I don’t think Andrew Spooner is confusing anything at all if there has been ‘infiltrations’ in AI Thailand. I hardly think you can use the word ‘infiltration’, for PAD sympathisers being involved in AI, as I’m sure many of those people worked for AI before 2006.
And really, one’s political position in employment shouldn’t be taken above their desire to work in the cause of human rights promotion. And if one’s political position has come to superseed one’s desire to work in the cause of human rights advocacy, then what are they still doing employed by AI? Can Ben Zawacki employ people for AI Thailand? Ah.
So, with regards to a breach of confidence, Ben Zawacki has breached our confidence. The confidence of the public that contributes to his salary. What has your point got to do with the thrust of the article and its comments? That somehow Andrew Spooner’s points are less valid because he breached Zawacki’s (and your?) trust? Ridiculous. Spooner’s commentary on this is great because it aims to the heart and truth of the matter. Something you know about right? That’s good journalism. Relying on a leak – you sound like you’re from a government! Are you trying to damage Spooner’s reputation with a breach of confidence accusation that borders on the ad hominem? That you’re resorting to this sort of argument for Zawacki only demonstrates how little he has to stand on.
Why doesn’t Zawacki respond himself? That he issues himself a press statement on here rather than making a guest contribution only gives the impression he believes he is from an institution that still has respect.
Moreover, Ben Zawacki has had years now to respond to Lese Majeste, and he has not done so – so he can hardly find it surprising that he wasn’t given any time to respond or come up with some rubbish that would only add to his stupidity and delay his resignation.
What’s really damaging for AI, Nick, is that they are gormless in the face of something that’s at the cause of an egregious human rights abuse to protect their image (… and dare I say, business!) in the country that commits the abuse!
Nick, even you are now writing with a legalistic tone – have you been infiltrated by Ben Zawacki? Frankly, I find what you’ve written here vexatious and only demonstrative of the unconscionable and incorrigibly detached attitude of Zawacki, AI (and HRW) in the face of LM. As his spokesperson, did you ask him why he hadn’t moved to Kuala Lumpur? I hope when you’re next talking to Zawacki you’re playing a very small violin as he moans about his poor treatment. When he’s done whinging, ask him about the treatment of Da Torpedo.
Could someone direct me to the video showing the ‘men in black’ wearing military issued boots? (referencing: 4th paragraph, 25th line of the original post) I have not been actively following this topic for some time now. Thank you kindly.
All of the Farangs and the anti-monachy folks on this page, take a day off, will you? Enjoy the rarely good news of the Royal wedding in the UK. Life is short. Don’t let negative attitudes against anyone eat you up. Aren’t you feel tired sometimes that things don’t go your ways? Let Aj.Somsak fight for himself on his own word choice as he knows the best for what he was saying. We need to save our energy to fight the real problems of our world like food scarcity, sickening environment, fatal deceases, etc.
Neither in terms of attitude of the west towards Myanmar nor the more important one the attitude of present governing body, which we all know well are just SOS.
The significance?
Knowing well:
1)The generals NEVER make the same mistake twice.
2)The incredible degree of DEFIANCE shown sine JADE, 2┬║ to the:
a) Flush with wealth from their ill gotten loots.
b) Eternally reliable protection from the like of Uncle Wen in the international arena.
3) Repeatedly SNUBBED by the west 2┬║ to west favored now clearly marginalized Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
4)The proven KNAVERY and TENACITY of the generals ability to near complete ending of any reliance on anything that need to be provided by the west.
5)Others
The 3 development described by A Selth will just be another round of an extension of the useless careless present policy at best, at the worst motivate the proud generals to march towards their goal of respectability through nuclear capability!
Using the Nuclear ambition of the general is still nothing but:
Viewing Myanmar within the present useless paradigm at best playing from the same deck since JADE with the generals clearly as the dealers at worst.
The answer to Myanmar quagmire, posted here at New Mandala, clearly, should be to follow the recommendation of their own, L Hayden’s on the ground assessment:
I believe you are confusing a few things here.
First of all – yes, the PAD has some elements that are clearly displaying signs of fascism, but it’s not that simple. There are also former members of the communist party there as well, and also anarchist philosophy is very strongly represented. Believe it or not, strange as it sounds – but there are quite a few republicans in the PAD as well. I would call the PAD an Asian form of Third Positionism. Similarly somewhat conflicting political alliances you had in the past in National Bolshevism.
I think you confuse Ben personally with AI Thailand having been undermined by the PAD. I do know for a fact that he was everything else than happy about this, as i discussed this point with him. You cannot simply conclude that because the local office having been infiltrated Ben colluded or agreed with this and is therefore siding with the state.
You disclosed a private email between you and Ben. You did not find a leak and disclose such a leaked conversation (which is standard procedure in journalism). I personally view this somehow as a breach of confidence. How can you expect people to trust you in the future when they cannot be sure that a year or so after you disclose confidential emails?
Part of journalism as well is that when you come out with such a potentially damaging article, you give the person you attack a chance to make a statement before you come out with this story.
That should answer also your final question: have you given Ben advance notice that you will disclose this one year old private email, and given him a chance to qualify or comment his statement regarding the MFA, or add something to it before your published your article, and signed the letter that appeared just a day or two after your artcile?
Amsterdam can hardly be called a neutral investigator. He is just doing his job, and an important part of this job is to draw as much attention to the cause of the Red Shirts (as the government does everything to discredit the Red Shirts). Part of the job of both opponents is to get as many foreign organizations or media outlets on their side.
Important part of our job as journalists is to withstand the pressure of all sides, and stay independent in our reporting, witness and research the facts as well as we can possibly do. That is even more important for AI. Different sides of a conflict lobbying us is just part of the game. In 2008 the local Thai AI office screwed up here big time, and the Malaysian AI office hosting Amsterdam (and not just appearing in a round table discussion), as i understand the situation, could have been about as damaging for AI.
The complications of the Da Torpedo case we can one day discuss in person (and definitely not via email). I have been around the Sanam Luang stage where and when she was active. The only thing i will say here is that i personally feel very sorry for her, and also because she is used as a symbol for a multitude of agendas by many people (of all sides of the mess here) who will not have to spend the endless years in prison she will most definitely will have to.
QUOTE:”Jatuporn: the burning of CW was a well timed diversion by the state to the massacre inside Wat Pathum and to show the world that the Red Shirts are terrorists. Video tapes/pictures inside CW are revealing.”
The false flag operation against Central World was a military attack that was intended to fool the enemy (Red-Shirts) – the observers (the domestic and international media) and the general Thai populace into thinking that it was perpetrated by a different group (militant Red-Shirts) than the one that actually carried out the attack (the Thai military).
History is littered with false flag operations. Central World Plaza in May of 2010 was no different. More insidiously – in this instance – the burning of Central World Plaza was used to frame the Red-Shirt movement in order to provoke and justify a severe judicial and military reacion against their number (including the massacre inside Wat Pathum) and also as a means to totally discredit the movement. The attack on Central World Plaza was a hoax and a treasonous inside job – perpetrated by the Thai military – that was then blamed on opponents to the government – namely the Red-Shirts and their leadership.
Some other notable false falg operations:
1933 – The Reichstag Fire that the Nazis used to justify taking control of Germany.
1939 – The Gleiwitz Incident – a faked Polish attack on Germany used by the Nazis to justify invading Poland.
1953 – Operation Ajax – the CIA’s coup d’etat and overthrow of Mohammed Mossadeq – the elected Prime Minister of Iran.
1964 – The Gulf of Tonkin incident that justified the US entry into the Vietnam War.
1999 – The Russian Apartment Bombings that provoked the Second Chechen War were actually conducted by the FSB (Russia).
D’nan #2 – yes, thanks, that was a typo error: it should have been of course 18 “core” leaders! (I must have had “coup” on the mind!) [Now corrected. AW]
It took ordinary members over a year to find out how much AI had paid-off former senior board member Irene Khan (about $900,000 dollars) after she left the organisation.
Also AI International Secretariat, for whom Zawacki and Guest both work, is listed as a private company in the UK, not as a charity or a trust, meaning that it can operate with LESS accountability and transparency.
I know of at least 10people who have written to AI to explain why they have never taken up LM cases.
I don’t know of one who has ever had a reply.
And yes, this is important. Foreign govt’s rely on the likes of AI to give them independently produced accounts of human rights in any particular country. If AI are working with those countries’ govts to produce those accounts then they have little credibility.
A right wing military regime compared with Cuba and N Korea?
Yesterday’s news in wikileaks? Auntie is back and you see red?
Your generals surely are asking for continued social/ethnic unrest and upheaval in a very deliberate and systematic manner. Worse than a dog that enters a roll of bamboo mat, there’s no turning back for them, and they think they know where they are going. This new litter knows no better than to go rushing into it no matter what, blinded by greed and power.
Typically you only have faith in what other states and agencies can do to your country, and none at all in its people.
Yep, call a spade a spade – the PAD display, in my opinion (and countless others), the classic signs of fascism. It was the Asian Human Rights Commission who first suggested the PAD exhibited the classic signs of facism, not me. And no, fascism is not just confined to 1930s Italy (actually, if you’re quoting history, Mussolini’s Italian fascists took power in the 1920s. It was Hitler’s Nazis, a political identity that broadened and extended Mussolini’s fascist ideas, that took power in the 1930s). Please do remember that the founding of modern Thailand as a political entity drew a lot from the Japanese style facism of the first half of the 20th Century with Sarit, a PAD hero, being the ultimate embodiment of Thai-style fascism (in my opinion).
Should I have published a private email? Journalism all over the world publishes private correspondence and documents if it is in the public interest. How else would people find out what governments, big business and institutions are up to if journalists didn’t do that? Sit and politely wait to be told. To be frank I am a bit incredulous to have to argue that point to another journalist.
For the record I have had the contents of that email (and other private as yet unpublished correspondence) for almost a year. It was only when Ben Zawacki claimed neutrality, when clearly I was aware he had some explaining to do regarding the comments in that private email regarding his seeking advice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that I could no longer remain silent. I don’t think he is neutral. At all. And AI Thailand has been riddled with PAD members for a long time (eg back in 2008 AI Thailand were forced to delete an explicitly pro-PAD statement from their website).
I’m sure some very nice people work at the Thai MFA. I know some decent people who work at the Minsitry of Finance.
Just not sure that means Ben Zawacki should be seeking their advice regarding the status of political prisoners though. From what I understand occured BZ wouldn’t look at independently produced translations of Da T’s speech. He took the MFA’s line and used that.
My final point is this – Is working that closely with a government you’re supposed to be investigating (however pleasant some individuals may or may not be in that government) a sign of acting neutrally?
Latest report from a friend in lam look ka, Patum Thani, says one community radio station at 96.35 FM is still on air. It has a website with the link below: http://llk-radio.blogspot.com/
Local red shirts are protecting the station and one smart guy threatened to videotape and distribute to foreign news agencies if soldiers dare to seize the station. Simple trick to scare ammat.
Problem is if you give Jataporn his CW and Ubon town hall, what about the other places?
In the end you have to try and make sense of it by using what you know as well as what is reported. My own small piece of information to add to the knowledge base concerns the the attempt to burn the SET building. I arrived probably not long after the crowd got there. I got the impression the most of them had been outside of the military encirclement of the night before. What I didn’t get the impression of was that there were military/government provocateurs leading them, although of course anything is possible. The light police presence didn’t interfere, parking a hundred metres up the road outside of the exhibition centre, but we had got use to this by that time.
What will no doubt be quoted in evidence unfortunately for Jataporn is the UDD’s leaderships own words during the period before the 19th.
I think they were talking about the 18 red shirt leaders on stage and not the coup leaders.
“In regard to the 18 coup leaders currently under accusation of lese majeste, even other leaders on stage not saying anything on this matter have been accused by DSI of not stopping me from saying what I said!”
Tida joked to a laughing audience that they were accusing her also for not running from far away offstage to stop Jatuporns speech. This was actually a lively part of the interview.
“Quick question – so what do you think about Ben Zawacki asking the MFA for advice? Be interested to read what you think about that.”
I have a bit of time, and i have thought about your question (and which part of the discussion i will definitely not engage in). There is one basic premise in your article that i have a problem with, and i quote you here first:
“Of course, for Amnesty to be engaged in such a collusion with a Thai government department whose Minister, Kasit Piromya, is so closely associated with the PAD, an organization deemed “fascist” by the Asian Human Rights Commission, is staggering. How can Mr. Zawacki’s judgement be trusted when he is working cheek by jowl with the Thai government? How far does Amnesty’s much vaunted neutrality extend in Thailand, if it ever existed at all?”
You conclude, or make it appear that because Kasit is Minister of Foreign Affairs, automatically the whole MFA is the same. It isn’t. There are more than a few bureaucrats of the MFA who do have serious problems with Kasit, his views and his style of working. Ministers come and go, but the bureaucrats remain. As an aside, i know one MFA bureaucrat who is one the absolute opposite of both Kasit and PAD, and i believe he would be quite offended if he would be put into the same political boat as them. And knowing him does not mean that i “collude” with this government (or any other government, organization, etc).
Kasit is not closely associated with the PAD anymore since late last year at least – on the opposite, he is the government minister that is treated now maybe with the most vile insults from the PAD stage.
I have also a problem with the summary term of “fascist”. I personally try to avoid this term as it describes a particular brand of political philosophy from Italy in the 1930’s, and cannot be easily translated into the Thailand of the 2000’s, unless you want to create certain associations – and in this case you are moving on a very thin line between journalism and activism.
It is your decision, but if, as you said, this was a private and confidential conversation indeed, shouldn’t you have found better ways to get your points across?
Royalists here will never be guilty of the crime of lacking enthusiasm. Strange in a country where “deemed” seems to be the standard of measuring guilt and innocence.
1. Fundamental worth
2. Equality of (opportunity) for all persons (under the law)
3. Majority rule, minority rights
4. Necessity of compromise
5. Individual freedom.
OK, I stand corrected and apologize for maligning them for lack of action on this matter. In the lead up to the forced deportation of the Lao Hmong the organization I remember at the forefront of the protests was Doctors without Borders (Medecins sans Frontieres), who were strenuously protesting their restricted access to Hmong in the Petchabun camp by the Thai military. I don’t think it was my memory that was at fault, however. I believe AI simply may not have achieved sufficient press coverage in the English language Thai newspapers by their releases, and I don’t regularly check their website or receive their emails anymore.
AI isn’t off the hook for remaining silent on free speech and LM/”computer crimes” abuses, though. It will be interesting to see what they do when Prof. Somsak gets arrested!
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Amnesty International and Robert Amsterdam
Nick Nostitz,
I don’t think Andrew Spooner is confusing anything at all if there has been ‘infiltrations’ in AI Thailand. I hardly think you can use the word ‘infiltration’, for PAD sympathisers being involved in AI, as I’m sure many of those people worked for AI before 2006.
And really, one’s political position in employment shouldn’t be taken above their desire to work in the cause of human rights promotion. And if one’s political position has come to superseed one’s desire to work in the cause of human rights advocacy, then what are they still doing employed by AI? Can Ben Zawacki employ people for AI Thailand? Ah.
So, with regards to a breach of confidence, Ben Zawacki has breached our confidence. The confidence of the public that contributes to his salary. What has your point got to do with the thrust of the article and its comments? That somehow Andrew Spooner’s points are less valid because he breached Zawacki’s (and your?) trust? Ridiculous. Spooner’s commentary on this is great because it aims to the heart and truth of the matter. Something you know about right? That’s good journalism. Relying on a leak – you sound like you’re from a government! Are you trying to damage Spooner’s reputation with a breach of confidence accusation that borders on the ad hominem? That you’re resorting to this sort of argument for Zawacki only demonstrates how little he has to stand on.
Why doesn’t Zawacki respond himself? That he issues himself a press statement on here rather than making a guest contribution only gives the impression he believes he is from an institution that still has respect.
Moreover, Ben Zawacki has had years now to respond to Lese Majeste, and he has not done so – so he can hardly find it surprising that he wasn’t given any time to respond or come up with some rubbish that would only add to his stupidity and delay his resignation.
What’s really damaging for AI, Nick, is that they are gormless in the face of something that’s at the cause of an egregious human rights abuse to protect their image (… and dare I say, business!) in the country that commits the abuse!
Nick, even you are now writing with a legalistic tone – have you been infiltrated by Ben Zawacki? Frankly, I find what you’ve written here vexatious and only demonstrative of the unconscionable and incorrigibly detached attitude of Zawacki, AI (and HRW) in the face of LM. As his spokesperson, did you ask him why he hadn’t moved to Kuala Lumpur? I hope when you’re next talking to Zawacki you’re playing a very small violin as he moans about his poor treatment. When he’s done whinging, ask him about the treatment of Da Torpedo.
Red Shirt leaders at FCCT
Great videos from the press conference, thanks for sharing SteveCM
Red Shirt leaders at FCCT
Could someone direct me to the video showing the ‘men in black’ wearing military issued boots? (referencing: 4th paragraph, 25th line of the original post) I have not been actively following this topic for some time now. Thank you kindly.
Intimidation of Somsak Jeamteerasakul
All of the Farangs and the anti-monachy folks on this page, take a day off, will you? Enjoy the rarely good news of the Royal wedding in the UK. Life is short. Don’t let negative attitudes against anyone eat you up. Aren’t you feel tired sometimes that things don’t go your ways? Let Aj.Somsak fight for himself on his own word choice as he knows the best for what he was saying. We need to save our energy to fight the real problems of our world like food scarcity, sickening environment, fatal deceases, etc.
Selth on Burma nuclear ambitions
Nich
Almost seems like a round #2 to this one:
http://www.newmandala.org/2010/11/25/burmas-nuclear-ambitions-redux/#more-11737
Changes since then?
Neither in terms of attitude of the west towards Myanmar nor the more important one the attitude of present governing body, which we all know well are just SOS.
The significance?
Knowing well:
1)The generals NEVER make the same mistake twice.
2)The incredible degree of DEFIANCE shown sine JADE, 2┬║ to the:
a) Flush with wealth from their ill gotten loots.
b) Eternally reliable protection from the like of Uncle Wen in the international arena.
3) Repeatedly SNUBBED by the west 2┬║ to west favored now clearly marginalized Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
4)The proven KNAVERY and TENACITY of the generals ability to near complete ending of any reliance on anything that need to be provided by the west.
5)Others
The 3 development described by A Selth will just be another round of an extension of the useless careless present policy at best, at the worst motivate the proud generals to march towards their goal of respectability through nuclear capability!
Using the Nuclear ambition of the general is still nothing but:
Viewing Myanmar within the present useless paradigm at best playing from the same deck since JADE with the generals clearly as the dealers at worst.
The answer to Myanmar quagmire, posted here at New Mandala, clearly, should be to follow the recommendation of their own, L Hayden’s on the ground assessment:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/us-embassy-cables-documents/161881
Aiding the CBOs within in Education and health care.
Amnesty International and Robert Amsterdam
Andrew Spooner:
I believe you are confusing a few things here.
First of all – yes, the PAD has some elements that are clearly displaying signs of fascism, but it’s not that simple. There are also former members of the communist party there as well, and also anarchist philosophy is very strongly represented. Believe it or not, strange as it sounds – but there are quite a few republicans in the PAD as well. I would call the PAD an Asian form of Third Positionism. Similarly somewhat conflicting political alliances you had in the past in National Bolshevism.
I think you confuse Ben personally with AI Thailand having been undermined by the PAD. I do know for a fact that he was everything else than happy about this, as i discussed this point with him. You cannot simply conclude that because the local office having been infiltrated Ben colluded or agreed with this and is therefore siding with the state.
You disclosed a private email between you and Ben. You did not find a leak and disclose such a leaked conversation (which is standard procedure in journalism). I personally view this somehow as a breach of confidence. How can you expect people to trust you in the future when they cannot be sure that a year or so after you disclose confidential emails?
Part of journalism as well is that when you come out with such a potentially damaging article, you give the person you attack a chance to make a statement before you come out with this story.
That should answer also your final question: have you given Ben advance notice that you will disclose this one year old private email, and given him a chance to qualify or comment his statement regarding the MFA, or add something to it before your published your article, and signed the letter that appeared just a day or two after your artcile?
Amsterdam can hardly be called a neutral investigator. He is just doing his job, and an important part of this job is to draw as much attention to the cause of the Red Shirts (as the government does everything to discredit the Red Shirts). Part of the job of both opponents is to get as many foreign organizations or media outlets on their side.
Important part of our job as journalists is to withstand the pressure of all sides, and stay independent in our reporting, witness and research the facts as well as we can possibly do. That is even more important for AI. Different sides of a conflict lobbying us is just part of the game. In 2008 the local Thai AI office screwed up here big time, and the Malaysian AI office hosting Amsterdam (and not just appearing in a round table discussion), as i understand the situation, could have been about as damaging for AI.
The complications of the Da Torpedo case we can one day discuss in person (and definitely not via email). I have been around the Sanam Luang stage where and when she was active. The only thing i will say here is that i personally feel very sorry for her, and also because she is used as a symbol for a multitude of agendas by many people (of all sides of the mess here) who will not have to spend the endless years in prison she will most definitely will have to.
Red Shirt leaders at FCCT
QUOTE:”Jatuporn: the burning of CW was a well timed diversion by the state to the massacre inside Wat Pathum and to show the world that the Red Shirts are terrorists. Video tapes/pictures inside CW are revealing.”
The false flag operation against Central World was a military attack that was intended to fool the enemy (Red-Shirts) – the observers (the domestic and international media) and the general Thai populace into thinking that it was perpetrated by a different group (militant Red-Shirts) than the one that actually carried out the attack (the Thai military).
History is littered with false flag operations. Central World Plaza in May of 2010 was no different. More insidiously – in this instance – the burning of Central World Plaza was used to frame the Red-Shirt movement in order to provoke and justify a severe judicial and military reacion against their number (including the massacre inside Wat Pathum) and also as a means to totally discredit the movement. The attack on Central World Plaza was a hoax and a treasonous inside job – perpetrated by the Thai military – that was then blamed on opponents to the government – namely the Red-Shirts and their leadership.
Some other notable false falg operations:
1933 – The Reichstag Fire that the Nazis used to justify taking control of Germany.
1939 – The Gleiwitz Incident – a faked Polish attack on Germany used by the Nazis to justify invading Poland.
1953 – Operation Ajax – the CIA’s coup d’etat and overthrow of Mohammed Mossadeq – the elected Prime Minister of Iran.
1964 – The Gulf of Tonkin incident that justified the US entry into the Vietnam War.
1999 – The Russian Apartment Bombings that provoked the Second Chechen War were actually conducted by the FSB (Russia).
Open letter: Amnesty International in Thailand
[…] This open letter, signed by more than 70 Amnesty International members, was pulled from New Mandala: […]
Red Shirt leaders at FCCT
D’nan #2 – yes, thanks, that was a typo error: it should have been of course 18 “core” leaders! (I must have had “coup” on the mind!) [Now corrected. AW]
Open letter: Amnesty International in Thailand
Sam
AI’s accountability statement is a joke.
It took ordinary members over a year to find out how much AI had paid-off former senior board member Irene Khan (about $900,000 dollars) after she left the organisation.
Also AI International Secretariat, for whom Zawacki and Guest both work, is listed as a private company in the UK, not as a charity or a trust, meaning that it can operate with LESS accountability and transparency.
I know of at least 10people who have written to AI to explain why they have never taken up LM cases.
I don’t know of one who has ever had a reply.
And yes, this is important. Foreign govt’s rely on the likes of AI to give them independently produced accounts of human rights in any particular country. If AI are working with those countries’ govts to produce those accounts then they have little credibility.
New war in Kachin State?
A right wing military regime compared with Cuba and N Korea?
Yesterday’s news in wikileaks? Auntie is back and you see red?
Your generals surely are asking for continued social/ethnic unrest and upheaval in a very deliberate and systematic manner. Worse than a dog that enters a roll of bamboo mat, there’s no turning back for them, and they think they know where they are going. This new litter knows no better than to go rushing into it no matter what, blinded by greed and power.
Typically you only have faith in what other states and agencies can do to your country, and none at all in its people.
Amnesty International and Robert Amsterdam
Nick
Yep, call a spade a spade – the PAD display, in my opinion (and countless others), the classic signs of fascism. It was the Asian Human Rights Commission who first suggested the PAD exhibited the classic signs of facism, not me. And no, fascism is not just confined to 1930s Italy (actually, if you’re quoting history, Mussolini’s Italian fascists took power in the 1920s. It was Hitler’s Nazis, a political identity that broadened and extended Mussolini’s fascist ideas, that took power in the 1930s). Please do remember that the founding of modern Thailand as a political entity drew a lot from the Japanese style facism of the first half of the 20th Century with Sarit, a PAD hero, being the ultimate embodiment of Thai-style fascism (in my opinion).
Should I have published a private email? Journalism all over the world publishes private correspondence and documents if it is in the public interest. How else would people find out what governments, big business and institutions are up to if journalists didn’t do that? Sit and politely wait to be told. To be frank I am a bit incredulous to have to argue that point to another journalist.
For the record I have had the contents of that email (and other private as yet unpublished correspondence) for almost a year. It was only when Ben Zawacki claimed neutrality, when clearly I was aware he had some explaining to do regarding the comments in that private email regarding his seeking advice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that I could no longer remain silent. I don’t think he is neutral. At all. And AI Thailand has been riddled with PAD members for a long time (eg back in 2008 AI Thailand were forced to delete an explicitly pro-PAD statement from their website).
I’m sure some very nice people work at the Thai MFA. I know some decent people who work at the Minsitry of Finance.
Just not sure that means Ben Zawacki should be seeking their advice regarding the status of political prisoners though. From what I understand occured BZ wouldn’t look at independently produced translations of Da T’s speech. He took the MFA’s line and used that.
My final point is this – Is working that closely with a government you’re supposed to be investigating (however pleasant some individuals may or may not be in that government) a sign of acting neutrally?
Crackdown on red media
Latest report from a friend in lam look ka, Patum Thani, says one community radio station at 96.35 FM is still on air. It has a website with the link below: http://llk-radio.blogspot.com/
Local red shirts are protecting the station and one smart guy threatened to videotape and distribute to foreign news agencies if soldiers dare to seize the station. Simple trick to scare ammat.
Red Shirt leaders at FCCT
Problem is if you give Jataporn his CW and Ubon town hall, what about the other places?
In the end you have to try and make sense of it by using what you know as well as what is reported. My own small piece of information to add to the knowledge base concerns the the attempt to burn the SET building. I arrived probably not long after the crowd got there. I got the impression the most of them had been outside of the military encirclement of the night before. What I didn’t get the impression of was that there were military/government provocateurs leading them, although of course anything is possible. The light police presence didn’t interfere, parking a hundred metres up the road outside of the exhibition centre, but we had got use to this by that time.
What will no doubt be quoted in evidence unfortunately for Jataporn is the UDD’s leaderships own words during the period before the 19th.
Red Shirt leaders at FCCT
I think they were talking about the 18 red shirt leaders on stage and not the coup leaders.
“In regard to the 18 coup leaders currently under accusation of lese majeste, even other leaders on stage not saying anything on this matter have been accused by DSI of not stopping me from saying what I said!”
Tida joked to a laughing audience that they were accusing her also for not running from far away offstage to stop Jatuporns speech. This was actually a lively part of the interview.
Red Shirt leaders at FCCT
The following links will take those interested to what appears to be a complete (3-parts) video record of the FCCT event:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqXald1cjAk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vQUoWMQ34c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4XVzLTTOPw
Amnesty International and Robert Amsterdam
“Andrew Spooner”:
You asked me:
“Quick question – so what do you think about Ben Zawacki asking the MFA for advice? Be interested to read what you think about that.”
I have a bit of time, and i have thought about your question (and which part of the discussion i will definitely not engage in). There is one basic premise in your article that i have a problem with, and i quote you here first:
“Of course, for Amnesty to be engaged in such a collusion with a Thai government department whose Minister, Kasit Piromya, is so closely associated with the PAD, an organization deemed “fascist” by the Asian Human Rights Commission, is staggering. How can Mr. Zawacki’s judgement be trusted when he is working cheek by jowl with the Thai government? How far does Amnesty’s much vaunted neutrality extend in Thailand, if it ever existed at all?”
You conclude, or make it appear that because Kasit is Minister of Foreign Affairs, automatically the whole MFA is the same. It isn’t. There are more than a few bureaucrats of the MFA who do have serious problems with Kasit, his views and his style of working. Ministers come and go, but the bureaucrats remain. As an aside, i know one MFA bureaucrat who is one the absolute opposite of both Kasit and PAD, and i believe he would be quite offended if he would be put into the same political boat as them. And knowing him does not mean that i “collude” with this government (or any other government, organization, etc).
Kasit is not closely associated with the PAD anymore since late last year at least – on the opposite, he is the government minister that is treated now maybe with the most vile insults from the PAD stage.
I have also a problem with the summary term of “fascist”. I personally try to avoid this term as it describes a particular brand of political philosophy from Italy in the 1930’s, and cannot be easily translated into the Thailand of the 2000’s, unless you want to create certain associations – and in this case you are moving on a very thin line between journalism and activism.
It is your decision, but if, as you said, this was a private and confidential conversation indeed, shouldn’t you have found better ways to get your points across?
The Devil’s Discus – in Thai
Royalists here will never be guilty of the crime of lacking enthusiasm. Strange in a country where “deemed” seems to be the standard of measuring guilt and innocence.
Thailand at the Limit
5 principles of democracy:
1. Fundamental worth
2. Equality of (opportunity) for all persons (under the law)
3. Majority rule, minority rights
4. Necessity of compromise
5. Individual freedom.
Tall order. . .
Amnesty International and Robert Amsterdam
OK, I stand corrected and apologize for maligning them for lack of action on this matter. In the lead up to the forced deportation of the Lao Hmong the organization I remember at the forefront of the protests was Doctors without Borders (Medecins sans Frontieres), who were strenuously protesting their restricted access to Hmong in the Petchabun camp by the Thai military. I don’t think it was my memory that was at fault, however. I believe AI simply may not have achieved sufficient press coverage in the English language Thai newspapers by their releases, and I don’t regularly check their website or receive their emails anymore.
AI isn’t off the hook for remaining silent on free speech and LM/”computer crimes” abuses, though. It will be interesting to see what they do when Prof. Somsak gets arrested!