International focus on Netiporn

According to Variety, the “Clooney Foundation for Justice, the human rights campaign group established by George and Amal Clooney, has petitioned the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention over the death in custody of Thai activist Netiporn “Bung” Sanesangkhom.”

The Foundation is “seeking remedies for violations of Netiporn’s rights, including reparations for her family and, more broadly, an opinion from the Working Group urging Thailand to stop misusing detention to stifle criticism of the monarchy.”

One of the Foundation’s experts, David J. Scheffer, says “Thailand’s lèse majesté law is a blunt instrument of oppression against Thai citizens exercising their rights, under international law, of freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and freedom from arbitrary detention…”.

He adds:

There is much work to be done now to challenge the vagueness and misguided enforcement of the lèse majesté law and to ensure that Thailand does not obtain membership in the UN Human Rights Council until it protects fundamental human rights, which it so woefully failed to do in Netiporn’s case… Netiporn’s tragic death should be a wake-up call both to the Thai government, which should finally heed calls for reforming its lèse majesté law, and to the international community.

The report also states that the Foundation is “monitoring a case in which a defendant is facing charges simply for repeating the UN’s views of the lèse majesté law.”

A warning from Pita

In amongst all of the establishment types turmoil about reform, Move Forward’s Pita Limjaroenrat, Thailand’s most popular politician has added to their worries.

In an interview with The Financial Times, Pita said that the “threatened dissolution of his party would ‘turbocharge’ the progressive movement seeking to challenge the country’s military-royalist elite.” He looked back at what had happened following the dissolution of Future Forward, where a youthful and progressive movement/s sprang up to challenge the establishment and confront the monarchy.

That scared the establishment, with the king seemingly giving up his idea of working from home in Germany. The throne was shaken by the events following the Future Forward decision.

With the politicized Constitutional Court due to meet on the dissolution of Move Forward, we can be pretty sure its members are in a huddle and conferring with higher-ups on what their decision could mean.

The ruling elite/ruling class/establishment/royalists/military know they are likely to face further challenge. What do they have planned?

Updated: Burning arches 112

Thai Lawyers for Human Rights reports on more 112 convictions, this time for Thalu Fah activists.

On 30 May 30 2024 the Criminal Court sentenced Mickey Bang (real name withheld), 24, and Chitrin Phalakantrong, 27, aka Karim on 112 charges. These members of Talu Fah were accused of burning an arch set up to “honor” the king and queen. The arch was on an overpass in front of Rachawinit Mathayom School. They were also accused of torching a traffic light control booth at Nang Loeng intersection during a rally marking the 15th anniversary of the 2006.

Clipped from TLHR

A third defendant, Sinburi Saenkla, 27, aka Max, was accused of burning the traffic control booth, conspiring to set fire to property, conspiring to cause damage to property, and violating the Emergency Decree.

The court sentenced Mickey Bang to 5 years and 10 days in prison on 112, burning the traffic booth and violating the Emergency Decree. Chitrin got 3 years and 10 days on 112 and for violating the Emergency Decree. Sinburi caught 2 years and 10 days for arson and violating the Emergency Decree.

All three were later granted bail pending appeals.

Update: Prachatai has provided details on these convictions.

Updated: The king and Thaksin

Joshua Kurlantzick and Pavin Chachavalpongpun have an op-ed at the Council on Foreign Relations blog titled “Has the King of Thailand Split With Thaksin?” It follows this question with an answer: “The king of Thailand had seemingly allied with Thailand’s most powerful civilian politician, Thaksin Shinawatra. Now, the alliance may be collapsing—again showing the vast, hidden power of the Thai monarchy.”

In earlier times

This is a (very slightly) different take on the stories about Thaksin’s lese majeste case being the establishment’s reigning-in of a politician who has been long known for his headstrong decisions and directions. The difference is that it guesses about the king’s role.

There isn’t much that is new in the Kurlantzick and Pavin story, and this sums it up:

The growing insecurity of the monarchy is no longer caused only by the Move Forward Party. Thaksin’s political resurgence is now reminding the royal establishment that he, once back in Thailand, is charismatic and potentially popular enough to challenge the monarchy’s power, as he did at the height of his popularity in the early 2000s. Therefore, it seems possible that pro-monarchy elites, and possibly the king, are using their judicial power to block Thaksin’s political resurgence. Lèse-majesté continues to serve as a vital political weapon for the Thai political elite.

It would be good to know what accounts for the monarchy’s “growing insecurity.” The establishment’s insecurity is probably due to the fact that a growing plurality of Thais are supporting reformist Move Forward. And the die-hard anti-Thaksinistas are probably reminding those who did the deal with Thaksin and Puea Thai that their strategy to steal the election has not worked.  Puea Thai languishes way below Move Forward in polls. Even Thaksin’s return has not been reflected in the polls and figurehead Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has proven insipid and has publicly displayed absurdly supine behavior before the Shinawatra clan.

As we have hinted at here and here, the establishment is split on how to defeat the reformists. Part of the reason for the split is likely to be division on how best (for the establishment) to deal with Move Forward at the Constitutional Court. Meanwhile, the palace seems distracted by succession issues.

Update: For another, more detailed, take on the current turmoil within the establishment, see this report.

“Good news” – you think?

For some reason the Bangkok Post has headlined a pretty standard heading-to-impunity story as “Good news.”

By heading-to-impunity we mean that the story is about the “standard” delaying tactics officials use to avoid responsibility.

The report is about the death in custody of Netiporn Sanesangkhom. Readers will recall that the Department of Corrections has been delaying for some time on handing over CCTV footage of her (mis)treatment.

The Post report reckons that it is “good news” that CCTV footage of the treatment of Netiporn … by the Medical Correctional Institute (MCI) may be made available if the late activist’s mother formally requests it…”. This “good news” gets more “treatment” when the MCI acknowledges that the

The MCI said that even though the Ministry of (In)Justice “had approved the release of the footage,” the MCI  found “regulations found restrictions exist that govern who can gain access to such information.”

A parliamentary committee has now “suggested Netiporn’s mother exercise her rights under the Information Act by requesting access to the footage through a lawyer.” So the “good news” is that the family may use a bureaucratic device that is regularly stalled, delays, lost, ignored…

Stop 112 repression

From the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights, with quotes by “APHR Member and Malaysian Member of Parliament Syerleena Abdul Rashid responding to the sentencing of Thai MP Chonthicha … Jangrew to two years imprisonment for allegedly defaming the monarchy during a rally in 2021”:

“We are deeply disappointed by the decision to sentence Chonthicha “Lookkate” Jangrew to two years imprisonment merely for peacefully expressing her political opinions at a public rally. Criticizing government policy is not and should never be grounds for criminalization.”

“We urge the Thai government to prove its commitment to strengthen Thai democracy by upholding freedom of expression, association, and assembly. The first step should be to review and revise Section 112 of the Criminal Code, the Computer Crime Act, and all other overly-broad and restrictive laws that are used as a political weapon to stifle criticism and dissent.”

“We further urge the Thai authorities to drop the charges against Lookkate and all other similar charges against activists, human rights defenders, and opposition politicians.”

The establishment’s work

It has been a couple of days of remarkable action. Lese majeste convictions, bail for hunger strikers, and royal nonsense. As we noted in a previous post, we have a feeling that all of this action has something to do with some splits in the establishment.

This becomes clearer with a couple of other legal decisions. The first is the expected dismissal of sedition charges against four leaders of the People’s Democratic Reform Committee, the royalist-establishment cabal that, with the military’s intervention, brought down Yingluck Shinawatra’s elected Puea Thai government.

The four are Sontiyan Chuenreuthainaidhama, an executive of extremist Top News, former rector of the National Institute of Development Administration and royalist Sombat Thamrongthanyawong, failed academic and royalist Seri Wongmontha, and military supporter Sakoltee Phattiyakul, a former Bangkok MP for the failed Democrat Party.

Given that other PDRC leaders, among them former Democrat Party minister Suthep Thaugsuban, were all tried and acquitted, it is almost unimaginable for these loyal servants of the establishment to have been convicted. (Sakoltee was convicted of blocking the 2014 election, but was given a suspended sentence).

The second story involves the Office of the Attorney General deciding to prosecute one of Thaksin Shinawatra’s lese majeste charges.

This decision has been taken despite Thaksin seeking to delay the decision, claiming a COVID infection. Presumably the delay would have allowed more time for negotiating with the fraction of the establishment which is increasingly emboldened to inflict punishment on the jail-shy political manipulator.

Today, the OAG announced that it is proceeding with a lese majeste lawsuit. It also added computer crimes. Apparently the decision was taken on 27 May.

Thaksin denied all charges.

A much younger Thaksin

Thaksin was not be arraigned “because he submitted a letter from his doctor stating that he has caught Covid-19 and asking that the this be done on June 25 at 9 a.m. but it was decided to do so on June 18 at 9 a.m.”

Political fun and serious games impact the ruling class as much as the young reformers.

Benz being rehabilitated?

Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse continues his non-stop make-me-the-next-king campaign. Most of what he does is a kind of populist-royal man-of-the-people act, popping up in rural areas, resorts, temples, and so on. He maintains a record of his campaign at Facebook.

Much of it is mostly predictable. But PPT was surprised to see a birthday post for his mother Sujarinee Vivacharawongse aka Yuvadhida Polpraserth and Yuvadhida Suratsawadee and nicknamed Benz.

To further the view that Yuvadhida may be in the process of rehabilitation, Vacharaesorn then posted photos to Facebook showing himself making merit for his mother’s birthday. Given his treatment as a royal, it could be assumed that there is palace acceptance of this move.

Since her ouster from Thailand by the furious crown prince – now king – this is the first time we can recall when she has “appeared” in anything so significant in Thailand.

Is she about to be rehabilitated? Such a move can’t be dismissed as strange things happen in the palace. Remember Goy being added, deleted, restored, and disappeared? And there’s the unexplained decision to machine-maintain a dead princess.

The establishment vs.Tantawan

A few hours ago PPT posted on the Criminal Court granting bail for Tantawan Tuatulanon. Suggesting deep splits within the establishment and the regime, that bail has been a part of a vindictive battle that seeks to silence this young woman and the messages about the monarchy that she bravely propagates.

The Bangkok Post reports on a day of strange goings on as the police seem to have received multiple and likely contradictory orders.

It first reports that both Tantawan and Natthanon Chaimahabutra were granted bail by the Criminal Court, apparently on Monday for Tantawan and Tuesday for Natthanon. Both were expected to be released on Tuesday.

Tantawan and Natthanon. Clipped from Prachatai

When Tantawan was taken from the hospital, where she was in a weakened state after a hunger strike, to the Criminal Court to be fitted with a monitoring anklet, “police were waiting there to arrest her on a new charge. Lawyers said they were told that she was to be charged with providing support to a man who spray-painted a ‘No 112’ slogan on the wall of the Grand Palace/Temple of the Emerald Buddha last year.

After negotiations with the police, her “lawyers said the police agreed not to arrest Ms Tantawan, saying she could come and acknowledge the charge at the Phra Ratchawang police station on Friday.”

However, when she was returned “to the Central Women’s Correctional Institution to complete the paperwork for her release, the police apparently changed their minds…,” with a police vehicle taking her to the Phra Ratchawang police station. Her lawyer followed and after “further negotiations and acknowledgement of the new charges, she was released on bail of 20,000 baht at 7pm.”

Natthanon was released on bail with bond of 100,000 baht. Interestingly, he was not required to wear a monitoring device.

Clearly, Tantawan is targeted as a threat by some members of the establishment, and we guess phones have been running hot between Dusit, government offices, and between other ultra-royalists.

Military stooge joins Puea Thai government

 A couple of weeks ago, we posted on military stooge Wissanu Krea-ngam being rewarded with a position at the Bangkok Post’s listed company.

Remarkably or predictably – depending on your level of cynicism – the horrid Wissanu has been appointed by the Puea Thai Party’s unpopular Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin as “a legal advisor to the Cabinet Secretariat…”.

It is reported that “Srettha issued the appointment order on Monday afternoon after seeking Wissanu’s advice on defending himself against accusations that appointing a Cabinet minister with a prison record breached the Constitution.”

Sounds to us like he’s seeking yet another deal with the establishment.