Thailand: House to get Article 112 change Tues | Bangkok Post

Thailand: House to get Article 112 change Tues | Bangkok Post
Bangkok Post, May 27, 2012

The Campaign Committee to Amend Article 112 (CCAA 112) will on Tuesday submit to parliament a draft amendment to the section of the Criminal Code covering the lese majeste law.

Rawee Siri-issaranant, alias Wad Rawee of the Saeng Samnuek Writers group, and Yukti Mukdawijitra of the Faculty of Sociology and Anthropology at Thammasat University, said after a committee meeting that the amendment draft, signed by 27,296 people, would be submitted to the House of Repesentatives for further consideration on May 29.

He called for the signatories to gather at the Royal Plaza at 9am on Tuesday before marching to Parliament.

Mr Rawee conceded the draft might not be accepted by the House for consideration.

On the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) plan to rally in front of parliament to protest the reconciliation bill proposed by Matubhum Party leader Sonthi Boonyaratgalin, Mr Rawee said members of the campaign committee agreed with its move because they felt reconciliation could never materialise as long as the wrongdoers in the April-May 2010 political violence are not punished.

However, the group would not join the protest as it held a differing opinion from the PAD over Article 112, he said.

Singapore Democratic Party appeals dismissed | Asia News – Politics, Media, Education | Asian Correspondent

Singapore Democratic Party appeals dismissed | Asia News – Politics, Media, Education | Asian Correspondent
Kirsten Han, May 26, 2012 

On 1 May 2008, a group of activists and members of the Singapore Democratic Party (among them SDP Secretary-General Dr. Chee Soon Juan) gathered at Toa Payoh Central. They wore red T-shirts emblazoned with the words “Tak Boleh Tahan” (meaning “we can’t take it” in Malay) and distributed flyers protesting high ministeral salaries, the rising cost of living and the lack of assistance for the poor and needy in Singapore.

A call was made to the police, who sent officers to investigate. They released the following statement:

Police received a call from the Bishan-Toa Payoh Town Council reporting that Chee Soon Juan was distributing pamphlets, and had set up a table selling books and T-shirts at Toa Payoh Central. Police observation in response to the call confirmed it. Chee did not stage an unlawful assembly or an illegal outdoor demonstration.

On 9 August 2008 (Singapore’s National Day), the activists were back at Toa Payoh Central. Once again they were dressed in Tak Boleh Tahan T-shirts and distributing flyers. This time, they were arrested and prosecuted for participating in an illegal assembly. They were convicted by the district court judge and sentenced to either fines ranging from S$900 – S$1000 or six or seven days’ imprisonment in default. Five of the activists appealed the conviction, but had their appeal dismissed by the High Court on 21 May 2012.

The High Court Judge Quentin Loh wrote in his judgement that

A police communique or press statement does not amount to an authoritative statement on whether criminal liability has been made out in a particular instance.

The Singapore Democratic Party disagreed with the judgement, writing on their website that it upheld “the PAP Government’s policy of banning public assembly for political purposes.” They had stated in a previous article that the group had only proceeded with the activities of 9 August after the police had said that what happened on 1 May did not constitute an unlawful assembly.

Activist filmmaker Martyn See says that he was not surprised by the judgement, but that “such verdicts generate fear amongst activists.”

“It also reinforces impression of an authoritarian state, which the government easily deals with by citing Speakers Corner and General Elections as examples that we do practise democracy,” he continued. “One can safely assume that the idea of non-violent open protests and civil disobedience remains, for most Singaporeans, an alien product not suited to ‘our way’ of doing things. It is a mindset honed by 45 years of absolute, uninterrupted control and rule of one party.”

However, citizen journalist Joshua Chiang does not feel that there will be any real impact on activism in Singapore, as civil society members often prefer not to risk breaking the law.

“Not that we agree with it, but most forms of activism here take place within clearly defined confines of the law. For example, using Speakers’ Corner instead of gathering in other spaces. I think most civil groups want their voices to be heard but at the same time not push the legal boundaries,” he says, going on to point out that regardless of what the police had said, the Tak Boleh Tahan activities had broken the law with regard to the Public Order Act, which requires all cause-related activity outside of Speakers’ Corner to have a police permit. On top of that, the activists would have needed a hawker’s license from the National Environmental Agency to sell their T-shirts.

Seelan Palay, one of those charged, has indicated that the group intends to appeal their case to the Court of Appeal – Singapore’s highest court.

Apart from dismissing the appeal of the five, the High Court also quashed the conviction of blogger Yap Keng Ho (often known as “Uncle Yap”). Judge Loh stated that there was a difference between supporting the action and participating in it, highlighting that Yap had not been wearing the Tak Boleh Tahan T-shirt or distributing flyers. Throughout his trial, Yap had also insisted that he had merely been there to cover the event as a blogger.

Cambodia land activists’ convictions called unjust | Asia News – Politics, Media, Education | Asian Correspondent

Cambodia land activists’ convictions called unjust | Asia News – Politics, Media, Education | Asian Correspondent
AP News, May 26, 2012

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Human rights groups in Cambodia expressed outrage Friday over prison sentences imposed on 13 women who were protesting being evicted from their land without adequate compensation.

The women were sentenced Thursday by a Phnom Penh court after being found guilty of aggravated rebellion and illegal occupation of land in a three-hour trial.

Their trial came amid heightened concern in Cambodia about land grabbing, which is sometimes linked to corruption and the use of deadly force to carry out evictions.

This month, a visiting U.N. human rights envoy warned that the issue was a volatile social problem, and a teenage girl was shot dead by security forces carrying out an eviction.

“Sentencing to jail 13 people who have been victimized by land grabbing is a complete injustice,” said Ou Virak, director of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights. “There was no fair trial.”

Those sentenced, who included a 72-year-old woman, had been residents of Phnom Penh’s Boueng Kak lake area, which the government awarded to a Chinese company for commercial development, including a hotel, office buildings and luxury housing.

They were arrested Tuesday when they tried to rebuild their homes on the land where their old houses were demolished by the developers in 2010.

The group has protested several times in the last few years to demand land titles they said had been promised by Prime Minister Hun Sen’s government. They claimed that the city government resettled some families, but did not include them.

Ou Virak said the issue of the rich and powerful grabbing land from the poor — who then are arrested if they resist or complain — was becoming more serious.

Pung Chhic Kek, president of the local human rights group Licadho, said the case against the women was groundless and described the legal proceedings as “a show trial and ridiculous.”
She said that lawyers from her organization were barred from talking with the defendants and introducing witnesses.

China-Paid Burmese Troops Accused of Abuses | The Irrawaddy Magazine

China-Paid Burmese Troops Accused of Abuses | The Irrawaddy Magazine
CHARLIE CAMPBELL / THE IRRAWADDY, May 26, 2012

Ethnic minorities in northern Burma are suffering massive human rights abuses at the hands of government troops due to foreign-backed investment projects, according to a new report.

Catalyst for Conflict, by the Ta’ang Students and Youth Organization (TSYO), accuses Burmese government troops of being paid to protect Chinese mega projects and inflicting executions, beatings, forced labor and extortion on local people as a consequence.

Oil and gas pipelines plus hydropower dams have been the subject of a huge public outcry, and so Burmese government soldiers are apparently being employed as mercenary security guards by the companies concerned.

In March, two villagers coming back from fishing near a Chinese dam site were interrogated and killed by patrolling Burmese soldiers, claims the TSYO report.

“Foreign investors are cold-bloodedly fuelling war in Burma,” said Mai Khroue Dang of the TSYO. “All mega projects should be suspended until Burmese troops withdraw and political dialogue leads to a meaningful resolution of conflict.”

The group details how the military expansion is directly linked to securing Chinese mega projects, and how Chinese firms are paying 5,000 kyat (US $6) per day to Burmese soldiers from local battalions for security around pipelines which will carry oil and gas to China.

Control over natural resources and abuses by the government troops have been core grievances in both Kachin and Shan states where conflicts erupted last year. In July, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) was formed and has since launched several attacks against Burmese troops patrolling in Ta’ang areas.

“Fierce battles have broken out in areas that have not seen fighting for over 20 years,” said the report. “Soldiers from the Burma Army have moved from their main bases to live in villages and now regularly patrol local areas, increasing abuses against local populations including killings, beatings, forced labor, and extortion.”

Since December 2011, more than 1,000 men, women and children have become internally displaced, sheltering in Nam Kham and Mantong, while many others have also fled to China to escape the war, claims the TSYO.

A historic peace deal was signed between the Shan State Army and Burmese government last weekend which also aims to wipe out narcotics from the region by 2015, but fighting has nevertheless been reported from the area this week.

The Ta’ang, also known as Palaung, is an ethnic group numbering around one million living in the hills of Burma’s Shan State and China’s southern Yunnan Province.

Thai army chief: No apologies to victims | Bangkok Post

Thai army chief: No apologies to victims | Bangkok Post
Bangkok Post, May 25, 2012

Army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha said he did not need to apologise to victims of the political vioence, as Democrat Party spokesman Chavanond Intarakomalyasut accused the government of trying to silence the complaints of red-shirt supporters by paying them off with compensation.

"I've already expressed my condolences for the people who died, including the soldiers," Gen Prayuth said on Friday. "I want to know, is there anyone who will say sorry to the soldiers?"

His comment came after Payao Akkahad, mother of a volunteer nurse killed inside the Wat Pathum Wanaram grounds on May 19, 2010, demanded the military apologise for its crackdown against protesters led by the red-shirt United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship two years ago.

The army had already expressed its sympathy, but will not plead guilty, he said.

"As for the victims of political violence, I understand that everyone is still hurting.

"On the day they received compensation payouts [from the government], they were in tears because they still have to take care of their families.

"Let this be a lesson that it should not happen again and the army does not want it to happen. We should think back and see why it occurred and seek ways to prevent it recurring," the national army said.

Gen Prayuth said he had never received an order from anyone to kill or suppress the people since he entered the army.

He insisted that the army does not take sides, but it must show discipline and perform its duty to the fullest extent.

"The army belongs to the people and that should not be divided. People who want a divide between the army and the people should take note that the country will not survive if they are divided," he said.

Democrat spokesman Chavanond said the government was hoping to keep red-shirt supporters quiet by compensating them with money.

He said the government showed insincerity in its treatment of the red-shirts because Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra did not personally hand out the payouts to the victims herself on Thursday.

"Ms Yingluck is not serious about solving people's problems and she is afraid of being prosecuted or being unable to answer people's questions or pleas for help," Mr Chavanond said.

He also criticised the government for requiring the victims withdraw any lawsuits against state agencies as a pre-condition of receiving the remedial payment. He said this  would pave way for the amnesty bill to be proposed by reconciliation panel chairman Sonthi Boonyaratkalin.

Mr Chavanond said the objective was to whitewash all sides convicted of political offences resulting from the coup on Sept 19, 2006.

"I want to remind the red-shirt supporters that the deceased red-shirts will have died in vain and that former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra will be able to come home as an innocent man and have his assets returned," the spokesman said.

Government to go after Philippine fishermen, but not China’s | Philippine Daily Inquirer

Government to go after Philippine fishermen, but not China’s
Norman Bordadora, Philippine Daily Inquirer, May 25th, 2012 

The Philippine government won’t go after Chinese fishermen who continue to fish and collect corals at Scarborough Shoal, Malacañang said Thursday.

But the Philippine Coast Guard will bar Filipino fishermen from the shoal, which both China and the Philippines claim.

China has declared a fishing ban in the area. The Philippines does not recognize the Chinese moratorium, but has declared its own fishing ban for conservation of marine resources in the disputed waters.

Answering questions from reporters, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the “instructions to all agencies” were to prevent any act that would intensify tensions in the area.

Valte said Filipino fishermen were prohibited from fishing at Scarborough Shoal. But they are encouraged “to take advantage of the fishing aggregating devices that have been set up by the [Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources],” Valte said.

Valte was commenting on reports that Chinese fishermen continued to fish and gather protected corals at Scarborough Shoal despite China’s ban on economic activities in the area.
There were also reports that the number of Chinese vessels at the shoal has increased  to 92, including four government ships. In contrast, the Philippines has only two civilian vessels in the area.

The Philippines has filed a diplomatic protest, the seventh since the standoff began on April 8.

Valte said the government was waiting for China’s reply.

Addressing career guidance counselors Thursday, President Benigno Aquino III played down the effects of the dispute with China on the Philippine economy.

The President did not name China in his speech, but said the dispute was nearing resolution.
China has suspended tourism to the Philippines and tightened inspection rules for Philippine banana exports.

Mr. Aquino said his critics were exaggerating the effects of the suspension on the Philippines’ tourism industry. He said only 5 percent of the industry was affected.

The President did not say, however, how the negotiations for the resolution of the Scarborough dispute were going.

But Valte said the inspection rules for Philippine banana exports appeared to have been relaxed.

“I assume that [Agriculture] Secretary [Proceso] Alcala has already reported to the President that a total of 170 containers [have been] allowed to pass since Sunday,” Valte said.

Mr. Aquino on Wednesday swore into office two special envoys to China, Cesar Zalamea for trade and Domingo Lee for tourism.

The President still has to find a nominee for ambassador to China.

Originally posted at 06:35 pm | Thursday, May 24,  2012

Amazon.com 16th Corporation to Dump ALEC | Common Dreams

Amazon.com 16th Corporation to Dump ALEC | Common Dreams
Rebekah Wilce , May 24, 2012, PR Watch

An Amazon.com spokesperson announced at a shareholder meeting in Seattle this morning that Amazon has decided not to renew its membership in the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) this year. Dave Johnson, a Fellow at Campaign for America's Future, is reporting from the shareholder meeting and confirmed to the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) that he heard the announcement.

 

Message to Amazon.com Shareholders (Source: ProgressNow) Members of ColorOfChange.org, CREDO Mobile, People for the American Way, Progressive Change Campaign Committee, SumOfUs, and Fuse Washington carried a petition to the shareholder meeting containing over 500,000 signatures and calling on Amazon.com and other corporations to stop funding ALEC.

Amazon.com's Involvement with ALEC

Amazon.com, a $48 billion multinational corporation, joined ALEC in 2011. Braden Cox, Amazon's Director of U.S. State Public Policy, sits on ALEC's Communications and Technology Task Force and was a featured speaker at the 2011 ALEC Annual Meeting at a Workshop titled, "Exploring ALEC Positions on E-Commerce and E-Taxes." Membership fees for that task force are $5,000, in addition to the $7-$25,000 a corporation pays for membership in ALEC. In August 2011, Amazon was a "Director" level sponsor of ALEC's 38th Annual Conference. In 2010, that level of sponsorship amounted to $10,000.

As CMD's Brendan Fischer has reported, Amazon apparently became an ALEC member in part to oppose new state taxes on online sales, but Amazon's membership dues and sponsorship grants help fund the overall ALEC agenda, which includes controversial bills like "Stand Your Ground" and voter ID as well as anti-union, anti-immigrant, and anti-environmental measures. For more on Amazon's role in ALEC and how it demonstrates the leading role that corporations play in ALEC, see Fischer's article here.

The Rush to Dump ALEC

Corporations that have publicly cut ties to ALEC in recent weeks include Scantron Corporation, Kaplan Higher Education, Procter & Gamble, YUM! Brands, Blue Cross Blue Shield, American Traffic Solutions, Reed Elsevier, Arizona Public Service, Mars, Wendy's, McDonald's, Intuit, Kraft Foods, PepsiCo, and Coca-Cola. The addition of Amazon.com brings the total to 16. Four non-profits -- Lumina Foundation for Education, the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA), the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), and the Gates Foundation -- and 54 state legislators have also cut ties with ALEC.

CMD, Color of Change, Common Cause and others are asking now asking State Farm, AT&T, and Johnson & Johnson to cut ties with ALEC.

© 2012 Center for Media & Democracy