Thailand Security Briefing
Attacks in Thailand’s Southern region continue to remain prevalent in the four provinces of Narathiwat, Yala, Pattani, and Songkhla. The most recent incident consisted of a bomb attack on two police pickup trucks. The roadside bomb exploded in Narathiwat when both trucks departed from a vaccination campaign in the province. All officers in the truck survived the explosion.
Other incidents in the area include the shooting of a village official who was approached by two motorcyclists while travelling to a rubber plantation. He has since been admitted to the hospital. A similar incident, in which a ranger was attacked and shot by a group of militants believed to be based in the Cho Airong and Rangae districts, occurred in the Rangae of Narathiwat province. The Southern three provinces continue to suffer from almost daily violence.
Earlier this month, the Siam Paragon Shopping Center in Bangkok was struck by two homemade bombs. The area directly affected was the walkway between Siam BTS Station and Siam Paragon Mall, where the bombs were hidden behind electronic control units. Other than two minor injuries reported by the public, there were no major accidents or fatalities as a result of the explosion. At the moment, the Royal Thai Police have warrants for the arrest of two men who appear to be suspects, and were allegedly captured on CCTV footage.
Focus on Thai Politics
Former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is set to be indicted on 19 February and will report to the Office of the Attorney General for the actions taken during her time as Prime Minister. According to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-chat, Thailand is set to elect a new government toward the end of this year and in the meantime will remain under military control. Martial Law remains in effect in the Kingdom in order to ensure security and stability.
In other related news, in a meeting with Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, Prime Minster Prayut Chan-Ocha mentioned a restoration of democracy for Thailand. This discussion led into the relations between Thailand and Japan that will continue to grow in order to maintain the two countries’ security and defense cooperation. The focus is centered on creating railways connecting different provinces throughout Thailand, as well as many other infrastructure projects. At the moment, Thailand is one of Japan’s top exporters and any cooperation between these two countries can lead to a prosperous expansion in trade and investment (Bangkok Post, Asia News).
Earlier this month, the anti-monarchist leader Mr. Hasadin Uraipraiwan, alias “Banpodj,” was arrested under Martial Law for the distribution of lese majeste material. His 200,000 Baht bounty reward was set earlier before his arrest for releasing false information in order to generate negative sentiment about the Royal Household. During the arrest, police found equipment used to produce video clips of the prohibited content. Along with Mr. Hasadin, two other members of the network were arrested for holding the funds to prompt the activities and for the physical distribution of the content. At the moment, Mr. Hasadin is being held for questioning during which time he has confessed to having produced these video clips. According to the Royal Thai Police, the investigation is still ongoing and may result in further arrests (Bangkok Post).
Highlights – Chairman’s Circle Conference
This month, the HDFF Chairman Circle’s first forum of the 2015 year was held on January 27 featuring our guest speaker Ms. Seng Raw. Ms. Seng was the 2013 Magsaysay Award Laureate recipient and is the founder of the Metta Development Foundation in Myanmar. Alongside her were Mr. Francisco Dionisio Fernandes from the Embassy of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste and Dr. Arnaud Leveau from Chulalongkorn University, both present to
deliberate on Myanmar’s future and to share some outside perspectives. The focus of Ms. Seng Raw’s keynote speech was highlighting the hazardous mishaps that could occur in Myanmar’s development if not properly addressed. This included the direction of human rights issues in correlation to internally displaced people, the political leaders to rise in the upcoming elections, and the wealth gap that has been persisted. She also emphasized how these steps are important in order to ensure that Myanmar can be a prosperous nation in economic, political and cultural aspects.
The next speakers that participated in the panel portion of the event, laid out a framework from the countries of Timor-Leste and France. The Charge d’affairs of Timor-Leste had a perspective focused on promoting three fundamental ideas that could help improve the dynamic between Myanmar and ASEAN. These three pillars include human rights, democratization, and reconciliation. He suggested that the realization of these ideas could be achieved through political dialogue and understanding. Additionally, Dr. Arnaud Leveau shared his insight on the partnership between France and ASEAN by accounting for France’s contributions to security and safety in ASEAN. He also emphasized the importance of keeping a relationship and presence in this region with the help of US cooperation.
The next Chairman’s Circle will be held on March 24with the topic to be announced in the weeks to come. Respectively, HDFF is proud to present the following dates that have been finalized for the year.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Spotlight on ASEAN
Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
Capital: Dili
Population: 1.2 million
Official Languages: Tetum, Portuguese ASEAN Status: Observer, Candidate
Timor-Leste is the world’s second newest-nation, formerly occupied for 25 years by Indonesia and previously colonized by Portugal in the 16th century. Currently their political system falls under President Taur Matan Ruak who will serve the country of Timor-Leste for a five-year term as designated by the popular vote. The country is working on a transition towards a unified democratic nation and, with the help of the United Nations, the country continues its transition to an independent nation. Its geographic region is on the eastern end of the Indonesian archipelago with an estimated population of 1 million.
As of May 2002 Timor-Leste was declared and independent nation and since then has been making efforts to be part of the ASEAN community. Its focal points are in correlation with ASEAN related issues and its willingness to join, adds to the potential community building contribution that is expected. Timor-Leste’s lack of infrastructure (eg. roads, air links) and recovering economy are some of the few points holding back its intake as a member of the ASEAN community. At the moment, Timor-Leste does not adhere to the expectations to be part of ASEAN, such as being able to build embassies in all 10 ASEAN nations, as one of the entry requirements. It is speculated that Timor-Leste will be joining in the year 2020 so that it has time to rebuild itself and contribute successfully to ASEAN without disturbing the rotation of the ASEAN chair, which at the moment is held by Malaysia. Although it has tremendous support from Indonesia to join, some have voiced concern that Timor-Leste’s has an inadequate level of sustainability and human security that may hinder any advancement of ASEAN goals; especially with the fast-approaching AEC 2015. This thought process is to take precautionary measures to avoid what the European Union dealt with in taking on new members who were unprepared.
Human Development Training Center – Upcoming Courses
Anti-Kidnapping and Hostage Incident Management (3-days)
Develop crucial prevention, survival, and crisis situation management skills
The 3-day HDFF Anti-Kidnapping & Hostage Incident Management course provides participants with a comprehensive examination of the entire kidnapping and hostage process, from preventative measures through post-release reintegration. The course also offers unique insights into the motivations, perspectives, and experiences of the victims, kidnappers, and incident management teams as applied to actual hostage situations. Additionally, operational continuity, media management, and KFR policy creation are covered.
REGISTRATION DETAILS
Course Code: AKHIM_2015_1
Dates: 17 – 19 March 2015
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
Cost per Participant:฿14,000 THB / $450 USD Discount for HDFF Monthly Newsletter Subscribers: ฿12,300 THB / $400 USD until 20 Feb. 2015 Registration Deadline: 05 March 2015
For Registration & Inquiries
Please contact us at:info@hdff.org or visit us at: https://hdff.org/hdtc/
You can view a PDF version here: HDFF January 2015 Newsletter
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