Politics
Thailand’s Government Vows to Outlaw Military Coups
Thailand’s ruling Pheu Thai Party has committed to revise the military-sponsored constitution and advocate for anti-coup legislation to ensure that military takeovers are no longer tolerated and coup leaders are not recognized as “ratthathipat” (“sovereign”).
Pheu Thai said in a statement commemorating the tenth anniversary of Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha’s May 22, 2014 coup that coups are illegal, damage democracy, and cost the country chances.
The party stated that it does not embrace coups or other measures that could lead to the military overturning an elected government, and it does not favor amnesty for coup leaders.
Coups are a crime against humanity and democracy, and they have never resulted in prosperity rather than setting the country back, the party said in a statement delivered by spokesman Danuporn Punnakanta on Tuesday.
The party asked courts and other state agencies to forsake any notion that a coup can result in a legal administration, and stated that it will advocate for the passage of legislation prohibiting their recognition as legitimate, with an indefinite statute of limitations.
Chusak Sirinil, Pheu Thai deputy leader, stated that the moment has come to alter the 2017 charter, which was created following the 2014 coup.
Prime minister to suspend top officers
He stated that the party expects the new charter would include safeguards to prevent future coups before the government’s term finishes. According to Mr Chusak, the proposed anti-coup law attempts to prevent coups from taking place.
“It is wrong to accept coup leaders as ‘ratthathipat’ and allow them to control the country. It’s critical that people speak out against it,” he stated.
Last month, the Defence Council, presided over by Defence Minister Sutin Klungsang, accepted a proposal authorizing the prime minister to suspend top officers accused of preparing a military coup. The idea would be sent to the government before being presented to parliament for consideration.
In a similar development, Move Forward Party MP Parit Wacharasindhu stated that three key concerns must be addressed: the “expanded power” of public independent institutions under the 2017 charter, military changes, and economic structures.
He stated that the opposition party has presented laws on these matters and expects them to be included on the House agenda.
He also stated that the party is prepared to examine government-sponsored revisions to the Referendum Act during the special parliament sitting next month.
Thailand’s Move Forward Party Launches New Agenda
Meanwhile, the Move Forward Party (MFP) hopes to win between 270 and 300 MP seats in the upcoming election and has proposed a six-point plan to transform the country.
Pita Limjaroenrat, the main opposition party’s advisory chairman and list MP, stated at the first Policy Fest in Bangkok on Sunday that the MFP has carved out a program that includes solutions to immediate, priority issues for reforming the country.
The program would include promoting economic growth, cultivating knowledge to keep up with the changing world, improving the quality of life in rural communities, implementing thorough bureaucratic reform, and establishing a true democracy.
“I believe we can turn challenges into energy to drive the country forward,” he stated. “Like us or dislike us, we all confronted the reality of a lost decade under the Prayut Chan-o-cha administration, which took and held power until this year’s election. “The MFP won the polls fairly and squarely. [The party] did not pay a single baht to buy votes,” he stated.
Mr Pita reiterated that the MFP did not mind being in the opposing side.
In fact, he believes that working against the government with a proactive strategy may be even more fruitful. In a democracy, an active opposition can provide hope to the people. He admitted that the MFP still has a long way to go to better itself.
However, it must gain the people’s faith and confidence, and to do so, Mr Pita believes the party may need to grab the majority by gaining at least 270 MP seats, if not 300, in the next election.
That objective doubles the MFP’s 151 seats from last year’s election. There are 500 MP seats available in the House of Representatives.
According to the MFP’s chief counsel, an effective administration should lead agenda-centric initiatives rather than ministry-initiated ones.
Meanwhile, Mr Pita stated that the party was prepared to present additional documents after the Constitutional Court agreed to extend the deadline for the party’s dissolution lawsuit by another 15 days, to June 2.
The Election Commission (EC) petitioned for the MFP’s dissolution following a Constitutional Court verdict on January 31 that stated the MFP’s drive for revisions to Section 112 of the Criminal Code, widely known as the lese majeste statute, demonstrated an aim to destabilize the constitutional monarchy.
Mr Pita stated that if the MFP was disbanded, its MPs would likely join a new party.
Politics
Millennials in Canada Have Turned their Backs on Justin Trudeau
Justine Trudeau and his Liberal Party are currently engaged in a fierce battle for second place against Jagmeet Singh’s socialist NDP, as both parties find themselves trailing by 20 points behind Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives.
A recent poll indicates that 38% of Canadians consider Trudeau to be the most ineffective leader the nation has encountered in over fifty years. An impressive 47% of Canadian Millennials indicated they would support Poilievre if an election were to take place today, while nearly half of all Canadians express a desire for an election to be called this year.
Pierre Poilievre’s strong appeal among young voters can be attributed primarily to economic factors: soaring inflation, a pressing cost-of-living crisis, and the challenge of housing affordability are pushing many away from the Liberals, who have held power for nearly nine years.
According to UnHeard, Millennials are increasingly distancing themselves from Trudeau due to his stringent measures aimed at controlling the internet to combat alleged disinformation, as well as his climate change initiatives, notably the carbon tax.
An increasing number of Canadians are becoming aware of Trudeau’s ineffective policies and his approach to mass immigration. This past summer, there was significant outrage among parents of teenagers and young adults as they observed their children remaining at home without jobs.
The primary concern stemmed from the fact that most low-skilled and entry-level positions were being filled by unskilled, temporary foreign workers, predominantly from India.
There has been a notable rise in criminal activities linked to international students and unvetted temporary residents who are becoming involved with Punjabi gangs in Canada, contributing to a surge in auto thefts nationwide.
Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives are actively seeking to alter Trudeau’s approach to mass immigration and prioritize the construction of more housing should they come into power.
Significantly, Pierre Poilievre is perceived as more trustworthy than Trudeau, with over half of Canadians characterizing Poilievre as “open and honest about his actions, decisions, and intentions,” while only 39% share that sentiment regarding Trudeau.
The characteristics in question may shed light on Poilievre’s favorable polling, particularly among younger voters and women, who have historically leaned towards the Liberals or the NDP rather than the Conservatives.
The Liberal Party’s support has dwindled to an estimated 7% of Canadians, revealing a significant number of disillusioned voters eager for transformation. Poilievre is emerging as the type of leader that resonates with the desires of many Canadians.
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Politics
U.N. Special Rapporteur Calls on Thailand’s Banks to Cut-Off Myanmar Junta
The U.N special rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar has said the Bank of Thailand, commercial banks, and the anti-money laundering office are working on measures to stop the Myanmar Junta from acquiring weapons through Thailand’s banking system.
Tom Andrews the U.N. special rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar, said that some banks commercial in Thailand had aided Myanmar Junta’s by facilitating transactions that supplied military equipment to the Junta through the international banking system.
He called on the Bank of Thailand and financial institutions to do more to stop Myanmar’s junta acquiring weapons which they use on civilians to maintain power.
The special rapporteur was in Bangkok to address a parliamentary committee on security, he called on the Thai government to stop financial transactions that help supply weapons to Myanmar’s junta in line with a plan promoted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that sets out an end to violence as a first step toward peace.
In his 2023 report “The Billion Dollar Death Trade,” Andrews noted that Singapore had implemented a clear policy opposing the transfer of weapons to Myanmar.
Thailand’s Banks Lacked Clear Policy
As a result, exports of weapons and related materials from Singapore-registered entities using the formal banking system dropped from almost U.S. $120 million in fiscal year 2022 to just over $10 million over the next 12 months.
However, he said Thailand had no explicit policy position opposing weapons transfer to the Myanmar Junta, which saw exports from Thai-registered entities more than double in 2023, from just over $60 million to nearly $130 million.
He called on Thai Government to conduct a thorough investigation into transfers as Singapore had done into its companies’ dealings.
Andrews told the the committee that five Thai commercial banks and Thai-based companies were assisting Myanmar’s junta obtain weapons, dual-technology items and jet fuel, enabling Military Junta to conduct atrocities against the people.
But said he had found no evidence that the Thai government was involved or was aware of the transactions or that Thai commercial banks had knowledge.
Banks Condemn Myanmar Junta Violence
Meanwhile representatives from Thailand’s central bank, anti-money laundering office and the commercial banks named in the report were also present at the parliamentary meeting at government house in Bangkok.
A representative of the Bank of Thailand said officials were working with the commercial banks and the anti-money laundering office to make sure that enhanced oversight was properly practiced.
The Thai Bankers Association that was also at the parliamentary meeting said it did not have the means to investigate and monitor such irregularities beyond Thailand’s borders.
Mr. Pongsit Chaichatpornsuk, a Thai Bankers Association representative told the committee that If government security agencies tell us, we will stop transactions. We don’t support arms procurement by Myanmar Junta or any military government to violate human rights.
Thailand, which shares a long border with Myanmar and hosts many thousands of refugees fleeing conflict there, has tried to promote dialogue between Myanmar’s military rulers and opposition forces but no progress has been made.
This Article was first published in RFA
Politics
People Rushing Sign Online Petition to Impeach South Korea’s President Crash Site
The Speaker of the National Assembly of South Korea said in a statement that an online petition calling for South Korea’s President Mr. Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment crashed due to the enormous number of individuals attempting to sign the petition. Saying the National Assembly would resolve the matter as quickly as possible.
Since the petition was launch on the National Assembly’s website on June 20, more than 811,000 people have signed it. The petition urges Parliament to introduce legislation to impeach President Yoon on the grounds that he is unfit for office.
Late on June 30, National Assembly Speaker Mr. Woo Won-shik issued an apology for the disturbance and stated that Parliament would take action to protect the public’s fundamental rights.
People attempting to access the petition on July 1 experienced delays of up to four hours. At one point, an error message indicated that more than 30,000 individuals were waiting to access the site.
South Korea’s Parliament Hesitant
The online petition accuses Yoon of corruption, escalating the risk of conflict with North Korea, and endangering South Koreans’ health by failing to prevent Japan from leaking treated radioactive water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant.
By law, Parliament must assign every petition signed by more than 50,000 people to a committee, which will then decide whether to put it to a vote in the assembly.
However, the opposition Democratic Party, which has a majority in Parliament, is hesitant to turn the petition into an impeachment bill, according to media reports, with a spokesperson stating that the party has yet to address the topic.
The Parliament can impeach a president with a two-thirds majority. The Constitutional Court then deliberates the motion and decides whether to remove or reinstall the president.
Meanwhile, on Monday Reuters reported North Korea criticized a joint military exercise performed this month by South Korea, Japan, and the United States, according to official media, saying such drills demonstrate the three nations’ alliance has evolved into “the Asian version of NATO”.
On Thursday, the three countries began large-scale combined military drills named “Freedom Edge” featuring navy destroyers, fighter fighters, and the nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, with the goal of strengthening defenses against missiles, submarines, and air strikes.
The drill was designed at a three-way meeting at Camp David last year to boost military cooperation amid concerns on the Korean peninsula caused by North Korea’s weapons testing.
Pyongyang will not overlook the strengthening of a military bloc led by the United States and its allies, and it would respond aggressively and decisively to defend regional peace, according to North Korea’s foreign ministry, as reported by KCNA.
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