Politics
Academics and opposition say government must listen to protesters’ demands to end unrest

Leading academics and members of the opposition are warning the government that they must listen to protesters and agree to their demands in order to end the current political unrest. Anti-government protesters continue to gather around the country, demanding a stop to the “intimidation of activists”, the “dissolution of Parliament”, and “constitutional reform”.
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has already agreed to a re-writing of the Constitution, but critics, such as Teerajchai Phunthumas from the Move Forward Party, accuse him of unnecessary delay in an effort to buy himself more time.
“The government can rewrite the Constitution right away, as there is a consensus that the current Constitution has many flaws; for example, the system of 250 military-appointed senators is undemocratic and a tool for the military to continue their authoritarian power.”
Critics of the government say the policy of arresting and releasing activists is an attempt at intimidation and an effort to slow down anti-government protests. The accusation comes following the arrest and subsequent release of activist lawyer Arnon Nampa and student protester Panupong Jaadnok, alias “Mike Rayong”.
Titipol Phakdeewanich, from the Faculty of Political Science at Ubon Rathchathani University, points out that since the 2014 military coup, there has been no reform of the Thai political landscape, accusing those in power of running the country with vested interests. He points out that critics of the system now have more information available to them and cannot be silenced.
“Political establishments could no longer use political propaganda as an effective tool to silence dissident voices, as people could access more information.”
Anti-government protests have been gathering momentum around the country, with a large rally planned for August 16 at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument. Meanwhile, a number of pro-democracy figures now living outside Thailand have criticised other politicians and prominent figures for not doing enough to assist protesters with their demands. Pavin Chachavalpongpun, Thai associate professor at Japan’s Kyoto University, and historian Somsak Jeamteerasakul, who now lives in France, say more should be done to listen and respond to calls for reform.
Meanwhile, opposition politician Chaturon Chaisang, formerly of the Pheu Thai Party and the now disbanded Thai Raksa Chart Party, says the Thai people must be involved in any re-writing of the Constitution.
He says the process should see senators abolished, the dissolution of the lower house of Parliament and a general election held. Citizens should be given the opportunity, in the form of a referendum, to vote on re-writing the Constitution. Following this, a new draft should be completed, which should then be put to another vote in a further referendum. He says that only through this process can citizens be fully involved in constitutional reform in Thailand.
SOURCE: Nation Thailand
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Politics
Myanmar junta leader to attend ASEAN summit, activists appalled

Myanmar’s junta or military leader, Min Aung Hlaing, is expected to attend an ASEAN summit in Jakarta where representatives of the bloc are expected to discuss Myanmar’s situation. Thailand’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Tanee Sangrat, made the announcement.
“I can confirm that the Brunei Chair has proposed the date April 24 with the venue at the Secretariat in Jakarta. Several leaders have confirmed their attendance including Myanmar’s MAH [Senior General Min Aung Hlaing]. Some leaders have yet to confirm.”
But Tanee refused to name other leaders and whether or not the meeting will be face-to-face. The announcement drew harsh criticism from activists, including Wai Wai Nu, who have hoped that foreign leaders would not recognise the junta. Last night, #ASEANrejectSAC was among the top-trending on Myanmar’s twitter.”#ASEAN do not legitimise the Myanmar Military junta as a government by inviting MAH to attend the summit. The Junta is illegitimate and illegal.”
The Burmese military overthrew the civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy on February 1. Protests against the coup continue across Myanmar and over 700 people have been killed during the crackdown. The whereabouts of Aung San Suu Kyi remain a mystery.
The military has consistently justified the putsch by alleging widespread fraud in November’s elections, which Suu Kyi’s party won in a landslide.
The country’s New Year started yesterday, but it was a somber scene as activists traded celebrations for more protests. According to an AFP-verified video filmed by a resident, the New Year holiday saw soldiers crouched on a street as their commanding officer shouted that he wanted “deaths.” A rescue worker told AFP at least 1 person had died.
“He was shot in the stomach.”
The junta has also issued nightly arrest warrants on state-run media, targetting celebrities, influencers, journalists and prominent activists with large social media followings. Doctors refusing to work under the regime — leaving hospitals unstaffed in a pandemic — have also drawn the wrath of the junta. By last night, the arrest warrants totalled 420.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
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Politics
New NGO law could target anti-governemnt activists

A controversial new NGO law was drafted with critics arguing it targets activists and the Thai government saying it ensures transparency. The Draft Act on the Operations of Not-for-Profit Organisations was written by the Office of the Council of State in February and debated in the second half of March, but could be passed into law soon. Human rights groups claim the law has provisions that would allow the Thai government to harass civil society groups and activism leaders by qualifying them as non-government organisations, or NGOs. The new law would require NGOs to re-register following new guidelines the government claims will cut down on dubious organisations claiming money but not working for the public interest.
The problem arises because the protests that have plagued the Thai government for that last year often receives backing from foreign groups. A statement from 3 UN Special Rapporteurs worried that the broad language of the law could restrict non-profits working for human rights, with a vague definition of what qualifies as an NGO potentially including any group and enforcing strict NGO regulations on them. Section 1 of the draft states a sweeping goal for the bill.
“[…]to regulate the operation of not-for-profit organizations in the Kingdom to ensure propriety, morality, openness, transparency, and the genuine serving of public and national interest without any hidden and fraudulent agenda.”
This broadness could be used to classify anti-government groups as NGOs and then punish them with little legal recourse. Another section allows authorities to circumvent warrants and advance notice to enter organisations’ offices and copy their emails or other sensitive documents. Equally worrisome are the harsh penalties of up to 100,000 baht in fines and 5 years in jail for those who break the law.
The Union for Civil Liberty stressed that the heavy-handed punishments could dissuade organisations that benefit society by stifling non-profit organisations and prosecuting those that do not sufficiently meet the government’s demands. The Centre for the Protection of Children’s Rights Foundation noted that the NGO law had become much more extreme than the original drafted version. The Bangkok Post suspected the bill is intended to intimidate protest groups calling for democratic reform and rallying against the lese majeste laws.
“The bill will clip the wings of civic agencies that challenge unjust laws and law enforcement. The government must be open to scrutiny. If it practises good governance, there is no reason for concern and the new law should not be used in a dubious way.”
The law has not been enacted yet but is expected to go to parliament later this month after a cabinet review.
SOURCE: Global Voices
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Politics
Myanmar could descend into a civil war comparable to Syria- UN

A top UN official is warning that Myanmar could follow that of Syria in terms of descending into a bloody civil war, unless the violence subsides. Michele Bachelet, the UN high commissioner for human rights is calling on all countries with influence to apply concerted pressure on the ruling military junta to end its campaign of repression and the slaughtering of its people. Bachelet says neighbouring countries are especially being called upon.
She says the military has committed, what amounts to, crimes against humanity, and the human rights violations must be stopped. Ravina Shamdasani, who is Bachelet’s spokeswoman, says the high commissioner feels that a continuation of such crimes could lead to a civil war.
“The high commissioner states that there are clear echoes of Syria in 2011. There too, we saw peaceful protests met with unnecessary and clearly disproportionate force. The state’s brutal, persistent repression of its own people led to some individuals taking up arms, followed by a downward and rapidly expanding spiral of violence all across the country.”
Shamdasani said the country’s armed forces, known as the Tatmadaw, attacked civilians last weekend with rocket-propelled grenades and mortar fire, killing at least 82 people. She said credible reports also indicate that people are fighting back by using makeshift or primitive weapons with clashes between the military and ethnic armed groups in Kayn, Shan, and Kachin states are picking up steam.
“As arrests continue, with at least 3,080 people currently detained, there are reports that 23 people have been sentenced to death following secret trials — including 4 protesters and 19 others who were accused of political and criminal offenses. The mass arrests have forced hundreds of people to go into hiding.”
She added that the country’s economic, education and health infrastructure are at the point of collapse, making the situation untenable. She said nations must cut off the supply of arms and finances to the military leadership that allow it to kill and seriously violate its people’s human rights.
Myanmar’s military took over in a coup on February 1, arresting the democratically-elected leader of National League for Democracy and Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. Since then, other top leaders have been arrested over what the junta says is fraudulent election results, without giving any evidence.
Suu Kyi has not been seen since her arrest, and is now facing even more charges that could see her barred from political office or worse. The junta military has been accused of killing innocent civilians and peaceful protesters since the coup began, censoring the media, and shutting down the internet.
The US, UK, and other nations have imposed sanctions against the military, but to no avail. Neighbouring countries, including Thailand, are expecting an influx of refugees to cross the border, but conflicting reports point towards Thailand turning away such asylum-seekers.
SOURCE: VOA News
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rinky stingpiece
Monday, August 10, 2020 at 1:34 pm
“It’s the economy, stupid!” As Billy Bob Clinton used to say.
If people have nothing, intimidating them tends not to work, when they have nothing to lose.