Thai politician punches colleague

BANGKOK: -- In Thailand, a furious senator has punched his colleague in the face as tensions flared over who was to blame for the deaths of 78 Muslims in the kingdom's south last week.

The senator, a former national police chief, took a swing at his colleague in Parliament.

The Muslim protesters died after they were piled into military trucks for transport into custody following a demonstration in southern Thailand.

--ABC News 2004-11-03

Bust-up in Senate as debate turns violent

BANGKOK: -- A war of words in the Senate chamber this morning turned into a punch-up when two senators fell out over a document on last week’s protest outside Tak Bai police station in Thailand's southernmost province of Narathiwat.

The debate started out as an innocuous – if heated – argument over a document produced by Bangkok senator Jermsak Pinthong on the events of 25 October, when 79 Muslim protestors died of suffocation in military custody, and a further six were killed in the preceding riot.

Accused by his fellow senators of attempting to defend militants in issuing a report which touched on delicate issues of national security, senator. Jermsak was blamed for ‘distorting the truth’ in a personal investigation which had lasted for only a few hours.

But unsurprisingly for such a contentious issue, senator Jermsak’s backers, including Nakhon Si Thammarat senator Bunthan Dokthaisong, immediately countered such claims by stressing that the Bangkok senator had every right to make his opinions known.

Senator Jermsak, himself, insisted that he have made his investigation in the name of three Senate committees – on southern unrest, foreign affairs, and human security – and that the 13-strong delegation which had visited hospitals and army camps in Pattani Province had gleaned its information from a wide variety of sources.

“I wrote this document with transparency. These are the facts. I have no hidden agenda”, he said.

The fun and games started when Mae Hong Son senator Adul Wanchaithanawong called on senator Jermsak to make his argument relevant to the question – a thinly disguised request for him to shut up.

Immediately he was countered by Bangkok senator Pol. Col. Prathin Santipraphob, who said that senator Jermsak, one of the few senators who had visited Tak Bai, should be allowed to present his findings to the Senate.

Not content with these comments, senator Prathin delivered a personal barb to his Mae Hong Son colleague, hinting that he was involved in the narcotics trade with Myanmar drugs warlord Khun Sa.

Rising to the accusation, senator Adul said: “This is a slur on my character. How can this be believed?” As the Senate speaker cut the argument, senator Adul was heard to shout “stupid!”

“Hey, he said stupid!” was the response from senator Prathin, pointing his finger at senator Adul.

As if the scene had been a pub, rather than a national debating chamber, senator Adul then walked over to his Bangkok colleague, telling him ominously that the matter would be settled outside.

But as senator Adul came up close, senator Prathin delivered a left-handed punch directly on his mouth, before punching him with his right fist in the chest, and again with his left on the chin.

The two senators were still yelling at each other when their colleagues broke up the fight and led senator Adul out of the debating chamber.

As the chamber returned to normal, senator Jermsak said that the fight proved that government policies were creating not only a bitterly divided nation, but also a divided Senate.

Senator Adul later returned to the chamber to defend himself, denying any involvement with Khun Sa. “If I’m involved in this, feel free to slit my throat”, he said.

He also dismissed suggestions that he have been threatening senator Prathin when the bust-up occurred.

Senator Prathin, meanwhile, excused his actions by attributing them to ‘instinctive self defence’.

Senator Adul later reported the case to the police, asking for the arrest of senator Prathin on charge of physical assaults and defamation.

--TNA 2004-11-03

It's all fun and games!

Great stuff! At least in the senate at least the Southern issue is not being swept entirely under the carpet. I hope the senator accused of collaborating with Myannmar drug smugglers gets out alive as the MIB could well shoot him on speculation alone.

It's all fun and games!

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...until someone loses an eye. (My grandmother's favorite saying.... hahahaha).

When will the PM stop this violence in the Kndergarten,

ooops, should be parliament............

Great stuff!  At least in the senate at least the Southern issue is not being swept entirely under the carpet.

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Well, if you'd seen the TV Thai coverage, you might have noticed that there were no more than 15 people in that entire huge Senate room..... TiT

The fight had nothing to do with the South, I think. Just happened that it was the topic when it happened...

This particular session was not anything from the commission that Thaksin recently formed.... It was a group of 4 Senators who had done their own 'investigation', independent of any government support or mandate....

senator Adul was heard to shout “stupid!”

“Hey, he said stupid!” was the response from senator Prathin, pointing his finger at senator Adul.

senator Adul then walked over to his Bangkok colleague, telling him ominously that the matter would be settled outside.

But as senator Adul came up close, senator Prathin delivered a left-handed punch directly on his mouth, before punching him with his right fist in the chest, and again with his left on the chin.

Boys will always be boys!

They'd get a much better audience at Lumpini Stadium.

They'd get a much better audience at Lumpini Stadium.

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and plenty of rotten eggs and rotting vegetables

Thai politician punches colleague

BANGKOK: -- In Thailand, a furious senator has punched his colleague in the face as tensions flared over who was to blame for the deaths of 78 Muslims in the kingdom's south last week.

The senator, a former national police chief, took a swing at his colleague in Parliament.

--ABC News 2004-11-03

Appauling..... what do they think this is? Taiwan?

cv

At least they are turning up to work again. Remember they cut parliament TV because no one was turning up (no quarum) and those that were were on the nod with a sniffer up the schnoz.

At least in Singapore they turn up, get fired for corruption instead of promoted, AND duke it out.

Never a dull day in asia!