US upgrade not likely until after new charter passed, Surapong says

[webfact]

US upgrade not likely until after new charter passed, Surapong says
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- AN UPGRADE OF the Thai fishing industry in the US' Trafficking In Persons ranking is unlikely, as Thailand remains undemocratic, without an elected government running the country, former foreign minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul said yesterday.

The EU's index for illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing should also correspond to the US rating, said Surapong, a former MP of the anti-coup Pheu Thai Party, which was toppled by the military in May last year.

No action from the US in its announcement next month would conform to its long-standing policy to condemn military coups through scaling back diplomatic relations and assistance.

"The best way [to achieve an upgrade] is to pass the new constitution - not to delay or dislodge it," he said.

Meanwhile, some of the 33 police, including a division commander, suspected of being involved in or benefiting from the trafficking of Rohingya and other migrants, are set to be transferred, Pol General Somyot Poompanmoung, the national police chief, has said.

Some of the 33 have been suspected of other illegal activity, including trading in contraband oil and racketeering with Pol Lt-General Pongpat Chayapan, former commissioner of Central Investigation Police, who is now in custody and facing further prosecution in many criminal cases.

Another 13 officers will be promoted to key positions, including commander of the Marine Police, he said.

A source said the new commander is Pol Maj-General Somprasong Yenthuam. Deputy chief Pol Colonel Akkharadej Phimolsri would be promoted to commander of Crime Suppression Police.

In related news, a police source said the testifying by both state and defence witnesses in the human trafficking trials would take at least five years.

The police's investigation report is about 40,000 pages in 126 files.

The 54-day probe, which began on May 1, involved 100 case investigators and many witnesses. The trials would take five years alone to hear witnesses from both sides, the source added.

Earlier yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said the TIP index would not be lowered because the government and agencies had all done their best to suppress human trafficking. Thailand is ranked in Tier 3, which is the lowest.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/US-upgrade-not-likely-until-after-new-charter-pass-30263144.html

-- The Nation 2015-06-26

[TheAppletons]

"The best way [to achieve an upgrade] is to pass the new constitution - not to delay or dislodge it," he said.

The best way to achieve an upgrade is to stop Trafficking in Persons.

[Bannum opinions]

".... a former MP of the anti-coup Pheu Thai Party"

This article is a generalist article dealing with several issues.

What is not 'generalist' however, and quite specific, is the political orientation of the author as demonstrated by above quote.

​Which obviously brings into question the veracity of everything that follows.

To call the Phua Thai Party the "anti-coup party", is a subtle put-down....Assigning a single characterization such as that, seeks to diminish their majority electoral base...Something the anti-democrats are desperate to do.

Hence this writer is clearly on that side of the political divide.

They know that if a straight up election were held today, The PTP would win in a landslide. And that is not because of the singular attribute the anti-democrats are trying to spin about it, but because they represent the pro-democracy forces in the country. That in-spite of the less than perfect incarnation of Democracy in Thai politics.

One can list all the other stuff they are doing and have done, in addition to these type of comments stated as fact.....From the orchestrated demonization campaign against Mr. Thaksin, to the coups, cancelling elections, seeking to ostracize Yingluck, the nonsense about differentiating Thai style Democracy as if there is such a thing, etc., etc.

PTP the anti-coup party?.............No-one is fooling anyone........It merely accentuates the fearfulness of the electoral minority seeking to diminish the electoral majority, and the political vehicle through which they have been asserting themselves in recent elections..Trying to minify that vehicle is what the above quote is all about..

Edited June 26, 2015 by Bannum opinions

[FloridaExport]

I don't think the author is trying to diminish the PTP. He seems to agree with the notion that completing a constitution and having elections will get the US to consider an upgrade. I do think Khun Surapong is completely fabricating that to get more support for an anti coup movement. It's pretty clear that Thailand has had a human trafficking problem for a while, and there has not been a single conviction since their crackdown. Much like their other crackdowns, we can probably expect to see a rebound in the unwanted action.

[halloween]

".... a former MP of the anti-coup Pheu Thai Party"

This article is a generalist article dealing with several issues.

What is not 'generalist' however, and quite specific, is the political orientation of the author as demonstrated by above quote.

​Which obviously brings into question the veracity of everything that follows.

To call the Phua Thai Party the "anti-coup party", is a subtle put-down....Assigning a single characterization such as that, seeks to diminish their majority electoral base...Something the anti-democrats are desperate to do.

Hence this writer is clearly on that side of the political divide.

They know that if a straight up election were held today, The PTP would win in a landslide. And that is not because of the singular attribute the anti-democrats are trying to spin about it, but because they represent the pro-democracy forces in the country. That in-spite of the less than perfect incarnation of Democracy in Thai politics.

One can list all the other stuff they are doing and have done, in addition to these type of comments stated as fact.....From the orchestrated demonization campaign against Mr. Thaksin, to the coups, cancelling elections, seeking to ostracize Yingluck, the nonsense about differentiating Thai style Democracy as if there is such a thing, etc., etc.

PTP the anti-coup party?.............No-one is fooling anyone........It merely accentuates the fearfulness of the electoral minority seeking to diminish the electoral majority, and the political vehicle through which they have been asserting themselves in recent elections..Trying to minify that vehicle is what the above quote is all about..

You really have to break the description of him down to components and understand what they mean.

"Former MP" - resigned and then removed from a position obtained through nepotism and the party list system, where his only qualifications were family loyalty, grovelling subservience and the willingness to break Thai law in service of his fugitive criminal cousin. Likely to be convicted on at least one blatant breach of the law.

"amti-coup" - clinging to power so as to continue their parasitic feeding off the people of Thailand despite multiple offences which would cause any real democratic government to resign, in the face of growing public opposition and distrust, and fervently praying the military won't step in before they can re-introduce their leaders, and their own, amnesty bill lest they all end up in jail.

"PTP" - a criminal organisation of elected and appointed scum willing to sell their vote (and their country) for regular payments from their criminal master and free reign to commit crimes knowing that while in office their bribed police force will not only turn a blind eye but actively participate in intimidation of those willing to protest and/or point out their criminality.

Once you get that clear, any blather about "democracy" as it existed in Thailand is nothing but hogwash.

[chainarong]

Surapong is out with the fairies , it would not matter one Iota who was in Government ,it is a matter of willingness to comply to international standards and conventions, former Foreign Minister Surapong cannot tell me that he didn't know what was going on with the fishing fleet and human trafficking while the PTP was in Power and he cannot tell me he wasn't pressured by the UN and US and did diddly squat, the one thing the PTP did do well while in power was a lot of talking, but no action, however I'll be surprised if this latest round of talk feast will achieve anything.

[Bannum opinions]

".... a former MP of the anti-coup Pheu Thai Party"

This article is a generalist article dealing with several issues.

What is not 'generalist' however, and quite specific, is the political orientation of the author as demonstrated by above quote.

​Which obviously brings into question the veracity of everything that follows.

To call the Phua Thai Party the "anti-coup party", is a subtle put-down....Assigning a single characterization such as that, seeks to diminish their majority electoral base...Something the anti-democrats are desperate to do.

Hence this writer is clearly on that side of the political divide.

They know that if a straight up election were held today, The PTP would win in a landslide. And that is not because of the singular attribute the anti-democrats are trying to spin about it, but because they represent the pro-democracy forces in the country. That in-spite of the less than perfect incarnation of Democracy in Thai politics.

One can list all the other stuff they are doing and have done, in addition to these type of comments stated as fact.....From the orchestrated demonization campaign against Mr. Thaksin, to the coups, cancelling elections, seeking to ostracize Yingluck, the nonsense about differentiating Thai style Democracy as if there is such a thing, etc., etc.

PTP the anti-coup party?.............No-one is fooling anyone........It merely accentuates the fearfulness of the electoral minority seeking to diminish the electoral majority, and the political vehicle through which they have been asserting themselves in recent elections..Trying to minify that vehicle is what the above quote is all about..

You really have to break the description of him down to components and understand what they mean.

"Former MP" - resigned and then removed from a position obtained through nepotism and the party list system, where his only qualifications were family loyalty, grovelling subservience and the willingness to break Thai law in service of his fugitive criminal cousin. Likely to be convicted on at least one blatant breach of the law.

"amti-coup" - clinging to power so as to continue their parasitic feeding off the people of Thailand despite multiple offences which would cause any real democratic government to resign, in the face of growing public opposition and distrust, and fervently praying the military won't step in before they can re-introduce their leaders, and their own, amnesty bill lest they all end up in jail.

"PTP" - a criminal organisation of elected and appointed scum willing to sell their vote (and their country) for regular payments from their criminal master and free reign to commit crimes knowing that while in office their bribed police force will not only turn a blind eye but actively participate in intimidation of those willing to protest and/or point out their criminality.

Once you get that clear, any blather about "democracy" as it existed in Thailand is nothing but hogwash.

This certainly encapsulates anti-democratic, oppositional mantra's. I agree that 'Democracy" as it exists in Thailand is imperfection personified...But it is better than anything else I can think of......Electoral processes as imperfect as they are, certainly beats appointive governance by a Bangkok-centric elite.....Democracy perfection is not the measurement against which Thai Democracy should be measured.

Some people take Opposition stuff as in above Post as being factual.

To draw a comparative illustration, the English Labor Party may proclaim in Parliamentary debate that Cameron is an imbecile......Who knew....Now many know that he is an imbecile........It is fact for them.

Same same here....When the anti-democrats, and their various incarnations label their opposites in the way of the above Post, some take that as gospel...If they say it, then it must be true.....Some additional examples........Because the anti-democrats could not win an election, Thaksin must be the re-incarnation of the anti-christ.....Who knew........The rice agriculture subsidy policy is the greatest boondoggle the world has ever experienced. Never mind that an independent analysis was never done, and only self-serving Opposition posturing is the evidence...

According to those who are less politically discerning....They think that it is a good thing the Opposition brought all that stuff to their attention, and now they know the facts.

With an understanding of confrontational Politics between governing parties and their Opposition, one takes that type of posturing with a grain of salt. One considers the source and circumstances into account at all times.

The electorate has the final say.

If the above accusations were all true, make them in an election campaign and see what the electorate thinks........But the anti-democrats are afraid to do that....Why could that be?

This is all one needs to know to contextualize it.

Edited June 26, 2015 by Bannum opinions

[yimlitnoy]

Khun Surapong missed his position of power in the government as crony of his cousin Thaksin. By making baseless statements, he stays in the news hence he feels important. What did Khun Surapong accomplish to alleviate human trafficking when in power?

[billd766]

Would the former foreign minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul please explain evactly what the PTP party achieved in the 3 years that they were in power regarding the TIP?

Could he also state how active the former PM Yingluck Shinawatra was involved in the problem and what solutions that she and the PTP party came up with and actually DID something about?

[halloween]

".... a former MP of the anti-coup Pheu Thai Party"

This article is a generalist article dealing with several issues.

What is not 'generalist' however, and quite specific, is the political orientation of the author as demonstrated by above quote.

​Which obviously brings into question the veracity of everything that follows.

To call the Phua Thai Party the "anti-coup party", is a subtle put-down....Assigning a single characterization such as that, seeks to diminish their majority electoral base...Something the anti-democrats are desperate to do.

Hence this writer is clearly on that side of the political divide.

They know that if a straight up election were held today, The PTP would win in a landslide. And that is not because of the singular attribute the anti-democrats are trying to spin about it, but because they represent the pro-democracy forces in the country. That in-spite of the less than perfect incarnation of Democracy in Thai politics.

One can list all the other stuff they are doing and have done, in addition to these type of comments stated as fact.....From the orchestrated demonization campaign against Mr. Thaksin, to the coups, cancelling elections, seeking to ostracize Yingluck, the nonsense about differentiating Thai style Democracy as if there is such a thing, etc., etc.

PTP the anti-coup party?.............No-one is fooling anyone........It merely accentuates the fearfulness of the electoral minority seeking to diminish the electoral majority, and the political vehicle through which they have been asserting themselves in recent elections..Trying to minify that vehicle is what the above quote is all about..

You really have to break the description of him down to components and understand what they mean.

"Former MP" - resigned and then removed from a position obtained through nepotism and the party list system, where his only qualifications were family loyalty, grovelling subservience and the willingness to break Thai law in service of his fugitive criminal cousin. Likely to be convicted on at least one blatant breach of the law.

"amti-coup" - clinging to power so as to continue their parasitic feeding off the people of Thailand despite multiple offences which would cause any real democratic government to resign, in the face of growing public opposition and distrust, and fervently praying the military won't step in before they can re-introduce their leaders, and their own, amnesty bill lest they all end up in jail.

"PTP" - a criminal organisation of elected and appointed scum willing to sell their vote (and their country) for regular payments from their criminal master and free reign to commit crimes knowing that while in office their bribed police force will not only turn a blind eye but actively participate in intimidation of those willing to protest and/or point out their criminality.

Once you get that clear, any blather about "democracy" as it existed in Thailand is nothing but hogwash.

This certainly encapsulates anti-democratic, oppositional mantra's. I agree that 'Democracy" as it exists in Thailand is imperfection personified...But it is better than anything else I can think of......Electoral processes as imperfect as they are, certainly beats appointive governance by a Bangkok-centric elite.....Democracy perfection is not the measurement against which Thai Democracy should be measured.

Some people take Opposition stuff as in above Post as being factual.

To draw a comparative illustration, the English Labor Party may proclaim in Parliamentary debate that Cameron is an imbecile......Who knew....Now many know that he is an imbecile........It is fact for them.

Same same here....When the anti-democrats, and their various incarnations label their opposites in the way of the above Post, some take that as gospel...If they say it, then it must be true.....Some additional examples........Because the anti-democrats could not win an election, Thaksin must be the re-incarnation of the anti-christ.....Who knew........The rice agriculture subsidy policy is the greatest boondoggle the world has ever experienced. Never mind that an independent analysis was never done, and only self-serving Opposition posturing is the evidence...

According to those who are less politically discerning....They think that it is a good thing the Opposition brought all that stuff to their attention, and now they know the facts.

With an understanding of confrontational Politics between governing parties and their Opposition, one takes that type of posturing with a grain of salt. One considers the source and circumstances into account at all times.

The electorate has the final say.

If the above accusations were all true, make them in an election campaign and see what the electorate thinks........But the anti-democrats are afraid to do that....Why could that be?

This is all one needs to know to contextualize it.

Please point anything in my post as being less than factual. Happy to discuss any specific point you should wish to raise.

BYW Thaksin is not an anti-christ. He is a parasite, enriching himself and those he bribes with money stolen from the poorest citizens of this country.

[mango66]

it will take at least 5 years to get the case to an conclusion to court -

maybee all officers will retire in glory before the case will be closed !

Thailand - 3rd world