South-East Asia (Page 1,389)

Thaksin case leads to call for decisions to be placed in hands of independent body and courts

The opposition Democrat Party plans to propose a bill aimed at amending the 2017 Corrections Act to shift the job of approving prison sentence reductions and parole to an independent committee and the court.

Authority to do so is currently held by a parole committee from the Department of Corrections and the Ministry of Justice.

The government cannot deny its involvement in the controversial decision to grant parole to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, which has triggered a debate over whether he deserved early release, Democrat list-MP Jurin Laksanawisit said on Wednesday.

Thaksin, who never spent a single night behind bars, was among 930 prisoners approved for parole this month based on various criteria, Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong said recently. In Thaksin’s case, early release was granted because he was over age 70 and suffering from serious illnesses.

“The question is what have people gained from this government now that the ‘diva prisoner’ [Thaksin] has what he wants?” Mr Jurin said.

“The worst part of this [alleged privilege] is that it has sent the wrong message to the general public that corrupt people actually can get away with misconduct. This sin will stick with the Srettha government for eternity.”

The Democrat Party has proposed a bill to place the power of approving jail term reductions and parole in the hands of an independent committee and the court, he said.

Former election commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn, meanwhile, said the grounds cited to justify Thaksin’s early release on Sunday could be used against individuals or agencies involved in certifying the former premier’s health, which may be false.

He was referring to a press briefing conducted by Pheu Thai Party spokesman Danuporn Punnakan on Tuesday in response to growing questions as to how seriously ill Thaksin is.

Thaksin had Covid-19 on three occasions, which had resulted in him suffering from long Covid syndrome and his lungs are unable to fully function, said Mr Danuporn. He said he obtained the information about Thaksin’s health from Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Thaksin’s daughter and the Pheu Thai Party leader.

Thaksin has also been found to be suffering from cervical spondylosis, a type of degenerative disease that affects the neck, which explained why the ex-premier was seen wearing a neck collar, said the spokesman.

As well, the 74-year-old parolee has shoulder tendon degeneration for which he had surgery while staying at the Police General Hospital, said Mr Danuporn, adding that Thaksin still needs physical rehabilitation for a full year following that operation.

Election commission to decide whether to recommend party dissolution based on Constitutional Court ruling

The full text of the Constitutional Court’s ruling against the Move Forward Party has been submitted to the Election Commission, so it can now begin considering whether to recommend the party be dissolved, says lawyer Theerayut Suwankesorn.

Mr Theerayut brought the original complaint before the court, which ruled on Jan 31 that the party’s advocacy of amendments to the lese-majeste law represented an intention to undermine the constitutional monarchy.

He has now asked the EC to initiate dissolution proceedings against the main opposition party under Section 92 of the organic law on political parties.

The section states that if the EC has evidence pointing to a political party’s attempt to overthrow the constitutional monarchy, it must ask the Constitutional Court to consider dissolving the party and banning its executives from running in elections for 10 years.

With the text of the court ruling now at its disposal, the EC is expected to reach a decision within 90 days, he said.

Mr Theerayut said the EC need not summon members of the party to clarify the matter because the court has already received detailed information from former leader Pita Limjaroenrat, current leader Chaithawat Tulathon and security agencies.

The EC could request information from the court for its inquiry without summoning the Move Forward figures to testify, he added.

Mr Theerayut is best known for his defence of Suwit Thongprasert, formerly known as Phra Buddha Isara, an activist monk who was a key figure in the Bangkok Shutdown protests that led to the 2014 military coup.

In addition to monitoring the EC, the lawyer said he would be keeping a close watch on political groups whose activities are related to the proposal to amend the lese majeste law.

The Constitutional Court does not prohibit any attempt to amend the law but the process must be conducted through a proper legislative channel, he said.

He said he would also be monitoring the amnesty proposal that is being studied by a House committee amid a debate on whether it should cover violators of the royal defamation law.

In his opinion, lese-majeste offences are usually not rooted in political conflict, and he said he would use all possible legal measures if those who violate the law are granted amnesty.

Proposed by the ruling Pheu Thai Party, the study panel has eight cabinet representatives and 27 other figures from various parties. It has 60 days to complete its review.

Buri Ram man says he’s heard little news about eight still held captive

BURI RAM: The father of a Thai worker in Israel is demanding that the government negotiate for the release of his son who has been held captive by Hamas militants for nearly five months.

Wilas Tanna, 64, from tambon Ban Khu in Na Pho district, said on Wednesday that he is worried about the safety of his son Pongsak, 36, since he was captured after the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct 7 last year.

“It has been almost five months and my son has not been released,” he said. “I only have news from the government that my son is among the eight Thais who are still being held captive by Hamas and that they are all safe.

“I pray for his safety every night and for his return as soon as possible.”

Hamas took about 240 hostages of almost two dozen nationalities, including 31 Thais. A total of 23 Thais were subsequently freed during exchanges of hostages for prisoners held by Israel. About 110 hostages are still believed to be in captivity and some of them are believed to have died.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, about 29,900 Thai labourers were working in Israel before the Hamas attack. Since October, 9,697 workers have returned to Thailand. Thirty-nine Thais also died in the Hamas attacks.

Mr Wilas said no one knew why the release of the remaining eight Thai hostages was taking so long, or could say exactly when they would be freed.

He said he wanted the government to speed up negotiations for the sake of hostages’ safety.

Santi Boonprom, who was captured by Hamas and released in late November, and who is a neighbour of Mr Pongsak, said Mr Pongsak and he were held captive in different places. He has tried to contact everyone he knows in Israel to find out about those being held captive.

The Ministry of Labour says that so far it has paid compensation to 1,210 Thai workers who returned from Israel, or 60.5 million baht in total. The remaining compensation payments are expected to be made this month.

Chiang Rai art event expected to draw one million visitors by the time it ends in April

CHIANG RAI – The Ministry of Culture will promote art shows and similar events as a form of soft power to spur tourism and generate more income for people working in related industries.

Vice Minister Phonpoom Vipattipumiprates said the government would promote international art exhibitions like the Thailand Biennale, which opened in Chiang Rai on Dec 9 and will run until April 30, to add economic value to art and culture while inspiring the creativity of emerging artists.

The ministry, in conjunction with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, recently organised a trip to the Thailand Biennale for diplomats from 40 countries. They also visited royal projects in Northern Thailand to learn about the sufficiency economy philosophy, Mr Phonpoom said.

The Biennale is an international exhibition of contemporary art initiated by the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture under the Ministry of Culture. The event in Chiang Rai is the third edition following the success of events in Krabi in 2018 and Nakhon Ratchasima in 2021.

The next biennale will be held in Phuket in 2025, Mr Phonpoom said, adding that it would be much bigger than this year’s.

He said that almost 500,000 people have visited the exhibition venues at the Thailand Biennale Chiang Rai so far. The ministry expects double this number by the time the event ends.

“Inviting ambassadors to visit art exhibitions will create economic value because they will inform their nationals, boosting the chance their people will visit our country,” Mr Phonpoom said.

“As such, international art events will create more jobs for Thais and help their communities grow. When the Thailand Biennale is organised in Phuket in the next two years, it could make twice as much revenue.”

Animals offered for 2,500 baht each on Facebook page

A man accused of selling macaques on Facebook was arrested with one animal seized in Na Yong district of Trang on Wednesday.

Officers from the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Division police apprehended Wutthichai Tunrat, 26, in a sting operation. One live macaque was found inside a cage in his pickup truck.

He was charged with trading protected wildlife without permission and illegal possession of wild animals.

The arrest followed a complaint that macaques were being sold on the “Khon Rak Ling Kang Khuen Maphrao” (Macaques climing coconut tree lovers) Facebook page. The animals were sold for 2,500 baht each.

A police officer posing as a customer posted a message asking to buy one macaque. When Mr Wutthichai arrived at the arranged meeting place on Na Yong-Yan Ta Khao Road to deliver the animal, police showed up to arrest him.

During questioning, the suspect confessed to having possessed the animal but failed to produce the required paperwork. He later claimed that he found the macaque in a forest and captured it to sell for 2,500 baht.

The arresting team handed him over to officers at the Na Yong police station for legal action.

A macaque is seized from the suspect in Trang. (Photo supplied/Wongsathorn Pungsriwanich)