Factional violence strikes Bangkok again
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Summary
The release of the Truth for Reconciliation Commission’s report on the 2010 violence saw praise from the sidelines, but also drew criticism from red shirts for being incriminated in the involvement of the mysterious “men in black” which played a major part in the escalation of the stand-off between state forces and anti-government protestors two years ago. Whether or not the report’s findings will really impact policies and attitudes and thus lead to a real reconciliation effort remains to be seen.
Economic expectations had to be downgraded yet again this week, with the government’s goal of exporting food worth one trillion baht this year deemed unlikely to be reached by industry. The struggle of some ministries to come to terms with the fact that growth would be significantly impeded by the unfavorable global economic outlook was one consistent theme in recent weeks.
The poor progress of reconciliation in Thailand was highlighted by the reappearance of clashes between supporters of the ruling Pheu Thai and the oppositional Democrat Party in the news this week. In the Deep South, continuing violence paints a similarly pessimistic picture, and even the renewed threat of floods to the capital Bangkok serves not as a reason to unite people, but instead for refueling the blame game.
Politics
The Truth for Reconciliation Commission of Thailand (TRCT) finally released its 351 page inquiry into the 2010 violence, invoking mixed reactions. Initially appointed by then-Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva the TRC was up until now also supported by PM Yingluck Shinawatra. However, the published results received less than positive reactions from red-shirt leaders, supporters of the Pheu Thai Party in power, leading to the government now floating the idea of putting in place a new Truth Commission.
The report blamed both sides for the escalation of violence, red shirt leaders for inciting violence in their speeches and the army for using live ammunition, a point the army has denied until now. The TRC recommended using professionally trained police officers as crowd control in future instances. What seemed to anger red shirt leaders the most was the report’s conclusion that the armed “men in black” were supported by red shirts and shot at soldiers, leaving the latter no other choice than return fire. Different red shirt leaders asked the TRC to provide evidence for this assumption since the identity of the “men in black” has remained a mystery.
In another highly anticipated finding the TRC concluded that Khattiya Sawatdiphol, a general popularly known as Seh Daeng who sided with the red shirts, was assassinated by a sniper while giving an interview to The New York Times. The report laid further blame on the Democrat Party for not being able or willing to control army forces as well as on the judicial system for not being neutral, stating that the handling of political cases has “thrown the entire justice system into doubt for the general public.” The mass media was criticized for biased news reporting and politicians for using the lese majeste law for political gains. The TRC therefore recommended changes to the law against insults to the monarchy and a revamping of the judicial system and urged the army to stop meddling in politics. In regards to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the head of the commission, Kanit Nanakorn, proposed that Thaksin should sacrifice his political career and withdraw, citing Pridi Banomyong as a historical example.
While red shirt leaders accused the Commission of being biased, national and international media as well as human rights organizations generally praised the report as neutral, stating that despite its flaws it still was the best foundation to move forward. It remains an obvious injustice though that until now only red shirt supporters were charged following the 2010 violence while politicians, army generals and soldiers remain untouched. Brad Adams, Asia Director for Human Rights Watch announced that, “it is clear that high-ranking figures on each side were to blame, and now it is up to the government to prosecute all those responsible, regardless of political affiliation or position.” (The New York Times) (The Wall Street Journal) (Huffington Post) (Human Rights Watch) (Bangkok Post) (The Nation)
With Bangkok streets being flooded over and over again after heavy rainfall Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra blamed the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) for its inefficient drainage systems. She argued that the BMA still wouldn’t be able to provide numbers regarding the actual capacity of the tunnels. Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paripatra defended the drainage system as “efficient enough” while the city’s Deputy Governor Teerachon Manomaiphibul explained that the drainage system was able to deal with water levels of up to 60 millimeters of rainfall at one time – which is less than half of what parts of Bangkok had to deal with several times during recent weeks. (The Nation)
Economics
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) raised serious concerns over the existing government-run pension schemes in many Asian countries, including Thailand. The current systems would not be able to continue to pay for liabilities at the current levels as the societies were ageing – especially in Thailand. In 2010, 12 per cent of Thailand’s population was 60 years or older. By 2030, however, the percentage is estimated to rise to 25, according to a Thai Development Research Institute study. Today, only 27 per cent of all private formal sector workers are covered by the government-run scheme in Thailand. (Bangkok Post) (The Nation)
In August, exports decreased for the third month in a row, mainly due to declining international demand resulting from the flagging economies in the USA and EU. Additionally, exports to ASEAN members, China and Japan also sank significantly. This development makes the one trillion baht target for food export set forth by the government unlikely to be reached this year, according to the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI). Statistics released by the Chamber of Commerce back this prediction, as exports in the agricultural and agribusiness sector dropped by 18.6 per cent. Instead of reaching the one trillion baht goal, food exports will only account for about 956 billion baht at the end of this year, Mr. Visit Limprana of FTI assumes. He criticized the focus on agricultural products, as it was of little help for boosting the export sector. Aat Pisanwanich, director of the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce’s Center for International Trade Studies, also urged the government to develop a clear export strategy for next year with a back-up plan in case global demand will continue to remain low. (Bangkok Post)
On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and Myanmar president Thein Sein talked about the joint Dawei deep-sea port project in southeastern Myanmar and agreed to accelerate its development process. A detailed announcement plan shall follow in November during the ASEAN summit in Cambodia. (Bangkok Post)
Businesspeople complain that Saha Rattana Nakorn Industrial Estate’s flood protection measures in Ayutthaya are not progressing fast enough. Pramote Pattanamongkol, the general manager of Katolec (Thailand) Co, claims that dyke construction has not finished yet, and neither has infrastructure development. However, he said that communication between the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) and business has improved a lot. After last year’s flood, protection measures were undertaken in affected industrial estates. Construction of floodwalls in Saha Rattana Nakorn Industrial Estate was delayed due to a dispute over the final costs between Saha Rattana and the IEAT. (Bangkok Post)
Security
Hundreds of red-shirts, supporters of the ruling Pheu Thai Party, and yellow-shirts, supporters of the oppositional Democrats, clashed in Bangkok on Tuesday. Both sides gathered outside the offices of the Crime Suppression Division where a teacher was summoned to be questioned about her allegations that a key red shirt activist defamed the monarchy. During the stand-off additional protestors were rallied using Facebook. While apparently neither side was seriously armed, plastic bottles and umbrellas were used as improvised weapons and five people reportedly injured. Police showed unable to take control of the situation and to disperse the crowd, later blaming the fact that the brawlers spread out instead of facing off in one spot. The confrontation casts serious doubt over the state of reconciliation between the two largest parties of Thailand and between their supporters after the violent clashes of 2010 that left nearly 100 people dead and about 2000 injured. (Bangkok Post)
After the major bomb attack in the Pattani town of Sai Buri last Friday that claimed six lives and injured about 50 people, security measures in the provinces of Thailand’s Deep South have once again been increased. This, however, could not prevent further incidents. On Monday four people were wounded when a bomb went off at a meeting of school directors in Narathiwat. Also in Narathiwat, two students were injured on Thursday when a blast hit their school bus. Officials believed the latter bomb was not actually aimed at the bus but a military vehicle instead. Nevertheless, attacks in recent weeks followed a pattern of targeting civilians and the southern provinces’ economy more often, shifting from state officials as the previous primary target. Most affected were workers at rubber plantations, with this week being no exception: On early Friday morning two rubber tappers were shot and killed in Yala. The militants’ intimidation tactics showed noticeable success when on the same day many shops in Pattani closed after public threats of violence warned them against carrying on business. (Bangkok Post) (MCOT) (The Nation) (Click here to view HDFF’s Southern Thailand Incident Map)
Floods have affected several parts of the country once again this week and are expected to continue to do so over the weekend, for which heavy storms are predicted. After villages in Phitsanulok and Phichit provinces in the North, as well as Prachin Buri province in the Central Region were inundated earlier this week, concern has since focused on Bangkok. Within the city, major roads and various neighborhoods in recent weeks experienced repeated floods, nearly paralyzing traffic and swamping houses along some roads and canals. Unlike last year, the city is not currently threatened by water run-off from the north, but by rainfalls that according to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) in September reached the highest level in decades. However, experts challenged those figures and instead blamed the city’s drainage and sewer system, parts of which were not able to cope with a large amount of rain falling within a few hours. Police and emergency workers have been put on alert ahead of the weekend.
Warnings against a few days carrying heavy rain and the danger of floods have besides to Bangkok also been extended to other provinces in the Central Region, as well as to the South, where the city of Phuket has experienced partial floods similar to the capital. In rural areas, mud- and landslides pose an additional danger. (Bangkok Post) (The Nation)
The global Muslim outrage against an anti-Islam video reached Bangkok this week, with protests being held in front of the United States embassy on Tuesday and Thursday. Unlike in some other cities around the world, the rallies in the Thai capital were posing no threat to the embassy, which continued to operate normally. (Bangkok Post) (The Nation)
The Narcotics Control Board’s recently released figures about drug rehabilitation programs have indicated that there’s some progress in Thailand’s fight against drug abuse. Over 500,000 people – even more than expected – have voluntarily joined rehab programs over the past year, with only about 20% relapsing within the same time period. The countrywide program was launched October last year in a shift of policy away from criminalizing addicts towards encouraging them to get treatment instead. (The Nation)
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