Thailand is the land of the free. You are free to get high on meth, smash your BMW into eight other cars in the centre of Bangkok, injure three people, get sent to hospital instead of jail (even though you are not injured yourself), and still get a new driving license three months later. Provided, of course, that you are rich, famous and have enormous breast implants.
Private Tye reported on the incident when this “Zombie” driver first came to the attention of the public beyond the social media. Now it appears she is going to get a new driving license. “Zombie” is one of those products of the plastic surgeons art who spend all their time shopping, getting high and wondering around Bangkok’s fashionable bars and clubs. However, she has 250,000 adoring followers on facebook. Looking at the endless selfies on her facebook page you see that not all of her followers are sex starved men, some are girls, presumably Zombie wannabes. Its seems she provides a valuable role model for Thailand’s youth. The report from Khaosod English (6 Feb): Millionaire Pretty’ Who Hit 8 Cars Cleared for New License BANGKOK — Police said Monday they’re not sure why an internet celeb accused of crashing into eight cars while under influence of meth two months ago was allowed to take a test to regain her license to drive. Despite facing a criminal trial for DUI stemming from the November incident, Kritrada “Zomy” Tabtimphol posted a photo of herself sitting for a written driving test on Saturday, which the officers in charge of her case said they were at a loss to explain. “I didn’t think she could do that,” Col. Arkom Chantanalat, chief of Huai Khwang police, said by telephone. “Maybe the Land Transport Department is unaware of information about her case?” Arkom later said he was informed by the department that barring a conviction or special court order, Kritrada was entitled to get a new license. Arkom said his force revoked Kritrada’s driving license after she crashed her BMW into eight cars on Nov. 1 and caused traffic mayhem on Ratchadapisek Road with her erratic behavior. Three people were injured. But Kritrada, who came to fame as a commercial model, or Pretty, posted a photo of her written exam for a new driving license on Saturday. While many comments were posted in support of Kritrada, others chastised her for taking the test while her criminal case is ongoing. Kritrada appeared to have either deleted the photo or made it private by Monday afternoon. She did not respond to a reporter’s messages requesting comment. Arkom, the police station chief, said police and the department don’t share a database of offenders barred from driving due to traffic-related criminal cases. “This is an issue about systems that need improving and linking with each other, and areit’s not updated,” Arkom said. The Nov. 1 crash caught widespread attention particularly because of the bizarre behavior Kritrada exhibited after exiting her vehicle. Not only did she shout there was a bomb in her car, she also prayed and danced when policemen tried to question her. She later fainted at the police station and was taken to a hospital by her family. Lab results sent to police later revealed she was under influence of methamphetamines at the time of the incident, police said. Kritrada was subsequently charged with DUI and other related offenses. She was freed on bail.
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US Govt Funded NGO finds that all the Free Countries in the World have Military pacts with the USA2/5/2017 Thailand (which means land of the free) is not free at all according to the report of Freedom House. In fact, along with Malaysia, Burma, Cambodia and Laos, it is worse than the Philippines (which is Partly Free, despite the fact that the President openly sanctions extra-judicial killings). Freedom House is not technically part of the US government; but as it is funded by them, nobody would seriously expect their results to be significantly different from what they would be if they were compiled by the state Department or Pentagon. Here are the defense pacts with USA, these match nicely with the Freedom House map of World Freedom: Philippines (mutual pact) Japan (mutual pact) South Korea (mutual pact) AZAC (USA, Australia, New Zealand) NATO (United States, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Greece, Turkey, Germany, Spain, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Albania and Croatia). True believers will say the USA only makes Military Pacts with Free countries. Skeptics will say that their interpretation of Freedom and their fact finding is skewed in favour of the Military Partners of the USA. The Anomaly is Turkey, which is only Partly Free, but a member of NATO. True believers will say this is because of political harassment of opposition members. Skeptics will say that it is because Turkey is moving away from NATO and may be considering alliances with Russia, Iran and China. The Freedom House understanding of “Freedom” is complicated and eclectic. It involves measures for “Political Pluralism and Participation” and “Associational and Organizational Rights”. By contrast the Dictionary Definition is quite straight forward. Wiktionary (the free dictionary) gives us: 1. The state of being free, of not being imprisoned or enslaved. 2. The lack of a specific constraint, or of constraints in general; a state of being free, unconstrained. So, lets look at a map based on the primary dictionary definition. We find that the USA is the least free country in the World; it has both the highest number of prisoners and the highest per capita number of prisoners. This does not help with Thailand much, it also has a high prison population. Despite all this, Freedom House seems to be take seriously, see Prachatai English (3 Feb): Freedom House: Thailand remains “Not Free” country three years in a row Once again, Thailand has been ranked by Freedom House as 'Not Free' due to chronic human rights violations, suppressed freedom of expression and a military-sponsored draft constitution. On 2 February 2017, Freedom House published its annual report titled Freedom in the World 2017: Populists and Autocrats: The Dual Threat to Global Democracy, a review of the freedom situation worldwide. According to the report, 2016 marked the 11th consecutive year of decline in global freedom since it has been threatened by populist and nationalist policies in many countries. Meanwhile, as China and Russia continue to exert a significant influence on their neighboring region, authoritarian ideas appear to be constantly reinforced. The report states that the reason why Thailand remains in the category of ‘Not free’ country is mainly because of the alleged human rights violations and a culture of impunity. It also points out that the ruling junta is responsible for this poor ranking since it rejects any form of criticism against itself and would prosecute anyone who commit such an action. “Thailand’s military junta, which seized power in a 2014 coup, maintained its grip on power by prosecuting even the slightest criticism under an array of restrictive laws. In this constrained atmosphere, voters approved a draft constitution that guaranteed the military outsized influence over civilian politics even after general elections scheduled for 2017,” read the report. This year, Thailand scored six out of seven in the political rights index (one depicts the most free and seven represents the least free) and five out of seven on civil liberties index. Thailand has historically been classified as a “Partly Free” country by the Freedom House. However, as soon as a junta seize the power, Thailand is classified as a ‘Not Free’ country. In 2007, Thailand was also ranked in the ‘Not Free’ category following the 2006 coup d’état. The Bangkok police chief enjoys playing Pokeman Go on his new phone. The phone is so big that it will be able to display the Police Lt. General’s bank balance.
The cop was discovered to be short sighted when it was rumored that he was obtaining an 50,000 Baht per month salary from Thailand’s biggest beer company, in addition to his police salary. The rumor caused outrage in Thailand’s press and social media. However, as nothing seems to being done about this, some opticians are saying that he is not short-sighted at all. They say that his vision is perfectly normal for a senior Government official. The problem is with mobile phones, which when used to do Internet Banking, simply do not have enough screen space to display all the digits necessary to represent the General’s balance. The story from Khoasod English (3 Feb): BANGKOK — Both the chief of Bangkok police and the nation’s largest beverage company failed to respond to a state watchdog’s demand they clarify their financial relationship. Sanit Mahatavorn and ThaiBev were given a week to explain whether Sanit was still a paid adviser to the company, which produces alcohol under the Chang and SangSom brands. The deadline expired Thursday. The secretary-general of the state ombudsman’s office, Raksagecha Chaechai, said Thursday that his organization would have to discuss its response, saying it could choose to renew its request to both parties. “If it’s necessary for them to gather documents, they could ask to extend the deadline,” he said Thursday. “But if they neglected to respond, they might not know that’s a criminal offense”. Failing to comply with the ombudsman is a crime punishable by up to six months in jail and a 10,000 baht fine, Raksagecha said. The request was made public on Jan. 25, but the seven day timer didn’t start until Jan. 26 when Sanit and ThaiBev received notification, Raksagecha said. The request came after it was disclosed that Sanit, who was appointed chief of the metropolitan police in October, had been receiving 50,000 baht every month from ThaiBev since 2015. ThaiBev, one of the nation’s two major brewers, said he was employed as a consultant. His total annual remuneration is 1,425,600 baht per month, according to financial disclosures filed with the National Anti-Corruption Commission, or NACC. Members of the public were incensed at the apparent conflict of interest, but police representatives have steadfastly denied there is anything wrong with the arrangement. Despite daily appearances in front of the media at police new conferences or crime “re-enactments,” Sanit has refused to discuss the issue. He could not be reached via his mobile number on Thursday and Friday. A staff member at the Metropolitan Police Bureau said he was out of the office Friday. As for ThaiBev, a spokeswoman who identified herself only as Fon said Friday they had no information. “The PR team doesn’t have any information on the issue,” she said. “Poo yai have been discussing it.” The ombudsman’s office also asked the NACC to respond whether Sanit had disclosed his ThaiBev allowance to them. Raksagecha said it also has yet to respond. According to Britain’s Independent Newspaper, “Barack Obama passed on his mantle to Angela Merkel, not his successor Donald Trump”. They continue: “When Barack Obama revealed that his last phone call as President was to Angela Merkel … He was handing over his baton. The German Chancellor isn’t just the leader of Europe, she is now the de-facto leader of the free world.”
However, as Trump is tearing up everything Obama did, the mantle/baton will not be very big. With Merkel holding Obama’s baton, the question on everybody’s mind here in Thailand is: “Will she continue the Asian Pivot?” The full story from the Independent (1 Feb): Angela Merkel is now the leader of the free world, not Donald Trump The US President isn’t motivated by protecting liberal democracy or freedom, his sole ideology is Trumpism: corporate autocracy with a populist facade. And he surrounds himself with white nationalists even more hostile to liberal democracy than he is. When Barack Obama revealed that his last phone call as President was to Angela Merkel, reaffirming their alliance and friendship of the last eight years, he wasn’t just saying goodbye. He was handing over his baton. The German Chancellor isn’t just the leader of Europe, she is now the de-facto leader of the free world. The thrice-elected, soft-spoken former scientist from East Germany, armed with a doctorate in quantum chemistry, doesn’t just carry the weight of Germany and Europe on her shoulders, but that of defending freedom and liberalism across the world. This is not an attempt to be provocative or exaggerate for effect. Donald Trump cannot claim the mantle of “leading” the free world by default. America’s military might is not the only criteria necessary. The title also requires the President to be committed to the values of liberal democracy. But unlike his predecessors since the Second World War, it is already clear that Trump has no such inclinations. He is heading, at terrifying speed, in the opposite direction. Do I even have to make the case for this? Since his inauguration Trump has undermined and ignored judges, even though an independent judiciary and a separation of powers is key to a democracy. But the ban on immigrants highlighted something far more draconian. If a President can abruptly restrict the rights of US residents without bothering with lawmakers or even government departments, he is in effect an autocrat. That is exactly what Trump did and will continue to do so. His actions don’t just undermine the rights of all Americans, they undermine the institutions that support American democracy. Then there is Trump’s assault on international trade and cooperation. He is already threatening Mexico, China and now the EU. Who will be next? We can debate whether globalisation benefits people equally, but only a fool would deny that international trade is a global good. And it can only work if done on an equal, rules-based footing. But Trump doesn’t care for those, he is ripping up international agreements so he can bully smaller countries into submission. That sets a dangerous precedent for the entire world. And lastly there is the Trump administration’s hostility towards the media. Regardless of its bias, a thriving democracy needs a media willing to challenge the government. Trump isn’t just hostile to criticism, in his warped world it must be driven by lies and vindictiveness. He is wracked by deep insecurity. When his chief aide Steve Bannon says the media should “keep its mouth shut” – they mean it. They don’t want a free media criticising them at all. These are words that dictators use, not democrats. The US President isn’t motivated by protecting liberal democracy or freedom, his sole ideology is Trumpism: corporate autocracy with a populist facade. And he surrounds himself with white nationalists even more hostile to liberal democracy than he is. Having grown up in communist East Germany before re-unification, Angela Merkel is the polar opposite. She doesn’t just recognise the sounds of autocracy, she chose to escape it. This is why she has stood up to Trump’s bullying and bigotry, saying on Monday that the “necessary battle against terrorism” did not justify putting “groups of certain people under general suspicion”. The British government in sharp contrast has been slavish and spineless. It’s now abundantly clear that the free world needs a new leader. With respect to Justin Trudeau, Canada simply isn’t powerful enough. It has to be Angela Merkel. Her opponents know this, which is why the pro-Trump, pro-Putin, far-right forces are lining up against her. We know this. And she knows it. It’s time the most powerful woman in the world embraced her new role. The world needs her.
The story from the Bangkok Post (2 Feb):
CHON BURI - A Finnish couple on their first day in Pattaya fell victim to a street thief, who snatched two gold necklaces worth about 50,000 baht from the wife's neck early on Thursday afternoon. They were robbed on Soi Wat Bunkanchanaram in Bang Lamung district about 1.30pm, police said. Raimo Kalevi, 53, and her husband Eilo Mario, 51, still looked shocked when police arrived at the scene. Mrs Kaveli, who sustained bruises on her neck, said she and her husband had arrived in Pattaya on Thursday morning. After checking in at their accommodation they went out shopping in the area nearby. They were in the middle of the road, crossing back to their room, when a Thai man on a motorcycle suddenly snatched her two gold necklaces and fled away. The stolen necklaces were worth about 50,000 baht. A witness, Natpairat Pengpinit, told police he heard the tourists shouting for help, rushed out to look and saw the thief fleeing on the bike. The theft was filmed by a surveillance camera at his accommodation, Mr Natpairat said. There were several hotels and rented rooms in the area, and many tourists stayed there, he said. Theft from tourists was not uncommon, despite the closed-circuit television cameras installed in the area to deter crime, said Mr Natpairat. Only a few days ago, Pattaya police were ordered to step up vigilance after several tourists visiting the beach city fell prey to them. The Shogun’s instruction to end a decades old tradition has prompted outrage from Thailand’s manufacturers of sanitary ware. A representative of the Siam Squatter Company told Private Tye that toilets made in Thailand are made from the finest vitreous china and are perfectly hygienic. He continued that, if Prayuth’s instructions were put into effect, sales would plummet. The Thai Home-brewers Association complain that there is nothing wrong with a bit of urine in beer. They point out that back home in the UK, “Gilpin Family Whiskey” is made from urine. And, they say, everybody knows that the finest whiskey comes from the UK (Ed. Actually it comes from Scotland and Gilpin comes from England). James Gilpin, himself, was educated at the Royal College of Art and has taught at Chelsea College of Art. So, his work on the Whiskey brings a whole new meaning to the word “Piss-artist”. As previously reported by Private Tye, the Shogun believes that Thai people should be healthy even if it kills them. Thai New Year’s Day is not far off (Songkran, 13-15 April) and it is time to think about presents for people you love, people you admire and those people in government that have helped you out with your business. So what to buy? Private Tye thinks a bottle of Gilpin Family Whiskey would be ideal. Order now at http://jamesgilpin.com/ while stocks last. The story from Khaosod (31 Jan): BANGKOK — Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha used his podium at Government House on Tuesday afternoon to slam craft beer, saying rules forbidding making beer at home ensure hygiene and safety. Long-brewing sentiments frothed into public consciousness last week when a man was arrested for making and selling from his Nonthaburi home, leading the junta chief to pour cold water on calls for more freedom in the market. “There used to be a lot of moonshine going around. Could they control the quality, the hygiene, or the strength of it? Big breweries can but can small brewers?” Prayuth said. That’s why the law only allows alcohol produced in factories by well-capitalized breweries, he said. “You can’t just brew it in the back of a shop, in the back of your house, or in your toilet,” Prayuth said. “There have to be rules and regulations.” Nonetheless, he said that he was not taking a side on the issue. According to the 1950 Liquor Act, booze can only be made in a proper factory or brewpub. A 2000 Finance Ministry regulation said brewers must produce over 100,000 liters per year and be a limited company with at least 10 million baht in capital to gain legal status. Thai Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth’s “Workout Wednesday”, which is mandatory for all Government Employees, has claimed its first victim. Twenty minutes into a soccer game the director of one of Bangkok’s central district fainted, and died a few hours later. Private Tye had previously warned about the dangers of strenuous physical exercise in Bangkok’s highly polluted air. Historically right-wing government’s have been keen on “Strength through Joy” (Kraft durch Freude) physical fitness programs. It seems that the current one in Thailand is no exception. The story from Khaosod:
BANGKOK — The director of one of Bangkok’s central districts died Thursday morning after fainting during a soccer game he organized for the military regime’s Workout Wednesdays fitness policy. Phra Nakhon Director Pramern Grairot fainted 20 minutes into a soccer game with other district officials at 2pm on Wednesday. He was taken to Vajira Hospital and died Thursday morning. He was 57. “Pramern was a civil servant who did his duties to the fullest. Even with his important rank he worked till late without tiring,” Deputy Bangkok Gov. Jakkapan Piwngarm said this morning at City Hall. “Losing him is a great loss to city government, and we will never forget him.” Civil servants in Pramern’s office said ever since Gen. Prayuth’s mandate for government workers to workout on Wednesdays started in November, Pramern had led them in exercises and sports such as soccer, badminton and aerobics without any apparent sign of illness. Prayuth initiated the policy to improve the health and vitality of the bureaucracy. Critics have said it limits citizens’ access to services on hump day. After Pramern was hospitalized, government spokesman Sansern Keawkamnerd said Gen. Prayuth had expressed his concern with a vase of flowers. Bangkok Gov. Aswin Kwanmuang said this morning at Vajira Hospital that civil servants should get an annual health check, and that medical staff would advise on the best workout methods for Workout Wednesdays. “Everyone should know their own health and the limits of how much they can exercise,” Aswin said. “Gen. Prayuth’s mandate of exercising to strengthen bodies doesn’t determine how much exercise should be done, because everyone should look at their own capabilities.” Pramern was set to retire in 2020. Before working in Phra Nakhon district administration, he was a tourism developer in the Culture, Sport and Tourism Department of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. His fellow bureaucrats said Pramern was known for going out into the field and conversing with market hawkers for the purpose of relocating them. NGO finds that the least corrupt countries in the world are those that provide them with funding1/28/2017 Is this a map Transparency International’s Index of world corruption or is it a map of Governments contributing funds to this NGO? There is very little difference between the two.
Government bodies that contribute funds to Transparency International are from: USA (score 74 out of 100) UK (score 81) Australia (score 79) New Zealand (score 90) Germany (81) Ireland (73) Estonia (70) Finland (89) The Netherlands (83) Norway (85) Denmark (90) Sweden (88) Switzerland (86) Bhutan (65) apart from Singapore the only good score in the whole of continental Asia. The anomaly is Malaysia which contributed but got a score of only 49. They should ask for their money back. Iceland, Chile, Uruguay, Botswana, UAE, Singapore and Japan are the only countries that got a good score without, appearing to be, coughing up a penny. Source: Transparency International Website: http://www.transparency.org/whoweare/accountability/who_supports_us/2/ Transparency International is a Non Government Organisation. It is not an official organisation, it is not part of the UN or any University. Anybody can start an NGO, all you need is a bank account and a web page. The main claim to fame of Transparency International is their Corruption Perceptions Index which comes with a lovely down-loadable graphic of the world. The latest map has spread through the web, on to newspapers and into television news. Lots of people are discussing the relative rankings of countries but nobody seems to ask where the data comes from or how it is compiled. The exception is Thailand, where the data has been disputed. According to Wikipedia Transparency International is not as squeaky clean or as Transparent as it pretends to be: Non-support of Edward Snowden At its annual meeting in November 2013 in Berlin, Transparency International's national chapters from Germany and Ireland proposed a resolution calling for the "end of the prosecution of Edward J. Snowden... He should be recognized as a whistleblower for his help to reveal the over-reaching and unlawful surveillance by secret services... He symbolizes the courage of numerous other whistleblowers around the world." The final resolution that was passed by the plenary excluded any reference to Snowden, and excluded a call for “comprehensive protection on whistleblowers from all forms of retaliation.” The original resolution presented by the German and Irish chapters was weakened following the intervention of Transparency International's American chapter, TI-USA. “The whistleblower resolution was watered down by the US delegation,” a TI insider was quoted in an article published by the Huffington Post. “TI USA is very corporate oriented, very inside the Beltway oriented.” Five months earlier, in June 2013, representatives from Transparency International declined Snowden's request to meet with him at the Moscow airport. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch met with Snowden to support his asylum request, but Transparency International refused. Funding from Siemens In January 2015 it was reported that Transparency International (TI) accepted $3 million from the German engineering multinational Siemens, which in 2008 paid one of the largest corporate corruption fines in history – $1.6 billion – for bribing government officials in numerous countries. Transparency International applied for and received the money from Siemens, even though TI's due diligence procedures prohibit the organization from accepting money from corporations that want to "greenwash" their reputations by making donations to TI. "If any corporate donor is accused of having been involved in corruption, the donor can expect no protection from TI," the procedures state. Transparency International received the money from the Siemens Integrity Initiative about a year after the Initiative hired former TI staffer Jana Mittermaier, raising questions of a "revolving door" that has benefited both the organization and the company. Several of TI's national chapters also have accepted money from Siemens: $660,000 for TI USA, $600,000 for TI Italy, $450,000 for TI Bulgaria, and $230,000 for TI Mexico – each for a period of three years. "This really shows that Transparency International is not as pure as people think," a TI insider told Corporate Crime Reporter. Transparency International Managing Director Cobus de Swardt said, “We did not file an application to Siemens, we applied to the Siemens Integrity Initiative. There’s a difference. We have not applied to Siemens.” However, according to Siemens, the money for these grants is "provided by Siemens.” Internal scandals In April 2015 TI defended the decision by its American chapter, TI-USA, to give Hillary Clinton its Integrity Award in 2012. TI's statement followed a report by National Public Radio that Bill and Chelsea Clinton were not factual regarding the transparency of the Clinton Foundation. Due to a "lack of confidence," TI's chapter in Croatia was disaccredited by the organization's Board of Directors in November 2015. The previous year, several leaders of the Croatia chapter challenged the legality of the chapter president's election. The president was accused of falsifying records, conflicts of interest, and arbitrarily expelling 10 chapter members who opposed the hiring of staff against the organization's rules. The Croatian government eventually revoked the president's appointment. In January 2016 a dispute arose regarding TI's chapter in New Zealand. The Governance Director in TI's Berlin headquarters sought to block an ethics complaint filed against the chapter's Board Chair by preventing the complaint from being heard by the Berlin office. The Governance Director also submitted an affidavit challenging a New Zealand court's jurisdiction to hear the case. In August 2015 former TI staffer Anna Buzzoni went public regarding retaliation she and her colleagues faced after reporting to managers questionable financial dealings at TI's Water Integrity Network. Two of Buzzoni's project responsibilities were suspended and she was transferred against her will. She left TI shortly before internal whistleblower guidelines were adopted in June 2014. Thai Anti-Corruption Chief claims that Transparency International index of corruption is corrupt.1/28/2017 He complains that index is corrupted by “Varieties of Democracy” data from Gothenberg University. Is the index a measure of Democracy or Corruption? he asks.
Commissioner Sansern has a point. Democracy and corruption are quite different things and if the people at Transparency International and Gothenberg do not know this, they are either incredibly stupid or they are trying to conflate the notions of corruption and democracy. If the latter, it would seem that they are being less than honest, indeed a bit corrupt. Transparency International has produced an nice map of the world which has spread through the Internet and News Media. Most people seem to think that this shows how corrupt each nation is, based on hard data. It isn’t. Its called “Corruption Perceptions Index 2016”. In other words its a measure of the “perception” of corruption not corruption itself. It is impossible to measure corruption itself because, if it is successful, nobody knows about it. Suppose you tried to use hard data, such as the number of convictions for bribery. In highly corrupt States you will find that everybody is on the take, the politicians, the judges, the police and the Corporations. Therefore, you will find few convictions for bribery in these States. Bribery convictions are only significant in states that are half honest, such as South Korea. So, what to do if your Nation State ranked badly on the Index? Obviously there is no point in reforming the police or the legal system because the index measures “perceptions” not actual corruption. So, what you need to do is change people’s perception, in other words, hire a good public relations firm. Alternatively, you could send funds to Transparency International because almost all the Governments that supply them with funds get a good ranking on the index. The Story from Khaosod (27 Jan): BANGKOK — The government’s top corruption fighter Friday rejected Thailand’s fall to 101st place in a world ranking of corruption by a German anti-corruption nonprofit. The head of the National Anti-Corruption Commission said Thailand’s sharp drop to 101 from 76 in Transparency International’s annual ranking of perceived levels of corruption was “unfair” because it factored in the nation’s departure from democracy. “I want to ask them their reason for including this information about ‘Varieties of Democracy’ for the 2016 ranking. Is it fair to Thailand or not?” said Sansern Poljiak, commission secretary-general. “If they didn’t factor in this information, we wouldn’t have fallen so far.” For its analysis, the Berlin-based NGO factored in data from political science research at the University of Gothenburg and Kellogg Institute at the University of Notre Dame. The Varieties of Democracy project measured different aspects of democracies for a more complete picture of corruption, according to a University of Gothenburg paper. The additional measures were included in a year the organization said it was concerned about the “connection between corruption and inequality” and rise of populism. Transparency International brought in Varieties of Democracy as a data source in addition to their other sources such as World Economic Forum and World Justice Project. Sansern said that data’s inclusion was “unanticipated.” Released Wednesday, the report found corruption on the rise throughout the world, particularly in Southeast Asia, where Cambodia and Thailand are named among declines in the Asia-Pacific region. The report calls out Thailand for “(g)overnment repression, lack of independent oversight, and the deterioration of rights.” Thailand fell 25 places to rank 101 out of 176, tying the nation with Gabon, Niger, Peru, the Philippines, Timor-Leste, Trinidad and Tobago. Transparency International is a Berlin-based nonprofit founded in 1993 to combat corruption worldwide through research and reports such as the Corruption Perceptions Index. Bangkok was brought to a virtual standstill when enormous numbers of Thai women came out in protest against Trump. Thai police stayed well away because many of the women had beards and the rest appeared to be very tall and white making the mob a truly terrifying sight. Ninety people, out of Bangkok’s 8 million, joined the event. The demonstration started at Roadhouse BBQ which provides Hot Baths for ten cents and screenings of football matches. When the news reached the White House, the effect was devastating. A White House spokesperson said that he doubted that they could carry on after this. It was reported that Trump was in a deep depression and contemplating his resignation. However, worse news was soon to follow. In the provincial capital of Chiang Mai, 35 women protested Trump’s inauguration by having a picnic in the park. The events prompted huge coverage in the Thai press. The story from Khaosod (23 Jan):
Chiang Mai and Bangkok Show Solidarity With Women’s March BANGKOK — Activists in Thailand who joined global protests against U.S. President Donald Trump over the weekend said Monday they hope more such events follow in the future. Since the junta’s ban on political protests means street demonstrations like the ones in Washington D.C. and other major cities across the world were not possible, activists in Chiang Mai held a picnic in a park Saturday where they advocated for the advancement of women around the world and in solidarity with American women threatened by a new administration. “We also hope this gathering could be a starting point for more of this kind in the future,” organizer Molly Ferra said in a message. “That will allow us to engage across interests and identities, better inform ourselves, and create collective action points for constructive and meaningful forms of resistance.” About 35 people including men, women and children, showed up for the picnic, Ferra said. She said the event was set up by a team of women from different countries including the United States, Thailand, Myanmar, Fiji and India. Another Women’s March event at a restaurant in Bangkok drew dozens of participants. Nima Chandler, an American citizen, said she and her friends decided to set up the event to show support for those marching in the United States and other countries after seeing no plans to do so in Bangkok. “We were very surprised and pleased with the turnout, as we only had it on Facebook for a few days,” she said in a message. About 90 people joined the event, she said, including expats and tourists. The events coincided with Women’s March demonstrations in cities around the world, in which millions took to the streets in support of women’s rights in response to the election of Trump, who took the oath of office on Friday. Trump, who once boasted of sexually assaulting a woman and was accused by a dozen of similar conduct, has remarked that women should be punished for having abortions and other comments worrying to advocates of reproductive rights. There are also reports that his administration may move to defund Planned Parenthood and bar foreign aid from assisting abortions or family planning. Another picnic organizer, Emily Hong, said she and fellow activists were demoralized by Trump’s electoral victory. Saturday’s event, she said, served a rallying point for opposition. “Many of us have been in denial and despair since the election of Donald Trump,” Hong, a U.S. national, said in a message. “But participating in the global women’s march, in our own way, felt like an important step to begin resisting Trump’s agenda, and the combination of patriarchy and authoritarianism that he represents.” The military government formally congratulated Trump on his inauguration on Sunday. Junta chairman Prayuth Chan-ocha sent a message to the American president expressing his wish to work with Trump for closer bilateral relations and the “prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region,” according to a government spokesman. |
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