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The Bangkok A to Z Guide The complete ";" click a letter to A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X-Y-Z "The Rounds" Friday, March 5, 2004
Mekhong Kurt * * * * * * * * * * Government
Modifies Controversial Wednesday's papers reported that the government had decided not to impose the controversial proposed regulations that severely reduce and limit the hours various entertainment venues can be open -- no to impose them on such venues that were licensed prior to January 13, 2004, that is, the day the current Entertainment Act came into effect. However, it is said by the media the government is sticking by a plan to impose the strict new regulations on any relevant venue that has a license dating January 13, 2004 or later. The media also reported that the partial reversal came over the strong objections of Khun Purachai, the senior government official in charge of the ongoing social order crusade. Reports appearing earlier indicated owners who had faced being brought under the new regulations were relieved by the reversal regarding them and felt the concessions made by the administration were fair. The media reports regarding closing times for restaurants confuse me, as restaurants will have to close at midnight, if I'm reading the reports correctly and the reports themselves are accurate. When this first came up, I thought of places such as The Rex Hotel on Sukhumvit Road (opposite Sukhimvit Soi 49), a popular 24-hour restaurant that never closes; even on days alcohol cannot be served, the restaurant has always remained open. If there is reason to include such restaurants under the range of these regulations, that reason utterly escapes me. You can see Wednesday's report in The Bangkok Post here. [Note aside: I was FINALLY able to get registered with that venerable paper the other day, so now can provide links again -- but if you aren't registered already, you'll have to register before you can read that story or any other one.] * * * * * * * * * * Happy Days for BangkokAtoZ.com In recent weeks, especially the past 2 weeks, traffic has increased significantly at this site, much to my gratification. In fact, on average, the number of visitors has just about doubled, though on 2 consecutive days last weekend I was thrilled out of my wits when I saw the 2nd day's traffic had well more than doubled. [The more-than-doubled-numbers day was last Saturday, when I put up the news alert about operating hours regulations, a subject generating a LOT of interest, as you already know!] I am well aware that I have you, visitors to this site, to thank for that increase in traffic, and I don't mean only because you yourselves visited, but I know for certain that some of you have passed along URL's from the site to others so they could read whatever is on those URL's pages. For instance, a good friend here in Pattaya put up the news alert's URL and a short summary of it on an popular Internet discussion board -- and over the next 36 hours, that board accounted for a rather amazing 17% of the site's total traffic! And believe you me -- am I ever grateful. Thanks to all of you for coming by, and thanks to all of you who passed along a URL or 2. * * * * * * * * * * Press Freedom Brouhaha Continues In last Sunday's edition of The Nation, there was an article regarding the concern of foreign journalists based in Bangkok about the erosion or press freedom exemplified in the removal of the editor at The Bangkok Post and the resignation of the editor at Siamrath ( a Thai-language newspaper) last month. Interestingly, a front-page article in The Bangkok Post reported PM Thaksin's outrage at a U.S. State Department's criticism of what the U.S. government saw as a deterioration of human rights in 2003 in the Kingdom, especially during the anti-drug crusade early in the year. Part of the report said Thaksin took the American government to task for relying on media reports, in part, for its condemning report. You can read the full report here, though if your only interest is in Thailand, the report contains only the following 2 sentences in a single paragraph: "In Thailand, the security forces were responsible for numerous instances of extrajudicial killings. According to press reports, more than 2,000 alleged drug suspects were killed during confrontations with police during a three-month "War on Drugs" from February to April, while the Government reported that out of a total of 2,598 homicide cases during this three-month period, there were 1,386 narcotics-related deaths." So why do I say this news report is interesting? -- because on page 2 of the same day's edition is a short article quoting the Army chief as saying drug-selling is growing in the North because politicians seeking office in the next general election are selling them to raise money for their campaigns. Given that the Army chief was hand-picked by Khun Thaksin, picked amidst some controversy, should foreign governments ignore that report? Are they to assume it to be inaccurate? The Bangkok Post didn't even report the Cabinet's change of heart regarding the operating times of various entertainment venues in its Saturday edition, though The Nation did. What are readers to make of that -- especially in the immediate aftermath of the controversial removal of Khun Veera at the former newspaper from his position as General Editor? Napolean Bonaparte said "Four hostile newspapers are more dangerous than a thousand bayonets." If he was correct, then presumably the converse is true: "Four friendly newspapers are more valuable than a thousand bayonets." The key word is "friendly," because how anyone's "friendliness" is obtained is crucial to defining the true nature of that friendship. If you win my friendship through honesty, openness, etc., fine. But remember that if you win it by having me on the ground with a sword at my throat, then the fundamental nature of my feelings of "friendship" towards you will be dramatically different. * * * * * * * * * * Positive News Regarding The Bangkok Post I have been quite willing to fire shots at media outlets, including The Bangkok Post, over what I perceive to be editorial or reportorial misbehavior. Honesty and fair play demand I praise an outlet when it gets something right, as The Bangkok Post did in a column in its "Perspective" section last Sunday. Human rights activist, attorney, and Senator Thongbai Thongpao writes a regular weekly column for the newspaper. In his column of February 29, 2004, Khun Thongbai addressed the question of press freedom -- including addressing the white-hot controversy swirling around the removal of Bangkok Post editor Veera Prateepchaikul February 20th. As displeased as I remain, overall, with The Bangkok Post, I do applaud the current editor's courage in running Khun Thongbai's column -- and applaud the owners for allowing it to appear. Khun Thongbai concludes his piece with the following statement: "To my fellow journalists: Stick to your professional principles and don't be afraid to speak up against dark influences." You can read his column for February 29th here. Khun Thongbai commands well-deserved moral respect for his unflinching and fearless views. If I regret anything about his reputation, it is that he is not even more widely recognized for his efforts on behalf of the oppressed, the disenfranchised, and the poor than he already is. Not that he has gone unheralded; in 1984 he won the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service as a result of his efforts to promote human rights, most notably, at that time, through the vehicle of his widely respected Thongbai Thongpao Law Office, established in 1966, from which sprang his Thongbai Thongpao Foundation in 1990. Elected to the Senate for a 6-year term in the general election held March 4, 1990, Senator Thongbai was and remains seen as a counterbalance in government to pervasive "dark forces" which have ruled in the Kingdom so long -- and have done so with impunity. The cynics among us might feel owners of The Bangkok Post might not be quite so willing to allow such a vocal critic speak in the pages of the newspaper were he not so prominent -- and as like as not those critics are right. But that he is allowed to speak is refreshing -- and a credit to the owners of the newspaper. After all, they own a private business entity, and in the real world that business needs political cover, cover Senator Thongbai offers, whether wittingly or unwittingly. I doubt any Thai government official would care to rain on Khun Thongbai's parade, for were he to do so, it would be at considerable peril. * * * * * * * * * * Media Sources
Continue Barrage Various news outlets continue to be critical of various aspects of policies by the current administration. For example, in last Monday's edition of The Nation, 1 editorial took the government to task (again) over press freedom in Thailand ("REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE: PM must guarantee media freedom"). In it is a report that Chatchawan Kong-udom, publisher of Siamrath weekly news magazine, openly stated over last weekend that he censored any reports in his magazine he deemed critical of the current administration. The editorial ends with this rhetorical question: "But is the prime minister a man of his word?" The piece was written by Khun Kavi Chingittavorn. Another editorial in the same paper the same day ("with a extremely harsh sub-title: "The government’s evocations of nationalism in the service of the economy are reminiscent of some of history’s more dictatorial regimes"). Meanwhile, critical articles or opinion pieces have appeared in sources as varied as the AFP, The New York Times, and The Far Eastern Economic Review, the last arguably among the top regional news sources -- and demonstrably among the most critical, consistently, of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinwatra and his administration. But it's not all bad news for Thaksin and his government. Even the normally highly critical The Nation ran a favorable lead editorial in Monday's edition as well ("EDITORIAL: Govt's new policy is right for the South" with the lauadatory sub-title "Decision to share the security burden with local people is a step in the right direction,"). It contains a cautionary note that the government needs to be careful to treat Muslim communities in the Kingdoms far southern reaches, but overall it praises General Chavalit, in particular, for reducing the number of areas under martial law, down-sizing the massive military presence, and, most important of all, seeking help from the Southerners themselves in helping bring an end to the vicious circle of violence that has plagued the region. * * * * * * * * * * Tuesday, March
9, 2004: I've been struggling with a whole hosts of computer problems, so this column is WAY late this time around. I apologize for the delay, and will upload this soon. Please note that with the exception of this entry, no material has been added to this column since Wednesday, March 3, 2004. E-mail Change Notification Sign-up Sign-up here for e-mail
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