Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Amnesty bill protests spread; Tourism takes a hit; Six killed in Pattaya ferry disaster

– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community

PHUKET: Yingluck Shinawatra’s government is walking a tightrope as opposition against the Amnesty Bill has now gained momentum with various groups, including the Democrat Party and many red shirt groups who formerly supported her, openly launching their campaigns to tear down the explosive draft law.

The ruling Pheu Thai Party, meanwhile, will convene a meeting today to discuss on measures needed to address the tense situation.

The Democrat Party has staged its rally against what it calls the “whitewashing law” in Bangkok’s Samsen Area for days already. Now, it has encouraged the like minded to join its movement.

“We are pleased to welcome all demonstrators who are against the Amnesty Bill,” Bangkok Democrat MP Ekanat Prompan said yesterday.

The Democrat Party’s rallies against the controversial bill have now spread to various other provinces as well. A number of demonstrators, for example, yesterday attended the rallies in Phuket and Surat Thani.

Somkid Lertpaitoon, Rector of Thammasat University said law academics, lectures, students and officials in the university expressed their opposition to the amnesty bill as it was unconstitutional and against rule of law. The group of 578 academics of the university who signed a petition said they were worried about the conflict in the society. They urged parliamentarians to stop their effort to pass the bill into the law.

Chamlong Srimaung, former leader of the People’s Alliance for Democracy, led his protesters under People’s Army against Thaksin regime from Lumpuni Park to join the group of student and people network for Thailand reform at Uripong insection in their protest against the amnesty bill.

A red shirt leader Sombat Boon-ngarm-anong will organise the “10,000 Up” rally at the Ratchaprasong Intersection to denounce the Amnesty Bill. The bill was unfair and unjust for the red-shirt protesters who died in the crackdown since responsible persons were granted amnesty, he said.

Thida Tavornset leader of Democratic Alliance against Dictatorship said a group of some 3000 red shirt would come to Bangkok for a training at Don Muang Technical College and they have liberty to join the protest against the bill.

Police warn protest leaders to move cautiously, as they will be held responsible for what happen.

“Protest leaders must be aware that they must be ready to take responsibility for any consequence,” Police Spokesman Maj General Piya Utayo said yesterday. He is also the spokesman for the Centre for Administration of Peace and Order (Capo).

He said police were now quite worried about the growing possibility that the opponents to the bill would be marching to various venues in Bangkok.

“The marches will affect Bangkok’s traffic. They also raise the possibility of confrontations with people who think differently,” Piya said.

Capo’s deputy spokesman Maj General Anucha Ramayanantana said National Police Commissioner General Adul Saengsingkaew had instructed all police units to closely monitor the rallies both in Bangkok and in provinces.

National Security Council secretary general Paradorn Pattanatabut, so far, said there was no need to invoke the Internal Security Act to control the situation at the moment. He suggested that the turnout at rally sites was not really that huge.

Democrat Party’s deputy leader Alongkorn Ponlaboot said his party would work with all people’s networks to stop the Amnesty Bill.

“With the legislation of this bill, the government is destroying the good governance and good principle in the country. If the bill is passed, corruption cases between 2004 and August 2013 will be dropped,” he said.

Alongkorn said the Amnesty Bill, if legislated, would run against the UN Convention against Corruption that Thailand had ratified.

“Thailand’s credibility will suffer badly then,” he said, “The country can’t give amnesty to the corrupt. Otherwise, the corrupt will keep doing the wrong things. They will think only by acquiring state power, their wrongdoings will be nullified”.

Alongkorn said the Democrat Party, in collaboration with allies, would hold various rallies to inform people of what the Amnesty Bill would bring.

According to him, the rally will be held in Phetchaburi today, in Trat tomorrow, and in Chon Buri on Wednesday and in Pathum Thani on Thursday.

“We will go to all provinces,” Alongkorn said.

Pheu Thai Party’s spokesman Prompong Nopparit, meanwhile, said Pheu Thai MPs would today have a meeting as they would have an assignment to explain to people why the Amnesty Bill should be passed.

“The Amnesty Bill is based on the principle of forgiving so that the country can move ahead,” he said.

Prompong also attacked the Democrat Party for orchestrating many rallies in the South.

“The tourism season for the South has just begun and relevant entrepreneurs are now worried,” he said.

Week of protests – A look ahead

The Amnesty Bill is now an explosive issue. What will be coming next?

Today (November 4)

9.30am Core members of the Council of University Presidents of Thailand will convene a meeting to plan its next step in regard to its opposition to the Amnesty Bill.

10am Opponents of the bill will converge with Democrat Party leaders in Samsen in Bangkok. Marches are likely.

12.30pm The Business Club for Democracy will organise a rally on the footpath in Silom Road. They plan to blow whistles.

2pm The Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking will announce its stance.

2pm The Thai Chamber of Commerce will announce its stance.

3pm Thammasat University will call on the Senate, asking it to reject the Amnesty Bill.

Tomorrow (November 5)

4pm The Chula Network for Morality will hold a rally at Chulalongkorn University to express opposition to the Amnesty Bill.

Wednesday November 6

Lecturers and students from Mahidol University will join the rally at Urupong Intersection.

Thursday November 7

Alumni of Thammasat University will call on the Senate president to express their opposition against the Amnesty Bill.

5pm The Group of 40 Senators will announce their stance against the Amnesty Bill at the Democracy Monument.

Friday November 8

The Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand will announce its stance.

Saturday November 10

Noon Sombat Boon-ngarm-anong will organise the “10,000 Up” rally at Ratchaprasong Intersection to denounce the Amnesty Bill.

People with royal descent will express their stance.

PHUKET: The SET Index eased 1.8 per cent in the past two weeks to close at 1,443 points on October 31, mainly on concerns over rising political temperatures in Thailand.

The SET Index lagged regional peers, represented by the MSCI Asia ex-Japan Index, which inched up 0.24 per cent in the period.

Foreign investors were net buyers in the last two weeks with a slight net-buy position of Bt444 million. Leading the decline were stocks in the tourism (-5.7 per cent), information and communications technology (-5.0 per cent) and transport (-3.6 per cent) sect

— Phuket Gazette Editors

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