Friday 13 Jun 2014 |
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3:59 PM Thailand's junta will form an interim government by September to oversee political reforms that will be followed by elections in about one year, the army chief said Friday. General Prayut Chan-O-Cha, who led a May 22 coup that deposed an elected government, did not say whether the cabinet would be made up of civilians or military personnel. "A new government will be set up in August or the beginning of September," he told officials at a briefing on the 2015 budget. "Don't ask me who they are and where they come from," he added. The junta chief has not ruled out becoming prime minister himself. The ruling generals have curtailed civil liberties by banning public protests, arresting demonstrators, censoring media and temporarily detaining hundreds of critics for questioning. Prayut has ruled out elections for at least a year to allow time for political reforms -- including the drafting of a new constitution -- which he says are necessary to end almost a decade of political turmoil and street violence. He urged Thais to "please be patient with me". "I know it's a honeymoon period now but I hope it lasts a bit longer," he said. The commander-in-chief said it was important for Thailand to have a strong military. "If we don't have a military we cannot bargain with anyone. If our military is not strong no one listens to us," he said. Critics accuse the junta of using political unrest as an excuse for a power grab by a military-backed royalist establishment seeking to curb the political dominance of fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin or his affiliated parties have won every election in more than a decade, including in 2011 under his younger sister Yingluck Shinawatra, helped by support among voters in the northern half of the country. The billionaire tycoon-turned-populist politician was ousted in a 2006 coup and lives in Dubai to avoid jail for a corruption conviction. Prayut said that he would scrap a loss-making rice price guarantee scheme launched by Yingluck and explore ways to reduce production costs for struggling farmers instead. |
Sunday 8 Jun 2014 |
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3:17 PM 
(AAP)
Australia's downgrading of military ties with Thailand over the May 22 coup d'etat was marked by a breach in diplomatic protocols as well as triggering "concerns and surprise", according to Thai Foreign Ministry officials. The concerns over Australia's stance comes as the Thai Acting Foreign Minister, Sihasak Phuangketkeow, is planning to travel to Australia in a bid to change Canberra's stance on the military takeover. The military's seizure of power came amid a political deadlock and failed attempts by the military to broker a deal between the government and anti-government groups after months of political protests. In Singapore last weekend, in a joint statement Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Defence Minister David Johnston continued to press Australia's opposition to the takeover, calling on the Thai military to "set a pathway for a return to democracy and the rule of law as soon as possible". Earlier, Canberra had reacted strongly to the military's seizure of power expressing "grave concerns" and leading to a downgrading of military ties. Canberra also placed the military leaders on a visa ban list, in a move similar to a policy adopted by Australia against senior army generals who oversaw a crackdown against pro-democracy protesters in 1992. But Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman, Sek Wannamethee, says the Australian reaction to the military's intervention "came as a surprise to lower the level of military engagement." Read more here. |
Saturday 7 Jun 2014 |
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Friday 6 Jun 2014 |
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7:26 AM A group of Thai pro-government supporters say there are setting up an overseas movement to lead a peaceful campaign of resistance. The Thai military has detained many politicians and activists, only releasing them after they signed documents promising they would stop anti-coup activities. Jakrapob Penkair, a former spokesman for Mr Thaksin and Red Shirt founding member, is one of those involved in setting up the campaign. He says the group is still deciding what measures will be used, but says they will be peaceful. "We believe democracy in Thailand has been systematically destroyed," he told Reuters from Phnom Penh. "People have been chastened, hunted and bullied with no sense of fairness, justice or decency. "We aim to create an organisation for all groups protesting the coup inside and outside Thailand. This would be a non-radical group using civil disobedience." The Thai ruling military has summoned Mr Jakrapob along with other Red Shirt leaders to report on June 9. The deputy spokesman for the military's National Council for Peace and Order, Winthai Suvaree, says the military is closely monitoring groups resisting the coup. "Thai law can't touch those who flee abroad but if we know where they are, we will ask for international cooperation to bring them back to Thailand," he told a news conference. "Those who were summoned and do not show up will face the law and their case will be treated as criminal. "If they return to Thailand and have cases pending then these may be brought to military court." |
Thursday 5 Jun 2014 |
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11:26 AM 
Thai soldiers take positions to prevent any rallying against the military coup at the area of Victory Monument in Bangkok, Thailand, 03 June 2014. (AAP)
Australians heading to Thailand should still exercise a "high degree" of caution despite the military junta lifting a curfew at three beach resorts. On Tuesday, the junta lifted a curfew at three of the country's most popular tourist destinations - Phuket, Koh Samui and Pattaya. Updated travel advice from the federal government's Smartraveller website says Australians still need to exercise a "high degree" of caution. "The security situation remains volatile," the advice says. "We advise you to exercise a high degree of caution in Thailand due to the possibility of civil unrest." Australian tourists should stay clear of any public demonstrations also and monitor social media, it said. Explaining its decision to lift the curfew at the resorts, the junta said it wanted to promote tourism and relieve the impact of the coup on peaceful areas. The curfew was initially introduced nationwide from 10pm until 5am, but drew complaints from the country's tourism industry, which accounts for about 7 per cent of Thailand's economy. While more than 50 countries have issued travel alerts since the coup, many tourists have tweeted pictures from the country's resorts showing peaceful, unaffected beach paradises. |
Tuesday 3 Jun 2014 |
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4:24 PM 
Opponents of Thailand's military coup are risking arrest by flashing the three-finger salute from the "Hunger Games" movies to defy a junta that has banned all public protests. (AAP)
Opponents of Thailand's military coup are risking arrest by flashing the three-finger salute from the Hunger Games movies to defy a junta that has banned all public protests. The gesture has become the unofficial symbol of resistance against a military regime that has suspended democracy and severely curtailed freedom of expression. "Showing three fingers has become a symbol to call for basic political rights in a country ruled by one person as if with the most sovereign power, who is General Prayut Chan-O-Cha," Sombat Boonngamanong, a prominent activist wanted by the junta, wrote on Facebook. Critics of the May 22 coup, including the youngest daughter of ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, have posted photographs of themselves flashing three fingers on Facebook and other social media sites. "Dear #HungerGames. We've taken your sign as our own. Our struggle is non-fiction," wrote one Twitter user. In the "Hunger Games" movies, the residents of a dystopian future North America - who are forced to compete in a televised death match - initially use the gesture to mean thanks, admiration and good-bye to someone they love. It later becomes a more general symbol of their uprising against a wealthy, totalitarian regime. In Thailand some protesters say the salute is also a nod to the French revolutionary motto "liberty, equality and fraternity". The military - which has imposed martial law, controls on the media and a night-time curfew - has warned that people flashing three fingers could face arrest under its ban on public protests. "If they gather as more than five people and show the symbol of three fingers then it's against the law," army spokesman Winthai Suvaree told reporters. But he suggested that people posting photos on the internet were unlikely to be detained, saying coup makers were "not paying any attention" to the three-finger salute by Thaksin's daughter. |
Monday 2 Jun 2014 |
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8:46 PM
Thousands of troops have flooded the Thailand's capital to prevent large scale protests against the military take-over. |
