CrazyExpat

The ladyboys of Thailand rejoice as the junta announces that the new plans for the constitution will include protections and recognition for Thailand's ladyboys. This will be one of only a few countries to do such a great thing in the constitution.

Thai authorities are discussing whether the exemption of visa fees for Chinese tourists should be re-introduced, said Deputy Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai on Friday. He was referring to exemption of Bt1,000-visa fee for Chinese tourists between August and October 2014 in a bid to boost tourism. Don said that last year was a pilot project and it is found that tour agencies still charged the tourists for the fee despite the fact that the sum was already exempted, Don said. Therefore, the tourists were not benefitted from the privilege, Don said, adding visa exemption is different from free visa. The latter involved the national security that both countries have to discuss. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Thailand-ponders-visa-fee-waiver-for-Chinese-touri-30252043.html

In Targeting Ex-Premier, Thai Junta Takes a Risk BANGKOK — After months of claiming to be an honest broker in this deeply divided country, Thailand’s military junta swung decisively to the side of the conservative Bangkok establishment on Friday, imposing a five-year ban from politics on a former prime minister who is detested by the elites but loved in the provinces. The junta also announced that the former prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, who was overthrown by the military in May, would be indicted on a charge of criminal negligence, which could lead to a 10-year prison sentence. The decision to aggressively pursue Ms. Yingluck risks prolonging what has already been a lost decade of street protests, two military coups and bloodshed on the streets of Bangkok. It also revives a power struggle that has reduced Thai economic growth to near zero. Bitter recriminations and cynicism about the military’s intentions that had been muted since the coup quickly resurfaced Friday after the junta’s legislative assembly voted 190 to 18 to impeach Ms. Yingluck. The impeachment carries a five-year ban from politics. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/24/world/asia/in-impeaching-ex-premier-junta-revives-thailands-divisions.html

Former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra promised a good fight on Friday to prove her innocence and return justice and democracy to Thailand. "Democracy has died in Thailand today, along with the rule... The former premier took to Facebook to offer her reaction to Friday's vote to impeach her after the National Council for Peace and Order requested her "cooperation" in cancelling a planned press conference... "The move to destroy me is still on-going and I face it now," she wrote. "(But) I am strongly determined to fight until the end to prove my innocence, regardless of what the outcome may be." http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/459586/yingluck-vows-to-fight-on-for-justice-democracy.

Since 1932, when the absolute monarchy was abolished, Thailand has had 25 general elections and 19 coups d'état, 12 of them successful. In terms of regime changes, I suppose this makes Thailand a democracy by a slim margin. "Many forms of government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe," Winston Churchill told the British House of Commons in 1947. "Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms." He might have added that democracy is only better than all those other forms of government when people accept the results. It is in the nature of elections that not everyone likes the outcome. There are winners and losers, and sometimes the winners are people with troubling views and backgrounds. The month of May gave us two cases in point — the victory in India of Narendra Modi, a former state governor whose role in the massacre of Muslims in Gujarat in 2002 is still open to question; and the election a few days later of numerous candidates with bigoted, jingoistic platforms to the European Parliament. http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/thailand-s-19th-coup-underscores-country-s-fatal-flaw-1.2658846

ABC's South-East Asia correspondent Samantha Hawley has been covering the political and civil unrest in Thailand that culminated in the military coup last week. She was granted a rare interview with army spokesman Colonel Werachon Sukondhapatipak, amid increasing attacks on journalists and free speech. In a rare interview, the spokesman for Thailand's ruling military told the ABC a coup was necessary to prevent civil war. I must say I was surprised when the army colonel agreed to a one-on-one interview. After all Thailand's army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha has spent the past week cracking down on freedom of speech and freedom of press across Thailand. I don't tend to read the local English newspapers anymore to find out what is really going on in Thailand. Self-censorship is now rife across all media outlets. Of course, the ruling junta can't censor the large number of foreign journalists who live in Bangkok and who have travelled to the capital to cover the return to military rule. But they can try. The new ruling general moved quickly to shut off international broadcasters. The BBC and CNN were first to be taken off air and then Australia Network followed. Ironically, that service will be removed for good because of funding cuts within a month anyway. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-05-30/not-all-coverage-unwelcome-as-thai-junta-cracks-down-on-press/5490694

Thailand, once prized in Southeast Asia for its relative economic stability, is in danger of inheriting the “Sick Man of Asia” tag. The latest coup by the military to end a stalemate between Yingluck Shinawatra’s government and its opponents threatens to send investors scurrying to other countries in the region. The economies of Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines are expected to grow more than 5 percent this year, while Thailand, whose gross domestic product shrank by 0.6 percent in the first quarter, may fall into a recession. Credit Suisse Group (CS) recently forecast that Thai stocks will underperform other markets in the region for one to three years, saying the May 22 “coup leaves investors little reason to stay.” Moody’s Investors Service (MCO) estimated that economic growth could drop 2 to 3 percentage points from its precrisis 4.5 percent if the political instability lasts for a year. Other Asian economies are becoming more attractive. In Indonesia, pro-business candidate Joko Widodo is the front-runner in the July presidential vote; the Philippines is forecast to report its ninth straight quarter of 6 percent-plus growth; and Vietnam is taking steps to loosen its grip on state enterprises. “Countries like Vietnam and the Philippines are snapping at its heels and may overtake Thailand,” says Frederic Neumann, co-head of Asian economic research at HSBC Holdings (HSBC) in Hong Kong. “The constant change in leadership and policy,” he says, is “taking a cumulative toll on Thailand’s economy.” http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-05-29/thailands-coup-may-send-investors-to-its-asian-neighbors

Tourism chiefs in Thailand wept into their Singha beers last week as army chief General Prayuth Chan-Ocha took control of the country and suspended the constitution, two days after declaring martial law. For years, Thailand has been known as the “teflon economy” for its ability to shrug off political instability, but this time around, the economic backdrop to the military coup is considerably more downbeat than during previous coups. During the day, before the 10pm curfew comes into force, Thais go about their normal business in Bangkok. Young women take “selfies” at the military roadblocks on the city’s major intersections and an eerie normality prevails. But the numbers tell a more depressing tale. South-east Asia’s second-largest economy unexpectedly shrank in the first quarter from a year earlier, according to data issued last week, after anti-government protests that began in late October emptied hotels, scared off foreign investment and paralysed state spending. http://www.irishtimes.com/business/economy/thailand-s-tourism-industry-a-victim-of-military-coup-1.1809510

It was the most social-media savvy coup in Thailand. And for a country with one of the largest number of coup attempts in the world, 19 in total, since 1932, it was quite a feat. The men in uniform are trying to get with the times. Perhaps they learned from Turkey’s Erdogan that they could block social media sites like Twitter and YouTube and still win an election. Or perhaps they underestimated how shutting down Twitter had backfired on Tunisia’s Ben Ali and helped fuel more protests. Either way, the Thai military thought the coup had to be carried out properly: on the ground and in cyberspace. First things first: why was there a military takeover? The military felt after seven months of unrest in Thailand between the pro- and anti-government groups and with little to no sign of a “compromise” among warring elites, that they needed to take control of the situation. Under the leadership of the army chief, General Prayuth Chan-ocha, they first declared martial law on May 20, then followed with a complete takeover on May 22. Gen. Prayuth now acts as an interim prime minister and has abolished the 2007 constitution. Unprecedented in Thailand’s coup history was the military’s extent of media engagement. For the first time ever, the martial law declaration was announced through its Twitter account, @ArmyPR_News, and its new Facebook home, National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), the official name of the military government. This makes sense considering that 96 percent of Thais with Internet access use Facebook. So when the NCPO announced its coup, social media served as a key platform. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2014/05/27/thailands-cybercoup/

Shortly before he was held, Chaturon Chaisaeng told the BBC he believed the coup would be a disaster for Thailand. But the former education minister said he had no intention of going underground or mobilising resistance. On Monday the coup leaders consolidated their legal hold on the country after receiving the endorsement of the king. The military seized power in the South East Asian nation last week, saying it planned to return stability to Thailand after months of unrest. The move followed six months of political deadlock as protesters tried to oust the government of Yingluck Shinawatra. At least 28 people were killed and several hundred injured over the course of the protests. But the coup - which removed an elected government - has drawn widespread international criticism. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-27585297

Thailand’s military junta said Monday that it would stay in power “indefinitely” and that its rule had been endorsed by King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the monarch for nearly seven decades who has semidivine status in the country. Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, who overthrew the elected government on Thursday, said during a news conference that the military would create a “genuine democracy” but gave no time frame for doing so. “It will depend on the situation,” he said, before hastily leaving a podium as he was questioned by reporters. Amid small but daily protests against the coup, General Prayuth warned that the junta would become “more strict” if resistance continued. King Bhumibol is above criticism both by tradition and law; insulting him, the queen or the crown prince is punishable by up to 15 years’ imprisonment under a law that has been broadly interpreted by the authorities in recent years. The military said over the weekend that all lèse-majesté cases would now be heard in military courts. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/27/world/asia/thailand.html?hp

Coup leader Prayuth Chan-ocha dissolves the Senate to take full control of lawmaking authority and sacks national police chief, along with the head of the DSI and the defense permanent secretary. The Senate was dissolved on Saturday evening and more senior officials including the national police chief removed as coup leader Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha consolidated power. The dissolution of the Senate means that all parliamentary authority now rests with the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) headed by the army chief. Gen Prayuth announced that he had taken over the authority of the House and the Senate for the time being in case any actions required parliamentary approval. The NCPO also announced on Saturday evening that Pol Gen Adul Saengsingkaew had been moved to an inactive post in the Prime Minister's Office. Also moved to inactive posts were Tarit Pengdith, the head of the Department of Special Investigation, and Nipat Thonglek, the permanent secretary of the Defence Ministry. Both men had been seen as loyalists to the ousted government and former premier Thaksin Shinawatra. http://bangkokpost.com/news/local/411568/prayuth-takes-total-control

In recent months, the F-word has been gaining currency in Thailand: observers are increasingly using "fascist" to describe the goals and methods of those determined to bring down the elected government, which is clinging to power despite a series of blows from its opponents in the courts and on the streets. The army's declaration of martial law in the early hours of Tuesday – without consulting the government – further undermines the embattled administration and the kingdom's fragile democracy. Under the Martial Law Act of 1914, military commanders now have wide-ranging powers to detain suspects, censor the media, impose curfews and prohibit public gatherings. Fourteen television stations have been taken off the air, and the Bangkok Post reported on Wednesday that the military was "restricting comments on TV and in the print media by prohibiting remarks that could confuse society or provoke violence". There were also reports that books on Thai politics had been taken off the shelves at some shops. This was a clearly a coup in all but name, and it was greeted with deep concern by the international community. As Brad Adams of Human Rights Watch said, "Thailand's friends in the world's capitals should make it clear that they expect this de facto coup to be reversed immediately." The causes of the bitter conflict tearing Thailand apart are complex, and civil war remains a strong possibility. The army justified the imposition of martial law by claiming it was necessary to restore order amid heightened tensions and fears that rival groups would clash in the streets. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/21/stand-up-thailand-fragile-democracy-civil-war

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OViGpnZgpSU#t=17

Thailand's army chief says the military has taken over control of the country to help restore order and push through political reform. Gen. Prayuth Chan-Ocha made the announcement in a televised statement late Thursday. The statement followed a second day of crisis talks Thursday with rival political parties, as a state of martial law continues across the country. Prayuth declared martial law Tuesday, saying it was necessary to prevent violence and end a months-old political deadlock. http://www.voanews.com/content/crisis-talks-continue-in-thailand/1919959.html

Japan stated that it has "grave concerns" over the state of affairs in Thailand. Why should this matter? They are Thailand's biggest investors. The upheaval from 7 months of protesting as well as the military declaring martial law may put the fragile economy into even more dire straights.

The United Kingdom has officially unveiled a new and improved visa centre in the Thai capital, aiming to facilitate an increasing number of visa applicants with a wider range of services. Paul Bute, Chargé d’Affaires of the British Embassy, together with Australian Ambassador James Wise and a senior official of VFS Global jointly presided at the inauguration of the Australia & UK Visa Application centre on Wednesday. - See more at: http://www.pattayamail.com/news/new-uk-visa-application-centre-in-bangkok-inaugurated-37700#sthash.QztOfNfb.dpuf The United Kingdom has officially unveiled a new and improved visa centre in the Thai capital, aiming to facilitate an increasing number of visa applicants with a wider range of services. Paul Bute, Chargé d’Affaires of the British Embassy, together with Australian Ambassador James Wise and a senior official of VFS Global jointly presided at the inauguration of the Australia & UK Visa Application centre on Wednesday. - See more at: http://www.pattayamail.com/news/new-uk-visa-application-centre-in-bangkok-inaugurated-37700#sthash.QztOfNfb.dpuf The United Kingdom has officially unveiled a new and improved visa centre in the Thai capital, aiming to facilitate an increasing number of visa applicants with a wider range of services. Paul Bute, Chargé d’Affaires of the British Embassy, together with Australian Ambassador James Wise and a senior official of VFS Global jointly presided at the inauguration of the Australia & UK Visa Application centre on Wednesday. - See more at: http://www.pattayamail.com/news/new-uk-visa-application-centre-in-bangkok-inaugurated-37700

PATTAYA – May 17, 2014 [PDN]; at Thapphraya meeting, Pattaya City Administration, Pol.Col. Supphachai Phuikaewkham (Superintendent of Pattaya city police station, Chonburi province) chaired a meeting on May, 2014 in order to provide a policy to all the police officers about suppressing crime in Pattaya city. Then the chairman of the meeting provided a policy of monitoring and taking care of the security of 62 foreign attendees who will come to attend the APFSD meeting during May 19-21, 2014 at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort, Pattaya city, which includes 3 leaders of 3 countries and 3 ministers. The chairman of the meeting also stated that the police are to perform their duties strictly and to stop any adverse incidents occurring to the attendees especially the country leaders. Also the superintendent of Pattaya city police talked about suppressing crime especially gambling dens and narcotics. He also said they need to find ways to solve the problems of stealing and snatching property which are difficult problems to be solved. However, the superintendent asked for the cooperation of every police officer to assist to solve the problems in order to prevent such adverse incidents occurring while the APFSD meeting is taking place in order to set a good image of Pattaya city. http://www.pattayadailynews.com/pattaya-news/2014/05/19/superintendent-of-pattaya-police-orders-crime-suppression/

Coach Paul relocated to Northern Thailand from Brunei where he lived for five years and taught at the Panaga Stingrays Swimming Club, which conducted over 1000 swimming lessons a week to babies, children and adults. His advanced certifications from Swim Australia and Austswim qualify him as a coach for babies, toddlers, youth, adults, competitive swimmers and the disabled. He also retains the credentials to train the trainers to receive their own qualifications. Coach Paul is now available to conduct daytime classes at the Prem Tinsulanonda International School. Lessons will take place at Prem’s year-round, outdoor, Olympic-sized swimming pool. His programme offerings include a vast range to meet all levels of swimmers: Private lessons (4 per class), Youth and Adult Learn to swim, Baby and Toddler swimming, Stroke correction, Squad training, swim teacher/coach training and master swimming. For more information about rates and scheduling, please contact Coach Paul at swimcoach@ptis.ac.th. http://www.chiangmaicitynews.com/news.php?id=3821

Tourists who can genuinely prove they are traveling in Thailand for tourism purposes will be allowed re-entry to Thailand after the August 13th immigration law change date. “Genuine tourists are fine.” Lt Gen Pharnu Kerdlarpphon “All [tourists] have to do is prove at the border checkpoints that they really are tourists by presenting evidence…” This evidence includes travel itineraries, hotel bookings, tour bookings or any other form of document that can verify their travel in the country is as a genuine tourist. The change in rules at the borders which will come into effect on August 13th, are in place to prevent the abuse of the Visa-exemption re-entry stamps that many foreigners acquire to remain in Thailand to work. The visa is meant for tourists only. If any foreigner is found illegally working on a tourist visa they will be deported from Thailand and banned for five years under the new plans. The plans are said to target Russians, South Koreans, Chinese and Vietnamese nationalities, who allegedly abuse the system the most. http://www.chiangmaicitynews.com/news.php?id=3863

The latest US State Department report on the issue of global human trafficking, known as Trafficking In Persons Report, has the potential to severely affect Thai-US relations depending on the results revealed next month. Thailand now faces the possibility of ranking lower than ever before on the report, which could ultimately mean facing trade sanctions from the US government – a move which could restrict international trade and weaken the Thai economy. For the past four years, Thailand has been allowed to remain on the Tier 2 Watch List, which means it is a nation that does not meet the minimum standards set by the US State Department, but is still considered to be making an effort. Now, US and Thai officials are concerned that Thailand may slip to a Tier 3 country, alongside North Korea and the Central African Republic, as little evidence of anti-trafficking progress has been offered to US authorities. However, in practice, the United States is highly unlikely to sanction its old ally Thailand, but the sheer embarrassment of such a massive failure might spur some renewed action against human trafficking in the region. In March this year, Thailand submitted its 2013 report on its trafficking record to the US State Department, with the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs saying the country had made “significant progress” in fighting human trafficking in last year. However, the document failed to include Rohingya people despite Reuters investigations in three countries that publicly highlighted the lucrative trafficking and mistreatment of up to 40,000 Rohingya people. The Reuters investigations prompted the US State Department and the United Nations to embark on their own investigations into the findings, with many US lawmakers calling on President Barack Obama to punish countries where little is being done to combat human trafficking, such as Thailand and Myanmar. After the blunder, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, “We have not found that the Rohingya are victims of human trafficking.” The report claims that the Rohingya are not victims of trafficking, but rather of “smuggling”. http://www.chiangmaicitynews.com/news.php?id=3781

Today, an estimated 500,000 people in Thailand are living with HIV/AIDS, and rates are rising among young people. Last year, the country’s most prominent HIV/AIDS awareness campaign leader, Mechai Viravaidya, warned that the country was facing a renewed crisis, thanks in large part to a lack of sex education for young people and high rates of unprotected sex. Unfortunately, many are living with and potentially spreading the virus without even knowing it, which is why getting tested is so important. “In Chiang Mai there are many places to get tested but few have the kind of friendly service that makes people feel calm and relaxed,” says Witthiphan Champa, Project Coordinator for the Chiang Mai Buddy Station Health Unit Centre, a new clinic that just opened this past February and a powerful new tool in Thailand’s fight against the deadly virus. Buddy Station will provide HIV and syphilis testing as well as full counselling services for men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender (TG). Services are free and all information remains confidential. The project is backed by local charity organisation, Caremat which has been dedicated to supporting, promoting and providing understanding and knowledge for and about gay and transgender people since 2003, with a specific focus on healthcare for those living with HIV. http://www.chiangmaicitynews.com/news.php?id=3854

The General today declared Martial Law after nearly 20 people have been killed in recent violence. He said, he wanted to assure the people that this is not a military coup. http://bangkokpost.com/news/local/410719/army-invokes-martial-law Thailand's army declared martial law on Tuesday to restore order after six months of anti-government protests which have left the country without a proper functioning government, but the move did not constitute a coup, military officials said. The caretaker government was still in office, said deputy army spokesman Colonel Winthai Suvari, following the surprise announcement on television at 3 a.m. (09.00 p.m. BST Monday). "This martial law is just to restore peace and stability, it has nothing to do with the government. The government is still functioning as normal," Winthai told Reuters. Thailand has been stuck in political limbo since Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and nine of her ministers were dismissed on May 7 after a court found them guilty of abuse of power. An acting prime minister has since taken over. http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2014/05/19/world/asia/19reuters-thailand-protests-martial.html?hp

As unrest in Bangkok mounts this week, investors and credit agencies are increasingly wary of Thailand’s prospects. Two separate incidents on Thursday have exacerbated the political quagmire engulfing Thailand. Early in the morning, protesters attacked anti-government groups with guns and a grenade at the Democracy Monument near the People’s Democratic Reform Committee at Kokwua Intersection in Bangkok. The attacks left three dead and 22 wounded. Additionally, acting Prime Minister Miwattumrong Boonsongpaisan was forced to flee an airport compound while holding meetings with election officials because anti-government protesters had stormed the premises. The military is seeking to reassert its control over the capital and quell protest violence before it completely derails Thailand’s tenuous political predicament. With former caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra having been removed by the Constitutional Court in a controversial ruling over an abuse of power, her ruling Pheu Thai Party is desperate to ensure national elections still take place on July 20th. Following Thursday’s attacks, military spokesman Colonel Winthai Suvari gave the army’s most explicit warning since political protests erupted last year. According to the Bangkok Post, he said that “attackers [must] immediately stop using violence against people, otherwise the army could be forced to end the violence ‘in full force’ to maintain law and order.” The Thai Senate – half of which is appointed and half elected – said in a Thursday meeting that it had agreed with top government and military officials that the constitution allowed for the Senate to appoint an interim government given the current impasse. The Senate is expected to suggest a solution on this topic later today, and Boonsongpaisan has agreed to meet with the Senate tomorrow to discuss the crisis. http://thediplomat.com/2014/05/thailands-economy-no-longer-protest-proof/

Thailand’s army chief has warned that troops could step in and use force to restore order after a day in which three people were killed and the country’s prime minister was forced to flee after being besieged by protesters. Election officials said it was unlikely an election fixed for July could proceed. On a day during which the country slipped further towards chaos, Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha issued a statement urging calm and requesting an end to the violence. “I want to warn every group - especially those who use violence and war weapons against innocent civilians - to stop now because if the violence continues the military may be needed to come out to restore peace and order,” he said. The general’s statement came after three anti-government protesters were killed and more than 20 injured when unidentified gunmen opened fire at a camp close to Bangkok’s Democracy Monument in the early hours of Thursday. Later, Prime Minister Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan was forced to rush out of a meeting with election officials after anti-government protesters broke into the grounds of an air force base where the meeting was taking place. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/thailand-unrest-army-chief-warns-troops-could-step-in-9379196.html