Killings at Wat Pathum Buddhist temple and medical tent

UPDATES (8) 
A paramedic's account of the night of May 19 points toward activity by armed personnel as depraved as anything that happened in Burma in September 2007.

Keng, a  paramedic, had been working to save lives in a medical tent located on the grounds of Wat Pathumwanaram (Pathum Wanaram or วัดปทุมวนาราม).  The website Pratachai interviewed Keng about what happened:

A female paramedic named Kade who was standing attending to the wounds of an injured person inside the medical tent inside the temple was shot dead on the spot.  While bullets flew around, Keng told everyone to run to hide inside the temple’s pavilion.  The firing took about a few hours.  Those who tried to get to the fallen bodies were shot.  

Keng was busy helping the injured, tending wounds and stopping bleeding... One small person suffered in pain until he died at about midnight.... He was hit while he was helping the paramedics. The small guy was a red shirt from Kalasin.  He had always come to help Keng and the other paramedics.

... All paramedics wore red cross signs, but that did not save them from being shot.  Bullets were fired right at the medical tent, Keng said.

The bullets came from a high angle.  Despite a large sign put up that read ‘Sanctuary’ and everyone’s belief that inside the temple was the safest place, bullets came from the darkness.

Keng said it was likely that the gunshots were fired from the BTS skytrain track up above.   On the morning of 20 May, at about 7-8 am, before police and the press came, when some of those inside the temple came out to look for food to share with the others, gunshots were fired from above.  Soldiers were seen on the BTS track, carrying rifles.

Among the six dead inside the temple, three wore red cross signs.

The above photo shows two snipers on skytrain tracks overlooking a temple.  If you click on the photo you will be able to see the snipers.    They come to us via mediawar, who tweeted, "apparently these photos confirm Keng's words (about snipers on BTS)."  The other photo is here.  I don't know who took the photos [see update].

A UDD witness interviewed by the Bangkok Post/Spectrum echoes the medic's claim,

"He said the gunmen were behind the concrete slabs on the second level of the elevated skytrain tracks. Everyone ran further inside the temple after the first man and the nurse were shot.  'From that position, the gunmen had a clear view of the temple,' he said."   

Another witness, an official at a foundation office located on the temple compound, was interviewed by the newspaper:

"We don't know who shot at us," said a foundation official. "But in my opinion, the shots must have been fired from a high position.

"Our temple is ringed by a high wall and the police headquarters are located just opposite us," he added. "So they must have been where they could not be seen by the police or passers-by."

Among the eyewitness accounts from May 19 compiled at Therelive.com are a number of reports from journalists who had been present at Wat Pathum temple.

• Keng, A paramedic’s account of the 19 May slaughter - "Bullets were fired right at the medical tent, Keng said"  (includes interview transcript, videos)
• Andrew Buncombe,  Eyewitness: Under fire in Thailand  wrote, "I cannot believe they are shooting in a temple."  His article, published in the Independent, continues:
  
  

  “Precisely which positions the firing was coming from was unclear and why the troops would be shooting so widely, with so little caution, was unclear. Was it coming from snipers or from the regular troops?  It seems almost certain it was coming from the troops. And who within the chain of command was ordering troops to fire so recklessly, so close to so many people, the vast overwhelming majority of whom were unarmed, unthreatening and who – as they had been asked by the authorities – had just left their place in the city centre. Had they had an opportunity to leave, safely, then they would have. Everyone recognised this was the end of their struggle, or at least this stage of it. Pressing, vital questions need to be answered by the highest levels.”

• Steve Tickner (via reporter),  Australian reporter hides out in Buddhist temple
  
• Mark MacKinnon, In a Bangkok Temple, the groans of the wounded shot seeking sanctuary - "... a place of death and terror as perhaps 1,500 civilians huddled inside."

Regarding the incident, at least two reports have appeared in the Thai media.

• Nation Multimedia (Pongphon Sarnsamak) Gunfire made temple a scary place, reporter says
• Bangkok Post, Unholly night in the temple compound

Andrew Buncombe, upon reading the Nation's account of his reporting, tweeted, "Interview with me in Nation is headlined: "Gunefire made temple a scary place, reporter says" is true, but that is not the story."  

Wat Pathum Wanaram is located between two shopping malls Siam Paragon and CentralWorld, and across the street from Siam Square.   Many red shirts had sought refuge on the temple grounds after the surrender of their leaders to Thai authorities. 

Update 1:
Claudio, blogger and eyewitness to various recent events in Bangkok, points us to a video entitled "Sniper Fire and Dead in Wat Pathuwanaram, Bangkok, May 19th, 2010":

 

Update 2:   
MediaWar has just written me to say, "looks like I've found source."  The caption to a Getty photo at Daily Life reads: "Soldiers take position after gunshots were heard near a Buddhist temple in the heart of an anti-government protest zone, in downtown Bangkok on May 20, 2010.... soldiers were advancing on foot along an elevated train track, an AFP photographer saw."    The caption to another photo reads, "A Thai soldier keeps guard in front of a temple which had been turned into a shelter within an anti-government protest site in downtown Bangkok on May 20, 2010. Thai police escorted thousands of protesters out of a Buddhist temple where they had cowered overnight after nine people were killed there in gunbattles."   More Getty images of the temple here.

Update 3:

An independent Thai news website prachatai2.info has posted more photos sent by "volunteer reporters showing Wat Pathum Wanaram on May 19-20."  These pictures are outstanding and lend further support to statements by witnesses.  I will try to provide a translation of the commentary accompanying the photos. [Link no longer works; See update #5]

Update 4:
Al Jazeera reports on the death of a young Thai medical worker at the temple.



Update 5:

Thailand Crisis 2010 blogger has posted the latest Prachatai photos and translated the captions.

Prachatai English has posted a sad account entitled Kade, a life lost at Wat Pathum: "Kamolkade Akkahad was 25 when she was shot dead inside Pathumwanaram Temple on 19 May .... She was hit while wearing a paramedic’s uniform. Doctors said she was hit twice, and her brain was damaged by the bullets. Her friends who received her body suspected that she had been hit more than twice."

Update 6:
Andrew Buncombe now has a story up at the Independent about Kade's short yet inspiring life.  Buncombe writes:

Reports suggest that Ms Akahad was killed sometime after 7pm while attending to a man with gunshot wounds who had been hit outside the temple and then carried inside and laid down at a makeshift first-aid area, located near a souvenir shop. The injured man, Kittichai, survived his injuries, thanks to the intervention of the medics and his eventual evacuation to hospital by ambulance. 

Among the people at the temple yesterday was a man who was also present last week and who said he had watched Ms Akahad and other volunteers attend the wounded. The man, who gave his name as Tom, claimed he had seen two soldiers located on the route of the passing light railway fire into the temple grounds. He took out his mobile phone to reveal photographs of injured people being treated inside the temple grounds. 

Tom, a temple workman, said he had also been at the front of the compound when Ms Akahad was hit. He said he had seen her helping the injured man, then stand up to collect more first aid supplies. It was at that point that the young woman whose first instinct was to help others was shot. "She was near the first-aid tent," he said, "doing first-aid. She was saving a man's life."

Update 7
How is it possible that professional soldiers would shoot medical workers?   How is it possible that the ten week long Bangkok protests resulted in the deaths of two journalists and serious gunshot injuries to at least six others members of the press?

Jack Picone found himself embedded with a Thai army snipers in Bangkok.  Picone shares what he learned in the SMH

The sniper and his comrade are like two surgeons operating with great precision. Ahead of the bunker, Rama IV Road, normally a major arterial road, is empty. The soldiers are becoming agitated by the return gunfire and exploding M79s, and send back a rain of bullets at the Red Shirts.

There is a lull in the fire, and in a twist of reality, one of the soldiers yells across the road to an officer in an adjacent bunker: ''Is it OK to shoot foreigners and journalists?''

I am mortified. There is a pause before the answer is screamed back from the adjacent bunker: ''No''.

I crane my head around a cement wall that adjoins the bunker and I can see foreign photojournalists in the distance. I call a colleague on my mobile phone and ask where she is. It is close to where the sniper is aiming. I say quietly: ''I am with army snipers and I think you are in their sights, get the f--- out of there, move to the side. I would go down the side street now, they are going to shoot!''

You might want to read the short article for yourself.  Personally, I think it's one of the strangest, most disturbing news stories I have ever read.    I think it may shed light on the killings at Pathum Wanaram -- and many other senseless shootings that have occurred.  Following a deadly close encounter with Thai soldiers on May 15 Australian photojournalist Nick Nostitz observed, "So far, the military has not given me much reason to feel safe, especially their use of snipers on many of the high rises and bridges."   In an article published in  der Spiegel, Thilo Thielke described circumstances surrounding the shooting death of his friend and colleague, Italian photographer Fabio Polenghi on May 19:  "Since the beginning of the conflict," Thielke writes, "I have experienced the Thai army as an amateurish force."

Update 8
Bangkok Pundit has a new post on events at Wat Pathum that presents analysis and yet more eyewitness testimony.

Wise Kwai on the destruction of Bangkok's old cinemas

Ordered from earliest to more recent, some tweets by Thai film blogger Wise Kwai:

- Saw many movies in the Siam cinema. But won't anymore. It's been torched.

- Retweeting KevinRevolinski: Inglourious Basterds at the Siam. That's ominous, given how it ends for the Nazis watching the movie.

- Siam movie theatre has been collasped.

- Retweeting BobThailand: Rebuilding shopping malls and movie theaters will be much easier than rebuilding Thai society after today.

- Crap. Guess I can take out the contact phone number for the Siam theater on the movie page.

- Re-tweeting Agam_T: the grand old classic movie theatre, Scala, set ablaze by #redshirts. Bangkok's history is disappearing before our eyes. Damn, now Lido too!

- Re-tweeting veen_NT: Note: my last weet on Siam courtesy of Khun Yodyium Theptranont, an architect who considers Siam Theartre as one of Bkk historial sites.

- Re-tweeting veen_NT: RIP Siam Theatre - 44 years ago the first movie screened at Siam was "Rot Tung Prachan Ban", charging only Bt7 for a front-row seat.

Wise Kwai -- wisekwai on Twitter -- blogs at Thai Film Journal.
  
Update:  Wise Kwai has just posted about the destruction of the cinemas on his blog: "Siam Theatre contributed greatly to the culture of Bangkok movie-going....  an irreplaceable loss.  Cinemas like that one are no longer built."

Bangkok resident's criticism of CNN sparks outrage

On March 14th at 12:25pm the blogger at Siam Report wrote,

"Just watched CNN update. Dan Rivers seems to lean towards the yellow [pro- government] position: Thaksin runs the whole movement--the puppet master with the money bags; protesters are there for money not democracy. . ." (via therelive).

On May 18th Bangkok Pundit blogged, "Suthichai at The Nation has tweeted 'this open letter to CNN is เด็ด (really good).'   The letter, from Bangkok resident Napas Na Pombejra to CNN International, was posted on Facebook. Following is a quote from the letter:

Recently, CNN Thailand Correspondents Dan Rivers and Sarah Snider ... have NOT done their best.... All of Mr. Rivers and Ms. Sniders' quotes and statements seem to have been solely taken from the anti-government protest leaders or their followers/ sympathizers...

Bangkok Pundit observed, "The letter quickly spread through Facebook and Twitter."  BP then examined the claims made in the Napas letter, concluding:

"It is hard to critique this as she doesn't point to any particular report. You know when you critique someone, you usually quote what you think is wrong with something, but she just asserts something without backing anything she states up.... Now, perhaps she is right that CNN's coverage is "one-sided, shallow and sensational half-truths", but she does not demonstrate this."

When Siam Report alleged pro-yellow shirt (pro-government) bias on the part of the CNN reporter, the blog described a specific incident.  If anyone wanted to examine the claim made by Siam Report, conceivably one could track down this evidence.  Such is not the case with respect to the vague allegations made by Napas.

In respect to their quality, the accusations levied against CNN by the Thai letter-writer and her supporters are familiar.  In fact, it seems like déjà vu to me.

In the spring of 2008, Chinese netizens attacked CNN for its coverage of the Tibet protests/riots. The incident prompted some bloggers to found a website (Anti-cnn.com).   Was the group's criticism valid? "Having looked at the evidence, I found the Chinese netizens' case for Western news media bias to be largely unsubstantiated," I commented at the time.  Later, introducing the work of a German fact-checker of Anti-cnn.com to readers, I noted:

I have been severely critical of the movement because I believe the claims made by the group far exceeded their evidence. It's a pattern which has been repeated in the Chinese blogosophere where one unsubstantiated claim after another is now being leveled against individuals, culminating in vicious personal attacks against Grace Wang, foreign journalists, and a Chinese newspaper editor. Chinese netizen attacks have recently been launched against France and its largest retailer.

By the time I wrote those words, the netizens' charges against CNN had broadened to include the Western media generally, and culminated in a rising tide of Chinese nationalism.  Could something similar happen in Thailand?

To be sure, there are several striking parallels between China in April 2008 and Thailand in May 2010. In both situations, central state authority is tested by a popular movement from the periphery, there is pervasive government censorship of the media, and criticism of foreign media is spearheaded by well-off young people loyal to the central authorities.  During the coming weeks in Thailand, as happened in China, social media could serve to galvanize support for the center.

Bangkok Red Shirt Protest, March 15: Observing the observers

Thai Journalist Devakula, interviewed a moment ago in Bangkok on Al Jazeera said that Thai television is not covering the protests.  The question is whether -- with Internet cafes everywhere -- this makes any difference in 2010.

I spent the last couple hours tracking the most recent reports and photos of half a dozen live-bloggers.  Some impressions:

• The largely rural protesters are receiving smiles and encouragement from many citizen onlookers
• The security forces are staying out of the way, and the protester marchers are peaceful
• The protesters are spread out over various parts of Bangkok, including shopping mall areas, making it difficult to determine the total number.

Have a look at the unfolding scene through their eyes. 

Noon deadline in Bangkok, Red Shirt protesters vow widespread disruption

Having surveyed numerous reports, Bangkok Pundit estimates that between 150-200,000 protesters have flooded the streets of Bangkok.

Thai PM Abhisit went on national television an hour ago and rejected a Red Shirt ultimatum that he dissolve parliament by 05:00 GMT (12pm BKK time, 01:00am NYC time).

The protesters are surrounding the army base on the outskirts of the city where the prime minister is holding out, and they are preparing to meet the passing of the deadline with new measures.  What will the next stage of the protest look like?

On the streets of Bangkok, these bloggers are answering that question.

Royal Thai Navy regulations and Rohingya refugees

Additional information has come to light concerning the Thai Navy's contact with the 93 Rohingya boat people now detained by Malaysia. 

Did the Thai Navy abandon Rohingya at sea AGAIN?

A year ago, I blogged a post titled, "Thai Navy tortures Rohingya refugees in view of tourists."  Urban Svensson, a Swedish witness passed me some photographic evidence of Thai Navy human rights abuses against refugees.

The world learned that the Thai Navy was setting Rohingya refugees adrift on the high seas in their little wooden boats, and the lucky ones were being rescued by Indonesian fishermen.  Hundreds are thought to have drowned. Thailand seemed to be complicit in a Rohingya genocide.   An international outcry followed.  The Economist urged the US to call off its joint war games with the Thais. UNHCR goodwill ambassador Angelina Jolie criticised Thai government.

Thai PM Abhisit Vejjajiva gave the world reassurances that there would be "a thorough military-led investigation, but simultaneously issued a blanket denial of abuse on behalf of the military."   Political scientist Thitinan Pongsudhirak wryly observed, "We are not going to see the Abhisit government going after the military because it was instrumental in his assumption of office."

Now it appears as if either the abuses never stopped, or they are happening all over again.  GJBKK blogs:

A boat full of Rohingya’s refugees have been picked up in Malaysia after reportedly being ‘’sent on their way” by the Thai Navy just off the Phuket coast. 

The Canadian Press reported that the vessel, containing 93 men, had been ”chased out of Thai waters” before they were eventually detained off the Malaysian island of Langkawi, south of Phuket.

Malaysian officials have been told the Rohingya, fleeing persecution in Burma, spent 30 days at sea in the crowded wooden boat, Canadian Press reported.

UPDATE: Follow-up post on this issue: Malaysia detains Rohingya boat people: Thailand implicated this time?

Thai court grabs over half Thaksin fortune

A wounded elephant is the most dangerous kind.   And this verdict will hurt.

In a "comprise" decision, Thailand's highest court has ruled that Thaksin Shinawatra can keep that fraction of his fortune earned prior to when he became prime minister (about 38% of $2.3 billion).

Some observers hope that the court's decisions to allow Thaksin to keep some of his wealth will mark a first step towards reconciliation of Thailand's red-yellow divide.

However, it looks to me as if Thaksin has already made progress toward framing a legal victory for his opponents as a moral transgression -- one that could powerfully energize his supporters and win him broader sympathy.

Quoting some lines of Buddhist poetry, Thaksin's response to the court decision was dignified.  At a time when his opponents were talking about his money, Thaksin chose to speak about democracy and good government. Wearing a black suit and black tie, Thaksin addressed his supporters:

Power rests with aristocrats, who constantly push the button.  Law enforcement runs real fast with the opposite side. Serious lack of international standard. . . .

. . . Fairly good that they return what was mine before the political years. . . 

Let me thank all of our supporters who adhere to my request not to show up during the case. You don’t want to be accused of doing all that for me. Let me face it alone. You can be angry, but with no violence. We must be patient and peace-oriented for future generations. For business people, do not enter politics. Business people are prone to get the job done. If you do that, my fate will be yours. If you really want to serve, sell everything before you step in.

I will continue to seek justice, wherever I am, in or out of the country. Today I receive no justice. Justice is to be sought. May the people judge. Look back at my years of service, not as one scene of a feature film. Look closely and you will see injustice lurking around. I will fight on peacefully. Future generations must be born to and in democracy, justice, and equality.

What has happened to me should be regarded as lessons for Thailand’s democratization. I appreciate all support and genuine concern. Again, I am sorry for my wife and my children.

Given the inevitable perception among Thaksin supporters that the court ruling was vindictive, the court decision is likely to harden the conviction among residents of north and northeast Thailand that the nation's institutions are run for the benefit of the Bangkok elite.   For now, by eloquently linking his own trial to the peaceful struggle for democracy in Thailand, Thaksin may yet turn the debacle to the advantage of the red shirts.   

I've posted links to live-bloggers of the historic event here.
__
Photo by Jotman (file photo). 

Turning drug crops into chocolate and coffee

The old way was to go in and destroy a drug crop, and leave the farmers either to starve or replant.  But Peru and Thailand have found a better way.

Time reports that Peru has been encouraging its coca growers to plant cocoa.  To some extent, the policy has paid off.  Today Peruvian cocoa has a decent reputation among chocolate makers. The article caused me wonder if a replacement crop had been found for the opium grown in Afghanistan. Coffee seems like an obvious "substitute crop" in a mountainous region.

After some googling I came across an interesting report by Alastair Leithead of the BBC.   It turns out that Thailand has pioneered the substitution of coffee for poppies.   In the Golden Triangle region, Thailand's royal-sponsored Mah Fah Luang Foundation has successfully converted some poppy fields to coffee plantations. (I had heard about the foundation and its coffee growing initiative on a visit to the region , but opium had been so thoroughly eliminated in northern Thailand by the time of my first visit that the historical rationale for the initiative had never ocurred to me).  MR Disnadda Diskul, the foundation director, has been serving as a consultant to Afghanistan.   A descendant of the Thai royal family who has spent twenty years working on the problem, MR Disnadda Diskul was not impressed by the American effort:

"At the moment they are pouring the money into Afghanistan but they are giving fish to the poor, but not giving them a fishing rod and teaching them how to fish, or to look after the ocean," he says.

"That's the difference between the Thai way and what they are doing in Afghanistan. The donor countries are using all their money for infrastructure - not into the mouths and stomachs of the people."

With ever more opium being produced across the Thai border in Burma's Shan State, someday Thailand's experience with this matter may be sought closer to home.

An unfair distribution or a better one?

Did the former Minister of Public Health for Thailand get fired for putting patients first?

Opium production increases in Northern Burma

I blogged about my visit to Burma's remote Shan State in 2006 here and here.  By the fall of 2006, the opium-based gangster economy of the Golden Triangle seemed on its way to becoming relic of history.  The remaining drug lords of Northern Myanmar had turned to manufacturing synthetic drugs for the Thai market.  The region had also become a transit zone for Chinese-made goods and fake drugs.

However, according to a new report, with government backing, the economy of Shan State appears to have reverted back to some of its former ways. 

Continued here.

From Khattiya's war to rumors of a Thai coup

Conceivably, various recent developments -- two concerning Maj. Gen Khattiya (alias Seh Daeng) could be intended to justify a rumored army coup.  More here.

Is Thailand really on the brink of civil war?

A quote from the update to my recent post, "Maj Gen Khattiya declares war against Thai military":

What timing:  Within a fortnight of the appearance of an article warning of civil war --  a polemic publicized by the man some Thais consider to be the country's highest-ranking Yellow Shirt --  a high-ranking Red Shirt army officer is quoted in the press having declared civil war.  And the same high-ranking officer suddenly becomes a suspect in a bombing -- a bombing for which there seems to be no evidence.

Maj Gen Khattiya declares war against Thai military

3 UPDATES
Does Thailand want to see a civil war break out?  One anti-government army leader sounds as if he is determined to start one.  The Nation, Bangkok

Suspended Army officer Maj Gen Khattiya Sawasdipol announced Saturday that he is a leader of the red-shirt movement and is training the movement's fighters for fighting against the military.

He called a radio programme to say that he had not escaped into Malaysia but he went to Hat Yai on Thursday to train the red-shirt people there.

"We are now at war with the military and I appointed myself a leader of the Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship to fight for democracy and the red-shirt people accepted this," Khattiya said.

He said he will return to Bangkok Saturday.

Khattiya, alias Seh Daeng, a leader of Thailand's anti-royalist UDD "red shirts" movement, apparently wants to start a war.   The development comes just as high tensions appeared to have begun calming:  Suporn Atthawong, another red shirt leader, had decided to call off a protest scheduled to take place at the Suvarnabhumi airport.  The UDD had seemed poised to copy a terribly disruptive protest held by the yellow shirts in November 2008.  (One yellow shirt leader who supported the storming of Bangkok's international airport just over a year ago today serves as Thailand's foreign minister.)

Who is Maj. Gen. Khattiya (Seh Daeng)?

Wikipedia reports Khattiya went undercover to fight the Vietcong in Laos and later, rebel groups in Ache.  And he's written a number of novels.

Prior to the new (pro-military, pro-royalist) government taking office, Khattiya had vowed to defend the previous government against any coup.   N. Ghosh observed:  "Seh Daeng is a larger than life figure in Thailand - a notorious, fearless maverick who famously laughs in the face of enemy fire. He said if it was up to him, he would clear Government House of the PAD protestors in no time. He would first cut off all supplies including water and electricity, then use water cannons on the thousands camped there -  and drop snakes on them from helicopters."

Things began to go seriously downhill for Maj. Gen Khattiya in Nov. 2008 when he was ordered to teach aerobics classes:

Maj-Gen Khattiya said his new job was not suitable for him, as he considered himself a fighter.

"It is ridiculous to send me, a warrior, to dance at markets," he said. He also blasted the army chief for breaking a gentleman's agreement to promote him after Gen Anupong became the army leader.

Khattiya was suspended.in December 2009 for making an unauthorized trip outside the country in November to visit  former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in Cambodia.  (November 2009 was a bad month for Khattiya.  He was also sentenced to 12 months in jail in a defamation lawsuit against a former police chief).

Khattiya became a suspect this week, accused of having masterminded a grenade attack against Thai Army Headquarters (Jotman photo, above, taken night of 2006 coup, shows the gateway to Thai Army HQ):

The grenade, probably fired from an M79 launcher no more than 400 metres away - the maximum range -  hit the kitchen next to the Gen Anupong's office on the sixth floor of the building.  The grenade exploded causing damage to the wall and the glass window.  (Important: see UPDATE 2)

According to an earlier article today (same paper), Khattiya was to surrender "in a few days":

Speaking in a phone interview, Khattiya said he was not running away and was staying in Songkhla to "wait and see". He denied being behind the grenade attack, saying he was not in the city at the time it took place - around 3am on January 14.

"I need to see whether my arrest warrant is issued at the request of a civilian or a military unit. I will have my lawyers seek to have it voided on Monday. Under normal procedures, an arrest warrant can be issued for a commissioned Army officer only after two summons are issued," he said.   Khattiya said he did not own any illegal explosives and war weapons found in his house could have been planted there by military policemen participating in the raid.

Understandably, "Security at all Army barracks and arms depots has reportedly been heightened to prevent possible attacks or sabotage following the Army's action against Khattiya."    Accusations are likely to fly that Khattiya is acting and speaking with the approval of Thaksin. 
  
UPDATE 1: It should be noted that Saturday was not the first time Khattiya has threatened to wage war.  On Jan. 13 The Nation reported, "Khattiya, better known as Seh Daeng, yesterday threatened to 'get even' with his bosses for suspending him from duty. 'A suspension means I become a civilian. So I will be ready to wage a guerrilla warfare in fighting against the powers-that-be,' he said."

UPDATE 2: It seems the story of the attack on the Thai Army Headquarters may not be true.   PTT blogger examines the conflicting news reports, the absence of photos, disappearing evidence, and a denial of the attack by the military.  Nanuam of the Bangkok Post also surveys the conflicting claims, noting that after quickly making repairs and cleaning up the debris in his office, General Anupong reported the incident to the Bangkok police chief and police investigators.

UPDATE 3:  Perhaps relevant to events discussed in this post, in December, Prem, who heads HM the King's Privy Council, distributed copies of an article warning that Thailand was already in the early stages of "civil war."   The alarmist article, published on Dec. 28 at Naew Na was written by Chimsak Pinthong, a critic of Thaksin (h/t Philip Golingai).  PTT has summarized the article which, notably, warns of "General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh and the Class 10 army officers who are 'on the march' for Peua Thai and loyal to Thaksin. They are a minority, unlike the police who remain loyal to Thaksin, as evidenced by their failure to investigate the attacks on “peaceful PAD rallies, causing several deaths.”

Events since the publication of Chimsak's article prompt various questions:  Might the Royalist faction want to make it look as if civil war is breaking out?  Would exaggerating the threat of war not make it easier justify a major crack down on the UDD/Red Shirts?   Where does Khattiya stand in all this?  Might he have been framed?  What about his statements to The Nation quoted above?    Perhaps quotes attributed to Khattiya are no more accurate or reliable than the various news reports of the grenade attack and suggestions Khattiya's involvement (See Stig's comment).  

What timing:  Within a fortnight of the appearance of an article warning of civil war --  a polemic publicized by the man some Thais consider to be the country's highest-ranking Yellow Shirt --  a high-ranking Red Shirt army officer is quoted in the press having declared civil war.  And the same high-ranking officer suddenly becomes a suspect in a bombing -- a bombing for which there seems to be no evidence!

Blue Diamond Affair: more arrests, questions

Includes new research

 Bangkok Post reports on an update to the Blue Diamond Affair:

The prosecution on Tuesday indicted Pol Lt-Gen Somkid Boonthanom, commissioner of Provincial Police Region 5, and four other suspects in the Criminal Court in connection with the disappearance of Saudi businessman Mohammad al-Ruwaili in 1990. . . .

The disappearance of al-Ruwaili was believed to have been linked to the killing of three Saudi diplomats, also in 1990, and the Saudi royal palace jewellery theft by a Thai worker, Kriengkrai Techamong, in 1989.

DSI took over the investigation into the Saudi murders from the police in 2004. With the statute of limitations on investigations into the killings approaching, in August 2008 a new suspect, Abu Ali, was named in the 1990 murder of Saudi diplomat Abdullah al-Besri.   Last summer the Bangkok Post reported:

The police listed three possible motives for the killings: a conflict of interest over sending Thai workers to Saudi Arabia, the illegal export of marijuana, sandalwood and oil to Saudi Arabia through the abuse of diplomatic immunity privileges, and a conflict among mafia-type gangs in Pattaya.

Seemingly the most obvious motive for the killings, a cover up of knowledge of the blue diamond fiasco, was not mentioned, as I commented back then.

However, another possible motive for the killings was also not mentioned by the police.  Neither has this motive been mentioned in any of several dozen news clippings relating specifically to the Blue Diamond Affair.

The first killing routinely mentioned in press reports about the Blue Diamond Affair concerns the shooting by an unknown gunman of Saleh Abdullah al-Maliki, the third secretary at the Saudi embassy in Bangkok.  That killing took place on Jan 4, 1989.  According to the NY Times, "Two factions, the Soldiers of Justice and the Holy War Organization in Hejaz [al-Hijaz Islamic Jihad], have claimed responsibility for the murder of Salah Abdullah al-Maliki."   The New York Times article details the alleged links between al-Hijaz Islamic Jihand and the Iranian government.

What about the other murders of Saudi diplomats?  A Special Report by the The Foundation for Democracy (FDI) entitled "Alleged Victims of Iranian government "hit squads," 1979-1996," alleges that the three Saudi diplomats murdered in February 1990 -- a month after the arrest of Kriangkrai, the Thai who originally stole the Saudi jewels -- were "intelligence officers."   FDI lists all four murders of Saudi diplomats in Bangkok from 1989 to 1990 as  "Iranian hit squad" jobs.
 
The last sighting of Saudi businessman Mohammed al-Ruwaili, who is thought to have known who had stolen the jewelry was on Feb 12 1990.   Mr. al-Ruwaili, whom the five police officers arrested today were charged with murdering, was last seen in a car with Saudi consul Abdullah al-Besri.
 
The souring of Thai-Saudi relations brought about by the Blue Diamond Affair has coincided with an era of relatively good relations between Thailand and Iran.  (In 2007, at the request of Tehran, Thailand agreed to censor a movie about Iran -- Persepolis -- that had been intended to be shown at the Bangkok International Film Festival.  For updates on Iran-Thailand cultural relations see here.)  Frank Anderson of UPI noted that the "Saudi kingdom finds Iran’s growing influence in Thailand a disadvantage to its relations with Thailand."  Saudi Arabia now seems to want to improve its ties with Thailand -- a situation which may have various explanations.
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Jotman's Timeline of the Blue Diamond Affair puts the latest news and his own research relating to the Blue Diamond Affair into context.  Note that several Bangkok Post articles which Jotman had relied upon contained errors. These errors have now been corrected on the timeline (but so far only on the timeline, not the Bangkok Post).

The 10 creepiest events of 2009

I don't know about you, but I thought 2009 was an especially creepy year.

It had been a creepy decade alright.    But our expectations had been raised to an extent that it seemed to have ended on an especially creepy note.   There was Obama, golfing though a terrorist incident.  It reminded people of how George W. Bush had responded to Hurricane Katrina.  Yet by 2005, few informed people had come to expect much in the way of leadership from President Bush.   By the time Obama had spoken out about Crotch-bomber, it was already evident that his "bold plan" was to ensure the country emulated the very kinds of security theater measures that had been hallmarks of the Bush era.  

The following list obviously excludes many disturbing events that happened in places like Burma, Iran, or Zimbabwe in 2009.    But "creepiness" is an attribute I associate with people, leaders, countries, and institutions that we have reason to expect to uphold certain standards.  There should be an element of astonishment about the behavior of the  actor.     Anyway, here it is:

Jotman's Top 10 Creepy Events of 2009

1. Obama's decision to bail out failing banks with taxpayer money without according taxpayers temporary ownership of the banks; lack of effective new regulations concerning CDS.
   
2. Time Magazine's decision to name as "Person of the Year" an economist who had failed to anticipate the housing bubble. It's but the latest example of how media companies help to legitimate a defective system that serves Wall Street at the expense of the public.
   
3. Obama's recklessly small and brazenly uncreative stimulus package.
   
4. The day it became clear that US health care reform would enrich pharmaceutical companies and bolster the fortunes of the insurance industry at taxpayer's expense. 
5. Obama's declaration of support for extra-constitutional "preventative detention" powers (for himself).
6. When Democrats began excusing Obama for advancing the very same policies they vehemently condemned when George Bush was president.
7. When the same Republicans who had cheered Bush as he expanded the US deficit began claiming that a deep recession is a fine time for reducing government spending.
8. China's decision to execute a mentally ill Englishman in the face of protests of the British government and various NGOs.
9.  Thailand's recent deportation of over 2,000 Hmong refugees to Laos and reports that the Thai Navy tortured Rohingya refugees before towing them out to sea where it abandoned them.
10. Discovering that the Bush Administration oversight of the EPA left Americans not only breathing toxic air but drinking poisonous water. 

After a year like that, what could possibly creep us out in 2010?    Just about nothing.  That's the bright side of the situation in which we have dug ourselves.

Cleanliness challenged Americans

I have criticized Indonesians and Thai villagers for burning garbage. Yet, to some extent such behavior is understandable, as some impoverished Southeast Asians do not know any better.

The same cannot be said for Americans.  They know better.

CNN reports that the US army disposes of its waste at major bases in Iraq by burning it in open pits. In fact,  KBR has been sued in connection with the burning.  According to the CNN article, the US military now admits that the smoke may be harmful the health of American troops.  Well duh.

But what about the health of Iraqis living nearby and the effects of burning industrial waste on the environment?

What countries appeared most/least corrupt in 2009?

 Scanning the list from best to worst, here's what strikes me about the rankings of countries in Transparency International's corruption perceptions index for 2009:*

• The top ten least corrupt are the Nordic countries, plus New Zealand (#1), Canada, and Australia.  (Netherlands isn't exactly Nordic, but it comes in at #6.  Singapore (#3) is perceived as the least corrupt country in all of Asia.
  
• The US (home to Delaware) and UK (protector of Jersey) just barely make the top twenty.
• Three Gulf states are perceived as less corrupt than Israel (#32)
• The big countries of Eastern Europe  -- Hungary, Czech, Poland (#46-52) -- are believed to be more corrupt than any country in East Asia outside of China.
• Turkey (#61) and Italy (#63)are perceived as being almost equally corrupt, but Turkey (still considered unfit to join the EU) ranks higher than both Italy and dismally-ranking Greece which is tied with Romania at #71.
• China (#79) and India (#84) rank similarly on corruption.    India is tied with Thailand.
• In South America, Chile is #25 (ahead of Spain) but neighboring Argentina is #105.  (As we saw with the English speaking world, the "colonials" seem to be outranking the "mother countries" on this survey).
• Egypt has the same perceived level of corruption as Indonesia (#111), but the "land of baksheesh" is perceived as being less corrupt than Lebanon (#130) and Syria (#126) and even Vietnam (#120).
• Pakistan and Philippines are tied at #139.
• Zimbabwe is tied with Russia at #146.
  
• Laos and Cambodia are tied at #158.
• America is trying to win wars in two of the five most corrupt countries in the world.  (Iraq and Afghanistan's rank prior to America's invasions could not have been any lower.)

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* ASEAN countries names are in bold. At Jot ASEAN I posted a short list that includes only Southeast Asian countries.

President Obama's bow to Akihito, Emperor of Japan

2 UPDATES

As you can see from the photo, President Obama's bow to the Emperor Akihito was deeper than that of Japanese Prime Minister Hatoyama.  

Of course, in Japan the more subservient the person, the more deeply she (it tends to be a she) must bow to the more powerful person.  As this video about Japanese bowing indicates, Obama did the "waiter bow".

Obama's bow ought to earn him points for cultural sensitivity.   But he loses points for having overdone the gesture.   Moreover, perhaps Obama should lose points for having done anything more than nod his head to the emperor.   I had thought the protocol of Americans bowing to royalty ended with a certain revolution.  

On the bright side, at least he didn't throw up.

UPDATE 1:  Two further reflections.

First, concerning etiquette, from having lived in Japan, I came to understand that it is not considered good form to combine a bow with a handshake, as Obama is doing.   The emperor graciously extended his hand, a bow was not called for.   Moreover, after I came to appreciate the range of meanings attached to a bow, I  found it preferable always simply to shake hands.   The bottom line for me was that a Japanese bow carried implications that are not easily reconcilable with egalitarian values -- which brings me to my next point.

Second,  I would argue that America's great challenge is not to exhibit humility (as many claim), but to remain true to its founding principles.   America was founded on the premise that all human beings are created equal.  The notion of a hereditary monarchy stands in conflict with this principle.  An American president honors his country's values and sets an example for the world by bowing  to no man.  Such symbolism is important to many people.  For example, even today, a Thai can be sent to jail for years simply for not standing before the image of a hereditary head of state.    Traveling abroad, the president of the world's most powerful republic should stand tall for the alternative moral order his country represents.  Even those who don't happen to support certain American values -- i.e. Japanese monarchists -- can respect a country that is true to its principles.   A lot of anti-Americanism these days probably has far less to do with any perceived lack of humility than profound disenchantment with a government that fails to live up to the expectations the country sets for itself.

UPDATE 2:  "It's just a sign of respect.  Therefore, Obama's sloppy bow was of no consequence." 

Does the Japanese bow "simply" convey respect for the other as an individual?  I beg to differ.  Few forms of greeting are less simple than a Japanese bow.

A Japanese bow reflects social status.     A bow is one of various of daily life performances -- polite language (keigo) being another -- by which Japanese pay respect to their respective relational identities within the social hierarchy.    The enactment of these rituals throughout daily life reinforces the hierarchy.  It's an  exhibition of power relations.

Obama's bow was both incorrect and inappropriate in view of his social stature.  As head of state, Pres. Obama is Emperor Akihito's equal, but his bow did not reflect their equal status.   (As leader of the world's most powerful country, Obama could just as easily be considered emperor's superior from the super-hierarchical Japanese perspective.)

The bottom line is that the "forms" of social interaction tend to matter to Japanese people -- that's why they go to so much trouble with them!  They should also matter to Obama's advisers and US embassies, whether in Tokyo, Beijing, or Kabul.   That's respect.   It's not being culturally-sensitive to prove your world-leading country can't summon a competent coach for its president.   Either take the trouble to get it right, or don't bother.

Better a handshake next time.

The real cost of an ASEAN summit

The picture of ordinary Thai lives put at risk by ASEAN delegates is probably not how Thailand's government wants last week's ASEAN summit in Hua Hin to be remembered.