Global Voices » Thailand

Thailand: Red Shirts Back In The Streets

Mong Palatino — Mon, 21 May 2012 01:02:38 +0000

Tens of thousands of Red Shirt protesters commemorated the second anniversary of the army and police crackdown on anti-government protesters in central Bangkok. The May 2010 street violence resulted in the deaths of more than 90 people. Many Red Shirt members are supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra who was ousted by a coup in 2006.

The violent dispersal of the Red Shirt protest contributed to the unpopularity of the government in 2010 which was at that time headed by Abhisit Vejjajiva. Abhisit’s party lost in the elections last year. Thailand’s incumbent Prime Minister is the younger sister of Thaksin.

Photos of the event last Saturday are available on Facebook and Flickr. Here are some photos

Thousands attended Red Shirt rally in Bangkok. Photo from @RichardBarrow

Red Shirts rally. Photo from Facebook page of Richard Barrow

Red Shirts demand justice. Photo from Facebook page of Richard Barrow

Red Shirts program in the evening. Photo from @aleursic

A video clip of Robert Amsterdam’s speech during the rally. Amsterdam is the lawyer of Thaksin. Some netizens are critical to the activities of the Red Shirts

@Rom Senakant sad group of people… They thought they are fighting for just cause but actually they are the being used by a crony ex PM Thaksin or Thug-Sin

@ric_lawes Reds calling for Justice http://bit.ly/Jv8Ien - simple fact - reds lay siege to the city and 91 people died. No reds no deaths.

@Agam_T Today, I'm celebrating 2nd anniversary of the END of #RedShirts arson and violence. May19th was the day we got our city back.

Thaksin’s appeal for unity is interpreted by some people as betrayal to the cause of the Red Shirts who are still demanding justice for those who were killed in 2010

‏

@freakingcat Are the Red shirts in Ratchprasong so brainwashed and cheered to Thaksin's betrayal speech. 93 died for the greed of the billionaire

@steviegell Both Thaksin & his sister turned their backs on the red movement. Robert Amsterdam is trying to hide that fact from the reds. Bad form.

Tammy attended the rally and commented about the lack of change in Thailand’s politics

I just got back from the 2 year anniversary of the crack-down on the Red Shirts protest at Rajprasong, that 2 years ago caused bout 100 civilian death

The new constitution is poised to disappoint those who are looking for democracy, the lese majeste law, the root cause, of many injustices in Thailand, will likely be the same. The death and imprisonment of political prisoners, looks like it will be un-accounted for and not re-solved.

Meanwhile, a government investigation body concluded that state forces are responsible for the deaths of 25 people in the 2010 crackdown.

Video: Capacity Building in Rising Voices Media Training

Juliana Rincón Parra — Fri, 18 May 2012 23:31:39 +0000

In the border between Burma and Thailand, the Rising Voices grantee project Karen Border News has launched their audio podcast workshop. In this short film, the students of the radio journalism course speak about their experience.

From their Blog post:

During this first round of training, we focused on four topics: news writing, audio recording & editing, and broadcast. It’s been really exciting watching these students improve their skills, and learn entirely new ways to tell their stories. While KSNG’s media staff runs most of the trainings, we also invited two specialist, Aung Nai, who works for Internews and Jack Chance, an experienced radio producer and media trainer. In addition to the workshops, we are also distributing some media equipment to students, including notebooks, media guidebooks, and audio recorders.

On a past blog entry, the Karen Border News blog explains the importance of their efforts in the context of the Ceasefire talks between the Myanmar government and the Karen National Union:

Most Karen cautiously welcome the ceasefire agreement, but there is much concern for how reconciliation will affect the Karen population, especially with so many of our people now living outside of our traditional homeland in Karen State

Rising Voices is an outreach initiative of Global Voices, aimed to helping to bring new voices from new communities and speaking new languages to the global conversations on the web by providing resources and funding to local groups working with underrepresented communities. The Karen Border News is one of the 2012 Rising Voices Grantees.

Thailand: Minimum Wage and Cost of Living

Mong Palatino — Wed, 16 May 2012 01:57:40 +0000

Bangkok Pundit translates survey reports on the minimum wage and cost of living conditions in Thailand

Thailand: Grandfather Serving Lese Majeste Sentence Dies in Prison

Aim Sinpeng — Sat, 12 May 2012 04:13:55 +0000

The death of Ampon Tangnopponkul, known locally as “Akong”, is described by many Thai netizens as a shame for Thailand. Akong was sentenced to 20 years in jailed for an unproven lese majeste case. The 61-year-old grandfather, who had long battled with oral cancer, was believed to have died as a result of this disease.

Attempts to get bail for Akong, most notably due to his illness, was repeatedly denied. Campaigns by activists and scholars in Thailand and abroad to free Ampon, while rallied substantial popular support, did not alter his situation. This case was hailed as one of “the most severe lese majeste convictions yet recorded.”

Akong with his family. Photo from FACT – Freedom Against Censorship Thailand

This bizarre and tragic story began in August 2010 when Akong was arrested in his home and detained without charge for two months. In January 2011, he was finally charged for sending four SMS messages deemed offensive to the monarchy to then prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's personal secretary and other cabinet members. Akong denied such charges.

During the trial, Ampon admitted not knowing how to send SMS messages and that he did not recognize the numbers belonging to the receivers. He wept throughout the entire ordeal and repeated his love for the king.

Judge Chanatip Mueanpawong clarified the verdict:

The prosecution could not produce a witness to definitively confirm that the defendant was the one sending the messages to the plaintiff's phone. It was difficult to present compelling evidence because the defendant, who committed such acts, would naturally conceal his actions so that others could not observe them. As such it is necessary to rely on circumstantial evidence to indicate the defendant's intentions.

Akong was sentenced to 20 years in prison, 5 years for each SMS message sent.

The mobile phone messages were alleged by the authorities to have contained vulgar language defaming the queen and insulting the honor of the monarchy. According to iLaw, the police relied on phone log by service provider and police witnesses to convict Akong.

The Office of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission agrees the case was circumstantial at best and warns mobile phone users to be especially mindful of their phone activity.

While in custody, the Court of Appeals repeatedly denied Ampon bail, citing the severity of the case as a threat to national security and possibility of his flight.

The death of “Uncle SMS” elicited strong, and polarized, reaction in the cyber community - many were outraged, while some cheerful. Poltahan Manoke Klang Prapan wrote on Facebook:

I wish this country would see justice and freedom, but I could only wish. I wish the ignorant would see the light, but I could only dream. I guess I would have to put up with this reality. After all death is inevitable.

Piangkam Pradabkwan composed a poem on her Facebook page, whose last verse was:

Akong is dead. Who killed the old man? Justice came too late - this is a crime. Human lives are cheap and abundant. They breathe and smell death every day.

Others weren't so upset about the passing of Akong:

“Please make merit for the old man. By now he's probably in hell with fire burning in his mouth,” major181226 responded to the Youtube clip about Akong. “He deserved to die. Our land would now be elevated. When the color ordeal is over, our country could progress. Or don't you agree?” posted Purno5.

On Twitter,‏ @supinya expressed her sadness:

Rest in Peace for Uncle SMS, speechless as always. Sadness from both angles; humanity&human rights. My condolence to his family & friends.

Bangkok Pundit asks why a senior citizen with cancer was viewed by the state as threat to national security:

It is hard to know whether he would have received better treatment outside the prison as we don’t know for sure the cause of death, but having cancer while living on Thai prison food and being reliant on the prison hospital are unlikely to be factors in helping you live longer. The extent though is unclear and will never be known. Nevertheless, one does wonder how much of a national security threat a man in his 60s with cancer is that he needs to be locked up in jail?

For many citizens, the Akong case was about injustice and mistreatment of prisoners. They feel Thailand failed as a society to put political differences aside when faced with such gross human rights violations.

Thailand: Grandfather Jailed for Lese Majeste Dies

Mong Palatino — Tue, 08 May 2012 23:13:04 +0000

Amphon Tangnoppakul, the 62-year-old Thai jailed for Lese Majeste (royal insult), died in prison today. His 20-year jail sentence was criticized by human rights advocates who are also demanding an amendment of the controversial law.

Thailand: Free Apps for Tourists

Mong Palatino — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 14:20:01 +0000

Thailand's tourism authority has launched a website where visitors can download apps for a wide range of smartphones to help them plan their stay in the country

Hashtags to Monitor Indonesia quake

Mong Palatino — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:13:31 +0000

An earthquake with a magnitude of 8.5 hit Indonesia on April 11. The tremors were also felt in Thailand, Malaysia, and Myanmar. A tsunami alert was issued in several countries but it has been lifted already. Netizens use the hashtag #thaiquake, #prayforsumatera, and #prayformalaysia to monitor the quake impact.

Thailand: Internet Freedom Threats and Violations

Aim Sinpeng — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 17:26:45 +0000

Having a democratically elected government is no guarantee for achieving net freedom. Thailand is a case in point.

The rise in internet censorship took place despite the pledge of the newly elected government to “restore democracy” and bring the country toward national reconciliation after years of protracted political conflict.

The number of blocked URLs, and the number of computer related crime cases have been on a rise, while the Yingluck Administration vowed to not only maintain the internet censorship legal frameworks - legacy of the authoritarian days - intact, but have also increased its budget for the Ministry of Information and Communication (ICT). Since taking power, the government boasted a record of 73,000 blocked sites.

It was not a surprise to close observers of Thai politics then that the Yingluck government became the first to endorse Twitter's new ‘censorship tools.' Else where in the world netizens protested such move from Twitter to limit the freedom of expression online. Yet in Thailand, such tool has come at an opportune time when net censorship is part of the new government's policy agenda.

Anudith Nakornthap, Thailand's Minister of Information and Communication Technology welcomes Twitter's new policy.

“It [the policy] matches up with the government's approach to protect net users from violating laws and regulations. Real freedom comes when you don't violate other users' rights nor the laws of the country.”

Through its Cyber Scout program, the government recruits volunteers to search for 'harmful' and illegal online content

The government, according to the Bangkok Post, had contacted Facebook to take down 10,000 pages that were deemed to have violated its laws last year. Last month, Two Thai netizens had their homes raided, their computers confiscated and their rights stripped in a recent cyber crackdown. They're lucky they were freed but they knew their lives were forever changed.

In a climate of pervasive fear and deep mistrust of the authorities, conviction that one has done nothing wrong is simply not enough. One of the accused revealed she was more worried the police would tamper with “evidence” and put her behind bars not for what she did, but for what she didn't do.

When she received her seized belongings back from the police, she found that the name of one partition in her external hard disk, which she used to store documents and articles about politics, had been changed.

‘I didn’t stay to watch them while they were making a copy [of the hard disk], as I was confident that I had not done anything risky or hidden anything. I just posted my personal comments as usual. But when I saw this, I suspected whether the police had tampered with my data,’ she said.

She told Prachatai that she had closely followed politics through the internet, but had never joined any rallies by any groups. She also insisted that she had largely read comments by others, and had never posted any offensive comments.

Not all net users were outraged by Thailand's new Twitter policy, however. Ohreohcorner wrote on Blognone.com web board

“Thailand seems to like censorship so much that it had to take a stance by embracing new Twitter censorship policy.”

Meanwhile Tleknight Kmutt tweeted “It's OK I can take this.” Domoku SAd wrote

“Personally all net users have the responsibility to ensure that they abide by the laws of the country. We [net users] need to recognize our boundaries.”

The continued onslaught of internet freedom in Thailand is very much tied to the overall tension with regards to the debate over the possible reform of Article 112 of the Penal Code, known widely as the “lese majeste clause” which prohibits defamation of the royal family. The Yingluck government has made clear it will not seek its amendment and has since stepped up its crack down on netizens, claiming its duty to enforce the law. Yet given the opaqueness of the law and the lack of transparency in computer crime related cases, the government is effectively breeding fear.

Freedom Against Censorship Thailand (FACT) took the government's Twitter endorsement in stride by immediately finding ways to circumvent censorship tools. Likewise Thai Netizen Network responds to the growing net repression from the state by fighting back. The group issues regular updates to Thai net users on how to “unblock” the blocked sites.

Thailand: Unique Taxi Decorations in Bangkok

Mong Palatino — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 14:19:21 +0000

This blog is dedicated to the friendly, patient, somtum-eating, talisman-worshipping taxi drivers of Bangkok.

Created four years ago, the blog Still Life in Moving Vehicles has been featuring a variety of interesting photos of Bangkok taxi cab decorations. Dale Konstanz, who started compiling the photos more than five years ago, cites his inspiration for the online project

I started taking photos inside Bangkok taxis almost 5 years ago and shortly thereafter a writer friend suggested that I start a blog as a way to archive my photographs and as a method to document my experiences in the cabs. Also, I thought it would be a good way to share my observations of Thai culture with friends and family, as well as other enthusiasts of Thai popular culture.

Dale appreciates the value of the taxi charms and talismans especially their impact on passengers and Bangkok residents

I get off the skytrain and jump in a taxi and go to work. I put in my 8 hours. Then, I get back into a taxi and head for home. 5 days a week. Sounds boring? Not if you're taking taxis in Bangkok.

For me, it's not so much about the view outside. It's more about what's inside the taxis in Bangkok; the menagerie of gods, goddesses, deities, and monk statuettes, flowers, and other trinkets chosen for their ability to protect the driver and the car, and to assure that the driver has ample passengers. Like me.

Asked to name the pictures in his blog which best represent the uniqueness of Bangkok taxis, Dale mentions the following

1. Photo of a taxi filled with extensive collections of religious and superstitious objects, as well as other miscellaneous bits and bobs.

2. Picture of a cab decked out with images of characters such as Hello Kitty, Tweety Bird, Doraemon, Winnie the Pooh, or The Hulk.

3. Photo of a taxi with yan drawings created by Buddhist monks on the ceiling, steering wheel, or other parts of the carʼs interior. The drawings are supposed to help protect the driver, the car, and the passengers from accidents and ghostly spirits.

4. Picture with objects that are believed to attract money. Such items include fish decorations made out of folded money, Buddha statues with torn loot suspended in resin, and miniature fish traps that are supposed to “catch” money inside.

5. Picture of a taxi with images of the King and other Thai royalty from the past and present.

The King is a very popular and well-loved figure in Thailand

Talisman with plastic cover

Buddha and soldier.

Coin decoration

Sticker of Yingluck Shinawatra, Thailand's first female Prime Minister

Breakfast for the Gods: Red curry, stir-fried greens, rice, and iced tea

Symbol of Thai Volunteer Road Rescue Foundation

Fish decoration made out of folded money

A monk statuette on the dashboard

Dale’s blog has generated a lot of positive response and even media attention

Some of the readers live in Thailand, but there are enthusiasts from around the globe. Admirers include Thais living abroad who crave a slice of home, those who have traveled here and are reminiscing about their experiences in Thailand, and others who are drawn to Thai culture, anything related to taxis, archaeology, or Buddhism

Southeast Asia Digital Library

Mong Palatino — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 09:24:20 +0000

The Southeast Asia Digital Library provides educators and students with materials published in Southeast Asia. The online library contains digital facsimiles of books and manuscripts, as well as multimedia materials and searchable indexes of additional Southeast Asian resources.

Southeast Asia's Golden Triangle: From Opium to Casinos

Mong Palatino — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 01:23:37 +0000

Tan Kai Swee presents a video on EngageMedia about the opening of new casinos in Southeast Asia's infamous Golden Triangle in Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos which used to be the center of opium production in the region.

Southeast Asia: Internet Freedom Rating

Mong Palatino — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 01:50:40 +0000

Aim Sinpeng discusses the study made by OpenNet Initiative about the state of internet freedom or unfreedom in several Southeast Asian countries. ‘Partly Free' countries include Malaysia and Indonesia while ‘Not Free' countries include Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam

Haze in Indochina

Mong Palatino — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 22:31:09 +0000

Thomas Wanhoff links to a satellite image showing the extent of smog and haze in Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos.

IDEA Asia Youth Forum 2012

Mong Palatino — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 02:23:23 +0000

Migration is the chosen theme for the very first Asia Youth Forum organized by the International Debate Education Association, which will be held in Thailand this coming May

Thailand: Facebook Blamed for Teen Pregnancies

Mong Palatino — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 14:40:20 +0000

Thailand has one of the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in the world. It’s estimated that 120,000 unplanned teen pregnancies happen each year, and it seems popular social networking site Facebook is partly to blame for the unwanted pregnancies, if we are to believe the conclusion of the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB):

The NESDB has revealed that people in the age group of 18-24 are the biggest group of facebook users, accounting for 40% of all users.

The Board said that the social media growth is partly to blame for the teen pregnancy problems as some youngsters post seducing messages or video clips online.

Image from Pattaya Daily News

Saksith Saiyasombut, on the other hand, highlights the inadequacies of Thailand’s sexual education program:

Of course the largest social network is to be blamed for the all the steamy content that drive teenagers to have unprotected sex. Or it could be the much more simple explanation – Thailand has a severe problem with sexual education.

If the moral outrage could be put to one side, the powers that be might be able to see that the only reasonable solution to avoid teen pregnancies is to have proper sexual education and face the naked truth about the existence of sexuality instead of tucking it away.

Ricefieldradio comments that social media has nothing to do with teen pregnancies:

Facebook and other Social media has nothing to do with teen pregnancies or sex. It's hormones. Young people managed to have sex way before any of the social network founders mothers was even inseminated.

Tasty Thailand also points out the reduced sex education classes in Thailand:

After all, 18 may be technically a ‘teen' but, by law, it's actually the age of an adult. So that doesn't fit the ‘blame Facebook' camp for teen pregnancies at all

Because, after all, Thailand's growing teen pregnancy rate can't be because sex education classes in Thai schools have been drastically reduced in recent years, or because Thai parents don't teach their kids about contraception now can it?

FACT - Freedom Against Censorship Thailand recognizes the role of parenting:

Sure, Facebook may make it easier for our kids to hook up. But it’s bad parenting which fails to supervise your kid on a computer. Maybe kids just need to play football with friends…a lot of football!]

Here are some reactions on Twitter. From @thaimythbuster:

#THailand #Facebook did it and shares the blame for Thailand's teen pregnancies. Wondering who was to blame ten years ago… Prem?

@CoconutsBangkok To think, we always thought unprotected sex causes teen pregnancies. Apparently Facebook does actually!

This is not the first time that Facebook was blamed for rising teen pregnancies. Last year, a religious leader in Central Java, Indonesia also blamed the giant social network for the rise of underage marriages and unwanted teen pregnancies in the country.