Another Sad Day of Thailand

Polices use force to remove protesters.

It's time to end corrupted police state and corrupted government.

The government in Thailand faces serious urban unrest

The government in Thailand faces serious urban unrest

Under siege

The government in Thailand faces serious urban unrest

WHEN Thailand’s controversial former prime minister, Thaksin
Shinawatra, fled to Britain this month with his wife, Potjaman, to
escape corruption cases against them, some Thais hoped that this would
bring down the temperature of the country’s three-year political
conflict. But an anti-Thaksin street-protest movement, the People’s
Alliance for Democracy (PAD), insisted that it would not give up until
it forced the resignation of the pro-Thaksin government, led by the
prime minister, Samak Sundaravej. On Tuesday August 26th tens of
thousands of PAD supporters stormed government buildings and a state
television station in Bangkok, in what the group’s leader, Sondhi
Limthongkul, billed as “judgment day”.

As night fell in Bangkok the protesters were still surrounding
Government House. Mr Samak gave a warning that his patience with them
was almost exhausted. But they ignored his demand that they get out of
the government compound. The police said they would be seeking a court
order on Wednesday to let them remove the protesters. Mr Sondhi, with
his usual bravado, said they would have to kill him first.

What happens next is hard to predict. Mr Sondhi has said things like
this before only for the protests to fizzle. Likewise, Mr Samak has
talked of using force to end demonstrations, only to back down. But if
the police do use force there is a danger of bloodshed. This may be the
PAD leaders’ intention, so as to provoke the army into staging another
coup, like the one in 2006 that removed Mr Thaksin.

The army chief, General Anupong Paochinda, insisted on Tuesday that
his troops would leave the matter to the police. But the army has
historically had a low tolerance for public disorder and sees itself as
having a duty to intervene in such situations, regardless of whether
this means removing an elected government. Two years ago General
Anupong’s predecessor, Sonthi Boonyaratglin, had kept repeating that
there would be no coup right up until the evening that he put tanks on
the streets to remove Mr Thaksin’s government.

Mr Thaksin’s Thai Rak Thai party was disbanded in May 2007 but
regrouped under the banner of the People’s Power Party (PPP). In
December last year, after 15 months of inept and increasingly unpopular
military government, the PPP won by far the most seats in a general
election, since when it has governed in coalition. Rural Thais, in
particular, expressed their continued appreciation to Mr Thaksin’s
party for being the first in Thai history to deliver policies that met
their needs, such as cheap health care and credit. This inclined them
to overlook the strong whiff of corruption that surrounded the Thaksin
government, and its abuses of power, most notably a 2003 “war on drugs”
in which the police were suspected of thousands of extra-judicial
killings.

Mr Samak is so far determined to resist the pressure and stay in
office. He has sought to build bridges with the army and the royalist
Bangkok establishment. He recently appointed as foreign minister Tej
Bunnag, a palace adviser seen as especially close to King Bhumibol. The
PAD gets its supporters to dress in yellow, the king’s colour, and
claims to be saving Thailand and the monarchy from the Thaksinites’
supposed republicanism—though no credible evidence of this has
surfaced. Some of its supporters are genuine liberals, angry at the
Thaksin government’s abuses and at the signs Mr Samak and his cabinet
are turning out to be little better. But the movement’s leaders are
deeply reactionary: the “new politics” that they have been preaching is
in fact a return to old, pre-democracy politics with a mostly unelected
parliament and powers for the army to intervene when it feels like it.

With not much sign of compromise so far, there is not only the risk of
bloody clashes between the PAD and the police, there is also the danger
that Mr Thaksin’s supporters will hit the streets to attack his
opponents. There was a foretaste of this in late July when Thaksin fans
armed with clubs and axes attacked a demonstration by his opponents in
the north-eastern city of Udon Thani, injuring around a dozen.
Unsurprisingly, Thailand’s stockmarket and currency have wilted in the
heat of a conflict that shows no sign of ending.

Source: http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11998386

Who is the real 'Revenue Department'? : Anand

Anand Panyarachun, chairman of the board of Siam Commercial Bank
(SCB), said the bank was ready to transfer Bt12 billion of the
Shinawatra children's money to the authorities if ordered to do so, but
meanwhile he is wondering who the actual Revenue Department is.



"We're ready to follow instructions from the authorities, but two
orders currently contradict each other. We need the authorities to tell
us exactly what to do," he said.

The Assets Examination
Committee (AEC) has ordered a freeze on Bt76 billion belonging to the
Shinawatra family, pending charges against ousted prime minister
Thaksin Shinawatra for alleged unusual wealth and abuse of power. In a
letter dated last Friday and signed by Revenue Department deputy
directorgeneral Asadang Srisupraphand, the department said it would
like the bank to transfer Bt12 billion to it in case it wins the tax
case against Panthongtae and Pinthongta.

Directorgeneral
Sanit Rangnoi was not in Thailand on the day the letter was sent to
SCB. He is believed to oppose asking for SCB to unlock the Shinawatras'
money.

Some local newspapers have speculated that if
Panthongtae and Pinthongta receive a favourable ruling from the Tax
Appeal Committee, they can get their money back from the Revenue
Department if SCB releases it.

"If you have any problem,
you can ask [directorgeneral Sanit], because right now I also don't
know who the real Revenue Department is. You must ask the
directorgeneral of the Revenue Department, not me," Anand told
reporters.

Meanwhile, to play it safe SCB will continue to
freeze Panthongtae and Pinthongta's deposits. The board met yesterday
to consider the legalities of the case and will meet again on Thursday.
It has also asked for legal opinions from the National Counter
Corruption Commission, the Administrative Court and the Office of the
AttorneyGeneral.

Revenue Department spokesman Satit
Rangkasiri was assigned by Sanit to come out and speak. Satit said by
asking SCB to release Panthongtae and Pinthongta's frozen assets, it
was following tax law.

"If we don't proceed as tax law requires us to, we could be held responsible for failing to do our duty," said Satit.

The
department wants to treat each taxpayer equally, as per its usual
practice. If the department did not seek release of the frozen assets,
a tax penalty of 1.5 per cent a month would accrue to the two
taxpayers, he said.

He said the department would wait for an answer from SCB before deciding on its next move.

http://nationmultimedia.com/2008/08/26/politics/politics_30081429.php

Protesters try to seize NBT station on Vipavadi road

Protesters block entrance of National Broadcasting Telelvision station on Vipavadi Rangsit Road on Tuesday.

Police detained on Tuesday a group of protesters who tried to seize an NBT television station on on Vipavadi Rangsit Road.

The attempt took place at about 5.30am when there are a few staffs of the NBT at that moment.

The group, comprising about 20 men, covered their faces with black pieces of cloths and dressed in black t-shirt and jeans.

Two NBT television hosts said in a news television programme at
about 6.10am that police found a handgun and long knives from the group.

The group also broke a glass door in their way to go to the
station's building. They separated into several groups and went into
the station. NBT staffs were told to leave the office.

Police are interrogating the group. One of them was Nitirat
Sapsomboon. Police brought the protesters who had weapons to a police
station while searching for protesters who might hide in the office.

Main protest will go to the Government House where Samak Cabinet will meet in its weekly meeting.

http://nationmultimedia.com/2008/08/26/politics/politics_30081473.php

Is Pojaman seeking asylum overseas?

Education Minister Somchai
Wongsawat, brother-in-law of the former premier Thaksin Shinawatra,
said yesterday he didn't believe Thaksin and Pojaman would flee
overseas, but he said he never talked to them about their plans.

"They are Thai people so they must live in Thailand. Why do they have
to seek asylum? I am confident they will not seek asylum," said
Somchai, who is also a deputy prime minister.

Khunying
Pojaman, wife of the former PM, flew to China with her adopted brother
and secretary on Tuesday amid rumours they would seek "political
asylum" abroad.

Pojaman, Bhanapot Damapong and Kanchanapa
Honghern quietly left Thailand at 10.40am from Suvarnabhumi Airport in
Bangkok to Beijing on Tuesday.

They were seen to carry several bags with them. Some of her three children broke down in tears as they saw her off.

Reports
have been rife that they would flee abroad after the Criminal Court
sentenced the Pojaman, her brother and secretary to three years jail
after finding them guilty of seeking to avoid paying tax of Bt546
million on a share deal in the late 1990s.

The Supreme
Court's Criminal Division for Political Office-Holders has summonsed
both Thaksin and Pojaman, who are defendants in a trial over the
purchase of a prized block of land on Ratchadaphisek, to give final
testimony Monday.

So there is renewed interest over
whether the pair, particularly Pojaman, will return for the case. The
court is due to give its verdict on the Ratchada case on Sept 16.

Thaksin
has been expected to return from China on Sunday. He flew to Japan on
August 1 to give a special lecture, and was reportedly due to attend
the opening of the Olympic Games in Beijing, today.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/topstory/read.php?newsid=30080063