Thailand to Deport Hmong Back to Laos

This is disgraceful and shocking and so unBuddhalike that words fail me. The Thai government has announced that 5000 ethnic Lao Hmong refugees in the country will immediately be herded up and put and buses and sent across the "Friendship" Bridge back to Laos and possible imprisonment and execution by the communist monsters who rule Southeast Asia's most isolated and only landlocked country.

Got that? The Thai government howls in righteous indignation when Cambodia decides to sent 20 Uiguars (WEE gurs) back to China in exchange for a loan of US$1B. Then they turn around and almost immediately announce the deportation of Hmong refugees back to Laos. Did the Thai government get money for this betrayal?

Who cares if these people are either political or economic refugees?

And quit trying to blame the United Nations and United States for this scandalous situation. The U.S. has taken in tens of thousands of Hmong refugees, both political and economic.

Thailand under the political rule of the so-called "Democratic Party" is shameful and should immediately stop this horrible extradition.

Bangkok Post reports neutrally on this horrible situation.

In the face of international condemnation, the government will start an operation to clear a refugee camp in Phetchabun and repatriate more than 4,000 ethnic Hmong to Laos this evening.

More than 100 buses and trucks will be used to deport the ethnic Hmong to Laos, said a security source involved in the operation.

The government will press ahead with the forced deportation, despite opposition from the United States, the United Nations and human rights groups. The government has insisted the repatriation plan will be carried out humanely. Security authorities said the deportation of the ethnic Hmong is going according to plan and the people held at the Huay Nam Khao camp in Khao Kho district of Phetchabun will be moved according to schedule.

"More than 100 trucks and buses will take the Hmong from the camp to Laos on Monday morning. The first moves to clear the camp will occur on Sunday evening," a source said. Hundreds of security officers wearing bullet-proof vests have been assigned to secure the camp since yesterday. Mobile phone signals have been jammed to prevent the Hmong from contacting outsiders.

Third Army chief Thanongsak Apirakyothin yesterday visited the camp to inspect preparations to deport the Hmong. He said he was satisfied with the preparations. The Hmong will be taken to Nong Khai and be driven across the Friendship Bridge into Laos.

Democrat Party spokesman Buranaj Smutharaks said the government's decision to repatriate the Hmong was based on human rights principles and international cooperation agreements and added that the government did not intend to prevent the Hmong from travelling to other countries. "If any third-party countries agreed to receive these migrants, we would have no need to do this," he said.

Villagers at Huay Nam Khao were pleased that the camp would be closed. They said the existence of the camp has slowed development in the village and made it difficult to make a living.

The US has asked the government to delay the deportation, but has refused to agree to a large-scale resettlement for the Hmong. A spokesperson from the US embassy in Bangkok said the US had expressed its concern about the forced deportation, as it would involve the involuntary return of people whom both the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the Thai government have identified as having concerns for their protection.

"We have encouraged the government to delay plans to proceed with a large-scale repatriation," the spokesperson said. "We have also urged the government to provide greater transparency in its screening process and emphasised that those with protection concerns should not be forced back to their homeland. "The US has no plans for any large-scale resettlement of the Lao Hmong. However, we will consider referrals made on an individual basis by international organisations like the UNHCR," she said.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva earlier said Thailand's plan to deport the Hmong to Laos will not violate human rights issues. The repatriation would conform to international standards and Thailand would adhere to human rights rules. Thailand had worked closely with the Lao government on the deportation and Vientiane said it would let other countries visit the Hmong upon their return to Laos, he said.

The ethnic minority Hmong in Phetchabun are seeking political asylum, claiming they face persecution from the regime in Laos because they fought alongside US forces during the Vietnam War. But Thailand and Laos have insisted they are economic migrants.

Report on Phuket Prison

Phuket Wan received a rather shocking letter from a farang recently held at the prison in Phuket. Gads! Sounds like a place you definately don't want to visit.

Simon Burrowes, a British citizen who was forced to spend time in the jail earlier this year for swearing at an Immigration officer as he tried to leave the country, recently wrote to Phuketwan in response to a favorable report about the jail.

He described it like this:

''I was in Phuket Provincial for three weeks. My bed space was 55x60cm next to a man unwashed in two years. At least two prisoners have unsightly sores that people avoid them for in spite of intimidatingly administered assembly rules. The guards empathise. One I was told 'cuts onions'.

''At least half of my 126 man cell wear bandanas all night because the open toilets are in the cell. Masturbation and unallowed smoking take place there, generally accepted. The katoeys [lady boy transsexuals] use a bucket in theirs that they empty daily. In the open sewage moats there is, granted seldom, human faeces.

''The birds and the flies in abundance gorge your generally nutritionless food before you get to it. I had an embarrassing but scary sore within days of being there. The 'doctor', speculatively unqualified, gawped at it with his lazing around mates in the waiting room as opposed to the surgery. He winced and walked away from me.

''A lackey of his told me 45 minutes later that it was doubtful that he'd tend to me. Doubtless the media saw prisoners in uniforms as they wore on the 'Big Trouble in Tourist Thailand' doco. The ones we had to wear when visitors came or we went to court or any time the outside world could see us.

'' I was even sent back to shave on my first visit, that was officially 10 minutes but routinely cut short with impunity. Myself and another farang [westerner] complained that farang always got a humiliating deal, even to a mound of facaes in uniform shorts to wear on visits. We were ridiculed by the top officer.

''When dignitaries visited, we were locked, squashed up indoors while a select few in uniform walked around pretending all was well and earned brownie points.

''As an officer told me, any of our vetted post will be stopped if anything negative about the prison is written to the outside.''

Mr Burrowes sent Phuketwan his commentary from Britain. What he wrote clearly has no bearing on the guilt or innocence of the inmates, some of whom are awaiting court hearings, only on the conditions at the jail.

Send Darunee (Da Torpedo) a Royal Postcard

I thought this was very cool. Darunee (Da Torpedo) is a female political activist convicted of lese majeste and now serving a lenghty sentence in prison. Well, you can now send her a royal postcard with a message of 140 characters. Guess Twitter influence is growing. Go ahead give it a try, as noted on Freedom Against Censorship in Thailand.

The royal link is Here. Go to the bottom left of the page, pick a heart image, then post a short message of love and support. Here's the message from FACT:

Princess Bajrakitiyabha, daughter of the crown prince, is director of the Kamlangjai (Inspire) Foundation, a project to reach out to Thailand’s women prisoners, helping their return to society, medical and childcare during their incarceration.

The princess in her role as a Thai public prosecutor is regularly confronted by the reality of women prisoners.

Princess Bajrakitiyabha received an award of recognition from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime for her Enhancing Lives of Female Inmates (ELFI) Project. ELFI proposes new rules on prison reform and the humane the treatment of women prisoners as well as non-custodial measures for women offenders. The ELFI proposals are intended to supplement the 1955 Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (of which UNODC is the custodian).

The princess was also a participant in writing the UN’s Kyiv Declaration on Women’s Health in Prison.

The Asian Human Rights Commission has recently asked Princess Bajrakitiyabha, to review the harsh treatment of lèse majesté prisoner Darunee Charnchoensilpakul in gaol. Princess Bajrakitiyabha helps women prisoners to receive proper medical care; it only follows that the princess must seek full medical treatment for Darunee’s jaw cancer simply out of human decency and metta.

On Kamlangjai’s main page on left bottom is a box for “Kamlangjai e-cards” in which one can send messages to women prisoners. Choose a picture and then enter text.

We know Da would enjoy receiving a card from you via the princess!

Thai: http://www.kamlangjai.or.th/eng/index.php

English: http://www.kamlangjai.or.th/eng/index.php

Death Penalty Returns to Thailand

A letter today in The Nation sums up my feelings:

Why is Thailand executing death-row felons again?

I was saddened to read that Thailand's six-year moratorium on executions, or the death penalty, has finished. Recently two inmates were executed by lethal injection in Bang Kwang prison after being sentenced to death for smuggling drugs.

In your newspaper there was little attention on that event, only a short report.

The results of numerous studies have shown already that imposing the death penalty is not effective in preventing more crime. Trouble is the justice system cannot guarantee that innocent people will not be found guilty, and the death penalty is an irreversible act. Due to the use of DNA tests, US authorities later found that about a third of prisoners on death row were innocent.

Moreover, people who are financial vulnerable, who cannot afford teams of expensive lawyers, and who have no (political) connections often end up on death row.

The only reason why people favour the death penalty is for revenge, instead of responding with compassion or hope for rehabilitation.

The UN General Assembly urged a moratorium on state executions six years ago and I was happy to see Thailand followed that call up until now.

What was the reason that Thailand decided to execute offenders on death row again? To try out lethal injections as a new "more humane" method of finishing people off? Or is it a new "achievements" for the Abhisit administration? I wondered why there was so little attention in Thailand to these executions. Al Jazeera aired a reaction from Amnesty International, but I saw no reports on the BBC, CNN, or Thai channels.

Maybe the reason is that we, in Thailand, are so accustomed to people not being punished for extrajudicial killings and mass murder by security forces (mainly in the South and during Thaksin's 'War on drugs') that we don't care if two more people are "legally" murdered by the State. But there are still more than 800 prisoners on death row!

I did not read any reaction of the (powerless) Human Rights Commission of Thailand, freshly installed by Abhisit.

I hope this event will start a new |discussion about abolishing the death penalty in Thailand and that the country will follow the example of EU nations and many others who abolished the death penalty, except of course the United States and China and some less developed |countries

Richard Barrow at Thai-Blogs also opposes the death penalty.

Two drug traffickers on death row at Bang Kwang Prison were executed by lethal injections this evening in Thailand. They were Bundit Charoenwanich, 45, and Jirawat Phumpruek, 52. Both were arrested on March 29, 2001 for having 114,219 methamphetamine tablets in their possession. Convicted of drug trafficking, they were given the capital punishment. Although the death sentence is often commuted to life imprisonment, the Director of the Department of Corrections received a directive from the Prime Ministers office for this sentence to be carried out.

According to Thai newspapers, the execution happened this evening at 5.30 p.m. at Bang Kwang Prison. No-one knew it was going to happen as it was kept a secret from everyone. Lockdown was at 3 p.m. as normal. Then the two prisoners were taken out of their cells on Death Row to be prepared for the execution. This preparation took one hour. They were allowed one call to relatives but they were only given one minute to talk. One of the prisoners rang his home but there was no answer. His mother had just been to visit him that afternoon and probably hadn't reached home. The prisoner then asked for a favour to call her mobile phone which was granted. Finally he was able to get through to her to let her know that he was about to be executed. The other prisoner spoke briefly to his wife and young son.

The prisoners were also instructed to write a will. The records of the prisoners were brought to the prison from the police station. Their fingerprints were then checked to make sure they had the right prisoner. The execution order from the Prime Minister's office was then read out to them. They were then given flowers and incense sticks and given an opportunity to say a prayer. They faced towards Wat Bang Praek which is next door and where the cremation will take place. There is a small death door in the wall here. Before the execution, they were offered a last meal. This was a curry and fried asparagus. They were also given an apple and a packet of cigarettes. Obviously they weren't very hungry. They were then led into the execution chamber where they were given a final blessing and sermon by a monk.

The governor of Nonthaburi and other government officials attended the execution together with reporters. The relatives weren't present but they will go the prison in the morning to take part in religious rites for the prisoners. The last execution by machine gun was carried out on 11th December 2002. This was then changed to lethal injection. The first and last time this was carried out was 12th December 2003 when four prisoners were executed. This is now the second occasion that lethal injection was used. According to the Department of Corrections, a prisoner is injected with three kinds of drugs consisting of sodium thiopental, pancuronium bromide and potassium chloride. The first drug is a barbiturate which makes the prisoner unconscious. The second one is a muscle relaxant which can paralyze the entire muscle and stop breathing. The last one stops the heart and causes cardiac arrest.

This is a sad day for Thailand. I am sorry but I don't believe in the death penalty and I certainly don't believe in the lethal injection as the method.

For more information about Thai Prison Life, please visit our www.ThaiPrisonLife.com website.

The death penalty is barbaric, outdated, prone to abuse, doesn't deter crime, discriminates against the poor, and sometimes kills innocent victims. The order for the murder of these two drug dealers came from the office of the Prime Minister. The blood is on his hands.

Da Torpedo Gets 18 Years on Lese Majeste

What happened to freedom of speech in Thailand? It's gone. An extremely harsh sentence has been given to a Thakin supporter, who publically railed against the military overthrow of a legitimate government, then attacked the monarchy for their support of the coup. The French revolution and Nepal uprising against the royal family was invoked, which many Thais didn't like, but it's not like she threatened anybody. It's yet another case of Lese Majeste cases gone wild, as political parties use this legalese to pin their opponents and put them in prison. Sad. Disgraceful. Free Da Torpedo!

The New York Times reports.

A political activist was sentenced to 18 years in prison Friday for damaging the “reputation and honor” of the king and queen of Thailand, the latest in a string of convictions for insulting the country’s monarchy.

Daranee Charnchoengsilpakul, a former journalist, was sentenced to six years on each of three counts of insulting King Bhumibol Adulyadej during a political speech last year. She has been detained without bail since her arrest in July 2008, and her trial was closed to the public on national security grounds.

“It is what I expected to happen,” Ms. Daranee said. “I will appeal.”

Thailand has long maintained some of the world’s most strict laws against lèse-majesté, but only in recent years have they been put to use with such regularity.

The rise in cases may be related to anxiety about the 81-year-old king’s health and the future of the monarchy as well as the continuing political turmoil in the country.

Supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, known as “red shirts,” delivered a provocative petition to King Bhumibol’s aides on Aug. 17 requesting a pardon for Mr. Thaksin. They are planning a follow-up rally on Sunday. Mr. Thaksin was ousted in a military coup in 2006.

Ms. Daranee, who is described by the Thai media as being a member of the red shirts, was protesting the 2006 coup when she made her speech.

The three-judge panel ruled that even though she did not mention the king or queen by name in the speech, she had insinuated that they supported the coup. One of the ways she made her point, the judges said, was to refer to yellow and blue, the traditional Thai birth colors of the king and queen.

Among those charged with lèse-majesté recently are a number of strong-willed activists in a country that has traditionally prized deference.

In February, Giles Ungpakorn, a respected academic at one of the country’s leading universities, fled to Britain after being charged with insulting the monarchy in a book.

The Thai media have highlighted the cases of Chotisak Onsoong, a 28-year-old political activist who was questioned by the police after he refused to stand up during the playing of the royal anthem at a movie theater. Mr. Chotisak’s friend, Jitra Kochadech, a union activist, was fired from her job after she was shown on television wearing a T-shirt that said, “Not standing is not a crime.”

In April, Suwicha Thakhor, a 34-year-old mechanical engineer working for an oil rig company, was jailed for 10 years after the police traced to his home computer Internet postings deemed insulting to the monarchy.

The Times in London reports.

A court in Bangkok sentenced a political activist to 18 years in prison yesterday for insulting the Thai Royal Family, the latest in a flurry of cases that analysts say are inhibiting freedom of speech and stifling political dissent.

Daranee Charnchoengsilpakul was convicted of three charges of lèse-majesté for remarks that she made in speeches last year criticising the 2006 coup that ousted Thaksin Shinawatra, who was then the Prime Minister.

Mr Thaksin, who was convicted in absentia last year of breaching conflict of interest laws and lives abroad to avoid a jail term, remains a polarising figure in Thai politics.

Mr Thaksin’s Red Shirt supporters plan to rally again in central Bangkok tomorrow to demand change. They are furious with the Government led by Abhisit Vejjajiva, the Prime Minister, which they deem illegitimate, and want Mr Thaksin to be reinstated.

Daranee, 46, was sentenced to three six-year prison terms to run consecutively for insulting the monarchy in speeches that she gave at Red Shirt rallies. Prommas Phoo-sang, the judge, closed the court to the public and the media last month, citing reasons of national security.

“It is what I expected to happen,” Daranee said after the verdict. “I will appeal.” The decision to fight the charges is unusual.

Human rights lawyers said that the charges are difficult to beat in a nation known for its intense loyalty to the Royal Family, and most defendants choose to plead guilty and beg the King for mercy.

Several people have been charged with or investigated over lèse-majesté in recent years. They include a man who refused to stand for the royal anthem in a cinema, the Australian author Harry Nicolaides, whose book sold seven copies, and the former BBC correspondent Jonathan Head, who presided over a public debate.

Police are investigating the entire board of the Thailand Foreign Correspondents’ Club for possible breaches of the laws.

Many Thai politicians appear to regard lèse-majesté laws as a tool to use against their opponents. Earlier this year Mr Abhisit said that his Government would discuss amending the laws but little progress has been made

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Malaysia ISA Protests with Photos Aug 2009

Another report on the recent protests against the repressive Internal Security Act (ISA) used to curtail human rights and crush political opposition. It's an old British legal tool, currently also in use in Singapore for the same reasons it's used in Malaysia.

Dozens of people, including a minor and a senior opposition politician, remained in custody Sunday after Malaysian police violently put down a mass street protest against a law that allows for indefinite detention without trial.

Opposition activists say the government's high-handed response underscores their concerns that Prime Minister Najib Razak will not fulfill his promises to protect civil liberties.

Police used tear gas and chemical-laced water Saturday to disperse an estimated 20,000 people in downtown Kuala Lumpur who were protesting the nation's Internal Security Act.

Almost 600 people were arrested in the protest, the country's biggest in nearly two years. Most of them were released, but 39 remained in custody late Sunday, said opposition lawyer Latheefa Koya.

Kuala Lumpur police Chief Muhammad Sabtu Osman said those held were being investigated for illegal assembly — an offense punishable by up to a year in prison and a fine.

He reportedly said protest organizers, including opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, would also be questioned. Police had declared the planned protest by opposition groups as illegal.

Koya said those still in police custody included a senior opposition politician and the 16-year-old son of a terror suspect detained without trial for eight years under the security law.

The politician and others are expected to be charged in court Monday, she said. Two other minors, aged 13 and 17, were released Sunday.

"It is clear that nothing has changed in this country," Anwar said in a posting on his blog Sunday. "Whenever there is a peaceful assembly, the police are used by the elite powers ... to prevent the people from expressing their views."

Government leaders have dismissed the protest as an attempt by the opposition to gain political mileage. Najib said the protest was "unnecessary and only caused hardship to the people" as the government had already pledged to review the controversial law.

But analysts said the police action was a step back for Najib, who has been battling efforts by opposition parties to portray him as a leader who disregards public opinion on issues such as human rights and freedom of expression. He has been struggling since taking office in April to revive his government's popularity amid public dissatisfaction over economic mismanagement and racial tensions.

Ramon Navaratnam, chairman for the independent Center for Public Policy Studies think tank, said the crackdown showed that the government had failed to learn the lessons from a poor showing in general elections last year when it lost its traditional two-thirds parliamentary majority.

"(Najib) has said the right things but it's not materializing sufficiently.... Is he serious about it — to be liberal and reformist?" Navaratnam said.

Ibrahim Suffian, director of independent research firm Merdeka Center, also said the opposition had managed to wrest back some of the spotlight.

"Najib is trying very hard to show that he is concerned about reform," he said adding that the crackdown will be a boost for the opposition's claims that Najib won't tolerate dissent.

Saturday's protest was the biggest since November 2007 when tens of thousands of ethnic Indians demonstrated against perceived discrimination of their minority community.

Human rights activists have held numerous smaller protests over the years against the Internal Security Act, claiming it has been used in the past to jail hundreds of government critics. They say at least 17 people are being held under the law, mainly for alleged links to militants and document forgery. Since taking office, Najib has released 26 detainees, including five leaders of the ethnic Indian protest.

Associated Press

Malaysia ISA Protest Crushed by Police

Once again, the Malaysian government proves its opposition to free speech and the rule of law. No matter who is prime minister, the government just can't handle public protest, whether for human rights or minority voice. Thomas Fuller at the New York Times reports.

Soon after coming to power four months ago, Najib Razak, the Malaysian prime minister, vowed to temper the country’s repressive laws and respect civil liberties though they have often been ignored.

But Malaysia’s honeymoon of liberalism hit the rocks over the weekend, when the police broke up a large rally in Kuala Lumpur, arresting nearly 600 people and reaffirming the governing party’s longstanding policy of zero tolerance toward street protests.

Opposition parties, which organized the rally, were calling for the repeal of a law that allows the government to jail its critics indefinitely without charge. The opposition is also pressing the government to expand an inquiry into the recent death under mysterious circumstances of a political aide after a late-night interrogation by anticorruption officials.

News services estimated that the rally on Saturday, which was broken up by thousands of police officers using tear gas and water cannons, drew about 20,000 protesters, making it the largest demonstration in two years.

“We can provide them stadiums where they can shout themselves hoarse till dawn, but don’t cause disturbance in the streets,” Mr. Najib said Sunday, according to the Malaysian news media.

Since taking office in April, Mr. Najib has gained favor with investors and businesspeople by partly dismantling a system of racial preferences that long caused resentment among the country’s minorities.

He also released 13 political detainees held without trial. An opinion poll conducted from June 19 to July 1 showed 65 percent of respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with his performance. The poll, by the Merdeka Center for Opinion Research, surveyed 1,060 voters.

More recently, Mr. Najib’s government has been criticized as reverting to the authoritarian tactics of previous administrations.

A former health minister and stalwart of the governing coalition, Chua Jui Meng, defected to the opposition in July, saying that Mr. Najib represented an “iron fist behind the velvet glove.”

Lim Kit Siang, a prominent opposition politician, said in a blog entry on Sunday that the large number of people detained “underlines” that the “greatest violators of human rights are often the police and the law enforcement agencies.”

The death of the political aide, Teoh Beng Hock, in July has galvanized opposition parties and caused widespread outrage, especially among the minority Chinese.

Mr. Teoh, a legislative aide in the opposition-controlled state of Selangor, was found dead beneath the 14th-story window of the offices of the country’s anticorruption commission after a nightlong interrogation. A pathologist’s report said he died of internal injuries from a fall.

A government minister initially said Mr. Teoh, 30, committed suicide, but his belt and back pockets were torn, adding to speculation that he might have been forced out the window.

After initial resistance, the government bowed to public pressure and ordered an inquiry into Mr. Teoh’s death as well as the interrogation tactics of the anticorruption officers.

Deaths in police custody have increased in recent years, according to Suaram, a human rights group. According to the Malaysian Home Ministry, 1,535 people died in police custody between 2003 and 2007, the latest year for which data is available.

King Power Duty Free Scandal at Bangkok International Airport

All is not well in the Land of Smiles, especially if you dare to enter a King Power Duty Free shop at the Bangkok International Airport. Over 100 foreign visitors were arrested last year on trumped up shoplifting charges, hustled away to nearby police stations, then forced to pay outrageous bribes to free them up to leave the country and avoid a long wait in jail for a trial.

It's an outrage. Nobody in their right mind should go into any duty free shop in Thailand, unless they want to be set up by the Thai police, or wish to overpay for luxury items. You have been warned.

The Bangkok Post finally reports on the scandalous outrage at Suvarnabhumi, or Swampy Airport.

Scandal at Suvarnabhumi
Several recent cases of alleged extortion at the new airport are in danger of subverting the entire legal system, and scaring tourists away
Writer: Amornrat Mahitthirook and Piyaporn Wongruang
Published: 2/08/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Spectrum

Amid embarrassing allegations that police extorted money from a British couple in connection with an alleged shoplifting offence at Suvarnabhumi airport, similar cases are coming to light. Legal consultants and experts believe that if proved true, such scams could subvert the justice system and are no less important than other major corruption cases.

The impact of the allegations has sent ripples around the world, with media organisations in the UK and Ireland highlighting the "scams" that target foreign tourists shopping at the airport. King Power duty-free, which denies any impropriety and has posted video online which it says proves customers were shoplifting, has been identified in two cases by foreign media. Some websites, and at least one European travel advisory, are now warning tourists against the shops at the airport.

Official records show a sharp rise in criminal offences at the airport, especially those involving shoplifting, but it is not easy to get a clear picture of the number of cases involving extortion, as legal experts point out.

Sak Korsaengruang, an honorary lawyer from the Lawyers' Council of Thailand, points out that investigating extortion cases is compromised by collusion between the offenders and police officers.

Records at the Ratchathewa police station, which oversees the airport area, show that since 2008 there have been 207 theft cases at the airport. Of these, 78 resulted in convictions, 66 are under police investigation, 10 have been dropped and most of the rest are being handled by prosecutors.

A source who provided help to an Indian woman in April said the offender was accused of stealing an item worth 1,780 baht. However, after intensive negotiations, the tourist had to pay no less than 250,000 baht "under the table" in order for the legal proceedings to be completed quickly so she could return home.

Normally, anyone arrested at the airport is taken to Ratchathewa police station. But the Indian woman was taken to a station on Kingkaew Road outside the airport. They tried to negotiate to reduce her offence by paying back the value of the stolen goods, but the police officer disagreed and said that the case had to go to trial - a procedure that would take several months.

The woman then asked about other possible ways of handling the case. The officer in charge of the bail procedure demanded she pay 250,000 baht (with no chance to bargain the price down because the money had to be paid to several people). She finally paid part of the money demanded before transferring the rest to the officer's account the next day. After the payment, the officer then proceeded with the case, which went to court, where she was fined 4,000 baht. She then returned to the airport and was allowed to fly home.

Other cases during the same period, both at the airport and at other tourist spots, have been handled by a lawyer registered with the Lawyers' Council of Thailand, who responds to calls for help from the embassies.

One case at the airport involved a Western couple, with the husband accused of stealing a mobile phone and some make-up from a cleaner's bag.

After learning that she had been robbed, the cleaner alerted the police, who arrested the man in the airport. But instead of expediting the case, the police detained the man for the maximum period allowed under the criminal code - 84 days.

"The police told me they were waiting for proof of the evidence. So, I asked what the problem was, and they said the brakes had been put on the case, and to remove them would cost 30,000 baht," said the lawyer.

However, the money was not paid and at the end of the detention period the case went to court, where the man was granted probation after he confessed.

But money was paid in the case involving a visiting couple who were arrested in the Thong Lor area for overstaying their visas earlier this year, the lawyer said.

After being arrested, and about to be taken to the police station, the couple tried to contact their embassy for help. Meanwhile, "negotiations for their release" were being conducted, and eventually the couple had to pay the police 10,000 baht in exchange of their freedom before reaching the police station, the lawyer said.

"You will see that such practices don't only take place at the airport, but anywhere in this country," said the lawyer. "It seems minor compared to major corruption cases, but if it doesn't adhere to the course of justice, justice will never be delivered as those committing crimes will never get punished," said the lawyer.

An officer at the airport's Tourist Police unit said these are frightening situations for tourists.

They are taken to court far from home, where they have no relatives or family to help them or give them advice. Because of this there needs to be someone to mediate and speed up the process.

Someone is needed to help with interpretations and who can help at a tourist's trial. The problems that tourists face without such help are what cause them to be willing to pay under the table for help so they can return home quickly.

The tourist police officer also explained that sometimes the goods involved have very little value, and added that tourists should be aware of scammers and avoid touching goods to avoid being entrapped.

Klanarong Chantuek, a member of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), established to probe corruption-related cases involving state officials, said money extorted by officials in exchange for legal compromises to help offenders are just as important as major cases. The country's reputation has already been damaged by publicity from the recent cases, he said. Mr Klanarong said the NACC had recently received complaints of similar allegations, and was now gathering evidence to prepare investigations.

Tiananmen Remembered, 20 Years Later

The Boston Globe's Big Picture has a fantastic series of Tiananmen photos from 20 years ago, and updated images from a few days ago in Hong Kong.

Yesterday, June 4th, 2009, marked the 20th anniversary of the military crackdown on student protesters gathered in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China. Beginning in April of 1989, thousands of students and other citizens started gathering in groups large and small, protesting many issues, centered on a desire for freedom and democratic reform. By mid-May of 1989, hundreds of thousands of protesters occupied the square, staging hunger strikes, and asking for dialogue. Chinese authorities responded with a declaration of martial law, and sent soldiers and tanks from the People's Liberation Army, preparing to disperse the crowds. Late on June 3rd, 1989, the tanks and armored personnel carriers rolled into the square, killing and wounding many, mostly civilians - estimates vary widely, from several hundred to several thousand dead. The first 17 photos below were taken in 1989, the rest are from this year, as people remember the events, the ideals, and the fallout from that fateful day. (32 photos total)

Tank Man Stories

In celebration of the Chinese government shutting down damn near every possible source of stories about Tiananmen (Blogger, Hotmail, YouTube, Twitter, etc.), the
New York Times presents a fascinating account of the photographers of the infamous "Tank Man." Great stuff.

Many readers of “Tank Man of Tiananmen” have mentioned a video of the same incident. Arthur Edelstein provided a link to the footage on YouTube.

Few images are more recognizable or more evocative. Known simply as “tank man,” it is one of the most famous photographs in recent history.

Twenty years ago, on June 5, 1989, following weeks of huge protests in Beijing and a crackdown that resulted in the deaths of hundreds, a lone man stepped in front of a column of tanks rumbling past Tiananmen Square. The moment instantly became a symbol of the protests as well as a symbol against oppression worldwide — an anonymous act of defiance seared into our collective consciousnesses.

“It all started with a man in a white shirt who walked into the street and raised his right hand no higher than a New Yorker hailing a taxi,” James Barron wrote the following day in The New York Times. The picture appeared on the front page of this newspaper as well as in countless other publications around the world.

To this day, the identity and fate of the man in the picture remains unclear. A riveting documentary, “The Tank Man,” by PBS Frontline in 2006 explored his fate. Yet still no one knows for certain who he is or what exactly happened to him. The image is largely blocked on the Internet in China. Despite its iconic status and historical significance elsewhere, most young people there do not recognize the photograph.

There was not just one “tank man” photo. Four photographers captured the encounter that day from the Beijing Hotel, overlooking Changan Avenue (the Avenue of Eternal Peace), their lives forever linked by a single moment in time. They shared their recollections with The Times through e-mail.

Manohara and the Prince of Kelantan

Oh, those wild and crazy princes of Malaysia.

'I Was Drugged and Abused’

Safe again on Indonesian soil, teenage model Manohara Odelia Pinot outlined a horrific story of sexual abuse, confinement and torture at the hands of her Malaysian prince husband after returning to Jakarta on Sunday, following a dramatic weekend escape from him in Singapore.

The photogenic 17-year-old said that Singapore police helped her leave her husband Tengku Temenggong Muhammad Fakhry, a prince of Malaysia’s Kelantan State, at a hotel there. They were in the city state with Fakhry’s father, Sultan Ismail Petra Shah II, who is undergoing medical treatment.

“I am still traumatized by all that happened and it has left an impact on me,” she told a press conference after flying back to Jakarta with her mother Daisy Fajarina, sister Dewi Sri Asih and a staff member of the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore.

The plight of Manohara and her fairy-tale marriage that turned into a nightmare began with disturbing news reports in April that she had apparently been kidnapped by Fakhry and his family while in Saudi Arabia in February and taken by private jet back to Malaysia. The media coverage included complaints Manohara made to her mother last year of sexual abuse, and became an international incident after the Malaysian government and Kelantan royal family refused to respond to inquiries.

During a mid-day press conference, and later in an interview with TV One, Manohara confirmed the stories of abuse. “Sexual abuse and sexual harassment were like a daily routine for me, and he did that every time I did not want to have sexual intercourse,” she said. “I could never think a normal man could do such things.”

Manohara was only 16 at the time of her wedding and her American father, Reiner Pinot Noack, was said to have disapproved of the marriage. The seemingly blissful life of a Malaysian princess soon became a living hell, Manohara said, as she was constantly guarded and spent most of her time in her bedroom in the palace. “Every time I went out for events, they forced me to smile and would torture me if I did not do what they said,” she said.

Manohara said she tried to escape, but was caught by royal family staff and injected with drugs that made her vomit blood. “I was injected twice,” she said.

When confirming a reporter’s question about whether her husband had cut her nipples, she was reluctant to give details. “Yes it is true. Some parts of my body were cut by a razor,” Manohara said.

She said she was in Singapore as Fakhry’s father had suffered a heart attack and needed treatment. While staying at the Royal Plaza Hotel, Manohara secretly called the Singapore police on Saturday night requesting help.

Police responded and confronted the royal family, telling them they couldn’t prevent Manohara from leaving, according to Teuku Faizasyah, spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jakarta. He said police then called the US and Indonesian embassies for assistance.

“After Manohara was secured by the Singaporean police, our embassy staff in Singapore processed all her documents at the hotel within only four hours from 12 a.m. to 4 a.m. on Sunday so she could go back to Indonesia immediately,” Teuku said.

Manohara confirmed that the police had helped her escape.

“The police told Fakhry that he would be held in jail if he did not let me go. No one could force me against my will in Singapore and I knew I had a chance to escape here,” she said, adding that she wanted a divorce and would file a police report against her estranged husband.

The Jakarta Globe

Sexual Slavery Tolerated in Singapore

I have no problem with voluntary prostitution; if a woman wants to rent out her body for financial gain, who am I to judge? When pimps get involved, then I get angry, since the situation has crossed from voluntary to slavery. But it mostly pisses me off when girls are abducted, forced into performing sex acts, under the watchful eye of officials and governments. You'd hardly find a more shocking example than in moralistic Singapore, as noted today in the opinion section of The Bangkok Post.

In the jargon of those who fight against human trafficking, Thailand is a "source, transit and destination" country for those tricked or forced, or both, into slavery.

Singapore, however, is a "destination" country for victims. That's logical: there is much more trafficking within poor countries and much more trafficking to richer nations.

Most human trafficking involves women and most of it concerns sex. A recent report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimated that 79% of human trafficking worldwide was for sexual exploitation. And most of the people in charge of the trafficking are women.

In this manner, a Thai woman a little while ago went to Singapore. She thought she would work in a restaurant. Instead, she found herself working above the restaurant, locked up and forced against her will to provide sex to customers, as many as 10 a night. She cannot leave; nor can the dozens of Thai women locked up with her.

In Bangkok, this young woman worked as a bar girl. She was paid for sex but at least she had some ability to choose when and with whom. In Singapore, she is being raped, repeatedly.

Kidnapping, imprisonment and rape are crimes, no matter what the standing of the victim. She has no idea where she is but wherever it is, she and her sister sex slaves are under guard.

But she was able to get a message out to an American friend before her mobile phone went dead. Her case is now being investigated by the Thai authorities.

Thailand at least has systems for helping trafficking victims, both domestically and internationally and they are rated well by the US State Department, which reports each year on human trafficking.

Singapore's approach is less benign.

If prostitution is the oldest profession, sexual slavery would be one of the oldest crimes. In areas of Bangkok, and places like Pattaya, commercial sex is part of the drive-by scenery. In some cases (such as Eastern European women in Pattaya) sex trafficking is involved.

But in Singapore, it seems, the brothel owners imprison their sex slaves.

This does not match the Singapore brand. Singapore is a modern, cosmopolitan country. It is clean, tidy and efficient. Its people are well-educated and multi-lingual. But it also tolerates sexual slavery.

The US State Department said in its 2008 report on human trafficking: "Singapore is a destination country for women and girls trafficked for the purpose of labour and commercial sexual exploitation. Some women from India, Thailand, the Philippines and the People's Republic of China who travel to Singapore voluntarily for prostitution or work are subsequently deceived or coerced into sexual servitude."

Singapore is also a country governed by the rule of law. The report noted that Singapore had strict laws against sex trafficking, including imprisonment, fines and caning. Yet somehow the rule of law does not extend to sexual servitude.

The US State Department noted that Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs received and investigated 28 reports of human trafficking in 2007-2008. "One case remains under investigation," it said. "...the others were closed due to lack of substantiating evidence."

That may suggest that Singapore does not have a serious problem with human trafficking. But one way of making sure a dirty problem stays under the carpet is to fail to collect the information.

Singapore has thousands of foreign prostitutes but are they sellers or victims? The Singapore government is making sure it does not have to answer that question.

"In 2007 the police arrested 5,402 foreign women for prostitution, who were generally incarcerated, then deported," the State Department said. "The number of trafficking victims among this group is unknown; however, government measures to proactively identify potential trafficking victims among this vulnerable population, if any, appear to have been limited."

This approach had two effects.

First, victims of trafficking, the State Department pointed out, were penalised for acts committed because they were sex slaves. Second, no one will know the scope of the trafficking problem because the government has no statistics. No information means, publicly, no problem.

Perhaps Singapore will investigate the case of the Thai women imprisoned in a lock-up brothel. Or perhaps not. The UN report on human trafficking, in the final sentence of its small chapter on Singapore, said: "No victims of trafficking in persons were identified or sheltered by State authorities."

Political Murders in the Philippines

Bulatlat (verb to investigate) is a very liberal or leftist website that covers all the heavy issues coming from the Philippines, a very good site if you're looking this kind of news. One of the more unique angles is that many of the stories are covered via slide shows or movies, which breaks up the monotony of just still images and text. They recently covered an event in Germany that points out some shocking statistics about political killings in the Philippines since the election of Arroyo in 2001.

What would be your guess about the number of recent political murders in the Philippines? 59? 116? 212? Guess again, then read the press release published on Bulatlat.

Buffeted by heavy rain and gusty winds, more than 200 visitors of the German Kirchentag took about seven hours until they were able to light one candle for each of the 1015 victims of political killings in the Philippines.

“Though it is not new to us, we are shocked by the number of victims the candles reveal,” said Hannah Wolf, spokesperson of the German-Philippine initiative “Sumabay Tayo! Walking Together – for Justice. “In fact sheets the numbers seem so abstract. The candles are the first to give an idea of about how many individuals were actually killed, how many more are left to mourn, are traumatized and hungry for justice. To no one of these 1015 victims has justice been served. It is horrific.”

The protest called attention to the murders of more than 1000 persons who have been summarily executed since 2001 under the administration of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Organizers had earlier planned to light 1,009 candles but raised the number as they received reports of six more deaths. Among them were deaths in the central Philippine islands of Panay and Negros. The action was part of the Kirchentag, the biennial German Protestant Church gathering,[1] which was held from 20 to 24 May. Based on the Kirchentag theme “Mortal, where are you? (Genesis 3:9),” the initiative “Sumabay Tayo!“ called especially on Christians to act according to their faith and to stand for justice.

Bulatlat