Thailand Crisis

Back to business for the Junta ! General Sonthi, leader of the Coup, ex Chief of Army, and Deputy Prime Minister, has been in hot water this week, due to the plot against PPP (read here).

A committee of the Electoral Commission voted by 4 against 3 that “the CNS had violated the law in failing to maintain its neutrality as a state agency. It had also breached the 2007 constitution by issuing the order”. (Bangkok Post)

Difficult to be clearer…

Friday morning the EC “postponed its ruling” (the final ruling) to next tuesday (Bangkok Post).

We can indeed imagine their embarrassment…

But, the EC can breathe now… because the CNS has “sent an urgent letter to the Election Commission, telling it to halt an investigation on ground that its actions have legal immunity granted by the interim charter.” (Nation) !

Case closed ? Of course, even if the EC is saying, in a quite pathetic way, that “it has yet to consider as to whether to comply with the order of the CNS“…

But this event will certainly please Thaksin’s supporters, less than a month before the elections, because it’s just another proof that well… a Junta… is a Junta.

I mean, we shouldn’t be surprised. The “Rule of law”, “Fairness”, “Transparency” talking is just plain bullshit, mere words agitated by the generals to entertain the suckers (read “the thai people”… along with a lot of foreigners too).

The generals are ruling this country.

Until further notice.

The King left friday the Siriraj hospital, where he arrived wednesday evening, to “visit his sister“.

It looks now like a pattern : since he left officially the hospital (november 7, after 3 weeks of treatment), the King is going back every week to “visit his sister” and… stays 2 or 3 nights.

Everything is possible in Thailand, and this is probably why we like this country.

Before the elections, it’s a tradition to speak a lot about “vote buying” (another… political tradition).

But this year, there could be a real novelty… After the purple bills (500 THB)… now it seems that some candidates are giving away… blue pills : Viagra of course !

This drug is expensive in Thailand. Therefore, some male voters could be attracted by this modern kind of bribe.

Would you take the red or the blue pill ? Indeed, it’s Matrix every day in Thailand.

Friday, the retail price of cooking gas (LPG) will increase by 15 THB per standard 15 kilos cylinder.

This is due to the end of the subsidy (from the Oil Fund).

And then in january, the retail price will increase again by 15 THB, when the companies like PTT will ctu their own subsidies.

It means that by the end of of january, a standard 15 kilos cylinder will cost 282 THB (compare to 252 THB now).

That’s a total of 12 % increase (Bangkok Post).

“Households account for 55 per cent of total LPG [liquid petroleum gas] consumption, while taxis make up 25 per cent and industry the remaining 20 per cent.” (Nation)

Quick reminder:

-the Junta, led by General Sonthi, designed a plan to curb the influence of PPP
-confidential documents explaining the plot were leaked to the medias
-The Prime Minister Surayud confirmed that these documents were genuine
-Even the Defense Minister acknowledged the plot
-The Electoral Commission created a committee to “investigate” the matter. By 4 votes to 3, the committee says that, indeed, the CNS (Junta) “had violated the law in failing to maintain its neutrality as a state agency. It had also breached the 2007 constitution by issuing the order. ” (Bangkok Post)

Now… let’s remember that Sonthi is the Deputy Prime Minister (after he left the position of Chief of Army).

Today the Prime Minister “expresses confidence that Deputy Prime Minister Gen.Sonthi Boonyaratglin can oversee the general election until the Election Commission (EC) reaches a verdict on the case of confidential documents.

Regarding the confidential documents allegedly signify the Council for National Security’s lack of impartiality in politics, the premier says he has not been reported of EC’s investigation progress of the case. He also says the deputy premier can perform his duty as chairman of the government’s anti-vote buying committee until EC finishes its investigation. (MCOT)

You got the picture ? Of course Sonthi, as the guy who ousted Thaksin and led the military coup, needs, has to do whatever he can to undermine the PPP (that could win the elections). Therefore, the conflict of interest is… vital for him.

The problem is, once again, Surayud plays with words and looks like a naive fool by saying that, sure, Sonthi can “oversee” the elections while EC is investigating the plot…

And the last blow : Sonthi is also the chairman of the… government’s anti-vote buying committee.

General Sonthi, ex Chief of Army, leader of the Coup and the Junta, and Deputy Prime Minister… has 2 wifes with 2 registered marriages. Which is of course against the law.

Polygamy can certainly be a matter of private life (lovers, mia noi), nobody cares… But “registered” polygamy is against the law. And it doesn’t matter if Sonthi is muslim.

Polygamy was made illegal in Thailand in… 1935.

This info was well known before (read Nation in december 2006). But strangely, nobody seems to care. And it’s weird to see that Sonthi has no shame to reveal it publicly.

Deputy Prime Minister Sonthi Boonyaratkalin said he did not report assets of his third wife to the National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC) because they are not legally married.

He explained that he decided to report assets of his first two wives because he named his first wife Mrs Sukanya as his wife while his personal income tax form had the name of his second wife Mrs Piyada (Bangkok Post)

This official polygamy has a direct effect on the Revenue Departement for instance…

And the last blow, if I may say : Aree, ex Interior Minister said in december 2006 to defend his friend : “Muslim men could have four wives according to tradition”.

“I have six wives while the CNS chief has only two, so it is nothing to talk about”.

Indeed, at that point there is nothing to talk about. Anymore.

We are going further into the horror.

“A Muslim military informant was shot and crucified, while two Buddhist men were beheaded Wednesday by suspected Islamic separatists in Thailand’s restive south, police said.

Suspected rebels then drove six-inch nails through his head, arms and legs to attach him to two pieces of wood, which were laid out like a cross in the middle of a road in Rueso district of Narathiwat province, near the southern border with Malaysia, he said.

Khanchitthol said police found a note written in Thai and left near the cross, reading: “This is what the infidels deserve. The soldier dogs must meet this end.”

About two hours later, two Buddhist fishmongers aged 20 and 61 were shot and then beheaded in another district of Narathiwat, police said.” (AFP).

The King has arrived at the hospital wednesday evening to “visit his sister“.

Those visits occured several times since the King left the hospital, on november 7.

The first time, he even stayed 3 nights (read here).

“The Office of Narcotics Control Board yesterday disclosed that some 1,400 people were killed and labelled as drug suspects though they had no link to drugs.

“The government’s drug policy was unclear. Operation staff hence did everything to achieve the goal of reducing the number of drug traffickers,” the representative said.

“The death toll was highest in February when the policy was first implemented. The number of deaths came down in the next two months.

“The fact-finding panel worked under the government-appointed committee, which was tasked with analysing the Thaksin Shinawatra-led government’s drug policy and its implementation that destroyed some people’s lives, property and reputation.” (Nation)

In 2003, Prime Minister Thaksin launched the “war on drugs”.

In a few months, 2 500 people (minimum) were killed !

At that time, the police said that drugs dealers were killing each other.

Almost five years after, and one coup after, the government is telling us that 1 400 killed were innocent, with no link whatsoever with drugs.

So ? Nobody seems to care about this news. And you know why ? Because, it’s coming from a totally discredited regime : the Junta.

They could use this scandal as political tool to nail Thaksin.

If they were serious :
-this inquiry should have been launched the day after the Coup. This amazing scandal should have been the top priority of the new government.

-it shows that the police lied. The 1 400 victims were killed by who ? Can we believe that suddendly thai people started to shoot each other, just like that ?

-If the police has lied, then why ?

At this point, no one has been charged…

That’s the drama. We have had a mass murder case, five years ago in this country which is not located in Africa, and even when the authorities aknowledge eventually and officially that something looks strange at the least… nobody is listening anymore.

Because the Junta is totally illegitimate and has lost the little credibility they had after the Coup.

It could be 2 000 innocents. Or maybe less. Maybe Thaksin has nothing to do with it. Or maybe he’s responsible.

We do not know. And won’t know.

That’s the drama.

The only thing we do know : 2 500 people were murdered in a few months. In 2003. In Thailand.

The Cabinet has approved today a minimum wage increase as requested by the Ministry of Labour by 1 to 7 baht a day.

The minimum wages in Phuket will increase the most by 7 baht to 193 baht (+3,8 %) while Bangkok and the vicinities will raise the wages by 3 baht to 194 baht (a mere… +1,6 %)(NNB)

For sure, those symbolic increases won’t cover the rising costs of many commodities and services (transports for instance).

Last october, the government increased the wages of civil servants by… 4%.

A thai NGO criticizes the National Legislative Assembly, appointed by the Junta, and denounces the NLA’s rush to vote many new laws… Especially, with the elections in less than a month… Article published by Bangkok Post.

It’s the first time I read such critics. And indeed, it’s a real scandal to see the legislative arm of the Junta trying to pass some very important new laws. The article lists some of these drafts waiting for a vote.

Some quotes.

The bottom line is that the unelected and unrepresentative NLA is hastily pushing through dangerous legislation infringing on the rights of the population without proper public hearings and without regard for public opinion.

There is absolutely no justification to rush through such controversial legislation when we will soon have an elected parliament much more accountable to the public.