Category: Politik

Thai Crown Prince Urges Calm Over Delay In Succession

Thailand’s Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn has urged people not to worry about his surprise decision to delay being proclaimed king following the death of his father, said the country’s junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha, as his government sought to dispel any concern on royal succession and stressed it was working as normal.

“His Highness’s only wish is to not let the people experience confusion or worry about the service of the land or even the ascension to the throne because this issue has the constitution, the royal laws and royal traditions to dictate it,” General Prayuth, the Thai Prime Minister, said in a televised address late on Saturday (Oct 15), adding that the Crown Prince invited him and regent Prem Tinsulanonda for an audience earlier in the evening to discuss the situation “as his royal highness was deeply concerned for the Thai people during this time of national bereavement”.

Mr Prem heads the Privy Council, a body of advisers to the monarchy, and is known to be close to King Bhumibol’s highly popular daughter Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

He has been at the centre of Thailand’s treacherous politics for decades, first as general and then as a prime minister and even at 96, remains remarkably spry and a master political operator.

Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, who should have ascended the throne, has asked for more time to grieve along with the nation before taking over the monarchy. The constitution dictates that the Privy Council head be the regent in such a situation.

The prospect of complications in the succession could alarm financial markets, but the military government has been quick to quash any such speculation.

Gen Prayuth said on Saturday that the crown prince had said “at this time everyone is sad, he is still sad, so every should wait until we pass this sad time.”

“When the religious ceremony and funeral have passed for a while, then it will be an appropriate time to proceed (with the succession),” Gen Prayuth further quoted the Crown Prince as saying.

“This procedure should not impact the work plan or any steps. Everyone should take this time to keep the memories of the past 70 years.”

No date has been set for the cremation. Officials have suggested it would be at least a year. Buddhist funeral ceremonies have already begun at the Grand Palace complex in Bangkok’s historic centre where King Bhumibol’s body is kept in an ornate hall for the royal family members to pay respects. The hall will be opened to the public on Oct 28.

King Bhumibol has long been revered as a father figure and symbol of unity in a country riven by political crises over the years, most recently by a power struggle between the military-led establishment and populist political forces. Many Thais worry about a future without him.

Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn does not enjoy the same adoration his father earned over 70 years on the throne. He has married and divorced three times, and has spent much of his life outside Thailand, often in Germany.

Though the king designated his only son as his heir in 1972, shortly afterwards he also raised the possibility of the eligibility of a princess becoming the monarch.

Thailand’s strict lese-majeste laws, which have been applied rigorously since a military government took power in a 2014 coup, have left little room for public discussion about the succession.

Thai police on Sunday charged a woman with royal defamation after a mob demanded action over a Facebook post allegedly smearing the “heir and regent”.

The woman, who has not been named, was accused of posting a derogatory statement, according to Thewes Pleumsud of Bo Pud police in the southeastern island of Koh Samui, where an angry mob had descended earlier on Sunday demanding the woman be charged.

The crowd hurled insults at the woman, according to videos widely shared on Facebook.

Two other similar cases since the king’s death — in which angry crowds in Phuket and Phang Nga urged punishment for alleged royal defamation on social media — have raised fears of mob action.

Thailand’s three main mobile service providers said on Sunday customers should report “inappropriate content on the royal institution” on social media.

With the country facing a sensitive period, Gen Prayuth has promised to perform hus duties “with honesty and loyalty.”

Thai government spokesperson Lieutenant-General Sansern Kaewkamnerd said on Sunday (SUN) that the government’s administration will continue seamlessly during the country’s mourning period.

A Cabinet meeting would go ahead as normal on Tuesday to discuss preparation for the king’s funeral.

“We can grief but must not forget our duties. We can feel sorrow but need to have hopes. We can be sad but must not lose love and faith towards our country,” Mr Sansern quoted Mr Prayuth as saying at a meeting on Sunday.

Source: TODAY Online

October 17, 2016
Thai Woman Charged With Royal Slur After Mob Action

Thai police on Sunday (Oct 16) charged a woman with royal defamation after a mob demanded action over a Facebook post allegedly smearing the “heir and regent”, as the country mourns King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Thailand has one of the world’s harshest lese majeste laws, with jail terms of up to 15 years for each count of defaming or insulting the king, queen, heir or regent.

The woman, who has not been named, was accused of posting a derogatory statement on Facebook on Friday, according to Thewes Pleumsud of Bo Pud police in the southeastern island of Koh Samui.

“She did not post against the late King — it involved the heir and the regent,” he said, referring to Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, and the 96-year-old Prem Tinsulanonda who in a surprise move became temporary regent on Friday.

He declined to give further details since doing so could violate the catch-all law.

Mr Prem, a former prime minister and Bhumibol’s Privy Council head, will act as regent until the Crown Prince formally ascends the throne.

An angry mob descended on Bo Pud police station on Sunday demanding the woman be charged.

The crowd hurled insults at the woman, according to videos widely shared on Facebook.

Police said she was charged and then publicly prostrated herself in apology before a portrait of the king, who died on Thursday aged 88 — prompting a wave of grief across the nation.

Two other similar cases since the king’s death — in which angry crowds urged punishment for alleged royal defamation on social media — have raised fears of mob action.

Domestic and foreign media outlets based in the country routinely self-censor to avoid falling foul of the broadly worded law, while social opprobrium follows those perceived to have overstepped the mark.

Critics say the law — known as ‘112’ after its criminal code — has encouraged witch hunts by the public, with police and courts obliged to investigate all accusations.

The law prevents all but the most cursory public discussion of Thailand’s monarchy, or reporting or debate on the issue.

Cases have surged since royalist generals ousted a civilian government from power in 2014.

The generals have vowed to defend the monarchy from criticism. But analysts say the law has overwhelmingly been used to skewer their political rivals.

A number of people with mental health problems have also been prosecuted.

Cyber patrol teams trawl the internet for royal insults, while self-appointed ultra-royalist civilian groups also monitor the web and report violations.

Source: TODAY Online

October 17, 2016
Sultan Of Johor ‘Declines Offer To Be Next King’

Johor’s Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar has said he declined an offer to be the next Malaysian king because “he wants to strictly adhere to the rotation system”.

He disclosed this in a Facebook post late on Friday night, hours after the Conference of Rulers ended a three-day meeting by choosing the Sultan of Kelantan, Muhammad V, as the next Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Under Malaysia’s unique monarchy system, the hereditary rulers from the nine states on the peninsula take turns to be the country’s head of state for a five-year term.

The Johor ruler said in his Facebook posting that, contrary to social media reports, he declined the offer to become the next Yang di-Pertuan Agong because he wanted to strictly adhere to the rotation system set by the Conference of Rulers.

He added: “Under this time-tested succession pattern, the Sultan of Kelantan is next in line, followed by the Sultan of Pahang. Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar respects and understands the rule of succession by rotation and wishes to abide by this.”

The Johor Sultan’s Facebook post raised some eyebrows.

“It is very rare for details of discussions in a Rulers’ Council meeting to be disclosed to the public,” said Mr Wan Saiful Wan Jan, chief executive of think-tank the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs.

The British-educated Muhammad V, 47, who is the current deputy king, will be the 15th Yang di-Pertuan Agong since Malaysia’s independence. He succeeds 88-year-old Kedah ruler Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah, whose reign as king officially ends on Dec 12.

There was a surprising turn of events in the selection of the next deputy king, according to The Star newspaper.

Perak ruler Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, 59, was chosen as deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong although Pahang ruler Sultan Ahmad Shah was next in line for the post, the newspaper said. Sultan Ahmad, who will soon turn 86, was seen being driven in a yellow buggy inside the palace to attend the meeting on the first day of the rulers’ conference.

For the first time, both the newly selected king and his deputy are a generation younger than most of the other rulers, The Star noted.

Under the federal Constitution, the role of Yang di-Pertuan Agong is mostly ceremonial. He acts as the head of Islam and appoints Cabinet ministers and senior judges on the advice of the prime minister.

The chairman of this year’s Conference of Rulers was the Johor Sultan, but the Raja of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Tuanku Syed Putra Jamalullail, chaired the final day’s special meeting to select the king and his deputy, according to The Star.

Voting for the new king is usually done via a secret ballot handed out by the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal during the special election meeting. A majority of five votes is required before the chairman presiding over the meeting offers the office of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to the nominee.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

October 16, 2016
PERGAS Suarakan Keprihatian Berkenaan Perjudian Online

Persatuan Ulama dan Guru-Guru Agama Singapura (Pergas) menyuarakan keprihatinan ke atas perjudian online yang diluluskan pemerintah baru-baru ini dan kesan-kesan negatif kegiatan tersebut terhadap rakyat Singapura, tidak mengira latar-belakang agama mereka.

Pergas bagaimanapun menyatakan, ia memahami, langkah pemerintah meluluskan perjudian online adalah untuk mengawal kegiatan itu dan juga perjudian secara haram.

Pergas menyuarakan demikian dalam satu kenyataan media hari ini (15 Okt), menyusuli laporan-laporan media pada 30 September 2016, berhubung langkah Kementerian Ehwal Dalam Negeri (MHA) meluluskan permohonan oleh Singapore Pools dan Singapore Turf Club (STC) untuk mengecualikan perjudian online daripada Akta Perjudian Terpencil (RGA).

Laporan-laporan tersebut juga menyatakan bahawa jika dua pengendali perjudian didapati melanggar syarat-syarat tertentu, ia boleh didenda sehingga $1 juta bagi setiap syarat yang tidak dipatuhi.

Pergas menyatakan, sebagai sebuah pertubuhan yang bertanggungjawab membentuk kepimpinan agama, menjadi tugas Pergas untuk menyediakan panduan dari sudut agama buat masyarakat Islam.

Oleh itu, Pergas bertegas bahawa tidak ada tolak ansur dalam hal-hal berkaitan perjudian dan kegiatan itu jelas mendatangkan kesan-kesan negatif terhadap individu yang terlibat serta masyarakat.

Memandang ke hadapan, Pergas mengingatkan masyarakat Islam supaya menjauhkan diri daripada terlibat dengan sebarang kegiatan perjudian, yang dilarang agama Islam.

Mereka juga perlu menahan diri daripada mengambil bahagian dalam sebarang kegiatan sedemikian kerana ia menjadi lebih mudah setelah perjudian online diluluskan.

Pergas menambah, menerusi semangat menasihati antara satu sama lain untuk melakukan amalan-amalan yang baik serta menyebarkan kebenaran, ia dapat membantu mengingatkan masyarakat supaya menjauhi perjudian dan juga pengaruh-pengaruh negatif lain.

Semalam (14 Okt), menerusi khutbah Jumaat di masjid-masjid Singapura, masyarakat Islam turut diingatkan supaya menjauhi tabiat berjudi serta kesan-kesan buruk yang bukan sahaja menjejas individu yang terlibat secara langsung, malah anggota keluarga mereka.

Source: http://berita.mediacorp.sg

October 16, 2016
New Fears Of Communal Violence In Myanmar

NINE police officers were killed early on October 9th in a series of apparently co-ordinated attacks on border-guard posts in the troubled state of Rakhine in Myanmar’s west. The attackers were armed with knives, slingshots and only a few guns—and reportedly made off with dozens more guns and thousands of bullets. The Buddhist majority in Rakhine has long oppressed the state’s Muslim Rohingyas. Now the victims may be starting to fight back.

Nobody has yet claimed responsibility, but police say the attackers—at least two of whom were captured and eight killed—were Rohingyas. One local official blamed the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation, a militant group that has been dormant for decades. The two who were detained reportedly told authorities that they planned the raids with fellow locals.

The central government’s response has been reasonably level-headed. On the same day it held a press conference to appeal for caution and restraint. Two days later it dispatched high-ranking officials to talk to local leaders in the Muslim-majority townships where the attacks took place. Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s de facto leader, did not cast blame, but reiterated her commitment to “peace and stability”. “Rakhine State’s problem is Myanmar’s problem,” said the information minister.

Since the attacks in northern Rakhine, however, clashes have broken out there leaving at least a dozen people dead—including unarmed civilians, according to locals. The government has beefed up an already heavy military presence. Some worry that the stolen guns will be used in future attacks on security forces, or that in trying to retrieve the weapons, the police will target innocents.

By far the biggest concern is that unrest could spread, as it did in 2012, when communal violence between Buddhists and Muslims killed scores and displaced tens of thousands. Many outside Myanmar have criticised Miss Suu Kyi for failing to speak up for the Rohingyas. Anti-Muslim sentiment runs deep among the Burman Buddhist majority. Wirathu, a virulently nationalist monk and master of social media, posted a video on his Facebook page this week that he claims shows the attackers calling for Rohingyas to join the jihad.

In August Miss Suu Kyi invited Kofi Annan, a former UN secretary-general, to head a commission investigating human-rights abuses in Rakhine. Buddhist nationalists protested, and the Rakhine parliament passed a resolution condemning the commission. But as this week’s events have shown, efforts to bring about a just and durable peace in Rakhine are more urgent than ever.

Source: www.economist.com

October 15, 2016