Bangkok Crimes

The Nation

Police dumbfounded after encountering argumentative PAD suspects

Although the 30 suspects from the People’s Alliance for Democracy yesterday met with investigators, they refused to acknowledge the charge of international terrorism and police were at a loss and pleaded for time to consult with the law book.

In unprededented legal tactics, the PAD suspects declined to follow the prescribed procedures of honouring their summonses for questioning.

Instead they have claimed the charges related to the two siezures of Don Muang and Suvarnabhumi airports as unjustified and wrongful. By refusing to acknowledge the charges filed by police, they have deviated from a normal proceedings applicable to all suspects.

And in the counter move, they filed a petition disputing the police justification to classify the seizures of two Bangkok airports as an act of international terrorism.

Since the PAD’s defence team raised objection to honouring the summonses, police could not proceed to complete the execution of the legal proceedings and were obligated to check relevant provisions before making a next move.

KC: This “counter move” adds further credence to the fact that the PAD simply believe rules are not for them. The PAD assumes it is outside the law. The Nation seems impressed to the point of hysteria with the PAD actions which it describes as “legal tactics” that caused the police to “plead” the PAD to consult the law book. One can almost envision a triumphant and nonchalant PAD waltzing into the police station, heads held high, aloof, as if laws are beneath them and they are beyond reproach. This is the picture The Nation creates with its blatent sycophantic reporting. One can imagine a ludicrous situation in which all criminal suspects refuse to acknowledge the charges against them and the police are left ‘dumfounded’ at the criminal’s shrewd move, pleading for time to consult the law book. It really is a festival of the bizarre.

The Nation

Kasit: Think of the “larger picture” when dealing with Thaksin

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya has asked Malaysia and Montenegro on the side of the 15th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Egypt to verify recent reports about former premier Thaksin Shinawatra presence in their countries and urged them to take into account their relations with Thailand in their handling of the fugitive leader.

Kasit said he was not giving any country an ultimatum but urged them to take into consideration “the larger picture” of their relations with Thailand as they decide what to do with the ousted premier if he entered their country under whatever passport he may be carrying.

“Thaksin is a fugitive of law. But it’s up to these countries to decide as to what they should do,” said Kasit, speaking to reporters from this seaside resort in Egypt.

Kasit said Thaksin has been working to destabilised Thailand ever since he went into a self-imposed exiled and added that his phone-in to his supporters rallies constituted such activity.

Separately, Kasit held a series of bilateral meetings during the two-day summit with a number of counterparts, including Finland, North Korea, Morocco, Sudan, India, Egypt, Indonesia, and Kosovo.

Kasit, on behalf of Asean, has asked North Korea’s Kim Yong Nam, the chair of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly, to send his foreign minister take part in the upcoming Asean Regional Forum ministerial meeting to present their side of the story amid a growing criticism from the world community over its nuclear weapons programme.

Kasit, in his capacity as the current chair of Asean, reminded the reclusive state that stability in the Korean Penninsula has bearing on Southeast Asia and added that Asean countries have agreed to be “a small bridge” through which North Korea could engage the international community.

Kasit said Asean’s offer to North Korea was in the backdrop of policy shift in the US under a new administration of President Barack Obama. The US is also sending out a more reconciliatory messages to Burma, Sudan, Syria and Iran, he said.

During his bilateral meeting with counterpart from Sudan’s Foreign Minister Deng Alor Kuol, Kasit discussed the upcoming dispatching of 800 Thai troops later this year to the trouble plagued region of Dafur and added their participation in the UN peace keeping operation would help strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

Kasit said Sudan could become the springboard for Thailand’s entry into markets in the Middle East and Africa and added that the government will soon discuss with Thai banks and private sectors about investments opportunities in the country.

“We need to change our perception of Africa as a region of instabilities and conflict. There are tremendous opportunities there,” he said.

During his meeting with Finland’s Foreign Miniser Matti Vanhanen, Thailand has sought assistant from Finland with Thailand’s effort to upgrade its telecommunication system, as well as policy recommendations for the restructuring of the state enterprise sector of this industry.

Kasit said Findland has been ranked in a number of studies to be one of the top five countries in the areas of transparency and strong ethics in public and private sectors and added that Thailand could learn a great deal from the country, especially in the area of democratisation and civic participation.

Morocco is also another country Thailand plans to strengthen ties and use as point of entry for Mediterranean and Africa. Six Memorandum of Understandings for cooperations on a wide range of issues have been drafted and waiting to be sign by the two countries, he said. Kasit met the Moroccan Secretary of State to the Moroccan’s Foreign Ministry, Latifa Akharbach.

He said Morocco also plans to give more scholarships to Muslim students from Thailand to study at its Islamic universities.

Like Thailand, Kasit said Morocco is facing a separatist movement in the country and stated that he was interested in the country’s handling of the conflict, including the role of the International Court of Justice in this dispute. However, both countries shared the idea that the conflict in their respective countries are domestic matters.

Kasit also met with his counterpart from Serbia and added that Thailand was studying the conflict there to see what could be learn from the Balkan republic. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in February 2008. The move was objected by Serbia who sought judicial review from the International Criminal Court.

Separately, during his discussion with the Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the European Union’s commissioner for external relations, Kasit said the EU is looking to come up with a Comprehensive Plan of Action (CPA) with Thailand that could pave the way for similar agreement with all other Asean members.

KC: Some interesting themes here: Firstly, regarding Thaksin, Kasit seems to throwing down the gauntlet for states offering sanctuary to the former premier. Kasit claims not to be giving these states an ultimatum but the message is clear that bilateral relations will suffer if states provide assistance to Thaksin. It remains to be seen how seriously this message is taken, the case of Malaysia is obviously significant and we can assume Thaksin will not be given safe haven across the border. The Nation and Kasit seem to think Thailand holds all the cards in these bilateral relationships, but the “larger picture” alluded to by Kasit may be that states are not particularly concerned about Kasit’s message, or if Thaksin transits through their country.

Secondly, Kasit talks about a “change of perception” with regard to Africa, clearly it has just dawned on Thailand’s Foreign Minister that Africa is not a one-dimentional wasteland of guns and militia to which Thailand must dispatch troops, but is also a land of opportunity where Thailand can follow China’s lead and invest. Kasit names Sudan as the “springboard” for Thailand’s entry into African markets so while Thai troops attempt to ease conflict in Darfur, Thai money can help prop-up the regime that is committing genocide in that troubled region. This must be an example of the “strong ethics in public and private sectors” that Kasit so admires in Finland and thinks Thailand should emulate. Still, it is reassuring  to know that Kasit thas a deep understanding of Africa.

Thirdly, Kasit thinks Thailand could learn from Finland in the areas of democratisation and civic participation, ignoring the glaring irony that he participated in a movement that brought down a democratically elected government and then became Foreign Minister in the replacement government, one which would not only disintegrate if real democratisation were to take hold, but wouldn’t exist in the first place.

The Bangkok Post

Warning on militant groups

SOUTHERN INSURGENTS, INTERNATIONAL TERRORISTS THOUGHT TO BE FORMING LINKS

JERUSALEM : Foreign security experts are warning Thai security authorities not to underestimate the link between insurgent groups in the deep South and international terrorist networks. [KC: There has been no solid evidence of any link between JI and Al Qaeda and the southern insurgency].

Jonathan Spyer, senior research fellow of the Global Research in International Affairs (Gloria) Centre, said international terrorists were trying to forge regional connections with like-minded groups.

“I cannot confirm whether insurgent groups in the deep south of Thailand have links with international terrorists, but al-Qaeda is clearly trying to reinforce its links with terrorist groups in Southeast Asia,” he said.

“Don’t forget that they are all Muslim brothers and will be part of a global jihad,” he told a recent security and terrorist forum in Jerusalem. [KC: 'They' are Muslim brothers and 'will' be part of a global Jihad. Spyer thinks all Muslim insurgents are international terrorists. In his view there are no local conflicts, separatist violence is linked to the perceived global rise in Jihadist ideology, the post-Cold War threat to US 'values' and hegemony. This view is rampant in the West and has been espoused with regard to Thailand's deep south by academics (Abuza et al.), terrorism experts and a whole catalogue of 'analysts' desperate to construct Jihadism as the new global threat].

Mr Spyer also suggested Thailand adopt a policy to meet the insurgents half-way, for example through partial introduction of the sharia (Islamic religious law), and concessions on official use of ethnic languages.

A link had been established between Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda network and the Southeast Asian terror group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), the group allegedly responsible for the 2002 Bali bombings. [KC: These two groups have been linked for nearly a decade].

JI leading member Hambali, arrested in Thailand, was linked to al-Qaeda’s 9/11 attacks in the US.

Meanwhile Abu Sayaff, the Islamist separatist group based in the southern islands of the Philippines, is linked to JI, and also received early funding from regional Islamic charities linked to Mohammed Jamal Khalifa, the brother-in-law of Bin Laden, he said.

Abu Sayaff was also suspected of planning attacks with Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic group. [KC: Why? Where is the evidence of links between these two groups? This sounds like a total fabrication].

The link between the insurgency in southern Thailand and the global jihad was less clear, but authorities should not disregard it, said Mr Spyer.

James Busis, director of the Asia-Pacific Institute from the American-Jewish Committee, said modern communications technology made it easy for international terrorists to forge links with regional groups. [KC: No Shit!]

“Now they may only share the same ideology but in the near future, I believe they will be linked in the same terrorism networks,” said Mr Busis. [KC: Who shares the same ideology? All international terrorists? One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. Are all international terrorists Muslims? In the eyes of James Busis and Jonathan Spyer, they are].

Supong Limtanakool, vice-president of external affairs at Bangkok University, said he hoped foreign groups would keep out of Thailand’s southern troubles.

“The more foreigners get involved, the more violence will increase,” he said.

An Israeli foreign ministry official said insurgent groups in Thailand might also attempt to forge links with JI regional terrorists in Southeast Asia.

KC: For years so called ‘experts’ have been trying to link Thailand’s southern insurgency with global terrorist networks, namely JI and Al Qeada, so far any links demonstrated have proved false or are based on anecdotal evidence. It is entirely possible for international terrorists to exploit the southern insurgency, but so far it is simply conjecture. As the Bangkok Post byline states: “Southern insurgents, international terrorists thought to be forming links”. These views come from the Global Research in International Affairs (Gloria) Centre based in Isreal and the Asia-Pacific Institute from the American-Jewish Committee and must thus be understood within the context of the neo-conservative political agenda pursued aggressively by the Bush administration. Bush, Cheney and their cohorts sought to construct Southeast Asia as the ’second front’ in the global war on terror and much effort has been made to understand local Muslim separatist conflicts as being part of a wider international rise in Islamic fundamentalism. It seems there may be a renewed push to understand the southern border region within this flawed framework and the Bangkok Post has no problem with presenting the speculation of disenfranchised neo-cons without question, criticism or understanding.

The Nation

Red shirts burn Kasit in effigy

More than 200 red shirts gathered outside the Foreign Ministry yesterday demanding Kasit Piromya’s removal as minister after he was questioned by police on his involvement in last year’s airport closures.

The protesters also burned him in effigy.

Kasit reported to police on Monday after he and 35 other suspects, most of them key leaders of the People’s Alliance for Democracy, were asked to explain their role in seizing Bangkok’s Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi airports.

He has refused to resign, calling the terrorism allegation against him “unacceptable”, but said he would resign if the case proceeded to court.

Jaran Ditapichai, a red-shirt leader, submitted an open letter to a senior ministry official before the rally dispersed.

Waranchai Chokchana, another protest leader, said they wanted the foreign minister sacked as he “damages the country”.

“If this government, which does not come from the people’s will, does not get him out, we’ll return to demand the resignation of this gangster minister,” he said.

Kasit was in New Zealand attending a meeting of a bilateral-relations committee.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva ignored the spokesman for the opposition Pheu Thai Party, who was waiting for him at Government House to hand him a request for Kasit’s removal.

Prompong Nopparit instead submitted the document to Sutham Limsuwankasem, a deputy PM’s secretary-general, before heading to Democrat Party headquarters to hand a similar request to Chuan Leekpai, the party’s chief adviser.

Prompong said he felt disappointed and slighted by Abhisit’s behaviour.

Abhisit declined to say whether it was appropriate to allow the foreign minister to remain in office despite the findings of a recent public-opinion survey that most respondents wanted Kasit to step down.

“I read the poll results, and they said most people wanted him to resign after the Asean meeting,” he said, referring to next week’s ministerial meeting in Phuket.

PAD leaders conferred yesterday and agreed to meet police for questioning next Thursday on the airport-occupation cases.

KC: When I first glanced over this piece I thought I had opened up Not the Nation instead of The Nation website. The burning of an effigy of Kasit is just the kind of story covered on that splendid satirical website. It seems the heat is really being turned up on Foreign Minister Kasit, and rightly so, as Fonzi states: “Thailand must be the only country in the history of the modern world to have a foreign minister who joyfully engaged in a terroristic breach of security at a major international airport in the name of overthrowing a legal government.” PM Abhisit continues to support his personally selected minister who has come to personify the criticism of double standards in Thailand that is at the heart of the Red Shirt’s argument. Kasit’s blatent links to the PAD continue to hound him and the government that came to power on the back of PAD protests, which Kasit himself decribed as “fun”. No doubt that the cauldron of Thai politics is feeling less like a party these days for Kasit.

The Bangkok Post

Thaworn: Thaksin nearly arrested

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra narrowly escaped arrest in Kuala Lumpur, slipping out of his hotel ahead of police and flying to the Pacific Island country of Fiji, Deputy Interior Minister Thaworn Sennian said in Pattani province on Monday.

Mr Thaworn said the Malaysian government had cooperated with Thailand in planning to arrest the fugitive former prime minister on learning of he was staying at the Shangri-la Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

But Thaksin was vigilant enough to escape arrest and caught a plane to Fiji.

The minister did not reveal when this happened.

The Nation

Fugitive and former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has reportedly visited Malaysia before leaving for Fiji, Deputy Interior Minister Thaworn Senneam said Monday.

Thaworn said he understood Thaksin went to Malaysia on Saturday and left on Sunday.

However, his reasons for going to Malaysia are not known, and, Thaworn said, the report was unconfirmed. Police are verifying it.

Thaksin left Malaysia before Thai police could take action, Thaworn said. It remained the responsibility of the police, attorney general and the Foreign Ministry to get Thaksin back to serve the convictions against him, he said.

The deputy interior minister said the government was not worried by reports Thaksin was in Thailand’s neighbourhood.

KC: I am certain that the only place we can be sure Thaksin exists is in the puerile minds of Thailand’s establishment and its obsequious mouthpieces The Nation and The Bangkok Post. The above reports read like the plot of a 007 novel, or perhaps the tattered pages of a vintage Marvel comic. The Post reports a “narrow escape” with a “vigilant” Thaksin “slipping out” of the Shangri-La hotel “ahead of police” who must have had trouble chasing him all the way to Kuala Lumpur’s international airport, or did he simply disappear in a puff of smoke before flying to the Pacific island of Fiji? I can’t wait for the comic version of the Bangkok Post to arrive, each edition could feature a segment of Thaksin’s illustrious life from San Kampaeng silk boy to fugitive jet-setter, a man whose multiple passports, sacks of cash and unwavering popularity are the stuff of real adventures. Will Thaksin thwart the authorities in Fiji too? Will the Thai police be able to take action in Fiji before Thaksin flees to his hidden underwater lair? Find out next week in the Bangkok Post.

KC: Bangkok is a veritable quagmire of scams, tricks and deceit operated by organised gangs, individuals, companies and establishments and I would like to open up discussion on scamming on this website. I have been contacted by a reader regarding the ‘tourist mafia’ scams operated by unscrupulous wide-boys in the tourist hot-spots such as Central World and the Erawan Shrine. These scams usually involve a well-dressed Thai spinning lies to tourists about site closures in order to lure them to their own pits of extortion, such as gem shops. Other rip-offs include entrapment, discriminatory pricing and airport extortion (see this recent article in the Times). These scams are famous and have been well documented. The key issues are the involvement of police and other officials in the scams and the lack of effort to disrupt the scamming and warn tourists by the Tourist Authority of Thailand, the authorities are not simply ignoring this vast web of deceit, they are complicit in it. Trickery and scamming is of course not unique to Thailand and exists the world over, but it is endemic here and exists at almost every level, from overcharging in clubs, bars and restaurants (always check your bills people) to the obvious fleecing of unsuspecting tourists who return home with tales of Thai smiles unaware the proboscis of criminality has sucked at their every satang.

This website covers Bangkok scams in more detail: http://www.bangkokscams.com/

I encourage readers to air their own experiences of scams, corruption, dirty tricks and dodgy venues by commenting on this post.