'Men in black' target Thai community

[webfact]

'Men in black' target community
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- A community in Soi Sri Pathum of Pathum Thani's Klong Luang district claimed yesterday that men wearing black outfits used a backhoe to block the entrance of the soi in a bid to force them out. The men claimed the foundation that owns the land had sold it to a private firm and the buyer wants residents out within 15 days.

About 2,000 people in 600 homes and one monastery are affected. The men allegedly toppled the monastery's sign during the operation.

Ruamjai Pattana Monastery caretaker Phra Maha Plad Sathit Buasri said the community would check whether the foundation had really sold the 172 rai of land. Community leader Pimai Sathongniam said the group had filed a petition to the premier because the affected residents had rented plots from the foundation for decades until the men threatened them to move out.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Men-in-black-target-community-30262562.html


-- The Nation 2015-06-18

[geriatrickid]

It would be nice if there were some actual relevant facts in this article.

You know, important "stuff" like: Wee there leases and if so, what did the leases state?

If there were no leases, then did someone ask if these people were squatters?

If "rent" was paid, who was the rent paid to and were the rental contracts legit?

[Tatsujin]

News reporting in Thailand has simply become repeating gossip ... no "journalism" as such anymore (or very little), just stories with nothing looked into or questioned ...

[Artisi]

News reporting in Thailand has simply become repeating gossip ... no "journalism" as such anymore (or very little), just stories with nothing looked into or questioned ...

And they even screw - up the gossip.

[billphillips]

Who cares if the land was really sold, it's not relevant. What is relevant is that, apparently, a group of people in their homes felt threatened by the arrival of another group of people making threatening noises and actions. As far as the police are concerned, that's it.

If the landowner ( old or new, it's not important ) wants people living on the land to leave .. The civil courts or direct negotiation is the way to go.

[Lupatria]

Sometimes I think it is common believe here that 'Journalist' is just another surname like 'Doctor'.

[Loptr]

Who cares if the land was really sold, it's not relevant. What is relevant is that, apparently, a group of people in their homes felt threatened by the arrival of another group of people making threatening noises and actions. As far as the police are concerned, that's it.

If the landowner ( old or new, it's not important ) wants people living on the land to leave .. The civil courts or direct negotiation is the way to go.

You're new here, aren't you?

Edited June 18, 2015 by Loptr

[slapout]

Sometimes I think it is common believe here that 'Journalist' is just another surname like 'Doctor'.

in many cases where either is involved or connected the knowledge/experience displayed by and or to all parties involved displayes a similar quallity of prefessional action or comment. The best descripitions used could be simply described as terrible, pathetic, etc

[TheKnave]

Sounds like Sukhumvit Soi 10 revisited. It will be interesting to see who's behind this...

[micmichd]

Terrorizing people out of their homes is also known procedure in Europe.

Who cares about laws when there's money to be made?

[Manbing]

Who cares if the land was really sold, it's not relevant. What is relevant is that, apparently, a group of people in their homes felt threatened by the arrival of another group of people making threatening noises and actions. As far as the police are concerned, that's it.

If the landowner ( old or new, it's not important ) wants people living on the land to leave .. The civil courts or direct negotiation is the way to go.

You're new here, aren't you?

Bill Phillips is right on the money, there are laws protecting residents, even renters in Thailand. They may not be as rigorous or stringently enforced in Thailand as in other countries, but people still have rights.

Displacing 600 residents and a monastery is not going to be easy without following correct procedure.

Tatsujin is also right on the money too regarding the quality of journalism in this story.

Has notice been given?

Has there been any communication?

Has there been a court ruling?

Where does the evil villain Thaksin focus in the story?

Why is nobody producing any pointing pictures to explain to idiots like us on TV exactly what the hell is going on here?

When will the first TV commentary mention 'Thainess'? - oops I just did.

[halloween]

Who cares if the land was really sold, it's not relevant. What is relevant is that, apparently, a group of people in their homes felt threatened by the arrival of another group of people making threatening noises and actions. As far as the police are concerned, that's it.

If the landowner ( old or new, it's not important ) wants people living on the land to leave .. The civil courts or direct negotiation is the way to go.

Sending in "da boys" is direct negotiation, with "decision assistance".

[HerbalEd]

Sounds like Sukhumvit Soi 10 revisited. It will be interesting to see who's behind this...

I've lived on Suk. Soi 10 in BKK for 12 years and have no idea what you're talking about. What happened on Soi 10, and when?

[Chao Lao Beach]

What foundation ?

[h90]

And the police rushed to the scene .....

And 2000 people can't protect themself in case the police doesn't come?

[rametindallas]

And the police rushed to the scene .....

The police were already there. Who do you think the 'Men in Black' were? Chuwit hired a couple hundred police to clear a night market he bought in a little more than four hours; including bulldozing everything clear. The space was leased, sub-leased, sub, sub sub-leased and he couldn't get them evicted both legally and quickly so he called on off-duty police that are available for a wide variety of services.

He wanted to build a hotel but the publicity was so bad he turned it into a park instead.

It seems that legitimate renters on this soi should be compensated and given time to relocate; the article lacks detail of if/when they were legally notified to vacate.

In the US, it's the sheriff that evicts people, not 'Men in Black'. The temple is going to check the land deeds.

[micmichd]

And the police rushed to the scene .....

The police were already there. Who do you think the 'Men in Black' were? Chuwit hired a couple hundred police to clear a night market he bought in a little more than four hours; including bulldozing everything clear. The space was leased, sub-leased, sub, sub sub-leased and he couldn't get them evicted both legally and quickly so he called on off-duty police that are available for a wide variety of services.

He wanted to build a hotel but the publicity was so bad he turned it into a park instead.

It seems that legitimate renters on this soi should be compensated and given time to relocate; the article lacks detail of if/when they were legally notified to vacate.

In the US, it's the sheriff that evicts people, not 'Men in Black'. The temple is going to check the land deeds.

What difference would it make if you lose your home to a sheriff or to criminals?

[mikemac]

Who cares if the land was really sold, it's not relevant. What is relevant is that, apparently, a group of people in their homes felt threatened by the arrival of another group of people making threatening noises and actions. As far as the police are concerned, that's it.

If the landowner ( old or new, it's not important ) wants people living on the land to leave .. The civil courts or direct negotiation is the way to go.

You're new here, aren't you?

Bill Phillips is right on the money, there are laws protecting residents, even renters in Thailand. They may not be as rigorous or stringently enforced in Thailand as in other countries, but people still have rights.

Displacing 600 residents and a monastery is not going to be easy without following correct procedure.

Tatsujin is also right on the money too regarding the quality of journalism in this story.

Has notice been given?

Has there been any communication?

Has there been a court ruling?

Where does the evil villain Thaksin focus in the story?

Why is nobody producing any pointing pictures to explain to idiots like us on TV exactly what the hell is going on here?

When will the first TV commentary mention 'Thainess'? - oops I just did.

"When will the first TV commentary mention 'Thainess'? - oops I just did."

The first TV commentary ??? I have another term for the mental d*******ts who like to use that stupid term but as this is family style forum I cannot publish it.

(no offense directed at you Manbing)

[Nobb]

The main word here is rented . They have no land title so they have to leave. The law is the law some times in Thailand!

[Orac]

And the police rushed to the scene .....

The police were already there. Who do you think the 'Men in Black' were? Chuwit hired a couple hundred police to clear a night market he bought in a little more than four hours; including bulldozing everything clear. The space was leased, sub-leased, sub, sub sub-leased and he couldn't get them evicted both legally and quickly so he called on off-duty police that are available for a wide variety of services.

He wanted to build a hotel but the publicity was so bad he turned it into a park instead.

It seems that legitimate renters on this soi should be compensated and given time to relocate; the article lacks detail of if/when they were legally notified to vacate.

In the US, it's the sheriff that evicts people, not 'Men in Black'. The temple is going to check the land deeds.

I thought the were army officers he was working with, not police?

[rametindallas]

And the police rushed to the scene .....

The police were already there. Who do you think the 'Men in Black' were? Chuwit hired a couple hundred police to clear a night market he bought in a little more than four hours; including bulldozing everything clear. The space was leased, sub-leased, sub, sub sub-leased and he couldn't get them evicted both legally and quickly so he called on off-duty police that are available for a wide variety of services.

He wanted to build a hotel but the publicity was so bad he turned it into a park instead.

It seems that legitimate renters on this soi should be compensated and given time to relocate; the article lacks detail of if/when they were legally notified to vacate.

In the US, it's the sheriff that evicts people, not 'Men in Black'. The temple is going to check the land deeds.

I thought the were army officers he was working with, not police?

Chuwit denies that he did anything wrong. "Yes, I bought Sukhumvit Square in December 2002. I paid 500 million baht [£6.9m] for the plot and I wanted to build another hotel. But the land was occupied with squatters."

Chuwit claims that the Royal Thai Police offered to clear the site for him in return for a bribe. "These officers received 10 million baht [£137,500]. But when they started to get the blame in the newspapers, a big officer rang and said, 'Pay two million baht [£27,500] or we will arrest you for the demolition.' I told him, 'No. You did the demolition. And I paid you. No more money.' He said: 'The wind, cloud and rain are coming. We will not help you.'"

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2004/feb/21/weekend.adrianlevy

[Orac]

And the police rushed to the scene .....

The police were already there. Who do you think the 'Men in Black' were? Chuwit hired a couple hundred police to clear a night market he bought in a little more than four hours; including bulldozing everything clear. The space was leased, sub-leased, sub, sub sub-leased and he couldn't get them evicted both legally and quickly so he called on off-duty police that are available for a wide variety of services.

He wanted to build a hotel but the publicity was so bad he turned it into a park instead.

It seems that legitimate renters on this soi should be compensated and given time to relocate; the article lacks detail of if/when they were legally notified to vacate.

In the US, it's the sheriff that evicts people, not 'Men in Black'. The temple is going to check the land deeds.

I thought the were army officers he was working with, not police?

Chuwit denies that he did anything wrong. "Yes, I bought Sukhumvit Square in December 2002. I paid 500 million baht [£6.9m] for the plot and I wanted to build another hotel. But the land was occupied with squatters."

Chuwit claims that the Royal Thai Police offered to clear the site for him in return for a bribe. "These officers received 10 million baht [£137,500]. But when they started to get the blame in the newspapers, a big officer rang and said, 'Pay two million baht [£27,500] or we will arrest you for the demolition.' I told him, 'No. You did the demolition. And I paid you. No more money.' He said: 'The wind, cloud and rain are coming. We will not help you.'"

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2004/feb/21/weekend.adrianlevy

Looking a bit further it appears to have been both police and military doing the clearing with a number of high ranking military and politicians involved with the ownership of the land - one big can of worms!

http://www.geocities.ws/chainat_prov/4602/THA-soi10razing.html

[rametindallas]

Chuwit denies that he did anything wrong. "Yes, I bought Sukhumvit Square in December 2002. I paid 500 million baht [£6.9m] for the plot and I wanted to build another hotel. But the land was occupied with squatters."

I thought the were army officers he was working with, not police?

Chuwit claims that the Royal Thai Police offered to clear the site for him in return for a bribe. "These officers received 10 million baht [£137,500]. But when they started to get the blame in the newspapers, a big officer rang and said, 'Pay two million baht [£27,500] or we will arrest you for the demolition.' I told him, 'No. You did the demolition. And I paid you. No more money.' He said: 'The wind, cloud and rain are coming. We will not help you.'"

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2004/feb/21/weekend.adrianlevy

Looking a bit further it appears to have been both police and military doing the clearing with a number of high ranking military and politicians involved with the ownership of the land - one big can of worms!

http://www.geocities.ws/chainat_prov/4602/THA-soi10razing.html

And who said the military and the police can't work together when there's money to be made?

Your link was a little opinionated with some name calling, i.e., "Lt-Col Himalai was known to have close ties with Maj-Gen Intharat Yodbangtoey, a corrupt and evil Chiang Mai senator". "This is who the elite in Thailand help each other in illegal and barbaric acts."

"We will not tolerate mafia rule in Thailand even though at times it appears to be the norm. Whoever [destroyed Sukhumvit Plaza] cannot remain above the law," Mr Thaksin said.

"The government will make no exceptions whatsoever, even if it means dismissing civil servants who are found to have been involved in incident," Thaksin said. The premier's statements followed reports that a sizable number of the 600 demolition workers who carried out the pre-dawn blitz were government soldiers.

The source said Mr Thaksin had instructed the Attorney-General's Office, through his deputy Visanu Krue-ngam, to deal firmly with all culprits.

"Anyone who handles this issue lightly without serious commitment, I will make sure they never see the light of day again," the source quoted Mr Thaksin as telling his cabinet that day.

Did anyone get prosecuted/punished? Even one policeman or soldier or Chuwit? TiT! Where saying something in public is as good as actually doing it because of the incredibly short attention span and the total lack of follow-up stories by the (English language or all?) press. What politician in his right mind would intentionally alienate the police and military over something as petty as a bunch of squatters who were already being exploited by landlords who didn't even have the right to charge them rent. If you buy an occupied property in Bangkok Thailand, you may die of old age going through the courts to evict illegal squatters. Until a potential tenant can go to a government office and see for himself that his landlord is legitimate, the system in broken IMO.

the current PM is NOT a politician and he is going to try to end this kind of lawless behavior. It doesn't matter if he alienates the police as much as it would a politician because the current PM wields Article 44. He still has to be very careful taking down the Mafia kingpins and structure of the RTP; sort of like a game of Jenga https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenga

Since the only reason the police go after the civilian Mafia is so they can cut themselves in for some of the 'action', if the RTP were discouraged from participating in organized crime and were to actually find it to stop it, Thailand would become unrecognizable.

I wish the PM well in his attempt to bring back the rule-of-law. Next step: reform the judiciary so people don't feel the need to take the law into their own hands, punishments fit the crime, and punishment is doled out equally among the classes.

.

Edited June 18, 2015 by rametindallas

[HerbalEd]

And the police rushed to the scene .....

The police were already there. Who do you think the 'Men in Black' were? Chuwit hired a couple hundred police to clear a night market he bought in a little more than four hours; including bulldozing everything clear. The space was leased, sub-leased, sub, sub sub-leased and he couldn't get them evicted both legally and quickly so he called on off-duty police that are available for a wide variety of services.

He wanted to build a hotel but the publicity was so bad he turned it into a park instead.

It seems that legitimate renters on this soi should be compensated and given time to relocate; the article lacks detail of if/when they were legally notified to vacate.

In the US, it's the sheriff that evicts people, not 'Men in Black'. The temple is going to check the land deeds.

What difference would it make if you lose your home to a sheriff or to criminals?

Same same.

[MaiChai]

Naming and shaming laws make it difficult to report stories accurately, even if it is 100% correct. Hence the lousy/vague reporting. Facts and fiction also gets muddled because maintaining appearances is more important than the truth, especially if you are rich and powerful.

[Ricardo]

I don't believe these were real MiBs, unless they sniped at soldiers or threw grenades at civilians, and until a former-DPM claims to know exactly who they are, but won't tell.

[The Deerhunter]

News reporting in Thailand has simply become repeating gossip ... no "journalism" as such anymore (or very little), just stories with nothing looked into or questioned ...

But but, but!!! Thailand invented Journalism. Didn't you know that?

[Ricardo]

News reporting in Thailand has simply become repeating gossip ... no "journalism" as such anymore (or very little), just stories with nothing looked into or questioned ...

But but, but!!! Thailand invented Journalism. Didn't you know that?

I suspect you read that in a Thai newspaper-article, and that they failed to give sources, or links !

[The Deerhunter]

I don't believe these were real MiBs, unless they sniped at soldiers or threw grenades at civilians, and until a former-DPM claims to know exactly who they are, but won't tell.

I REALLY like that! Fake men in Black!!!! So where is Thailand's Inspector Clouseau these days? Improved national happiness is all well & good, but it doesn't provide a real good belly laugh like he did. 555

(P.S. That is ALL I miss him for!!!!!, making an @55 of himself)

[The Deerhunter]

News reporting in Thailand has simply become repeating gossip ... no "journalism" as such anymore (or very little), just stories with nothing looked into or questioned ...

But but, but!!! Thailand invented Journalism. Didn't you know that?

I suspect you read that in a Thai newspaper-article, and that they failed to give sources, or links !

They invented newspapers too!