Regional News
Rising Tensions in Thailand Pit Urbanites Against Rural Poor
KHON KAEN – The voice on the radio is calm, its message anything but. “Civil war is going to happen,” says the announcer on a station broadcast across the arid plateau around Khon Kaen, where rice paddies, cane fields and fishing-net factories form the geographic heart of the country’s red-shirt movement.
It is now preparing to fight back if the government it supports, under caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, falls. “All sides, get ready,” the voice says. “We are ready to come together any time in the name of democracy.”
While months of anti-government yellow-shirt protests have gripped Thailand and now stand poised to cripple its capital, the red-shirt movement that is the power base of the Yingluck government has repeatedly ceded the spotlight to its rivals – even as the government it backs struggles to survive until an election planned for Feb. 2.
But the red-shirt quiet masks a volatile anger that threatens to plunge Thailand into a major new crisis, one that risks leaving new bodies in the streets as the two sides battle to shape the form of future governments. Some government supporters, fearing that opposition protests could turn against them, have begun planning ways to leave in hopes of protecting their families.
“We’re afraid this might turn into Egypt, turn into a civil war,” said Sasiprapa Raisanguan, a student activist in Khon Kaen.
The colours, sometimes but not always reflected in the clothes supporters wear, have been adopted by the two main political factions in Thailand. The yellow-shirts, largely wealthier urbanites, distrust the Yingluck government, which they believe is a puppet for the Prime Minister’s brother, the exiled billionaire former president Thaksin Shinawatra.
They have criticized the democratic process, accusing the country’s rural population of being too uneducated, and too prone to have its votes bought, to elect a proper government. The more rural red-shirts here, meanwhile, largely support the government, which they have repeatedly elected. But their stand, they say, is for the salvation of democracy itself, and their ability to be governed by the rulers they choose. They accuse the rival yellow-shirts of attempting to illegitimately seize power because they are unable to win enough votes at the ballot box.
Given the weeks of surging protests in the capital, Bangkok, and the machinations of the country’s unelected bodies, it’s unclear whether the February election will even take place. If it doesn’t, large numbers of seething red-shirts appear ready to erupt. In Thailand’s north-east, the prospect of violent conflict between Thais has begun to seem unavoidable, the product of both fear of the worst and a deep frustration at the continuous dysfunction in the country’s political system. After all, Mr. Thaksin and his political successors have never lost an election since 2001. And yet time and again they have been forced from office, the last time in a military coup in 2006.
If it happens again, this red-shirt stronghold declares itself ready to rise up and fight back this time from places like Pak Nam village, an hour’s drive north-east of Khon Kaen. Here, a radio mast ascends high above a small office where Tanat Sirisankulyuad is the director of a station that is readying itself to help organize a response.
“There’s going to be blood if there’s no elections,” he said. “You will see an expression of emotion like never before in Thailand. Because we feel that we have been suppressed for a long time.”
A veteran with 20 years of military service, Mr. Tanat keeps a bulletproof vest on the floor outside the radio studio. “We’re ready to fight in all forms,” he added. “It can be with weapons. We won’t fight bare-handed any more.”
Prospects for the election, meanwhile, are highly uncertain, adding to the pall of defiance and fear. Yellow-shirt protests have kept candidates from registering – enough so that the country’s Election Commission has little faith in their outcome even if the vote is held on schedule.
“Yes, we will be able to have elections,” said Thitipol Todsarod, provincial director of the Election Commission of Khon Kaen. “But I don’t think they will elect enough people to open parliament.” In what should be campaign season, political posters are difficult to find. Many people simply don’t believe the vote will happen.
Still, in the uncertain circumstances that have come to define Thai political life, it’s possible Mr. Tanat’s worries will prove unfounded.
The yellow-shirt faction – already partway through the work of unseating the current government – has announced a plan to “shut down” Bangkok on Jan. 13, potentially taking the latest round of instability to a crescendo that would deeply shake the coup-prone country. On Friday, Suthep Thaugsuban, the man leading the yellow-shirt opposition, listed 20 Bangkok intersections for protesters to take over in their bid to paralyze the city. “We’ll occupy the intersections all day and night and we’ll have fun on the streets,” he said.
A pre-emptive military coup, always a possibility in a country that has seen nearly a dozen in eight decades, could take the wind from the sails of protesters on both sides.
For the yellow-shirts, that option may actually be preferable, offering a quick way to get rid of the current government. Some industry leaders in Khon Kaen, critical of the government’s populist policies, agree with them.
“If there was to be a civil war, I believe a coup d’état is better,” said Witoon Kamolnameth, the former president of the Federation of Industry of Khon Kaen, and a leading yellow-shirt in the region. Among the federation’s members are sugar and rice mills, garment factories and fishing-net makers. They have chafed under policies brought in by the current administration, including a higher minimum wage and a guaranteed minimum price for rice.
“The present government has caused problems for industry,” added Samart Angwarawong, the federation’s newly-installed president. “I can say that most people do not want this government,” Mr. Witoon said. “We’re saying the government should step down now. And then reform the country to the point that all groups can agree. And then have elections.”
But those policies have won over many red-shirts, who tend to come from poorer and more agricultural areas. In Khon Kaen, the yellow-shirts tend to drive Mercedes. The red-shirts drive scooters and water buffalo, and talk about the gains they’ve made under the current government.
Several years ago, for example, Khampa Laosuwan was a million baht in debt, the equivalent today of $32,000, which is roughly the value of a house in her tiny home village of Banton. The higher rice prices have distorted markets, created oversupplies and led to questions about the government’s ability to continue funding such a generous program. But it’s worked for Ms. Khampa. She has pared her debt down to 300,000 baht. “With the good price for rice these days, I’ve been able to pay off a lot of it.”
She said she knows opponents accuse the current government of corruption. She supports the government anyway. “If we are given the choice, we will take the corrupt people who provide us something,” she says.
Yet across north-eastern Thailand, there is also a fear that that government will soon be no more – and that the consequences will prove deadly.
Some yellow-shirt activists said a list has circulated bearing the names of some 3,000 people who believe they are slated for execution in case of a coup. Pongpit Onlamai has been told he is on it because he runs a red-shirt website, the movement’s best-read and therefore most powerful. “I think I am seen as an IT weapon,” he said. He also runs a popular daily radio show in Khon Kaen, where he regularly gets calls from people looking to sabotage his show by speaking ill of the Thai monarchy, a serious sin in a country with the world’s strictest lèse majesté laws.
“I am not scared, because I haven’t done anything wrong,” Mr. Pongpit said. “But I have told my father if I disappear for a couple of days, it means I am gone. Dead.”
David Van Praagh, a former Globe and Mail correspondent in South and Southeast Asia, is the author of Thailand’s Struggle for Democracy: The Life and Times of M. R. Seni Pramoj. He is a retired professor of journalism at Carleton University.
Thailand’s Immigration Police have detained approximately 26,000 illegal migrant workers from Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia during an eight-day operation in Bangkok and surrounding regions, according to a Royal Thai Police spokesperson.
Mr Adisorn Keudmeuangkhon of the Bangkok-based Migrant Working Group said the drive was in response to an increasing number of concerns about an influx of illegal migrant labor.
“Some Thai people see that many illegal workers are competing for their job positions in the past few months,” he told me. “That’s why the ministry has to take tougher action.”
Civil strife in Myanmar and the recent implementation of a military conscription have driven thousands of Burmese into Thailand, while severe inflation and limited job opportunities in Laos have also encouraged an influx of workers from that country.
Between June 5 and 12, officials detained and checked 20,111 Myanmar laborers, 1,659 Laotian migrant workers, and 3,971 Cambodian workers, according to the Ministry of Labor.
It marked the start of a 120-day campaign to audit workplaces and arrest unlawful migrant workers, according to the government.
Migrant Workers to be Deported
According to Keudmeuangkhon, undocumented workers face fines ranging from 5,000 to 50,000 Thai baht (US $136 to $1,365), deportation, and a two-year prohibition on re-entering Thailand.
Authorities did not intend to file criminal charges, he claimed.
Authorities raided 1,774 workplaces, according to Moe Gyo, chairman of the Joint Action Committee on Burmese Affairs, which advocates for Myanmar labor rights.
He stated that since the military junta activated conscription, there has been an upsurge in the number of arrests of Myanmar citizens in Thailand who do not have a work permit identity card.
All men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 must serve in the military for at least two years. The first group of 5,000 conscripts summoned by Myanmar’s junta will start duty at the end of this month, military sources told AFP on Monday.
According to Keudmeuangkhon, the bulk of Lao migrant workers in Thailand work as fresh market shopkeepers, restaurant servers, and mall salespeople.
Most people visit Thailand as part of ASEAN’s visa-free policy for tourists, but they stay longer than the 30-day restriction once they find job.
“Employers like to hire Lao migrant workers in the service sector because they can speak fluent Thai,” he told me.
Immigration Police Detain Illegal Migrant Workers
The Thai Cabinet may approve an enhanced program for Thai employers to register their unauthorized foreign workers in July or August. Keudmeuangkhon explained.
Last month, the Thai Ministry of Labor’s Foreign Workers Administration office announced that 268,465 Lao migrant workers were officially working in Thailand.
Baykham Kattiya, Lao Minister of Labor, told Radio Free Asia earlier this month that there are 415,956 migrant workers in other nations, the majority of whom work in Thailand.
According to her, the Lao government believes that over 203,000 persons working outside of the nation lack proper work documents.
However, a Lao official familiar with the labor industry informed Radio Free Asia, a BenarNews-affiliated news station, on June 20 that the number of illegal Lao migrant workers in Thailand and abroad is likely significantly greater.
“They go to other countries as illegal migrant workers through different types of methods – as tourists or students,” said the politician. “Thus, it is hard for the immigration police to collect data on these people.”
Government Officials Responsible for Smuggling in Migrant Workers
Government Officials Responsible for Smuggling in Migrant Workers
Thailand’s Office of Basic Education Commission has initiated an investigation into the electrocution of a 14-year-old student by a water dispenser in a high school. The event happened at noon on Friday, during the high school’s sports day. The victim was a Grade 8 student.
According to local media in Trang Province, the incident occurred when a teacher instructed the pupil to turn off a water dispenser amid a heavy rain.
According to a witness, the child collapsed while strolling with his friend near a water station. The friend claimed he attempted to assist but was also shocked by electricity.
According to reports, the friend then recovered, left the site, and requested assistance from teachers. A teacher ran to the scene and used a towel to pull the boy away by the ankle. He was taken to the hospital, but it was too late, they claimed.
The event sparked criticism from parents and netizens over school safety, as well as the slow response to aid the young youngster.
Mr. Chainarong Changrua, head of Trang-Krabi’s Secondary Educational Service Area Office, told local media on Sunday that forensic officers from Trang Provincial Police had visited the area. They discovered the blown breaker switch behind the water dispenser, he explained.
The breaker was burned out, thus the authorities assumed the disaster was caused by a short circuit that allowed energy to spill to a neighboring power pole. The student also appeared wet and was not wearing shoes when electrocuted.
According to the Office of Basic Education Commission, a probe team will complete its investigation this week.
The student’s father, Mr Pornchai Thepsuwan, 53, claimed he was saddened when he saw his son’s body. The boy (Wayu), was the youngest of two boys, he explained. He stated that following the tragedy, the school director and staff gave financial assistance to the families.
Mr Pornchai also said he would not seek charges against the institution because he believed it was an accident.
Electrical accidents in Thailand
Electrocution instances in Thailand have increased alarmingly in recent years. Many mishaps occur as a result of improper wiring and inadequate maintenance of electrical systems.
Public locations, such as schools and markets, frequently lack adequate safety precautions, putting individuals in danger. In rural areas, antiquated infrastructure exacerbates the situation, resulting in more frequent and serious events.
Although several high-profile cases have brought these challenges to light, genuine progress has been gradual. Furthermore, the rainy season heightens the likelihood of electrical accidents, as water and exposed wires do not mix well.
The government has made steps to strengthen safety standards, but enforcement is patchy. More education on electrical safety could help to reduce these accidents.
Unfortunately, better infrastructure and tougher rules may have prevented many of these incidents. The loss and injuries caused by electrocution are avoidable, emphasizing the need for immediate action.
Over 200 High School Students Facing Sedition Charges in Thailand
Over 200 High School Students Facing Sedition Charges in Thailand
Thailand’s Tourist Police said it is collaborating with embassies from five countries to combat tourist scams and ten criminal gangs in Pattaya. The Tourist Police Bureau, convened a meeting on Thursday Pol Lt Gen Saksira Phuek-am told a press briefing.
Pol Lt Gen Saksira Phuek-am, the Tourist Police bureau commissioner said the participants included ambassadors from South Korea, Ukraine, Russia, India, and Switzerland.
He told the briefing the he had ordered a crackdown on tourist frauds, such as fraudulent or low-quality tour operators and unfair sales of goods and services. Stepped-up operations began on June 19 and will continue until June 25.
He stated that the agency was working with numerous organisations to increase tourists’ confidence in visiting Pattaya.
Gen Saksira spent time on the famed Walking Street speaking with officers on duty and assigned them to seek for members of ten criminal groups known to operate in Pattaya.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin will visit Chon Buri on Saturday to assess the tourism situation. He intends to visit the site of a future Formula One racecourse near Khao Phra Tamnak in Bang Lamung District.
Prime Minister Srettha recently met with Formula One organisers in Italy to examine the potential of including Thailand on the race schedule in the future.
On Sunday, the Prime Minister will pay a visit to Rayong’s U-tapao airport to discuss development on the airport’s land, with the goal of encouraging investment in the Eastern Economic Corridor.
Police Chief Reinstated
In other police news, Pol Gen Torsak Sukvimol has been reinstated as national police chief following the conclusion of an investigation into a highly publicised quarrel, according to Wissanu Krea-ngam, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s counsellor.
Mr Wissanu released the investigation’s findings on Thursday, after the prime minister formed a fact-finding committee chaired by Chatchai Promlert to investigate into the quarrel between Pol Gen Torsak and his deputy, Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn.
The four-month study revealed conflicts and disorder at all levels of the Royal Thai Police, but it was unclear whether these issues arose from a single cause or several causes, according to Mr Wissanu.
The findings revealed that both Pol Gen Torsak and Pol Gen Surachate were involved, with each team contributing to the tensions, he noted.
Mr Wissanu indicated that Pol Gen Surachate was reinstated as deputy national police head on 18 April following his relocation to the Prime Minister’s Office on 20 March. A disciplinary committee was formed to investigate Pol Gen Surachate, and he was ordered temporarily suspended from the police force.
Because there were no further difficulties to explore, it was decided to restore Pol Gen Torsak. He plans to retire on September 30.
On March 20, Mr Srettha abruptly transferred both top police officers to the Prime Minister’s Office in an effort to address the growing schism within the police service.
Kitrat Panphet, Deputy National Police Chief, was subsequently named Acting Police Chief. According to sources, Pol Gen Surachate could face money laundering charges related to online gaming networks.
Source: Bangkok Post
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