Tongue-Thai'ed! Part XV: Of causality and casualties - Dr. Pornthip and the GT200
Originally published at Siam Voices on July 25, 2012 “Tongue-Thai’ed!” encapsulates the most baffling, amusing, confusing, outrageous and appalling quotes from Thai politicians and other public figures – in short: everything we hear that makes us go “Huh?!”. Check out all past entries here.
The renewed controversy over the fraudulent bomb-detecting GT200 has revealed the reaffirmed faith in the bogus devise by Thailand's top ranking military officers after their admission that it is still in use. This revelation was also accompanied by its unashamed endorsement by the army chief, supreme commander and the defense minister (who was the one responsible for the purchase during his time in the air force), absolutely disregarding multiple scientific tests that have proven the ineffectiveness of what is essentially an empty plastic shell with a dowsing rod.
Another very prominent defender of the GT200 is scientist Dr. Pornthip, a forensic scientist who is well known for her flashy hair styles. She had already fallen from grace when she defended the bogus bomb-sniffer right after it failed government tests (out of 20 tests, it only worked 4 times!) in early 2010.
Now, she has come out again with these stunning statements defending the device:
The head of the the Justice Ministry's Central Institute of Forensic Science believes bomb attacks in the deep South have increased as a result of the CIFS's decision to stop using the GT200 bomb detector. (...)
She also said there were too many variables involved when using the GT200 for it to be infallible. Khunying Pornthip said there have been more frequent bomb attacks in the South since then.
"'More attacks' since GT200 phased out", Bangkok Post, July 24, 2012
She still seems to ignore that there's only one solid variable concerning the GT200: it doesn't work at all! What Dr. Pornthip should know is that there's a difference between causality and casualty when it comes to understanding the role of this bogus bomb-sniffing gadget: the former requires a cause for an effect, the latter is the result of ignoring the cause.
If you come across any verbosities that you think might fit in here send us a email at siamvoices [at] gmail.com or tweet us @siamvoices.
Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai blogger and journalist currently based in Hamburg, Germany. He can be followed on Twitter @Saksith and on Facebook here.
Yingluck's European tour: Strictly business as usual
Originally published at Siam Voices on July 23, 2012
Thailand's Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra visited Germany and France last week, her first visit to Europe since she took office a year ago. While the trip was primarily aimed at improving economic ties and regaining confidence among investors from the two most important economies in the European Union for the Thai government, other issues, such as the still unstable political situation and the continuously deteriorating freedom of speech, were mentioned in passing at best.
Over the course of five days, Yingluck completed a packed itinerary with lots of meetings and shaking hands with government officials, dignitaries and business representatives. She was accompanied by her entourage, including Foreign Minister Surapong Towijakchaikul, and Suranand Vejjajiva, who know works for the government as her secretary-general. She also had 73 Thai private sector representatives in tow, underlining the main emphasis of this trip.
The first destination was the German capital Berlin, where she met with Chancellor Angela Merkel who greeted her with customary military honors at the Chancellery for a working lunch and a joint press conference - which was pretty much the only chance for the German press to see her. Not much was reported about it - despite the fact it is the first visit by a Thai Prime Minister to Germany since 1995 and the German-Thai diplomatic relations are celebrating their 150th anniversary, as emphasized by both leaders. That said, the German media generally pays little attention to Southeast Asia (unless it is about Burma and involves Aung San Suu Kyi),
And so the official website of the Chancellery was the only outlet where interested followers could see the full press conference, which is available in German only. In the 17 minutes long presser, the German leader outlined the economic ties between the two countries pointing out that Germany is the "most important economical partner in the EU" and with about "600 German companies" already in the Kingdom, not to mention a popular tourist destination. The most important and interesting issue during this press conference and the meeting in general was the call to speed up the process for an ASEAN-EU free trade agreement, something Merkel has been advocating for some time already.
Prime Minister Yingluck said the two leaders have "trust in each other" and that the two countries will expand their relations "on all issues" including democratization, rule of law and human rights - which was pretty much one of the very few times these three words have been mentioned publicly during this trip. In general, nothing much else was talked about and the interest by the German press was virtually non-existent, as there was only one question directed to Yingluck by a Thai journalist and the other German colleagues asking Chancellor Merkel about the Euro crisis and the situation in Syria - and also a female reporter gushing over the apparent women power present at the stage (we talked about Yingluck and the issue with feminism before here and here).
And with that there was subsequently very much nothing reported in the German media outlets and the rest of Yingluck's stay in Germany can only be reconstructed via the official Flickr account of the Prime Minister (a great source for press photos licensed under Creative Commons btw!). Nevertheless, some interesting notes can be made from them: from giving a speech to a business forum, meeting with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, and meeting Thai citizens in Germany at the Thai Embassy and also at a Thai Buddhist temple during a short sojourn to Munich.
Yingluck also met with a group of German MPs dubbed the "Friends of Thailand" consisting of the German-ASEAN parliamentary group. But the picture also shows another familiar face: the grey-haired man left from the table with the water bottles is Michael Glos, MP of the conservative Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU), who has been to Thailand earlier this year. Glos also belongs to a group of conservative MPs that have lobbied at the Foreign Ministry to revoke the entry ban of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra last year and have been campaigning for a policy change towards Thailand with "Thaksin as a strong figure" (we reported).
On Thursday, Yingluck traveled to France to do essentially the same: meeting with President François Hollande to talk about economy and ASEAN and meeting with business representatives to drum the roll for French investors. However the small difference was the slightly higher media coverage in France: the Prime Minister gave interviews to Le Figaro - where she was also asked about the role of the non-democratic military, her usual denial over changing anything about lèse majesté and her rejection over the notion that she's the puppet of her bigger brother - and a TV interview with France 24, recorded before her departure.
The trip ended on Sunday and a pleased Prime Minister announced on her own TV show that it was a good opportunity to build trust and goodwill towards Thailand and its economy. For the two European heavyweights, ASEAN is likely to be a majore economic partner in the not-so-distant future as both sides have strong interest in a free-trade agreement. However, the question remains about Thailand's role because, contrary to what Yingluck told Merkel and Hollande, the political outlook for the Kingdom looks less than stable and still could drive investors away to regional neighbors, despite all the efforts to mask a long-simmering political crisis as a short-term problem. For the economic and political future, Thailands needs strong partners like the EU, but do these strong countries equally need Thailand that much?
Thai army still uses fraudulent bomb-sniffing GT200 device
Originally published at Siam Voices on July 22, 2012 Last week we reported on the reaffirmed faith for the GT200 bomb-sniffing device by Thai army chief Gerneral Prayuth Chan-ocha, despite having been proven bogus numerous times for years. But scientific evidence has not deterred Thailand's armed forces and several other government agencies from continuing to use an overpriced piece of plastic with a dowsing rod at the end that is less reliable in detecting explosives or other substances than a simple coin flip (we're talking about less than a random chance!) - and probably as effective as this 'upgrade' with 'locally sourced materials' crafted by 'Thai ingenuity' as depicted in this Thai viral video from 2010 mocking the original dowsing-rod at the height of its controversy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZBDA4uqoOE&w=640&h=385
After the devastating results of the scientific tests ordered by administration of the then-prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva in early 2010 - a substantial loss of face for many officials involved - and despite foreign media coverage criticizing the device (spearheaded by the BBC "Newsnight" program, literally taking apart the gadget and highlighting the dirty business behind it), the controversy unsurprisingly died down in the following months and years with hardly any inquiries or consequences.
The hot issue was brought up again this month when the UK-based distributor of the ADE-651, a device that has been mostly sold in the Middle East and that is essentially the same to the GT200 or the equally bogus Alpha 6, has been charged for fraud. This also has turned the spotlight on the Thai army and whether or not anything has changed in the past two years. The result is sobering, yet unsurprising, as the Bangkok Post has found out:
Military personnel in the southernmost provinces will keep using the controversial GT200 bomb detectors until they are replaced with other instruments.
Supreme Commander Thanasak Patimaprakorn said yesterday he had seen the effectiveness of GT200 detectors in finding explosives. He said during testing before buying, the equipment was found to be effective.
"I did not mention if the equipment is worthy or not but I'm saying that the procurement of the equipment was done carefully," he said.
Army sources said most of the 757 GT200 detectors which were bought by the army remain operational, "except those that are out of order".
"The GT200 detectors are now used as supporting equipment for operations, not the main ones. But the army has never ordered anyone to stop using them," the source said. "It's better to use the GT200 than to have nothing."
"Soldiers continue to use GT200 in South", Bangkok Post, July 21, 2012
We have already covered the stunning reaffirmed faith by army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha into the bogus GT200 and confirmed its usage in the deeply troubled Southern border regions - here's his endorsement again:
“I affirm that the device is still effective. Other armed forces are also using it,” the army chief said. (…) The army chief said the GT200 has proven to be effective in the army’s operations in the past. But he would respect any scientific test if it proves otherwise.
"Use of GT200 'will continue'", Bangkok Post, July 14, 2012
As mentioned earlier, there are at least 13 government agencies utilizing the bomb-detecting bogus dowsing-rod as well, including the Central Institute of Forensic Science (CIFC) - headed by the nationally well-known forensic scientist Pornthip Rojanasunand, who has lost nearly all credibility as the national proponent for scientific evidence by backing the GT200 even after the proven ineffectiveness. Now it seems, according the aforementioned Bangkok Post report above, that her agency and the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) have dropped the its usage.
Also, the Department of Special Investigations* (DSI) has started to investigate the procurement process of the about 1,000 devices on behalf of complaints received by the ONCB and other agencies - the CIFC has not filed a complaint according to Pornthip, as their procurement process has been found ok by the Office of the Auditor-General. So far, it has found out that the products were "overpriced and ineffective and bidding contests for their procurement might have been rigged." It will also consider to take legal action against the UK-based manufacturer and seller of the GT200.
In a related development, Defense Minister Sukumpol Suwanatat was yet another one to state his unbroken faith into the bogus device (with Prayuth and Supreme Commander Thanasak Patimaprakorn the other two) while totally disregarding solid evidence saying otherwise and at the same time also (perhaps unwittingly) revealing where this stern insistence comes from:
"Many bombs were found using the GT200 detectors but if the findings say otherwise we'll have to see who's lying," ACM Sukumpol said. "Today if we don't use the GT200 what other detectors will we use? The Defence Ministry and I continue to look for alternative devices when travelling abroad," he said. (...)
The minister said the air force was the first to procure the GT200 detectors when he was the air force chief-of-staff. The detectors were tested in front of army commanders.
"Defence minister insists GT200 works", Bangkok Post, July 19, 2012
To repeat again what I said last week: we're talking about an empty plastic shell with a dowsing-rod that is supposed to detect explosive substances and drugs, for which the Thai army and government agencies have spent millions of Baht, only for its uselessness - unfortunately many times literally - to blow up in their faces.
The evidence is more than two years old now and overwhelmingly rock-solid. Its reputation is being questioned worldwide and the UK has banned the export of this deceptively dangerous tool, that has probably cost numerous lives instead of saving them. Meanwhile, the situation in the deep South remains dangerous as yet another bomb explosion occurred on Saturday in Narathiwat province, injuring eight civilians.
*What needs to be mentioned as well is that the DSI acts according to whichever direction the political wind is blowing, as the inquiries into the deaths of the 2010 protests pre- and post-election have shown.
Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai blogger and journalist currently based in Hamburg, Germany. He can be followed on Twitter @Saksith and also on his public Facebook page here.
Thai Mental Health Dept: 'No more than 2 hours of political news to avoid stress'
By Saksith Saiyasombut
On the Friday the 13th, when the Constitutional Court was about to deliver the verdict against the Thai government and their proposals to amend the constitution that was feared to throw the country into yet another political crisis, the Mental Health Department of the Public Health Ministry recommended all Thais "not to follow political news for more than two hours in a sitting" to avoid being stressed out or even turning agressive in process amidst ongoing political conflict.
นพ.ยงยุทธ วงศ์ภิรมย์ศานติ์ หัวหน้าทีมโฆษกกรมสุขภาพจิต และนายกสมาคมจิตแพทย์แห่งประเทศไทย กล่าวว่า ระหว่างรอฟังคำวินิจฉัยของศาลรัฐธรรมนูญ (...) แต่ต้องยอมรับว่ากรณีที่เกิดขึ้นประชาชนต่างมีความตื่นตัวทางการเมืองมากขึ้น ถือเป็นรากฐานสำคัญของการพัฒนาประเทศ แต่ทั้งนี้คงไม่สามารถคาดการณ์ได้ว่าจะเกิดอะไรขึ้นในอนาคต แต่เชื่อว่าประชาชนส่วนใหญ่ไม่ต้องการให้เกิดความรุนแรง ซึ่งการคาดการณ์ความรุนแรงที่จะเกิดขึ้นยิ่งทำให้วิตกกังวลและเครียด อาจส่งผลให้เกิดโรคเครียดทางการเมืองได้ (Political Stress Syndrome : PSS)
Yongyuth Wongpiromsan MD, head spokesman of the Mental Health Department and president of the Psychiatric Association of Thailand says that in anticipation of the verdict by the Constitutional Court, (...) but we have to accept that the people have increased political awareness which can be considered as an important foundation of the national progress. However, we cannot predict what will happen in the future but we believe that the majority of the people do not want violence. Thus, [reports about] expecting an outbreak of violence can cause anxiety and stress, which could result in Political Stress Syndrome (PSS)
"กรมสุขภาพจิต เตือนประชาชนระวังเครียดการเมือง", MCOT, July 13, 2012 - translation by me
Furthermore, the press release included a list of symptoms that could come with PSS, both physical (irregular breathing, abdominal pain and all sorts of other aches) and psychological (disenchantment, insomnia, anxiety and anger). Should one be unsure about his or her mental condition, he or she can take a test to measure if somebody has PSS or not and, when appropriate, seek counseling. The questions are:
1) "Do you feel anxiety when expressing political opinions?", 2) "Do you feel hopelessness regarding the current political situation?", 3) "Do political news make you feel easily upset or angry?", 4) "The political situation keeps you awake at night?", 5) "Are you unfocused at your job or daily activities when thinking about politics?" 6) "Politics causes fights and arguments with others" 7) "Are you feeling afraid when following political news" 8) "Are you repeatedly thinking about the political situation"
Now, given Thailand's recent history it would certainly not be a new phenomenon. Actually, it was coined by the same department right at the beginning of this political crisis back in 2006:
One-fourth of Thais are likely to develop political stress syndrome (PSS) - a new mental ailment triggered by fierce political tension, Mental Health Department chief said yesterday. (...) "The risk group includes politicians, protesters and supporters of the government, news addicts, and people with mental health problems," said M.L. Somchai Chakrabhand.
The PSS, he said, was a new medical term developed by the department after studying the linkage between political tensions and people's mental health.
''Psychiatrists are afraid that people with accumulated PSS symptoms will resort to violent means to break the political dead end because they feel that a peaceful movement is not a solution to the impasse,'' he said. M.L. Somchai said it was the first time the department detected this kind of mental illness in the country.
"Crisis triggers 'political stress syndrome'", Bangkok Post, circa March 17, 2006 - found here
In conclusion, Yongyuth gives his advice on how to deal with PSS and also how everybody can contribute responsibly to reduce widespread political anxiety.
อย่างไรก็ตามการสื่อสารในเครือข่าย Internet ควรลดความรุนแรงในการแสดงอารมณ์และความคิดเห็นการแสดงออก (...) แต่จะส่งผลกระทบให้เกิดบรรยากาศของสังคมที่รุนแรงมากขึ้น ดังนั้น การสื่อสารในเครือข่ายฯ นี้ ควรเพิ่มความระมัดระวังในการออกความคิดเห็น ไม่ส่งต่อความคิดเห็นที่รุนแรงออกไป รวมทั้งช่วยกันตักเตือนการแสดงออกที่รุนแรง ซึ่งทุกคนสามารถช่วยให้สังคมไทยผ่านวิกฤติครั้งนี้ไปได้ ด้วยการแสดงออกอย่างสร้างสรรค์ แก้ไขความขัดแย้งโดยไม่ใช้ความรุนแรง ไม่สร้างความโกรธ ความเกลียดชัง ลดการเผชิญหน้า และร่วมกันหาทางออกให้กับประเทศ.
Nevertheless, when exchanging views on the internet, the intensity of the emotions and opinions expressed should be reduced (...) that can have a negative impact on the social mood, which would increase [the chance of] violence. Thus, these kind of online discussions should be more careful in their expression of opinions, they should not spread agressive views and help reminding those who do, so that everyone can help the Thai society to overcome this crisis by being constructive, by bridging the divide without violence, anger, hatred, confrontation in order to find a solution for the country together.
"กรมสุขภาพจิต เตือนประชาชนระวังเครียดการเมือง", MCOT, July 13, 2012 - translation by me
First off, PSS is not an officially recognized syndrome, rather it is a coined term to describe the accompanying side effects of a growing political consciousness (which has been acknowledged as a good thing above), where people do take interest in the political decision-making that has an influence on them and thus in return demand to have a say in that.
Also, the recent years have shown that there are more and more competing narratives about the recent history of Thailand and the directions this country should take in the coming years. Never before have important, but previously taboo issues (such as the often-mentioned lèse-majesté law) been debated so openly (as far as it is legally possible) in the public domain. Sure, it can get messy, sometimes downright nasty. But it is also a chance to show that there is no more only one single sovereign authority that defines things anymore!
Be it from the press - who should do their duty and, while optionally opinionated, report truthful (and not just "20 per cent" of it "when you read The Nation and Bangkok Post", as Thitinan remarked) - or from a fellow man, what is important is a tolerance to opinions and expressions that they do not agree with - a fundamental necessity in a democratic society.
However, sometimes emotions do outweigh reason and opposite opinions are viscerally condemned. Many political issues have deteriorated into short-tempered, easily trigged shouting matches - also by our law-makers - or have been taken to the streets in an apparent failure of the democratic institutions instead of a level-headed, fact-based approach. Critical thinking and the tolerance for inconvenient views are skills not necessarily paramount on the things to be taught in school and that lack now is being exposed in the most extreme fashion.
Nevertheless, at one point things can be overwhelming, tiredness and frustration can occur. Especially when things hardly change (like with lèse-majesté) or just simply a general anxiety (something I tried to explain during the flood crisis last year) that this simmering political crisis is always close to boil over again! In these moments, you can't help but take a break or reduce the daily news intake.
P.S: This warning probably comes a little bit too late for us journalists and regular readers to this and similar websites...!
Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai blogger and journalist currently based in Hamburg, Germany. He can be followed on Twitter @Saksith and also on his public Facebook page here.
Thai army reaffirms usage of GT200-dowsing rod for bomb detection
Originally published at Siam Voices on July 14, 2012 Thailand's army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha has reaffirmed that the Royal Thai Army will keep on using the controversial GT200, a bogus device that is supposed to detect explosive materials among other substances. The device, effectively nothing more than an empty plastic shell with a dowsing rod, has been proven ineffective numerous times and the UK-based manufacturer has now been charged for fraud. Despite this, the GT200 has been spotted being still used by Thai soldiers at various times. Bangkok Pundit has some more background and some history on its usage in the Thai army.
The Bangkok Post has provided some soundbites by the army chief himself on the GT200 that are worth highlighting here:
Gen Prayuth yesterday said the GT200 will continue to be used by the army in the far South. (...) The GT200 has been widely used by security officers in Thailand's troubled deep South.
However*, in Krungthep Turakij he is being quoted that the 4th Army Region, which covers the troubled South of Thailand, is not using it anymore. In the border region, insurgent violence has claimed thousands of lives in the past, many of them caused by IEDs (improvised explosive devices).
เมื่อถามย้ำว่ากองทัพภาคที่ 4 ยังใช้จีที 200 หรือไม่ พล.อ.ประยุทธ์ กล่าวว่า ไม่ได้ใช้แล้ว (...) หลังจากที่เครื่องมือตรวจวัตถุระเบิดมีปัญหาทาง พล.อ.ประยุทธ์ ก็สั่งการไม่กำลังพลในกองทัพภาคที่ 4 ใช้งานเพราะเกรงว่ากำลังพลจะไม่ปลอดภัย และขณะนี้ จีที 200 ถูกเก็บไว้ในกองทัพภาคที่ 4
When asked about whether or not the 4th Army Region is still using the GT200, General Prayuth says it is not being used anymore. (...) After the bomb-detecting devices have been found problematic, General Prayuth has ordered personnel in the 4th Army Region not to use it because it was deemed unsafe and the GT200 devices have been stored in the 4th Army Region.
"'ประยุทธ์'แจงทบ.ไม่ได้ใช้'จีที200'แล้ว", Krungthep Turakij, July 13, 2012
Nevertheless, Prayuth still somehow has faith in these dowsing rods:
"I affirm that the device is still effective. Other armed forces are also using it," the army chief said. (...) The army chief said the GT200 has proven to be effective in the army's operations in the past. But he would respect any scientific test if it proves otherwise.
Where was Prayuth in 2009 when the Abhisit administration has ordered a scientific test? The results were devastating: out of 20 tests, the device only 'worked' 4 times - probably as accurate and reliable as a flip of a coin! But then again, he may have been believing the words of Pornthip Rojanasunand.
Pronthip has been for a very long time the nationwide esteemed forensic expert, educating the country about the importance of scientific evidence and a nearly ubiquitous appearance in any media coverage of murder and other crime cases. However, she has been defending the GT200 with her continuous faith in the bogus device and insisting to still use it, even after the failed tests - killing off every credibility she had as a forensic scientist. (And to answer BP's question in his post whether or not Pornthip has less media appearances these days: yes, definitely!)
It was just a matter of time when this issue of the bogus GT200 would pop up again as nothing really happened after the official government tests and despite the continuous investigation against the manufacturer by the BBC. Apart from the usual questions surrounding nebulous army procurements - this lot of about 1,000 plastic dowsing rods has cost somewhere between 700m - 800m Baht ($221m - $252m), while the real cost for it has been hardly 1000 Baht ($30) a piece - this also raises the questions about whether or not the Thai armed forces (at that time under the command of General Anupong Paochinda) will file charges against the fraudulent manufacturer.
Prayuth has thrown that responsibility to the government, while he should be reminded that he is responsible for the well-being of the soldiers that are apparently still using the bogus GT200 to detect bombs. Whether or not the army chief is also ready to fully convince the public of the effectiveness of this dowsing rod by personally using one in real-life circumstances has not been reported.
*What wonders me is that the Bangkok Post's military correspondent Wassana Nanuam failed to mention the South's 4th Region Army's non-usage of the GT200 and actually wrote the complete opposite...?
Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai blogger and journalist currently based in Hamburg, Germany. He can be followed on Twitter @Saksith and also on his public Facebook page here.