Victimisation of rivals dangerous, junta warned

[webfact]

Victimisation of rivals dangerous, junta warned

By KAS CHANWANPEN 
THE NATION

 

 

Future forward’s piyabutr pleads innocence and hints his party is being targeted because of its rapid rise.
 

WHILE MEMBERS of pro-democracy parties continue to be targeted with suspected politically motivated lawsuits, a political scientist yesterday warned this tactic of eliminating political rivals might backfire and lead to a legitimacy crisis later.

 

In the latest case, Future Forward Party secretary-general Piyabutr Sangkanokkul yesterday acknowledged the charges pressed against him by the ruling National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), whose chief is a PM contender after the general election last month. 

 

“Seeking advantage over rivals is common in politics. But this cannot be without consequences. They could face questions of legitimacy even if they successfully conspire to attain their goal,” said Attasit Pankaew, a political expert from Thammasat University. “All the unfairness that can be seen right now will lead people to question if [Piyabutr] would have been hit with a lawsuit if he were not so popular in the election.”

 

The pro- and anti-junta blocs have been going after each other since the election with politically motivated lawsuits. 

 

But it has been observed that one camp may have been hit harder. For instance, when the court was petitioned to seek the disqualification of junta chief Prayut Chan-o-cha as a prime ministerial candidate because he was a public servant, the ruling went in favour of the incumbent.

 

While these kinds of political challenges are common around the world, Attasit said that public sentiment could play a major role in making any change. “It’s how the public responds to the treatment that could improve this culture,” he said. “Meanwhile, the authority has to provide an explanation and ensure that the due process of law is followed without victimising political rivals.”

 

While many people are counting on the March 24 election as paving the way for an end to political divisions, the expert warned that the relentless unfair treatment meted out to some groups of politicians could make people think the election did not really end the conflict. 

 

Piyabutr has been charged with contempt of court and breaching the computer crime law for reading out a statement in relation to the dissolution of Thai Raksa Chart Party in February.

 

Piyabutr, a former law lecturer at Thammasat University, yesterday denied the charges. He insisted on his innocence, saying as a law scholar the criticism was meant as an academic comment and that he believed in the justice system.

 

“The chief of the NCPO is the PM candidate of a political party, which was a rival of Future Forward Party in the election and he has assigned an official to prosecute me for contempt of court,” he said. 

 

“Let me make an observation: the judicial branch is a part of the sovereign state and cannot escape criticism, especially the Constitutional Court which rules on political conflicts and whose judgement is likely to be scrutinised,” Piyabutr told reporters. “Disagreement with a court judgement is not a crime.” 

 

Paying the price of popularity?

 

Asked about the common perception that his party was being targeted because of its popularity, which helped it win more than 80 seats in the lower house on its electoral debut, Piyabutr said that was one way to look at the development.

 

“Future Forward was founded last year but we already face a number of charges,” the law professor-turned-politician said. 

 

Earlier, Future Forward leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit was also charged with sedition.

 

Piyabutr’s meeting with the Technology Crime Suppression Division yesterday was observed by both international and local rights agencies – the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

 

NHRC observer Angkhana Neelapaijit told The Nation that lawsuits targeting activists, academics and politicians in Thailand in the past five years since the military took power were worrying.

 

This does not mean that those campaigning for democracy are above the law, but the authority should ensure that the treatment was not judicial harassment or a strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP).

 

“If they have really committed crimes, they should be punished, of course,” the NHRC commissioner said. “But if it is SLAPP, we have to admit that once they get caught up in the lawsuits, it can really be a burden, making it hard for them to be activists.”

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30367860

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-04-18

[observer90210]

I'll get my pop-corn and watch the fight....but I won't meddle as it can be hazardous to do so if one is in Thailand.

[neeray]

The current activity is as obvious as obvious gets.

Strength to the people in their effort to expose such blatant political twisting.

 

 

[Reigntax]

And yet the junta, despite committing every possible crime against the country and people, think they are legitimate leaders and are still free.

 

Retrospectively removing 44 in future and charging those involved and their cohorts is what is needed.

[Puchaiyank]

Being seen as a challenger to the top position may be bad for your health and future wellbeing...

[YetAnother]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Future forward’s piyabutr pleads innocence and hints his party is being targeted because of its rapid rise.

nothing to hint about here , fairly blatant; authoritarian governments only know one mindset

[steven100]

yawn .... ????????

[Lungstib]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

“Meanwhile, the authority has to provide an explanation and ensure that the due process of law is followed without victimising political rivals.”

Unfortunately not true. Believable explanations have been as rare as hens teeth and absolute silence is the quite common response to opinions that a certain group is above the law. Being in total control of the system that decides the said due process means that laws are constantly being abused and misused with impunity. Certain 'laws' were even manufactured with this very idea in mind, turned out by the rubber stamp NLA with an efficiency rarely seen in Thai officialdom.

[yellowboat]

1 hour ago, steven100 said:

yawn .... ????????

Yeah, forging a great and just nation is boring.  It is better just to lie back and watch it burn.  Where is your harp or fiddle Steven ? 

 

They should have a dress off and let the best dressed man win.  We would know who would win there.   Due process being absent anyway. 

[holy cow cm]

Even with the democratic countries of the world and UN looking closely at the election and the dictatorship practices of the Junta, why would they care as in any course they will just continue to keep the power for them and the elite as they consider it an internal thing. They can always change direction and sell more goods and offer more tourist deals to the communistic countries who will support them. 

[WeekendRaider]

China makes us all look primitive.  we Americans are even more silly, we believe that having exactly 2 fake political parties is imminently superior to one large political party that doesn’t have to wade thru all kinds of nonsense 24/7/365..... I.e. a country where we are 100% sure that Trump believes “very bad” Mexicans and South Americans are crossing the southern border, and that they are not increasingly proven and shown to actually be Climate refugees... and..... is one of the reasons China is building trains all over the place... instead of only more airports and airplanes only... while we subsume what is all too obvious now as.... a Chinese Hoax. seems to me, as an American, that China is the world’s shiny example.

Edited April 18, 2019 by WeekendRaider

[ocddave]

No worry, "legitimacy" is the least of the Junta's concern, evident by their complete lack of "legitimacy".

5 hours ago, webfact said:

this tactic of eliminating political rivals might backfire and lead to a legitimacy crisis late

 

[stephen tracy]

3 hours ago, WeekendRaider said:

China makes us all look primitive.  we Americans are even more silly, we believe that having exactly 2 fake political parties is imminently superior to one large political party that doesn’t have to wade thru all kinds of nonsense 24/7/365..... I.e. a country where we are 100% sure that Trump believes “very bad” Mexicans and South Americans are crossing the southern border, and that they are not increasingly proven and shown to actually be Climate refugees... and..... is one of the reasons China is building trains all over the place... instead of only more airports and airplanes only... while we subsume what is all too obvious now as.... a Chinese Hoax. seems to me, as an American, that China is the world’s shiny example.

Providing you don't mind going to prison or simply "disappearing" for expressing an opinion.... I'm sure China is just great. 

[TKDfella]

27 minutes ago, stephen tracy said:

Providing you don't mind going to prison or simply "disappearing" for expressing an opinion.... I'm sure China is just great. 

Quite right...been there and experienced it. 'expressing an opinion' there has many consequences and my only crime was that I was alone and not part of an organized package tour. After visiting many places I was put under 'hotel arrest', my flights elsewhere were canceled and I had to appear before the local communist committee of the area where I was informed that all my movements had been monitored. Fortunately I had done nothing that could have misconstrued and under armed escort was taken to the local airport to board a flight for Hong Kong, which was my final planned destination. This wasn't the final word however but I won't go into that, Ha! If I thought Thailand was going to become the same I would be on the next flight out, as they say.

[toenail]

As in the USA we Americans know the younger generation will change our government towards a better country once the “old white farts of politics” ( mostly the Republican politicians) die off. Same for the future of Thailand and these Thai government officials feel threatened by the young, educated politicians that speak the truth. 

[Bluespunk]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

Seeking advantage over rivals is common in politics. But this cannot be without consequences. They could face questions of legitimacy even if they successfully conspire to attain their goal,” said Attasit

I don’t think the current government is too worried about the legitimacy of how they achieve their goals, as long as they achieve them.

 

As far as they are concerned the end justifies the means.  

[hotchilli]

1 hour ago, toenail said:

As in the USA we Americans know the younger generation will change our government towards a better country once the “old white farts of politics” ( mostly the Republican politicians) die off. Same for the future of Thailand and these Thai government officials feel threatened by the young, educated politicians that speak the truth. 

Unfortunately the fix is already in for the present incumbent, & he'll go on putting in more fixes to stitch up the country for the foreseeable future.

Yes Forward future party did well in it's first showing but that won't translate to anything much this time around, and in the next vote it will only happen if there's a huge change in peoples minds from the past 5 decades!

[connda]

11 hours ago, webfact said:

“Seeking advantage over rivals is common in politics. But this cannot be without consequences. They could face questions of legitimacy even if they successfully conspire to attain their goal,” said Attasit Pankaew, a political expert from Thammasat University. “All the unfairness that can be seen right now will lead people to question if [Piyabutr] would have been hit with a lawsuit if he were not so popular in the election.”

Translation: Based on all the Western diplomatic 'suits' that showed up for the Thanathorn sedition hearing, you may have just attracted the attention of the West.  Should Western 'interests' decide to press the issue, those administering the governmental functions of Thailand may find themselves labeled a 'regime' in the future ("questions of legitimacy").  Study history for examples of what happens after that particular label has been applied to a government.  Best advice?  Don't attracted unwanted attention. 

[neeray]

7 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

I don’t think the current government is too worried about the legitimacy of how they achieve their goals, as long as they achieve them.

 

As far as they are concerned the end justifies the means.

This seems to be the modern way of governing (... end justifies the means). I see it on opposite sides of the globe and places in between. I recently heard it said that "DT can't be embarrassed".

It seems the same is true for the current lot in Thailand.