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A Singaporean's guide to living in Thailand
- Thread starter Leongsam
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https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Tu...=1&pub_date=20200921123000&seq_num=4&si=44594
Thailand protesters claim victory with letter to the king's council
Leader calls for national strike on Oct. 14 before protesters disperse peacefully
Student leader Panusaya Sithijirawattankul handed a letter on Sunday morning to a senior police officer at the Privy Council Chambers. It included demands for the ouster of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha's military-backd government, constitutional amendments and reform of the monarchy. © Reuters
APORNRATH PHOONPHONGPHIPHAT and MASAYUKI YUDA, Nikkei staff writersSeptember 20, 2020 14:03 JST
BANGKOK -- In a ceremony laden with historic symbolism, Thai student leaders laid a plaque early this morning outside the Grand Palace in Bangkok and delivered a list of demands to the nearby Privy Council Chambers.
A plaque commemorating the overthrow of absolute monarchy in Siam, as Thailand was known 1932, was removed from Royal Plaza in 2017, and replaced with a royalist version. No official investigation was conducted into who was behind the act of political vandalism, which was one of a number of incidents.
The letter was delivered to a senior police officer by Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, one of the most prominent student leaders to emerge during mounting protests in recent weeks.
The officer promised to convey the letter to the Privy Council, an unelected body dominated by retired military officers that provide counsel to the king.
Addressed directly to King Maha Vajiralongkorn, and signed by the student-led United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration (UFTD), the short letter repeated earlier demands for the resignation of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and his government; redrafting of the constitution by an elected body, including the sections relating to the monarchy; and reform of the monarchy according to a 10-point UFTD outline made public in August. The letter made clear that it was advocating reform not the abolition of the monarchy, and was co-signed by "Thai people who refuse to be just dust.
"We have won this mission," said Parit Chiwarat, a leading activist commonly known as Penguin."Finally, commoners like us can send a letter to the king."
"Next time when you hear the national anthem, raise your three fingers," Parit told the crowd, referring to distinctive salutes and regalia mostly younger people have recently adopted as peaceful rebukes to the old royalist order.
"When you hear the king's anthem, you don't have to stand up," said Parit. "Please tie a white ribbon in front of your house to let them know that you salute democracy."
Parit told the crowd that there would be more protests, with the next scheduled for Sept. 24 outside parliament. He also called for a national strike on Oct. 14.
"Submit your vacation plan to your bosses in advance," he said. "We will stop working on Oct. 14 to paralyze Thailand. Then [the prime minister] will know the truth -- that we are the people who move the country's economy forward"
"Today I declare a war on dictatorship and bureaucracy," said Parit, exhorting them to close Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) accounts. King Maha Vajiralongkorn is the largest private shareholder in the bank.
"Let's ban SCB nationwide," said Parit. "We don't know if this will be our last fight or not -- what we know is that it is a fight we will win."
Parit Chiwarak, who goes by the nickname Penguin, was released from arrest during another major protest at Democracy Monument on Aug. 16. (Photo by Masayuki Yuda)
Undaunted by sporadic rain, Bangkok on Saturday night saw by far its largest demonstration since a coup in 2014 installed a military government and put a lid on free speech.
Police claimed that only about 18,000 people turned up, but organizers and the press were in no doubt the figure was much higher.
"About 100,000 attended, "Panusaya told reporters. "The turnout is proof of people's support for our demands," she said.
Police and parked buses have been deployed around the Grand Palace in Bangkok to ensure protesters are kept at bay. © Reuters
Protesters in recent weeks have openly called for a free debate on a bold slate of pro-democracy issues -- including for the first time reform of the formerly sacrosanct monarchy.
The organizers ignored a police order yesterday afternoon to disperse, and a smaller hardcore slept out overnight on the 12 hectare expanse that is used for major royal cremations and other ceremonies.
A march to Government House on Sunday morning was also originally scheduled, but organizers late on Saturday night said there were new plans without giving details.
Police meanwhile erected a razor wire barricade across Phan Fah bridge, a choke point between Sanam Luang and Government House that was the scene of violent clashes during political protests in May 1992.
All the protests in 2020 have so far peaceful and without serious incident.
This weekend's protest was organized by the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration, or UFTD, an activist group at Thammasat University. It began there early on Saturday afternoon despite officially being denied access to Thammasat University's historic Tha Phra Chan campus located between Sanam Luang and the Chao Phraya river.
Student leader Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul broke a major taboo in Thai society when she read out a 10-point agenda on Aug. 10 for reform of Thailand's once sacrosanct monarchy. (Photo by Masayuki Yuda)
Among other demands, the UFTD has tabled 10 reforms of the monarchy. Panusaya read the proposed changes out during a rally on Aug. 10 at another Thammasat University campus at Rangsit in northern Bangkok.
These included revocation of the law of lese-majeste, a reduction in public spending on the royal family, and a clearer distinction between royal and public assets.
The brazen demands broke a longstanding taboo on public criticism of the monarchy and stunned many, including some pro-democracy advocates.
"I agree with the 10-point demand for the monarchy to be under the constitution," Panithan Chanviboon, a 33-year-old company employee from Bangkok told the Nikkei Asian Review yesterday. "I also want the government to resign -- it is incapable of running the country."
Panithan said he used to see things differently and had joined the rally to make amends. "I want to redeem myself for being one of those people who called for coups to get rid of corrupt politicians," he said. "This is my way of repaying back to the country."
The Aug. 16 protest was organized by Free People, an activist group. Its organizers focused on three demands: dissolution of both chambers of parliament; rewriting contentious parts of the constitution; and an end to official harassment that inhibits people from exercising their fundamental rights.
Political awareness has unquestionably been raised by the recent protests. Hundreds of academics have offered support and welcomed more debate, and celebrities made appearances yesterday. Secondary school students, many of whom will vote in the next general election due in 2023, have taken to wearing white ribbons and giving three-fingered salutes as expressions of silent rebuke to the government.
Access to Royalist Marketplace, a private Facebook group that openly discusses the role of the monarchy, was restricted on Aug. 24 following a legal submission by the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society. The group had already garnered over a million subscribers. A replacement Facebook group, Royalist Marketplace Talaat Luang, was immediately set up and has already attracted over 1.38 million members.
Student protesters laid a plaque in Bangkok near the Grand Palace on the morning of Sunday Sept. 20: "This country belongs to the people." The ceremony followed an overnight demonstration nearby calling for the ouster of the military-backed government and reform of the monarchy. © Reuters
Although he resides mainly in Germany, the king has been very much in the public eye recently, both at home and abroad. On Sept. 2, he reinstated Sineenat "Koi" Wongvajirapakdi as his royal noble consort after abruptly stripping her of the position in October 2019. She was the first to be elevated to the position in about a century when the king turned 67 in July 2019. A few months earlier, the king married for the fourth time, and Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalakshana remains his main consort.
According to the Royal Gazette, the official journal in which laws and promotions are announced, the new army chief in October will be Gen. Narongphan Jitkaewthae, one of the king's favorites. His trusted predecessor, Gen. Apirat Kongsompong will become a lord chamberlain in the royal household after his retirement and is expected to wield considerable influence on the king's behalf.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha attempted to dampen public enthusiasm for this weekend's rally by playing up the COVID-19 threat. "When you gather in crowds, you are creating an enormous risk of new transmissions, and with that you also create enormous risks to the livelihoods of tens of millions of fellow Thais," the former army chief who staged the 2014 coup said in a televised speech on Thursday. "Any major flare-up of infections will lead to terrible consequences and even worse economic destruction the likes of which we have never seen."
But many of the youngsters see the government as the bigger problem. "The economy will thrive if we can truly establish the foundation of democracy," Somsom, a 20-year-old Thammasat student told Nikkei. She was sitting under an umbrella with two friends who asked not to be identified, but said they had come to demand constitutional reform and freedom of speech.
Thailand protesters claim victory with letter to the king's council
Leader calls for national strike on Oct. 14 before protesters disperse peacefully
Student leader Panusaya Sithijirawattankul handed a letter on Sunday morning to a senior police officer at the Privy Council Chambers. It included demands for the ouster of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha's military-backd government, constitutional amendments and reform of the monarchy. © Reuters
APORNRATH PHOONPHONGPHIPHAT and MASAYUKI YUDA, Nikkei staff writersSeptember 20, 2020 14:03 JST
BANGKOK -- In a ceremony laden with historic symbolism, Thai student leaders laid a plaque early this morning outside the Grand Palace in Bangkok and delivered a list of demands to the nearby Privy Council Chambers.
A plaque commemorating the overthrow of absolute monarchy in Siam, as Thailand was known 1932, was removed from Royal Plaza in 2017, and replaced with a royalist version. No official investigation was conducted into who was behind the act of political vandalism, which was one of a number of incidents.
The letter was delivered to a senior police officer by Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, one of the most prominent student leaders to emerge during mounting protests in recent weeks.
The officer promised to convey the letter to the Privy Council, an unelected body dominated by retired military officers that provide counsel to the king.
Addressed directly to King Maha Vajiralongkorn, and signed by the student-led United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration (UFTD), the short letter repeated earlier demands for the resignation of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and his government; redrafting of the constitution by an elected body, including the sections relating to the monarchy; and reform of the monarchy according to a 10-point UFTD outline made public in August. The letter made clear that it was advocating reform not the abolition of the monarchy, and was co-signed by "Thai people who refuse to be just dust.
"We have won this mission," said Parit Chiwarat, a leading activist commonly known as Penguin."Finally, commoners like us can send a letter to the king."
"Next time when you hear the national anthem, raise your three fingers," Parit told the crowd, referring to distinctive salutes and regalia mostly younger people have recently adopted as peaceful rebukes to the old royalist order.
"When you hear the king's anthem, you don't have to stand up," said Parit. "Please tie a white ribbon in front of your house to let them know that you salute democracy."
Parit told the crowd that there would be more protests, with the next scheduled for Sept. 24 outside parliament. He also called for a national strike on Oct. 14.
"Submit your vacation plan to your bosses in advance," he said. "We will stop working on Oct. 14 to paralyze Thailand. Then [the prime minister] will know the truth -- that we are the people who move the country's economy forward"
"Today I declare a war on dictatorship and bureaucracy," said Parit, exhorting them to close Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) accounts. King Maha Vajiralongkorn is the largest private shareholder in the bank.
"Let's ban SCB nationwide," said Parit. "We don't know if this will be our last fight or not -- what we know is that it is a fight we will win."
Parit Chiwarak, who goes by the nickname Penguin, was released from arrest during another major protest at Democracy Monument on Aug. 16. (Photo by Masayuki Yuda)
Undaunted by sporadic rain, Bangkok on Saturday night saw by far its largest demonstration since a coup in 2014 installed a military government and put a lid on free speech.
Police claimed that only about 18,000 people turned up, but organizers and the press were in no doubt the figure was much higher.
"About 100,000 attended, "Panusaya told reporters. "The turnout is proof of people's support for our demands," she said.
Police and parked buses have been deployed around the Grand Palace in Bangkok to ensure protesters are kept at bay. © Reuters
Protesters in recent weeks have openly called for a free debate on a bold slate of pro-democracy issues -- including for the first time reform of the formerly sacrosanct monarchy.
The organizers ignored a police order yesterday afternoon to disperse, and a smaller hardcore slept out overnight on the 12 hectare expanse that is used for major royal cremations and other ceremonies.
A march to Government House on Sunday morning was also originally scheduled, but organizers late on Saturday night said there were new plans without giving details.
Police meanwhile erected a razor wire barricade across Phan Fah bridge, a choke point between Sanam Luang and Government House that was the scene of violent clashes during political protests in May 1992.
All the protests in 2020 have so far peaceful and without serious incident.
This weekend's protest was organized by the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration, or UFTD, an activist group at Thammasat University. It began there early on Saturday afternoon despite officially being denied access to Thammasat University's historic Tha Phra Chan campus located between Sanam Luang and the Chao Phraya river.
Student leader Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul broke a major taboo in Thai society when she read out a 10-point agenda on Aug. 10 for reform of Thailand's once sacrosanct monarchy. (Photo by Masayuki Yuda)
Among other demands, the UFTD has tabled 10 reforms of the monarchy. Panusaya read the proposed changes out during a rally on Aug. 10 at another Thammasat University campus at Rangsit in northern Bangkok.
These included revocation of the law of lese-majeste, a reduction in public spending on the royal family, and a clearer distinction between royal and public assets.
The brazen demands broke a longstanding taboo on public criticism of the monarchy and stunned many, including some pro-democracy advocates.
"I agree with the 10-point demand for the monarchy to be under the constitution," Panithan Chanviboon, a 33-year-old company employee from Bangkok told the Nikkei Asian Review yesterday. "I also want the government to resign -- it is incapable of running the country."
Panithan said he used to see things differently and had joined the rally to make amends. "I want to redeem myself for being one of those people who called for coups to get rid of corrupt politicians," he said. "This is my way of repaying back to the country."
The Aug. 16 protest was organized by Free People, an activist group. Its organizers focused on three demands: dissolution of both chambers of parliament; rewriting contentious parts of the constitution; and an end to official harassment that inhibits people from exercising their fundamental rights.
Political awareness has unquestionably been raised by the recent protests. Hundreds of academics have offered support and welcomed more debate, and celebrities made appearances yesterday. Secondary school students, many of whom will vote in the next general election due in 2023, have taken to wearing white ribbons and giving three-fingered salutes as expressions of silent rebuke to the government.
Access to Royalist Marketplace, a private Facebook group that openly discusses the role of the monarchy, was restricted on Aug. 24 following a legal submission by the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society. The group had already garnered over a million subscribers. A replacement Facebook group, Royalist Marketplace Talaat Luang, was immediately set up and has already attracted over 1.38 million members.
Student protesters laid a plaque in Bangkok near the Grand Palace on the morning of Sunday Sept. 20: "This country belongs to the people." The ceremony followed an overnight demonstration nearby calling for the ouster of the military-backed government and reform of the monarchy. © Reuters
Although he resides mainly in Germany, the king has been very much in the public eye recently, both at home and abroad. On Sept. 2, he reinstated Sineenat "Koi" Wongvajirapakdi as his royal noble consort after abruptly stripping her of the position in October 2019. She was the first to be elevated to the position in about a century when the king turned 67 in July 2019. A few months earlier, the king married for the fourth time, and Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalakshana remains his main consort.
According to the Royal Gazette, the official journal in which laws and promotions are announced, the new army chief in October will be Gen. Narongphan Jitkaewthae, one of the king's favorites. His trusted predecessor, Gen. Apirat Kongsompong will become a lord chamberlain in the royal household after his retirement and is expected to wield considerable influence on the king's behalf.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha attempted to dampen public enthusiasm for this weekend's rally by playing up the COVID-19 threat. "When you gather in crowds, you are creating an enormous risk of new transmissions, and with that you also create enormous risks to the livelihoods of tens of millions of fellow Thais," the former army chief who staged the 2014 coup said in a televised speech on Thursday. "Any major flare-up of infections will lead to terrible consequences and even worse economic destruction the likes of which we have never seen."
But many of the youngsters see the government as the bigger problem. "The economy will thrive if we can truly establish the foundation of democracy," Somsom, a 20-year-old Thammasat student told Nikkei. She was sitting under an umbrella with two friends who asked not to be identified, but said they had come to demand constitutional reform and freedom of speech.
Pics of puss-filled pork prompt action from PM’s Office
An investigation has been launched after a Tak resident cut into a joint of cooked pork only to find it was riddled with a puss-filled abscess.
An investigation has been launched after a Tak resident cut into a joint of cooked pork only to find it was riddled with a puss-filled abscess.
https://www.ft.com/__origami/servic...29512882-5-eng-GB/RTX28B3F.JPG?source=nar-cms
India's Royal Enfield to begin making motorcycles in Thailand
British-bred brand looks to win over ASEAN with cult image and low prices
Royal Enfield motorcycles are substantially cheaper than other models in Thailand, where its sales doubled in the last fiscal year. © Reuters
APORNRATH PHOONPHONGPHIPHAT, Nikkei staff writerSeptember 25, 2020 14:37 JST
BANGKOK -- India-based motorcycle maker Royal Enfield is setting up an assembly plant in Thailand next year as it continues its Southeast Asian expansion drive.
The Thai facility will be the second overseas plant for the company after its factory in Argentina. It is scheduled to begin operation by the end of September.
On Thursday, U.S.-based Harley-Davidson announced its withdrawal from the Indian market -- a stark contrast to Royal Enfield's efforts to expand globally.
One of the oldest motorcycle brands in the world, British-bred Royal Enfield has survived two world wars and has seen 2019 year-on-year sales in Thailand more than double to 3,146 units.
Encouraged by growing sales in Thailand, the company is setting up the assembly plant as a hub for exports to other countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, including the motorcycle-intensive markets of Indonesia and Vietnam.
Thailand is the largest automobile manufacturer in Southeast Asia, hosting primarily Japanese, U.S. and Chinese automakers. In the motorcycle sector, Japan's Honda Motor and Yamaha Motor as well as Harley-Davidson have set up factories there.
Royal Enfield motorcycles were first produced in Britain in 1901. After the parent company ceased operations in the U.K. in the early 1970s, its Indian operations took up the slack. In 1994, the company was acquired by Indian commercial vehicle maker Eicher Motors, which now owns the iconic brand.
"We are bringing our success from India into Thailand with the goal to be number one in the midsize motorcycle market in Thailand," Royal Enfield Thailand CEO Siddhartha Lal said in an email to the Nikkei Asian Review, referring to motorcycles in the 250 cc to 750 cc class.
The Thai factory will be a completely knocked-down facility in Chachoengsao Province, part of an industrial zone the government has been keen on promoting. Such factories assemble individual parts into finished vehicles. At least 40% of parts will be local, while the rest would be shipped from India, with operations expected to start in April 2021.
Kasem Kawchari, marketing manager of the Thai unit, said the company will be able to produce 4,500 to 5,000 units in the first year, which is also the target for sales. "I think we have been gaining a greater customer base in Thailand due to our accessible prices and marketing events designed to create Royal Enfield's [customer base] in Thailand," said Kasem.
The price of the popular Interceptor-650 model is around 219,000 baht ($7,000) -- well below other brands in roughly the same class, which cost around 800,000 baht.
Royal Enfield has 36 showrooms in Thailand and is planning to open similar shopfronts in Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia over the next few years, Kasem said.
India's Royal Enfield to begin making motorcycles in Thailand
British-bred brand looks to win over ASEAN with cult image and low prices
Royal Enfield motorcycles are substantially cheaper than other models in Thailand, where its sales doubled in the last fiscal year. © Reuters
APORNRATH PHOONPHONGPHIPHAT, Nikkei staff writerSeptember 25, 2020 14:37 JST
BANGKOK -- India-based motorcycle maker Royal Enfield is setting up an assembly plant in Thailand next year as it continues its Southeast Asian expansion drive.
The Thai facility will be the second overseas plant for the company after its factory in Argentina. It is scheduled to begin operation by the end of September.
On Thursday, U.S.-based Harley-Davidson announced its withdrawal from the Indian market -- a stark contrast to Royal Enfield's efforts to expand globally.
One of the oldest motorcycle brands in the world, British-bred Royal Enfield has survived two world wars and has seen 2019 year-on-year sales in Thailand more than double to 3,146 units.
Encouraged by growing sales in Thailand, the company is setting up the assembly plant as a hub for exports to other countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, including the motorcycle-intensive markets of Indonesia and Vietnam.
Thailand is the largest automobile manufacturer in Southeast Asia, hosting primarily Japanese, U.S. and Chinese automakers. In the motorcycle sector, Japan's Honda Motor and Yamaha Motor as well as Harley-Davidson have set up factories there.
Royal Enfield motorcycles were first produced in Britain in 1901. After the parent company ceased operations in the U.K. in the early 1970s, its Indian operations took up the slack. In 1994, the company was acquired by Indian commercial vehicle maker Eicher Motors, which now owns the iconic brand.
"We are bringing our success from India into Thailand with the goal to be number one in the midsize motorcycle market in Thailand," Royal Enfield Thailand CEO Siddhartha Lal said in an email to the Nikkei Asian Review, referring to motorcycles in the 250 cc to 750 cc class.
The Thai factory will be a completely knocked-down facility in Chachoengsao Province, part of an industrial zone the government has been keen on promoting. Such factories assemble individual parts into finished vehicles. At least 40% of parts will be local, while the rest would be shipped from India, with operations expected to start in April 2021.
Kasem Kawchari, marketing manager of the Thai unit, said the company will be able to produce 4,500 to 5,000 units in the first year, which is also the target for sales. "I think we have been gaining a greater customer base in Thailand due to our accessible prices and marketing events designed to create Royal Enfield's [customer base] in Thailand," said Kasem.
The price of the popular Interceptor-650 model is around 219,000 baht ($7,000) -- well below other brands in roughly the same class, which cost around 800,000 baht.
Royal Enfield has 36 showrooms in Thailand and is planning to open similar shopfronts in Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia over the next few years, Kasem said.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Th...1&pub_date=20200924190000&seq_num=16&si=44594
Thailand protesters rally as parliament weighs constitution change
Lawmakers vote to set up panel on six amendment proposals
Pro-democracy protesters flash their mobile phone lights during a mass rally to call for the ouster of Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and reforms to the monarchy in front of parliament in Bangkok on Sept. 24, 2020. © Reuters
MASAYUKI YUDA, Nikkei staff writerSeptember 24, 2020 18:51 JSTUpdated on September 25, 2020 02:16 JST
BANGKOK -- Thousands of Thai protesters assembled outside the country's parliament on Thursday as lawmakers debated on accepting constitutional amendment motions submitted by the ruling coalition and opposition parties.
The parliament decided to delay votes on accepting six motions, instead voting to set up a panel to study each motion. The committee will involve lower and upper house members.
"Senators, get out!" shouted crowds in front of the parliamentary building. From the bed of a truck, two speakers addressed the importance of Thursday's gathering and insisted that senators are not qualified as they are not truly chosen by the general public.
The scene was filled with white ribbons and three-fingered salutes, both expressions of silent rebuke to the government. Some protesters tied a large white ribbon on the entrance gate to parliament, as guards and bystanders watched.
Parit Chirawat, a leading activist known as Penguin, promoted Thursday's protest during another rally over the weekend, which attracted 30,000 to 50,000 demonstrators, according to local reports. Parit, one of the leaders of the student-led United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration, urged people to gather at parliament to pressure house members into considering revisions to the constitution.
The parliament building is located by the Chao Phraya River in central Bangkok's Dusit district. Although past pro-democracy protests have been peaceful even with large numbers of participants, six boats were ready for politicians to evacuate in case of emergency.
The protest was initiated by pro-democracy group Free People, which hosted a rally attended by 20,000 people on Aug. 16.
Thailand's parliament consists of 250 members in the upper house and 500 in the lower house. A majority of the 750-member body is needed for a constitutional amendment motion to pass. The majority must be comprised of at least one-third -- or 84 senators -- from the upper house and 20% of opposition party members.
The constitution, Thailand's 20th since 1932, was drafted at the military's behest and was adopted through a national referendum in 2016. It gives the senators a large say in choosing the prime minister and a powerful veto tool over constitutional reforms. The current senators were hand-picked by the former junta and are led by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha.
Free People on Thursday demanded the parliament to lessen senators' involvement in legislative process, allow forming a draft council with fully elected members, and make sure Thailand to be a democratic country with the monarchy truly under the constitution.
An open letter addressed to King Maha Vajiralongkorn was submitted on Sunday by the UFTD's key figure Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul. One of the demands in the letter was for revising the constitution by an elected body, including sections relating to the monarchy.
The ruling coalition's motion proposed an amendment, which paves a way to form a charter drafting assembly, with 150 members elected by the general public and 50 selected from as-of-yet unnamed groups. The assembly will be able to write a new charter.
Leading opposition Pheu Thai Party submitted a motion that would create a fully elected drafting council.
Four other proposed amendments were submitted by other opposition parties. These included removing senators from choosing a prime minister, curbing the Senate's powers in following up on national reforms, allowing citizens cast two ballots -- one ballot for a candidate and another ballot for a party - in general elections, and dropping the recognition of all laws, orders, and announcements issued by the former junta.
If parliament's decisions do not fully answer the protesters' calls, they could further fuel the activist movements in near future.
A committee of 45 parliamentarians will be formed to examine the amendment motions that were accepted. The group will be comprised of 15 senators, 16 ruling coalition members and 14 opposition party members.
Other groups have expressed their views through petitions. Nonprofit human rights organization Internet Law Reform Dialogue, or iLaw, gathered the names of 100,732 people who favored revising the constitution. The list was handed to parliament on Tuesday.
Warong Dechgitvigrom, founder of ultraroyalist group Thaipakdee, collected 130,000 signatures from people who oppose any changes. "The current constitution was approved in a referendum by 16.8 million Thais," said Warong. "The voices of the majority of Thais need to be respected," referring to the poll which drew 29.7 million out of the nation's 50 million registered voters.
Thai protesters assembled outside the country’s parliament on Thursday as lawmakers voted on accepting constitutional amendment motions. (Photo by Masayuki Yuda)
However, the public is questioning the credibility of Thaipakdee's signatures, although Warong insisted they were valid. While the royalists only asked for a phone number and home address, iLaw required proper identification so that it could sift out duplicate or fake signatures.
The building has been in use since August 2019, but part of it remains unfinished. The project was initiated in 2008 and construction, which began in 2013, was supposed to have been completed in 900 days.
But nearly five years of delay prevented lawmakers from moving out of the old parliamentary building on time before its land was given back to the Crown Property Bureau at the end of 2018. An auditorium thus had to be rented for parliament to assemble until the new building became usable. The new parliament is also surrounded by military compounds.
Thailand protesters rally as parliament weighs constitution change
Lawmakers vote to set up panel on six amendment proposals
Pro-democracy protesters flash their mobile phone lights during a mass rally to call for the ouster of Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and reforms to the monarchy in front of parliament in Bangkok on Sept. 24, 2020. © Reuters
MASAYUKI YUDA, Nikkei staff writerSeptember 24, 2020 18:51 JSTUpdated on September 25, 2020 02:16 JST
BANGKOK -- Thousands of Thai protesters assembled outside the country's parliament on Thursday as lawmakers debated on accepting constitutional amendment motions submitted by the ruling coalition and opposition parties.
The parliament decided to delay votes on accepting six motions, instead voting to set up a panel to study each motion. The committee will involve lower and upper house members.
"Senators, get out!" shouted crowds in front of the parliamentary building. From the bed of a truck, two speakers addressed the importance of Thursday's gathering and insisted that senators are not qualified as they are not truly chosen by the general public.
The scene was filled with white ribbons and three-fingered salutes, both expressions of silent rebuke to the government. Some protesters tied a large white ribbon on the entrance gate to parliament, as guards and bystanders watched.
Parit Chirawat, a leading activist known as Penguin, promoted Thursday's protest during another rally over the weekend, which attracted 30,000 to 50,000 demonstrators, according to local reports. Parit, one of the leaders of the student-led United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration, urged people to gather at parliament to pressure house members into considering revisions to the constitution.
The parliament building is located by the Chao Phraya River in central Bangkok's Dusit district. Although past pro-democracy protests have been peaceful even with large numbers of participants, six boats were ready for politicians to evacuate in case of emergency.
The protest was initiated by pro-democracy group Free People, which hosted a rally attended by 20,000 people on Aug. 16.
Thailand's parliament consists of 250 members in the upper house and 500 in the lower house. A majority of the 750-member body is needed for a constitutional amendment motion to pass. The majority must be comprised of at least one-third -- or 84 senators -- from the upper house and 20% of opposition party members.
The constitution, Thailand's 20th since 1932, was drafted at the military's behest and was adopted through a national referendum in 2016. It gives the senators a large say in choosing the prime minister and a powerful veto tool over constitutional reforms. The current senators were hand-picked by the former junta and are led by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha.
Free People on Thursday demanded the parliament to lessen senators' involvement in legislative process, allow forming a draft council with fully elected members, and make sure Thailand to be a democratic country with the monarchy truly under the constitution.
An open letter addressed to King Maha Vajiralongkorn was submitted on Sunday by the UFTD's key figure Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul. One of the demands in the letter was for revising the constitution by an elected body, including sections relating to the monarchy.
The ruling coalition's motion proposed an amendment, which paves a way to form a charter drafting assembly, with 150 members elected by the general public and 50 selected from as-of-yet unnamed groups. The assembly will be able to write a new charter.
Leading opposition Pheu Thai Party submitted a motion that would create a fully elected drafting council.
Four other proposed amendments were submitted by other opposition parties. These included removing senators from choosing a prime minister, curbing the Senate's powers in following up on national reforms, allowing citizens cast two ballots -- one ballot for a candidate and another ballot for a party - in general elections, and dropping the recognition of all laws, orders, and announcements issued by the former junta.
If parliament's decisions do not fully answer the protesters' calls, they could further fuel the activist movements in near future.
A committee of 45 parliamentarians will be formed to examine the amendment motions that were accepted. The group will be comprised of 15 senators, 16 ruling coalition members and 14 opposition party members.
Other groups have expressed their views through petitions. Nonprofit human rights organization Internet Law Reform Dialogue, or iLaw, gathered the names of 100,732 people who favored revising the constitution. The list was handed to parliament on Tuesday.
Warong Dechgitvigrom, founder of ultraroyalist group Thaipakdee, collected 130,000 signatures from people who oppose any changes. "The current constitution was approved in a referendum by 16.8 million Thais," said Warong. "The voices of the majority of Thais need to be respected," referring to the poll which drew 29.7 million out of the nation's 50 million registered voters.
Thai protesters assembled outside the country’s parliament on Thursday as lawmakers voted on accepting constitutional amendment motions. (Photo by Masayuki Yuda)
However, the public is questioning the credibility of Thaipakdee's signatures, although Warong insisted they were valid. While the royalists only asked for a phone number and home address, iLaw required proper identification so that it could sift out duplicate or fake signatures.
The building has been in use since August 2019, but part of it remains unfinished. The project was initiated in 2008 and construction, which began in 2013, was supposed to have been completed in 900 days.
But nearly five years of delay prevented lawmakers from moving out of the old parliamentary building on time before its land was given back to the Crown Property Bureau at the end of 2018. An auditorium thus had to be rented for parliament to assemble until the new building became usable. The new parliament is also surrounded by military compounds.
Thai activists protest in front of King's villa in Germany
King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida attend an event at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok on Sept 24, 2020.PHOTO: AFP
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/thai-activists-protest-in-front-of-kings-german-villa
TUTZING, GERMANY (REUTERS) - Thai activists on Friday (Sept 25) planted a symbolic plaque declaring Thailand belongs to the people in front of King Maha Vajiralongkorn's villa in Germany, as protests calling for reforms to his monarchy grow at home.
In the pouring rain, protest organiser Junya Limprasert from Act4Dem read out a letter to the King calling for more democracy and said the Thai people did not want a king who spends most of the year in Germany.
"We want the King to give up the throne, we want the King to stop harassing the Thai people," she said outside the villa in Tutzing on Lake Starnberg, a popular playground for millionaires an hour's drive south-west of Munich.
The Thai embassy in Berlin could not be reached for comment.
The Royal Palace made no comment and has made no comment on the protests in Thailand.
Protesters challenging Thailand's palace and army-dominated establishment broke a long-standing taboo by demanding reform of the monarchy in August and the call was taken up last weekend by tens of thousands of people at a demonstration in Bangkok.
The hashtag #RepublicofThailand trended in Thailand on Friday after parliament delayed addressing protesters' demand for constitutional change.
According to the Thai constitution, the monarchy must be held "in a position of revered worship".
The symbolic plaque planted in a flower pot in front of the Tutzing villa resembled one protesters cemented near the Grand Palace in Bangkok last weekend and which proclaims Thailand belongs to the people and not the monarch. Thai police swiftly removed that plaque.
Related Story
Thai protesters’ plaque challenging monarchy removed from near palace
Related Story
Extraordinary protest puts Thailand in uncharted territory
Vajiralongkorn, 68, has been Thailand's king since 2016, but spends much of his time in Bavaria, where his 15-year-old son is at school. The King's lifestyle has been fodder for German tabloids, which have published pictures of him wearing a crop top when he was Crown Prince.
Details of the King's life in Germany are not carried in mainstream media in Thailand, where lese majeste laws set a jail sentence of up to 15 years for anyone insulting the monarchy.
Thai protesters have complained about the cost of the King's stays in Europe as well as his absence from the kingdom.
The protesters in Thailand seek to reduce the King's powers under the constitution and also to remove his direct control of a royal fortune valued in tens of billions of dollars and some units of the army.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida attend an event at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok on Sept 24, 2020.PHOTO: AFP
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/thai-activists-protest-in-front-of-kings-german-villa
TUTZING, GERMANY (REUTERS) - Thai activists on Friday (Sept 25) planted a symbolic plaque declaring Thailand belongs to the people in front of King Maha Vajiralongkorn's villa in Germany, as protests calling for reforms to his monarchy grow at home.
In the pouring rain, protest organiser Junya Limprasert from Act4Dem read out a letter to the King calling for more democracy and said the Thai people did not want a king who spends most of the year in Germany.
"We want the King to give up the throne, we want the King to stop harassing the Thai people," she said outside the villa in Tutzing on Lake Starnberg, a popular playground for millionaires an hour's drive south-west of Munich.
The Thai embassy in Berlin could not be reached for comment.
The Royal Palace made no comment and has made no comment on the protests in Thailand.
Protesters challenging Thailand's palace and army-dominated establishment broke a long-standing taboo by demanding reform of the monarchy in August and the call was taken up last weekend by tens of thousands of people at a demonstration in Bangkok.
The hashtag #RepublicofThailand trended in Thailand on Friday after parliament delayed addressing protesters' demand for constitutional change.
According to the Thai constitution, the monarchy must be held "in a position of revered worship".
The symbolic plaque planted in a flower pot in front of the Tutzing villa resembled one protesters cemented near the Grand Palace in Bangkok last weekend and which proclaims Thailand belongs to the people and not the monarch. Thai police swiftly removed that plaque.
Related Story
Thai protesters’ plaque challenging monarchy removed from near palace
Related Story
Extraordinary protest puts Thailand in uncharted territory
Vajiralongkorn, 68, has been Thailand's king since 2016, but spends much of his time in Bavaria, where his 15-year-old son is at school. The King's lifestyle has been fodder for German tabloids, which have published pictures of him wearing a crop top when he was Crown Prince.
Details of the King's life in Germany are not carried in mainstream media in Thailand, where lese majeste laws set a jail sentence of up to 15 years for anyone insulting the monarchy.
Thai protesters have complained about the cost of the King's stays in Europe as well as his absence from the kingdom.
The protesters in Thailand seek to reduce the King's powers under the constitution and also to remove his direct control of a royal fortune valued in tens of billions of dollars and some units of the army.
Buri Ram thief steals pickup, but leaves his bike behind
National
Sep 29. 2020
By THE NATION
A thief made off with a pick-up truck in Buri Ram province on Saturday, but left his bicycle behind as evidence of his crime.
ADVERTISEMENT
The vehicle owner, 55-year-old Khampan Onnumkum, said he could not find his pick-up truck after returning from the farm on Saturday evening.
He then asked his relatives and neighbours if they had any idea of where his pick-up truck may be, but when nobody could provide any information, he decided to file a police complaint.
Khampan also said that a bicycle had been left where the vehicle was parked.
Footage from a neighbour’s CCTV showed a man in a red shirt, white shorts and wide-brimmed hat cycling in the direction of Khampan’s house. He was about 165cm tall, and was seen hanging around the house for a while.
CCTV cameras installed along roads also picked up images of the stolen pick-up truck on Saturday. It was seen being driven from Buri Ram’s Non Din Daeng district to Sa Kaew’s Ta Phraya district. Khampan believes the thief plans to sell his truck in Cambodia, which borders Sa Kaew province.
National
Sep 29. 2020
By THE NATION
A thief made off with a pick-up truck in Buri Ram province on Saturday, but left his bicycle behind as evidence of his crime.
ADVERTISEMENT
The vehicle owner, 55-year-old Khampan Onnumkum, said he could not find his pick-up truck after returning from the farm on Saturday evening.
He then asked his relatives and neighbours if they had any idea of where his pick-up truck may be, but when nobody could provide any information, he decided to file a police complaint.
Khampan also said that a bicycle had been left where the vehicle was parked.
Footage from a neighbour’s CCTV showed a man in a red shirt, white shorts and wide-brimmed hat cycling in the direction of Khampan’s house. He was about 165cm tall, and was seen hanging around the house for a while.
CCTV cameras installed along roads also picked up images of the stolen pick-up truck on Saturday. It was seen being driven from Buri Ram’s Non Din Daeng district to Sa Kaew’s Ta Phraya district. Khampan believes the thief plans to sell his truck in Cambodia, which borders Sa Kaew province.
In Bangkok, this high-crime slum is a foodie gem
serving up live shrimp and bile
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/new...toey-slum-dancing-shrimp-street-food-13160976
Most tourists to this food lover’s city don't know about Klong Toey, a run-down neighbourhood with distinctive street foods.Street hawker 'Big Mama', the nickname by which Pranee Wiangnon is known in Klong Toey, with one of her signature dishes, grilled pork kidney.
By Desmond Ng
30 Sep 2020 06:15AM
BANGKOK: Just two metro stops from Sukhumvit’s skyline of gleaming bustling malls lies a slum with a reputation for violence – a neighbourhood few visitors to Bangkok know about or dare venture into.
And in this slum, the city’s oldest and largest, are mouth-watering and cheap delicacies like live shrimp salad and an Isaan dish of bile and pig’s blood only for the brave.
“This is the Klong Toey slum. This area is known for drug sellers and other illicit activities,” said resident and street hawker Pranee Wiangnon, who’s known as Big Mama there.
Despite this slum’s notoriety for crime, street hawkers like Big Mama and Sirathorn are at home here, serving one of the largest low-income communities in the capital, as Slumfood Millionaire discovers.
This documentary series looks at how resourceful street hawkers, using cheap and unique ingredients, offer delicious street food to slum-dwellers of Asia.
Klong Toey is home to over 100,000 low income residents, many of them considered squatters who face eviction anytime.
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
Big Mama serves an unusual dish of “Dancing Shrimp” salad (Goong Ten), named so because the shrimp are very much alive and jumping on the plate when they are served.
“They dance and make a sound ‘kadok-kadok’,” she described. “Sometimes, people cannot grab any shrimp because they have all have jumped off the plate.”
The freshwater shrimp, typically used to feed fish, are found in the canals or rice fields of Thailand.
After tossing together some fish sauce, toasted rice powder, chilli, herbs and sour lime juice, Big Mama uses a net to scoop a fistful of shrimp from a fish tank, emptying them briskly into the mix.
“When the shrimp mix with the chilli, lime and fish sauce, they start dancing,” she said.
She sells this dish at 50 baht (S$2.10) a packet, and says that she cannot price it any cheaper as the ingredients are expensive. She advertises her food - which includes another signature dish, grilled pork kidney - on social media, and takes delivery orders by phone,
Event organiser Sombatsara Teerasaroch reveals how each “spoonful of shrimp will explode in your mouth” as the fresh ingredients and garnish react with the enzymes in one’s saliva.
“It makes everything sweet and complete in your mouth. My mouth is watering,” he laughed. “I think it is an amazing dish. It’s a Thai sashimi.”
BLOOD AND ISAAN FOOD
Even more of an acquired taste is Sirathorn’s dish of meat salad with bile and blood (Larb Lerd Sook), which she also sells for 50 baht from a pushcart.
Sirathorn hails from the Isaan region in northeastern Thailand. Isaan cuisine, which uses fermented and preserved ingredients, is known for its fiery, sour and pungent dishes.
To extract the bile, Sirathorn boils the gall blader of a cow and cuts it open – whereupon the green-coloured bile oozes out “like sugar syrup”, she said.
“That’s how you know it is good quality bile. If it is not fresh, it will flow out too quickly,” she added.
This bile is then added to diced beef, chilli, toasted rice powder and herbs, and stir-fried. Sirathorn also adds diluted blood to the mix.
“Blood must be used in every Isaan food stall. Without it, the food will not be considered authentic,” said Sirathorn. “Bile is for customers who like their food slightly bitter.”
Her customers are mostly office workers and the area's residents. “I earn barely any profit, but I do not want to increase my prices, so that the less affluent customers can still buy our food,” she said.
She added: "I never imagined that we would have so many customers supporting us. No matter what people say about Klong Toey, we make a living here - so it is good."
Embark on a mouth-watering journey through the slums of Asia - watch the series Slumfood Millionaire here.
Source: cna/yv
serving up live shrimp and bile
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/new...toey-slum-dancing-shrimp-street-food-13160976
Most tourists to this food lover’s city don't know about Klong Toey, a run-down neighbourhood with distinctive street foods.Street hawker 'Big Mama', the nickname by which Pranee Wiangnon is known in Klong Toey, with one of her signature dishes, grilled pork kidney.
By Desmond Ng
30 Sep 2020 06:15AM
BANGKOK: Just two metro stops from Sukhumvit’s skyline of gleaming bustling malls lies a slum with a reputation for violence – a neighbourhood few visitors to Bangkok know about or dare venture into.
And in this slum, the city’s oldest and largest, are mouth-watering and cheap delicacies like live shrimp salad and an Isaan dish of bile and pig’s blood only for the brave.
“This is the Klong Toey slum. This area is known for drug sellers and other illicit activities,” said resident and street hawker Pranee Wiangnon, who’s known as Big Mama there.
Fellow resident Sirathorn recounts how, when she moved in 30 years ago, drug addicts were always asking for money. “It took me a long time to decide whether we could settle down here for good.”
Despite this slum’s notoriety for crime, street hawkers like Big Mama and Sirathorn are at home here, serving one of the largest low-income communities in the capital, as Slumfood Millionaire discovers.
This documentary series looks at how resourceful street hawkers, using cheap and unique ingredients, offer delicious street food to slum-dwellers of Asia.
Klong Toey is home to over 100,000 low income residents, many of them considered squatters who face eviction anytime.
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
Big Mama serves an unusual dish of “Dancing Shrimp” salad (Goong Ten), named so because the shrimp are very much alive and jumping on the plate when they are served.
“They dance and make a sound ‘kadok-kadok’,” she described. “Sometimes, people cannot grab any shrimp because they have all have jumped off the plate.”
The freshwater shrimp, typically used to feed fish, are found in the canals or rice fields of Thailand.
After tossing together some fish sauce, toasted rice powder, chilli, herbs and sour lime juice, Big Mama uses a net to scoop a fistful of shrimp from a fish tank, emptying them briskly into the mix.
“When the shrimp mix with the chilli, lime and fish sauce, they start dancing,” she said.
She sells this dish at 50 baht (S$2.10) a packet, and says that she cannot price it any cheaper as the ingredients are expensive. She advertises her food - which includes another signature dish, grilled pork kidney - on social media, and takes delivery orders by phone,
Event organiser Sombatsara Teerasaroch reveals how each “spoonful of shrimp will explode in your mouth” as the fresh ingredients and garnish react with the enzymes in one’s saliva.
“It makes everything sweet and complete in your mouth. My mouth is watering,” he laughed. “I think it is an amazing dish. It’s a Thai sashimi.”
BLOOD AND ISAAN FOOD
Even more of an acquired taste is Sirathorn’s dish of meat salad with bile and blood (Larb Lerd Sook), which she also sells for 50 baht from a pushcart.
Sirathorn hails from the Isaan region in northeastern Thailand. Isaan cuisine, which uses fermented and preserved ingredients, is known for its fiery, sour and pungent dishes.
To extract the bile, Sirathorn boils the gall blader of a cow and cuts it open – whereupon the green-coloured bile oozes out “like sugar syrup”, she said.
“That’s how you know it is good quality bile. If it is not fresh, it will flow out too quickly,” she added.
This bile is then added to diced beef, chilli, toasted rice powder and herbs, and stir-fried. Sirathorn also adds diluted blood to the mix.
“Blood must be used in every Isaan food stall. Without it, the food will not be considered authentic,” said Sirathorn. “Bile is for customers who like their food slightly bitter.”
Her customers are mostly office workers and the area's residents. “I earn barely any profit, but I do not want to increase my prices, so that the less affluent customers can still buy our food,” she said.
She added: "I never imagined that we would have so many customers supporting us. No matter what people say about Klong Toey, we make a living here - so it is good."
Embark on a mouth-watering journey through the slums of Asia - watch the series Slumfood Millionaire here.
Source: cna/yv
World Bank revises Thai GDP forecast for the year
to 8.3 per cent contraction
National
Sep 30. 2020
By THE NATION
The World Bank expects Thailand's gross domestic product (GDP) to contract 8.3 per cent this year, more than the earlier estimate of minus 5 per cent
The bank expects the economy to expand by 4.9 per cent next year, with more than two years required for the economy to return to pre-Covid-19 levels.
Kiatipong Ariyapruchya, World Bank’s senior country economist for Thailand, added that political uncertainty was another factor affecting the economy at this time, in addition to the Covid-19 situation in the country or natural disaster.
.jpg "Pro-democracy protesters gather at Sanam Luang in Bangkok on September 19.")
Pro-democracy protesters gather at Sanam Luang in Bangkok on September 19.
He explained that these factors could lower investor confidence and cause the Thai economy to contract 10.4 per cent. In such a scenario, the economy would grow only 3.5 per cent in 2021, and would take at least three to recover from the virus crisis.
The World Bank also estimates that the economy in the East Asia and Pacific region will grow by 0.9 per cent in 2020, the lowest rate since 1967. It also expects China's economy to contract by 1.8 per cent in the first half of this year, and by 4.0 per cent on average in the rest of the region.
Political uncertainty is another factor affecting the Thai economy, apart from Covid-19 or natural disaster, says the World Bank.
to 8.3 per cent contraction
National
Sep 30. 2020
By THE NATION
The World Bank expects Thailand's gross domestic product (GDP) to contract 8.3 per cent this year, more than the earlier estimate of minus 5 per cent
The bank expects the economy to expand by 4.9 per cent next year, with more than two years required for the economy to return to pre-Covid-19 levels.
Kiatipong Ariyapruchya, World Bank’s senior country economist for Thailand, added that political uncertainty was another factor affecting the economy at this time, in addition to the Covid-19 situation in the country or natural disaster.
Pro-democracy protesters gather at Sanam Luang in Bangkok on September 19.
He explained that these factors could lower investor confidence and cause the Thai economy to contract 10.4 per cent. In such a scenario, the economy would grow only 3.5 per cent in 2021, and would take at least three to recover from the virus crisis.
The World Bank also estimates that the economy in the East Asia and Pacific region will grow by 0.9 per cent in 2020, the lowest rate since 1967. It also expects China's economy to contract by 1.8 per cent in the first half of this year, and by 4.0 per cent on average in the rest of the region.
Political uncertainty is another factor affecting the Thai economy, apart from Covid-19 or natural disaster, says the World Bank.
Simple breakfast today, bought soon kueh from market yesterday, heat it up this morning for breakfast. Soon kueh obviously is a Chinese dish and I am sure brought to Thailand by the teochew people.
Soon kueh with coffee
Soon kueh with some sweet sauce
The filling consists of bang-kwang, haybee, shredded pork
Soon kueh with coffee
Soon kueh with some sweet sauce
The filling consists of bang-kwang, haybee, shredded pork
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