Jump to content

Sign of the times-"Deepening Climate of Fear-"


jitagawn

Recommended Posts

 

Mods if this is too controversial/political yank it if you will /mai pen rai.However, IMHO issues like this are vastly more important to those of who have a long term interest in the direction of LOS than the price of ST and where the freelancers are. :: As always here in Thailand there is more to this than meets the eye I am sure.

 

MISSING LAWYER: Rights groups besiege PM

 

 

Published on Mar 19, 2004

 

 

Thaksin denies that government was involved in Somchai's disappearance

 

Local and international human rights groups yesterday issued a damning statement calling on the government to end what they called a "deepening climate of fear" amid growing concerns that high-profile lawyer Somchai Neelapaijit may have been kidnapped by government officials.

 

"Circumstances surrounding the case, including recent threats, raise concerns for his safety and the possibility he may have been taken into custody by Thai authorities," Human Rights Watch said in a statement yesterday.

 

"It is crucial for the Thai authorities to find out what happened to Somchai as soon as possible and to take steps to stem the deepening climate of fear," the statement said.

 

Prime Minister Thaksin Shina-watra yesterday urged the media not to link the government to the disappearance of Somchai, saying the international community could be misled into thinking the government was involved.

 

Deputy Prime Minister Chava-lit Yongchaiyudh told Parliament that unconfirmed reports suggest that Somchai may have been abducted by four "strangely dressed men", who could have passed for government officials.

 

But phone records indicate that Somchai was still communicating with "trusted friends" up to 9pm on Friday - a time when he was supposed to be missing, Chavalit said.

 

After dismissing suggestions that the state was involved, he said the government had five to seven days to come up with answers or risk facing "damaging" repercussion from the public.

 

Brad Adams of Human Rights Watch described Somchai as a "well-respected lawyer who has taken on unpopular clients".

 

"Instead of impugning Som-chai's character and hinting that his disappearance is not a serious concern, Prime Minister Thaksin and the Thai police should be working non-stop to find him," Adams said.

 

Government spokesman Jakra-pob Penkair dismissed suggestions that the government has been indifferent to Somchai's case and added that Thaksin himself has been "very concerned".

 

Local human rights organisations yesterday joined forces to criticise the government's attitude from the start, saying Thaksin made a mistake by downplaying the case and dismissing Somchai's disappearance as a family problem.

 

Gothom Areeya from Forum Asia said he had not ruled out politics being behind the case.

 

Suriyasai Kathasila from the Campaign for Popular Democracy sought to offer support to Somchai's family and called on Thaksin to show sincerity by questioning the investigators themselves.

 

Human Rights Watch said, "the environment for lawyers and human rights defenders has taken a dramatic turn for the worse over the past year as the Thai government has become more authoritarian."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

<Human Rights Watch said, "the environment for lawyers and human rights defenders has taken a dramatic turn for the worse over the past year as the Thai government has become more authoritarian." >

 

It's just the pendulum swinging. They tried laissez-faire and got a bankrupt economy, drug problem and separatists killing policemen. Thaksin was elected to do something about it. He also sent troops to Iraq which doesn't look like such a great idea in retrospect. (This thread will be taken out and shot.) :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

>>>>>Mods if this is too controversial/political yank it if you will /mai pen rai.However, IMHO issues like this are vastly more important to those of who have a long term interest in the direction of LOS than the price of ST and where the freelancers are. As always here in Thailand there is more to this than meets the eye I am sure.>>>>

 

Maybe more important than sanuk, but sanuk is the direction of this board, and not the political issues that form all things Thai. There are better places to hash out these other problems/events. While they may, in an obscure manner, shape the overall scene, object politics is banned here.

 

HT

Link to comment
Share on other sites

believe there was, initially, some relatively light-hearted reference to the lawyer disappearing, along the lines of him 'taking a breather' from an oppressive family situation...reminded me somehow of an air of frivolity in some quarters which surrounded the massage-king Chuwit's unscheduled absence a some months ago...very strange "official" behavior..quite beyond my paltrey experience...surely, not being around when you should be is a serious matter whoever you are?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

BTW: The news last month said that THIS FRIDAY, 26 March, will be the verdict in the Duangchalerm case. Let's hope the fat little fuck gets what he deserves, although I've seen no other mention of the case since then, which I take to be a bad sign.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok, let's stick to the subject.

 

I find it laughable that someone would talk of climate of fear. maybe they should look a bit at thai history in the last 70 years or so, there has been much worse and corrupted, arbitrary times than this current purportedly Orwellian Thaksin administration.

 

Just 12 years ago, people were shot down the street by the hundred and no one has ever paid for ordering their murdering. And they were not dealing drugs. Arbitrary sentences and killings have always existed in Thailand.

 

Nothing new there.

 

Guys, talk to the common thai folks around you, it's their country and come back to tell us how gripped they are by anxiety ::.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I tend to agree with your point, but from a PR standpoint, I think the Thai goverment is handling things very poorly. I may be totally off base, but I have always thought that Thailand has tried to project an image that they have a stable benign system that welcomes tourists and foreign business. Singapore has used this same message much more effectively to their benefit and acheived great things because of it.

 

I think the current government is bringing back the third world flavor which is bad for Thailand Inc. For example, when Taksin throws out comments like America is a "useless" friend, it send out a message that the leader is overly emotional. I'm not defending the US, I'm just saying that politics requied measure. If Taksin wants to fire a shot across America's bow, he sould have had one of his ministers say it and leave himself a channel to smooth things out. Things just stink of spontaneity and emotion, both of which scare foreign investors and to a lesser extent tourists.

 

Some correct me if I'm wrong, but I heard that tourism is Thailand's second biggest GDP contributor.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the current government is bringing back the third world flavor which is bad for Thailand Inc. For example, when Taksin throws out comments like America is a "useless" friend, it send out a message that the leader is overly emotional. I'm not defending the US, I'm just saying that politics requied measure. If Taksin wants to fire a shot across America's bow, he sould have had one of his ministers say it and leave himself a channel to smooth things out. Things just stink of spontaneity and emotion, both of which scare foreign investors and to a lesser extent tourists.
I think you are right, but more important, the chattering classes here in Bangkok are starting to come to the same conclusion. No predictions about what will happen come February of 2005 - just an observation.
Some correct me if I'm wrong, but I heard that tourism is Thailand's second biggest GDP contributor.
It is very important. The estimates I have seen range from 6 - 9% of the GDP. The Tourism Authority of Thailand is predicting an increase of almost one third in tourism revenue for this year. That will be pretty difficult to acheive given some of the measures we have seen lately -- unless you really believe that most tourists come here for temples and fashions shows, stay in 5 star hotels and are generally in bed before 10 pm. :angel:
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...