Cambodia Expels Asylum Seekers

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) -- A group of Muslims who fled China after deadly ethnic rioting and sought asylum in Cambodia were sent back home Saturday, even though rights groups fear they face persecution and possibly execution there.

Interior Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Khieu Sopheak said the 20 members of the Uighur minority had been put on a special plane sent from China that left Phnom Penh International Airport Saturday night.

''They are going back to China,'' he said.

Cambodia has been under intense pressure from China to deport the Uighurs, whom Beijing has called criminals after they fled the country with the help of a secret network of missionaries. The expulsion came a day before Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping visits Cambodia as part of a four-country tour.

The United States, the United Nations and human rights groups had urged Cambodia to stop the deportation. A spokeswoman for the U.N. refugee agency said it had not finished evaluating the Uighurs, including two children, for refugee status. She said the agency had stationed people at the airport in an effort to physically prevent the deportation. The plane, however, left from the airport's military area.

''Even if I say something, can we change anything?'' Ilshat Hassan, a U.S.-based director of the World Uyghur Congress, said after the deportation. ''The UNHCR, the international world, the U.S., everybody who said something that could give us hope. They all failed."

The Uighurs were being deported because it was determined they entered the country illegally, Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said earlier. He said two other Uighurs who had been with the group are missing.

Some countries have refused to send Uighurs -- such as those released from U.S. detention at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba -- back to China over concerns about retribution and abuse. In a letter to the Cambodian government about the Uighurs, rights group Amnesty International noted that Shaheer Ali, a U.N.-recognized refugee, was executed after being forced to return to China from Nepal in 2002.

''It is hugely concerning that Cambodian authorities are not giving this group an opportunity to seek asylum, or for authorities to assess their asylum case,'' Brittis Edman, a Cambodia researcher with Amnesty International, said late Saturday before the group left. ''This group will be particularly vulnerable to torture.''

A woman answering the phone at China's Foreign Ministry on Saturday night said they had no immediate comment on the Uighurs' deportation.

Uighurs say Beijing has long restricted their rights, particularly clamping down on their practice of Islam.

Tensions between majority Han Chinese and the Turkic Uighurs in their traditional homeland in far western China exploded into rioting in July, the country's worst communal violence in decades. The Chinese government says nearly 200 people, mostly majority Han Chinese, died.

Exile groups say Uighurs have been rounded up in mass detentions since the rioting. China has handed down at least 17 death sentences -- mostly to Uighurs -- over the violence.

The Uighurs arrived in Cambodia in recent weeks and had initially been in joint custody of the U.N. refugee agency and Cambodian authorities. Khieu Sopheak said they had been shifted to the ''sole protection'' of the Cambodian government.

''I think we went to extraordinary lengths to prevent deportation. But it comes down to, it's up to states to provide protection,'' said Kitty McKinsey, spokeswoman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Bangkok. ''We had people prepared to try to physically prevent the deportation if it had taken place at the civilian side of the airport.''

McKinsey said the refugee agency is preparing a protest to the Cambodian government.

The United States also urged Cambodia not to send the Uighurs back to China.

''We are deeply disturbed by the reports that the Cambodian government might forcibly return this group of Uighurs without the benefit of a credible refugee status determination process,'' U.S. Embassy spokesman John Johnson in Phnom Penh said earlier. There was no immediate U.S. reaction to the actual expulsion.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said last week the Uighurs were ''involved in crimes.'' She did not elaborate.

Wang Lixiong, a China-based writer on Uighur and Tibetan issues, said the deportation reflected China's powerful influence in the region. China says it is the top foreign investor in Cambodia.

''When I learned the Uighurs landed in Cambodia, I was pessimistic because Cambodia is a small country that will not be able to stand against China's pressure,'' said Wang.

------

Associated Press writers Cara Anna and Isolda Morillo in Beijing and Grant Peck in Bangkok contributed to this report.

Same song, third verse

Community radio stations in Chiang Mai are being closely monitored and could face closure after reportedly threatening to kill Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva during his planned visit to the province next weekend.

PM's Office Minister Sathit Wongnongtoey said authorities are keeping track of community radio broadcasts in Chiang Mai, which he said have repeatedly incited red shirt supporters to protest against Mr Abhisit's visit to the province on Nov 29 where he will attend a meeting of the chambers of commerce.

Some community radio stations are said to have threatened to kill Mr Abhisit in a bomb attack during his visit.

Mr Sathit said the PM's Office had sent warnings to the stations several times telling them to refrain from any unlawful activity.

"When there is clear evidence that they have violated criminal law and community radio regulations, the stations will be shut down and face legal action," he said.

The minister said he has instructed the authorities concerned to record the broadcasts of the anti-government community radio stations in question.

Mr Sathit said precautions are being taken because the prime minister is being targeted by some elements.

His comments came as Democrat MP for Bangkok Boonyod Sukthinthai lodged a complaint with Crime Suppression Division police against the host of a programme broadcast on FM 92.5 community radio in Chiang Mai.

The complaint demanded an investigation into Phetchawat Wattanapongsirikul, host of the Sapha Kafae (Coffee Council) programme, and his co-host, who was not identified.

Both were accused of encouraging their audience to come out to protest violently against Mr Abhisit.

Mr Boonyod also handed over audio clips of the programme broadcasts to the CSD for further investigation.

But Mr Abhisit yesterday said he would travel to Chiang Mai next weekend as planned. He expressed confidence in the security authorities.

"Nothing has changed yet because I have confidence in the authorities in charge of providing security," he said.

Extra-tight security is being planned. Twenty companies of police and another 20 companies of troops from the 3rd Army will be deployed during the prime minister's visit.

Mr Abhisit also warned the radio stations that they faced possible legal action for making death threats and told the authorities to keep a close watch on the stations' broadcasts.

Mr Abhisit will travel to Chiang Mai, the political stronghold of the opposition Puea Thai Party, to attend a seminar at the invitation of the Thai chambers of commerce around the country.

He will give a lecture to northern businessmen on economic affairs.

The prime minister warned Thaksin Shinawatra's supporters in Chiang Mai to stop their hostile action, saying they should work with the government to bring about peace and reconciliation in the province.

"Frankly speaking, Chiang Mai has lost a lot of opportunities because of political conflicts despite the fact that the government gives full backing to every area," he said.

Wittaya Krongsap, secretary-general of the Chiang Mai Chamber of Commerce, expressed concern that the event would be exploited by interest groups.

Mr Abhisit also said the cabinet would also consider whether to implement the Internal Security Act during the cabinet meeting on Tuesday to control a planned red shirt rally in Bangkok.

The pro-Thaksin United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship is calling a major rally on Nov 28 in Bangkok.

"The government cannot surrender (to the red shirt protesters), if they do anything illegal," Mr Abhisit said.

He asked the red shirts to stop their planned protest because he would not submit to their demands to dissolve the House and call a general election.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said the government needs to assess the situation before it decides whether to invoke the security law.

"We are considering invoking the security law because they say that they are going to bring down the government. I am still haunted by the Songkran riots," Mr Suthep said.

"Friendly" dispute

BANGKOK, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Thailand's cabinet is reviewing aid to Cambodia, the latest move in a diplomatic row triggered by a visit by fugitive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to Phnom Penh.

The cabinet will discuss various retaliatory measures, including freezing low-interest loans to build roads in Cambodia, during its weekly meeting, said Panitan Wattanayagorn, deputy secretary-general to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

Thaksin went to Cambodia after its prime minister, Hun Sen, offered him a job as an economic adviser. The Cambodian government rejected Bangkok's request to extradite him.

His visit to Cambodia further strained relations between the two neighbours. They recalled their ambassadors and a Thai man was arrested in Cambodia for alleged spying.

Thailand has already said it would scrap a 2001 memorandum of understanding on energy development in the Gulf of Thailand.

The agreement was signed under Thaksin's administration, with the aim of finding a way to jointly develop oil and gas resources in disputed waters, although little progress has been made.

Thaksin left Cambodia on Saturday. He spends most of his time in Dubai.

Thailand caves to Laos on fate of Hmong refugees

Thailand has caved to pressure from Laos on what to do about the Nong Khai refugees. Last month, Thai Foreign Minister Kasit had said that the 158 people at the detention center could be resettled in other countries, but today the Nation is reporting that he says Thailand will allow Laos to decide what happens to them. Officials in Vientiane have made it quite clear what they want -- to have the refugees back under their control, a situation the refugees are resisting quite strongly -- so much so that some say they'll commit suicide if they're ordered to return.

After years of watching detainees at Guantanamo attempt to kill themselves rather than face continuing rounds of torture, isolation and imprisonment, this suicide threat from the Nong Khai refugees has a very familiar, and unplesant ring to it. The U.N. says they're political refugees, other countries have agreed to take them; they should NOT be returned to Laos.

But what to do?

Thailand is surrounded by troubled Cambodia and Myanmar and the rapidly-politically-decomposing Malaysia. They can't afford to anger the one stable neighbor they have, espeically one that they're so economically intertwined with, especially in the current economic downturn.

The solution? The United Nations needs to show some backbone. They need to stand up to Laos, tell them the Nong Khai refugees aren't going home and then take charge of the group and take care of this situation. TheU.N. is feeding millions in Darfur, patroling the streets of Haiti, and supervising the fledgling government of Timor-Leste; the resources need to take care of 158 people for a few months until they can be resettled in third countries wouldn't even be noticed.

Security Council, are you listening? The U.N. and the U.S. need to take control of these people, get Thailand out of the middle of an argument that it has no part in, and then resettle these former U.S. allies in other countries. They've been languishing in a detention center for two years; babies have been born there. It's time to for this to end.

Tell us something we didn't already know....

BANGKOK, April 23 (Reuters) - Thailand's army chief said on Thursday some army bullets were used in the assassination attempt on Sondhi Limthongkul, the founder of the "yellow shirt" protest movement who had criticised the military.

Army chief Anupong Paochinda said the M-16 rounds used in last Friday's attack on Sondhi, whose movement has been at the heart of Thailand's political crisis, may have been stolen.

"These bullets are for training purposes by the First Army Region. This is clearly a leak," Anupong said, confirming that at least three spent M-16 cartridges were traced to the regional army that covers Bangkok and some central provinces.

He ordered an investigation and said any soldiers involved would be punished severely.

Anupong has previously denied speculation by some of Sondhi's colleagues that military personnel may have been involved in the assassination attempt. But the audacious attack while Bangkok is under emergency rule reinforced the belief "that only uniformed men with the protection of higher ups had the capacity to pull off such a high profile murder attempt", as the Bangkok Post's military affairs correspondent, Wassana Nanuam, wrote.

Police found 84 spent M-16, AK-47 and pistol cartridges and an unexploded M-79 grenade from the dawn attack by at least five gunmen, which followed a week of violent street protests by a rival group that supports former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

Police have made no arrests, and Sondhi has been silent while recovering from a head wound that was not life-threatening. His driver was seriously wounded.

Kasit: Thaksin behind attack on Sondhi

The Bangkok Post says Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya has accused outlawed former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra of being involved in the failed attack on People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) leader Sondhi Limthongkul last Friday.

"Thaksin failed with the populist movement and now I think he has resorted to some sort of assassination attempt," Mr Kasit said in a speech to the Asia Society in New York.

He did not provide any evidence to back his claim, but made it clear he believed that he and four other cabinet ministers were also possible targets for assassination.

These statements run counter to those of the PAD's own leadership, who have said that they believe that "men in uniform" were behind the attacks. It also contradicts blogs by Sondhi's son, who is the head of his television station, who is also writing about a growing military movement against both the Red Shirts and the Yellow Shirts.

Bangkok Pundit quotes from Jittanart Limthongkul's blog:

He said there is a new form of war by a group who want to create a new government consisting of the police and army in neutral gear (ie who won't take the "necessary action"), one Minister who has great desire, and politician(s) behind the blue shirts. Jittinart said this "new power group" is putting up military barrier on the outer ring to prevent Thaksin Shinawatr from returning while blocking Premier Abhisit with an inner ring. Sondhi's son said the incident at the Interior Ministry last week when Premier Abhisit Vejjajiva came under attack had been planned "to kill the prime minister -- and put the blame on the red-shirts."

Could there be a new alliance between Thaksin and Sondhi brewing?

Asia Whoppers

The political turmoil in Thailand has produced incredible events and even more incredible charges, culminating with the latest stories from Asia Times. Last week, the paper offered this story:

"BANGKOK - While red-shirted protesters manhandled a government security official they had handcuffed and temporarily taken hostage, former premier Thaksin Shinawatra placed a call from exile to his trusted United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) leader, Jakrapob Penkair, who reported back on events from an air-conditioned bus at the back of the UDD's main rally site. The two shared a laugh over the UDD's siege of the Ministry of Interior earlier that Sunday and briefly discussed international media strategies."

This is very detailed information that only the people in the rooms on each end of the phone line -- only a few at most -- could know. All of those people would be high-ranking supporters of Thaksin; it's very hard to imagine that they would be cozying up to anyone from Asia Times, which is owned by Thaksin's arch-enemy -- Sondhi Limthongkul. Perhaps he got this information from the office potted plants? Those lines were succeeded by this surprising announcement just three days later:

Nobody claimed responsibility for the attack, though initial speculation pointed to wayward elements of the United Front For Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) anti-government protest group.

PAD officials and supporters have, from the beginning, hinted that police and military leaders were involved in the attack, citing the tight security imposed under the state of emergency and the fact that all the traffic cameras at that intersection had malfunctioned only hours before the attack. Perhaps the Times should talk to the same people The Nation contacted:

PAD spokesman Suriyasai Katasila says PAD leaders suspect certain political cliques conspired to shoot down Sondhi. The shooting with assault rifles bore the hallmarks of work by men in uniform, as ordinary gunmen would not risk carrying out the job during emergency rule. He called for Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to overhaul the personnel in charge of security affairs.

PAD co-leader Pibhop Dhongchai said he found it hard to believe the military had no knowledge about the attack on Sondhi.

PAD co-leader Somkiat Pongpaiboon....suggested the removal of the national police chief, military commanders, the director of the Armed Forces Security Centre and the director-general of the National Intelligence Agency.

Rumors have been spreading across Thai blogs for months that some of Sondhi's allies were unhappy and were planning to move against him. The Times, apparently, hasn't heard any of this.

Neither, apparently, were they aware that Sondhi has long been calling for the heads of the police and the Army to be replaced; their stories on last Friday's assasination attempt mention these calls as developments that are new.

But the Times did have this new information:

Asia Times Online broke the news on Tuesday that UDD operatives had for the past two years funneled arms through Cambodia to Thaksin-aligned supporters in the country's northeastern provinces, where his grassroots support runs strongest.

If the UDD is smuggling in weapons, they're certainly keeping them well-hidden; I've seen no reliable pictures of any Red Shirt protesters carrying guns. Perhaps they're saving them for a rainy day?

The Asia Times may be a reliable source of information on some countries, but when I want to know about Thailand, I think I'll give it a pass.

(Here's another analysis of Asia Times' work: http://thailandjumpedtheshark.blogspot.com/2009/04/shawn-crispin-on-propaganda-wars.html)

PAD founder shot

PAD founder Sonthi Limthongkul is reportedly in the hospital after being shot early Friday morning. At first, the Bangkok Post said Sonthi suffered only minor injuries, but now they quote a doctor as saying that Sonthi was hit in the head with shrapnel which penetrated his skull but not his brain, that he's out of danger, but that he'll remain in intensive care for about a week. His bodyguard and driver were also injured, but the Post says their injuries were not as serious. The attack happened when the car pulled into a gasoline station to refuel. As the vehicle sat next to the pump, two gunmen on motorcycles drove up, shot out the tires and then sprayed the vehicle with bullets.

The PAD, of course, is the group behind the Yellow Shirt protesters, who were responsible for forcing Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra from office. They continued to demonstrate for two years, until Abhisit Vejjajiwa was picked to head up a new government composed of oppostion parties earlier this year.

For months now, rumors have swirled that Sonthi's life was in danger, not from Thaksin's supporters, but rather from Sonthi's PAD allies. Sonthi and Thaksin were once business partners and both have tremendous popular support. It wasn't until Sonthi threw his support behind the anti-Thaksin movement that opponents were able to generate the huge rallies that resulted in Thaksin's overthrow. There have been whispers that the PAD's military and royalist supporters were worried that Sonthi had become too powerful and that they would decide to eliminate him before he could become a threat. It will be interesting to see whether the police are able to locate any suspects, and if so, which faction the suspects are connected to.

Either way, the shooting could plunge the city into another round of violence, although the shooting had little effect on the value of the Thai currency or Thai stocks on Thursday.

In the early 1990's, I worked for Sonthi at his Manager Monthly magazine. He was a very nice boss then, and probably still is now. I wish him a speedy recovery.

The 60-second guide to Thai Politics

(Former allies Sonthi Limthongkul and Thaksin Shinawatra)

Now that Thailand has been plunged into another round of turmoil, I decided to finish the series I started months ago, on the people leading the country's political crisis. Some of the information has been posted on earlier blogs, and in other sources, but I thought it would be good to put it all into one concise place.

First, The Players:
1) the Monarchy, led by the King;
2) the Blue Bloods or ruling elite, currently represented by Prem;
3) former General, Bangkok Governor and populist hero Chamlong Srimuang;
4) the rising business/professional class, currently led by two people; media mogul Sonthi Limthongkul;
5) and deposed Prime Minister and populist hero Thaksin Shinawatra.

Second, the Protesters:
1) the Yellow Shirts, who support the King and the Blue Bloods;
2) the Red Shirts, who support Thaksin;
3) the Navy Shirts, who are disguised military, army & political leaders

Third, the Power Structure:
For a couple hundred years, the Monarchy and the Blue Bloods have ruled Thailand, with occasional revolts by the people. One such revolt forced King Prajadhipok to agree to a new constitution that set up a parliamentary government and reduced the power of the Monarchy.

Since then, there have been periodic upheavals to demand changes in the constitution and the government that would give people more power. This drive has intensified in recent decades as rising educational levels and international investment created a thriving middle class of business/professional people.

Corruption is also a sore point with many Thais. When I decided to get a driver's license in Bangkok, I simply strolled over the the proper government department, filled out forms, paid the listed fees, went through the line and emerged with a driver's license. When I told Thai friends and in-laws, they were absolutely incredulous -- in order for them to do this, they would have to have a connection in the department, or pay a substantial bribe.

Now, the Situation:
2) Prem was appointed Prime Minister during a period of political turmoil and Thais were so grateful that he was able to restore order that they re-elected him to several subsequent terms. He officially retired from politics, but remained active behind the scenes and now is the top advisor to the King, as the head of the Privy Council.

3) Chamlong is a former general and a long-time campaigner against corruption who has now become an ascetic and devout Buddhist. His mentor was --- Prem. Chamlong founded the PDP political party but eventually lost popular support because of his rigid religious views. People realized that, while it's good to have an honest politician, it's even better to have one who can get things done, and a politician who refuses to compromise will find that difficult. Chamlong largely retired from politics for many years. Until 2006, when Thaksin's enemies came calling.

4) Sonthi is the son of poor Chinese immigrants who was schooled in the U.S. before returning to go into business in Thailand. Sonthi's ambition was to become the Asian Rupert Murdoch and he went a long way towards reaching that goal, building an empire of communications (in partnership with Thaksin), newspapers, magazines & television. Along the way he snagged some prestigious contracts for the Asian Vanity Fair and other major international publications.

Unfortunately, it was all built with borrowed money. All was well until the economy collapsed and he was bankrupted. He managed to rise again with a smaller media empire that was also financed with borrowed money. That was no problem because his friend, Viroj, was the head of Krung Thai Bank. Each year, Sonthi paid the interest, signed some papers, and the loans were rolled over. Through it all, he remained a staunch supporter of his friend, Thaksin.
Until 2004, when scandal struck.

5) Thaksin is the son of a wealthy northern Thai family who was schooled in the U.S. before returning to go into business in Thailand (sound familiar?), at one point partnering with Sonthi Limthongkul, before deciding to join the PDP party, where his mentor was ---- Chamlong.

Thaksin became Prime Minister after the collapse of the Thai economy, a problem which most Thais blamed on the IMF. One of the first things Thaksin did was to thumb his nose at the international group and proceed to rebuild the Thai economy, both actions which won him tremendous national support, but alienated the international power structure.

One of the next things Thaksin did was to crackdown on the drug problem. He sent military and police units into the Golden Triangle with the philosophy, "kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out." This policy cured the drug problem and was also very popular with the people, but it drew condemnation from many international groups who oppose extrajudicial justice.

In order to prevent any domestic criticism from coalescing, Thaksin began to crackdown on any media that reported on problems. When journalist Shawn Crispin wrote a critical article in the Far Eastern Economic Review, his visa was revoked. Many Thai media who criticized the government, its ministries and supporters were slapped with lawsuits or arrest warrants. This lost Thaksin even more support internationally.

So when Thaksin began to reform the country's political institutions, he had few international friends to counter the Blue Bloods, who opposed the reforms. Then, in 2004, things got worse.

Krung Thai Bank was forced to admit that it had $1 billion worth of bad loans, an amount that shocked the small country and it was revealed that more than 4-percent of it had gone to Sonthi, in loans approved by the bank's CEO, Viroj. Viroj was forced to resign and the new CEO refused to grant Sonthi any more credit; Sonthi appealed to his friend Thaksin for help, to no avail. The gravy train had come to an end; Sonthi was now fighting for his financial and professional life.

In order to save his empire, he began to assemble a strange group of bedfellows. Sonthi, a media mogul who had opposed political interference by the country's military, who had fought for sweetheart treatment from Thaksin, an immigrant who was a political and social outsider, joined with the anti-corruption hero Chamlong, other activists, some military leaders, and the Blue Bloods, to form the People's Alliance for Democracy, the PAD. Their sole goal -- to overthrow the democratically elected prime minister of the country.

Next: The Protesters

1st Khmer Rouge Trial begins in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — The chief of a prison where some 16,000 men, women and children were tortured before being killed appeared Tuesday before Cambodia's genocide tribunal in its first trial over the Khmer Rouge reign of terror more than three decades ago.

Kaing Guek Eav _ better known as Duch _ is charged with crimes against humanity and is the first of five defendants scheduled for long-delayed trials by the U.N.-assisted court.

They were among a close-knit, ultra-communist clique that turned Cambodia into a vast slave labor camp and charnel house in which 1.7 million or more died of starvation, disease and execution.

The trial comes 30 years after the fall of the Khmer Rouge, 13 years after the tribunal was first proposed and nearly three years after the court was inaugurated.

Many victims feared that all the Khmer Rouge leaders would die before facing justice, and getting even one of them on trial is seen as a breakthrough. But there are concerns that the process is being politically manipulated and that thousands of killers will escape unpunished.

The Cambodian side in the tribunal has recently turned down recommendations from the international co-prosecutor to try other Khmer Rouge leaders, as many as six according to some reports. This has sparked criticism from human rights groups.

"The tribunal cannot bring justice to the millions of the Khmer Rouge's victims if it tries only a handful of the most notorious individuals, while scores of former Khmer Rouge officials and commanders remain free," the New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a release Monday.

Others facing trial are Khieu Samphan, the group's former head of state; Ieng Sary, its foreign minister; his wife Ieng Thirith, who was minister for social affairs; and Nuon Chea, the movement's chief ideologue.

All four have denied committing crimes.

Summing up Thailand's Rohinga Shame

Lame excuses add to shame

By: Sanitsuda Ekachai

Published: in Bangkok Post 22/01/2009 at 12:00 AM

Newspaper section: News

Will someone please tell the army chief and the navy boss to stop making lame excuses? No one believes a word of it. The more they try to defend their horrific act with the Rohingya boat people, the bigger the hole they are digging for themselves. And the greater the harm they are doing to the country.

Thank you so very much for making the whole world see Thailand as a cold-blooded country.

At a time when Thailand badly needs to address its image problem from the coup, violent protests and the crazy airport closedown, the navy - apparently with full backing from other national security agencies - has shown the world how cruel we can be to poor migrant workers, especially when they are dark-skinned Muslims.

Thank you for forcing us to probe into our hearts to see if we can still call ourselves Buddhists.

Honestly, I am a bit annoyed by the way the news was played up in the foreign media, which often plays on sensationalism and moral superiority, feeding on bigotry. But there is not much we can do about that.

What we can do, however, is to look at our own bigotry, confront the problem and ask ourselves why we allow ourselves to be blind to such atrocities. For this was most certainly not the first time that the Rohingya boat people were pushed back to face death at sea. And it would not be the last had it not been exposed by the foreign press, which we must be thankful for.

But we see only denial and defensive reaction on the home front.

The navy and the army insist with deadpan faces that they did not violate any humanitarian standards.

Excuse me, sir. Is towing people out to the open seas, setting them adrift, and allowing them to starve to death your standard of humanity?

Wake up! You have already woken up to the fact that the world no longer accepts your coups. Now it is time to learn that your old-world standard is too poor to be acceptable, too.

The reaction from Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban is equally distressing. He says the whole thing is an attempt to discredit Thailand.

The responses from some local media are no less frustrating. In sum, they view the navy's move as an effort to protect the country from the influx of the Rohingya, who are feared to have links with the southern Muslim militants. Besides, Thailand is already swamped with immigrants and refugees from neighbouring countries. Overburdened, they say, Thailand needs help to deal with the massive migrant influx, not condemnation.

And if the international community wants to pin blame on someone, why Thailand and not Burma? Is the international community also to blame for failing to contain the atrocious Burmese junta, leading to the massive migration of the Rohingya and other ethnic minorities?

They may have some valid points. But what good are they if they are used to justify our heartlessness?

Personally, the most shocking reaction has come from my 13-year-old daughter: "But the Rohingya, aren't they illegal?"

They are, I said, but that is no reason to treat them so mercilessly.

Waging my personal war against racist nationalism which poisons my girl's head, I told her the Rohingya are a Muslim minority who are severely persecuted by the Burmese military junta. They are the fathers who dared to risk their lives to support their poor families back home. And if we cannot let them stay, we must deport them through legal channels, not make them die at sea.

Her question: Why cannot Thailand do something with Burma to end the mess?

Why not, indeed.

Thai nationalism is notorious for making Thais hate Burma. et our governments and military have mostly backed the Burmese generals. It is Burma's oil, gas, timber and gems. It is greed. It is ethnic prejudices that dictate our treatment of the powerless Burmese people.

If that is why, we are now paying dearly for it.

Sanitsuda Ekachai is Assistant Editor (Outlook), Bangkok Post.

Another ethnic minority flees persecution in Myanmar

From the Associated Press:
The "forgotten" Chin people, Christians living in the remote mountains of northwestern Myanmar, are subject to forced labor, torture, extrajudicial killings and religious persecution by the country's military regime, a human rights group said Wednesday.
A report by the New York-based Human Right Watch said tens of thousands have fled the Chin homeland into neighboring India, where they face abuse and the risk of being forced back into Myanmar.
"The Chin are unsafe in Burma and unprotected in India, but just because these abuses happen far from Delhi and Rangoon (Yangon) does not mean the Chin should remain `forgotten people,'" the report said.
It said the regime also continues to commit atrocities against its other ethnic minorities.
Myanmar's ruling junta has been widely accused of widespread human rights violations in ethnic minority areas where anti-government insurgent groups are fighting for autonomy. The government has repeatedly denied such charges, but an e-mailed request for comment on the new report was not immediately answered.
A top official for India's Mizoram state, Chief Secretary Vanhela Pachau, said he hadn't seen the report and could not comment.
Human Rights Watch said insurgents of the Chin National Front also committed abuses, including the extortion of money from villagers to fund their operations.
"(The police) hit me in my mouth and broke my front teeth. They split my head open and I was bleeding badly. They also shocked me with electricity. We kept telling them that we didn't know anything," said a Chin man accused of supporting the insurgents, who are small in number and largely ineffective.
He was one of some 140 Chin people interviewed by the human rights group from 2005 to 2008. The group said the names of those interviewed were withheld to prevent reprisals.
A number spoke of being forced out of their villages to serve as unpaid porters for the army or to build roads, sentry posts and army barracks.
"We are like slaves, we have to do everything (the army) tells us to do," another Chin man said.
The report said the regime, attempting to suppress minority cultures, was destroying churches, interfering with worship services and promoting Buddhism through threats and inducements. Some 90 percent of the Chin are Christians, most of them adherents to the American Baptist Church.
The suffering of the Chin, the report said, was compounded by recent food shortages and famine caused by a massive rat infestation in Chin State, already one of the poorest regions of Myanmar.
"For too long, ethnic groups like the Chin have borne the brunt of abusive military rule in Burma," said the report, using the former name for the country.
Ethnic insurgencies erupted in Myanmar in the late 1940s when the country gained independence from Great Britain.
Former junta member Gen. Khin Nyunt negotiated cease-fires with 17 of the insurgent groups before he was ousted by rival generals in 2004.
Among rebels still fighting are groups from the Karen, Karenni, Shan and Chin minorities.
At least half a million minority people have been internally displaced in eastern Myanmar as a result of the regime's brutal military campaigns while refugees continue to flee to the Thai-Myanmar border. More than 145,000 refugees receive international humanitarian assistance in Thai border camps.

NGO: corruption swallows up badly-needed funds in Cambodia

From the Associated Press:
BANGKOK, Thailand—The corrupt elite of Cambodia, one of the world's most impoverished nations, has laid the groundwork for siphoning off vast profits from a coming boom in mining and oil exploitation, a nongovernment organization said Thursday.
Britain-based Global Witness said that rights to exploit the resources have been allocated behind closed doors by a small number of power brokers around Prime Minister Hun Sen and other senior officials. The report, titled "Country for Sale," said "the same political elite that pillaged the country's timber resources has now gained control of its mineral and petroleum wealth."
"Unless this is changed, there is a real risk that the opportunity to lift a whole generation out of poverty will be squandered," the report said.
The allegations were denied by Information Minister Khieu Kanharith and Suy Sem, the minister of Industry, Mines and Energy, who said Global Witness "always defames the government."
Global Witness, which has worked in Cambodia for more than a decade, said its findings were based on numerous interviews with industry insiders in the country and with others around the world over the course of 2008. The report's appendix also cites a number of academics, journals and newspaper reports.
Over the past few years, Cambodia has been buzzing with excitement -- and anxiety -- about an oil discovery by U.S. energy giant Chevron Corp. off the southwestern coast. There have also been discoveries of other minerals including bauxite, iron ore, copper and chromium, while onshore oil reserves are also being explored.
Some estimate that in coming years Cambodia may reap some $1 billion in annual oil revenues, enough to cut its ties to foreign development aid if the funds are properly utilized.
But others have raised concerns that rather than pulling Cambodia out of its "beggar status," the revenue windfall will further fuel already rampant corruption. The Berlin-based Transparency International ranked Cambodia 166 out of 180 on its 2008 world corruption index.
U.S. Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli told The Associated Press in 2006, shortly after the discovery, that Cambodia could fall victim to an "oil curse" that has afflicted other developing countries.
Yet the report said international donors, which prop up the country, have so far turned a blind eye to the looming "corruption disaster." Donors, including the United States, European Commission and the World Bank, pledged $1 billion in development aid two months ago, without using the opportunity to demand transparency in the emerging industries, it said.
More than 75 companies, including such internationals as Chevron Corp. and BHP Billiton, were already working in the mining and oil sectors and have paid upfront sums to the government, the report said.
"Companies need to come clean on what they have paid to the government to secure access to these natural resources, or risk becoming complicit in a corrupt system," the report said.
Of the mine sites investigated in 2008, Global Witness said every one was controlled or owned by members of Cambodia's political and military elite, including top military commanders and relatives of Hun Sen and cabinet ministers.
Information Minister Khieu Kanharith denied that anyone in Hun Sen's close circle had received any payments for concessions granted to individuals or oil and gas companies.
"But these companies, while conducting explorations, have been ordered to pay into a state social welfare fund and their money has been registered in state accounts," he said.
Suy Sem, the minister of Industry, Mines and Energy told The Associated Press in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh: "Regarding the exploration for oil and gas, we operate under procedures that are very fair and transparent and based on the rule of law."
Global Witness said it wrote to both Chevron and BHP asking them to reveal any payments made to the Cambodian government or government officials. Chevron, it said, did not respond while BHP said it had made no illegal payments related to its mining operations.
Chevron spokesman Gareth Johnstone told the AP on Thursday that the company could not comment until they had a chance to read the report.
The report said the government's actions duplicate the wholesale destruction of forests with few of the resulting profits ending up in national coffers or among the general population.

Exerpt from Bangkok Post

Goverment denies budget earmarked to destroy UDD

By: Bangkok Post

Published: 9/02/2009 at 06:39 AM

The prime minister denies his government has set aside two billion baht to support army operations to break up protests by the United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship.

Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday no funds from the government budget had been set aside for such activities.

Rumours of the army planning to spend two billion baht to prevent protests by the UDD have been aired by Natthawut Saikuea, a UDD leader.

Somchai Petprasert, a member of the opposition Puea Thai party and chairman of the House armed forces committee, said he wanted military leaders to clarify whether the reports of a secret government fund were true.

Another round, but this time smaller

It'll be interesting to see who wins this Sunday's election for Bangkok governor. It seems that Taksin's supporters have already given up -- Pheu Thai candidate Yuranan Pamornmontri says he's not having a campaign rally this week because he doesn't want to incovenience his supporters. But Bangkok is considered a stronghold of the anti-Taksin alliance, so this isn't necessarily significant. What will be a blow to the Abhisit-led government is if independent candidate Kaewsan Atibodhi does well.


That would demonstrate what I'm hearing from Thailand -- that most people are really fed up with the on-going power struggle between the PAD forces and the PPP. They just want their government to get on with running the country -- sounds like the situation here in the U.S. Some people are even calling Khun Kaewsan "the Thai Obama." He's won support from prominent figures like Seksan Prasertkul and Thirayuth Boonmee from Thammasat University, Chaiyan Chaiyaporn from Chulalongkorn University, and former Mahachon Party chief Anek Laothamatas. They'll all be speaking in support of Khun Kaewsan at a rally near the Grand Palace on Saturday. Interesting site choice, considering that the royals are rumored to be supportive of the Democracy alliance, and would therefore be rooting, quietly of course, for Sukhumbhand Paribatra. Sounds like he's feeling a little nervous -- he felt it necessary this week to tell people who he'll appoint to various government offices, in a bid to win more support. Among them are a former football star and......... his mother. More details at The Nation.