Former PM Yingluck a no-show at her court ruling
Originally aired on Channel NewsAsia on August 25, 2017
This has been quite a morning at the Supreme Court with quite a twist: Former Thai PM Yingluck Shinawatra failed to show up at her own verdict reading, citing health issues. She faces charges for negligence of duty in her govt's handling of the rice-pledging scheme. The court has now issued an arrest warrant and postponed the verdict reading to September 27. At the time of recording and posting, her whereabouts are unknown but it is rumored that she has fled the country.
Former PM Yingluck awaits verdict
Originally aired on Channel NewsAsia on August 24, 2017
The Supreme Court is expected to deliver the verdict against former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Friday. She’s on trial for negligence of duty in her government’s handling of the rice-pledging scheme and could face up to 10 years in prison, if found guilty. Here's my Channel NewsAsia preview at the implications for Thailand’s political landscape.
TRANSCRIPT
Many Thai politicians are all too familiar with the walk to the courthouse – and Yingluck Shinawatra is no exception. Indicted in early 2016, the former Prime Minister faces criminal charges for negligence in her government’s handling of the rice-pledging scheme.
The program, a major campaign promise that helped propel her Pheu Thai Party to victory in the 2011 elections, bought rice from farmers at 50% higher than the market price. While the policy proved very popular with her predominantly rural supporters, it was often described as a disaster for the state’s finances.
"This program definitely helped the farmers," says Dr. Nipon Poapongsakom, President of the President Thailand Development Research Institute, "but [what is] unforgivable is that at the end, the last season at the end of the program, the government failed to secure liquidity to pay 1 million farmers for their rice that the farmers already delivered to the government warehouses."
In the end it was these massive public losses that fueled protests against Yingluck, and her government was eventually toppled by the 2014 military coup. Thailand was left with 18 million tonnes of rice stockpiled under the scheme.
Critics and opponents of Yingluck say that this was a direct result of corruption, something the current military government has vowed to crack down on since its takeover. And that is why Yingluck’s supporters say the trial against her is politicized.
"The rice-pledging case against Yingluck is definitely a case of political origin," criticizes Wattana Muangsuk, a former MP of Yingluck's Pheu Thai Party, "so with that in mind, IF she is found not guilty - how can the military junta still claim that this was a problem that justified their coup? And if she is found guilty, that would retroactively justify the seizure of power."
While the Pheu Thai Party is expected to win again when Thailand eventually returns to democratic elections, it will not have Yingluck Shinawatra as a front runner regardless of the outcome of the trial, since she has been retroactively impeached and banned from politics for five years.
However, a guilty verdict against her will not only be seen as yet another strike against her and her brother - the exiled yet influential former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra - it could also discourage any future government from pursuing any policy that requires huge public investment.
"So the government or policy makers would have to think carefully whether they would be charged for whatever they are going to introduce and implement. And it’s a kind of wrong idea to use this case as a case against Yingluck," says Dr. Titipol Phakdeewanich, the dean for the Faculty of Political Science at Ubon Ratchathani University.
The outcome of the case against Yingluck Shinawatra is a litmus test for Thailand’s political future -- and whether or not she will ever be allowed to take part in it again.
Saksith Saiyasombut, Channel NewsAsia, Bangkok
Thai economy grows at 3.7% as outlook remains optimistic
Originally published on Channel NewsAsia on August 21, 2017
3.7 per cent is the magic number that is being given out as the GDP growth rate for Q2 of 2017 and an overall very optimistic picture is being paint for the economic outlook for the rest of the year.
Migrant Exodus Hits Thai Fishing Hub
Originally aired on Channel NewsAsia on August 10, 2017
We look at the fallout of the recent mass exodus of migrant workers on the fishing industry in Samut Sakhon. In June, the Thai government introduced - very suddenly - a new labor law that would impose harsh penalties on undocumented migrant workers. The exodus proved to be so severe that the govt had to suspend the law until next year.
TRANSCRIPT
The town of Samut Sakhon has seen many ebbs and flows over the years.
But the past few weeks have been particularly quiet in this fishing industry hub at the gulf of Thailand.
Many boats are forced to be left idle, docked at the piers due to a shortage of migrant workers. The reason - a sudden mass exodus of migrant labourers.
Tens of thousands have fled to their neighbouring home countries like Myanmar and Cambodia, sparked by the introduction of a strict new labour law.
Their departure has affected many sectors, but none more than the multi-million dollar fishing industry that almost entirely relies on workers from Myanmar.
Kamjorn Mongkoltrilak; President, Samut Sakhon Fishery Association:
"Samut Sakhon is quieter than usual [now]. There’s never been a point in the past where it has been this quiet. And it’s not just Samut Sakhon - 22 provinces along the sea are all affected. Whether it’s the fishing, the processing, some business have to stop their businesses because of the lack of workers."
More than 770,000 migrants are estimated to work in Thailand.
To manage their numbers and crack down on human trafficking, the government introduced the new labour law requiring these workers to be registered.
But critics say the law was passed without warning and public consultation. The result was panic among many undocumented migrant workers over the fear of arrest and up to $3,000 in fines. They rushed out of the country in droves, leaving businesses without staff.
The fallout proved so severe, the government was forced to suspend key parts of the law till 2018, giving employers and migrant workers a grace period before penalties kicked in.
To mitigate the exodus, the government also erected temporary registration centers for migrant workers.
SAKSITH SAIYASOMBUT; Samut Sakhon, Thailand:
"This is one of the pop-up centres the government has set up. There are over a hundred of them nationwide and thousands of undocumented migrant workers are signing up on a daily basis. But critics say that this is not enough to solve their problems."
The new law still leaves migrant workers open to exploitation. They depend on brokers to help them with the paperwork but often end up getting cheated.
Sompong Srakaew; Labour Rights Promotion Network:
"For many years, when an employer hires a broker to sort out the work permits, they may work together to exploit the [migrant] workers. And who has to suffer for it? The workers. They have no other choice but to accept it and once they do they end up lose all their savings."
The Thai government is hopeful that the grace period will ease the disruption caused by the new law, and that eventually an estimated 1 million undocumented migrant workers can brought back into the fold.
That same hope is shared by the many Thai businesses who rely on these workers to keep their companies afloat.
Saksith Saiyasombut, Channel NewsAsia, Bangkok
Former PM Somchai acquitted of negligence of duty
Originally aired on Channel NewsAsia on August 2, 2017
Former Thai PM Somchai Wongsawat and three other senior figures of his government have been acquitted by the Supreme Court today. They were on trial for negligence of duty in the dispersal of anti-government yellow shirt protesters in October 2008. Here's my short summary and analysis for Channel NewsAsia.
Yingluck insists innocence in closing statement in trail against her
Originally published on Channel NewsAsia on August 1, 2017
My Channel NewsAsia report from the Supreme Court today: "I'm a victim of a political game!" That's what former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra says during her closing statement in the trial against her for negligence of duty in her government's rice subsidy scheme. The final verdict is scheduled for August 25.