A Horse of a Multi-Color? It Looks Yellow to Me

Last week about 50 people protested outside the Japanese embassy against that government’s decision to issue a special one week visa for former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to enter their country. These pathetic individuals were led by Civil Network against Thaksin's Corruption Pardon coordinator and noted fascist Tul Sitthisomwong.

The fact that Thaksin is visiting Japan in order to offer assistance to the victims of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami makes these so called “multi-color shirt” protesters in Bangkok truly low life scum. Even if Thaksin’s visit is self-serving, any group who would try to deny any chance of aid to disaster victims is the lowest of the low.

This should help prove to everyone that the multi-color shirts are really the yellow shirted People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) in disguise.

Due to pending court cases on charges of terrorism and many other criminal acts some of the PAD members and leaders have avoided openly showing their favorite yellow color, and instead they wear other colors when demonstrating their shameless hate.

Do these two protesters look familiar?

And Tul Sitthisomwong has often spoken about fascism on PAD stages such as the time these terrorists took control of the Bangkok airports in 2008 (video).

They call Yingluck Shinawatra a clone of her brother, however a better example of a Thai cloning would be Tul Sitthisomwong and his beloved mentor Sondhi Limthongkul similar to Dr. Evil and Mini-me in the second and third Austin Powers movies: Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and Austin Powers in Goldmember.

Thailand's Version of Mini-Me and Dr. Evil

The Thais of Texas

I am happy to report that Abhisit and his ilk have not destroyed the good perception that Americans have of Thais. I only need to take you on a trip in the state I live in, Texas, to illustrate this. I’ll start in Denton, just north of Dallas.

Earlier this week, on August 15th, it was reported that Thai businessman and University of North Texas (UNT) alumnus, Charn Uswachoke, will donate $22 million to the school to help boost its prominence in business, music and engineering.

Charn Uswachoke

Uswachoke received his master’s degree in business administration from the Denton, Texas university in 1973 and later became a leader in the development of Thailand’s semiconductor industry. 

In 1995, he donated gifts of $1 million and $1.2 million. Those gifts were earmarked for music, business and international programs.

Uswachoke also made headlines in 1994 when he purchased 500 UNT football season tickets for $10,000 and donated them to various local groups. At the time UNT was seeking to move up to Division I-A in football and needed to sell an average of 17,000 tickets per home game to qualify.

“I owe a lot to UNT and to Denton,” Uswachoke said. “Denton is my second home.”

Denton and UNT owes a lot of gratitude to Mr. Uswachoke.

Now let’s travel 180 miles south down I35/I45 to Huntsville, Texas – the home of Sam Houston State University (SHSU).

In the 1970’s, Thaksin Shinawatra became the first foreign student to enter the criminal justice doctoral program at SHSU. While going to school in Huntsville, Mr. Shinawatra, his wife, Potjaman, and their three children immersed themselves in the Texas culture. She held a job and he worked at a Burger King and got up every morning at 3 a.m. for a Houston Chronicle newspaper route.

He made a lasting impression on his professors, including the head of the department, Dr. Beto.

"Dr. Beto, who had a part in admitting Thaksin and others into the (doctoral) program, said anybody who comes from the land of Thaksin is good enough for him," said Rolando Del Carmen, an SHSU professor who taught Mr. Shinawatra in the 1970s. "So, he opened the door for international students in the (doctoral) program, and it remains that way today."

Thaksin has maintained his ties with SHSU. In 1996 he received the Outstanding Criminal Justice Alumnus Award and Distinguished Alumni Award from SHSU. In 2002, he returned to SHSU to receive the Sam Houston Humanitarian Award based upon his notable contributions to humanity and responsible and distinguished leadership and service.

Thaksin Shinawatra Receiving Sam Houston Humanitarian Award

Throughout the years, he has been honored with many awards, however he said this one holds a special place in his heart.

"I have received many awards during my life, and I would not normally care, but this one is special to me because it comes from my university -- a place that I am proud to say I was a student at," Thaksin said. "I gained a lot of knowledge from Sam Houston and started my family life here, so it is special to me."

But Thais don’t have to be rich or famous to cast a positive image of their nationality. Travel south on I45 for about 79 miles.

If it seems like you can't throw a rock without hitting a Thai restaurant in Houston these days, you can thank Darawan Charoenrat. Charoenrat, the patriarch of the family that's quietly run Kanomwan in the East End for decades, was a pioneer in bringing Thai food and flavors to Houston before passing away in June 2010.

Kanomwan Thai Restaurant - Houston, Texas

Even as the restaurant grew in size and reputation, Charoenrat and his wife ran most of the operation: He taking orders and running the register, she cooking the food. Unlike others who dumbed down Thai cuisine to suit our American palates, Kanomwan stayed true to authentic original recipes.

The furious pace kept Charoenrat famously gruff — customers referred to him lovingly as the Thai Nazi (a play on Seinfeld's "Soup Nazi") — but he was known to soften, even smile, with prompt orderers or especially if asked about his family.

Though Charoenrat was often brusque, barking, "It's not time for you to order yet!" or "You should order this!" he came off more like a difficult grandparent than a heartless dictator. Diners willing to go along with his, shall we say, suggestions, found his bossiness to be part of the restaurant's charm, and tales of the "Thai Nazi" encouraged others to go and see him for themselves.

But those who got to know Charoenrat were able to pierce through his gruff exterior and discover his soft spots for teachers (he was one himself back in Thailand) and families with kids. In fact, when the news of Charoenrat's death broke, many of his regular customers thought immediately of his grandson. At dinner service, the Thai Nazi was often joined at the register by his young grandson, who apprenticed for him, ringing up bills, making change and offering customers a piece of Juicy Fruit gum on their way out the door.

Gracious, honorable, hard working, kind and generous are the true traits associated with Thai people. The scary thing is that there are those who are trying to redefine who a Thai really is.

Dr. Tul Sitthisomwong was once quoted “that, speaking as a doctor, love for the country and the king was embedded only in Thais’ DNA, not that of other peoples. It was a pity that many Thais had mutated and did not have the love for the king in their DNA and should not be called Thai.” Tul is the leader of the multicolor shirts, an antidemocratic mob in Thailand. You may remember that it was the multicolor shirts who was demanding that the military forcibly crackdown on peaceful protesters in Bangkok last year.

And you may also remember that General Prayuth Chan-ocha more than happily accommodated Tul and his mob of misanthropes. Prayuth was quoted as saying in a recent New York Times article, "If you are skeptical of the monarchy, you cannot be considered a Thai person." It’s not surprising that Prayuth and Tul are trying to set a warped definition of what constitutes being a Thai. They must realize that they are the ones who can never measure up. And they never will. Who are the real Thai Nazis?

Tul and Prayuth

Measurements of Abhisit’s Failure Series Part II – Press Freedom

The end of Abhisit Vejjajiva’s tenure as Prime Minister should be celebrated. Nearly every measurement of freedom of speech, civic, and human rights plummeted since he was placed in charge by the Thai military in December 2008. One of his most visible failures was press freedom where he continuously denied Thailand’s citizens this basic right in order for him to remain in power.

A free press is the symbol of a free people. An independent, well-informed press is a powerful check on arbitrary governments and irresponsible administrators. For the news media are agents of the public, which bring to the notice of the people acts of injustice or oppression, or mal-administration that would otherwise have remained hidden away from public knowledge.

Even the most powerful autocrat, like Abhisit was, is forced to take note of public opinion as reflected in a free press. That is why a regimented press is the instrument of autocracy, and why a dictator deprived Thailand of its press freedom.

This depravation of press freedom in Thailand under Abhisit’s regime can actually be measured using the annual Press Freedom Index Reports compiled and published by the media rights group, Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

The Press Freedom Index is an annual ranking of countries based upon RSF’s assessment of their press freedom records. These reports are published every year, usually in October, and is based on a questionnaire sent to partner organizations of RSF (14 freedom of expression groups in five continents) and its 130 correspondents around the world, as well as to journalists, researchers, jurists and human rights activists.

The survey asks questions about direct attacks on journalists and the media as well as other indirect sources of pressure against the free press. RSF is careful to note that the index only deals with press freedom, and does not measure the quality of journalism. In the Press Freedom Index, the lower the evaluation score the freer the country.

Below are Thailand’s Press Index scores and rankings for every year since 2002.

Plotting these scores and rankings better illustrates the dramatic slide of Press Freedom in Thailand during Abhisit’s reign.

A plot of the Press Freedom Index rankings for Thailand shows a similarly alarming trend.

In 2010, Thailand slipped 23 places to the ranking of 153rd on the press freedom index. This is mainly due to Abhisit’s decision to shut down much of the opposition media and for killing two journalists and wounding some fifteen others while they covered the army massacre of innocent protesters in Bangkok in April and May of last year.

Another incident which contributed to the lowest Press Freedom ranking in Thailand’s history was the decision by Abhisit to have a military sniper assassinate pro-democracy General Khattiya Sawatdiphol (aka Seh Daeng) during an interview with a New York Times reporter on May 13, 2010.

Although the 2011 Press Freedom Index won’t be out until October, it is anticipated that Thailand’s score and ranking will still be miserably low due to the authoritarian policies of Abhisit against the press. For instance, he has shut down dozens of radio stations and has imprisoned Somyot Pruksakasemsuk, an editor of a magazine which opposed the authoritarian policies of Abhisit.

But there is a light on the horizon and the future looks bright for Thailand with regards to freedom of press. The policies of the new democratically elected Prime Minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, are expected to put an end to Thailand’s “slide into the abyss” caused by Abhisit Vejjajiva.

Measurements of Abhisit’s Failure Series Part I - Human Trafficking

Nobody could have imagined how disastrous Abhisit’s government would become when the military installed him as Prime Minister. Now that his dreadful reign is almost at an end we can look back and use measurements from various organizations to gauge his many failures. Yingluck is going to have her hands full in reversing these trends.

One good thing that the US government actually does is the engagement on the fight against human trafficking in the world.  In 2000, the US Congress passed the Trafficking Victims Prevention Act (TVPA). One of this law’s requirements is for the Department of State to submit a Report each year to the U.S. Congress on foreign governments’ efforts to eliminate severe forms of trafficking in persons.

The Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report is the world’s most comprehensive resource of governmental anti-human trafficking efforts. It is the U.S. Government’s principal diplomatic tool to engage foreign governments on this key human rights and law enforcement issue. Worldwide, the report is used by international organizations, foreign governments, and nongovernmental organizations alike as a tool to examine where resources are most needed. Freeing victims, preventing trafficking, and bringing traffickers to justice are the ultimate goals of the report.

In the TIP Report, which comes out each June, the Department of State places each country onto one of three tiers based on the extent of their governments’ efforts to comply with the “minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking” found in Section 108 of the TVPA.

A GUIDE TO THE TIERS

TIER 1
Countries whose governments fully comply with the TVPA’s minimum standards.

TIER 2
Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the TVPA’s minimum standards, but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards.

TIER 2 WATCH LIST
Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the TVPA’s minimum standards, but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards 

AND:

a) The absolute number of victims of severe forms of trafficking is very significant or is significantly increasing;

b) There is a failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat severe forms of trafficking in persons from the previous year; or

c) The determination that a country is making significant efforts to bring itself into compliance with minimum standards was based on commitments by the country to take additional future steps over the next year.

TIER 3
Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so.

The TVPA lists additional factors through which to determine whether a country should be on Tier 2 (or Tier 2 Watch List) versus Tier 3. First, the extent to which the country is a country of origin, transit, or destination for severe forms of trafficking. Second, the extent to which the country’s government does not comply with the TVPA’s minimum standards and, in particular, the extent to which officials or government employees have been complicit in severe forms of trafficking. And third, reasonable measures required to bring the government into compliance with the minimum standards in light of the government’s resources and capabilities to address and eliminate severe forms of trafficking in persons.

Below is the graph of Thailand’s Tier Rankings by year since the TIP reporting began in 2001.

Abhisit has managed to bring down Thailand's Human Trafficking Tier level to the next to the lowest ranking available during his first full year of office and kept it at that level for the following year. 

And remember that in 2010, US Senator Jim Webb (DEM – Virginia), who headed the Foreign Relations subcommittee on East Asia, had made an unusually open appeal not to place Thailand on the watch list. He said that the US embassy staff disagreed with the intended downgrade as it could curb assistance for democracy and human rights programs in the wake of the kingdom's political violence.

But this is typical for the US embassy in Thailand. They have done more to support the Thai Government than they have done to assist “democracy and human rights” in Thailand. Go ask American Joe Gordon or any of the hundreds of other political prisoners being held in Thai Prisons for trumped up les majeste charges (but that's another topic).

Of course, Secretary of State Clinton correctly rejected this appeal. According to the TVPA, it would be illegal for her to change a Tier ranking or a narrative based upon the US embassy’s pathetic excuses.

Besides, pursuant to the TVPA, the U.S. government may withhold or withdraw only nonhumanitarian, nontrade-related foreign assistance to Thailand for being on the Tier 2 Watch List. For countries on Tier 3 may not receive funding for government employees’ participation in educational and cultural exchange programs. Consistent with the TVPA, governments subject to sanctions would also face U.S. opposition to assistance (except for humanitarian, trade-related, and certain development-related assistance) from international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

It is also interesting to note that in 2008, the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act included a provision that any country that has been ranked Tier 2 Watch List for two consecutive years and that would otherwise be ranked Tier 2 Watch List for the next year will instead be ranked Tier 3 for the next year.  Thailand now has been on the Tier 2 Watch list for two consecutive years!

This may be the real reason why the US embassy staff balked at placing Thailand on Tier 2 Watch List. They probably realized that in a couple of years, with Abhisit as PM and his record of ignoring human rights, Thailand would eventually become Tier 3.

No tier ranking is permanent. Hopefully with a Pheu Thai led government, Thailand can and will do more to combat trafficking.

The Trafficking in Persons Report for 2011 can be found here. 

Democracy Returns To Thailand

CONGRATULATIONS TO YINGLUCK SHINAWATRA!

WINNER

THAILAND'S FIRST DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED PRIME MINISTER IN TWO AND A HALF YEARS SINCE THE MILITARY INSTALLED PUPPET, ABHISIT VEJJAJIVA, BEGAN HIS DISASTROUS REIGN.

LOSER

NOW THAT DEMOCRACY HAS RETURNED TO THAILAND, MAY PEACE, STABILITY, AND PROSPERITY BE QUICK TO RETURN AS WELL. THIS IS A GREAT MOMENT FOR DEMOCRACY, THAILAND AND THE WORLD!