Resign

PPT has never heard of the “Network of Civil Servants,” but we imagine that they are yet another of the “groups” that have deeply yellow links and keep getting reincarnated with new names for a particular political purpose that usually involves anti-democratic ideas and campaigns. If we’re wrong, let us know.

In any case, this so-called Network is reported at The Nation as having “slammed the Centre for the Administration of Peace and Order (CAPO) over what it regards as bids to intimidate and humiliate people who adopt an anti-government stance.” By “people” they mean “civil servants” and in particular senior “civil servants.”

The “Network” says that “CAPO should not attack the heads of ministries and representatives of high-level officials as they have their own reasons for doing what they do.”

If these “civil servants” were real civil servants, they should know that they are meant to work at the direction of the government of the day. If they are unable to do that, then they resign.

It said high-level officials were key people needed to resolve the country’s political crisis, while all sides should listen to one another to find a way to relieve the tension.

The “Network” insisted that civil servants maintain impartiality over the political turmoil” yet the “Network’s” statement supported Justice Ministry permanent secretary Kittipong Kittayarak who invited anti-democrat leader Suthep Thaugsuban to visit his ministry. It also supported Public Health permanent secretary Narong Sahameta-pat, who openly supports the anti-democrats.

It’s re-definition of “civil servant” responsibility is that they should obey “leaders who adhered to legal and moral principles.” The “Network” is wrong.

These dissident “civil servants” are certainly not impartial, have taken a political stand, and should do the “legal and moral” thing and resign. If they don’t, they should be sacked, but we know the caretaker government won’t and can’t do that because anti-democrat officials are protected by biased and royalist courts.

 

Bangkok protests

The Bangkok Post reports that summonses have now been issued targeting  the 10 co-leaders of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), “requiring them to report to police for violating an order of the Centre for the Administration of Peace and Order (CAPO)…” under the Internal Security Act. CAPO prohibited the use of roads around Government House and the parliament that were occupied by PAD .

Those summonsed are: Maj-Gen Chamlong Srimuang, Sondhi Limthongkul, Prapan Khoonmee, Panthep Puapongpan, Rak Rakpong (Samana Pothirak, leader of the Santi Asoke sect), Suriyasai Katasila, Terdphum Jaidee, Pibhop Dhongchai, Amorn Amornrattananond and Tossapol Kaewthima.

While Chamlong Srimuang said his group would co-operate  with the police, he had brought a civil suit against a police investigator on the 2008 airports case, and The Nation reports that the The Thai Patriot Network had “filed a complaint with Central Administrative Court, asking the court to annul the government’s ban on demonstrations in seven Bangkok districts…. The complaint alleged that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his Cabinet had unlawfully invoked the Internal Security Act to ban demonstrations in seven Bangkok districts.”

PAD protests are likely to be bolstered each time there is a clash on the Thai-Cambodian border. PAD’s unhappiness with Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is likely to further increase.

The red shirts now seem remarkably “well behaved” when they protest.

Just to add to the mix of protests, the Bangkok Post reports that the Assembly of the Poor, which was seen as weakening, now “says thousands of its members are on their way to Bangkok for a protest to put pressure on the government to open all the sluice gates of the Pak Moon dam and properly compensate people affected by its construction.”

An AOP protest in 2007

The AOP has been rallying in front of the Ubon Ratchathani provincial hall for more than a month and has now decided “to move its protest to the parliament in Bangkok.” The AOP expects 5,000 assembly members to make the trip to Bangkok.

Their action follows an unfulfilled promise in December from PM’s Office Minister Sathit Wongnongtoey to “seek cabinet approval for the permanent opening of the dam’s sluice gates.” Nothing had happened since the promise was made.

It seems that the Abhisit and his government is now faced with a growing array of issues and problems – the south, corruption, the border, protest groups, red shirts, the failure of investigations into the events of April and May 2010, increasing army dissonance, etc. – that make for considerable political uncertainty.

CAPO is back

The Bangkok Post reports that “Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban is looking to set up the Centre for the Administration of Peace and Order to handle upcoming street rallies.” CAPO was first set up back in 2009 and still kind of maintains a web site. For details on earlier CAPO incarnations see PPT’s post last April. The Internal Security Act is the legal basis of CAPO.

National, royalist, yellow

Suthep “has ordered the Situation Monitoring Centre (SMC) to draft an order to establish the CAPO in preparation for rallies by the red shirts and yellow shirts, said an army source yesterday.” This refers to the twin red and yellow rallies that are likely to be close to each other in the Government House-Rajadamnoen area.

Red shirts demand Prem's removal in 2009

A source said Suthep, armed forces leaders and security agency bosses “were concerned that violence could be triggered by a third party.” Again, this is a kind of deja vu reference that was last heard loudly back in March and early April.

The security forces have been ordered to take “measures at important state agency offices and residences of important figures will be beefed up to prevent protesters from trespassing.” We guess that “important figures” includes ministers, de facto deputy prime minister Newin Chidchob, the various royals, and the politicized privy councilors, and especially Prem Tinsulanonda.

CAPO and its watermelons

Yesterday PPT posted on the Centre for the Administration of Peace and Order or CAPO. Today the Bangkok Post (6 April 2010) reports on allegations that three military officers posted to CAPO “are being investigated on suspicion of leaking CAPO information to red shirt leaders and giving them support.” These military men have leaked information or ” have appeared on the red shirt rally stage.”

The Post points out that those in the military “who are known to support the UDD are derided within the armed forces as ‘the watermelon army’ – officers who wear a green uniform but have a red heart.”

CAPO was alerted “when red shirt leaders began to talk about details of its meetings on the UDD stage shortly after the meetings ended. The 1st Army recently set up a committee to investigate a major attached to the 1st Division (King’s Guards) for allegedly appearing on the UDD stage.  The officer is said to have close ties with a lieutenant general who is a leading member of Class 10 of the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School and a classmate of convicted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.” The investigating panel is also looking at an “army sergeant attached to the 1st Army Support Command for giving a speech at the UDD rally last week. The sergeant exposed alleged irregularities at his agency on the UDD stage.”

It is revealed that some “40 representatives from various military units attend each CAPO meeting.”

Further updated: Reds on the move

The Bangkok Post reports some brief scuffles between red shirts and police at Rajaprasong as Colonel Sansern Kaewkamnerd, “spokesman for Centre for the Administration of Peace and Order (CAPO), said on national television that security forces have stepped up pressure on the red-shirt protesters to leave Ratchaprasong intersection but would not use force to disperse them.” The police were apparently also attempting to prevent groups of protesters moving to other “banned” locations.

Update: Received from a reader - Give us back our Siam Paragon, The expensive shirt mob

In a later report, the Post states that a “group of red-shirt protesters on Tuesday afternoon entered Silom road – one of the 11 main roads in Bangkok declared off-limits by the government. The red-shirts led by anti-government United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship co-leader Suporn Attawong paraded peacefully but defiantly down the road.”

Interestingly, the Post actually reports that: “Many vendors and pedestrians along the road cheered the red-shirts, waving plastic foot clappers and red handkerchiefs.” The good-natured atmosphere continued to prevail as “the protesters and pedestrians engaged in Songkran activities by splashing water and patting powder on each other, in advance of the Thai New Year Songkran celebration next week.”

Update: The Bangkok Post (6 April 2010) reports that the Centre for the Administration of Peace and Order (CAPO) has “approved summons warrants for up to 10 co-leaders of the anti-government United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD)…”.

Acting government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said that “if the UDD leaders do not report personally to the authorities then arrest warrants would be issued.” If they are located, they would be “arrested immediately because they have, by their actions, openly committed offences.”

However, the the warrants haven’t actually been issued because CAPO is looking ar “details of the law before taking legal action against the red-shirt leaders…”.

Panitan claimed that “there were about 15,000 red-shirt protesters in Bangkok on Tuesday afternoon – about 10,000 at Ratchaprasong intersection and the other 5,000 at Phan Fa bridge.”

Meanwhile, bombings seem to be becoming more common, more politically targeted and, in some cases, more destructive. A report early on 6 April stated that there had been “26 bomb attacks in Bangkok and neighbouring areas since the Internal Security Act was invoked on March 12.” A grenade was launched at a police van behind the Democrat Party headquarters. Another bomb was found at Chulalongkorn University. Earlier, there had been a larger car bomb at Poseidon massage parlor. That parlor is owned by the family of Commerce Minister Pornthiwa Nakasai of the Bhum Jai Thai Party.

What is CAPO?

A PPT reader who wanted to know about the seemingly sudden appearance of CAPO in the media – the Centre for the Administration of Peace and Order. His research produced some results that we felt that our readers would find the results useful background information.

CAPO is better known to Thai readers as ศูนย์ อำนวยการรักษาความสงบเรียบร้อย (ศอ.รส.), which is the television backdrop for many of the media events associated with the current set of red shirt rallies. It is located in 11th Infantry Regiment in Bang Khen, which has seen two red shirt rallies at its gates, the second of which saw the compromise of two televised talks by the teams from the government and the red shirts.

CAPO apparently comes into being when the Internal Security Act is invoked. The first mention of CAPO found was when it was formed  on 17 September 2009 by the board of the Internal Security Operations Command following the Cabinet’s approval of the ISA from 18-22 September 2009 in Dusit District of Bangkok. Here’s what the unofficial translations says:

The structure of CAPO is divided into two main parts: the Control and Administrative Section and the Peace and Order Maintenance Security Unit.

The Control and Administrative Section is made up of commanding officers from agencies under the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC). The duty of this unit is to supervise and manage the operations of the Peace and Order Maintenance Security Unit to ensure that they are in line with the policies of cautiousness, appropriateness, transparency and accountability in accordance with the law and democratic principles. In addition, there is a legal team to provide legal advice in every aspect.

The Peace and Order Maintenance Security Unit is an integration of civilian, police and military forces. Officers operating outside government offices will carry only shields, batons and crowd-control equipment, with no other weapons.

CAPO’s website includes a whole bunch of information on orders, news briefings and interviews (in Thai and English) associated with the organization that PPT had never seen previously.

CAPO is headed by Deputy PM Suthep Thaugsuban and one report, the Bangkok Post states that CAPO is like a “war room.”