US gives cautious welcome to Thailand lifting martial law

[webfact]

US gives cautious welcome to Thailand lifting martial law
AFP

WASHINGTON: -- The United States has cautiously welcomed news that Thailand is lifting martial law, but voiced its concerns about the new security measures replacing it and called for the full restoration of civil liberties in the kingdom.

Thailand's junta officially lifted martial law Wednesday, 10 months after seizing power in a coup, but replaced it with a new executive order retaining sweeping powers for the military and junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha.

Special security measures -- including a ban on political gatherings of more than five people -- will continue to blanket the nation, which has seen civil liberties eroded since the coup in May.

The State Department said in an email to AFP that it had yet to see full details of the proposal, but that it would welcome the lifting of martial law.

"It is important that any new security measure end the practice of trying civilians in military courts, end detention without charge, and allow individuals to freely exercise fundamental rights, including the rights of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly," the statement late Wednesday added.

"We are concerned that moving to a security order under Article 44 will not accomplish any of these objectives. We would welcome the actual, full restoration of civil liberties in Thailand," it said.


-- (c) Copyright AFP 2015-04-02

[clifric]

After receiving continual critical comments from USA is it any wonder that Thailand is now cosying up to China and Japan as well as joining up to the new Asian bank

[Morakot]

Thailand 'still in the same boat' after martial law lifted

Associated Press in Bangkok

Wednesday 1 April 2015 16.28 BST

Thailand lifted martial law in most of the nation on Wednesday, but 10 months after staging a coup, a military junta remains in control, essentially with absolute power.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/01/thailand-lifts-martial-law-coup

Edited April 2, 2015 by Morakot

[JOC]

Before the US cautious welcomes anything, may I suggest, they read the following quote twice!!

>>In its place, though, the junta invoked a special security measure called Article 44 in the military-imposed interim constitution that gives Prayuth the power to override any branch of government in the name of national security, and absolves him of any legal responsibility for his actions.<<

[webfact]

US leads criticism of Thai junta martial law replacement

AFP

BANGKOK: -- The Thai junta's decision to lift martial law was denounced by critics Thursday as cosmetic, with key ally Washington warning that replacement emergency security measures would do little to loosen the military's grip on power.

In an announcement late Wednesday Thailand's generals officially lifted martial law 10 months after seizing power in a coup.

But the controversial law, which western allies had urged Bangkok to revoke, was replaced with a new executive order retaining sweeping powers for the military and junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha.

Those measures were passed under Section 44 of the junta-written interim constitution, a controversial provision handing Prayut power to make any executive decision in the name of national security.

The new order includes a continuance of a ban on political gatherings of more than five people, while the military retains the right to arrest, detain and prosecute people for national security crimes or those who fall foul of the country's strict royal defamation laws.

A new rule also appears to deepen censorship of the media, by allowing military officers to stop the publication or presentation of any news they deem to be "causing fear or distorted information".

A US State Department official said Washington expected the Thai military to end trials of civilians in military courts, detention without charge and to allow people to express their opinions freely.

"We are concerned that moving to a security order under Article 44 will not accomplish any of these objectives," the official said.

Inside Thailand, analysts and critics pilloried the replacement measures as martial law in all but name.

"Section 44 is actually worse (than martial law)," constitutional scholar Khemthong Tonsakulrungruang of Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University told AFP, adding that the new order allows Prayut to execute key decisions without the oversight of a military court.

"When they ask for the martial law to be lifted, what the public is really asking for is the return of basic rights and liberties to Thais. Prayut fails to understand that," he said.

Political commentator Verapat Pariyawong described the move to replace martial law "with something even worse" as an "April Fool's day trick".

"The junta realises the situation is very unstable at the moment. They know they lack legitimacy. That is why they have to maintain such a tight grip," the London-based analyst told AFP by telephone.

- 'At the military's own pace' -

But some defended the military saying the potential remained for anti-coup protests to upset the uneasy peace imposed since the coup.

"The powers have been reduced," former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, a staunch pro-establishment politician, told AFP adding that those who criticise the new order as the same as martial law are being "unfair".

"They (the military) are looking for a way to try and relax but they are doing it at their own pace and they still feel that they are not yet secure," he added.

Thailand's generals had been under pressure from western allies, businesses and tour operators to rescind martial law.

The tourism industry, which usually accounts for around 10 percent of GDP, said the law put tourists off and made it difficult for some visitors to obtain insurance.

Earlier this week junta officials told reporters that Prayut was inclined to lift martial law because of pressure from foreign governments.

Thailand's generals took over last May after months of often violent street protests that led to the ousting of Yingluck Shinawatra's democratically-elected government.

It marked the latest chapter in a decade of political conflict broadly pitting Bangkok's middle classes and the royalist elite -- backed by parts of the military and judiciary -- against pro-Shinawatra urban working-class voters and farmers from the country's north.

Prayut has vowed to return power to an elected civilian government, but only once reforms to tackle corruption and curb the power of political parties are codified in a new constitution.

Critics say those reforms are aimed at neutering the power of the Shinawatras, ensuring that they and parties linked to them can never take office again.

Parties run by or allied to the Shinawatras have won every election since 2001.


-- (c) Copyright AFP 2015-04-02

[Aachen]

@JOC:

"We are concerned that moving to a security order under Article 44 will not accomplish any of these objectives. We would welcome the actual, full restoration of civil liberties in Thailand," it said.

Edited April 2, 2015 by Aachen

[TheAppletons]

"The Thai junta's decision to lift martial law was denounced by critics Thursday as cosmetic, with key ally Washington warning that replacement emergency security measures would do little to loosen the military's grip on power."

Saw right through the charade, did they?

Edited April 2, 2015 by TheAppletons

[Mango Bob]

The real problem with this move is that it gave too much power to an unstable person.

[zaphod reborn]

An unidentified source in the State Department allegedly claims that, hypothetically, invocation of Article 44 powers may not accomplish the objectives of ending military trials, detention without charge and increasing freedom of expression.

What kind of news story is this? It certainly doesn't support a headline which reads, "US leads criticism of Thai junta martial law replacement." Anonymous leaks are not statements of national policy.

[IamNoone88]

I really don't care for the views of America on another sovereign territory. They should fix their own backyard.

[Suffinator]

"We are concerned that moving to a security order under Article 44 will not accomplish any of these objectives. We would welcome the actual, full restoration of civil liberties in Thailand," it said.

Concerned? This implies that you're worried about something you are not totally sure of or aware of the ramifications. The statement should have been ...

"The security order under Article 44 will not accomplish any of these objectives. It's time the actual full restoration of civil liberties in Thailand were reinstated or face the consequences of sanctions as mandated by the United Nations for any country that consistently breaks the UN Declaration of Human Rights and where its rulers abuse the law for their own financial and or political gain," it said.

It's a shame that the UN and most western governments are run by jellyfish ... couldn't find a spine among them let alone moral fortitude.

[Balance]

I think the military folks should get prepared for a real s..t storm from the EU and the U.S.

[rijb]

After receiving continual critical comments from USA is it any wonder that Thailand is now cosying up to China and Japan as well as joining up to the new Asian bank

Hate to burst your bubble. But, it's about money, not words.

[webfact]

UN rights chief alarmed over 'draconian' Thai junta powers
AFP

GENEVA: -- The United Nation's human rights chief said Thursday he was alarmed by the Thai junta's decision to lift martial law and replace it with 'even more draconian' emergency measures.

"Normally I would warmly welcome the lifting of martial law," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said in a statement.

"But I am alarmed at the decision to replace martial law with something even more draconian, which bestows unlimited powers on the current Prime Minister without any judicial oversight at all," he said.

In an announcement late Wednesday Thailand's generals officially lifted martial law 10 months after seizing power in a coup, a move denounced by the United States and other critics as purely cosmetic.

The controversial law, which western allies had urged Bangkok to revoke, was replaced with a new executive order retaining sweeping powers for the military and junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha.

"This clearly leaves the door wide open to serious violations of fundamental human rights," Zeid said, calling for assurances that the new powers will "not be exercised imprudently."

The new order includes a continuance of a ban on political gatherings of more than five people, while the military retains the right to arrest, detain and prosecute people for national security crimes or those who fall foul of the country's strict royal defamation laws.

It also deepens censorship of the media, by stopping the publication of any news deemed to be "causing fear or distorted information".

As such, the order "annihilates freedom of expression... sweeping away all checks and balances on the power of the Government, rendering the lifting of martial law meaningless," Zeid said.

Inside Thailand, analysts and critics have pilloried the replacement measures as martial law in all but name.

But some have defended the military, saying the potential remained for anti-coup protests to upset the uneasy peace imposed since the coup.

Thailand's generals took over last May after months of often violent street protests that led to the ousting of Yingluck Shinawatra's democratically-elected government.


-- (c) Copyright AFP 2015-04-02

[Baerboxer]

I think the military folks should get prepared for a real s..t storm from the EU and the U.S.

More like from AFP! And their agenda is pretty obvious.

US - probably the same level of current comment.

EU- possibly lot of words for EU mandarins. But the individual countries will carry on strengthening the economic, business, academic and cultural ties as the are doing already.

Australian may get tough, and in addition to banning members of the Junta and their families visiting Australia, may impose an export ban on vegimite.

[yellowboat]

Calling martial law something else is still martial law. If civilians are still subject to military courts, it is martial law. What a scam.

[roamer]

A wolf in sheep's clothing is still a wolf.

[phoenixdoglover]

From the frying pan, and into the fire.

Good work, Mr. Prime Minister.

[No Apologist]

Does anyone really care what the USA say's..........They like to criticize other countries, yet fail to see their own faults.......Thats one reason I left USA. ........and never forget they dropped the bomb twice on Japan.....The biggest Terrorist action done by any country! Not on military, but civilian cities!

While I agree with you - and also left America for those reasons - I care about what's happening here and today, for the people I care about. You have a problem with that? You feel that because the US has done messed up things in it's history, that that means therefor I shouldn't be concerned with the here and now? Grow up, and stay on topic a little bit.

[scorecard]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Before the US cautious welcomes anything, may I suggest, they read the following quote twice!!

>>In its place, though, the junta invoked a special security measure called Article 44 in the military-imposed interim constitution that gives Prayuth the power to override any branch of government in the name of national security, and absolves him of any legal responsibility for his actions.<<

Well JOC no doubt you would be in favor full removal of controls and therefore open the flood gates for the UDD etc to run amuk and deliberately destroy all attempts at desperately needed reforms, quite possibly involving more violence.

No doubt you and a few others would clap your hands.

Press on dear general.

Edited April 2, 2015 by scorecard

[scorecard]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

US leads criticism of Thai junta martial law replacement

AFP

BANGKOK: -- The Thai junta's decision to lift martial law was denounced by critics Thursday as cosmetic, with key ally Washington warning that replacement emergency security measures would do little to loosen the military's grip on power.

In an announcement late Wednesday Thailand's generals officially lifted martial law 10 months after seizing power in a coup.

But the controversial law, which western allies had urged Bangkok to revoke, was replaced with a new executive order retaining sweeping powers for the military and junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha.

Those measures were passed under Section 44 of the junta-written interim constitution, a controversial provision handing Prayut power to make any executive decision in the name of national security.

The new order includes a continuance of a ban on political gatherings of more than five people, while the military retains the right to arrest, detain and prosecute people for national security crimes or those who fall foul of the country's strict royal defamation laws.

A new rule also appears to deepen censorship of the media, by allowing military officers to stop the publication or presentation of any news they deem to be "causing fear or distorted information".

A US State Department official said Washington expected the Thai military to end trials of civilians in military courts, detention without charge and to allow people to express their opinions freely.

"We are concerned that moving to a security order under Article 44 will not accomplish any of these objectives," the official said.

Inside Thailand, analysts and critics pilloried the replacement measures as martial law in all but name.

"Section 44 is actually worse (than martial law)," constitutional scholar Khemthong Tonsakulrungruang of Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University told AFP, adding that the new order allows Prayut to execute key decisions without the oversight of a military court.

"When they ask for the martial law to be lifted, what the public is really asking for is the return of basic rights and liberties to Thais. Prayut fails to understand that," he said.

Political commentator Verapat Pariyawong described the move to replace martial law "with something even worse" as an "April Fool's day trick".

"The junta realises the situation is very unstable at the moment. They know they lack legitimacy. That is why they have to maintain such a tight grip," the London-based analyst told AFP by telephone.

- 'At the military's own pace' -

But some defended the military saying the potential remained for anti-coup protests to upset the uneasy peace imposed since the coup.

"The powers have been reduced," former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, a staunch pro-establishment politician, told AFP adding that those who criticise the new order as the same as martial law are being "unfair".

"They (the military) are looking for a way to try and relax but they are doing it at their own pace and they still feel that they are not yet secure," he added.

Thailand's generals had been under pressure from western allies, businesses and tour operators to rescind martial law.

The tourism industry, which usually accounts for around 10 percent of GDP, said the law put tourists off and made it difficult for some visitors to obtain insurance.

Earlier this week junta officials told reporters that Prayut was inclined to lift martial law because of pressure from foreign governments.

Thailand's generals took over last May after months of often violent street protests that led to the ousting of Yingluck Shinawatra's democratically-elected government.

It marked the latest chapter in a decade of political conflict broadly pitting Bangkok's middle classes and the royalist elite -- backed by parts of the military and judiciary -- against pro-Shinawatra urban working-class voters and farmers from the country's north.

Prayut has vowed to return power to an elected civilian government, but only once reforms to tackle corruption and curb the power of political parties are codified in a new constitution.

Critics say those reforms are aimed at neutering the power of the Shinawatras, ensuring that they and parties linked to them can never take office again.

Parties run by or allied to the Shinawatras have won every election since 2001.


-- (c) Copyright AFP 2015-04-02

And again AFP twists and says things that are quite misleading and far from balanced comment.

[metisdead]

Off topic posts and replies have been removed.

[LatPhrao]

Every press release of US, Europe, Human Rights Groups and interested parties available has called the sham removal of martial law and replacement with article 44's dictatorial powers for what it is. Some with cautious language and others directly nailing it.

And yet the usual suspects on this board continue to try to change the subject or other supercilious couching of opinion denying what's going down.

[tbthailand]

I really don't care for the views of America on another sovereign territory. They should fix their own backyard.

good advice, please go sort out your own life before criticizing the US.

[tbthailand]

"It is important that any new security measure end the practice of trying civilians in military courts, end detention without charge, and allow individuals to freely exercise fundamental rights, including the rights of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly," the statement late Wednesday added.

"We are concerned that moving to a security order under Article 44 will not accomplish any of these objectives. We would welcome the actual, full restoration of civil liberties in Thailand," it said.

With this statement, the USA is clearly interfering in the internal issues of Thailand and the AFP is incredibly biased in reporting it.

[tbthailand]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Before the US cautious welcomes anything, may I suggest, they read the following quote twice!!

>>In its place, though, the junta invoked a special security measure called Article 44 in the military-imposed interim constitution that gives Prayuth the power to override any branch of government in the name of national security, and absolves him of any legal responsibility for his actions.<<

Well JOC no doubt you would be in favor full removal of controls and therefore open the flood gates for the UDD etc to run amuk and deliberately destroy all attempts at desperately needed reforms, quite possibly involving more violence.

No doubt you and a few others would clap your hands.

Press on dear general.

desperately needed reforms

do you really believe the fairy tale about reforms?

Just asking...

That Thailand needs to make changes is obvious. I don't know any country that doesn't and in fact change (hopefully for the better but not always) is a continuous process.

But it is blatantly obvious that this junta is not about "reforms" or "reconciliation" or "justice" in the way that any normal person would define those terms.

[phoenixdoglover]

Every press release of US, Europe, Human Rights Groups and interested parties available has called the sham removal of martial law and replacement with article 44's dictatorial powers for what it is. Some with cautious language and others directly nailing it.

And yet the usual suspects on this board continue to try to change the subject or other supercilious couching of opinion denying what's going down.

This forum and many other online forums are treasure troves of cognitive biases.

Here's a full list http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cognitive_biases

As Thailand marches steadily toward a full blown autocracy, and the evidence mounts,

there is "Conservatism (Bayesian) Bias" - The tendency to revise one's belief insufficiently when presented with new evidence.

or the ever popular

"Ostrich Effect" - Ignoring an obvious (negative) situation

[yellowboat]

I really don't care for the views of America on another sovereign territory. They should fix their own backyard.

Martial law does not exist in the US nor do fishing slavers. Do you think Thai government would have done anything if it were not for Channel 3 and the international media. They do have problems, but Thailand has serious problems

[No Apologist]

Every press release of US, Europe, Human Rights Groups and interested parties available has called the sham removal of martial law and replacement with article 44's dictatorial powers for what it is. Some with cautious language and others directly nailing it.

And yet the usual suspects on this board continue to try to change the subject or other supercilious couching of opinion denying what's going down.

This forum and many other online forums are treasure troves of cognitive biases.

Here's a full list http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cognitive_biases

As Thailand marches steadily toward a full blown autocracy, and the evidence mounts,

there is "Conservatism (Bayesian) Bias" - The tendency to revise one's belief insufficiently when presented with new evidence.

or the ever popular

"Ostrich Effect" - Ignoring an obvious (negative) situation

That wiki link is an amazing thing to read, thanks

Edited April 2, 2015 by No Apologist

[metisdead]

This NOTICE TO MEMBERS POSTING IN THAILAND NEWS is still in effect, it may be a good idea for some to read it again.

Also, take a look a the top of the page of the forum rules:

Thaivisa.com is a privately owned commercial website and reserves the right to remove or block any user, user created content or files from the Thaivisa forums without reason at their discretion.

Posts have been removed as well as the replies.