Barkar Nash (Page 919)

Following a string of allegations of sexual harassment against several Move Forward Party ( MFP ) members, pressure is mounting on the government to develop an unambiguous code of ethics governing politicians’ sexual behavior.

On Wednesday, the Women and Men Progressive Movement Foundation hosted a conference where the call was made. Following sexual harassment allegations against MFP lawmakers and people, one of whom was kicked out of the party yesterday, the conference was organized.

Sexual harassment can occur in any social or professional building, according to chairman Jadet Chaowilai, who also points out that Thai society’s masculine mindset contributes to the issue.

Before urging a more efficient monitoring system for victims and improved protection of existing rules against sexual mistreatment, he stated that” purging the criminal from the party didn’t stop the problem.”

The fast recovery of the victims and anyone else who might be harmed by the torment, he added, is equally crucial.

These calling, he said,” seem to have gone unanswered.”

While most people sympathize with sexual abuse victims, some blame the victims for not doing enough to stop the abuse, according to Waraporn Chaemsanit, a organizing expert for women’s health and sex fairness at the Sexuality Education Association.

She claimed that as a result, some patients are hesitant to speak up.

She argued that sexual abuse shouldn’t be kept a secret because keeping the event hidden from the public could be more harmful than beneficial.

According to Ms. Waraporn, the rise in sexual assault problems demonstrates that people are becoming more conscious of their bodily rights.

Additionally, she suggested that extensive sexual education been taught in schools, claiming that doing so would teach future generations the value of respecting others’ restrictions.

Commanders have been in charge of the security company for 10 years.

The selection process for the new National Security Council ( NSC ) chief has been postponed by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin yesterday, adding to the mystery surrounding who will lead the nation’s top security organization.

Supoj Malaniyom retired on September 30 at the end of the previous financial year, leaving the secretary-general position unoccupied.

Deputy secretary-general Chatchai Bangchuad has since been acting as the acting captain.

Speaking after preside over an NSC meeting for the first time since taking office, Mr. Srettha announced that the appointment of a fresh secretary-general had been delayed due to pending legal proceedings, which must be finished in about 10 times.

The deputy national police chief, Pol Gen Roy Ingkapairote, was transferred from the Royal Thai Police ( RTP ) to the NSC so that he could be appointed its head. The premier declined to respond to a reporter’s inquiry as to whether the legal proceedings had anything to do with this.

He argued that it was unnecessary to discuss the matter at this time and assured NSC that the session delay wouldn’t interfere with the organization’s smooth operations.

Additionally, he anticipated issues if the NSC named a non-member as its new key.

A source close to the situation claimed that Pol Gen Roy even had a good chance of landing the position, despite the fact that Mr. Chatchai has long been predicted to become the next NSC secretary-general.

The new secretary-general was anticipated to be chosen shortly before yesterday’s NSC meeting, and the interview could be sent to the government for authorization as early as next Tuesday.

Anusit Kunakorn, who was at the time a lieutenant NSC secretary-general, was appointed as the head of the organization by former prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha following the 2014 revolt.

Gen Taweep Netniyom was selected to succeed Mr. Anusit a year later. Gen Supoj and other NSC rulers have all served as military commanders since that time.

According to the source, Mr. Chatchai would be the first human NSC chief in nine years if he ends up becoming the agency’s fresh secretary-general as widely anticipated.

Sutin Klungsang, the defense minister, asserted that there was no legal barrier to postpone the nomination for much longer.

He asserted that he thought the situation may become resolved quickly.

PM takes aim at biting commentary about his support of Isoc

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has hit back at a critic who questioned whether he was a “stooge of the military” because he opposes dissolving the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc).

Mr Srettha, an active user of X (Twitter) in both Thai and English, released a statement on his account (@Thavisin) on Tuesday evening, just hours after a biting commentary appeared on Thai Enquirer, an English-language news website.

The author of the commentary, Arun Saronchai, expressed disappointment that the prime minister appeared unwilling to reform or rein in Isoc, an army-affiliated body that has taken on a political role that goes beyond its original remit.

”The decision appears to be less about the effective use of state resources or the protection of democratic values and more about appeasing the military establishment,” the commentary said.

Mr Srettha, in an English-language response to his 358,000 followers on X, said the commentary was “misleading” and that he wanted to set the record straight.

“Dissolving Isoc was never a part of the Pheu Thai Party’s (PTP) policy, neither before, during nor after the election,” he wrote.

“However, the PTP and the PTP-led government intend to modernise the army and integrate it into the democratic process. We acknowledge that Isoc’s historical national security mission, dating back to the Cold War era, is no longer as relevant today. Under my administration, it is my duty to ensure that Isoc’s roles align with democratic values, upholding the rights and preserving the freedom of our citizens.

“We believe in incremental changes, particularly amid two decades of political ideological conflicts that Thailand has experienced. We do not choose a path of confrontation and destruction but rather a path of harmonising ideas and working for the benefit of the people. The continuity of governance through democratic elections is the essence of a lasting and peaceful democracy.

“Lastly, I am the Prime Minister from PTP, elected by the people and endorsed by the parliament. Please do not undermine the voice of the people. If I am only a puppet, I am a puppet of the people.”

The Move Forward Party is currently attempting to place a bill to dissolve Isoc before the House of Representatives, but Mr Srettha has said he does not support it.

An online public opinion survey conducted as part of the process showed some 72% of respondents opposed eliminating the agency, but a Move Forward MP said the survey was flawed.

Government says visa-free entry is helping to attract more high-potential visitors

Thailand welcomed more than 22 million foreign tourists over the past 10 months, with the government’s visa-free policy helping boost arrivals, according to government spokesman Chai Wacharonke.

Based on statistics collected to Oct 29, the top five source countries for tourists (in order) were Malaysia, China, South Korea, India and Russia, said Mr Chai.

Authorities believe the number of arrivals will increase further as a visa-free policy for nationals of many countries will attract visitors with high potential, said the spokesman.

Visitors from 64 countries can now enter the country visa-free for 30 days, after which they can apply for an extension of stay.

A visa exemption for visitors from China and Kazakhstan took effect on Sept 25 and will last until the end of February. On his recent visit to Beijing, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin told Chinese leaders he would like to make the policy permanent for their citizens.

This week the government announced that a visa exemption for visitors from India and Taiwan would take effect from Nov 10 to May 10.

According to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, there were 505,672 foreign tourists visited the country from Oct 23 to Oct 29. The figure was higher than expected due to an increase in flights, said Mr Chai.

Arrivals are expected to increase in the week from Oct 30 to Nov 5 as more Europeans arrive as their cold season is starting. The visa-free policy for Chinese and Kazakh tourists has also helped lift arrivals, he said.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand has set a full-year target of 25-28 million foreign visitors who will generate about 2.16 trillion baht in revenue, said the spokesman.

A record 40 million foreign travellers visited Thailand in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic shut down travel for more than two years.

The country welcomed 11.5 million foreign tourists last year but almost all of them came in the second half of the year after Covid curbs were lifted.

Move Forward parliamentarian pushing bill says survey was confusing and open to manipulation

A Move Forward Party MP has downplayed the results of an online public hearing on a draft bill seeking to dissolve the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc), saying it would not be relevant to the House’s deliberation of the proposed law.

Romadon Panjor, who submitted the bill in July, was referring to the findings of the online hearing posted on the parliament website. As of Tuesday, 45,696 people had taken part, with 72.2% disagreeing with the Isoc being closed via new legislation.

Mr Romadon said on Thursday that the result would have no legal binding on the effort to push for passage of the bill due to be debated in the House.

“The House of Representatives is empowered to enact laws, and public opinion will be taken into consideration in the process. [The gathering of public opinion] isn’t the same as a referendum,” he said.

He also said that it was possible that people were mobilised to participate in the survey to manipulate the outcome.

Mr Romadon said some questions were confusing because several respondents rejected the bill while at the same time suggesting that Isoc should be dissolved.

Moreover, participants could vote multiple times, which could make the findings unreliable, he added. 

Earlier, Mr Romadon said that because the House speaker deemed the bill to be financial legislation, the prime minister is authorised under Section 133 of the constitution to approve and then forward it to the House for debate.

The government has given a lukewarm response to the draft bill, with Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin insisting this week that he had no intention to push for Isoc’s closure.

Mr Srettha said in a post on X: “I’m not out to please the military, but I must put people’s interests before others. I’ve said it before — the agency will have to focus on development work, not just security deterrence.” 

The prime minister also said he was open to criticism and was aware that every organisation must adapt to change. However, he said, it does not mean dissolving an agency was the solution. 

Established in 1965, Isoc initially served as a key player in the struggle against communism. In 1969, it was converted into a command overseeing the country’s international security operations.

However, in recent years it has taken on roles that critics say are political in nature, especially under the previous military-dominated government when it was accused of helping to suppress pro-democracy activities.

Isoc has an annual budget estimated at 8 billion baht — bigger than some ministries — and while it can justify some degree of secrecy on national security grounds, its workings are still considered opaque.

Defence Minister Sutin Klungsang said on Thursday that abolishing an agency was easier said than done.

He also said the planned restructuring of the armed forces is still under review but insisted that by 2027, the number of generals is likely to be reduced by 20-30%.

Imitation guns found in Rat Burana warehouses destined for online and store sales

Police seized a large quantity of imitation guns in a raid on two warehouses in Rat Burana district of Bangkok on Thursday.

Armed with a warrant issued by the Thon Buri Criminal Court, officers from Consumer Protection Police Sub-Division 1 searched the warehouses the Bang Pakok area following reports that they had been used to store various kinds of imitation guns intended to be sold online and in shops.

Police found about 400 BB guns with various brand names and about 780 parts such as magazines and barrels, worth about 4 million baht in total.

The seized items were brought to the Consumer Protection Police Division for further examination. The investigation will be expanded to find those who were involved for legal action.

Authorities have stepped up their efforts to crack down on unauthorised weapons sales and close loopholes in the law following the shootings that claimed three lives at a Bangkok shopping mall on Oct 3.

The teenager arrested for the Siam Paragon shootings used a gun designed to shoot blanks that he had bought online. He subsequently had it modified to fire real bullets.

In the immediate aftermath of the Paragon tragedy, police staged a three-day nationwide blitz during which they seized more than 2,000 illegal guns and 75,000 bullets and arrested 1,593 suspects.

Authorities have also vowed to step up gun controls in order to reduce gun-related crime.

Suspect used hacked sites to display links to his illegal online sites

A hacker accused of breaking into at least 100 government websites has been arrested in the border district of Mae Sai in Chiang Rai, police said on Thursday.

The suspect, identified only as Warakorn, was caught as he was about to cross into Myanmar, said Pol Col Niphaphon Sukniyom, superintendent of Metropolitan Police Division 8 in Bangkok.

According to Pol Col Niphaphon, the suspect hacked many government websites and used them as the main domain for operating his illegal websites.

Typically, illegal websites are automatically blocked from Google search, while government agency websites can usually be found on the first page of search results.

By gaining access to the agencies’ websites, the hacker was able to exploit their prominence to advertise illegal websites. The illegal links were damaging to the agencies and also confused the public, said Pol Col Niphaphon.

To make matters worse, the investigation showed the suspect also opened bank accounts to receive money from the gangs that hired him to hack into the websites, he added.

Mr Warakorn was being detained for further questioning. Police have advised state agencies to regularly check their websites, especially those that have been dormant for some time, for any suspicious access.

If a website displays an illegal advertisement, it may have been hacked. The agencies should immediately address the problem or alert the authorities, said Pol Col Niphaphon.

Accused getaway driver caught but ‘Sia Paeng Na Nod’ still at large 10 days after fleeing hospital

Arrest warrants have been approved for two public servants in connection with aiding the escape of Chaowalit Thongduang, a prisoner who fled from a Nakhon Si Thammarat hospital on Oct 22.

Police were hunting the unidentified officials after the Nakhon Si Thammarat provincial court on Wednesday night approved the warrants. The pair were expected to turn themselves in to police in one or two days, a police source said on Thursday.

Chaowalit, 37, alias “Sia Paeng Na Nod”, was serving time for attempted murder when he escaped from the hospital on Oct 22. He had been taken there for dental treatment and was subsequently admitted after collapsing, citing severe leg pain. He remains at large.

On Tuesday, police arrested Sutiwas Khunnarong, 28, who is accused of driving the car that took Chaowalit from the hospital, in Ratchaburi province.

Sutiwas, alias Non Thung Lan, was taken to the Muang district police station in Nakhon Si Thammarat for questioning on Wednesday. He initially denied any involvement, but after intense questioning, he admitted to having abetted the escape.

He reportedly told police that he picked up the prisoner from the hospital and drove him away in a car. On the escape route, he switched to a pickup truck and dropped Chaowalit off in an area in the Banthat mountain range in Phatthalung province.

Police were planning to take Mr Sutiwas to the Maharat Nakhon Si Thammarat Hospital on Thursday to show how he helped the prisoner escape.

On Wednesday, a Songkhla provincial prosecutor whose name was not revealed filed a report with police after receiving a life-threatening letter from a friend of Chaowalit.

The letter, dated Oct 27, demanded the prosecutor return money to Chaowalit or he and his family would risk death.

The prosecutor denied personally knowing the runaway prisoner, adding that he had been transferred to work in Songkhla from the Office of Juvenile and Family Prosecution in Phatthalung in April.

Chaowalit was sentenced to 20 years and six months in jail last year by the Phatthalung Provincial Court for attempted murder in connection with an armed attack on police during an attempted abduction on Sept 2, 2019, in Phatthalung.

He began serving his sentence at Phatthalung Prison in January 2022 and was transferred to Nakhon Si Thammarat Prison on Aug 7 this year. He also faces multiple other criminal charges.

Court says police use of tear gas in 2008 showdown was an over-reaction

The Court of Appeal on Thursday upheld the Criminal Court’s decision to acquit 21 former members of the now-defunct People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) led by former media mogul Sondhi Limthongkul of criminal charges for laying siege to the parliament building in 2008.

The charges, filed in 2012, accused the defendants, including Mr Sondhi and 20 others, of causing unrest by leading a large number of demonstrators to lay siege to the parliament from Oct 5 to Oct 7, 2008, to obstruct then prime minister Somchai Wongsawat and his cabinet from delivering a policy statement. 

The charges included causing unrest in violation of Sections 116, 215, 216, 309, and 310 of the 2007 constitution, which the defendants denied.

After examining both the prosecution and defence witnesses, the Criminal Court on March 4, 2019, delivered a decision to acquit the defendants citing that the demonstrations had been peaceful and non-violent in compliance with Section 63 of the 2007 charter.

The court also ruled that use of tear gas by police to disperse the protesters on the morning of Oct 7 was unjustified.

The prosecution then forwarded the case to the Court of Appeal, which on Thursday upheld the lower court’s ruling.

Other defendants in the lawsuit are Pibhop Dhongchai, Somkiat Pongpaiboon (died), Maleerat Kaewka, Prapan Khoonmee, Somsak Kosaisuk, Suriyasai Katasila, Amorn Amornrattananon, Samran Rodphet, Sirichai Mai-ngam, Sawit Kaewwan, Pichit Chaimongkol, Amnat Palamee, Kittichai Saisa-ard, Prayuth Veerakitti, Suchart Srisang, Somboon Thongburan, Supapol Iammethawee, Anchalee Paireerak, Pichet Pattanachote and Veera Somkwamkid.

The violence on the morning of Oct 7 occurred when police fired tear gas at demonstrators to clear the way for Mr Somchai, who is the brother-in-law of deposed prime ministers Thaksin and Yingluck Shinawatra, to enter the parliament. The demonstrators responded with force, but they were not acting at the behest of the PAD leaders, who were not at the scene. 

Two people were killed and 381 others injured in the clash, which took place after the People Power Party, a reincarnation of Thaksin Shinawatra’s Thai Rak Thai Party, won the general election.

In 2017, the Supreme Court acquitted Mr Somchai and other executives of any wrongdoing in the clash with demonstrators of the PAD, also known as the Yellow Shirt movement.

People’s Alliance for Democracy co-leader Sondhi Limthongkul delivers a speech during an anti-government demonstration near Makkhawan Rangsan Bridge, Bangkok, in June 2008. (Photo: Sarot Meksophawannakul)