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A Singaporean's guide to living in Thailand
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Thailand's youth demo evolves to largest protest since 2014 coup
Turnout of over 20,000 at peaceful rally shows growing demand for reforms
Thailand's young demonstrators often wave illuminated cell phones above their heads as a visually striking means of peaceful protest. (Photo by Masayuki Yuda)
MASAYUKI YUDA, Nikkei staff writerAugust 16, 2020 08:51 JSTUpdated on August 17, 2020 02:04 JST
BANGKOK -- Thailand's free-speech advocates demanding democratic reforms are winning increasingly open support from academics, celebrities and a broadening swathe of the public as the authorities and royalist establishment attempt unsuccessfully to silence them.
Free People, an activist group that morphed out of student-led Free Youth, organized the biggest rally to date on Sunday afternoon at Democracy Monument near the administrative heart of Thailand's capital.
The Metropolitan Police Bureau put the number of protesters at about 12,000, but a policeman on the ground told the Nikkei Asian Review that around 20,000 had turned out.
An experienced foreign observer at the scene estimated the crowd, which stretched into the streets leading off from the monument's large roundabout, to be approaching 25,000.
But even the lowest estimates made this by far the largest political gathering Thailand has seen since the military staged a coup in 2014.
Three-fingered salutes inspired by the film Hunger Games have been adopted as a form of silent protest against repressive government. (Photo by Masayuki Yuda)
At least 600 policemen had been assigned to block access to the monument itself, and to patrol the surrounding areas, and they were in normal uniforms.
Activists have, however, been tailed by security officers in plain clothes in recent weeks. The police are believed to have 31 under surveillance and targeted for possible arrest.
On Friday, Parit Chiwarak from the Student Union of Thailand, was arrested by four policemen who struggled to manhandle his significant mass. Parit -- better known as Penguin -- was released on bail soon after Sunday's protest got going.
In the morning, about a hundred royalists held another rally at the same spot. One banner read: "You can chase anybody, but don't touch the Chakri dynasty" -- a reference to the 238-year-old House of Chakri that has ruled Thailand, formerly Siam, through ten reigns.
The current incumbent, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, is also known as Rama X. He acceded in 2016 but is resident most of the time in Germany.
"I want leaders of the country to think of public benefits rather than themselves," said Bia a 38-year-old native of Surat Thani province, who travelled 500km to attend the rally.
Many protesters wore black t-shirts. They were joined by others in red shirts signaling their allegiance to Thaksin Shinawatra, the populist prime minister ousted by the military in a coup in 2006.
The demonstration was well organized, with cooked food and cold drinks available -- essential sustenance in the exceptionally humid monsoon climate.
A possible dampener on proceedings failed to materialize. The capital has seen heavy rain in recent weeks, mostly in the late afternoon and evening. Instead, as dusk approached, massive sunbeams from behind a cloud provided a spectacular backdrop to the art deco monument that in darker times past has been the scene of significant political violence.
As darkness approached, the overwhelmingly peaceful crowd sat on the street waving lights from their cell phones above their heads. Many stayed beyond the planned 9 p.m. ending.
Protesters occasionally gave trademark three-fingered salutes inspired by the film Hunger Games as an expression of silent rebuke to repressive government.
Bangkok's protesters on Sunday held up banners in different languages and chanted repeatedly: “Down with dictatorship! Long live democracy.” (Photo by Masayuki Yuda)
Free People was established on Aug. 7 to facilitate broader public support for political reforms. Three of the main demands being pressed are for an end to official harassment that inhibits people exercising their rights; rewriting contentious parts of the military-drafted constitution; and dissolving parliament.
The group has also called for an end to coups and national unity governments, and pointedly for a "democratic form of government with the monarch under the constitution."
"Once the constitution is rewritten, every true demand of the people will be spoken of and recognized," Free People said in a statement released on Wednesday. "Moreover, under the constitution, all are equal without any exception."
The constitution, Thailand's 20th since 1932, was drafted at the military's behest, and adopted after a national referendum in 2016. It gives 250 military-appointed senators a large say in choosing the prime minister, and an effective veto on constitutional reform.
There have recently been smaller protests in over 45 of the kingdom's 76 provinces. Originally protesters called for a change of government and constitutional reforms, and avoided open criticism of the monarchy.
Matters moved in a fresh direction on July 18 at a protest organized by Free Youth when human rights lawyer Arnon Nampa broke a major taboo and called for a public debate on the role of the kingdom's highest institution -- the monarchy.
The issue gained momentum on Monday at a protest at Thammasat University when ten proposed reforms to the monarchy were read out by Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, spokesperson for the Student Union of Thailand.
Sunday's speakers called again for broad reforms, including of the monarchy, but did not revisit the ten specific demands made at Thammasat. Instead, students mingled in the crowds to share their views.
The ten demands included revocation of the law of lese-majeste, a reduction in public spending on the royal family, a clearer distinction between royal and public assets, and abolition of the privy council along with other "unnecessary units." The Thammasat speech on Monday drew repeated applause.
Arnon appeared on stage on Sunday, and said: "Our mission is to transform Thailand to true democracy -- the mission should end with our generation.
The political discontent comes at a time of increasing economic hardship brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Southeast Asia's second largest economy is expected to contract by 8.1% this year, according to the Bank of Thailand.
Students have tapped into public resentment by also drawing attention to a justice system that many feel affords impunity to the rich and powerful. Vorayuth Yoovidhya, grandson of billionaire Red Bull co-founder Chaleo Yoovidhya, was accused of killing a police officer while intoxicated in a hit-and-run incident in 2012, but fled abroad before his arrest. The case was quietly dropped by the attorney general's office in January and news of his legal absolution only surfaced in July.
Authorities have already tried to clamp down on activists. Arnon was arrested on Aug. 7 on a variety of charges, including alleged sedition. He and a colleague were released last weekend on bail after some 200 students gathered outside the police station where they were being detained.
The recent arrests caught international attention. On Saturday, U.S.-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on Thai authorities to drop all charges and unconditionally release Parit. "Each new arrest of a peaceful prodemocracy activist shows the Thai government's authoritarian tendencies and lack of respect for human rights," it said.
"Thai authorities have routinely enforced censorship and gagged public discussions of rights, political reforms, and the monarchy," said HRW. It noted that Thailand became signatory in 1996 to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which protects rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
An elderly pro-democracy advocate in Bangkok on Sunday asserted her rights alongside predominantly much younger protesters. © AP
The Royal Thai Police deputy spokesperson, Col. Kissana Phathanacharoen, raised concerns on Thursday over the rallies, and said officers would be deployed to beef up security on Sunday.
Tanu Sukbamphoeng, a royalist lawyer, called for enforcement of the law of lese-majeste, which is meant to protect the monarchy from hurt. After proving counterproductive, the law fell out of use in 2017, and the authorities resorted to other control mechanisms, including the law of sedition and the Computer Crimes Act.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha talked about the rallies at a news conference on Thursday. He called on authorities to probe the financing of the protests and to identify their backers. He said that was standard procedure, and did not require specific orders from him.
Speaking on national television the same day, the prime minister struck a more conciliatory note. "Let the young lead the way and provide the moral leadership to show us all how to take the hard path of collaboration with people who may disagree with us during times of national hardship," he said.
According Traisuree Thaisaranakul, the deputy government spokesperson, Prayuth has told authorities to be patient and show restraint if goaded by protesters. He said forceful control measures were to be avoided, but also warned protesters not to violate the rights of others.
Prayuth has been running the country under a state of emergency since March during the COVID-19 outbreak. The emergency rule gives him power to limit normal rights, including freedom of assembly.
No local transmission of the virus has been detected in the past two months, and the prime minister has not so far invoked his emergency powers to contain the rallies.
The student-led activism has meanwhile been gaining traction. A group of 147 university faculty members from across the kingdom said the proposed reforms did not violate criminal law in relation to the king. "Thai society should learn to raise the ceiling of tolerance and converse with reason for the sustainability of democracy in society," the group said.
Another group of 358 scholars from the Thai Academic Network for Civil Rights also stood with the protesters. "Universities should remain a place where people can raise questions and seek peaceful solutions for society together," it said.
Some young Thai celebrities have voiced their support for freedom of speech on social media. Among them was the popular girl band BNK48.
"I respect Arnon's boldness in daring to speak out about the truth in public," said a 60-year-old noodle shop owner who attended with one of his children, a Thammasat student. "Power never truly belongs to the people -- Thailand has become like Myanmar in a way."
Thailand's youth demo evolves to largest protest since 2014 coup
Turnout of over 20,000 at peaceful rally shows growing demand for reforms
Thailand's young demonstrators often wave illuminated cell phones above their heads as a visually striking means of peaceful protest. (Photo by Masayuki Yuda)
MASAYUKI YUDA, Nikkei staff writerAugust 16, 2020 08:51 JSTUpdated on August 17, 2020 02:04 JST
BANGKOK -- Thailand's free-speech advocates demanding democratic reforms are winning increasingly open support from academics, celebrities and a broadening swathe of the public as the authorities and royalist establishment attempt unsuccessfully to silence them.
Free People, an activist group that morphed out of student-led Free Youth, organized the biggest rally to date on Sunday afternoon at Democracy Monument near the administrative heart of Thailand's capital.
The Metropolitan Police Bureau put the number of protesters at about 12,000, but a policeman on the ground told the Nikkei Asian Review that around 20,000 had turned out.
An experienced foreign observer at the scene estimated the crowd, which stretched into the streets leading off from the monument's large roundabout, to be approaching 25,000.
But even the lowest estimates made this by far the largest political gathering Thailand has seen since the military staged a coup in 2014.
Three-fingered salutes inspired by the film Hunger Games have been adopted as a form of silent protest against repressive government. (Photo by Masayuki Yuda)
At least 600 policemen had been assigned to block access to the monument itself, and to patrol the surrounding areas, and they were in normal uniforms.
Activists have, however, been tailed by security officers in plain clothes in recent weeks. The police are believed to have 31 under surveillance and targeted for possible arrest.
On Friday, Parit Chiwarak from the Student Union of Thailand, was arrested by four policemen who struggled to manhandle his significant mass. Parit -- better known as Penguin -- was released on bail soon after Sunday's protest got going.
In the morning, about a hundred royalists held another rally at the same spot. One banner read: "You can chase anybody, but don't touch the Chakri dynasty" -- a reference to the 238-year-old House of Chakri that has ruled Thailand, formerly Siam, through ten reigns.
The current incumbent, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, is also known as Rama X. He acceded in 2016 but is resident most of the time in Germany.
"I want leaders of the country to think of public benefits rather than themselves," said Bia a 38-year-old native of Surat Thani province, who travelled 500km to attend the rally.
Many protesters wore black t-shirts. They were joined by others in red shirts signaling their allegiance to Thaksin Shinawatra, the populist prime minister ousted by the military in a coup in 2006.
The demonstration was well organized, with cooked food and cold drinks available -- essential sustenance in the exceptionally humid monsoon climate.
A possible dampener on proceedings failed to materialize. The capital has seen heavy rain in recent weeks, mostly in the late afternoon and evening. Instead, as dusk approached, massive sunbeams from behind a cloud provided a spectacular backdrop to the art deco monument that in darker times past has been the scene of significant political violence.
As darkness approached, the overwhelmingly peaceful crowd sat on the street waving lights from their cell phones above their heads. Many stayed beyond the planned 9 p.m. ending.
Protesters occasionally gave trademark three-fingered salutes inspired by the film Hunger Games as an expression of silent rebuke to repressive government.
Bangkok's protesters on Sunday held up banners in different languages and chanted repeatedly: “Down with dictatorship! Long live democracy.” (Photo by Masayuki Yuda)
Free People was established on Aug. 7 to facilitate broader public support for political reforms. Three of the main demands being pressed are for an end to official harassment that inhibits people exercising their rights; rewriting contentious parts of the military-drafted constitution; and dissolving parliament.
The group has also called for an end to coups and national unity governments, and pointedly for a "democratic form of government with the monarch under the constitution."
"Once the constitution is rewritten, every true demand of the people will be spoken of and recognized," Free People said in a statement released on Wednesday. "Moreover, under the constitution, all are equal without any exception."
The constitution, Thailand's 20th since 1932, was drafted at the military's behest, and adopted after a national referendum in 2016. It gives 250 military-appointed senators a large say in choosing the prime minister, and an effective veto on constitutional reform.
There have recently been smaller protests in over 45 of the kingdom's 76 provinces. Originally protesters called for a change of government and constitutional reforms, and avoided open criticism of the monarchy.
Matters moved in a fresh direction on July 18 at a protest organized by Free Youth when human rights lawyer Arnon Nampa broke a major taboo and called for a public debate on the role of the kingdom's highest institution -- the monarchy.
The issue gained momentum on Monday at a protest at Thammasat University when ten proposed reforms to the monarchy were read out by Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, spokesperson for the Student Union of Thailand.
Sunday's speakers called again for broad reforms, including of the monarchy, but did not revisit the ten specific demands made at Thammasat. Instead, students mingled in the crowds to share their views.
The ten demands included revocation of the law of lese-majeste, a reduction in public spending on the royal family, a clearer distinction between royal and public assets, and abolition of the privy council along with other "unnecessary units." The Thammasat speech on Monday drew repeated applause.
Arnon appeared on stage on Sunday, and said: "Our mission is to transform Thailand to true democracy -- the mission should end with our generation.
The political discontent comes at a time of increasing economic hardship brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Southeast Asia's second largest economy is expected to contract by 8.1% this year, according to the Bank of Thailand.
Students have tapped into public resentment by also drawing attention to a justice system that many feel affords impunity to the rich and powerful. Vorayuth Yoovidhya, grandson of billionaire Red Bull co-founder Chaleo Yoovidhya, was accused of killing a police officer while intoxicated in a hit-and-run incident in 2012, but fled abroad before his arrest. The case was quietly dropped by the attorney general's office in January and news of his legal absolution only surfaced in July.
Authorities have already tried to clamp down on activists. Arnon was arrested on Aug. 7 on a variety of charges, including alleged sedition. He and a colleague were released last weekend on bail after some 200 students gathered outside the police station where they were being detained.
The recent arrests caught international attention. On Saturday, U.S.-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on Thai authorities to drop all charges and unconditionally release Parit. "Each new arrest of a peaceful prodemocracy activist shows the Thai government's authoritarian tendencies and lack of respect for human rights," it said.
"Thai authorities have routinely enforced censorship and gagged public discussions of rights, political reforms, and the monarchy," said HRW. It noted that Thailand became signatory in 1996 to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which protects rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
An elderly pro-democracy advocate in Bangkok on Sunday asserted her rights alongside predominantly much younger protesters. © AP
The Royal Thai Police deputy spokesperson, Col. Kissana Phathanacharoen, raised concerns on Thursday over the rallies, and said officers would be deployed to beef up security on Sunday.
Tanu Sukbamphoeng, a royalist lawyer, called for enforcement of the law of lese-majeste, which is meant to protect the monarchy from hurt. After proving counterproductive, the law fell out of use in 2017, and the authorities resorted to other control mechanisms, including the law of sedition and the Computer Crimes Act.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha talked about the rallies at a news conference on Thursday. He called on authorities to probe the financing of the protests and to identify their backers. He said that was standard procedure, and did not require specific orders from him.
Speaking on national television the same day, the prime minister struck a more conciliatory note. "Let the young lead the way and provide the moral leadership to show us all how to take the hard path of collaboration with people who may disagree with us during times of national hardship," he said.
According Traisuree Thaisaranakul, the deputy government spokesperson, Prayuth has told authorities to be patient and show restraint if goaded by protesters. He said forceful control measures were to be avoided, but also warned protesters not to violate the rights of others.
Prayuth has been running the country under a state of emergency since March during the COVID-19 outbreak. The emergency rule gives him power to limit normal rights, including freedom of assembly.
No local transmission of the virus has been detected in the past two months, and the prime minister has not so far invoked his emergency powers to contain the rallies.
The student-led activism has meanwhile been gaining traction. A group of 147 university faculty members from across the kingdom said the proposed reforms did not violate criminal law in relation to the king. "Thai society should learn to raise the ceiling of tolerance and converse with reason for the sustainability of democracy in society," the group said.
Another group of 358 scholars from the Thai Academic Network for Civil Rights also stood with the protesters. "Universities should remain a place where people can raise questions and seek peaceful solutions for society together," it said.
Some young Thai celebrities have voiced their support for freedom of speech on social media. Among them was the popular girl band BNK48.
"I respect Arnon's boldness in daring to speak out about the truth in public," said a 60-year-old noodle shop owner who attended with one of his children, a Thammasat student. "Power never truly belongs to the people -- Thailand has become like Myanmar in a way."
Covid-19 takes huge bite out of restaurant giants
National
Aug 18. 2020
By THE NATION
Covid-19’s devastating impact on the restaurant business has been revealed in four leading chains’ turnover figures for the first half of 2020.
MK Restaurant (MK), After You (AU), S&P Syndicate (SNP), and Zen Corporation Group (Zen) all suffered an unprecedented collapse of their profits.
MK saw year on year net profit drop 93.35 per cent, from Bt1.3 billion to Bt93.02 million. AU’s net profit dropped 91.67 per cent to Bt10.23 million – from Bt122.84 million last year.
Meanwhile SNP and ZEN fared even worse.
SNP’s net profit of Bt87.67 million last year fell 188.73 per cent to a deficit of Bt77.79 million. ZEN was hit by a whopping 291.73 per cent drop in net profit, from Bt65.29 million to a deficit of Bt125.18 million.
The main culprit was the Covid-19 outbreak, which prompted the government to shutdown restaurants and entertainment venues from the middle of March to the middle of May.
During the shutdown, the chains tried to soften the blow by offering deliveries and takeout services, but to little effect. AU also cut its staff numbers during lockdown.
The first-half figures saw the stock price of the chains plummet by 10 to 40 per cent last Friday (August 14). Total market capitalisation of all four fell by Bt22 billion to Bt62 billion.
Meanwhile, Minor International Group (MINT) and Oishi Group (OISHI) also suffered a drop in profits. Total revenue generated from MINT’s restaurants fell by 21.12 per cent to Bt9.65 billion, while income from OISHI restaurants fell by 65.76 per cent to Bt630 million.
National
Aug 18. 2020
By THE NATION
Covid-19’s devastating impact on the restaurant business has been revealed in four leading chains’ turnover figures for the first half of 2020.
MK Restaurant (MK), After You (AU), S&P Syndicate (SNP), and Zen Corporation Group (Zen) all suffered an unprecedented collapse of their profits.
MK saw year on year net profit drop 93.35 per cent, from Bt1.3 billion to Bt93.02 million. AU’s net profit dropped 91.67 per cent to Bt10.23 million – from Bt122.84 million last year.
Meanwhile SNP and ZEN fared even worse.
SNP’s net profit of Bt87.67 million last year fell 188.73 per cent to a deficit of Bt77.79 million. ZEN was hit by a whopping 291.73 per cent drop in net profit, from Bt65.29 million to a deficit of Bt125.18 million.
The main culprit was the Covid-19 outbreak, which prompted the government to shutdown restaurants and entertainment venues from the middle of March to the middle of May.
During the shutdown, the chains tried to soften the blow by offering deliveries and takeout services, but to little effect. AU also cut its staff numbers during lockdown.
The first-half figures saw the stock price of the chains plummet by 10 to 40 per cent last Friday (August 14). Total market capitalisation of all four fell by Bt22 billion to Bt62 billion.
Meanwhile, Minor International Group (MINT) and Oishi Group (OISHI) also suffered a drop in profits. Total revenue generated from MINT’s restaurants fell by 21.12 per cent to Bt9.65 billion, while income from OISHI restaurants fell by 65.76 per cent to Bt630 million.
Why are there protests against Thailand’s king?
Thailand's king has been subject to international scrutiny since his days at school in Australia. Why are there protests against the monarchy now? Why are they so unusual?
By Michael Ruffles
AUGUST 18, 2020
https://www.theage.com.au/world/asi...sAaoPMo_lhgSYuQB2nWobMmRnlb61RzuK5Tv_aWMOlxGY
Thailand's monarchy has long been considered untouchable, an institution of vast wealth and power protected against scrutiny by draconian laws. It is often described as a sacred and revered institution, purportedly above politics.
With a new king, criticisms long whispered are spilling into the open. King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s lavish lifestyle, mostly enjoyed in Germany, colourful personal history and volatile reputation have made him a figure of fear in some quarters and ridicule in others.
Protests across many provinces in 2020, defying emergency decrees in the middle of a pandemic, made oblique references to the monarchy and its power. In August, the criticism became explicit, with a series of protests taking aim not only at the structure of the monarchy and its influence in politics and military affairs but at the king personally.
Why is such criticism extremely unusual in Thailand? What laws protect the king? How are this year’s protests different from the past? And how does Harry Potter and a 500-year-old elephant battle fit into all of this?
King Maha Vajiralongkorn's coronation went for three days in May 2019. CREDIT:THAILAND'S ROYAL PUBLIC RELATIONS DEPARTMENT
Why is criticism of Thailand’s king unusual?
Because it’s effectively outlawed. A law known as lese-majeste – literally “injured majesty” – is infamous in Thailand. Article 112 of the country’s criminal code says anyone who "defames, insults or threatens the king, the queen, the heir-apparent or the regent" can be punished with a jail term of between three and 15 years. The law has been used to quell almost all criticism of the royal family.
Several countries have similar statutes on the books but Thailand’s lese-majeste law is the world’s harshest. Punishments are often imposed consecutively, meaning sentences can be decades long. Truth is often not a defence.
This is why, for generations, little has been said openly, even in private, about the king in Thailand. Guide books have warned tourists against insults.
The law has been around since 1908 but the penalties were toughened by a military junta in 1976, and the number of charges and length of sentences increased markedly in the last years of the previous king’s rule. After a coup in 2014, the junta issued an edict allowing prosecutions for liking or sharing content on social media, and there was a notorious case where a young activist was incarcerated for sharing a BBC Thai profile of Vajiralongkorn.
The king with consort Sineenat Bilaskalayani and a pet dog on a military aircraft in August 2019. CREDIT:THAILAND ROYAL HOUSEHOLD BUREAU
Who is the king?
King Maha Vajiralongkorn, also known as Rama X, is the 10th monarch in the Chakri dynasty, which dates back to 1782. The family had absolute rule until a revolution in 1932.
The long reign of Vajiralongkorn’s father, Bhumibol Adulyadej, was responsible for the high regard in which the monarchy has been held. Through a series of development projects (and with the support of propaganda), he won a place in many Thai hearts and was often greeted with adoring crowds. By the end of his 70 years on the throne in 2016, he had come to be regarded by many as the “father of the nation”.
Vajiralongkorn is Bhumibol’s only son. He was a student at The King's School in Parramatta and at Duntroon, the Australian Army's officer training college, from 1972 until 1975. He was 66 when he formally assumed the throne in an elaborate, three-day ceremony in May 2019.
The Prince arrives in Sydney as an 18-year-old to begin his studies in 1970. CREDIT:ANTONY MATHEUS LINSEN
Married four times and with eight children, Vajiralongkorn’s reputation as a playboy dates back to when he was a young man. His mother even referred to him in the 1980s as “a little bit of a Don Juan”.
His first marriage, to a cousin, officially ended in 1993, although by then he had five children with the woman, a former actress, who became his second wife. That marriage lasted two years until, in 1996, she left for Britain with the children. She and their four sons were later granted asylum in the US by the Clinton administration; the daughter, now a fashion designer, was raised by her father.
The then crown prince with a fellow student at The King's School in Sydney in 1970. CREDIT:EDWARD BERESFORD
The king had a son, Prince Dipangkorn, with his third wife, Srirasmi, in 2005, who notoriously wore only a g-string in a video of a 2009 birthday party thrown for a prize poodle, Foo Foo. She was stripped of her titles in December 2014 and put under house arrest, where she remains, while seven relatives were charged with corruption and/or lese-majeste for profiting from their royal connections, and many were handed hefty jail terms.
Vajiralongkorn with his third wife, Srirasmi, and their son, Dipangkorn, at Paris Fashion Week in 2007, where his daughter showed her designs.CREDIT:GETTY IMAGES
Vajiralongkorn’s relationship with his fourth wife, a flight attendant, had been long rumoured but he surprised the world three days before his coronation by announcing they were married. He also briefly had a consort, an army officer elevated to a rank not seen since the end of absolute monarchy, but who was stripped of her titles within months.
One former palace insider says the king has a temper and makes emotional decisions. The military is closely linked to his identity, analysts say, as he values discipline, has close advisers who were in the armed forces, and bestows military ranks on favoured women.
Since coming to power, he has taken direct control of several army units, assumed personal ownership of the Crown Property Bureau’s fortune (estimated at somewhere between $40-$70 billion) and intervened in the drafting of the constitution – there have been 20 new or revised charters in Thailand since 1932 – to ensure he could spend more time in Germany. He flies back to Thailand for important occasions.
Of his reputation, when he was crown prince he said that black sheep were useful in making other sheep appear whiter.
Social critic Sulak Sivaraksa, pictured here in 2009, has been charged under lese-majeste five times.CREDIT:JOHN WOUDSTRA
Who has been charged under lese-majeste laws?
Thai Lawyers for Human Rights knows of 25 people now in jail for lese-majeste. Notable cases have included a DVD seller charged for distributing an ABC Foreign Correspondent report containing clips of Foo Foo’s scandalous birthday; Australian author Harry Nicolaides was sentenced to three years' jail, and later pardoned, over a line in a work of fiction; and a man was sentenced to 70 years, halved because he confessed, over 10 messages on Facebook.
The most attention-grabbing case was over a 500-year-old elephant battle involving a long-dead king that had been used as the basis for a series of royalist films. Social critic Sulak Sivaraksa questioned the accuracy of the Thai version of history and was charged. It took until 2018 for the king to step in and have the case quashed.
Sulak, who has beaten the charge five times, says the king not only put an end to his case but ordered a stop to lese-majeste prosecutions. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha also said the king did not want the law to be used.
It’s true there have been no new lese-majeste prosecutions since 2018; other laws have been used instead. Sedition laws and the Computer Crimes Act each carry hefty penalties and can be used for alleged offences against national security.
But that moratorium may be over: on August 13, protest leader Parit "Penguin" Chiwarak, 24, posted that he was facing a lese-majeste charge and a day later was carried away by plainclothes police on the way to a demonstration.
Protest leader Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak outside the criminal court in Bangkok after his release on bail on August 15.CREDIT:AP
So why are there protests now?
The abduction of government critic Wanchalearm Satsaksit, 38, from the streets of Cambodia in June was one galvanising moment. He was wanted for lese-majeste, and security footage of a black SUV taking him away went viral. His image has been a regular feature of the protests.
Economic failures during the pandemic have also hurt, while constitutional reform, student issues and LGBTQI rights are also on the agenda. The king’s long stays in Germany and lack of popular appeal have also made him a target. Also, high school and university students feature prominently, another marked change from protests of the past.
On August 10, the protesters made 10 demands for reforming the monarchy. These included the abolition of the lese-majeste law, cuts to the king’s budget, a clear delineation between crown property and the king’s personal wealth, and a requirement for the king to be accountable to Parliament as stipulated in the post-revolution constitution of 1932. No such requirement exists under the latest constitution, and royal decrees circumvent Parliament.
Thai critic Pavin Chachavalpongpun in Japan.
Academic Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a lese-majeste suspect who was granted refugee status in Japan and one of the three most-wanted critics of the monarchy, says the confluence of all these factors has resulted in an unprecedented opportunity to examine the monarchy’s place in Thai life. His private Facebook group for such discussion, Royalist Marketplace, has about 900,000 members and has turned Pavin into both a meme and something of an icon for the protest.
“The 10 demands have been written in a very formal, serious way,” Pavin says. “This is not just to humiliate the monarchy, this is something that can be taken to Parliament.
“I would not discredit what the students are doing right now. As someone who has been promoting serious discussion of the monarchy for so long, I must say that this is such a new phenomenon for me, too."
The government was swift to declare the protesters had “crossed the line” just by mentioning the monarchy.
A Harry-Potter themed protest on August 3, where Voldemort takes the place of the king in a gilded frame.CREDIT:GETTY IMAGES
What does Harry Potter have to do with the protests?
Because of the strict laws, criticism and gossip about the royal family has often been passed in code. Satire and the use of pop-culture references are popular, particularly online where cartoons and memes are shared widely.
On August 3, a Harry Potter-themed protest likened Vajiralongkorn to the Harry Potter villain Voldemort (He Who Must Not Be Named). This is a recent phenomenon but in character for a population that co-opted the three-finger Hunger Games salute in defiance of the 2014 coup.
A lawyer who spoke at the Harry Potter protest, Arnon Nampa, said it was time to speak about the king directly rather than in riddles. On August 7, he was dragged into a police station to be charged with several offences but not lese-majeste. Another 30 people are said to be in line to be charged and a crackdown is feared.
Protesters wave chopsticks as makeshift wands during a Harry Potter-themed rally in Bangkok on August 3.CREDIT:GETTY IMAGES
What’s next?
For a country with a long history of coups and deadly crackdowns, there are fears the latest protests could turn violent. Cabinet ministers have warned of the possibility, although the Prime Minister has urged police to show restraint.
Pavin says it is “too soon to say” whether 2020 will prove a major turning point for the Thai monarchy, however, it is clear “the students have set a new benchmark in Thai politics”. Pavin says he hopes the protests continue to gain momentum but change will only be achieved with support in political and business circles that doesn’t exist, at least for now.
Portraits of the king flanked by his late father, Bhumibol, and his mother, Sirikit, at the Stock Exchange of Thailand in 2019.CREDIT:BLOOMBERG
Michael Ruffles is the chief sub-editor of The Sydney Morning Herald.
Thailand's king has been subject to international scrutiny since his days at school in Australia. Why are there protests against the monarchy now? Why are they so unusual?
By Michael Ruffles
AUGUST 18, 2020
https://www.theage.com.au/world/asi...sAaoPMo_lhgSYuQB2nWobMmRnlb61RzuK5Tv_aWMOlxGY
Thailand's monarchy has long been considered untouchable, an institution of vast wealth and power protected against scrutiny by draconian laws. It is often described as a sacred and revered institution, purportedly above politics.
With a new king, criticisms long whispered are spilling into the open. King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s lavish lifestyle, mostly enjoyed in Germany, colourful personal history and volatile reputation have made him a figure of fear in some quarters and ridicule in others.
Protests across many provinces in 2020, defying emergency decrees in the middle of a pandemic, made oblique references to the monarchy and its power. In August, the criticism became explicit, with a series of protests taking aim not only at the structure of the monarchy and its influence in politics and military affairs but at the king personally.
Why is such criticism extremely unusual in Thailand? What laws protect the king? How are this year’s protests different from the past? And how does Harry Potter and a 500-year-old elephant battle fit into all of this?
King Maha Vajiralongkorn's coronation went for three days in May 2019. CREDIT:THAILAND'S ROYAL PUBLIC RELATIONS DEPARTMENT
Why is criticism of Thailand’s king unusual?
Because it’s effectively outlawed. A law known as lese-majeste – literally “injured majesty” – is infamous in Thailand. Article 112 of the country’s criminal code says anyone who "defames, insults or threatens the king, the queen, the heir-apparent or the regent" can be punished with a jail term of between three and 15 years. The law has been used to quell almost all criticism of the royal family.
Several countries have similar statutes on the books but Thailand’s lese-majeste law is the world’s harshest. Punishments are often imposed consecutively, meaning sentences can be decades long. Truth is often not a defence.
This is why, for generations, little has been said openly, even in private, about the king in Thailand. Guide books have warned tourists against insults.
The law has been around since 1908 but the penalties were toughened by a military junta in 1976, and the number of charges and length of sentences increased markedly in the last years of the previous king’s rule. After a coup in 2014, the junta issued an edict allowing prosecutions for liking or sharing content on social media, and there was a notorious case where a young activist was incarcerated for sharing a BBC Thai profile of Vajiralongkorn.
The king with consort Sineenat Bilaskalayani and a pet dog on a military aircraft in August 2019. CREDIT:THAILAND ROYAL HOUSEHOLD BUREAU
Who is the king?
King Maha Vajiralongkorn, also known as Rama X, is the 10th monarch in the Chakri dynasty, which dates back to 1782. The family had absolute rule until a revolution in 1932.
The long reign of Vajiralongkorn’s father, Bhumibol Adulyadej, was responsible for the high regard in which the monarchy has been held. Through a series of development projects (and with the support of propaganda), he won a place in many Thai hearts and was often greeted with adoring crowds. By the end of his 70 years on the throne in 2016, he had come to be regarded by many as the “father of the nation”.
Vajiralongkorn is Bhumibol’s only son. He was a student at The King's School in Parramatta and at Duntroon, the Australian Army's officer training college, from 1972 until 1975. He was 66 when he formally assumed the throne in an elaborate, three-day ceremony in May 2019.
The Prince arrives in Sydney as an 18-year-old to begin his studies in 1970. CREDIT:ANTONY MATHEUS LINSEN
Married four times and with eight children, Vajiralongkorn’s reputation as a playboy dates back to when he was a young man. His mother even referred to him in the 1980s as “a little bit of a Don Juan”.
His first marriage, to a cousin, officially ended in 1993, although by then he had five children with the woman, a former actress, who became his second wife. That marriage lasted two years until, in 1996, she left for Britain with the children. She and their four sons were later granted asylum in the US by the Clinton administration; the daughter, now a fashion designer, was raised by her father.
The then crown prince with a fellow student at The King's School in Sydney in 1970. CREDIT:EDWARD BERESFORD
The king had a son, Prince Dipangkorn, with his third wife, Srirasmi, in 2005, who notoriously wore only a g-string in a video of a 2009 birthday party thrown for a prize poodle, Foo Foo. She was stripped of her titles in December 2014 and put under house arrest, where she remains, while seven relatives were charged with corruption and/or lese-majeste for profiting from their royal connections, and many were handed hefty jail terms.
Vajiralongkorn with his third wife, Srirasmi, and their son, Dipangkorn, at Paris Fashion Week in 2007, where his daughter showed her designs.CREDIT:GETTY IMAGES
Vajiralongkorn’s relationship with his fourth wife, a flight attendant, had been long rumoured but he surprised the world three days before his coronation by announcing they were married. He also briefly had a consort, an army officer elevated to a rank not seen since the end of absolute monarchy, but who was stripped of her titles within months.
One former palace insider says the king has a temper and makes emotional decisions. The military is closely linked to his identity, analysts say, as he values discipline, has close advisers who were in the armed forces, and bestows military ranks on favoured women.
Since coming to power, he has taken direct control of several army units, assumed personal ownership of the Crown Property Bureau’s fortune (estimated at somewhere between $40-$70 billion) and intervened in the drafting of the constitution – there have been 20 new or revised charters in Thailand since 1932 – to ensure he could spend more time in Germany. He flies back to Thailand for important occasions.
Of his reputation, when he was crown prince he said that black sheep were useful in making other sheep appear whiter.
Social critic Sulak Sivaraksa, pictured here in 2009, has been charged under lese-majeste five times.CREDIT:JOHN WOUDSTRA
Who has been charged under lese-majeste laws?
Thai Lawyers for Human Rights knows of 25 people now in jail for lese-majeste. Notable cases have included a DVD seller charged for distributing an ABC Foreign Correspondent report containing clips of Foo Foo’s scandalous birthday; Australian author Harry Nicolaides was sentenced to three years' jail, and later pardoned, over a line in a work of fiction; and a man was sentenced to 70 years, halved because he confessed, over 10 messages on Facebook.
The most attention-grabbing case was over a 500-year-old elephant battle involving a long-dead king that had been used as the basis for a series of royalist films. Social critic Sulak Sivaraksa questioned the accuracy of the Thai version of history and was charged. It took until 2018 for the king to step in and have the case quashed.
Sulak, who has beaten the charge five times, says the king not only put an end to his case but ordered a stop to lese-majeste prosecutions. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha also said the king did not want the law to be used.
It’s true there have been no new lese-majeste prosecutions since 2018; other laws have been used instead. Sedition laws and the Computer Crimes Act each carry hefty penalties and can be used for alleged offences against national security.
But that moratorium may be over: on August 13, protest leader Parit "Penguin" Chiwarak, 24, posted that he was facing a lese-majeste charge and a day later was carried away by plainclothes police on the way to a demonstration.
Protest leader Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak outside the criminal court in Bangkok after his release on bail on August 15.CREDIT:AP
So why are there protests now?
The abduction of government critic Wanchalearm Satsaksit, 38, from the streets of Cambodia in June was one galvanising moment. He was wanted for lese-majeste, and security footage of a black SUV taking him away went viral. His image has been a regular feature of the protests.
Economic failures during the pandemic have also hurt, while constitutional reform, student issues and LGBTQI rights are also on the agenda. The king’s long stays in Germany and lack of popular appeal have also made him a target. Also, high school and university students feature prominently, another marked change from protests of the past.
On August 10, the protesters made 10 demands for reforming the monarchy. These included the abolition of the lese-majeste law, cuts to the king’s budget, a clear delineation between crown property and the king’s personal wealth, and a requirement for the king to be accountable to Parliament as stipulated in the post-revolution constitution of 1932. No such requirement exists under the latest constitution, and royal decrees circumvent Parliament.
Thai critic Pavin Chachavalpongpun in Japan.
Academic Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a lese-majeste suspect who was granted refugee status in Japan and one of the three most-wanted critics of the monarchy, says the confluence of all these factors has resulted in an unprecedented opportunity to examine the monarchy’s place in Thai life. His private Facebook group for such discussion, Royalist Marketplace, has about 900,000 members and has turned Pavin into both a meme and something of an icon for the protest.
“The 10 demands have been written in a very formal, serious way,” Pavin says. “This is not just to humiliate the monarchy, this is something that can be taken to Parliament.
“I would not discredit what the students are doing right now. As someone who has been promoting serious discussion of the monarchy for so long, I must say that this is such a new phenomenon for me, too."
The government was swift to declare the protesters had “crossed the line” just by mentioning the monarchy.
A Harry-Potter themed protest on August 3, where Voldemort takes the place of the king in a gilded frame.CREDIT:GETTY IMAGES
What does Harry Potter have to do with the protests?
Because of the strict laws, criticism and gossip about the royal family has often been passed in code. Satire and the use of pop-culture references are popular, particularly online where cartoons and memes are shared widely.
On August 3, a Harry Potter-themed protest likened Vajiralongkorn to the Harry Potter villain Voldemort (He Who Must Not Be Named). This is a recent phenomenon but in character for a population that co-opted the three-finger Hunger Games salute in defiance of the 2014 coup.
A lawyer who spoke at the Harry Potter protest, Arnon Nampa, said it was time to speak about the king directly rather than in riddles. On August 7, he was dragged into a police station to be charged with several offences but not lese-majeste. Another 30 people are said to be in line to be charged and a crackdown is feared.
Protesters wave chopsticks as makeshift wands during a Harry Potter-themed rally in Bangkok on August 3.CREDIT:GETTY IMAGES
What’s next?
For a country with a long history of coups and deadly crackdowns, there are fears the latest protests could turn violent. Cabinet ministers have warned of the possibility, although the Prime Minister has urged police to show restraint.
Pavin says it is “too soon to say” whether 2020 will prove a major turning point for the Thai monarchy, however, it is clear “the students have set a new benchmark in Thai politics”. Pavin says he hopes the protests continue to gain momentum but change will only be achieved with support in political and business circles that doesn’t exist, at least for now.
Portraits of the king flanked by his late father, Bhumibol, and his mother, Sirikit, at the Stock Exchange of Thailand in 2019.CREDIT:BLOOMBERG
Michael Ruffles is the chief sub-editor of The Sydney Morning Herald.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Tha...10&pub_date=20200817130000&seq_num=4&si=44594
Thailand Q2 GDP contracts 12.2% amid COVID-induced recession
Shut borders and business lockdowns hit Southeast Asia's second-largest economy
The lack of foreign tourists has been a huge blow to Thailand's economy during the coronavirus pandemic. © Reuters
MASAYUKI YUDA and APORNRATH PHOONPHONGPHIPHAT, Nikkei staff writersAugust 17, 2020 12:10 JST
BANGKOK -- Thailand recorded the largest economic contraction in 22 years in the quarter ending June, keeping Southeast Asia's second-largest economy trapped in a coronavirus-induced recession.
Gross domestic product shrank 12.2% in the second quarter compared to the same period the previous year, the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council, the kingdom's economic planning agency, announced on Monday. It is the biggest contraction since 1998 when Thailand posted a 12.5% contraction recorded in the second quarter because of the Asian Financial Crisis.
On a seasonally-adjusted quarterly basis, the economy shrank by 9.7% in the April-June period, following a 0.3% contraction in the fourth quarter of 2019 and 2.5% shrinkage in the first three months of 2020. A technical recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth.
The kingdom closed its borders and implemented business lockdowns in an attempt to contain the COVID-19 epidemic. Shopping malls were forced to shutter for nearly two months from the end of March to the middle of May. Most restrictions have now been lifted and foreign visitors such as work-permit holders and their families are being allowed to enter. But the second quarter was when the economic impact of efforts to contain the pandemic was most vividly reflected.
Exports shrank by 28.3% compared with the same period last year, as spending by nonresidents, including tourists, is counted as the export of services. Due to a landing ban on international passenger flights, the kingdom had zero tourist arrivals so, naturally, zero tourist spending, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. Exports of goods were subdued as well, reflecting the global economic slowdown.
Private investment fell 15.0%. Companies halted or postponed investment as fears of falling demand came true. Private consumption contracted 6.6% because of business lockdowns and a nighttime curfew, also now scrapped.
The coronavirus pandemic is expected to apply prolonged and adverse pressure on the Thai economy. The Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council said it forecasts a yearly contraction of 7.3%-7.8%, with the median of down 7.5% in 2020, marking a downward revision from its previous outlook in May for GDP to shrink 5%-6% this year. The forecast this year is based on the assumption that there would be no second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Its original outlook in February was for growth of 1.5% to 2.5%. The worst year for Thai economy was in 1998, when it recorded a 7.6% contraction due to the Asian Financial Crisis.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand said revenue from international visitors in 2021 under its base-case scenario could shrink to 618 billion baht ($20 billion), or about 32% of the 1.9 trillion earned in 2019. Its worst-case scenario has that revenue falling to 298 billion baht.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha's administration has implemented major economic stimulus packages, including cash handouts to informal workers and domestic tourists. Prayuth also plucked new economic ministers from the private sector to steer the economy, replacing a faction led by Somkid Jatusripitak, a former deputy prime minister, that managed economic policy for nearly five years until mid-July.
Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow and Finance Minister Predee Daochai are key members of the new economic team. The two were among new ministers who took their oaths before King Maha Vajiralongkorn on Wednesday. Supattanapong was former president and CEO of PTT Global Chemical, while Predee was co-president of Kasikornbank and chairman of the Thai Bankers' Association.
Salvaging the Thai economy is an urgent task for former army general Prayuth. Discontent toward the current regime, including economic underperformance, has on Sunday fueled peaceful protests initially led by students to evolve as the largest political gathering Thailand has seen since the military staged a coup in 2014. Tens of thousands of protestors called for bold reforms, including even the country's revered monarchy.
Thailand Q2 GDP contracts 12.2% amid COVID-induced recession
Shut borders and business lockdowns hit Southeast Asia's second-largest economy
The lack of foreign tourists has been a huge blow to Thailand's economy during the coronavirus pandemic. © Reuters
MASAYUKI YUDA and APORNRATH PHOONPHONGPHIPHAT, Nikkei staff writersAugust 17, 2020 12:10 JST
BANGKOK -- Thailand recorded the largest economic contraction in 22 years in the quarter ending June, keeping Southeast Asia's second-largest economy trapped in a coronavirus-induced recession.
Gross domestic product shrank 12.2% in the second quarter compared to the same period the previous year, the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council, the kingdom's economic planning agency, announced on Monday. It is the biggest contraction since 1998 when Thailand posted a 12.5% contraction recorded in the second quarter because of the Asian Financial Crisis.
On a seasonally-adjusted quarterly basis, the economy shrank by 9.7% in the April-June period, following a 0.3% contraction in the fourth quarter of 2019 and 2.5% shrinkage in the first three months of 2020. A technical recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth.
The kingdom closed its borders and implemented business lockdowns in an attempt to contain the COVID-19 epidemic. Shopping malls were forced to shutter for nearly two months from the end of March to the middle of May. Most restrictions have now been lifted and foreign visitors such as work-permit holders and their families are being allowed to enter. But the second quarter was when the economic impact of efforts to contain the pandemic was most vividly reflected.
Exports shrank by 28.3% compared with the same period last year, as spending by nonresidents, including tourists, is counted as the export of services. Due to a landing ban on international passenger flights, the kingdom had zero tourist arrivals so, naturally, zero tourist spending, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. Exports of goods were subdued as well, reflecting the global economic slowdown.
Private investment fell 15.0%. Companies halted or postponed investment as fears of falling demand came true. Private consumption contracted 6.6% because of business lockdowns and a nighttime curfew, also now scrapped.
The coronavirus pandemic is expected to apply prolonged and adverse pressure on the Thai economy. The Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council said it forecasts a yearly contraction of 7.3%-7.8%, with the median of down 7.5% in 2020, marking a downward revision from its previous outlook in May for GDP to shrink 5%-6% this year. The forecast this year is based on the assumption that there would be no second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Its original outlook in February was for growth of 1.5% to 2.5%. The worst year for Thai economy was in 1998, when it recorded a 7.6% contraction due to the Asian Financial Crisis.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand said revenue from international visitors in 2021 under its base-case scenario could shrink to 618 billion baht ($20 billion), or about 32% of the 1.9 trillion earned in 2019. Its worst-case scenario has that revenue falling to 298 billion baht.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha's administration has implemented major economic stimulus packages, including cash handouts to informal workers and domestic tourists. Prayuth also plucked new economic ministers from the private sector to steer the economy, replacing a faction led by Somkid Jatusripitak, a former deputy prime minister, that managed economic policy for nearly five years until mid-July.
Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow and Finance Minister Predee Daochai are key members of the new economic team. The two were among new ministers who took their oaths before King Maha Vajiralongkorn on Wednesday. Supattanapong was former president and CEO of PTT Global Chemical, while Predee was co-president of Kasikornbank and chairman of the Thai Bankers' Association.
Salvaging the Thai economy is an urgent task for former army general Prayuth. Discontent toward the current regime, including economic underperformance, has on Sunday fueled peaceful protests initially led by students to evolve as the largest political gathering Thailand has seen since the military staged a coup in 2014. Tens of thousands of protestors called for bold reforms, including even the country's revered monarchy.
Virus wipes 25% off auto dealers’ revenue
National
Aug 19. 2020
By THE NATION
The Covid-19 crisis has hit the automobile market hard, wiping around 25 per cent off dealers’ revenue, according to Krungthai Bank’s Compass research centre.
Phacharaphot Nuntramas, the centre’s senior director, said that total auto sales this year would shrink at a high rate, after people’s purchasing power reduced sharply. Total sales this year will be 620,000, a drop of 38.2 per cent from last year, the centre estimates – though that figure could fall as far as 570,000 in the worst-case scenario.
The research centre predicted that sales would reach 1 million in 2021, but if a second wave of coronavirus spreads in Thailand, the market would take around two to five years to recover.
Kanit Umsakul, a Krungthai Compass analyst, added that revenue of auto dealers would fall by 25 per cent, causing the sector to shrink 4.8 per cent against its normal 1 to 1.2 per cent growth.
National
Aug 19. 2020
By THE NATION
The Covid-19 crisis has hit the automobile market hard, wiping around 25 per cent off dealers’ revenue, according to Krungthai Bank’s Compass research centre.
Phacharaphot Nuntramas, the centre’s senior director, said that total auto sales this year would shrink at a high rate, after people’s purchasing power reduced sharply. Total sales this year will be 620,000, a drop of 38.2 per cent from last year, the centre estimates – though that figure could fall as far as 570,000 in the worst-case scenario.
The research centre predicted that sales would reach 1 million in 2021, but if a second wave of coronavirus spreads in Thailand, the market would take around two to five years to recover.
Kanit Umsakul, a Krungthai Compass analyst, added that revenue of auto dealers would fall by 25 per cent, causing the sector to shrink 4.8 per cent against its normal 1 to 1.2 per cent growth.
State of emergency likely to be extended
Bangkok Post PUBLISHED : 19 AUG 2020 AT 11:30
WRITER: WASSANA NANUAM
Deputy army chief Gen Nathapol Nakpanit, deputy head of the CCSA panel, said on Wednesday the executive decree on public administration in emergency situations should be continued after it expires on Aug 31.
It was needed to ensure people arriving from other countries were quarantined and to quickly mobilise organisations to respond to any fresh Covid-19 outbreak.
"If there is a second wave it would be regrettable, because we have been doing well for as long as 90 days [without a community infection]. I would like to thank all people and sectors for having been cooperative," Gen Nathapol said.
He said the quarantine period was reliable. Infections were detected in quarantined people within the 14-day period.
After infection was found, the disease remained in a person's body for as long as 30 days, he warned.
The extension of the emergency to the end of September would not affect people's lives in general, and they still had the right to rally, he said.
The extension still needs formal approval from the cabinet.
Gen Nathapol also said Thailand had invited foreign cyclists to take part in an inter-provincial event on Oct 6-16, Foreign participants would be quarantined for 14 days first.
Cyclists would compete for a trophy from Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. The event would be held in Samut Songkhram, Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan and Ranong provinces.
The Thai Cycling Association invited 172 international cyclists and expected at least 70 to participate, Gen Nathapol said.
He also said that 237 army engineers would return from their peace-keeping mission in Sudan next month, and would be quarantined on arrival.
Bangkok Post PUBLISHED : 19 AUG 2020 AT 11:30
WRITER: WASSANA NANUAM
-
Thai returnees arriving at Suvarnabhumi airport are right away taken into quarantine. The state of emergency is expected to be extended to the end of September to enable continued quarantine of inbound people to effectively curb Covid-19. (Photo: Arnun Chonmahatrakool)
Deputy army chief Gen Nathapol Nakpanit, deputy head of the CCSA panel, said on Wednesday the executive decree on public administration in emergency situations should be continued after it expires on Aug 31.
It was needed to ensure people arriving from other countries were quarantined and to quickly mobilise organisations to respond to any fresh Covid-19 outbreak.
"If there is a second wave it would be regrettable, because we have been doing well for as long as 90 days [without a community infection]. I would like to thank all people and sectors for having been cooperative," Gen Nathapol said.
He said the quarantine period was reliable. Infections were detected in quarantined people within the 14-day period.
After infection was found, the disease remained in a person's body for as long as 30 days, he warned.
The extension of the emergency to the end of September would not affect people's lives in general, and they still had the right to rally, he said.
The extension still needs formal approval from the cabinet.
Gen Nathapol also said Thailand had invited foreign cyclists to take part in an inter-provincial event on Oct 6-16, Foreign participants would be quarantined for 14 days first.
Cyclists would compete for a trophy from Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. The event would be held in Samut Songkhram, Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan and Ranong provinces.
The Thai Cycling Association invited 172 international cyclists and expected at least 70 to participate, Gen Nathapol said.
He also said that 237 army engineers would return from their peace-keeping mission in Sudan next month, and would be quarantined on arrival.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Tu...10&pub_date=20200820150000&seq_num=6&si=44594
Thailand to extend virus emergency decree as protests swell
Activist human rights lawyer arrested on sedition charges
Students use their mobile phones as flashlights to show support for pro-democracy protests in Bangkok on Aug. 19. © Reuters
MARIMI KISHIMOTO and YOHEI MURAMATSU, Nikkei staff writersAugust 20, 2020 02:41 JST
BANGKOK -- The Thai government indicated Wednesday it will extend its state of emergency through September in response to the country's first locally transmitted coronavirus case in nearly three months, fueling speculation that it seeks to clamp down on spreading protests.
This would mark the fifth extension of the decree, which has been in place since late March and is now set to last until the end of August. The cabinet will officially approve the move within the next few days.
The apparent first case of community transmission in 86 days was a woman who returned from Dubai in June and traveled to her hometown in northeastern Thailand after a 14-day quarantine. She tested positive in Bangkok on Tuesday before a planned trip abroad for work.
The decision comes against the backdrop of the massive student-led demonstrations of recent months. A gathering Sunday at the Democracy Monument in Bangkok drew between 20,000 and 30,000 people, according to organizers, which would make it one of the largest anti-government protests since the 2014 coup that brought Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha into power.
Some observers suspect that Prayuth's government looks to use the extended state of emergency to crack down on political gatherings. Somsak Rungsita, secretary-general of the National Security Council, denied in a Wednesday news conference that this is the case.
Anon Nampa, one of the leaders of recent anti-government protests, is detained by a police outside the criminal court in Bangkok on Aug. 19. © Reuters
Also on Wednesday, Anon Nampa, a human rights lawyer who has played a leading role in the protests, was arrested on sedition charges, Reuters reported.
Anon was previously arrested Aug. 7 over an Aug. 3 protest, but was released on bail the following day. He continued to participate in anti-government demonstrations, calling for Prayuth's cabinet to resign and parliament to be dissolved.
Anon also urged reform of Thailand's powerful monarchy -- a taboo in a country with strict lese-majeste laws.
The previous arrest sparked outrage among Anon's supporters, and Wednesday's could bring more protesters into the ranks.
Thailand to extend virus emergency decree as protests swell
Activist human rights lawyer arrested on sedition charges
Students use their mobile phones as flashlights to show support for pro-democracy protests in Bangkok on Aug. 19. © Reuters
MARIMI KISHIMOTO and YOHEI MURAMATSU, Nikkei staff writersAugust 20, 2020 02:41 JST
BANGKOK -- The Thai government indicated Wednesday it will extend its state of emergency through September in response to the country's first locally transmitted coronavirus case in nearly three months, fueling speculation that it seeks to clamp down on spreading protests.
This would mark the fifth extension of the decree, which has been in place since late March and is now set to last until the end of August. The cabinet will officially approve the move within the next few days.
The apparent first case of community transmission in 86 days was a woman who returned from Dubai in June and traveled to her hometown in northeastern Thailand after a 14-day quarantine. She tested positive in Bangkok on Tuesday before a planned trip abroad for work.
The decision comes against the backdrop of the massive student-led demonstrations of recent months. A gathering Sunday at the Democracy Monument in Bangkok drew between 20,000 and 30,000 people, according to organizers, which would make it one of the largest anti-government protests since the 2014 coup that brought Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha into power.
Some observers suspect that Prayuth's government looks to use the extended state of emergency to crack down on political gatherings. Somsak Rungsita, secretary-general of the National Security Council, denied in a Wednesday news conference that this is the case.
Anon Nampa, one of the leaders of recent anti-government protests, is detained by a police outside the criminal court in Bangkok on Aug. 19. © Reuters
Also on Wednesday, Anon Nampa, a human rights lawyer who has played a leading role in the protests, was arrested on sedition charges, Reuters reported.
Anon was previously arrested Aug. 7 over an Aug. 3 protest, but was released on bail the following day. He continued to participate in anti-government demonstrations, calling for Prayuth's cabinet to resign and parliament to be dissolved.
Anon also urged reform of Thailand's powerful monarchy -- a taboo in a country with strict lese-majeste laws.
The previous arrest sparked outrage among Anon's supporters, and Wednesday's could bring more protesters into the ranks.
Had 2 bottles actually because the chef/owner came over occasionally to drink and talk
https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Turbulent-Thailand/Thai-protests-grow-on-streets-and-online-Five-things-to-know?utm_campaign=RN Subscriber newsletter&utm_medium=one time newsletter&utm_source=NAR Newsletter&utm_content=article link&del_type=3&pub_date=20200823120000&seq_num=2&si=44594
Thai protests grow on streets and online: Five things to know
Secondary school students show solidarity while Facebook group draws 1m members
Pro-democracy students raise three fingers, a gesture of resistance, during a protest rally in front of the Education Ministry in Bangkok on Aug. 19. © AP
MASAYUKI YUDA, Nikkei staff writerAugust 21, 2020 18:41 JST
BANGKOK -- Youth-led pro-democracy protests have swept Thailand. Big or small, they occur almost every day somewhere in the kingdom, calling for broad reforms. At least 55 out of 76 provinces have had rallies since mid-July.
About 20,000 people gathered on Sunday at Democracy Monument near the administrative heart of Bangkok, making it the biggest rally since a coup in 2014. Some protesters were not afraid to raise a debate on Thailand's long-standing taboo -- the role of the monarchy in politics and society.
What are the protesters' demands?
At Sunday's rally, organizer Free People presented three demands: the dissolution of both chambers of parliament, the rewriting of contentious parts of the constitution, and an end to official harassment that inhibits people from exercising their fundamental rights.
They said no coup should be staged and no national unity government should be formed in the future.
The tone of these requests was less radical than when 10 proposed reforms to the monarchy were read out by a spokesperson for another protester group, Student Union of Thailand, on Aug. 10 at Thammasat University. But the underlying message is the same: Allow Thailand to segue to a democratic form of government with the monarchy under the constitution.
The lighter tone made it easier for people to join the rally, and attendance swelled to about 20,000 people.
What drove people to the streets?
Political and judicial developments since the March 2019 general election have young people questioning if their say has been marginalized. Over 7.3 million voters under 25 years old took part in that election; it was their first opportunity to exercise voting rights.
Those who initiated the recent pro-democracy movements most likely cast ballots for Future Forward, a party founded in 2018 by 41-year-old billionaire Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit. The party's pledge to update the constitution, cut the military budget and bring the military under civilian control resonated with discontented youth. Future Forward gained 6.3 million votes, or 17.8% of the ballots, and won 81 out of 500 lower house seats.
But the charismatic Thanathorn lost his parliamentary status in November 2019 after the Constitutional Court ruled he had violated laws prohibiting election candidates from owning shares in media companies. In February, the same court ordered the disbandment of Future Forward for illegally accepting funds from Thanathorn. While the authorities insist they were enforcing the law, young Thais saw something else, the muzzling of the progressive party and its leader.
Faith in the country's justice system further deteriorated in July, when the public became aware that a hit-and-run case against Vorayuth Yoovidhya, the grandson of billionaire Red Bull co-founder Chaleo Yoovidhya, had been quietly dropped by the attorney general's office back in January.
An economy pushed to the brink by the pandemic also has many Thais up in arms. It shrank by 12.2% during the three months ending June, compared with the same period the previous year.
How are these different from past rallies?
A willingness to challenge long-held taboos is the biggest difference between the recent rallies and past ones, and it has been fostered by the anonymous nature of the internet.
Thailand's history is filled with protests and coups. For about a decade up until the 2014 coup, the main protesters were so-called Red Shirts and Yellow Shirts. The Red Shirts were supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, now a fugitive, and included many rural poor. The Yellow Shirts were concentrated in Bangkok and were seen as representing urban elites and the old status quo. Although their clashes often led to bloodshed, taboo subjects like the monarchy remained off-limits.
Students leading the current rallies are mostly from middle-class families. As children of the internet age with wider access to information, young adults wonder why their country has had 20 constitutions and 13 successful coups since 1932. Their realization has led to doubts about the nature of the country's politics.
Social media has also played an important role. Accounts of injustice, violence and abuse of power, which were often kept under wraps in the past, are in plain view online.
Is the movement gaining momentum?
To be sure, the 20,000 who showed up for Sunday's rally were far fewer than the crowds of 100,000 that the Red Shirts and Yellow Shirts used to attract. But the movement should not be underestimated as the youth groups are still gaining support, online and off.
Secondary school students have begun to wear white ribbons and give three-fingered salutes during morning assembly. These are expressions of silent rebuke to the government.
Meanwhile, hundreds of teachers and scholars have stood with the movement, praising it for invoking a bold debate, and saying the students and protesters have only exercised their freedom of speech and have not violated laws.
Royalist Marketplace, a private Facebook group that openly discusses the role of Thailand's monarchy, reached 1 million subscribers on Wednesday, an increase of more than 40% from a month ago.
What happens next?
Free People has said it will give the current administration about a month to meet its requests. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Monday shrugged off the demands. On Wednesday, he reiterated that some are impossible to implement.
Police officers at the criminal courthouse in Bangkok. Thai police arrested nine pro-democracy activists in a crackdown on growing protests. © AP
The group said it will escalate the rallies if its demands are not met. Free People has not yet announced a date for its next rally but has revealed a plan to hold an overnight sit-in. Meanwhile, a group of Thammasat University students is set to organize a large protest for Sept. 19 at the university's Tha Phra Chan campus, located near the Grand Palace in Bangkok.
The government is expected to allow protests as long as they remain peaceful. According to Traisuree Thaisaranakul, the government's deputy spokesperson, Prayuth has told authorities to be patient and show restraint if goaded by protesters, and that forceful control measures are to be avoided. But he has also warned protesters not to violate the rights of others.
Thailand is currently under a state of emergency due to the pandemic, with Prayuth wielding a decree that gives him overwhelming power to limit people's rights while minimizing the cabinet's role. The prime minister, who led the 2014 coup, has not limited protesters' assembly rights in the name of the emergency decree.
But the authorities have charged those who have spoken at the protests with sedition. On Wednesday and Thursday, nine activists, including a member of hip-hop group Rap Against Dictatorship and human rights lawyer Arnon Nampa, were arrested. They were released on bail by Thursday night.
Putchapong Nodthaisong, spokesman for the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, said the ministry will file a complaint against Pavin Chachavalpongpun, an associate professor at Kyoto University's Center for Southeast Asian Studies, for creating the Royalist Marketplace group. "We have filed a request to Facebook to delete the entire group, but the platform hasn't been cooperative," Putchapong said.
Prayuth on Wednesday chaired a special meeting of security agencies. According to a local report, the agencies were told to maintain order if the protests develop into unrest. In the past, the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej often acted as a mediator during times of political strife. With the monarchy now being a subject of debate, it is uncertain how the current discord might shake out.
Thai protests grow on streets and online: Five things to know
Secondary school students show solidarity while Facebook group draws 1m members
Pro-democracy students raise three fingers, a gesture of resistance, during a protest rally in front of the Education Ministry in Bangkok on Aug. 19. © AP
MASAYUKI YUDA, Nikkei staff writerAugust 21, 2020 18:41 JST
BANGKOK -- Youth-led pro-democracy protests have swept Thailand. Big or small, they occur almost every day somewhere in the kingdom, calling for broad reforms. At least 55 out of 76 provinces have had rallies since mid-July.
About 20,000 people gathered on Sunday at Democracy Monument near the administrative heart of Bangkok, making it the biggest rally since a coup in 2014. Some protesters were not afraid to raise a debate on Thailand's long-standing taboo -- the role of the monarchy in politics and society.
What are the protesters' demands?
At Sunday's rally, organizer Free People presented three demands: the dissolution of both chambers of parliament, the rewriting of contentious parts of the constitution, and an end to official harassment that inhibits people from exercising their fundamental rights.
They said no coup should be staged and no national unity government should be formed in the future.
The tone of these requests was less radical than when 10 proposed reforms to the monarchy were read out by a spokesperson for another protester group, Student Union of Thailand, on Aug. 10 at Thammasat University. But the underlying message is the same: Allow Thailand to segue to a democratic form of government with the monarchy under the constitution.
The lighter tone made it easier for people to join the rally, and attendance swelled to about 20,000 people.
What drove people to the streets?
Political and judicial developments since the March 2019 general election have young people questioning if their say has been marginalized. Over 7.3 million voters under 25 years old took part in that election; it was their first opportunity to exercise voting rights.
Those who initiated the recent pro-democracy movements most likely cast ballots for Future Forward, a party founded in 2018 by 41-year-old billionaire Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit. The party's pledge to update the constitution, cut the military budget and bring the military under civilian control resonated with discontented youth. Future Forward gained 6.3 million votes, or 17.8% of the ballots, and won 81 out of 500 lower house seats.
But the charismatic Thanathorn lost his parliamentary status in November 2019 after the Constitutional Court ruled he had violated laws prohibiting election candidates from owning shares in media companies. In February, the same court ordered the disbandment of Future Forward for illegally accepting funds from Thanathorn. While the authorities insist they were enforcing the law, young Thais saw something else, the muzzling of the progressive party and its leader.
Faith in the country's justice system further deteriorated in July, when the public became aware that a hit-and-run case against Vorayuth Yoovidhya, the grandson of billionaire Red Bull co-founder Chaleo Yoovidhya, had been quietly dropped by the attorney general's office back in January.
An economy pushed to the brink by the pandemic also has many Thais up in arms. It shrank by 12.2% during the three months ending June, compared with the same period the previous year.
How are these different from past rallies?
A willingness to challenge long-held taboos is the biggest difference between the recent rallies and past ones, and it has been fostered by the anonymous nature of the internet.
Thailand's history is filled with protests and coups. For about a decade up until the 2014 coup, the main protesters were so-called Red Shirts and Yellow Shirts. The Red Shirts were supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, now a fugitive, and included many rural poor. The Yellow Shirts were concentrated in Bangkok and were seen as representing urban elites and the old status quo. Although their clashes often led to bloodshed, taboo subjects like the monarchy remained off-limits.
Students leading the current rallies are mostly from middle-class families. As children of the internet age with wider access to information, young adults wonder why their country has had 20 constitutions and 13 successful coups since 1932. Their realization has led to doubts about the nature of the country's politics.
Social media has also played an important role. Accounts of injustice, violence and abuse of power, which were often kept under wraps in the past, are in plain view online.
Is the movement gaining momentum?
To be sure, the 20,000 who showed up for Sunday's rally were far fewer than the crowds of 100,000 that the Red Shirts and Yellow Shirts used to attract. But the movement should not be underestimated as the youth groups are still gaining support, online and off.
Secondary school students have begun to wear white ribbons and give three-fingered salutes during morning assembly. These are expressions of silent rebuke to the government.
Meanwhile, hundreds of teachers and scholars have stood with the movement, praising it for invoking a bold debate, and saying the students and protesters have only exercised their freedom of speech and have not violated laws.
Royalist Marketplace, a private Facebook group that openly discusses the role of Thailand's monarchy, reached 1 million subscribers on Wednesday, an increase of more than 40% from a month ago.
What happens next?
Free People has said it will give the current administration about a month to meet its requests. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Monday shrugged off the demands. On Wednesday, he reiterated that some are impossible to implement.
Police officers at the criminal courthouse in Bangkok. Thai police arrested nine pro-democracy activists in a crackdown on growing protests. © AP
The group said it will escalate the rallies if its demands are not met. Free People has not yet announced a date for its next rally but has revealed a plan to hold an overnight sit-in. Meanwhile, a group of Thammasat University students is set to organize a large protest for Sept. 19 at the university's Tha Phra Chan campus, located near the Grand Palace in Bangkok.
The government is expected to allow protests as long as they remain peaceful. According to Traisuree Thaisaranakul, the government's deputy spokesperson, Prayuth has told authorities to be patient and show restraint if goaded by protesters, and that forceful control measures are to be avoided. But he has also warned protesters not to violate the rights of others.
Thailand is currently under a state of emergency due to the pandemic, with Prayuth wielding a decree that gives him overwhelming power to limit people's rights while minimizing the cabinet's role. The prime minister, who led the 2014 coup, has not limited protesters' assembly rights in the name of the emergency decree.
But the authorities have charged those who have spoken at the protests with sedition. On Wednesday and Thursday, nine activists, including a member of hip-hop group Rap Against Dictatorship and human rights lawyer Arnon Nampa, were arrested. They were released on bail by Thursday night.
Putchapong Nodthaisong, spokesman for the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, said the ministry will file a complaint against Pavin Chachavalpongpun, an associate professor at Kyoto University's Center for Southeast Asian Studies, for creating the Royalist Marketplace group. "We have filed a request to Facebook to delete the entire group, but the platform hasn't been cooperative," Putchapong said.
Prayuth on Wednesday chaired a special meeting of security agencies. According to a local report, the agencies were told to maintain order if the protests develop into unrest. In the past, the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej often acted as a mediator during times of political strife. With the monarchy now being a subject of debate, it is uncertain how the current discord might shake out.
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