ABOUT POLITICS
New Constitution Court line-up makes government uneasy - Newin, ancient ruins, and that old black magic playing again in Buri Ram - Army wife's translation of Jakrapob's speech puts coup-maker husband in the spotlight
Jarun: No
friend of the
government |
The People Power party has reason to feel uneasy with the line-up of the new Constitution Court bench, which will elect its president today.
The nine charter judges are all adversaries of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. With high-profile cases awaiting its rulings, the court can shake the stability of the coalition government led by Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej.
The nine judges are: Jarun Pukditanakul, Wasant Soypisut, Supoj Kaimook, Chat Chalaworn, Anurak Mapraneet, Boonsong Kulbuppha, Chalermphol Ek-uru, Udomsak Nitimontri and Charoon Inthajarn.
Mr Jarun is a former justice permanent secretary, Mr Wasant is former senior judge of the Appeals Court and Mr Chat is a former chief judge at the Supreme Court and ex-secretary-general of the Judiciary Commission.
These three have emerged as the strongest contenders to lead the court.
The names of the judges and the new president will be submitted to Senate Speaker Prasopsuk Boondej who will forward it for royal endorsement.
The new court bench is expected to begin work at the end of the month or early next month.
Mr Jarun is well known as a strong opponent of Mr Thaksin, while Mr Wasant was a defence witness in a libel suit filed by some former Constitution Court judges against Mr Thaksin's bitter enemy Prasong Soonsiri, who wrote an article criticising the judges who ruled in favour of the former prime minister in the asset concealment case. The article was published in Naew Na on Aug 28, 2001. Sqn-Ldr Prasong was cleared of the libel charge.
Judge Supoj is known to have close ties with Winai Phattiyakul, former secretary-general of the now disbanded Council for National Security (CNS), which ousted the Thaksin government in 2006. He and Gen Winai were both members of Class 41 at the National Defence College.
Judge Boonsong is regarded as a close associate of the CNS. The judge was assigned by the coup-makers to screen the writers of the 2007 constitution.
The other members of the new charter court bench are also far from sympathetic to the Samak government.
But they will consider hot-potato cases that the government, which largely comprises remnants of the Thaksin administration, does not want them to touch.
These include the digit lottery case involving 47 former cabinet members, including Mr Thaksin. The Supreme Court wants the Constitution Court's view on the legitimacy of the Assets Scrutiny Committee before it accepts the case for trial.
The court will consider a request by the senate speaker for a ruling whether Deputy Commerce Minister Wiroon Techapaiboon and Public Health Minister Chaiya Sasomsab are still qualified to sit in the cabinet after the National Counter Corruption Commission found them guilty of failing to report shareholdings above 5% in private firms.
The dissolution cases against the Chart Thai and Matchimathipataya parties could also end up with the Constitution Court.
And the court could be asked to rule on the future of the People Power party itself, the very core of the coalition, if the Election Commission decides to seek the party's dissolution over an electoral fraud case involving PPP executive member Yongyuth Tiyapairat.
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Newin: Dabbling in
superstition
|
Black magic, or simply politics?
The vandalism that damaged many Khmer-style statues at Phanom Rung temple in Buri Ram province is a great loss to national heritage but may be a significant gain in political interests in the eyes of black magic believers.
Found damaged on Tuesday were the mouths of serpent-like Naga statues, a cow statue, two lion-like Singha statues and a guardian deity statue at the ancient temple.
Observers come up with various assumptions. Some people attribute the vandalism to a talisman producer who was barred from organising production ceremonies at Phanom Rung.
Local police are looking at conflicts among officials of the historical park.
However, one theory concerns national politics.
Buri Ram is the native province of Newin Chidchob - a veteran politician and a leading member of the disbanded Thai Rak Thai party of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra - and his father, House Speaker Chai.
Buri Ram is a Thai-Cambodian border considered the heartland of the country's Khmer-influenced black magic.
Mr Newin has been criticised in the past for allegedly depending on black magic.
Supporters of this theory quoted a 92-year-old Buri Ram black magician as saying that the vandalism at Phanom Rung was aimed at overcoming the magical power of Buri Ram.
Followers quoted the witch doctor, identified as Pan, as saying he believed that the people behind the vandalism wanted to stop bad spells against them.
It was said that Pan had performed superstitious ceremonies to boost the strength of both Mr Chai and Mr Newin, as well as that of "a powerful politician". The wizard reportedly did so by placing his foot on his clients' heads.
The politician has reportedly received the auspicious foot stamp twice.
His close aide once took him away from reporters to attend such a ceremony in the early morning.
"He needs three stamps or he would not have a land to live in," said a follower.
The sacred and ancient Phanom Rung temple was once the venue of a cabinet meeting of the Thaksin government.
Mr Newin was said to have organised the meeting especially for his boss, Mr Thaksin.
It was also reported that Mr Newin organised superstitious ceremonies to support Mr Thaksin. These included an elephant ride in Surin province to imitate an invincible warlord and a tour of 99 temples in the northeast.
The alleged activities of Mr Newin seem to have convinced senior officers of the Council for National Security, who staged the 2006 coup that overthrew the Thaksin administration, that he was a threat.
At the time, Mr Newin was arrested and detained, and just before his release a military officer reportedly ordered him to strip off to find out if he had any objects with magical powers.
With such reported magical activities, it is inevitable that the vandalism of the ancient Khmer ancient temple will be linked to magical fights for political power.
If the theory of politics-oriented black magic is true, the suspicion of and attempts to overcome the black magic of Buri Ram apparently live on.
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Naraporn: Husband
gets the flak |
Lost in the translation
First Army commander Prayut Chan-ocha has been under stress since the nasty side of politics finally caught up with him.
Lt-Gen Prayut is thought to be one of the few people with the might to stage a military revolt.
After all, he commands vast resources, manpower that could be mobilised promptly to defuse a crisis if and when such situation should arise.
But a source said the commander is not comfortable that his name has cropped up as a possible coup engineer, although the fact remains that he was among those behind the 2006 overthrow of the Thaksin government.
The heat being heaped on Lt-Gen Prayut is also spilling over to his wife, Naraporn, an associate professor of English at Chulalongkorn University.
Mrs Naraporn found herself in the hot seat after translating statements PM's Office Minister Jakrapob Penkair made in English at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT) last year. Copies of the translation were released to chiefs of military units.
Mr Jakrapob reportedly attacked "the wife of a certain senior military officer in charge of the translation". He said the translation contained inaccuracies leading to readers misunderstanding what he actually said at the FCCT.
Mr Jakrapob had spoken at length on the topic "Democracy and the Patronage System of Thailand".
The minister has tried to rebut accusations he took a swipe at the monarchy in his speech. He is expected to finish his own translation of the transcript today and has vowed to compare it closely against any translation which came out earlier.
His translation will be also be distributed to the military as a direct challenge to the version made available to the unit chiefs.
Mrs Naraporn is unfazed by the criticism of her translation. With a string of credentials behind her she holds important positions in education fields, including deputy director of management and planning at Chulalongkorn University's Language Institute, and deputy chairwoman of the Klai Kangwon long-distance learning via satellite project.
Still, Mrs Naraporn has been the target of malicious rumours circulated on the internet by anti-coup activists, who have questioned her motives in making the translation.
Her husband is seen as a hard-headed top-level officer with aspirations for the army commander-in-chief's job in the future.
His current "stardom" is proving to be a liability rather than an asset, especially when a coup d' etat cannot be ruled out and he is in a position to play the role of game-changer.
Furthermore, Lt-Gen Prayut is a member of the royal guard and has served Her Majesty the Queen closely for some years.
Like all soldiers, he pledged an oath of allegiance to protect the monarchy with his life.
The source said Lt-Gen Prayut had never been drawn into the political quagmire. Those close to him insist the First Army chief harbours no desire to stage a coup and that he jointly directed the Sept 19 coup under orders from his superiors.
"Tu [Lt-Gen Prayut's nickname] is very stressed right now. He has never felt so much pressure from within the army and from the wider political spectrum.
"He's lost weight as a result and friends are giving him moral support," the source said.
The source said Lt-Gen Prayut is willing to make whatever sacrifices necessary to protect the monarchy.
He has maintained the military is not "pleased" with the way the highly-revered institution may have been referred to and has asked those responsible for such comments to stop making them.
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