Chiang Rai News
More Elections in Weeks to Come in Chiangrai
Between Dec 31, 2009 and July 3, 2011, there simply wasn't enough time for the system to work. Even the Coup Council couldn't very well have fired all the village and district heads wholesale, and have their people elected
Chiang Rai province’s Election Commission reported that in August there will be elections for seven local TAO positions in the province alone. It is estimated that nationwide there will be several hundred.
Each election will cost the taxpayers approximately 50,000 baht. You do the rest of the math.
Why and how have we come to this?
The particular law responsible came into effect on Dec 31, 2009, but it was passed in 2007.
Who was in charge in 2007?
It was the interim government led by Gen Surayud Chulanont and appointed by the _ let’s call them the Coup Council.
Why did they pass such a scrumptiously feudalistic law?
The reason as explained then was that the law would assure that the village and district heads have no political allegiance, that they would not be biased or act as hua-kanaan, or canvassers, for any political party.
Well, that’s what they said anyway.
The real story is a bit different.
Critics assert that it was simply the Coup Council’s strategy to uphold and strengthen Thailand’s patronage democracy. The village and district heads are the closet to the voters, closer even than TAO or PAO members.
They are the first line of control, the front-line soldiers to keep the populace in line. They are the ones that bring in the votes.
So have your loyal men in place. Make sure they are in place until retirement. And general elections will always go your way.
Patronage democracy at its finest _ it was also meant to dismantle the Thaksin Shinawatra political machine.
But oops, it didn’t work, did it?
Between Dec 31, 2009 and July 3, 2011, there simply wasn’t enough time for the system to work. Even the Coup Council couldn’t very well have fired all the village and district heads wholesale, and have their people elected.
The irony is that the Thaksin political machine will be the beneficiary of this tasty feudal dish over the next four years and until the next general election.
The village and district heads in place and the new batch would do very well to play nice with the new Bangkok regime.
It’s mutually beneficial, after all. But that’s neither here nor there.
As I have stated before, the problem of the Thai political landscape goes beyond Thaksin or any one general.
Over the past few weeks, I have discussed traditionalist patronage democracy versus capitalist patronage democracy.
Last week, I painted the picture of Thai politics as a family business, dominated by regional family dynasties.
This week, it’s the same theme, but digging deeper down to the village level.
The conclusion is, the Thai patronage democracy is a built-in system that encompasses all fabrics of the political and hence, social spectrum.
It may be democratic in practice, because at the end of it all, each and every one of us goes to the polls. But it’s very feudalistic in its structure, because the outcome of the system reflects the motives, the mentality that built the system _ that is the control of the populace, the peasantry.
We now have a new government in charge. What does it mean?
It means only this: The system is still the same, only the masters have changed.
Instead of ammart in traditional uniforms, we have capitalists in expensive suits calling themselves prai in charge, while the masses are still the pawns in the patronage system.
The Thai patronage democracy keeps on perpetuating because we are a country of peasants _ and the powers-that-be, whether traditionalist or capitalist _ would like to keep things that way.
Because we are a nation of peasants, this makes us easy to be governed and useful whenever the masters need to whip us up into a fanatical frenzy to achieve a political end.
The July 3 general election is said to have been one of the most corrupt in history. Some international observers may have actually thought it was clean and clear, but face it, international observers can’t see what we Thais can see and know.
Even our own Election Commission spoke of how dirty it was.
But at the end of the day, a total of two yellow cards were given to the alleged cheaters in the July 3 general election. Why so few? More yellows plus a few reds are handed out in a single match of the Thai Football Premier League.
Election Commissioner Somchai Juengprasert said it best when he explained that corruption is in the workings of the patronage democracy _ what is there to do about it?
Indeed, what is there to do about it? What does it take to change the system?
A renovation from above? A revolution from below?
The former would be much less painful. As for the latter, open a history book and learn that revolutions from below usually start out with the best of intentions, but more often than not end up in a bloody mess and with an even more authoritarian regime in place.
Or should we just do nothing, let nature takes its course, which means Thailand may forever at best be average, in the middle ranking; break-dancing with two left feet on the thick, concrete line that separates the advanced world from the peasant world. Hopefully we are a little more ambitious than that.
This feudalistic plague is something every advanced democracy has gone through, every struggling democracy is going through, and every society soon to adopt democracy will go through.
There’re always some variations, but it’s basically the same human story. To start with, we just need to be a little more ambitious.
Full Article….
Contact Voranai Vanijaka
Police in Wiang Kaen District of Chiang Rai Province have arrested a 50 year old man after the threatened to rape a 20 year-old woman and the proceeded to murder her 2 and half month old baby.
Police with doctors from Wiang Kaen Hospital and the Chao Luang Wiang Kaen Welfare Association were summoned to the scene of the incident to a 2-story cement house, Village No. 2, Tha Kham Subdistrict, Wiang Kaen District of Chiang Rai
On arrival they found Ms. Chanikarn, age 20, in a state of distress crying uncontrollably beside her 2 and a half month baby girl (Linlada) that was dead on the floor.
After calming Ms. Chanikarn, the child’s mother, said that at approximately 2:30 p.m she was out to collect diapers that had been dried in front of the house, while her 2 and a half month old daughter was sleep on the ground floor of the house.
She said she was suddenly approached by a Mr. Lee, about 40 years old, who lived on the opposite side of the road. He came towards her and grabbed her arm and threatened her saying if she didn’t sleeping with him he will go and kill his daughter.
Miss Chanikan refused and ran away, then Mr. Lee then walked into the house and grabbed Ms. Linlada’s leg, smashing the child’s head against the cement floor of the house. The infant died immediately.
Mr. Lee then just walked away and returned to his own home, leaving Miss Chanikan and her dead baby.
When police went to Mr. Lee’s home he immediately confessed killing the infant and was taken to Wiang Kaen Police Station for further questioning. Under caution he told police that he was sexually attracted to Miss Chanikan‘s and when her husband leave for work he took the opportunity to approach her.
He said when he saw her husband leave he crossed that road and found Miss Chanikan in the yard alone, he then threatened her to sleep with him, saying he would kill her child if she didn’t have sex with him. However when she refused he flew into a fit of rage walked into her home and murdered he baby. He said he was out of control with rage.
After killing the infant he walk across the street to his home and waited for the police to arrive. The police have charged him with premeditated murder and attempted rape. He is being held without bail at the local remand center.
Meanwhile, Miss Chanikan and her family were preparing a religious burial ceremony for the child.
Other Chiang Rai News:
Machete Wielding Man Shot an Killed by Police in Chiang Rai
https://www.chiangraitimes.com/chiangrai-news/machete-wielding-man-shot-an-killed-by-police-in-chiang-rai/
CHIANG RAI: Prime Minister Settha Thavisin has authorized the establishment of an emergency cyber center operated by the Royal Thai Police to combat transnational crimes committed by call center gangs along the Thai border in Chiang Rai province.
On July 19, Prime Minister Settha Thavisin directed the Center to combat information technology crimes. The Royal Thai Police (Royal Thai Police) will crack down on call center gangs in Myanmar, Laos, and along the border.
His directive comes as call center gangs ratchet up their scams to defraud people of their money, causing concern among Thais and jeopardizing the country’s economic and social stability.
Pol. Gen. Kittirat Panphet, Deputy Commander and Director of the Police Crime Suppression Division, Assigned Pol. Lt. Gen. Thatchai Pitanilabut, Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Police/Deputy Director of the Police Crime Suppression Division, has launched the operation ‘Bombing the Thieves’ Bridge’ in collaboration with the CAT Office, G., mobile phone network operators AIS DTAC TRUE NT, and local security agencies to cut the mobile phone signal and WiFi internet that criminals illegally use to deceive Thai citizens.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Thatchai stated that they will begin pressing the first action of the ‘Explosion of Thieves’ Bridge’ in Chiang Rai Province toward the thieves’ base of operations in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone.
The territory surrounding King Roman in Laos. King Roman is now a full-service entertainment destination with an airport that welcomes travelers from Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar, he explained.
According to Pol. Lt. Gen. Thatchai, this operation will have no influence on honest people along the Thai border, and it will only target cyber criminals.
They will also increase the arrest and prosecution of unlawful service towers, such as SIM booths, which allow gangs register SIM cards to swindle the people. Dealing with criminal organizations of foreigners and Thais who band together to deceive and damage Thais.
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) suspended more than three million SIM cards on July 16 because the holders had not verified their identities with their mobile phone operators by the deadline, in accordance with the NBTC’s measures to combat alleged fraudsters’ mule accounts.
The names of the holders of 80 million mobile phone numbers used for mobile banking transactions did not match the names associated with the mobile banking accounts.
The NBTC would require mobile phone companies to authenticate SIM card holders and the names of their mobile banking accounts. The verification procedure is expected to be completed by the end of September this year.
In addition, the NBTC and Royal Thai Police have collaborated to combat illegal telecom towers throughout the country’s borders, disconnecting signals at 465 places, altering antenna direction at 470 towers, and dismantling antennas at 179 locations.
They are certain that the move will disrupt contact center gangs and other types of technology-based crime.
Other Chiang Rai News:
Machete Wielding Man Shot an Killed by Police in Chiang Rai
https://www.chiangraitimes.com/chiangrai-news/machete-wielding-man-shot-an-killed-by-police-in-chiang-rai/
Police in Mae Chan, Chiang Rai, shot and killed a 28-year-old man who allegedly attacked a police officer with a machete. The officer was slashed in the right leg with the machete.
According to police, the culprit, known only as Mr. Toon, had been harassing local villagers in Mae Chan district, Chiang Rai, threatening them with a knife and using violet insults.
The village headman arrived on the scene to try to calm Mr. Toon, but he was shouting hysterically and taking swipes at him with the machete, so he contacted the police.
When the responding officer arrived at the site about 9 p.m., he attempted to calm the man, but he instead assaulted the officer, slashing his right leg with the machete. In self-defense, the cop had to fire his gun at Mr. Toon, striking him in the chest.
Mr. Toon and the policeman were taken to Mae Chan Hospital, where Mr. Toon died of a gunshot wound. Pol Sgt. Sutthikiat Phanomphraisakul was released from the hospital after receiving numerous stitches for his injuries.
Local police received a tip around 9.30 p.m. yesterday that a guy was causing mayhem in the village. When authorities arrived, they discovered 28-year-old Toon strolling along a public road, holding a large knife and threatening people. Mae Chan district officials attempted to contain the incident.
During a search of Mr. Toon’s home, authorities discovered methamphetamine consumption equipment. Locals told authorities that the man was addicted to Yaba (Methamphetamine) and an alcoholic.
The authorities are conducting an inquiry to determine Toon’s motivations and whether any underlying issues contributed to his violent outburst.
Other related news:
Chiang Mai Police Offer Cash Reward After Officer Killed
https://www.chiangraitimes.com/crime/chiang-mai-police-offer-reward/
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