MonarchyDilemma:JakrapobResigns! [Archive]

GWR

25-03-08, 02:04 AM

Jakrapob accused of lese majeste
Published on March 25, 2008

PM's Office Minister Jakrapob Penkair was yesterday accused of lese majeste for an interview and press conference he gave to foreign reporters in August last year.

Pol Lieutenant Wattanasak Mungkitjakarndee, an investigator at Bang Mod Police Station, filed a complaint with Crime Suppression police accusing Jakrapob of violating Article 112 of the Criminal Code.

He presented a VCD recorded at the press conference by Jakrapob and his interview, with a translation from English to Thai, as evidence.

He said he bought the VCD from a foreign reporter for Bt600 and had a friend translate its contents into Thai.

Crime Suppression investigator Pol Major Chatuporn Ngamsuwitchakul said he accepted the evidence and would offer it to his superior for consideration. But he said the translation was not properly done, as he did not fully understand it.

Jakrapob denied the accusation, saying it was impossible that he committed lese majeste and he never had any intention of doing so.

He questioned if there was a political motive behind the police move, and the fact that Chatuporn was transferred from Bang Mod to Paholyothin Police Station and he had been an investigator into last year's protests outside the Si Sao residence of Privy Council chief Prem Tinsulanonda.

The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/03/25/politics/politics_30069081.php

Wisarut

25-03-08, 12:48 PM

Many of you are asking so:

Riche Monde (Bangkok) Ltd sponsored the Jakrapop event at the FCCT and Riche Monde (Bangkok) was hired by Thaksin cronies to distabilise the monarchy to prepare for the Shin Dynasty by using Jakrapop as the spokesman. The Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand hosted the event that announces that General Prem's Dirty Tricks are about to be released - The Crisis of Siam. I am glad I do not work in the Empire Building where the anti-monarchy headquarters are based!!!

// --------------------------------------------------

The address of Riche Monde (Bangkok) is:

Room 1713-14
17th floor
Empire Tower Building,
195 Satorn Tai Road, Yannawa, Sathon, BKK, 12120

// ------------------------------------------

Morte can be seen here:
http://www.pantip.com/cafe/rajdumnern/topic/P6454493/P6454493.html
Ee Phen Interview with Foreign Correspondents
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECESn4rAeOc

Article at Manager Daily
http://www.manager.co.th/Crime/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9510000035365

Wisarut

25-04-08, 09:52 PM

Now, UDD mobs and other mercenaries truign to sabotage the Alliance ofr Democracy through showing Dicks out of the Air
http://www.manager.co.th/Politics/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9510000048686
http://www.manager.co.th/Politics/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9510000048613

Now The government is bullying Alliance for Democraty by Denyiung the bus to accomodate Alliance ofr Democracy to Chonburi
http://www.manager.co.th/Politics/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9510000048632

Prosong Pointing out that the plan for Constitution Amndamnet is the plan for changing the Regime ot Republican Regime:
http://www.manager.co.th/Politics/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9510000048654

Big Jiw Pointout that Thai Intellectuals are bing TRAPPED into Constitutionalism ...They Misunderstand that Democracy is all about Constitution and Tyranny of Majority

Even Big Jiw is pointing out that the plan to Destroy Thai Armed Forces alogn with Thai Monarchy by advocating Republican regime thoguh the incident of 2 men REFUSE to stand up for Sanrasoen Phrabaramee ... as pretext to get international supports for changing the regime.

http://thaiinsider.info/portal/content/view/7850/12/

Even though Poilice arrest Comrade Chotesak who REFUSE to stand up for Sanrasoen Phrabaramee ... Ee Phen refuse to show this new on NBT ... sicne SHe badly want to change the regime! :eek:

http://forum.serithai.net/index.php?topic=25169.0

Wisarut

19-05-08, 07:34 PM

Neo Thai Thought Insitute by Thai October Web
http://www.thaioctober.com/forum/index.php?topic=764.msg26833

Note, Nation Weekend also mentioned about the Neo Thai Thought Insitute it is just the left wign version of "Old Wine in teh New bottle and a new label" ... but NO freee version is one line for this matter. :(

Furthermore, Nationa Weekend also mention abotu Ee Phen Speech to Thai Expats in LA by telling that

1. Luang Tha Maha Bua want to be the New Supreme patriarch ... soLuang Ta Mahabua has allowed Sondhi Limthongkul to use the donated Money to go AGAINST Thaksin vai Surakiat and his wife.

2. Those who are around His Majest are just a buch of Stupid persons.

3. His Majesty is the one behidn the 19 September 2006 Coup - so teh ONLY justice in the eye of PPP is to DEPOSE His majesty! :eeek:

4. Accusign tha Royal patornage and Roal Speeches are the REAL Obstruction of FUll Democracy for Thailand!

Thai expats who listened to Ee Phen speech CHEERED .... The OUTRAGOUS sign to Thai people in Thailand to see Thai expats have Betrayed Motherland to such level ... Now many mainstream media have CONDEMNED thsoe people who agree with Ee phen speech as "the Traitors"!

Army warned Ee Phen that they have known about the Speech to Thai Expats in LA in October 2207 whcih Army goign t ogive Ee Phen a real hell for this matter.
http://thaiinsider.info/portal/content/view/8322/12/

Chalong OPointoput that teh Couul will c0ome qwhne PPP are meddlign around the constitution and allow the insult of His Majesty to continue.
http://www.nationweekend.com/2008/05/17/NO10_103_news.php?newsid=12243

// --------------------

List of Pro PP and Anti PAD
http://www.prachatai.com/webboard/topic.php?id=684988 (Coup Stratefy
http://www.nationsiam.com/content/view/1640/58/ (Second Round of the Coup)
http://www.nationsiam.com/forum/index.php?
(Pro PPP Web with ANti Monarchy Content includign the attack of Spednign 300 Million Baht for Princess Kalayaniwatthana as a Waste of Money or so)

http://www.thyssimonis.nl/proxy/index.php?url=uggc%252Sgunvrarjf.oybtfcbg.pbz
(Pro PPP Web with ANti Monarchy Contents )

http://www.badict.2hell.com/ (Web Port fo Pro PPP Radio -to mobilize Underground men)

http://www.prachatai.com/webboard/?room=6
(Pro PPP Web with ANti Monarchy Contents )

http://video.yahoo.com/watch/1063188
(VIdeo of E Phen on Anti Monarchy Speech)

http://firelamtung.com/index.php?option=com_weblinks&catid=2&Itemid=23
(Fire Lam Thung -teh Left wing wbe which has Pro PPP Web with ANti Monarchy Contents )

http://www.thaijustice.com/webboard.asp?sub=0&id=496444
(The Web that advocate Republciasn regime - -teh Left wing wbe which has Pro PPP Web with ANti Monarchy Contents )

http://radiobuu.hi5.com/friend/group/1521855--CPT%2BCommunist%2BParty%2Bof%2BThailan--topics-html

(Hi5 Web to wake up Communsit Ghost)

http://www.midnightuniv.org/midnight2545/document995.html
(Mid Night University Web of Ajarn Nithi - the Left wing web which is Web with ANti Monarchy Contents )

http://board.nationsiam.com/index.php?topic=2.0

(Pro PPP Web with ANti Monarchy Content includign the attack of Spednign 300 Million Baht for Princess Kalayaniwatthana as a Waste of Money or so

GWR

20-05-08, 01:19 PM

See also Previous (Copied) Post in this thread that identifies some of the sites that are likely to be affected.
Related thread on a long cited conspiracy theory that certain Thai politicians are plotting to overthrow the monarchy:
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=1679

Chalerm to close 29 websites accused of lese majeste

(BangkokPost.com) - Interior Minister Chalerm Yubamrung is set to close down 29 websites, which are accused of containing information that refers to the high institution in improper ways.

The move came after Democrat party revealed information about the sites.

Mr Chalerm said the closure of these sites needs to be done so authority can probe them thoroughly.

He insisted that security laws would allow Interior Ministry to track down to the publishers of the sites.

He added that the move does not interfere the work of the Information and Communications Technology Ministry as the matter directly involves national security.
Link may expire:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=127737

Chalerm to invoke the security law to shut down 29 websites

Interior Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung on Tuesday said he would cite the security law to close down 29 websites with contents deemed harmful to the monarchy.

"The opposition has raised the issue of harmful contents in the Internet and I have checked relevant laws to find security provisions to deal with the isse," Chalerm said.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30073488

Chalerm to invoke the security law to shut down 29 controversial websites
By The Nation

Interior Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung on Tuesday said he would use the security law to close down 29 websites with contents deemed harmful to the monarchy.

"The opposition has raised the issue of harmful contents in the Internet and I have checked relevant laws to find security provisions to deal with the isse," Chalerm said.

He said he would instruct the Provincial Administration Department, which is responsible for security issues, to coordinate with the Information and Communication Technology Ministry to block the websites.

He said service providers had no excuse to allow the harmful messages to be transmitted from abroad.

Authorities will block access to websites deemed harmful regardless speculation that some of them were linked to the People Power Party, he said.

The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/05/20/politics/politics_30073490.php

GWR

20-05-08, 02:02 PM

Jakrapob: I met Gen Chavalit by chance

(BangkokPost.com) – Embattled Prime Minister’s Office Minister Jakrapob Penkair insisted on Tuesday that a highly watched meeting he held with Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh on Monday in Nakhon Phanom province was "a chance encounter".

The meeting allowed Mr Jakrapob to ask Gen Chavalit to help hm to clear allegations of lese majeste over a speech he gave at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT) last year.

Gen Chavalit promised to help speak in Mr Jakrapob’s defence as well as to warn several respected individuals to conduct themselves more appropriately.

The Democrat party has called on Mr Jakrapob to resign, and is expected to launch a formal impeachment process against the minister on Wednesday. The Democrats calim to have evidence that he hasspoken in a negative way about the monarchy during his speech at the FCCT and in a follow-up address in the United States, also last year.

The contents of the FCCT speech have been translated into Thai, and will be verified by an independent organisation. For now, Mr Jakrapob is claiming that the original translation was faulty.

Fellow PM's Office Minister Chusak Sirinil stressed that this case should go according to legal procedures, an opinion shared by the prime minister.

Link may expire:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=127736

Impeachment motion against Jakrapob to be lodged Wednesday

The opposition has complete the drafting of the impeachment motion against PM's Office Minister Jakrapob Penkair and will tomorrow initiate the proceedings to remove him from office, opposition chief whip Sathit Wongnongtoey said on Tuesday.

The 10 page motion with 100 page annex on evidence has outlined Jakrapob's transgression, he said. The motion filing is to take place at the Office of the Senate Speaker.

Since assuming office, Jakrapob was involved in unlawful conduct, lapse of judgement and charter offence, he said.
The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30073499

Jakrapob blames the wife of a senior officer for smearing him

PM's Office Minister Jakrapob Penkair on Tuesday claimed that the wife of a senior military officers was an instigator to distribute leaflets against him causing soldiers to misnunderstand and hate him.

The leaflets contain remarks he made in English at the Foreign Correspondent Club of Thailand in 2007 but the wife had mistranslated into Thai, Jakrapob said, though refusing to reveal her name.
The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30073501

GWR

20-05-08, 11:02 PM

It seems that the PPP and Thaksin are beginning to swing into 'Damage Limitation' mode. I have a hunch that this is pretty much how Jakrapob has been planning things for months, if not years. Like many other PPP people, I fancy he has no great loyalty to the party - that he sees it as a vehicle to his own personal and political ambitions. Indeed, I continually wonder what a PPP member could possibly be loyal to. Given the fact that the party is such a disparate mix/mess, one is inclined to say rank, power, and being able to play with someone else's (if not the taxpayer's) money?:

A clique of PPP MPs to review Jakrapob's controversial remarks

A clique of People Power Party MPs from the Northeast will Wednesday review the controversial remarks made by PM's Office Jakrapob Penkair, MP Panya Sripanya said Tuesday.

As an anticoup activist from the Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship, Jakrapob spoke to Thai expats in Los Angeles last November and made many veiled and rude remarks against the monarchy, Panya said.

The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30073519

Thaksin wants Jakrapob 'to take responsibility'
By The Nation
Published on May 21, 2008

Former prime minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh yesterday disclosed that Thaksin Shinawatra wanted PM's Office Minister Jakrapob Penkair to take responsibility for his controversial remarks deemed offensive to the monarchy.

Chavalit said he had met with the ousted prime minister to discuss the issue. Thaksin is concerned about Jakrapob's speech delivered last year to the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand (FCC).

"Thaksin is very concerned about what Jakrapob said," Chavalit said. "I remember Thaksin saying Jakrapob must take responsibility for this and that Jakrapob must consider what to do next."

Chavalit denied he would help Jakrapob defend the controversial remarks.

"I did not discuss becoming a mediator on Jakrapob's behalf," he said, referring to an unplanned meeting in Nakhon Phanom on Monday. He said Jakrapob would have to take responsibility for his own remarks.

"Any transgression against the monarchy is of concern to not only the military, but also every Thai citizen," he said.

Several People Power MPs from the Northeast today will review Jakrapob's controversial remarks, MP Panya Sripanya said yesterday.

As an anti-coup activist from the Democratic Alliance against Dictatorship, Jakrapob spoke to Thai expats in Los Angeles last November and made many veiled and rude remarks against the monarchy, Panya said.

He said the MPs were confident Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej would make the right decision regarding Jakrapob, hinting at an increasing pressure for his removal.

"When the time comes [for his departure], Jakrapob should realise he was lucky to have had a chance to serve in a Cabinet post," he said in reference to the minister's non-MP status.

Jakrapob accused the wife of a senior military officer of distributing leaflets attacking him. It had caused soldiers to misunderstand and hate him, he said. He would not reveal her name.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/05/21/headlines/headlines_30073564.php

Chavalit backpedals from defending Jakrapob

Former prime minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh on Tuesday denied that he would assist PM's Office Minister Jakrapob Penkair defending controversial remarks deemed offending to the monarchy.

"I did not discuss about becoming a mediator on Jakrapob's behalf," he said in reference to their unscheduled meeting in Nakhon Phanom on Monday.

He said Jakrapob will have to take responsibility for his remarks. "This is not a concern of the military only but of every Thai citizen's for any transgression against the monarchy.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30073523

GWR

21-05-08, 03:22 PM

PM: Watch tonight's PRD news

(BangkokPost.com) – Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej has read the transcribed speech given by Prime Minister’s Office Minister Jakrapob Penkair at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand (FCCT) but refused to comment.

“Just listen to tonight’s evening news from the Public Relations Department,” he said.

He then added that the case involving Jakrapob should be the responsibility of the police and justice officials and that he has no authority to unseat Mr Jakrapob as requested by the Democrat party.

He also hinted that tonight’s Public Relations news will keep the public informed about the latest cabinet reshuffle.
Link may expire:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=127762

GWR

22-05-08, 01:47 AM

Jakrapob charged

BangkokPost.com from reports
The opposition Democrat party on Wednesday filed formal impeachment charges against PM's Office Minister Jakrapob Penkair.

"We have filed a motion to impeach Jakrapob with the Senate speaker on two counts: for intention to abuse power and intention to breach the constitution," opposition whip Sathit Wongnongtoei said. The motion was signed by 164 MPs.

The petition will be forwarded to the National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC) for investigation once the sponsors' signatures are verified, probably next Monday, said Senate Speaker Prasopsuk Boondech.

The possible penalties are suspension and possible expulsion from government and Parliament.

Part of the impeachment charges claim that Mr Jakrapob insulted the monarchy during a speech last August in English at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand.

Those comments also are the focus of a separate criminal investigation. If found guilty of a lese majeste criminal charge, the minister faces a possible penalty of 15 years in prison.

Mr Jakrapob said his comment were mis-translated, and has promised his own translation soon.

"If the NCCC finds Jakrapob guilty, he must be suspended from duty immediately," Mr Sathit said. "The NCCC will then refer the issue to the Senate for an impeachment vote."

Link may expire:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/topstories/topstories.php?id=127766

GWR

22-05-08, 01:52 AM

Thaksin: Jakrapob must explain speech or resign

(BangkokPost.com) - Ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra urged Prime Minister's Office Minister Jakrapob Penkair to retreat if he cannot reconcile the lese majeste accusation against him.

Mr Thaksin said Mr Jakrapob has to explain on the issue to public because this is a very sensitive matter.

"If he cannot make it clear, then it'd be better for him to retreat," Mr Thaksin said, adding that the royal institution should be given more importance than political matters.

The embattled minister also faces pressure from the People Power party to resign to show responsibility for a controversial speech given at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand in August last year and for a second speech in Thai during a visit to the United States..

The speech was considered by many as an attempt to challenge the royal institution.
Link may expire:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=127769

GWR

22-05-08, 01:56 AM

Armed forces remain concerned about politicising the monarchy: Anupong
By The Nation

Army chief General Anupong Paochinda on Wednesday urged all sides to stop involving the monarchy to further their political interests.

"The armed forces are concerned about attempts to politicise the revered institution and I want to say this to society we have a duty to uphold the royal integrity," he said.

Anupong said Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej was aware of the military concern and was trying to rectify the situation.

Turning to the controversial comments by PM's Office Minister Jakrapob Penkair and his claim about being smeared, he said he was not in a position to judge the minister and that he expected the legal proceedings to run its course to determine Jakrapob's conduct.

He also stated that he was unaware of the smear which Jakrapob claimed a wife of a senior officer to have instigated by distributing mistranslated comments.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/05/21/politics/politics_30073630.php

GWR

22-05-08, 02:02 AM

'I will not quit'
By Daily Xpress
Published on May 22, 2008

Despite the withdrawal of support from the big bosses, PM's Office Minister Jakrapob Penkair refuses to resign

Although increasingly isolated, embattled PM's Office Minister Jakrapob Penkair has told an aide he will not quit in the face of controversy over a speech deemed by critics to be offensive to the monarchy.

"He has just said he will absolutely not resign," says the aide, who asked not to be named.

The apparent defiance came after former premier Thaksin Shinawatra further distanced himself from Jakrapob yesterday.

Thaksin had earlier sent a similar message through former prime minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh. But his first public statement on the controversy yesterday left Jakrapob almost completely isolated.

While repeating that Jakrapob must take responsibility for his controversial speech made last year as a guest of the Foreign Correspondents' Club, Thaksin only stopped short of asking for the minister's immediate resignation.

"I think Jakrapob is a man with [good] judgement because he always listens to public opinion. He must know what he should do," Thaksin told reporters. The former PM was speaking in Suphan Buri, where he and Chart Thai secretary-general Prapat Potasuthon met a delegation from Saudi Arabia.

Clarity may save him

"I'm worried for him because if he can't explain and make the public understand him, he may have to retreat," Thaksin said.

"He will be okay if he can explain. However, the explanation has to be clear-cut. We need to understand that people are sensitive on this issue, therefore I don't want to see politicians try to involve the institution in any way.

"The institution is above the law and we must respect it and raise it above politics. Whoever tries to exploit the institution - whether in order to attack others or gain credit for themselves - is not doing a good thing."

Thaksin met Jakrapob briefly in the morning, apparently to discuss the potentially explosive controversy. The minister did not go to his office afterwards and his aides said he was busy otherwise.

Jakrapob has been scheduled to accompany Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej on a two-day visit to the Philippines starting today. But his name has been taken off Samak's delegation without immediate explanation.

Ready to battle

Jakrapob is known to have completed a translation into Thai of his speech in which he criticised the country's "patronage" system, saying it clashes with the new force of democracy.

Another aide to Jakrapob, Jaruwong Ruangsuwan, does not believe his boss will quit. "He has great endurance, like Superman."

But Jakrapob is running out of key supporters. Chavalit, who had been thought to be his guardian, is now toeing Thaksin's line. Samak, too, admits an investigation into the speech will be conducted and legal processes begun if there are grounds for lese majeste.

Jakrapob seeking support from Chavalit and Thaksin is an irony in a controversy triggered by his attacks on the patronage system - which he says makes people dependent on more powerful figures.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/05/22/headlines/headlines_30073679.php

Wisarut

22-05-08, 04:00 PM

Jakrapob seeking support from Chavalit and Thaksin is an irony in a controversy triggered by his attacks on the patronage system - which he says makes people dependent on more powerful figures.

This is a sure sign of hypocricy - Fail to Practize what he/she preached otehr people to do so. If those left wing professors have followed Ee Phen's action.... they will lose their disciples who have been disillusioned with their hypocritical teachers.

GWR

22-05-08, 05:04 PM

COMMENTARY
The brash pawn
By Sanitsuda Ekachai

The authorities have little understanding that amidst rapid social change, political complexity and instability, the crucial factor for peace is political openness and tolerance - not political censorship.

It serves him right! That seemed to be the shared sentiment among the press when Jakrapob Penkair's bloated ego finally blew up in his face.

No wonder. In his capacity as Minister attached to the Prime Minister's Office, the maverick minister has been at odds with the media from day one, with his brash attempts to make the media the government's propaganda tool.

Examples abound. When iTV, which was run by the pro-Thaksin management, was turned into TPBS (a Thai version of the public broadcasting service) by the coup-installed government, he immediately challenged the move by having the state-owned Channel 11 hire the embattled iTV crew, giving them full blessings to become TPBS' rival.

Knowing the power of community radio, he tried to manoeuvre its unclear legal status by offering state patronage for any stations willing to air his government's views.

That's not all.

Right after he took office, he threatened to fire Channel 9's big boss Wasant Paileeklee for allegedly putting the media corporation in the red. Wasant used to work for the anti-Thaksin Manager Group.

Later, he did sack Pramote Rathawinit, director-general of the Public Relations Department. It was seen as a revenge for the bureaucrats who supported the coup-installed government, and a stern warning for others to extract political submission.

What got Mr Jakrapob in hot water was not his disrespect for press freedom, however. If the axe finally falls upon him it will be from his brashness, which must make his supreme political patron (read: Mr Thaksin) feel that he has outlived his use and become too heavy a political burden.

Historian and social commentator Nidhi Eoseewong hit the nail right on the head when he said that the current political conflicts boil down to conflicts between power cliques.

Since the conflicts have nothing to do with larger goals, he added, any deals struck by conflicting parties will not lead to structural changes towards social and political reform.

In this power play, we can say that Mr Jakrapob is only one of the pawns that could easily be discarded so that his boss can move forward to checkmate.

For Mr Jakrapob, the writing is on the wall.

Amid the coup rumours with Mr Jakrapob's alleged lese majeste remarks at the centre of the storm, the top brass in the People Power party are reluctant to defend the embattled minister.

Education Minister Somchai Wongsawat, Mr Thaksin's brother-in-law, gave a clear political signal when he reportedly said Mr Jakrapob must take personal responsibility for whatever he said.

Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh also reported that Mr Thaksin remarked along the same lines.

Under this political scenario, any mishap befalling the minister who wants to control the media, will not in any way translate into a more open atmosphere for the media.

On the contrary. The state authorities have announced they are after some 20 "dangerous" websites, although it is simply impossible to suppress dissent in this age of the internet.

This goes to show that the authorities have little understanding that amid rapid social change that entails political complexity and instability, the crucial factor for peace is political openness and tolerance. Not political censorship.

True, the likes of Mr Jakrapob must learn that the price is indeed high for offending public sensibilities. But peace or violence often does not come from perceived threats. More significantly, it comes from our reactions.

How can peace be possible when we believe that violence is justified for those who offend what is close to our hearts? How can democracy be possible when we cannot tolerate those who are different from us?

What is unfolding shows that - whether or not Mr Jakrapob is soon out of the picture - the power play which uses the royal institution to boost one's political game will continue. This is good for no one. Not for the media. Not for the revered institution. And not for the country.

Sanitsuda Ekachai is Assistant Editor (Outlook), Bangkok Post. Email: sanitsudae@bangkokpost.co.th
http://www.bangkokpost.com/topstories/topstories.php?id=127784

GWR

23-05-08, 12:21 AM

GWR

23-05-08, 12:12 PM

An article on one of the possibly soon to be blocked sites, with a sideways comment on Jakrapob and his detractors:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/220508_News/220508_new02.jpg
[Photo: Bangkok Post - A sign attacking the state-owned Transport Co outside the Transport Ministry declares "Tiger sleep eat" - a Thai adage similar to ``free-riding fat cat''. Bus concessionaires say the company is not doing anything to help them offset rising fuel costs.]

I say tomato and you say foreign eggplant
Harrison George
23 May 2008
Alien Thoughts
Yesterday morning’s Bangkok Post had an interesting caption to a photograph. The picture is of a protestor outside the offices of the Land Transportation Department and his sign concerns the rise in fuel prices, which the government only sort of controls, and the implication for bus fares, which the government does control quite strictly.

The protest is of itself rather predictable. The sign is not. It is in wo scripts, Thai and English. The Bangkok Post caption writer thought it was necessary to explain only the bit that was written in English. Perhaps it was assumed even non-Thai readers could guess what the Thai says. But ‘Tiger Eat Sleep’ was thought to be beyond the comprehension of the readers of the Bangkok Post.

Notice that I said the sign was in two ‘scripts’, not ‘languages’. Most people would not recognize ‘Tiger Eat Sleep’ as part of the English language any more than Chomsky’s famous ‘Colourless green ideas sleep furiously’, a deliberately meaningless linguistic invention concocted to define what is and is not English.

But maybe I am wrong. I am beginning to suspect that, apart from English and Thai, there is a subversive hybrid third alternative out there, a language that uses words that seem to be English, but which is incomprehensible to English speakers. It can be understood only by Thais who have been through any form of the ever-changing English language curriculum taught in the Thai education system.

My first inkling that there was a third language came when I decided to learn to read Thai by doing translations. I’d got the basic grammar and cracked the Thai alphabet, and in doing so discovered the almost perfect logic behind the order of Thai letters (even more logical that the near symmetry of English alphabetical order). So I could use a dictionary. Translation just meant a lot of patient page-flipping.

It maybe took me half a day to do a paragraph, with a large portion of that spent in a futile search for words in the dictionary that turned out not to be words but names (no luxury of an upper case in Thai). But at the end of that half day, I had learned quite bit and been paid for doing so. Much more economical that me paying a teacher.

But then came the day when I was given an article to translate that already contained some English words. I thought this would make it easier. It drove me nuts. Every time I thought I’d understood what he as driving at, an English language word would come along that just didn’t fit. So I kept going back to check if there was another way of understanding the Thai. I was trying to weave some kind of narrative path in the Thai that would connect these otherwise unrelated outcrops of English vocabulary, and I was not succeeding.

And every time I went in desperation to a Thai speaker to ask what the Thai meant, they just confirmed my first assumptions. Eventually someone clued me in. I’d understood the Thai correctly. What I hadn’t understood was the English words.

I was trying to understand them with a meaning you might find in a dictionary. But the writer hadn’t used them with that meaning. Somehow, they had acquired a special meaning, one found only when the word was embedded inside a Thai text and one that a normal native speaker of English couldn’t expect to know.

By this time I was just glad to get done with the frustration and ignored the English words, substituting them with something that seemed to make better sense. I then waited for a protest from the original author. Why had I removed the words that were already in English and started translating English into English?

The protest never came and eventually I had chance to talk to the author. It turned out that his understanding of these English words was highly idiosyncratic and rather different from the dictionary definitions. But he didn’t know that. He had in his mind concept X and believed that the English word Y conveyed that concept. The fact that the rest of the English-speaking world thought that Y meant Z, not X, didn’t seem to trouble him. And this ability to invent novel meanings for words hasn’t held him back. He went on to work for the Word Bank.

Over the years I became convinced that this third almost-but-not-quite-English is the product of the way English is taught in Thailand. For example, this system, which lord only knows fails on many fronts, has been eminently successful in teaching Thais the non-existent English word ‘nowsaday’.

This is in fact bound to happen in a system where teachers themselves are asked to teach what they don’t know, where social and intellectual control over students is much more highly valued than actually learning anything, and where examinations are a major tool in the system of control.

Almost every farang in the land has at some point been asked to help with the neighbour’s child’s English homework. This homework is almost always in the form of a test (which itself tells you something) but the embarrassing thing for the native speaker is that you can’t figure out the answer. The latest one to floor me was a simple spelling test. You were supposed to identify the correctly spelled word among 4 choices, two of which were ‘dinner’ and ‘diner’.

You know what’s probably happened. The teacher has taught the word ‘dinner’ and in a misguided search for something to set for homework has decided that knowing how to spell words in isolation is somehow an indicator of language competence. And maybe ignorance or thoughtlessness has included a second, but perfectly spelled word into the list.

So what you have to do in these situations is tell next door’s munchkin ‘This is what your teacher thinks is the right answer, but in real English, both these are right.’ Perhaps that way the schoolchild will successfully achieve mastery of this artificial construct that Thai schools teach and which is called in the syllabus ‘English’, but really isn’t.

It could become a valuable skill in later life. For example, there seems to be a pressing need right now for people who can misunderstand innocuous English speeches at the FCCT and translate them into something Thai that can be judged to be lèse majesté.
http://www.prachatai.com/english/news.php?id=650

GWR

24-05-08, 12:35 AM

Jakrapob looks to television for help
By The Nation
Published on May 24, 2008

PM's Office Minister Jakrapob Penkair has agreed to an adviser's suggestion that television documentaries be produced in honour of royal family members to counter allegations that he acted in contempt of the monarchy.

Jakrapob gave the green light to the written recommendation from adviser On-anong Premasakul that documentaries be produced for the state-run NBT to broadcast ahead of the birthdays of HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn on July 28 and Her Majesty the Queen on August 12, according to a copy of the document shown on the Matichon Online website.

The document contained the adviser's memo dated May 14 and Jakrapob's hand-written approval of her proposal. He instructed On-anong to coordinate with the Public Relations Department director-general about the production and broadcast.

Meanwhile, Somchai Wongsawat, deputy prime minister and education minister, yesterday said he was unaware of the arrangement, adding that he did not think the pressure on Jakrapob would affect the government's performance. He said Jakrapob was doing his best to prove his innocence. However, if Jakrapob really did as alleged, he should admit to it, Somchai said.

Critics and the opposition have accused Jakrapob of acting in contempt of the monarchy when giving a speech last year about the patronage system in Thai politics.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/05/24/politics/politics_30073854.php

Will you be watching?

Wisarut

24-05-08, 07:59 PM

Now, Farmers Revolting AGIANST Ai Maew and PPP for lettting Arab invrestors to farm on the back of the farmers.

http://www.thaipost.net/index.asp?bk=thaipost&iDate=24/May/2551&news_id=158963&cat_id=501

Ai Phongthep rapping AGAIJNST Chart Thai to clear that they are NOT selling out the Naitonal as accused by Democrat and Chart Thai
http://thaiinsider.info/portal/content/view/8461/12/

Weekly Commnetary by Ekkayut and the Gang: Farming on the backs
Even AI Maew is no longer want to take care of Ee Phen by Ai Samak is goign to take of Ee Phen to please UDD men ... creatign the wedge between UDD and Ai Maew's Inner circle.

Now, Army has sent a warning to Ai Samak that he hasto ged rid of Ee Phen as soon as possible. ... It is up to the translation of Ee Phen speech by Ee Phen which will give the final vindict ...

The powerful one also sent a warnign to Ai Maew and Co. that if there is a chance to escape the Royal Wrath, please do so or the Royal Wrath would wipe out AI Maew and CO. out of the SUrface of Earth.

If AI Maew was still lulled by the black magic of Khmer Wizards and the plea from the Red Doctors (alogn with those left wing NGOs), the Royal Wrath ensues.

For the case of 25 May Demonstration -> Sonthi Limthognkul is askign to come as many as posssible of Thai People would have to give away the constitution Monarchy to the New Republican Regime :eek:

Weel, Army Top Brasses siad, just the case of Ee Phen ALONE would be the legitimated reason for the new coup. However, they want to ensure that they get the right men for the New PM -> Ananda Panyarachun, Asa Sarasin, or Mom Aui (Priyathorn Devakul)

For the case of Ai Maew, when he brought Saudi Sheiks to see the Farmver vcillage the Fatso Praphat Phothasuthon and ask for investment of rice plntation, Khun SOmsak (Hia Tue) and Banharn have thrown bombshells
to AI Maew that This the act of Traitors who allow Foringers to farm on the back of Thai Farmers! :eek:

Well, it is just the act of AI Mews to be in Politcial Limelight, the exampkle for Generation Y to follow by decaing His Majesy's images or so.

Atrthe Four Season Hotel in Wireless Road, AI maew has made a Party for PPP men alogn with other coalitions and Arab Shieks ... with those Sidelien gals of Ratchada Ring, RCA, and Patpong .... with the irrisistable prices ... 5000 - 10000 Baht a night in moonlight!

Howver, the powerful one giving a grin to Ai Maew that ...

So long you keep your mouth shut, you'll be Okay or you will confront with Royal Wrath so soon ...

http://thaiinsider.info/portal/content/view/8454/23/

GWR

24-05-08, 08:52 PM

The price of speech in Thailand
By Frank G. Anderson
Column: Thai Traditions
Published: May 23, 2008
Nakhonratchasima, Thailand — Thailand’s social, academic and political leadership seems to agree that the country has political woes, but in fact political woes are not the problem, only a symptom. The cause is a corrupt society.

There is also a corresponding lack of public responsibility on the part of the individual Thai, making positive reform more challenging and difficult. Finally, the nail in the coffin is a strict adherence to the belief that Thais must remain monolithic, “non-divisive,” committed to the monarchy and forever permitting elected politicians to do what they seem to do best -- personally benefit from corruption.

It’s not a pretty picture by any means. Incidental foreign visitors to the Land of Smiles and even, perhaps, the majority of expatriates within the kingdom, may not express blanket agreement with such a negative assessment. But what is the reason for their reluctance?

It is very possible that in adapting to their new home by adopting the cultural mores, foreigners have learned to submit to the collective will of the apathetic public and adopt a distorted version of the philosophy of the Noble Truths in the unique way that most Thais have adapted as they are brought up in their own society. In short, these foreigners may have “gone native” and thus can no longer differentiate what they once knew as the difference between right and wrong.

It sounds condescending, of course. But for those in Thailand who have long been privy to hundreds of private conversations, public heated discussions, leaked intelligence and unspoken yet accepted social practices -- generally through language proficiency -- for those who have learned to “think like a Thai” and forget general cultural references, the ability to use peripheral vision in thought, speech and action is diminished.

An example one often experiences among professional Thai translators is their reluctance to translate material from English to Thai or Thai to English that places Thailand, Thai culture or Thai society in a harshly critical light. One foreign Thai-fluent writer, for example, was contacted by a Thai living in San Francisco over a year ago to help translate sensitive language into English for a book about Thai culture and the monarchy. Some of the material hinted at criticism of the monarchy, or more accurately, highlighted situations that Thais steer away from because they somehow involve the monarchy or have been shown in the past to be deemed to be on sensitive ground. The Thai that sent the material to the foreigner in Thailand to translate told the foreigner that no Thai in the San Francisco area was willing to do the job.

Compare this to several instances here in Thailand where a foreigner needed to have translations of English language editorials into Thai. Most of these editorials did not involve the monarchy, but were critical accounts of Thai society and/or social practices he felt were out of touch with the values of Buddhism and democracy. When Thai translators were asked to convert these essays into Thai, they quickly refused.

In one case, the translator falsely let the foreigner believe he would do the work but a week later, when it should have been ready, the translator said he could no longer accept that or any other translation work.

The reluctance to even speak about material critical of Thai society, not just originate it, also occurs on the foreigner side. While working on a book about Thailand, another foreigner asked a long-time colleague from England to write a foreword on the author’s behalf. Having written at least two books himself about Thailand, the colleague emailed back quickly that he felt he was the wrong person to do the job. The overtone, however, was that the material in the book was critical of Thailand and that he would rather not become involved with it.

Needless to say, his own books were polite tourism surveys and lent nothing to important commentary on Thai society.

In an online interview, “The King Never Smiles” author Paul Handley commented, when the interviewer asked him why he had written such a book that was seen by many -- especially the Thai government -- to be critical of the Thai monarchy, Handley replied, “The question to ask is why such a book was not written before.”

Handley hit the nail on the head in a sense. Given ingrained and inculcated reluctance by the individual Thai to criticize anything -- although this is often not the actual situation -- important books that really detail Thai social character and Thai society in depth, up to and including the monarchy, are automatically discouraged. Somehow, it’s just not kosher. So Thais comply and foreigners who decide they need to keep a low profile go along with the flow. Important reportage, in-depth coverage of personalities and events, especially of social upheaval and a meaningful prognosis for Thailand’s future, are all rendered meaningless because they are never written.

Any serious foreigner writing about Thai social developments -- whether they are political, reflect on the monarchy or the country’s wayward practices of Buddhism -- are usually nipped in the bud before they start. There are too many conflicting vested interests afloat to generate truly serious commentary about the Land of Smiles. After all, if you keep your mouth shut, go into business with a local Thai who has had the government “lock the specs” on a product with a guaranteed market that only you are allowed to import into Thailand, and you bought a nice condo on the beach and have a really beautiful Thai wife or girlfriend, are making lots of money, and have friends and relative immunity from the police, then why rock the boat?

Author Paul Findley went ahead anyhow and rocked the boat. He does not expect to be welcomed back into Thailand anytime in the near future. But his book, “The King Never Smiles,” tells an important story and not only about certain aspects of the country’s revered monarchy. It is about Thai society in a more general way, a meaningful way. But in the land of illusion, this kind of revelation is viewed by the elite as divisive and unwanted, and they will always fight to preserve the status quo.

Yet, even as this column is being written, the People’s Alliance for Democracy will gather at Bangkok’s Victory Monument this Sunday, May 25, to protest government mandated changes to last year’s Constitution. Also, on Monday the Thai government spokesman and minister assigned to the Prime Minister’s Office, Jakrapob Phenkair, is scheduled to hold a press conference where he will try to explain his own acts of lese majeste while in Los Angeles on Nov. 10, 2007, as well as at a Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand seminar. Despite the illusions of social unity and joint purpose, despite the cultural pressures that impose silence on those who would speak, there are still those who will speak, Thai or foreigner.

http://www.upiasiaonline.com/Society_Culture/2008/05/23/the_price_of_speech_in_thailand/1363/
http://www.thekoratpost.com

Wisarut

25-05-08, 08:44 PM

http://www.upiasiaonline.com/Society_Culture/2008/05/23/the_price_of_speech_in_thailand/1363/
http://www.thekoratpost.com

In such a case, I CONDMEN Farang who write such an article as the one who advocate "Ill-Liberal" Democrary whcih is a "fake" democracy ...

BTW, Ai samak is tryign to defence Ee Pheng and Ai maew for the caseo allowign Arabian investors to farm on the backs of farmers.

http://thaiinsider.info/portal/content/view/8467/12/

PAD is fighting
http://thaiinsider.info/portal/content/view/8471/12/

Suraphongse Chainarm (Thai deplomats - a grandchildren of Direk Chainarm)
is askign Thai people not to allow the whitewash of PPP by consitution amendament.

http://www.manager.co.th/Politics/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9510000060673

The gangs who destroy Thao Mahaphrom and Phanom RUng are the same one.
http://www.manager.co.th/Politics/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9510000060631

Dr. Prayoon is watchign the Translation fo Ee Phen's speech by Ee Phen
http://www.manager.co.th/Politics/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9510000060697

Dr. Raphee Sakrit askign Somsak to defence Thai Farmers froim beign farmed on their back.
http://www.manager.co.th/Politics/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9510000060700

Dr. Raphee Sakrit warning PAD to beware the 5th column (UDD & PPP men) who come to help PAD.

http://www.manager.co.th/Politics/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9510000060469

The Royalists are askign Samak to Boycott Ee Phen or he'll be Boycotted.
http://www.manager.co.th/Politics/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9510000060687

GWR

27-05-08, 12:03 PM

FCCT SPEECH
Watch Jakrapob's controversial speech
By The Nation

The Nation Online provides a video clip of what PM's Office Minister Jakrapob Penkair said at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand last year.

The full transcript of the speech is available at Government House website.
[Mod:http://www.thaigov.go.th/index.aspx I haven't yet found the exact link.]

The long clip is divided into three parts to facilitate downloading time.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/05/27/headlines/headlines_30074013.php

Jakrapob counter-attacks, says he was set up
By Anucha Charoenpo and Manop Thip-Osod

PM's Office Minister Jakrapob Penkair announced on Monday he was taking seven days leave and immediately accused Abhisit Vejjajiva and his Democrat party of intentionally mistranslating his controversial speech on patronage with the purpose of forcing him from office.

The embattled minister, facing accusations he criticised the royal institution in his August 2007 remarks at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand, challenged Mr Abhisit to a public debate.

"My Abhisit should tell the public which part of my speech he considers to be lese majeste. I'm ready to go to any forum with him. Just tell me when," he said during a one-hour press conference, where he distributed four versions of the Thai translation of his speech on the topic "Democracy and the Patronage System of Thailand."

According to Mr Jakrapob, the controversial sentences in the speech, which he says were translated differently into Thai, are: "We are led into believing that the best form of government is guided democracy or democracy with His Majesty's gracious guidance. It has a continual development of ideas and beliefs into the current situation in which I see as a clash or the clash between democracy and patronage system."

Another is: "And this political situation will not end like the May incident in 1992. There is no one to end it because everyone is involved," Mr Jakrapob said.

He delivered his speech when the country was ruled by a government picked by the military after the September 2006 coup.

The country was then divided into the pro- and anti-Thaksin camps.

Mr Thaksin, who is admired by Mr Jakrapob, later supported the People Power party which won the general election last December.

Mr Jakrapob claimed the translation by the Democrats was aimed at causing him damage and threatened legal action against Mr Abhisit if he fails to name the translator.

He termed the opposition's actions old-style political tactics used against "a new generation of politicians".

Democrat executive Sirichoke Sopha said later that he was the translator and would take responsibility. He had nothing to hide.

Mr Jakrapob insisted he was loyal to the royal family and was a political victim of the opposition.

"Time will eventually show who is more loyal to the monarchy, me or Abhisit," he said.

There was no reason for him to resign because he had done nothing wrong. He would spend his leave gathering more information and reviewing public and media responses to his press conference before making any further decision.

Mr Jakrapob made clear that he would accept the "harshest punishment" if he is found guilty. "If the law proves that I am really guilty, I deserve the harshest punishment," he said.

He referred to the police complaint laid against him by Pol Maj Wattanasak Mungkitjakarndee.

Two weeks ago Mr Abhisit submitted the Democrat version of the translation to Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, pushing for the PM's Office minister to be removed from the cabinet.

Mr Jakrapob said the Thai translations by Pol Maj Wattanasak and the Democrats contained misleading terms and incorrect meanings.

Mr Abhisit refused to react to the attack by the minister.

But Mr Sirichoke accused Mr Jakrapob of trying to confuse the public by failing to specifically point to the sentences which were translated differently and caused him damage.

Link may expire:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=127848

GWR

27-05-08, 12:40 PM

See also Today's previous post

DAILY XPRESS
Jakrapob: My highest reverence is for The King
Published on May 27, 2008

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/05/27/headlines/images/30074068-01.jpg
[Photo: The Nation]

It was a strange day for a politician accused of being disloyal to the monarchy. PM's Office Minister Jakrapob Penkair, who criticised Thailand's 'patronage system' in a controversial speech at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand, countered the allegation by claiming that his words had been distorted, vowed to sue the Democrats and insisted that the monarchy is the heart and soul of the nation. Here are excerpts from an emotional Q&A session with reporters:

Are you going to swear true loyalty to the monarchy?

This is an old trick. I swear on the dignity of myself and my family that my highest reverence goes to the monarchy. Let time prove the truth.

You mentioned Privy Council president General Prem Tinsulanonda in a negative way in your speech.

I mentioned that person by name, yes. But what we are discussing today has nothing to do with him. Nobody thinks General Prem is an institution. I would like to quote His Majesty the King, who said, "Privy councillors have the duty of giving advice to the king and whenever they advise other people, they are not performing the duty of a privy councillor."

The privy councillor's role is respected, but their involvement in other matters can attract criticism from the public.

Do you think a privy councillor is part of a monarch's surroundings?

That question is for academic discussion. I don't want to attract more legal problems.

It seems like your friends in the [pro-government] Democratic Alliance against Dictatorship are protecting you.

Nobody can protect you if you act in contempt of the monarchy. They are expressing their concern, not protecting me. You are also in the wrong for protecting people guilty of lese majeste.

Do you feel you are being isolated from the People's Power Party?

This is a personal responsibility and I have to explain the matter myself.

I think an experienced political party will be able to see that and not let itself become a tool for the opposition.

I am the accused, and as a person who has received royal endorsement as PM's Office Minister and as a royal subject, I have to prove my innocence and make my decisions on my own.

Has former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra signalled for you to resign?

I have received all kinds of comments from people. I won't be specific here; it's a personal matter, but I will make my decision myself.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/05/27/headlines/headlines_30074068.php

Wisarut

27-05-08, 09:24 PM

Full verision of Ee Phen Speechs to Thai expats in LA in Novemebr 2007

http://thaiinsider.info/portal/content/view/8514/59/

Khun Mark has retorted back that Ee Phen's translation of his own speech is full of distortion - Lying the public to please his boss
http://thaiinsider.info/portal/content/view/8513/12/
http://www.manager.co.th/Politics/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9510000061669

Decoding Ee Phen - Lying the public to protecxdt his boss at all cost.
http://www.manager.co.th/Politics/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9510000060229

Court REFUSE to remove the parole of Khun Sonthi as requested by Ai Chaloem
http://thaiinsider.info/portal/content/view/8523/12/
http://www.manager.co.th/Politics/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9510000061611

Should we give away Thailand to the hand of AI Maew and CO.?
http://www.manager.co.th/Daily/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9510000061668

PAD said we would NEVER surrender to thsoe politcal thugs.
http://www.manager.co.th/Daily/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9510000061671

Ajarn Raphee Sakrit is asking "Where thsoe Octoberists are gone?
"Did they have dolf out therei souls to Mean Caplitalist?"
http://www.manager.co.th/Daily/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9510000061664

Sor 7 has condemned thsoe who are goign to sell out Thailand in exchange for concession
http://www.manager.co.th/Entertainment/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9510000061119

Wisarut

29-05-08, 11:47 AM

Besieged minister jakrapob faces a battle he cannot win
By Supalak G Khundee
The Nation - May 29, 2008

In going about its normal routine, the Democrat Party looks every bit the liberal outfit it purports to be.

But on the sensitive topic of the monarchy when its political enemies are involved, the party quickly shows its true colours.

Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva proved he was a true-blue democrat when he attacked PM's Office Minister Jakrapob Penkair over his controversial speech given to the Foreign Correspondent's Club of Thailand last year, saying the young minister's views reflected a "dangerous attitude" towards the country's constitutional monarchy.

Abhisit means business and it's plainly obvious Jakrapob is going to lose this battle. Yet it could have been different had his speech about the patronage system and the myth of monarchy been given at another time in our history.

Had Jakrapob been around 70-odd years ago and was given the opportunity to express his opinions in a like manner in a place similar to the FCCT, his audience in the main would probably just sniff and huff that this young man knows little about the monarchy, and that his political thoughts on the issue are too shallow.

In those pre-World War II years, Thai politicians were very radical and their attitude towards the monarchy was often described as "antagonistic".

For instance, Lieutenant Thongkham Khlai-opas, a member of the House of Representatives from Prachin Buri, addressed the Parliament on management of the Crown Property Bureau as if he was taking part in a censure debate against the monarchy.

In those early years of constitutional monarchy, the people were not able to enjoy full freedom of expression, but the royalist faction in the body politic was not as strong as the 1932 revolutionaries.

It took until the coup d'etat of 1947 before royalist politicians began to stake a claim to political ascendancy - a coup in which key members of the Democrat Party took part. The Pramoj brothers, Kukrit and Seni, played a crucial role in formulating a new constitution that would restore monarchical authority.

The Democrat Party took up the royalist position, tagging along with factions in the Army who were waging a war against members of the 1932 revolutionary group and their associates. Many of those who opposed them, including senior statesman and former prime minister Pridi Banomyong who led a civilian faction in the 1932 Revolution, fled the country and lived in exile until the end of their lives.

Since that time, the position of the monarchical institution has been elevated to a position of untouchability.

Jackrapob, if he had bothered to read his Thai history, notably on the role of the Democrats, should know that any speech relating to the monarchy these days, regardless of whether it is right or wrong, can only supply ammunition to his enemies.

Academically, the role of the monarchy in Thai politics is a debatable issue, but not at the present moment, and certainly the right to such debate is not the preserve of the Democrats' opponents. The main opposition party, which paints itself as a liberal organisation, gives no space for freedom of expression on this matter.

With the powerful sentiment about the monarchy being built up and played on by the rightist movement that is currently taking to the streets, Thai society is not in the mood to listen to Jakrapob's clarification. He might have the right in court to defend himself on a lese majeste charge, but that chance won't present itself before the political damage is done to his cabinet career.

Any attempt to seek help from his political masters, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and current Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, can only be fruitless. Thaksin just wants to steer clear of any controversy arising from lese majeste accusations, considering his recent history is regurgitated almost daily by his enemy, the People's Alliance for Democracy.

Samak, who is under some pressure to prove that he is still a royalist, is uncomfortable about extending his protection to his lieutenant.

Legally speaking, the lese majeste law does not allow for wide-ranging interpretation. So whenever an issue is politicised, especially by those who have long experience in doing so, nobody can hide behind a legal shield. And that will indicate Jackrapob's political fate.

GWR

30-05-08, 10:57 AM

Besieged minister jakrapob faces a battle he cannot win
By Supalak G Khundee
The Nation - May 29, 2008

Friday May 30, 2008
Jakrapob will face lese majeste charge
Expected to resign from office today
WASSAYOS NGAMKHAM & WASSANA NANUAM

PM's Office Minister Jakrapob Penkair is expected to resign today after pressure from military leaders and with police deciding to file a lese majeste charge against him.

The minister will hold a press conference today on his political future, Chatuporn Promphan, a People Power party (PPP) MP and close friend, disclosed.

Sources expect Mr Jakrapob to announce his resignation from cabinet.

They said Mr Jakrapob, who on Monday decided to take seven days of leave, was also under pressure from other PPP members, who are pushing him to sacrifice his position for the stability of the administration.

Mr Jakrapob's troubles came from a speech he made at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand on Aug 29 last year, where he spoke about the patronage system and democracy in Thailand. He is alleged to have tried to challenge the royal institution, although he strongly denies the accusation.

His speech also praised ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whose work lured him out of the Foreign Ministry and into politics.

Mr Thaksin has already sent two messages to Mr Jakrapob, telling him to take responsibility for what he had done.

The opposition Democrat party also called for the prime minister to take action against Mr Jakrapob before the situation gets out of control.

Mr Thaksin gave Privy Council president Gen Prem Tinsulanonda a wai when both attended the funeral of army chief Gen Anupong Paojinda's mother at Wat Sommanat last night.

Mr Jakrapob's problems deepened yesterday when air force chief ACM Chalit Phukphasuk and Supreme Commander Gen Boonsrang Niempradit put pressure on him to resign.

ACM Chalit urged the government and the ruling PPP to ease the rising political tension by solving three problems, one of them being Mr Jakrapob. The minister was a factor leading to rifts in the country, ACM Chalit said.

The two other problems were to defer the attempt to rewrite the charter, which was seen by the air force leader as serving the interest of certain groups, and better measures to ease economic difficulties.

Gen Boonsrang echoed ACM Chalit's call for Mr Jakrapob to step down and stressed the importance of all Thais showing their loyalty to the monarchy.

''Talking in a public venue is not the same as chatting in private places,'' said Gen Boonsrang.

A cabinet minister must use his own judgement after making a mistake and with the public no longer wanting him in office, he said.

''If I were him, I would quit hours later [after I was found guilty], not talk about how many days afterward.

''I'd see no point staying on,'' said Gen Boonsrang.

''It is not a disgrace to leave,'' he said. ''It is an heroic exit.''

At the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) office, a panel agreed to press charges against Mr Jakrapob related to his speech.

If found guilty he could face between three and 15 years in jail under the Criminal Law.

Mr Jakrapob will be summoned to hear the charge next week or asked to turn himself in to police, said CIB chief Pol Lt-Gen Adisorn Nonsi.

If he fails to meet police, the CIB will forward the evidence and ask the Criminal Court to issue a court summons for him, he added.

Pol Lt-Gen Adisorn said he was confident in the evidence to back up the charge against the minister. The CIB is seeking opinions on the speech on the patronage system and democracy in Thailand from literature and translation experts, he said.
Link may expire:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/300508_News/30May2008_news01.php

Wisarut

30-05-08, 11:23 AM

:cool: :roll: Resignation possible today

Yes, at noon on Friday 30 May 2008 ... in disgraceful manner due to Ee Phen's conflcits with Newin, AI Maew and Ai Samak

GWR

30-05-08, 12:04 PM

Yes, at noon on Friday 30 May 2008 ... in disgraceful manner due to Ee Phen's conflcits with Newin, AI Maew and Ai Samak

Interesting background on some of the 'distressing' sites. Their conclusion seems to be that the Democrat Party is really far more distressed by that fact that these sites all seem to have a dislike of ...... the Democrat Party. The one good thing about this crisis is, perhaps, that it has again shown up the Democrat Party and Abhishit as really a rather conservative flag-waving bunch - who are prepared to hide behind the royalist banner for the sake of their 'do nothing, let's keep the rich middle-man happy' agenda. One might argue that it is this whole business of sweeping all problems under the carpet that has made the electorate susceptible to the political piranha fish of Thaksin, TRT and PPP:

http://www.prachatai.com/english/news.php?id=655

Thai Language original:
http://www.prachatai.com/05web/th/home/12294

GWR

30-05-08, 01:34 PM

Urgent: Jakrapob announces his resignation

PM's Office Minister Jakrapob Penkair told a press confernce at Government House Friday that he will resign.

Speaking at a press conference at 12:25 pm, Jakrapob said he had to resign to save the prime minister and the government.

He said the government and prime minister have to be saved now for democracy in the long run.

He said he would fight the case of lese majesty to set a precedence not to allow dirty politics to prevail.

The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30074386

Jakrapob resigns from PM's Office post

(BangkokPost.com) - Jakrapob Penkair announced Friday he would step down from Prime Minister's Office Minister post after being accused of lese majeste in a speech he gave at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand last year.

Mr Jakrapob held a press conference to announce his decision. The event was broadcasted on NBT station.

He said he would hand a resignation letter Friday, and the resignation will be effective next week.
Link may expire:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=127905

GWR

30-05-08, 01:56 PM

See also Today's previous 4 posts

Jakrapob announces his resignation
By The Nation

Speaking at a press conference at Government House, Jakrapob said he had to resign to save the prime minister and the government.

He said the government and prime minister have to be saved now for democracy in the long run.

He said he would fight the case of lese majesty [;-)] to set a precedence not to allow dirty politics to prevail.

Jakrapob said he would submit his resignation to the prime minister in the evening.

He announced his resignation after police announce that they would take legal action against Jakrapob for alleged lese majesty related to his speech given to the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand in August last year.

The press conference was broadcast live on TVs.

Responding to reporters' questions, Jakrapob said the legal case did not influence him to resign but he decided to resign to lift the burden from Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/05/30/politics/politics_30074387.php

GWR

30-05-08, 11:29 PM

LESE MAJESTE ALLEGATIONS
Jakrapob resigns 'for the sake of democracy'
By The Nation
Published on May 31, 2008

'Victim of power games' says he will keep fighting

PM's Office Minister Jakrapob Penkair yesterday tendered his resignation, citing the survival of the government and democracy as the reason.

Jakrapob apologised to his supporters while announcing his decision to step down at a press conference at Government House.

"I want my supporters to know that my resignation is not a weakness or a retreat but a political step to save the majority,'' he said.

More than 20 members of the Democratic Alliance against Dictatorship gathered in a show of support at the Naree Samosorn Building as Jakrapob announced his resignation before a throng of local and foreign reporters.

Jakrapob denied committing lese majeste, saying he had explained his innocence and that he had no intention of slighting the monarchy in the speech he made at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand on August 29 last year, ten months before he was royally endorsed as a minister.

"I will keep on fighting. I want not only justice for myself but also to set a norm so that society sees less wrongdoing, destruction and evil,'' he said.

He said Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej had faced heavy pressure over the past three days after reports of a possible coup were spread in a bid to undermine the government both inside and outside the House, so he decided to diffuse the tension and pressure on the PM by quitting.

"A plan was mapped out by outsiders for players to play the game. I am the victim because I am linked to the highest institution. I have taken the decision that I need to … so that democracy can win in the end,'' he said.

Jakrapob also denied reports he had played games himself by creating conflict between powerful figures in the government for his own survival. "People in the government camp also have short vision by playing the games of the rival camp. Since this controversy had no logic but became a power game, I have decided to quit in order to keep the big ship from sinking,'' he said.

Jakrapob's resignation will take effect early next week.

Jakrapob thanked Samak for being a gentleman in light of the controversy surrounding him, saying he respected the prime minister's political ideology and would follow in his footsteps.

He said later he would report to the to the Crime Suppression Division between 1pm and 2pm today to acknowledge the charges related to his controversial speech.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/05/31/politics/politics_30074438.php