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- Recruits marched to training as Myanmar junta presses conscription
Yangon, Myanmar – Myanmar’s embattled junta is pressing ahead with military conscription, state media said Tuesday, with video footage showing new recruits being marched to training centres across the country. The...
The post Recruits marched to training as Myanmar junta presses conscription first appeared on Thai PBS World : The latest Thai news in English, News Headlines, World News and News Broadcasts in both Thai and English. We bring Thailand to the world.
Yangon, Myanmar – Myanmar’s embattled junta is pressing ahead with military conscription, state media said Tuesday, with video footage showing new recruits being marched to training centres across the country.
The military is struggling to crush widespread opposition to its rule following its 2021 coup that ended an experiment with democracy and plunged Myanmar into turmoil.
In February the junta said it would enforce a law allowing it to call up all men aged 18-35 to serve in the military, sending thousands queueing for visas outside foreign embassies in Yangon.
Junta number two Soe Win visited Yangon on Monday and was briefed on the “systematic selection” of those being called up, the state-owned Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said.
The first batch of recruits began training in April, according to state broadcaster MRTV, which did not say how many had been signed up.
Recruits from the second batch have begun arriving at their training camps, according to a montage broadcast by MRTV last week.
The images showed dozens of men, purportedly at different locations across the country, walking in lines to training centres, some led by soldiers or marching bands.
Groups of women and soldiers formed tunnels to greet some of them with flowers or place garlands on their necks.
One group of men were wearing identical T-shirts with “Natmauk” on the back, the images showed.
Natmauk is the home town of Aung San, who spearheaded the independence struggle against British colonial rule and is revered by Myanmar’s military, which he founded.
His daughter, democracy figurehead Aung San Suu Kyi, has been detained by the military since the coup and jailed on charges critics say are designed to remove her from politics.
– 13 million eligible –
After arriving at their training centres the second batch of recruits “took a medical test and were issued with food, military equipment and a stipend,” MRTV said.It did not say how many men were included in the second batch.
The military service law was authored by a previous junta in 2010 but was never brought into force.
It allows the military to summon all men aged 18-35 and women aged 18-27 to serve for at least two years.
The service term can last up to five years during a state of emergency, which the junta has extended multiple times since its coup.
Around 13 million people will be eligible to be called up, a junta spokesman has said, though the military only has the capacity to train 50,000 a year.
Local media have reported cases of young men being pulled off the streets in Yangon and other cities and taken away to undergo military training.
The junta has denied the reports.
The 2021 coup re-ignited conflict with established ethnic minority armed groups and birthed dozens of newer pro-democracy “People’s Defence Forces” now battling the military across Myanmar.
The conflict has displaced around 2.7 million people, according to the United Nations.
Rights groups say the junta has burned villages, carried out extrajudicial killings and used air and artillery strikes to punish communities it suspects of opposing its rule.
Agence France-Presse
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15 May 15 2024ASEANhttps://www.thaipbsworld.com/?p=334080 - Foreign envoys express condolences over death in detention of Thai activist
Foreign envoys in Thailand have expressed condolences to the family and friends of political activist Netiporn Sanesangkhom, also known as “Bung Thalu Wang”, who died yesterday at Thammasat University Hospital...
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Foreign envoys in Thailand have expressed condolences to the family and friends of political activist Netiporn Sanesangkhom, also known as “Bung Thalu Wang”, who died yesterday at Thammasat University Hospital of cardiac arrest, after months on hunger strike.
German Ambassador to Thailand, Ernst Reichel, wrote on his X account that it was a tragic death of a young political activist in pre-trial detention, without bail, after a prolonged hunger strike. “My wish would be that political disagreements are not taken to such bitter and extreme consequences,” he wrote.
US Ambassador to Thailand Richard Godec also expressed his sadness, saying, “We are saddened by the tragic death of Netiporn ‘Bung’ Sanesangkhom. We send our deepest condolences to her family and friends.”
Also sending condolences to Netiporn’s family were Denmark’s Ambassador to Thailand Jon Thorgaard, Finland’s Ambassador to Thailand Jyri Järviaho, Luxembourg’s envoy Hemmer Patrick, and Sweden’s Ambassador to Thailand Sibille de Cartier. De Cartier’s embassy issued a separate statement, expressing the same message.
Ambassador of the Netherlands to Thailand, Remco van Wijngaarden, wrote on his X account, “With sorrow I have learned of the death of Ms. Netiporn ‘Bung’ Sanesangkhom, who has passed away at the very young age of 26. I offer my sincere condolences to her family and loved ones.”
Condolences and expressions of sadness were also sent by David Daly, the European Union’s Ambassador to Thailand.
UN Human Rights Asia has called for a transparent and impartial investigation into her care and ultimate death.
Meanwhile, members of the Thalu Wang political group and friends of Netiporn gathered in front of the Bangkok South Criminal Court last evening, to mourn her passing.
Noppasin Treelayapewat, a member of the Thalu Wang group, blamed Netiporn’s death on the fact that she was incarcerated and denied bail by the court, prompting her to protest against her detention at the Central Women’s Correctional Institution by staging a hunger strike since January.
He said that the right to bail should belong to all detainees, because they have not yet been found guilty and he hopes that all political prisoners will be freed soon.
Asked about the next move by the Thalu Wang group, Noppasin said they are now in mourning and it will be some time before they meet to consider what to do next.
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15 May 15 2024Generalhttps://www.thaipbsworld.com/?p=334076 - Hospital director admits slapping teen father for smoking in hospital toilet
Director of Mongkut Wattana Hospital, Dr Rienthong Nanna, has admitted that he slapped the face of a 14-year-old boy, ordered him stripped naked and left the hospital, after the boy...
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Director of Mongkut Wattana Hospital, Dr Rienthong Nanna, has admitted that he slapped the face of a 14-year-old boy, ordered him stripped naked and left the hospital, after the boy was caught smoking in the hospital’s toilet.
In his Facebook post today, Dr Rienthong, who is known for his extreme right-wing political views, said that his punishment of the boy was intended to teach him a lesson for violating the hospital’s strict no-smoking regulations.
He explained that smoke from the cigarette will enter the air-conditioning system and spread all over the place, including to where patients are waiting to see doctors.
He claimed that, in the past, there were two fires caused by burning cigarette butts left by someone in the hospital, adding that the boy had violated the rights of the hospital and its patients by smoking in the toilet.
The doctor admitted that what he did to the boy was wrong, but refused to apologise.
Meanwhile, the boy’s mother admitted that her son was wrong for smoking in the hospital, but could not accept the punishment inflicted on her son by Dr. Rienthong.
She disclosed that her boy cried because he felt very embarrassed by being stripped naked in the crowded hospital. She also said that she would pay the 5,000 baht fine imposed by the hospital for the violation of the hospital’s regulations. The teen was visiting his partner who just delivered a baby in the hospital when the incident happened..
The mother has filed a complaint with the police against Dr Rienthong.
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15 May 15 2024Generalhttps://www.thaipbsworld.com/?p=334072 - Wong will be sworn in as Singapore’s prime minister, as Lee Hsien Loong bows out after 20 years
Singapore’s deputy leader Lawrence Wong is set to be sworn in Wednesday as the nation’s fourth prime minister in a carefully planned political succession designed to ensure continuity and stability...
The post Wong will be sworn in as Singapore's prime minister, as Lee Hsien Loong bows out after 20 years first appeared on Thai PBS World : The latest Thai news in English, News Headlines, World News and News Broadcasts in both Thai and English. We bring Thailand to the world.
Singapore’s deputy leader Lawrence Wong is set to be sworn in Wednesday as the nation’s fourth prime minister in a carefully planned political succession designed to ensure continuity and stability in the Asian financial hub.
A U.S.-trained economist, Wong, 51, succeeds Lee Hsien Loong, 72, who stepped down after two decades at the helm. Lee’s resignation marked the end of a family dynasty led by his father Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s charismatic first leader who built the colonial trading outpost into a business-friendly, affluent country during 31 years in office.
Wong, a civil servant turned politician, came to prominence while coordinating Singapore’s successful fight against COVID-19. But he wasn’t the first choice for the top job.
Heng Swee Keat, a former central bank chief and education minister, was the anointed successor but he withdrew his nomination in 2021. Wong was then picked by the ruling People’s Action Party in 2022 to fill the vacuum and quickly promoted to deputy prime minister.
“I will certainly strive to be a leader who is strong, kind and decisive. And I will do my best to build a Singapore where everyone can realize their full potential,” Wong said on social media earlier this month.
Wong’s ascension to the top has been meticulously crafted by the PAP — one of the world’s longest-serving political parties and known for its clean and effective governance — and will not change the dynamics in the tiny nation of some 6 million people.
Wong has retained the Cabinet and held onto his finance portfolio as he prepares for his first big test in general elections due by 2025 but widely expected to be called this year. Before taking office, he promoted Trade Minister Gan Kim Yong as one of two deputy premiers. The other deputy is Heng.
Lee will stay on as a senior minister, a path taken by all former premiers.
While victory in the election is assured, Wong must clinch a stronger win after the PAP suffered a setback in 2020 polls over voters’ rising discontent with the government.
Singapore under Lee’s rule flourished into one of the world’s wealthiest nations, but it also became one of the most expensive cities to live in. The PAP has also been criticized for tight government control and a government-knows-best stance, media censorship and the use of oppressive laws against dissidents.
Issues like widening income disparity, increasingly unaffordable housing, overcrowding caused by immigration and restrictions on free speech are often used as fodder by the opposition and have loosened the PAP’s grip on power.
“One-party dominance in Singapore is weakening but the challenge for the PAP leadership is to slow down the process,” said Eugene Tan, a law professor at Singapore Management University.
Bridget Welsh, a Southeast Asia political expert, said Lee “will be remembered for steering Singapore quietly and successfully through turbulent waters from the 2008-2009 financial crisis and COVID-19. He helped to build resilience in Singapore. … (But) Singapore has become a more complex society, with more open demands, making the task of governing (for Wong) more challenging.”
Wong was born seven years after Singapore separated from Malaysia and gained independence in 1965. His father was a migrant from China and his mother was a teacher. Unlike many senior PAP leaders, he didn’t have a privileged background. Observers have said this could help him connect better with the common citizen.
Wong earned a scholarship to study in the U.S., later obtaining a masters’ degree in economics from the University of Michigan and another masters’ degree in public administration from Harvard University. He spent years in public service including as a principal private secretary to Lee before entering politics in 2011. He has handled the defense, education, communications, culture, community and youth portfolios.
Like Lee, Wong is active on social media. Married with no children, he doesn’t reveal much about his private life but has offered glimpses into his interests in music and dogs, and he is a fan of tennis star Roger Federer. He often posts videos of himself playing guitar.
Wong has launched a Forward Singapore plan to let Singaporeans have a say in how to develop a more balanced, vibrant and inclusive agenda for the next generation. Wong often speaks in a flat tone and may not appear charismatic, but he is widely seen as a reliable and accessible leader.
“We can expect his leadership to be more consultative … one that will emphasize the team concept wherein his key lieutenants will be prominent,” said law professor Tan.
Tan said Wong’s immediate priorities will be to address issues including the rising cost of living, housing affordability and job security. “Bread-and-butter issues remain vital even for a prosperous country, partly because of Singapore’s innate vulnerabilities,” he said.
In foreign policy, Tan said Wong needs to navigate the “Sino-American power rivalry in which Southeast Asia has become a proxy theater of the contest.” Singapore, like some of its neighbors, has stayed neutral but it may be forced later to choose sides on a variety of issues, he said.
In this photo released by Singapore’s Ministry of Communications and Information, Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, right, poses for a photograph with Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana in Singapore, Monday, May 13, 2024. / AP The post Wong will be sworn in as Singapore's prime minister, as Lee Hsien Loong bows out after 20 years first appeared on Thai PBS World : The latest Thai news in English, News Headlines, World News and News Broadcasts in both Thai and English. We bring Thailand to the world.
15 May 15 2024Newshttps://www.thaipbsworld.com/?p=334066 - Indonesia floods kill 58 as rescuers race to find missing
Indonesian rescuers raced Wednesday to find dozens of people still unaccounted for after flash floods and cold lava flow that inundated neighbourhoods and swept away houses over the weekend left...
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Indonesian rescuers raced Wednesday to find dozens of people still unaccounted for after flash floods and cold lava flow that inundated neighbourhoods and swept away houses over the weekend left 58 people dead.
Hours of torrential rain on Saturday caused mud and rocks to flow into districts near one of Indonesia’s most active volcanos, sweeping away dozens of houses and damaging roads and mosques.
“Based on the latest data… the number of people who died is 58,” national disaster agency chief Suharyanto said in a statement Wednesday.
He added that 35 people remained missing — up from local rescuers’ figure of 22 on Tuesday — and 33 people were injured.
Rescuers said many of the retrieved bodies were found in or around nearby rivers after locals were swept away by the deluge of volcanic material, mud and rain that tore through neighbourhoods.
Cold lava, also known as lahar, is volcanic material such as ash, sand and pebbles carried down a volcano’s slopes by rain.
Heavy equipment was deployed to clear debris from the areas worst hit by flooding, which has affected transport access in six districts, said Suharyanto, who goes by one name.
More than 3,300 people have been forced to evacuate from affected areas.
To aid the rescue effort, authorities on Wednesday deployed weather modification technology, the term Indonesian officials use for cloud seeding.
In this case, it is being used in a bid to make clouds rain earlier so the rainfall’s intensity is weakened by the time it reaches the disaster-struck area.
Indonesia is prone to landslides and floods during the rainy season.
In 2022, about 24,000 people were evacuated and two children were killed in floods on Sumatra island, with environmental campaigners blaming deforestation caused by logging for worsening the disaster.
Trees act as a natural defence against floods, slowing the rate at which water runs down hills and into rivers.
People drive their motorcycles over a makeshift pathway made from wodden slabs to avoid the mud that was caused by flash floods at Rambatan Village, Tanah Datar Regency, West Sumatra, on May 14, 2024. / AFP The post Indonesia floods kill 58 as rescuers race to find missing first appeared on Thai PBS World : The latest Thai news in English, News Headlines, World News and News Broadcasts in both Thai and English. We bring Thailand to the world.
15 May 15 2024Newshttps://www.thaipbsworld.com/?p=334061 - Consumer Council offers to test old rice to ensure it is safe to eat
The Thailand Consumer Council (TCC) has volunteered to check the quality of the decade-old rice, bought under the scandal ridden rice pledging scheme of the Yingluck Shinawatra government, to make...
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The Thailand Consumer Council (TCC) has volunteered to check the quality of the decade-old rice, bought under the scandal ridden rice pledging scheme of the Yingluck Shinawatra government, to make sure that it is safe for consumption by humans and/or animals.
An urgent letter was sent by the TCC to Commerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, asking for samples of rice from all millers to be tested by qualified laboratories, after which the results will be made public.
TCC Secretary-General Saree Aongsomwang claimed that the council has experts in food, medicine and health products and, if necessary, a working group will be set up to handle this issue exclusively.
She urged the government to cancel its plan to export the old rice if the tests show that it is contaminated with toxins or carcinogens.
Last week, Phumtham, led a group reporters and commerce officials to a warehouse in Surin province to inspect the old rice. During the visit, they ate samples of the rice in storage which, according to Phumtham, was washed 15 times before being cooked.
He later declared that the rice is still edible and he plans to export it to “some African countries”.
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15 May 15 2024Generalhttps://www.thaipbsworld.com/?p=334054 - Tuk-tuk driver fined 2,500 baht, license suspended for overcharging
A tuk-tuk driver was fined 2,500 baht and has his driver’s license suspended for 90 days yesterday, after he was found to have charged four Japanese tourists 6,000 baht for...
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A tuk-tuk driver was fined 2,500 baht and has his driver’s license suspended for 90 days yesterday, after he was found to have charged four Japanese tourists 6,000 baht for taking them from Sukhumvit Soi 18 to Thaniya Plaza in the Silom area on May 13th.
One of the tourists then posted details of the incident on social media, which attracted considerable criticism of the driver, identified as “Phumiret”.
Officials from the Land Transport Department conducted an investigation into the ownership and license number of the tuk-tuk in question and managed to identify the driver, who was summoned to the department for questioning, during which he admitted overcharging, claiming it was because it was raining heavily.
The department decided to fine him 2,000 baht, plus another 500 baht for not dressing properly.
His driver’s license was also suspended for 90 days and he was ordered to attend a three-hour public service course.
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15 May 15 2024Generalhttps://www.thaipbsworld.com/?p=334051 - Justice minister to visit second hunger striker following death of Netiporn
Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong said today that he plans to visit political activist Tantawan Tuatulanon, who has been on a hunger strike since late January. Tawee said he wants to...
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Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong said today that he plans to visit political activist Tantawan Tuatulanon, who has been on a hunger strike since late January.
Tawee said he wants to see Tantawan’s condition first hand, following today’s death of detained activist Netiporn Sanesangkhom, 28, who died of cardiac arrest at Thammasat University Hospital at 11:22am.
“The government wishes to express its condolences on the passing of Netiporn. A thorough investigation by a joint committee will be conducted to ensure transparency. This is expected to be completed within seven days,” he said.
Netiporn had been on hunger strike since late January, after the Court revoked her bail on a lèse majesté charge following her involvement in a protest related to a royal motorcade.
During her detention and hunger strike in the Corrections Department Hospital, Netiporn was transferred to Thammasat University Hospital because of her deteriorating health.
The department issued a statement after Netiporn’s death, claiming that she had “agreed to take food and liquid” after she returned to the Corrections Department Hospital, but refused to take some supplementary vitamins.
Tantawan, charged twice for lèse majesté in 2022, was arrested again on February 13 and accused of sedition, breaking the Computer Crime Act and causing a public disturbance. Her bail requests have repeatedly been denied.
Her condition is also believed to be deteriorating, as she refuses to end the hunger strike.
Meanwhile, Krisadang Nutcharat, from Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR), questioned the Corrections Department’s treatment of convict and detainees today, asking whether it has dual standards following this morning’s death on hunger strike of a Thalu Wang group political activist Netiporn Sanesangkhom.
He said that TLHR had visited Netiporn while she was incarcerated at the Central Women’s Correctional Institution, found that her physical health was deteriorating and had applied for her release on bail, but without success.
He said there are numerous young people who are incarcerated on political offence charges and he wonders whether they have been treated the same way as “some adults”, presumably a veiled reference to the recent release on parole of convicted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, partially justified by his claimed ill health.
“If the standard of treatment is equal for all inmates, why did Netiporn have to be sent to Thammasat University Hospital?” asked Krisadang.
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14 May 14 2024Generalhttps://www.thaipbsworld.com/?p=334045 - British man arrested in Bangkok for bad reviews of Phuket restaurant
A British man was arrested for allegedly arranging for his friends to flood an Italian restaurant in Phuket with false one-star reviews after a dispute with the owner. The British...
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A British man was arrested for allegedly arranging for his friends to flood an Italian restaurant in Phuket with false one-star reviews after a dispute with the owner.
The British national, identified only as Alexander, 21, reportedly wanted to use the restaurant as a convenient shortcut to his accommodation in 2022. However, the owner barred him from doing so because he was not a paying customer, according to the New York Post online.
As revenge, Alexander is said to have enlisted his friends’ help in flooding the restaurant with negative reviews, plunging its rating from 4.8 to 3.1 out of 5 stars.
The Central Investigation Bureau arrested Alexander at his new apartment in Bangkok on May 9, after the owner filed a complaint with the Sakhu Police Station in Phuket’s Thalang district claiming the fake reviews had caused damage to the restaurant’s finances and reputation.
The arrest warrant was issued against Alexander on August 2023 for ‘entering false computer data likely to cause damage to the general public’.
Police Major Jomparit Kaewreung of the Crime Suppression Division said, “The suspect was handed over to the inquiry officer of Sakhu Police Station for further legal action. During the interrogation, he has denied the charges.”
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14 May 14 2024Around Thailandhttps://www.thaipbsworld.com/?p=334037 - PM claims Krisada’s resignation a result of a misunderstanding
Krisada Chinavicharana’s resignation as deputy finance minister may have stemmed from his misunderstanding of the rejigging of responsibilities in the Finance Ministry, following a cabinet reshuffle, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin...
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Krisada Chinavicharana’s resignation as deputy finance minister may have stemmed from his misunderstanding of the rejigging of responsibilities in the Finance Ministry, following a cabinet reshuffle, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin told the media at Government House today.
In his resignation letter, dated May 8th, Krisada said that, due to the different working styles after the appointment of Pichai Chunhavajira, as the new finance minister, and because he was not treated with honour, he felt that he could not remain in the cabinet.
The prime minister said that there are several other responsibilities with which Krisada could have assisted, adding though, as Krisada has already chosen to leave, he would just let it be.
Asked about Krisada’s stated reasons of his resignation, newly-appointed Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira said he could not answer on behalf of Krisada.
Meanwhile, Energy Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga, also leader of the United Thai Nation party, said that he has already talked with Krisada, who insisted on resigning.
He said that the party would find someone to replace Krisada, adding that the resignation was his personal decision.
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14 May 14 2024Generalhttps://www.thaipbsworld.com/?p=334028