Asia Provocateur: When Boris Johnson met the Butcher of Bangkok; yet more Abhisit lies

Asia Provocateur: When Boris Johnson met the Butcher of Bangkok; yet yet more Abhisit lies

Andrew Spooner, 11 December 2012

As noted by several other posts in this blog Abhisit's visit to London hasn't gone terribly well.

Only last week the Butcher of Bangkok, former Thai PM, Abhisit Vejjajiva, was charged with murder relating to the death of an unarmed protester in Bangkok in 2010 after he ordered a bloody military crackdown on pro-democracy protests that resulted in almost 100 deaths. (WARNING The video footage here and here of clearly unarmed protesters being shot by Thai soldiers is harrowing and very graphic).

From UCL students cancelling and then reinstating his appearance at the university, to his bizarre claim that he was "invited to speak by the UK Parliament", followed by his butt-clenchingly bad interview with the BBC's Mishal Husain it's not been a great few days for Mark.

But there's more. With Abhisit there are always more misrepresentations and lies to debunk and the latest is his visit to the Greater London Authority (GLA) and the Mayor of London.

As we can see from Abhisit's Facebook page here (screengrab below) he seems to be suggesting that his GLA visit was was some kind of very important high profile official visit.

Well, it will probably come as no surprise to readers here that Abhisit misrepresented this too.

I was in contact with the Mayor of London's press office during the day and they confirmed that Abhisit and the Mayor's meeting was not official in any way, shape or form.

This was a private meeting between two men, Mr Vejjajiva and Mr Johnson, who were at school together.

The well-known and respected blog on London politics, Snipe London also picked up on the story with a headline that said

Boris welcomes former Thai PM despite murder charge

So what was Abhisit actually doing in London? He had no real official engagements apart from the ones he made up in his head and just to seemed flit around in a desperate attempt to appear relevant. It's quite a sad and sorry spectacle and one can only hope that he gets the chance to spend plenty of time in the future defending himself from that troublesome murder charge.

Asia Provocateur: Abhisit's invitation to speak to Parliament debunk: official UK Parliament response.

Asia Provocateur: Abhisit's invitation to speak to Parliament debunk: official UK Parliament response

Andrew Spooner, 10 December 2012

Brief post but just had a response from the UK Parliament's press office. And it is unequivocal. Abhisit was not invited by Parliament nor was he invited to speak to Parliament nor was the person who invited him, chair of the Thailand All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), Roger Godsiff MP, even an official representative of Parliament. That he and Korn claimed they were invited by Parliament is quite risible. They were invited to a simple reception inside the Parliament building hosted by an MP. 

With regards to your query, foreign politicians often address parliamentarians at meetings of APPGs or receptions, but this should not be taken as an invitation to address Parliament as a whole, as APPGs have no official status within Parliament.  An Address to Parliament normally takes place as part of a state visit, and involves a speech to both the House of Commons and the House of Lords.  A formal address is a comparatively rare event, and you can see a listing of some of the most recent ones here:http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons/lib/research/briefings/snpc-04092.pdf. 

Korn: more lies about his and Abhisit's "invitation to speak at the UK Parliament" | Asia Provocateur

Korn: more lies about his and Abhisit's "invitation to speak at the UK Parliament" | Asia Provocateur

Andrew Spooner, 9 December 2012

Yesterday I blogged about Korn's grandiose Facebook claims that Abhisit and he had been invited by the UK Parliament to speak there during a reception hosted by the Thai Children's Trust.

As stated yesterday after checking both the Thai Children's Trust and Parliament website I could find no mention of either Korn or Abhisit's attendance or invitation.

Korn has recent form on bizarre statements and claims with tasteless, oddball comparisons of the democratically elected government of Yingluck Shinawatra to "Hitler".

Korn's team have now reacted to my claims and published a photo of Korn's invitation to attend a reception at Parliament. The event is hosted by Roger Godsiff, the Labour Party MP who is chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Thailand.

Very obviously this invitation is not from the Parliament nor is it one to speak. It is a simple reception invitation from an MP acting as a host. Receptions like this are being hosted several times a day in the UK Parliament with a huge range of people being invited.

So let's reiterate: an invitation to a reception at Parliament is absolutely not an invitation from the UK Parliament to speak and to claim that it is is completely absurd. In fact, over the last two months I've personally been invited to two similar receptions and at no time did I make the ludicrous claim I'd been invited to speak at the Parliament.

 Korn also claimed Abhisit was invited by the parliament to speak. I will ask the Parliament press office tomorrow if the Parliament has invited either Korn or Abhisit to speak. I will also inform Roger Godsiff MP that Korn deliberately misrepresented his invitation to Thais and claimed it was a parliamentary invite to speak when it was just a basic invitation to a reception.

Ex-Thai PM to Face Murder Charges for Crackdown | The Irrawaddy Magazine

Ex-Thai PM to Face Murder Charges for Crackdown | The Irrawaddy Magazine
THANYARAT DOKSONE / AP WRITER| December 7, 2012 


BANGKOK—Investigators say they plan to file murder charges against Thailand’s former prime minister and his deputy in the first prosecutions of officials for their roles in a deadly 2010 crackdown on anti-government protests.

The protests and crackdown left more than 90 people dead and about 1,800 injured in Thailand’s worst political violence in decades. Former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s Democrat Party, now in the opposition after being ousted in elections last year, and “Redshirt” supporters of the ruling Pheu Thai Party have blamed each other for the bloodshed since.

Department of Special Investigation chief Tharit Phengdit said Thursday that investigators found Abhisit possibly culpable in the death of a taxi driver because he allowed troops to use war weapons and live ammunition against protesters.

Abhisit and former Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, who was in charge of the ad hoc security agency set up to contain the protests, will be summoned Wednesday to be formally charged. The courts must accept the case before it can go to trial.

Democrat Party spokesman Chavanond Intarakomalyasut called the decision “an abuse of government’s power to threaten its opponents.” He noted that it was done while parliament is in recess so the two men’s immunity from arrest is lifted.

Tharit denied that the decision is politically motivated and said the case is significant “for society because the deaths were inflicted by an act of government officers.”

The deaths occurred during the red shirts’ nine-week anti-government protest in the heart of the capital that had sought to force Abhisit to call early elections. Central Bangkok was garrisoned by soldiers until they moved in to crush the protest on May 19, 2010.

The protest was staged primarily by supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a 2006 military coup after being accused of corruption and disrespect to the monarchy. His supporters and opponents have vied for power since then, and Thaksin’s sister Yingluck Shinawatra now leads the government.

A Criminal Court inquest recently found that taxi driver Phan Kamkong was killed by guns used by military personnel during the crackdown.

Chavanond alleged that the inquest was a one-sided trial in which the accused could not defend themselves and that no one was pinpointed as the shooter.

He 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.

“To use the court’s inquest to conclude that the two men had the intention of murder was groundless and against the law,” Chavanond said.

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 said 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.

VIDEO: On King's birthday Thai royalists threaten Red Shirt street vendor | Asia Provocateur

VIDEO: On King's birthday Thai royalists threaten Red Shirt street vendor | Asia Provocateur

Andrew Spooner, 5 December 2012

As 1000s of Thais gather today in Bangkok to pay homage to the Thai king on his 85th birthday it didn't take long for the more fanatical royalist element to make their feelings known.

A single female street vendor near Kasetsart University had the temerity to sell a few products showing the picture of the elected Thai Prime Minister, Yingluck Shinawatra and to wear some red coloured clothing.

As can be seen from the following video, the vendor was surrounded by an enraged mob who screamed abuse and attempted to damage the vendor's goods.

This is fairly typical behaviour from Thailand's royalists who have a long record of using extreme violence, threats and intimidation against those who dare to dissent against the dominant royalist view.

Luckily, on this occasion, a police office steps in to protect the woman. In the past, royalists such as the Red Guar, have been involved in terrible massacres such as the one at Thammasat University in 1976.

UPDATE: It seems like the video has now been removed. We do, however, have a photo of the vendor being attacked below and the screen grab of the opening frame of the original video. The first picture is from a bizarre Facebook site called "Dislike Yingluck for Concentration Citizen" and includes various death threats by a variety of Thai royalists. One by a Ta Piyawan states in Thai that the vendor should be "detained" and then taken away where, after the royal celebrations, the vendor can suffer some "harsh treatment" and turned into "fertiliser".

UPDATE 2: We've now found another source of the video of the attack (h/t to "Dan") on the Red Shirt vendor. It's quite clear that the crowd is whipped up into quite a frenzy. Maybe it's only a matter of time before the royalists start hanging people from Bangkok's trees again?

Thai Group helping lese majeste detainees upset with media, govt | The Nation

Thai Group helping lese majeste detainees upset with media, govt | The Nation
Pravit Rojanaphruk, The Nation on Sunday December 2, 2012

Nearly half a year ago, a group of family members affected by the controversial lese majeste law decided to form The Network of Family Members and Peoples Affected by Article 112.

This, they believed, was necessary as they felt not enough is being done to guarantee justice for those detained under the law while censorship and the curbs to freedom of expression are not adequately raised and discussed in society.

When the network launched itself, only Thailand's two-English language newspapers paid interest while the Thai-language papers ignored their formation. It is symptomatic of how the media and society warily treat the issue of lese majeste law, said 45-year-old Sukanya Prueksakasemsuk, wife of lese majeste detainee Somyos Prueksakemsuk.

"There are more foreigners who pay attention to the formation of our network," said the mild-speaking Sukanya, a private company employee, who had to learn about political activism from scratch after the group was formed to partly help her husband who has been behind bars for more than a year without bail. Sukanya cited a German radio journalist interviewing the group and a journalist from France. "Hardly any Thai media," she added.

That hasn't stop the group, with 18 members, to meet once a month and hold activities highlighting what they believe to be infringement of basic legal rights such as the denial of bail to most lese majeste detainees, and more.

One new member of the group knows this well; Surapak Phuchaisaeng was released from prison just at the end of last month after the court threw out his lese majeste case due to insufficient evidence. Surapak, 40, a computer programmer, was denied bail eight times while fighting the case.

He said that while he was in prison, the network visited him and other prisoners of conscience twice or three times a week, offering food and bringing news about the outside world as well as moral support that sustained him and others. The support the network proved invaluable, he said.

"I decided to join the network myself [after being released from jail] because we share the same predicament," Surapak, who is still trying to recover from life in jail, told The Nation on the phone from Buengkarn province. Surapak criticised the recent decision by the Pheu Thai-dominated Parliament to refuse to debate a proposed amendment of the law as an act of "cowardice" and said people will probably have to wait for a new parliament.

"What kind of system does this country have if Parliament dare not discuss laws pertaining to the monarchy institution?" asked Surapak, adding that in the future the network will seek

to identify political parties that will openly support the amendment of the law, which now

carries a maximum penalty of 15 years' imprisonment.

Sukanya said even if there's very little or no hope to see the law amended, she and others hope that the seven prisoners of conscience, including her husband, will have the right to get bail. She visited her husband once a week and clung to the hope that Somyos will be found not guilty when the court will hand the verdict on December 19, so she can celebrate the New Year with him.

Somsak 'Pessimistic' about Lese Majeste Law Fight | Prachatai English

Somsak 'Pessimistic' about Lese Majeste Law Fight | Prachatai English
Pravit Rojanaphruk, December 1, 2012

Well-known Thammasat historian Somsak Jeamteerasakul said he was both surprised and appalled by the decision of police to forward his lese majeste police complaint case to the Office of the Attorney General (OAG).

Somsak, who lectures at Thammasat University, said on the phone that since the complaint lodged against him was made by the “influential” Thai Army, the case which first surfaced last year, is unlikely to be dropped.

He insisted that he did not violate the controversial lese majeste law, which carries a maximum imprisonment term of 15 years, because he criticized Princess Chulabhorn who is not an heir apparent and thus not protected under the law.

Somsak requested and was permitted to defer his appearance to the OAG from to a date yet to be set in December in order to prepare his legal fight. “The prosecutor could arrest me [on that day], however,” said Somsak. “Lese majeste is a kind of legal case that has no way out. I look at it very pessimistically.”

The historian also criticized the House of Representatives and the Yingluck Shinawatra administration for not doing anything to amend the law, thus allowing the climate of fear to persist.

He said members of the campaign to amend to law must have been caught “clueless” by the recent rejection by the House to even debate the law. “The government is totally silent. The government has not even left a room,” said Somsak, who enjoys a large following for his writings critical of the law and the monarchy institution.

There are currently at least seven people detained under the law with hundreds more in the process of possibly being charged or having received police complaints made against them.