visit for a counter
terrorism training exercise. We will continue to review defence and
other bilateral activities.
The Australian Government has also put in place a mechanism to prevent the leaders of the coup from travelling to Australia.
The Australian Government continues to call on the military to set a
pathway for a return to democracy and the rule of law as soon as
possible, to refrain from arbitrary detentions, to release those
detained for political reasons and to respect human rights and
fundamental freedoms.
Australians travelling to or already in Thailand should visit www.smartraveller.gov.au, familiarise themselves with the travel advice, subscribe to receive regular updates and register their travel plans.
Australia and Thailand have enjoyed a substantial and warm
relationship for more than 60 years, based on shared interests and
goodwill, as well as close people-to-people links. We look forward to
normalising our relationship as soon as possible.
Thai military seeks Facebook, Google cooperation with censorship | Reuters
Khettiya Jittapong, Manunphattr and Dhanananphorn
BANGKOK, May 29, 2014
(Reuters) - Thailand's military junta will send officials to Singapore and Japan in coming days to seek tighter censorship of social media from Facebook, Google Inc and instant messenger service Line, a government spokesman said on Thursday.
The military has
sought to stifle criticism as it consolidates power after toppling an
elected government on May 22, detaining politicians and restricting
print, radio and broadcast media.
But authorities have struggled to control activity online, where users have used social media to organize protests and express
opposition to the coup. The junta has warned about the spread of what
it considers provocative material on social media, and asked service
providers to help tighten censorship.
"We
want to talk to them informally," Pisit Pao-In, adviser to the
permanent secretary of the Information and Communication Technology
(ICT) Ministry, told a news conference on Thursday. "We do not ask them
to install any additional software. We just ask them to help filtering content."
Officials would have to travel as the three companies had no representatives in Thailand
with whom to hold talks, he said, speaking after a meeting in Bangkok
with Internet gateway and Internet service providers (ISPs).
The
ministry asked ISPs to block websites within an hour of receiving an
official request to take them down, said an ISP source who attended the
meeting on Thursday, declining to be identified because he was not
authorized by his company to speak to media.
After
the coup, the ICT established a commission to monitor websites and
block content that flouts military guidelines or Thailand's strict Lese
Majeste laws. There are three monitoring centers working 24 hours a day:
one at the army, the ICT and the state telecom regulator, Pisit said.
More
than 100 web pages have been blocked since the coup, he added. The ICT,
the police, the intelligence agency and regulator work together to
monitor websites, he said.
Thai users were alarmed on Wednesday when the ministry blocked access to Facebook. It is unclear why the site was blocked.
The government had no plans to block access to Thailand's 24 million Facebook users, Pisit said.
Norwegian
telecoms group Telenor, which owns a controlling stake in Thailand's
second-largest mobile operator, Total Access Communications, said the
outage had lasted 55 minutes.
"Telenor Group believes in open communication and regrets the consequences this might have had for the people of Thailand," the company said in a statement.
NATIONAL GATEWAY
The
military plans to consolidate the 15 private and state-run Internet
gateways into one single national gateway to facilitate monitoring.
"We
will have a single gateway to monitor inflow and outflow of content on
the Internet... The main reason is for security," Pisit told Reuters. He
said it was unlikely the gateway would be completed before the end of
the year.
The single
gateway would give the government increased control over access to
websites hosted outside Thailand, the ISP source said.
Thailand
has 15 Internet gateway providers and leading players include two
state-owned firms CAT Telecom and TOT Pcl and private company True
Internet, part of True Corp.
(Reporting by Manunphattr Dhanananphorn and Khettiya Jittapong; Editing by Simon Webb and Ron Popeski)
May 28 (Reuters) - Thailand's information
technology ministry blocked Facebook on Wednesday and
planned to hold talks with other social networking sites to stem
protests against the military government, a senior official
said.
"We have blocked Facebook temporarily and tomorrow we will
call a meeting with other social media, like Twitter
and Instagram, to ask for cooperation from them," Surachai
Srisaracam, permanent secretary of the Information and
Communications Technology Ministry, told Reuters.
"Right now there's a campaign to ask for people to stage
protests against the army so we need to ask for cooperation from
social media to help us stop the spread of critical messages
about the coup," he said.
Print and broadcast media have already been instructed to
refrain from critical reporting of the military's May 22
takeover.
(Reporting by Khettiya Jittapong; Writing by Martin Petty;
Editing by Alan Raybould and Alex Richardson)
Small anti-coup protests have continued in the Thai capital, Bangkok, despite a warning from the country's new military rulers.
Hundreds of demonstrators chanted "Get out" and marched through the streets.
Gatherings of more than five people were banned after the army seized power on Thursday.
Earlier, 18 newspaper editors were summoned by the military
in its latest move to limit criticism and forestall opposition to its
rule.
An army spokesman in Bangkok said normal democratic principles could not be applied at the current time.
Protesters defied a ban on large gatherings to denounce the coup
At the scene: Jonathan Head, BBC News, Bangkok
Much about this coup has been textbook predictable; the
curfew and censorship, the stiff military pronouncements and martial
music on our TV channels. And then there is the unexpected; nervous and
well-armed soldiers surrounding a city-centre branch of McDonald's.
Inside, to the bewilderment of customers lining up for
their lunch, a handful of protesters yelled their opposition to the coup
through the glass doors. Outside, the soldiers took up positions. One
of their trucks started blaring out patriotic songs to try to drown out
the protesters.
More protesters arrived, confronting the troops, who
seemed unsure what to do; they were blockading a fast-food restaurant
that had several other entrances, and was not actually being targeted by
anyone. One young soldier was close to tears, after demonstrators
screamed in his face. It was brutally hot too.
This is not like the last coup. There is more anger, more
tension. The protests have been small so far - just a few hundred
people. But they could grow. And the military is jittery. The potential
for more dangerous confrontations is real.
Dozens of people, including prominent academics and activists, have been ordered to report to the military.
Former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, removed from power by the judiciary earlier this month, has been detained.
Earlier reports said she had been released. But the
Associated Press quoted her aide as saying she had been moved but not
freed.
Army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha, who now leads a junta known
as the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), dissolved the
Senate on Saturday, the final remnant of the pre-coup legislature.
Outspoken columnist Pravit Rojanaphruk from The Nation
newspaper was among those summoned on Sunday. "On my way to see the new
dictator of Thailand. Hopefully the last," he tweeted.
Scuffles broke out as angry protesters confronted soldiers tasked with containing their rally
Correspondents say some young troops showed the strain of confronting the anger of the protesters
Scuffles broke out with soldiers as anti-coup protesters gathered for a third day in defiance of the military's martial law.
"We have to continue protesting to show our opposition to the coup," one demonstrator told the Associated Press.
"We don't have leaders. We are against the coup and we come because we want to."
The army chief is due to receive royal endorsement on Monday.
The ruling junta is then expected to set up a national legislative
assembly which will draw up a temporary constitution with a new prime
minister.
Key coup conditions
Curfew nationwide from 22:00 to 05:00
Gen Prayuth to head ruling National Peace and Order Maintaining Council
Senate and courts to continue operating
2007 constitution suspended except for chapter on monarchy
Political gatherings of more than five people banned, with
penalties of up to a one-year jail term, 10,000 baht ($300; £180) fine,
or both
Social media platforms could be blocked if they carry material with provocative content
Media warned not to carry criticism of army operations
There has been a power struggle since Ms Yingluck's brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, was ousted by the military as PM in 2006.
Mr Thaksin and Ms Yingluck have strong support in rural areas but are opposed by many in the middle class and urban elite.
The latest unrest began last year, when anti-government protesters embarked on a campaign to oust Ms Yingluck.
An election was held in February but was disrupted and later annulled by the judiciary.
BANGKOK — Thailand’s
military junta on Saturday ordered two dozen professors and writers to
turn themselves over to the military authorities, broadening a sweep in
which nearly 200 political officials have already been detained, and
sent more troops into the streets of Bangkok and other cities to
discourage protests.
The
Pentagon, responding to Thursday’s military coup, announced Saturday
that it was halting a military exercise with Thai armed forces that was
already underway and canceling the visit here of a top American admiral.
The Obama administration, which suspended military aid to Thailand last
week, called off other projects for police and military cooperation.
The
junta continued to consolidate power, “terminating” the upper house of
Parliament and purging the bureaucracy of senior officials who were seen
as allies of the deposed government.
The military said Saturday that the detained politicians, including former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra
and other leaders of the former governing party, were being held to
give them “time to think.” A spokesman for the junta declined to say
when they would be freed.
Nearly 200 people have been summoned for detention by the Thai military.Credit
Wason Wanichakorn/Associated Press
The
two dozen scholars and writers who were summoned Saturday also appeared
to be supporters of the former government; most were advocates of
elections, which a protest movement led by the Bangkok establishment had
blocked.
The
commander of Thailand’s army overthrew the country’s elected government
on Thursday, a move applauded by members of the Bangkok establishment
but one that risks a violent backlash from voters in northern Thailand
who supported the overthrown government.
The
junta said Saturday that it had discovered a cache of weapons in the
northeastern city of Khon Kaen and had arrested members of a group it
said was planning acts of sabotage.
The
military also faced a spike of violence in Thailand’s troubled deep
south, where an insurgency has raged for a decade. At least two people
were reported killed in more than a dozen explosions at convenience
stores and gas stations in the city of Pattani on Saturday night,
according to Thai news media reports.
In
Bangkok, several hundred protesters who confronted troops in Bangkok on
Saturday held up a large banner that read, “We want an election.”
The
army chief, Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, outlined the junta’s plans in a
meeting with foreign diplomats on Friday, saying that elections would be
held only when there was a “conducive” environment, according to an
account by a meeting participant.
According
to the same participant, General Prayuth said he would appoint reform
councils that would draft a new constitution and study unspecified
“social” changes. The military on Thursday voided the Constitution,
which it had helped write after a previous coup in 2006.
In
Washington, officials said about 700 sailors and Marines were
participating in the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training exercise
when it was cut short. The annual exercise, which started on Tuesday,
was scheduled to run through May 28 as the first of nine bilateral
exercises the Navy conducts with maritime forces in Southeast Asia.
The
Pentagon also announced that it was canceling a visit to Thailand by
Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr., the commander of the Navy’s Pacific Fleet. In
addition, the Defense Department rescinded an invitation for a senior
Thai commander to visit the military’s Pacific Command in Hawaii next
month.
“As
we have made clear, it is important that the Royal Thai armed forces
end this coup and restore to the people of Thailand both the principles
and the process of democratic rule, including a clear path forward to
elections,” Rear Adm. John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman, said in a
statement.
In
addition, the State Department announced Saturday that it was canceling
a firearms training program for the Royal Thai police that was to start
here on Monday, as well as a trip next month by senior Royal Thai
police officials to the United States to visit F.B.I. facilities and
meet with American law enforcement officials.
The
steps taken Saturday are the Obama administration’s latest rebukes to
the Thai coup leaders. On Friday, the State Department said it had
suspended $3.5 million in financing for military sales and military
training, and was reviewing the rest of the $10.5 million in assistance
it was providing Thailand.
“We
again call on the military to release those detained for political
reasons, end restrictions on the media, and move to restore civilian
rule and democracy through elections,” Marie Harf, a State Department
spokeswoman, said in a statement.
The department also issued a warning to American citizens to “reconsider any nonessential travel to Thailand.”
The
coup has been cheered in social media messages by some Thais who see it
as a way to purge the influence of the governing party and its de facto
leader, Thaksin Shinawatra, who lives in exile and was himself ousted
in the 2006 coup when he was prime minister.
Members
of the Bangkok establishment who helped lead protests that led to
Thursday’s coup are in favor of a suspension of democracy.
Thailand’s king, Bhumibol Adulyadej, who is 86 years old and ailing, has been silent on the country’s crisis.
He
has not been seen in public since the coup. A television announcement
by the junta on Saturday featured a letter from the king’s principal
private secretary, Krit Kanchanakunchorn, saying only that the king had
been “informed.” The British news media have reported that Crown Prince
Maha Vajiralongkorn is in Britain.
As
Thais adjusted to life under military rule, questions grew about the
army’s ability to handle the complexities of governing a modern economy,
especially if there were a protracted period without a Parliament and
an elected government. After the 2006 coup a military-appointed
government was largely seen as a failure.
“It
boggles the mind that they think they can run so many government
departments,” said Nattakorn Devakula, a television host whose station
was ordered off the air by the military. “They don’t have the
expertise.”
The junta, which blocked all television stations after the coup, allowed most channels back on the air on Friday.
For
a country with a traditionally freewheeling news media, sweeping
guidelines banning unfavorable coverage of the coup were surprising.
A
prominent Thai reporter for the newspaper The Nation, Pravit
Rojanaphruk, was summoned to an army base by the junta on Saturday, and
the Thai news media reported that editors from the country’s largest
newspapers were also asked to attend a meeting with the military rulers.
The Canadian ambassador to Thailand, Philip Calvert, posted a message on Twitter saying that “friends in Beijing have more access to television news — including on the coup — than I do.”
Mr. Nattakorn, the television presenter, predicted a backlash.
“I don’t think the media will be as subservient as they think,” he said.
The junta has also struggled to respond to criticism on the Internet.
In talks with diplomats on Friday, General Prayuth said the army could block social media but had shown leniency.
On Saturday, the junta said on Twitter that it had ordered the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology to “search websites with agitating content aimed at causing confusion.”
The army was ready to “take action immediately,” message said.
Thomas Fuller reported from Bangkok, and Eric Schmitt from Washington.
A version of this article appears in print on May 25, 2014, on page A10 of the New York edition with the headline: Junta Targets Scholars for New Detentions as Thai Forces Are Sent to Protests. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe
Posts
