Politics
Vote to Choose Thailand’s New Prime Minister Postponed

A parliamentary vote to choose Thailand’s new prime minister was postponed again as a court postponed a ruling in a lawsuit involving the progressive party that won the election in May, adding to the mounting uncertainty about when a new administration can take office.
Thailand’s Constitutional Court said on Thursday that it needs more time to consider whether to accept a petition from the state ombudsman on whether it was constitutional for Parliament to bar Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat, the surprise election winner, from running for prime minister a second time.
The progressive Move Forward Party won the May election, forming an eight-party coalition with 312 members in the 500-member lower house. However, Parliament has failed to ratify a new prime minister, which requires a majority vote in addition to the conservative 250-member Senate. Pita’s original bid last month fell short by more than 50 votes, owing largely to the support of only 13 senators.
The following week, Parliament voted to prevent him from submitting his name again.
Many senators nominated by a former military regime have declared they will not vote for Pita because of his party’s desire to alter a rule that makes defaming Thailand’s royal family illegal. Critics claim that the law, which has a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, has been utilised as a political tool. Members of the Senate view themselves as defenders of traditional royalist values that uphold the monarchy as sacred.
Move Forward, whose programme drew a lot of support from young people, also wants to limit the role of the military, which has launched more than a dozen coups since Thailand became a constitutional monarchy in 1932, and major economic monopolies.
Following Pita’s denial of a second offer, multiple complaints were filed with the state ombudsman, alleging that the conduct violated the constitution. Private persons and MPs from Pita’s party are among those who have lodged complaints. When the case was filed with the court last week, Parliament postponed the vote but rescheduled it days later, despite the fact that the court had yet to rule.
The court announced Thursday that it will reconvene on Aug. 16 to decide whether to accept the petition. If accepted, the court could impose a postponement of the voting until it issues a ruling.
House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha stated the vote for prime minister would be postponed until the outcome of the court case. He stated that Parliament will still meet on Friday to debate a Move Forward petition to modify the military-enacted constitution to remove the Senate’s de facto capacity to veto a prime minister nominee.
Pita’s chances of being nominated again appear minimal, regardless of the court verdict. Move Forward is facing a number of legal challenges that its supporters regard as dirty methods used by its political opponents to maintain power. One of the lawsuits, which accuses Pita of breaking the constitution by campaigning for office while allegedly holding shares in a media firm, resulted in his suspension from Parliament last month, while Parliament was discussing his second nomination.
Pheu Thai, the second-largest party in the eight-party coalition that took over the lead role in forming a government after Move Forward’s two attempts, said Wednesday that Move Forward was excluded because its platform to reform the royal defamation law made it impossible to garner enough support from other parties and the Senate.
Pheu Thai leader Chonlanan Srikaew stated that the party does not accept Move Forward’s proposal to modify the law and that the party will create a coalition with new partners and propose its candidate, real estate billionaire Srettha Thavisin, as prime minister.
Pheu Thai is the newest in a long line of groups linked to ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a millionaire populist deposed in a military coup in 2006. His daughter has declared that he intends to return on August 10 after years of self-imposed exile in order to avoid prison time in multiple criminal proceedings that he has characterised as politically motivated.
Following the court’s announcement, the party’s plan to present its new coalition partners on Thursday was also postponed.
Thailand’s Pheu Thai Party Breaks Ranks with Move Forward Party
Thailand’s Pheu Thai Party Breaks Ranks with Move Forward 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.

Protest in downtown Toronto against mass immigration on Canada Day – TNC Image
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.

Thai Baht – File Image
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.

Photo courtesy of The Nation
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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