Hermano Lobo

Ting Tong Thanong takes the Piss, and Pisses against the wall.

Mistress Lulu, requests that he consider his position.

The alleged hack journalist, Ting Tong Thanong believes, that, by pissing in the flood waters. He can raise the water, to a level, that would embarrass the government.

A man of delusion, a hack journalist who likes a drink. Forget get this fool.

Ting Tong Thanong has quickly found out that his honeymoon period as the country's first hack editor is over.

One of the barometers of Ting Tong Thanong's popularity is the coverage of the mass daily Thai Rath.

Over the past few days, Thai Rath has stepped up its fierce attacks against the hack journalist over his mis-reporting of Thailand's worst flood crisis in half a century. In one of the first columns critical of the Rag The Nation, Thai Rath called for Ting Tong Thanong to "throw up in the water" because he could not manage the sick situation. He makes many people feel sick with the bile he writes. It followed up a few days later by criticising him for having no repentance in spite of many blunders. The article told Ting Tong Thanong to follow in the footstep of the Japanese Harakiri, take lessons by accepting responsibility and resigning. Pissing it up against the wall will not help the situation.

Thai Rath generally has a cordial relationship with the Rag The Nation. But it has a quick arse. The paper has maintained its position as the country's largest daily in terms of circulation because it has a good system to measure public opinion. It knows the crap The Nation hacks write. It knows the talk of the town, good katoeys, what its readers like or do not like, and generally where to get pissed or pissed off. As the floods continue to create massive suffering, it does not seem that Ting Tong Thanong is in charge of the hack situation. Much worse, the Ting Tong Thanong has been telling half-truths all along about the actual threat and degree of the floods. Economy with the truth is Ting Tong Thanong’s style. Thai Rath's readers are getting angry by the day at Ting Tong Thanong's mishandling of the news. Thai Rath, understanding the mood of its readers, has emerged as the first newspaper to dump on the weedy little yellow hack. The social media are also holding Ting Thong Thanong up to ridicule over the weakness of his alleged writing.

Sensing this change in the media tide, the Ting Tong Thanong on Tuesday appointed Dr Icannot Spell and Dr Wotis Grammar to form two committees entrusted with rehabilitating the recovery and managing news resources to prevent future public vomit. Dr Icannot, the former pimp, will help divert attention away from Ting Tong Thanong, who appears to be running the news desk from a brothel rather than his own hack quality and experience.

The committee appointment was followed by the announcement of beer deficit spending of Bt400 billion, Bt120 billion for bladder relief and rehabilitation, and a go-ahead to implement populist policies such as first-sex and first-drink programmes. Dr Icannot is designated as the Ting Tong Thanong's PR person to talk to foreign sex tourists so they will continue to keep their dicks and wallets in Thailand. The first person Icannot plans to talk to is the Japanese yakuza to Thailand. He will also travel to Japan to assure Japanese mafia about Thailand's investment programme and future temperance prevention measures.

All of these political moves are designed to keep Ting Tong Thanong alive – from the shoulders up at least. They border on insensitivity to the suffering Thai readership. Ting Tong T should pay more attention to the plight of prostitutes, salary earners and owners of small- and medium-sized brothels affected by the lack of customers. At the same time, Ting Tong Thanong should vigorously focus on defending Suvarnabhumi Airport and inner Bangkok from idiots in yellow shirts. If Suvarnabhumi and inner Bangkok are overwhelmed by the yellow punks again, that would signal the end of Thailand.

On the contrary, Thais have the impression that Ting Thong is quick to please foreign punters, whose businesses are fully insured, while ignoring the plight of common people like Ting Tong Thanong, who are owners of a dreadful rag newspaper.

Most importantly, the Thai public is entitled to know what has gone wrong with the management of news and why truth is a forbidden word. Mismanagement on this unprecedented scale has to be fully investigated. As should certain women on Soi Cowboy. The findings - of the truth and nothing but the truth - have to be made public so that the culprits, having acted either intentionally or unintentionally, are punished, so that this grave mistake does not happen again. Ting Tong T said he had trouble with ‘truth’ and thought it undemocratic.

Apart from investigations into the mismanagement of beer stored in his house, the see-saw battle over a queue for the toilet , TING Tong T must also probe the widespread encroachment on to pubic areas, which blocks waterways. The beer crisis has been aggravated by violations of zoning and building codes by the developers of industrial estates, golf courses, housing estates and other projects. All of these violations of the zoning law and city planning have to be dealt with decisively so that we don't face the same crisis again. It’s all the fault of the Democraps.

Ting Tong T can't just throw money after the problems. Look at the problems first. Tell the public what has gone wrong. Express sympathy for his financial plight.

Since Ting Tong Thanong's honeymoon period over, he now has to make sure that he is doing the right thing every step of the way. Dramatic beers and lies won't help. Still, he can expect worse to come after the has receded – even though he keeps pissing up the wall .From class-action lawsuits for compensation, to street demonstrations for Ting Tong T’s resignation to accept responsibility for the mishandling of the news room that has destroyed the Thai economy and the people's way of life.

Ting Tong Thanong is 94

Strewth this lot are slow.

Korn is the ultimate bean counter.

It is likely that the Super-Rich of Thailand want a strong Baht to trade in Dollars, Euros and Swiss Franks.

When they have their little nest egg sorted, they will let the Baht fall.

But then it will be too late.

No exports.

No tourists.

No jobs.

Meltdown.

Morons !

Strewth, give me strength, I wrote about this in Feb 2007, make the area a tax-free zone as well. Fourth World !

Developing Don Mueng

Kapton: Dangerous aircraft wire.

Kapton - the aromatic polyimide wiring insulation around the wire strands - has no place, he says, in passenger-carrying aircraft. He says that the main reason is that, in an electrical short, the wiring insulation chars to a conductive carbon residue and ignites like a dynamite fuse, affecting the whole wiring bundle (and therefore many disassociated systems).

The phenomenon is known as arc tracking. Because the outer carbon char (and not the internal wire-core conductor) is then carrying the current, the circuit breakers most probably will not trip. There is therefore nothing to halt this "flashover" because the power stays on the wire. The older the Kapton wiring gets, the more brittle and vulnerable the insulation becomes.

"The wiring clearly is not safe," he says. "There is always a risk in aviation, but this stuff makes it tangibly worse."

By Tom Mangold and Tim Clark

In the past Airbus has insisted its use of Kapton is safe, because it coats it in a thin layer of ‘FEP’ – fluorinated ethylene propylene – making it less likely to crack. But other experts disagree, and in 2008 the Federal Aviation Administration, America’s rule-making body, stated that even when coated with FEP, ‘Kapton wire insulation materials should not be used in airborne applications.’ But to Block’s dismay, it didn’t ban its use, aware perhaps that to do so would call into question the safety of any aircraft using Kapton – as many as 14,000 planes.

Reply:-

Yes an interesting article , but it does contain several glaring errors and some far from convincing assumptions . Yes ACARS reports were received but that only means ACARS received data from the CMC's , it doesn't prove anything was actually wrong with the ADIRU's , only that the CMC's thought there was a discrepency . We still do not know what caused the crash , nor even why the aircraft crashed.

Kapton is used on many aircraft not just airbus but just about all modern have kapton or similiar wiring . Most of the scare reports about it were carried out by the military in the early and mid 80's and did have some very dramatic and serious outcomes , AS A RESULT OF BULLETS BEING SHOT THROUGH WIRING , not very likely in either the AF or QF incidents .

Sensationalising the events that led to the loss of an aircraft before any cause or details have been determined is irresponsible at least and can cause more distress and sorrow for the families of the deceased .

I do wish reporters would get the facts straight before publishing such stories and features ..............

Absolutely TT2 the Mail in what ever guise sunday, daily or on line is a real rumour monger outfit and facts are at the bottom of any integrity listing. Nothing beats sensationalism.

Air France A330-200 Crash: Follow Up

Apparently an ATR 72, which has a curious description on the airline's website:

The ATR 72-500, a joint venture between France and Italy, is an airworthy 70-seater turbo-prop aircraft

http://www.bangkokair.com/information-serv...;code=OUR_FLEET

Probably because the aircraft has propellers. I once flew to Hamburg from Stansted on a Gillair ATR. The German woman in the seat next to me said, "This is a good service, but they use such old aeroplanes.!"

Yes, I said, it is at least three months old ! Which it was.

When British Airways had them, there was a sign pinned up on the crew room about the ATR 72.

It was a pun on the old BA motto = To Fly to Swerve

Apparently they are a little tricky when at speed on the ground.

Interesting read about this topic ...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/ar...Flight-447.html

Good you found a link to the article I was talking about.

Kapton wiring !!!

There is the possibility that the aircraft flew into a dangerous storm. Got hit by lightning, which caused major problems with the Kapton wiring, which is a problem in itself(ref: Swissair MD-11 fire and crash over Nova Scotia).

The Kapton wiring arced, shorted-out. With resultant computer and information problems.

As usual, a number of things, all at the same time.

The crew did not have a chance.

Freak weather, dodgy Kapton wiring.

They probably mean, after all those friendly Japanese tourists left in 1945 ?

Now there are Three Steps To Heaven

Just listen and you will plainly see

And as life travels on

And things do go wrong

Just follow steps one, two and three

Step one - you find a girl to love

Step two - she falls in love with you

Step three - you kiss and hold her tightly

Yeah! that sure seems like heaven to me

The formula for Heaven's very simple

Just follow the rules and you will see

And as life travels on

And things do go wrong

Just follow steps one,two and three

Step one - you find a girl to love

Step two - she falls in love with you

Step three- you kiss and hold her tightly

Yeah! that sure seems like heaven to me

Just follow steps one,two and three

livinginexile-

It's a piss-take you daft bugger

Just like the film Brüno

Tell 'em to get some IFE in economy like all the other airlines !

Great ! It stole the strategy for the Australian Cricket team. Maybe we can win the Ashes ??? C'mon England !

I wrote this piss-take poem a few years back:-

A Ladyboy Poem

Took JoJo from a GoGo

Last night

Gave my mate

A terrible fright

Where are your glasses?

You shouldn't make passes

At men with nice asses

You'll get a dose of nasties

But I didn't care

You should have seen JoJo bare

with all her essentials

She's got the right credentials

Eight inches she's got hickory halls

Shackled to the bed

Never ignored my calls

Some men have proposed to wed

JoJo the pretty ladyboy

I treated her like a toy

Played all night

While my mate got drunk with fright

JoJo wrestle me naked

If you dare

Wow that's sexy, Ouch! You bear

You're not supposed to pull me there

Wow she's strong

I did not want to do any wrong

Insisted she wore a thong

Muscles like King Kong

I was playing the tease

JoJo just wanted to please

Stimulated that which burst and flow

JoJo please don't go

JoJo don't do that

Now we've made a mess on the mat

You've scratched my back

Just like a cat

OK I will untie you

I'm not a rat

Two thousand baht is enough

As a matter of fact

Oh JoJo what do I do?

I used to like Go-Go girls

But now I want you

This is really something new

My friend won't talk to me anymore

Now he's gone off with a whore

Bet he does not have as much fun

JoJo you made me come

I'll be back for you

Tomorrow night

Tie you up nice and tight

Don't wanna be polite

JoJo like the Kiss of the Spiderwoman

You serve my fantasy, I'll be taking you

Down on one knee

Next time can we make it three?

Three of us in the bed

My lust is being fed

With a man who looks like a woman

Johnny what are you doin' ?

Oh I couldn't do that

That is where you're supposed to shat

Oh again on the mat

My erection has gone flat

I've run away

Left 'em to it

I didn't want to screw it

Had a threesome and blew it

Now I'm back with my mate

And I'm going straight

Back up to Angelwitch coz its in fashion

With a girlie for a night of passion

Well According to the IMF, the recession in the UK will be over by Christmas, so that bodes well for Sterling. So I guess it all depends on who you want to believe.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/busi...icle6670277.ece

Hmm, and who owns the IMF then? Where were their predictions when the crash started...nowhere just like their credibility. They were the twits that stuffed up Asia back in the currency crash, in fact that idiot Geitner was involved in that mess as well.

Most of what I'm reading is predicting an even bigger crash this year. So where will the useless stimulus money come from then? Out of thin air with more QE, all that extra money floating around should get the inflation rolling eventually.

The fundamentals just aren't good with rising unemployment, crushing government debt, no local industry, the housing crash etc. I understand the next wave of bankster suss loans will start to come into play next year as the interest rates get all hiked up whch should lead to a bigger property crash, this time with commercial as well.

Would suggest keep away from both dollars and pounds. Brown and Obama have done a magnificent job of bankrupting their countries. The obedient populations just sit back and let them. And of course when Brown sold off the UK gold the twit even sold it cheap.

If you really want to get confident have a look at who owns the Bank of England and the Federal Reserse, institutions neck deep in the current mess. Yjey are not government, they are private institutions. Google who the real operators and power behind the scenes are.

Cheers...

Chunkton-

Well said.

The recession/depression will run at least ten years. The graph will not appear like a vee, a 'U' or an 'L' shape.

It will look rather like sharks teeth.(no pun intended).

Hey, we are getting back to the good times, a recovery has started. Then the stall will begin and things will drop

back again.

What I cannot understand, is how the baht remains strong.

Anybody know why ?

Still no sign of the black box. A great pity. There is something to be learned from this sad incident.

Why do I fly in aircraft with four engines? Because they don't make them with five !

This is still the best site on the subject:-

Tim Vasquez - Weathergraphics

As with almost all aviation incidents, it is never one thing, but a combination, all happening at the

same(wrong) time.

It will be another tragedy if the black box is never found.

Jak down the Pub is a Publican. Why is this not allowed ?

C'mon, let's stop pussyfooting around here ?

In jail for 99 years ?

Let's have a public flogging ! Bring out the gallows or burn them alive. These journalists need to be taught a lesson.

Let the public have a spectacle, blood and more blood.

When they have finished with the journalists. Go for the ex-pat farangs who leech of Thailand !

Then any farang tourists, they are bound to be up to no good !

Hang 'Em High !

Oh for the Roman Coliseum !

Throw the journalists and farangs to the Tigers and Lions !

Also at :-

The Nation Blogs

What are the latest scams from Thailand ?

Here are two sites dedicated to them:-

Scams

Girlfriend Scams

With the economic downturn, expect new ones to come thick and fast !

The 150 baht ATM charge! That's a very insulting scam.

Yes, and that's an Official one !

What are the latest scams from Thailand ?

Here are two sites dedicated to them:-

Scams

Girlfriend Scams

With the economic downturn, expect new ones to come thick and fast !

Well, this is nothing less than I expected.

When will you think with your brains and not your cajones ?

If Thailand goes the route of a Burma style government.

What will you say ?

Mai bpen rai, my girl is different !

Clueless, but what does it matter as long as I get laid !

“I live in Thailand, what do you know?”

Tell me from the barrel of a gun.

Pathetic !

The Nation journalist Yoon, put up a blog called "Thaksin Rap". It was a send up of his reason to write, one, Thaksin Shinawatra.

What this journalist would write about if Thaksin wasn't around? Well he might expand on his blog about the massage he had with

the Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim. Before he was due to interview him. The mind boggles !

Below you will find a rap I have written called "Grease-Up" It is a rap about Abhisit.

Maybe you will find it amusing, maybe not. It is also supposed to have a serious side.

On this serious note, I refer to the blogging on the Nation, Thaivisa and just about anywhere else.

I found myself being pushed towards the Red shirts because of the blatant support and propaganda for PAD and the yellow shirts.

I like my journalism informative and objective. I am a bit too old to put up with propaganda. Hence my version of a rap.

On all these sites the bloggers are generally split between 'Yellow Shirts' and 'Red Shirts' with the accompanying arguments, for and against.

Some of the Thai bloggers on The Nation and a couple of westerners are well educated and have asked questions and made points away from

the Red-Yellow partisan debate.

Essentially they are saying that the Reds and Yellows are mere pawns in a far more serious battle that is happening behind the scenes. The

westerners are caught up in the Red-Yellow argument and with exceptions of a few wise souls, believe this is the battle.

The Thai bloggers I mention, really know what they are talking about and the story is a grim one.

There is a vicious power struggle going on and it could well get very nasty. The pawns are easily sacrificed, just like Sondhi Limthongkul, who is probably

in a more serious condition than the media will let you believe.

Not that the CCTV cameras at the petrol station where he was ambushed were switched off the day before. This is a classic in a hit by an establishment

within an establishment. Security is reduced, just like Itzak Rabin in Israel. Drop the security then make the hit.

To indicate the seriousness that many bloggers seem to have missed I now quote from a wise blogger:-

"I am surprised that even XXXX does not have a glimmer of what is really happening. It seems the Nation bloggers can only see the tip of the iceberg. They think this is just red versus the government and the yellows. In reality these three are just being played off against each other.

Still the real players are slowly being revealed.

I wonder what our passionate bloggers will think when these stand fully revealed?"

Now my rap in answer to Yoon's Thaksin Rap:-

"Grease-up" a rap about Abhisit.

All I have to do now is go down to Brixton and find a rap artist ?

Grease-up

Got grease on ma hair

Let nobody dare

Stan’ around and stare

Took all day to prepare

Gotta take care

I’m man of the moment

Got a great suit

Have de job on default

Perks to boot

Got more than Shearer’s loot

I’m the smarmy man

Hope yo is a fan

No bullets gonna hit me

Fly off de grease

Jus’ yo see

I’s got de knowledge

Been to college

I’m a posh Thai

All smarmy and fly

I’ll sell anything

What ya wanna buy?

Got two left feet

No Thai girl

Gonna grab my meat

All smarmy and fly

What ya wanna buy?

Going for a nap

Jus’ had a crap

Thai country on auto

I’s de man with the strings

Thunderbirds are go

I’s not in a hurry

Puppets don’t need to worry

Gorillas are pulling the strings

Hidden behind the scenes

Or sitting in dem wings

This is the land of fantasy and delusion

If you think I’m in charge

Just an illusion

Conman writ large

Smarmy and fly

Typical rich Thai

I do as I’m told

I wouldn’t be so bold

Born in the land of Black puddin’ and cold

Barcode on my shirt

Always diggin’ in de dirt

If you think you’re free

This aint no democracy

Yo think I’s jockin’

When I say

Red shirts had their day

I’ll put the military in the way

Smarmy and fly

I won’t tell you why

I touch my forelock

Aint no warlock

Can magic away the opposition

With loads of ammunition

Collateral attrition

The reds can complain all they want

Coz’ I always in front

I’m one of the elite

Got two left feet

No Thai girl gonna grab my meat

Thaksin a rat in a trap

Pass me the map

Nicaragua, where’s that?

Smarmy and fly

Politics of the pig sty

Love to be on TV

Greasy and nice

Women love me

The reds are like mice

Catch ‘em in a vice

Running from this big cat

They’ll curse me for that

The old ways are best

Jus’ watch, I don’t jest

Politics of the pig’s sty

Greasy and fly

Can’t beat Phuyai

Peasants know your place

C’mon, that’s no disgrace

Now vanished without a trace

The elite gonna stay top

Not get the chop

We turn the screw

Thailand run by the few

Newspaper man had an op

Reds wasting their time

We control all crime

Elite are sublime

Thaksin’s on the run

We gonna have some fun

The fish stinks from the head

Don’t argue

Or you’ll wind up dead

We are in power

Gonna crush the red shower

Smarmy and greasy

For us

It’s really easy

Farang watch your step

You gonna be next

Still sounds a bit fishy. Enoch Powell called the Foreign Office a "Nest of Vipers" after they tried to stitch up Lady Thatcher over

the Falklands.

Is it a Spoof Thai style. It could be. Maybe it has something to do with the British selling off most of the land around the Embassy in Bangkok.

Kick back time.

The timing is suspicious. Just after the 70,000 rally for Thaksin in Bangkok and now Sonthi's Birthday.

The Nation has been playing the propaganda arm of PAD for a while now and they were the first to break the news.

Perhaps The Nation should change its name to 'Das Bild' and have a page three beauty with big tits?

Extradition ?

"If it appears the request to extradite is in order to punish him for political opinions, extradition is barred." - Clive Nicholls QC

Extradition lawyer

Links:-

UK revokes former Thai PM's visa

Will Thaksin be extradited?

John sriracha,

Some were alleging that the Wikipedia info was invalid.

Thailand appears to have its own Stasi - ISOC.

When Thaksin wanted to change it he got the push.

Oh sorry I may be quoting Wiki so my comment is invalid.

The info about ISOC from other sources is supposed to show what Thaksin was up against.

Now you can explain to your friends in PAD.

Thailand’s revised Internal Security Act

October 19th, 2007 by Andrew Walker · 4 Comments

Chris Baker has prepared a translation of the revised Internal Security Act and has provided the following comments. Thanks very much Chris! (His comments on the previous version are here.) [uPDATE 23 October 2007: the link to the translation above is an updated translation kindly provided by Chris.]

The Council of State has revised the Internal Security Act. The draft bill passed the Cabinet on 16 October and will soon be submitted to the National Legislative Assembly.

The attached translation is incomplete (because I have not yet got the full Thai text) but probably has all the important stuff.

This is not an amended version of the old bill but a completely different piece of legislation.

Only a couple of the boilerplate clauses are the same. As a quick guide to the key points, read these Sections: 5, 14, 15, 17, 23.

The drafting is a professional job, not the cut-and-paste botch-job of the previous draft.

The Prime Minister and Cabinet are clearly placed in the position of authority under the Act.

The earlier draft had a very wide definition of ‘internal security’ and a very long and threatening list of powers allotted to ISOC.

This draft has a low-key and possibly sneakier approach.

It does not define ‘internal security’ or a ‘threat to internal security’ at all. It simply sets out a procedure whereby ISOC can submit a plan to Cabinet for combating a threat to internal security, and be authorized to implement the plan. In other words, what constitutes a threat to internal security and merits invocation of this Act depends on the Cabinet’s decision on a proposal from ISOC, with no guidelines.

The list of ISOC’s powers to combat any threat does not include detention or interference with the media.

However the Act does include a blanket clause granting ISOC power “to have relevant government officials implement any action, or withhold the implementation of any action.”

It also has a very strange clause granting ISOC power “to order persons to undertake or cease any action in connection with electronic equipment to guard against danger to life, limb, or property.”

The amnesty clause (23) is still there.

thailandinternalsecurityactdraftof16oct2007inenglish.pdf

Tags: Surayud regime · Thailand

4 responses so far ↓

1 Andrew Walker // Oct 23, 2007 at 1:54 pm

I have provided Chris Baker’s latest translation of the revised Internal Security Act.

2 Andrew Walker // Oct 23, 2007 at 2:17 pm

From today’s Bangkok Post:

National Legislative Assembly member and former National Security Council chief Prasong Soonsiri yesterday pledged to oppose the National Security Bill if it were again submitted to the NLA for consideration.

Sqn Ldr Prasong said the serious flaw of the bill was a provision seeking to exempt state officials assigned to work under the bill from civil, criminal and disciplinary punishment. It was inappropriate to enact legislation which took the judicial system for granted. “If it is submitted to the NLA for debate, I will oppose it. We must follow the justice system,” he said. The bill also sought to suspend basic civil rights and liberties such as the right to protest and express opinions. As a former charter writer, he said, he must see to it than any draft law which was unconstitutional was not passed into law.

3 Andrew Walker // Oct 23, 2007 at 2:20 pm

And here is the Bangkok Post’s editorial on the issue:

It is difficult to know why the Surayud Chulanont government has struggled so hard to pass a new internal security act when it has been rejected by legal experts, politicians, civil rights groups and the man in the street.

Yet after the military’s own hand-picked legislators gave still another thumbs-down to this ill-considered and unwanted law, there was Prime Minister Surayud spending some weekend time trying to convince the nation how badly it needs the law. The only reasonable explanation for this extraordinary stubbornness over the proposed law is that a tiny group of people close to the premier want this law for their own purposes. What a splendid argument this is for the opposition to continue to fight until this interim government either gives up or ends its term in office.

Gen Surayud’s insistence on having his way with the internal security bill is doubly puzzling. In the first place, the establishment of a powerful security apparatus is a serious matter that requires popular inspection and democratic debate. Since Gen Surayud is promising to hold elections and turn over the government to an elected regime by next January, there is no need for the bill for now. Three months hardly seems an unreasonable wait for a law that almost no one can justify anyhow.

Just as baffling is the premier’s doublespeak on his government’s priorities. As recently as his Saturday morning appearance on the weekly government information show, Gen Surayud said his remaining time in office he planned no new programmes. A new government, elected by popular vote, would be taking over by late January, he said, and there was neither time nor justification in trying to launch any new laws or projects. Hours later, after the government whips sent the internal security bill back to his desk for a second time, the prime minister spoke rather passionately about how necessary the law was. He indicated he will, indeed, try to push it back to the legislators once again.

The whips at the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) deserve credit for their reasoned stand. The legislature was the first body to take the initiative last July and reject an even more radical form of the internal security bill. NLA members noted, as had many members of the public, that the proposed law essentially made it legal for the army chief or head of the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) to take over the governing of the country on little more than a whim. Anyone he designated would automatically become non-accountable for any actions, no matter how violent or anti-democratic.

After the first rejection, Gen Surayud wisely chose to receive advice from the Council of State, which suggested toning down the worst excesses. The next rewrite put the prime minister in nominal charge of declaring a national emergency and dictatorial rule _ but infamously allowed the premier to delegate power to the Isoc or army chief, just as before. As a result, the NLA whips have properly sent it back.

New Deputy Prime Minister Sonthi Boonyaratkalin argued that the bill is necessary immediately. After all, he said, a national security emergency could pop up any day now. That sounded just a little too much for some people like a warning that the Dec 23 election to return the country to democracy might go all wrong. Because of that and other reasons, 14 non-governmental organisations dealing with civil rights decided on Sunday to join forces to fight to kill this bill.

The cabinet is to meet today as usual, and may take up the internal security bill yet again. Prime Minister Surayud appears determined to try to ram through a law that everyone can see is as unpopular and unwanted as it is unnecessary. For that reason, citizens’ groups and NLA members should continue to oppose the bill and force it off the agenda at the legislature.

If an internal security act is deemed essential, the new and elected government can take up the issue as a matter of priority early next year. Thailand has survived as a united nation for hundreds of years without this bill, and a few more months will not cause its collapse.

4 Thailand imperilled by masculinity, not pregnancy « Rule of Lords // Nov 30, 2007 at 8:23 pm

[...] why the National Assembly is considering the latest draft of an internal security law which will heap enormous powers on the command that Sonthi currently [...]

Source

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

Public Statement

AI Index: ASA 39/010/2007 (Public)

News Service No: 155

10 August 2007

Thailand's Internal Security Bill -- sweeping powers for the military with little accountability

Amnesty International is concerned that the "Draft Act on the Maintenance of National Security in the Kingdom" (Draft Act), currently under review by Thailand's Council of State (the government's legal advisory body), would, if passed into law, violate international human rights standards and further jeopardise human rights in Thailand.

The Draft Act vests sweeping and ill-defined powers in the military, in particular the Commander-in-Chief, including powers to take command of state agencies, to carry out long-term detention, and to suppress groups and individuals perceived by him as posing a threat to national security. The Draft Act will also ensure impunity from prosecution for human rights violations perpetrated under its provisions.

Amnesty International acknowledges the challenges, including security challenges, facing Thailand, and the duty that the Thai authorities have to ensure the safety of the population. However, the organization is calling upon the authorities to face these challenges while protecting and respecting the human rights of all. In this context, a recent statement by the Defence Minister Boonrawd Somtas that the clashes between anti-coup protesters and the police on 22 July 2007 in Bangkok provided justification for the Draft Act is a cause for concern.1

The Draft Act proposes the creation of several bodies. The powers of these bodies are concentrated in the hands of one man -- the Director of a revived Internal Security Operation Command (ISOC) -- who is the "Royal Army Commander-in-Chief" (Article 9).

The following powers are among those which the Army Commander-in-Chief, in his capacity as the Director of ISOC, would be able to exercise:

Take command of "state agencies" -- which, undefined and unlimited, may in effect mean the full civil service apparatus [Article 24];

Impose restrictions on freedom of movement, assembly and information [Articles 25(2), 25(3) and 25(6)];

Order "the use of military force" in accordance with Martial law [Article 25(8)];

Arrest and detain a person, on the basis of a court warrant, for seven days initially, with extensions of up to 30 days in total [Article 26(1)];

"Suppress" groups, individual and organizations perceived by him as posing a threat to national security [Article 26(2)];

Compel any person to issue statements; appear in person or hand in "any documents or evidence" [Article 26(3)];

Search individuals, vehicles and buildings [Articles 26(4)] -- while this section states that such searches must be carried out according to the Criminal Procedure Code, under the terms of which court authorisation is usually necessary, there is no clear statement in this Act that a court warrant is required;

Enter and search homes [Article 26(5)] -- the terms of this section are contradictory and appear to suggest that such searches generally do not require a court warrant;

Seize or freeze assets, document or other evidence [Article 26(6)]

Order the "training at a special location" of suspects, in lieu of pressing charges against them, for up to six months (Article 31). Such training apparently requires the "consent" of the suspect, but with the threat of criminal procedures as alternative, the voluntariness of consent to such "training" is doubtful. In the absence of freely given consent, such training is therefore likely to amount to arbitrary detention.

Unless otherwise stated, none of the above provisions requires court authorisation for the powers to be exercised.

The Draft Act contains no objective criteria and no procedures to declare a state of emergency or establish that the use of these powers is necessary or justified. The only requirement is the subjective determination by the Army Commander-in-Chief that "there appears to be" or "there is an instance" of "an act which is a threat to the national security in the Kingdom" (Articles 24, 25). Such acts are very broadly and vaguely defined, including not only acts of violence but also "trans-border crime," "propaganda" and "incitement" (Article 2). The powers given to the Army Commander-in-Chief can be used anywhere in Thailand at any time.

While Article 4 provides that there should be "checks and balances" on the exercise of power under this Act, there are no clear proposals beyond this generic provision to institute effective safeguards to ensure that the Army Commander-in-Chief's sweeping powers can be countervailed. The limited scrutiny by the courts further compounds the risk that powers will be arbitrarily exercised and abused.

Moreover, Amnesty International is seriously concerned that the Draft Act exempts all government officials who have committed crimes while acting in accordance with the act from any criminal or civil liability, or even disciplinary action, if they had exercised "functions honestly, in a non-discriminatory manner and within reason" (Article 37). Amnesty International opposes granting impunity for any human rights violation.

The organization is further concerned that with the enactment of this draft law, several key human rights would be in jeopardy of being violated with impunity. These rights are enshrined in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and provided, among others, in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Thailand is a state party. They include:

Freedom of movement

Freedom of assembly

Freedom from arbitrary detention

The right to fair trial procedures

The right to privacy

Amnesty International's research has shown that where legislation gives the military or other authorities special powers in contravention of international human rights standards, they facilitate other human rights violations beyond those that such legislation leads to in the first instance. These further violations have often included violations of the right to life and freedom from torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

As Amnesty International has reported in the past, Thailand has for decades enacted wide-ranging and vaguely worded Emergency Decrees and Martial Law, granting the military sweeping powers, particularly in the south. These have resulted in human rights violations, and have not brought peace or security. The Draft Act, if passed, would further entrench the legacy of impunity which has characterised recent Thai history. For example, investigations into the deaths of almost 200 people, caused by the security forces' ill-treatment and excessive use of lethal force, during the violent suppression of attacks by armed groups on government facilities in three southern provinces on 28 April 2004, and during the Tak Bai demonstrations on 25 October 2004, have not resulted in those responsible being brought to justice. In addition, the enforced disappearances of more than 20 people since the escalation of violence in the south in 2004 remain unsolved.

To ensure respect for human rights, the Thai government must investigate, prosecute and hold accountable those suspected of crime, including of violent crime, using normal civilian laws and criminal procedures in civilian courts, rather than resorting to human rights violations in fighting threats to national security.

The Draft Act, as currently formulated, is in breach of international human rights law and standards, and accordingly, it should not be passed by the National Legislative Assembly (NLA). Amnesty International therefore calls upon the Thai authorities to either withdraw the Draft Act or else reform it extensively, to ensure full compliance with international human rights law and standards.

Amnesty Intl

" By introducing the Internal Security Act, the military-installed government will leave Thailand in an environment prone to abuses and the arbitrary use of power. "

Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch

(New York, November 5, 2007) – Thailand’s draft Internal Security Act (ISA) would allow the military unprecedented powers even after scheduled elections in December, Human Rights Watch said today.

Human Rights Watch has obtained a full text of the draft “Act on the Maintenance of National Security in the Kingdom,” along with comments and explanations submitted by Deputy Prime Minister Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratglin, the former army chief who led the September 2006 coup against then Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

The ISA would establish an Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) under the control of the prime minister to implement the law. ISOC would be given exceptional powers to respond to alleged threats to national security by restricting fundamental rights and overriding civilian administration and due process of law in parts of Thailand or the whole country at any time. No declaration of a state of emergency would be required for the ISOC to exercise its powers. The parliament and the courts are given no role in debating, reviewing or approving the use of these emergency-style powers.

“By introducing the Internal Security Act, the military-installed government will leave Thailand in an environment prone to abuses and the arbitrary use of power,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

The draft ISA was originally approved by the interim government of Gen. Surayud Chulanont on June 19, 2007. But it was widely criticized as the most blatant attempt by the military to retain greater powers and influence than it had under previous elected governments. The government adopted a revised draft on October 16.

Human Rights Watch expressed deep concern that the ISA would establish the army chief as the ISOC deputy director, while regional army commanders would be made directors of Regional Internal Security Operations Commands. This would place the military at the heart of a future civilian government at all levels.

“The Internal Security Act appears to be aimed at perpetuating military rule after upcoming elections,” said Adams. “The next government is likely to be weak and depend on the military for support, so the military is taking advantage and attempting to install itself at the heart of future governments.”

Human Rights Watch expressed concern about other provisions in the draft ISA, including:

Article 17, allowing the ISOC director to take command of state agencies by “issuing a notification commanding state officials not to perform any act or to perform any act” to the extent that this is necessary for preventing, suppressing, stopping, and rectifying any situation that affects internal security. This is a blank check to override all laws and human rights protections.

Article 18, allowing the ISOC director and designated officials to undertake criminal investigators without providing any safeguards or judicial oversight of summons, arrests and detentions. Among other due process concerns, this heightens the risk of torture and other mistreatment of individuals in custody or while under interrogation.

Article 19, allowing the ISOC director and designated officials to act as criminal investigation officials and have powers similar to those of public prosecutors and judges. They are given the authority to sentence any person found involved in a threat to internal security to attend re-education camps for up to six months. The draft does not state where such camps will be set up or under whose authority (civilian or military). This provision will allow for arbitrary incommunicado detention in undisclosed or inaccessible places where independent monitoring is impossible. It also sidesteps the protections in Thailand’s criminal justice system.

Article 22, an attempt to legislate impunity for human rights violations by removing the jurisdiction of the Administrative Court and its procedures to address human rights violations committed by state officials. The Administrative Court is currently the most important forum to address human rights violations in Thailand.

Article 23, which similarly places unnecessary limitations on the ability of victims of human rights violations to use civil, criminal, or administrative remedies to gain redress.

Article 17, allowing unnecessary restrictions, without a definite timeframe, on the fundamental rights to freedom of expression, assembly, association, and movement.

“Provisions of the draft ISA are a broad and shocking assertion of unchecked governmental powers that are more reminiscent of totalitarian regimes than a democracy,” said Adams. “Prime Minister Surayud should consider carefully whether this is the legacy he wants to leave to future generations. If he is the reformer he claims to be, he should withdraw this legislation immediately.”

Source

ISOC - probably set up with help from the C.I.A

The Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) (Thai: กองอำนวยการรักษาความมั่นคงภายใน abbrev. กอ.รมน.) is a unit of the Thai military devoted to national security issues. It was responsible for suppression of leftist groups during the 1970s and 1980s during which it was implicated in numerous atrocities against activists and civilians. The modern ISOC was implicated in a plot to assassinate Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. After Thaksin was deposed in a military coup, the junta transformed the ISOC into a "government within a government", giving it wide-reaching authority over the National Counter Corruption Committee, the Department of Special Investigation, and the Anti-Money Laundering Office. The junta also authorized it to help provincial authorities in marketing OTOP products. In June 2007, the junta approved a draft national security bill which would give ISOC sweeping powers to handle "new forms of threats" to the country. The ISOC revamp modelled it after the US Department of Homeland Security, and would give ISOC sweeping new powers and allow the ISOC chief to implement security measures such as searches without seeking approval from the prime minister. As of June 2007, ISOC was headed by Army Commander-in-Chief and junta head General Sonthi Boonyaratglin.

Communist Suppression Operations Command

The CSOC was established in 1966 with the assistance of the United States to coordinate nation-wide anti-Communist operations.

Following the 17 November 1971 coup by military dictators Thanom Kittikachorn and Prapas Charusathian, Praphas appointed himself Interior Minister, Chief of Police, and head of the CSOC.

The CSOC was implicated in several atrocities in its 1970s war against leftist groups. This included the murder of southern Thai activists by putting them into drums of boiling oil.

Student leader Thirayut Boonmee showed evidence that the destruction of Ban Na Sai village in the Northeast of Thailand was the handiwork of the CSOC. The military had earlier claimed that the Communist Party of Thailand had been behind the villages destruction.

The ISOC succeeded the CSOC after the overthrow of Thanom and Prapas.

Operations during the 1970s

The ISOC conducted operations in cities and the Thai countryside to subvert leftist groups through propaganda and violence. In 1973, the ISOC commenced a bombing campaign against hill tribe villages in the North of Thailand.

Future Prime Minister Prem Tinsulanonda was a senior officer of the ISOC.

The ISOC's role declined starting in the early 1980s after the downfall of the CPT. However, its still had great influence. In 1 April 1987, after Prime Minister Kukrit Pramoj claimed that the ISOC had been brainwashed by communists, over 200 Thai Army Rangers attacked the Prime Minister's residence.

Plot to assassinate Thaksin Shinawatra

ISOC Deputy Director Pallop Pinmanee was sacked from his position after Lieutenant Thawatchai Klinchana, his driver, was found driving a car containing 67 kilograms of explosives around the residence of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Pallop denied all involvement, noting that "If I was behind it, I would not have missed." Metropolitan Police Bureau commissioner Lt-General Wiroj Jantharangsee noted that the explosives in the car were completely assembled, equipped with a remote unit sensor and ready to be detonated, and would have a blast radius of around one kilometre.

Post 2006-coup ISOC

Thaksin planned a major restructuring of the ISOC prior to the coup which overthrew him in September 2006. Soon after the coup, the junta released three of the Army suspects in the car bomb plot. Junta leader and Army Commander-in-Chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin appointed himself head of the ISOC (its previous head had been the Prime Minister) and transformed the ISOC into a "government within a government", described as being equivalent to the US Department of Homeland Security. The ISOC was given wide-reaching authority over the National Counter Corruption Committee, the Department of Special Investigation, and the Anti-Money Laundering Office. The new ISOC was criticized as being a shadowy puppet master pulling strings among existing agencies, answerable to no one but its leader.

To protect people in the south of Thailand from insurgency-related violence, the ISOC produced Jatukham Rammathep amulets for distribution to the Buddhist minority. The renowned animist amulets were believed by some to have magical powers to protect there holders from violence and large sums are paid for them. The plan was developed by Colonel Manas Khongpan, deputy director of the ISOC in Yala province.

The Cabinet of General Surayud Chulanont gave the ISOC staff a 84.3 million baht "reward". The ISOC had originally requested the reward in 2003, but was turned down by the Thaksin government.

Source Wikipedia

ISOC