Time for Prayut and his allies to reflect on national security, amid Covid surge and political conflict

[rooster59]

Time for Prayut and his allies to reflect on national security, amid Covid surge and prolonged political conflict

By Wichit Chaitrong
The Nation/ Analysis

 

Police erected a barrier of razor wire and shipping containers to prevent a rally at the Crown Property Bureau, so protesters switched their focus to the Siam Commercial Bank headquarters on November 25.

 

Flooding and Covid-19 have exposed serious flaws in national security under the government of PM Prayut Chan-o-cha this year.

 

 

The deep faults in national security strategy are highlighted by the mismanagement of tax funds and the handling of youth-led protesters under Prayut’s leadership.

 

The prime minister is again under fire after Covid infections spiked over last weekend. Migrant workers from Myanmar, especially illegal immigrants, are the suspected source of the outbreak, which centred on a Samut Sakhon seafood market and saw cases jump by over 500 last Saturday.

 

Observers have criticised the government’s failure to monitor migrant workers and crack down on migrant-trafficking gangs at the border, despite setting up the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).

 

Social activist Sombat Boonngamanong noted the government had redirected border patrol police to counter pro-democracy rallies in Bangkok.

 

Instead of using them to prevent illegal entry by migrants from Covid-ravaged neighbouring countries, the government has deployed border police to keep an eye on protesters during major street rallies in the last few months.

 

Bangkok police in November and December also barricaded roads with razor wire and shipping containers, in a move ridiculed as overkill by observers.

 

Some pointed out that the razor wire barriers could be used more productively at borders to prevent virus-infected smugglers sneaking into the country.

 

The excessive response to peaceful student-led protests that began in July eventually turned violent when the government imposed an emergency decree and police fired water cannon and teargas to clear the gatherings. Royalist counter-protests were also mobilised against the pro-democracy movement, leading to violent clashes.

 

In a desperate bid to crush protests calling for Prayut to step down, a new Constitution and monarchy reform, police have lately applied the draconian lese majeste law against dozens of protesters, including a 16-year-old child.

 

The United Nations High Commission for Human Rights criticised the government for using Section 112 – which carries jail sentences of up to 15 years – against demonstrators exercising their internationally recognised right to protest peacefully.

 

The government defended its actions as “protecting national security”. However, the Covid-19 surge suggests Prayut’s administration has a warped view of national security priorities that has weakened Thailand by shifting human and financial resources to counter protesters rather than the virus. If Prayut and his inner-circle were genuinely focused on the nation’s security, they would have allocated more personnel and budget to combating Covid-19 instead of wasting human and financial resources on countering peaceful protests. More evidence of misplaced priorities came with the Bt54 million in tax money spent by the Royal Thai Air Force to renovate a toilet on its VVIP jet-liner.

 

The government also fared badly in efforts to combat severe flooding which hit almost 1 million people in the South this year. Prayut’s administration prioritised combat of a different sort, spending billions on military hardware including a submarine, despite the absence of threats – marine or otherwise – from foreign powers. The budget choices were more proof of misplaced national security priorities among Prayut and his military top brass.

 

Academics duly called on the government to abandon a national security strategy rooted in the military-establishment alliance.

 

Surachart Bamrungsuk, a political science professor at Chulalongkorn University, urged the government to cancel its 20-year national strategy – a legacy of the post-coup junta – warning the plan would quickly be rendered obsolete by the fast-changing global and local landscape. He observed that the national strategy was a political tool designed to entrench the military's role in government following the March 2019 general election. Hence it was not capable of addressing the country's current problems, he added. 

 

The impact of Covid-19 had severely damaged the country's economy and competitiveness. The unforeseen crisis had rendered the 20-year national strategy worthless, Surachart wrote in a comment piece headlined “Is the 20-year National Strategy relevant post-Covid 19?” published by the Nation Thailand in April.

 

Meanwhile Thailand is officially becoming an ageing society. Protecting national security now means finding ways to boost productivity of the younger generation, since they are the ones who will have to pay off the huge public debt built up by this generation. The youngsters will need to shoulder the growing burden of caring for the aged. The priority now is to upgrade the quality of education to support this young generation. There is also an urgent need to strengthen key institutions, especially the political and judicial systems that mediate conflicts in society. However, the government has ignored this need, instead exploiting those institutions as weapons to combat younger generations and their demands for national reform and genuine democracy.

 

Prayut and his Cabinet have branded pro-democracy protesters as youthful troublemakers. The reality is that many in the older generation back their calls for national reform. Former prime minister Anand Panyarachun has expressed support for amendment of the lese majeste law. Business leader Banyong Pongpanich has backed monarchy reform, suggesting that Thailand should return to the benchmark set by King Rama IX. The previous monarch did not take control of two Army regiments in Bangkok, nor did he have direct control over the Crown Property Bureau.

 

It has become obvious that the youth-led democracy movement wants “rule of law” as the solid ground on which Thailand can develop in the 21st century. This is the priority that all stakeholders in the country can agree on. The youth are already determined to achieve it in their lifetime, but the current government has rewarded their efforts with charges of sedition and lese majeste. Unfortunately, Prayut and his old alliance are still at a loss over the true identity of national security. The New Year is the right time for them and the whole country to reflect on this issue.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30400251

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-12-26

 

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[Thaiwrath]

14 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

If Prayut and his inner-circle were genuinely focused on the nation’s security, they would have allocated more personnel and budget to combating Covid-19 instead of wasting human and financial resources on countering peaceful protests.

Sentence of the year, and one of the main reasons he should not be where he is.

Edited December 26, 2020 by Thaiwrath

[Snig27]

When this sort of thing is repeatedly appearing in The Nation, long the voice of the establishment, you know this broken government is in trouble. There are easy solutions to much of the unease and the protests which involve a national conversation. There currently is such a conversation and it now includes topics that were long taboo but are now openly and widely discussed nationwide, but sadly this government has excluded itself from that discussion and simply seems out of step, terrified and over reactive. 

[Tropicalevo]

A well thought-out article.

Well done The Nation. (But watch your backs.)

[Tropicalevo]

20 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

the government has deployed border police to keep an eye on protesters during major street rallies in the last few months.

Instead of using them to prevent illegal entry by migrants from Covid-ravaged neighbouring countries,

 

Another 'Tell me what have I done wrong?' moment.

Edited December 26, 2020 by Tropicalevo

[YetAnother]

17 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Time for Prayut and his allies to reflect

doubtful they even CAN reflect

[darksidedog]

20 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Prayut’s administration prioritised combat of a different sort, spending billions on military hardware including a submarine, despite the absence of threats – marine or otherwise – from foreign powers.

Prayut is the real threat to the country, though he is too corrupted by power to be able to work that out.

 

[petermik]

20 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

 

Another 'Tell me what have I done wrong?' moment.

In the land of the blind the man with one eye believes he is king....he,s just a power freak and loves the control he has sadly...????

[KhunKenAP]

You forgot the 3 billion for the Thai moon mission stupidity.

 

But, don't worry Prayut and his cronies are on top of everything else.

 

 

[PatOngo]

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

Prayut and his allies

They might also like to reflect on the economy. road safety, student protests, Oh.......and the Thailand Space Program!  They are funny though!

[Misterwhisper]

Funny article considering that Prayuth et al have claimed from the very beginning that everything they did - and still do - actually was and is for national security only.

 

> Staging a coup against an elected civilian government - for national security

> Declaring an emergency - for national security

> Arresting and prosecuting dissidents and/or protesters - for national security

> Stifling the press on threat of prosecution - for national security

> Toughening the computer crimes act - for national security

> Going after people that allegedly disseminate "fake news" (or rather, anything Prayuth et al deem "fake') - for national security

> Killing off the tourism industry - for national security

> Upholding, defending and deploying a certain law - for national security

> Wasting billions of THB on useless submarines - for national security

Edited December 26, 2020 by Misterwhisper

[Flying Saucage]

6 hours ago, rooster59 said:

If Prayut and his inner-circle were genuinely focused on the nation’s security, they would have allocated more personnel and budget to combating Covid-19 instead of wasting human and financial resources on countering peaceful protests. More evidence of misplaced priorities came with the Bt54 million in tax money spent by the Royal Thai Air Force to renovate a toilet on its VVIP jet-liner.

 

Well said! And also they would have ordered sufficient vaccine doses long ago and well in advance, as many other countries did. And I do not talk about first world countries only which allegedly can do so because they can effort it. The price the EU pays per dose is 12 US$. Even Mexico, which hardly is a first world country, has just started to vaccinate their people with the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine.

 

If Mexico can effort the vaccine and its distribution in this hot country, why can Thailand not? No budget left after the purchase of submarines, high-speed trains, private airplanes and airplane VIP-toilets?  But all this is financed by Chinese loans anyway, so why not the vaccine? Or is it more that for their interpretation of "national security", it is better to let the people and the economy suffer, to have reasons to implement lockdowns, and for continuing the emergencey decree? 

Does "national security" for this government maybe only mean the freedom to waste the taxpayers money for costly and unneccessary rubbish?

 

We all know the answer already of course. All the procurement of this unnecessary rubbish is part of a big payback scheme, and a political tool to sell the country to China. Now the Thai government even plans to fly to the moon. This will be good news for some Swiss watch makers, especially for their sales representatives in China.

 

"National security", give me a laugh! 

 

Edited December 26, 2020 by Flying Saucage

[from the home of CC]

by these standards most world leaders today with their country's personal track records should be executed..

[Golden Triangle]

54 million baht on a crapper, that's £ 1,323, 529. 41 was it an extra wide seat & a larger tank for when fatty with the watches is on board ??

[connda]

8 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Time for Prayut and his allies to reflect on national security,

I guess it's past time to throw all farangs out of the county as we have been countless times referred to as "National Security Risks." 

I'm very serious.  I've had this discussion with the family I support on more than one occasion. .  As a man supporting a Thai family, eventually they will come up with a reason to toss Foreign men married to Thai women out of the country.   We are not considered to be "real" Thai families.
But Foreign women marriage to Thai men are "Real Thai Families" and will be allow to stay forever.

It's coming.  When it does - sad for our wives and children who are left without support. But the Thai government is heartless and without compassion. 
A Thai man making 15K THB or less a

month will be able to keep his family together without a threat of his wife ever being tossed out of the country. Or a Thai man who is unemployed will be allowed to keep his Foreign woman in the country as "his" family is a "True" Thai family and can not be separated.
Two different models based on the gender of of the provider.  You can't do this anywhere else in the world.  Except Thailand.

Edited December 26, 2020 by connda

[Mavideol]

7 hours ago, KhunKenAP said:

You forgot the 3 billion for the Thai moon mission stupidity.

 

But, don't worry Prayut and his cronies are on top of everything else.

 

 

kiss the frog and turn into snail (not a prince as he's already one (sarcasm intended) 555

[mtls2005]

8 hours ago, rooster59 said:

It has become obvious that the youth-led democracy movement wants “rule of law” as the solid ground on which Thailand can develop in the 21st century. This is the priority that all stakeholders in the country can agree on.

 

 

Good one.

 

There is a difference between "Rule-by-law" which the basis of the Thai legal contract, supported by the dinos and minions, and "Rule-of-law". The Powers-that-be see no difference; they rule-by-law.

 

Just look at how quickly they passed the amendment to Communicable Disease Act. It was done in hours. But amending the constitution, slow yer roll there, that requires a committee to define the committees, and is said to take months or years.

 

 

 

 

[chilli42]

I do agree that the current government is incapable and unwilling to deal with the problems facing the country and that mount every day.  I have been here 32 years and not seen a politician I admire or any government make an honest effort to confront the problems facing the country.  Even if this government were to step down voluntarily, does any of us believe that things would be one bit different?  Perhaps the students have it right.

[mikebell]

On 12/26/2020 at 9:58 AM, rooster59 said:

the mismanagement of tax funds and the handling of youth-led protesters under Prayut’s leadership.

Choices, choices.

[bodga]

15 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

 

 

Good one.

 

There is a difference between "Rule-by-law" which the basis of the Thai legal contract, supported by the dinos and minions, and "Rule-of-law". The Powers-that-be see no difference; they rule-by-law.

 

Just look at how quickly they passed the amendment to Communicable Disease Act. It was done in hours. But amending the constitution, slow yer roll there, that requires a committee to define the committees, and is said to take months or years.

 

 

 

 

Many  Thais dont  want to  follow any laws.

[natway09]

If they had used their brains & not protested at these difficult times there would have been no need to "relocate"  troops

[Snig27]

9 hours ago, natway09 said:

If they had used their brains & not protested at these difficult times there would have been no need to "relocate"  troops

There was no need to relocate these people, full stop, and they are not troops, they are police trained for a completely different job. Many Bangkok police were appalled by the way they were misused and the danger it posed to the country. They were used because they are regarded as the hardest of the hard and if a bloody crackdown was required, they were the ones most likely to do the job without question whereas normal police were deemed too sympathetic to the protests. 

 

Exactly when would you consider the right time to demand an open democracy? 

[GrandPapillon]

On 12/25/2020 at 10:10 PM, Snig27 said:

When this sort of thing is repeatedly appearing in The Nation, long the voice of the establishment, you know this broken government is in trouble. There are easy solutions to much of the unease and the protests which involve a national conversation. There currently is such a conversation and it now includes topics that were long taboo but are now openly and widely discussed nationwide, but sadly this government has excluded itself from that discussion and simply seems out of step, terrified and over reactive. 

question of time before it falls, need a special event to trigger the fall

[sammieuk1]

The reflection will say it wasn't me or us it was all the fault of an ecig seller from Burma ????