Blind Thais Not Legally Incompetent And Eligible To Vote

[george]

Blind not legally incompetent and eligible to vote : Chovarat told

BANGKOK: -- Representatives of the blind on Monday demanded an apology from Interior Minister Chaovarat Chanweerakul for his comment that blind people were legally incompetent.

Thailand Association of the Blind president, Senator Montien Boonton, and Law lecturer from Thammasat University Wiriya Namsiripongpan held a press conference about the minister's comment.

Chaowarat said in an an interview with Matichon newspapers on June 11 that giving Bt2,000 to the blind was not a vote buying action because blind persons were legally incompetent and not eligible to vote.

Monthien said such a comment reflected a negative viewpoint against the blind and a lack of maturity, especially from a man who was former social development and human security minister.

He explained the blind were not legally incompetent because the civil law's article 28 stipulated that legal incompetence required a court order, therefore blind people were not incompetent.

Besides, there was no law indicating the blind had no right to vote as casting ballots was a Thai citizen's duty, he said.

Monthien said that, knowing the government had such an immature person in its ranks, he as a senator could no longer trust this person to be among decision makers on the country's budget.

-- The Nation 2009-06-22

[noahvail]

Good grief - so what does the good Senator think about people who are blind in only one eye? Partially competent? [] It's good to hear that the blind are indeed competent (unless an individual is adjudged incompetent by the courts).

But I do wish the Nation could at least spell people's names the same way in the same article!!!

[samgrowth]

Who is this Chaovarat Chanweerakul anyway? A proxy for Thaksin? You can sak him, and all of Thaksin proxies to shut their big mouth.

[astral]

It is not so long since the days when the disabled in Thailand

were not allowed to attend school.....................

[baht&sold]

Chaovarat Chanweerakul, father of one of Mr Thaksin's 111 Thai Rak Thai Party executives and fleeting PM designate after Mr Thaksin's brother-in-law's Govt was dissolved for blatant vote-fraud (again). Now just another Newin/Bhumjai shoot-self-in mouth/mouthpiece/opportunist in the unholy coalition which the Dems have to apologise for (somehow).

More: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Chaovarat-Ca...PM-t226939.html (RIP Buckwheat and sorry the song remains the same, sadly)

[animatic]

It is not so long since the days when the disabled in Thailand

were not allowed to attend school.....................

Actually there is a bit of a stink right now about a

disabled girl being run off from a school because she was a burden on teachers.

The school side says they sent her out so her health will not deteriorate more.

But she and her family say she wants to be in school, and it doesn't effect her condition.

Some how the former seems the more likely,

hence the family going to the press about it.

[Ijustwannateach]

There are very few buildings and institutions in Thailand- even public ones- which are truly handicapped accessible. Furthermore, many handicapped Thais do not have access to the kinds of equipment and support services that would make them functional enough to get by in public. However, I don't see why the student couldn't be allowed to attend classes on the ground floor, and why her class couldn't be revolved to be on the ground floor from year to year as she gets older.

On the other hand, if she has problems to the extent that she cannot feed herself, go to the bathroom by herself, write by herself, move at all, etc., then it does become a pretty major thing for any individual teacher (most classes have specific individual homeroom teachers that are responsible for them, but they have many duties). In many first world countries, technological solutions have been found for most of these challenges. In Thailand, I think there will have to be a human solution. However, it raises some troubling questions and problems: how fragile is her health, and is there any risk that a teacher's involvement with challenges such as those listed above could cause injury (and thus be a risk to the teachers themselves for insurance purposes)? Is there a way the class itself could be involved in looking after her in a positive way (seems like it would be a good learning experience for them)? Is there any chance that some technological solutions for her could be implemented via computer (depending on the financial position of the school)?

[Datsun240Z]

1 step backwards again towards democracy!

[HagenvonTronje]

Chaowarat said in an an interview with Matichon newspapers on June 11 that giving Bt2,000 to the blind was not a vote buying action because blind persons were legally incompetent and not eligible to vote.

...

Besides, there was no law indicating the blind had no right to vote as casting ballots was a Thai citizen's duty, he said.

...

so actually that stupid remark was just a stupid excuse that the goverments 'social work' (handing out cash) is not a form of vote buying.

[Mobi]

so actually that stupid remark was just a stupid excuse that the government's 'social work' (handing out cash) is not a form of vote buying.

Spot on.

It just shows the mind set of these arrogant morons.

Just say the first lie that comes to your head, without any regard for how cruel and hurtful it might be to those less fortunate than yourself.

[HagenvonTronje]

so actually that stupid remark was just a stupid excuse that the government's 'social work' (handing out cash) is not a form of vote buying.

Spot on.

It just shows the mind set of these arrogant morons.

Just say the first lie that comes to your head, without any regard for how cruel and hurtful it might be to those less fortunate than yourself.

this 'moron' was defending that government give the less fortune 2000 baht (that is where the spot belongs to). not sure if that is so cruel at all.

technical speaking, how they make it possible for blinds to cast their votes, when it is required by the law that a voter cast his vote alone and without any assistance by a second person? if there isn't any ballot paper in braille or some other advance form and alternative from the standard process to cast a vote it seems to me impossible that a blind person can do it alone. with a law that prohibits any bystanders in the moment where a voter makes his cross and the requirement of the absence of any bystanders or 'assistant' make sense, there are some conflicts how a blind person be able to vote.

this thought maybe leads Chaowarat to the wrong assumption that blinds are not eligible to vote and without any verifying his own assumption he came up with that as quick excuse that the government providing 2000 baht can not be a form of vote buying. he maybe didn't choose most tactful words towards to the blind, but actually he don't wanted to cut down their citizens rights but just defend the government action to help them with cash handouts against the allegation that the government is vote buying with this form of help.

so whatever, this context given, a stupid remark as stupid excuse for a maybe also not so bright allegation (how many voters are blind? and why not support the less fortunate this way?), its just a lack of tact and not an overall super political scandal.

does anyone knows more about this government program of giving 2000 baht to the blind and how this is discussed by the different sides, who maybe favour others kinds of help provided?

[samgrowth]

Just curious, how do blind people cast their votes