US President Barack Obama said the world backed his plan to end the Afghan war in two years, as President Hamid Karzai promised a NATO summit his bloodied state would no longer be a “burden.”

Leaders of the 28 NATO nations stood in solemn silence as a bugler’s lament recalled the heavy cost of a conflict that has killed over 3,000 coalition soldiers, maimed thousands more and left tens of thousands of Afghans dead.

As war weary western publics pine for an exit, the two-day summit was set to endorse a withdrawal strategy and seek firm commitments from alliance states to train and bankroll Afghan forces to ensure a decade of sacrifice is not wasted.

Before the summit, Obama met Karzai three weeks after his dramatic flight into Kabul where the two leaders inked a security pact for going forward after the withdrawal of international troops in late 2014.

“We’re confident that we are on the right track, and what this NATO Summit reflects is that the world is behind the strategy that we’ve laid out,” Obama told reporters, even as France prepares to pull its troops out in 2012, a year earlier than planned.

Karzai said his country no longer wanted to be a “burden,” urging the international community to complete a security transition to his Afghan forces as it pulls combat troops, currently numbering 130,000, by the end of 2014.

“Afghanistan… is looking forward to an end to this war and a transformational decade in which Afghanistan will be working further for institution building and the development of sound governance in the country,” he said.

Along with reaffirming the 2014 deadline, the summit is expected to back Obama’s plan to cede the lead in combat missions to Afghan troops next year, while making a commitment to securing $4 billion annually for Afghan forces.

A Western official told AFP Sunday that nations with troops in Afghanistan had pledged roughly $1 billion to bankroll Afghan security forces after 2014. The bulk of the funding is expected to come from the United States.

While NATO said the war effort was on track, it faced more uncertainty over the reopening of key supply routes into Afghanistan, closed in November after botched US air strikes killed 24 Pakistani troops.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari’s attendance at the summit had raised hopes his government was ready to lift the blockade on NATO convoys, but talks on reopening the routes have stumbled over Islamabad’s demand to charge steep fees for trucks crossing the border.

In a sign of the waning appetite to engage in further conflict, NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the western defense alliance was not prepared to intervene in Syria despite concern at the bloodshed there.

“We strongly condemn the behavior of the Syrian security forces and their crackdowns on the Syrian population and we urge the Syrian leadership to accommodate the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people,” he told reporters.

“But again NATO has no intention to intervene in Syria.”

The summit in Obama’s hometown went ahead under a massive security operation as normally bustling Chicago streets were deserted and monitored by police.

Boats with machine guns patrolled a river near Obama’s hotel and the police and Secret Service enforced a wide security perimeter around the conference center. It was the first summit of the 28-member North Atlantic Treaty Organization on US soil in more than a decade.

Thousands of protestors have taken to the streets in recent days calling for an end to war. Although the rallies have been largely peaceful, scuffles broke out Sunday when some hardcore demonstrators refused police orders to disperse.

The NATO talks come against a backdrop of a changing geopolitical landscape for the 63-year-old organization which also has to confront shrinking defense budgets.

Leaders on Sunday launched the first phase of a US-led missile shield for Europe, risking the wrath of Russia which has threatened to deploy rockets to EU borders in response.

“We have decided to develop a NATO missile defense system, because we consider the missile threat a real threat, and against a real threat we need a real defense to protect our populations effectively,” Rasmussen said.

But he added the dialogue with Russia would continue.

Obama and fellow leaders also agreed on a slew of some 20 joint projects to pool military hardware as part of a so-called “Smart Defense” initiative.

Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/world/294381/show-of-nato-unity-over-unpopular-afghan-war

At a NATO summit in Chicago, alliance chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen voiced concern about the violence, but said NATO had “no intention” of taking military action against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

No one was hurt in the Douma blast, which came as UN truce mission head Major General Robert Mood and peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous were leading observers around the north Damascus suburb, an AFP correspondent reported.

But elsewhere in the country at least 48 people were killed, including 34 in an assault by regime forces on a village in central Hama province, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Syrian troops rained shells down on the village of Souran, it said, describing the deaths as a “massacre” and urging UN observers to deploy immediately in the area.

The device in Douma, a rocket propelled-grenade according to a Syrian army officer in the area, exploded just a few dozen metres (yards) from the UN team.

The UN observers could not immediately confirm the nature of the explosion, but urged all parties to respect the ceasefire that went into effect on April 12 and put an end to fighting.

“I think this is clearly one of these situations where it is absolutely imperative that all parties exercise restraint and do not engage in any more fighting,” said Ladsous.

“There is not a ceasefire. But there has been a decrease in the level of violence… in large part thanks to the presence of the UN observers. It is clear at the same time that the ceasefire is not complete,” he said.

Ladsous also reported meeting Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem earlier on Sunday to discuss the observers’ mission.

“There are still some aspects that need to be discussed regarding the function of the mission,” said Ladsous, adding “there were still more aspects that needed to be looked at and worked out cooperatively.”

State-run SANA news agency said Muallem informed Ladsous that armed rebels had violated the UN-backed ceasefire hundreds of times.

“The armed opposition has carried out 3,500 violations since the ceasefire was established,” Muallem’s spokesman Jihad Makdisi was quoted as saying.

Fierce clashes between regime troops and rebels determined to oust Assad from power had been underway in Douma and other parts of Damascus since the early hours of the day, activists said.

The Observatory said regime forces shelled the outskirts of Douma overnight with rockets crashing into the suburb during the day.

Sunday’s blast followed several other close calls for the UN monitors since they deployed in Syria, where 260 observers are now on the ground according to Mood.

On May 16, a convoy of UN observers was struck by a homemade bomb in the central city of Homs, damaging three vehicles but causing no casualties.

A similar convoy was hit by a roadside bomb on May 9 in the southern province of Daraa, wounding six Syrian soldiers escorting them.

NATO chief Rasmussen said the Chicago summit “strongly condemn(ed) the behavior of the Syrian security forces and their crackdowns on the Syrian population”.

It also urged “the Syrian leadership to accommodate the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people”.

“But again NATO has no intention to intervene in Syria.”

NATO governments have come under criticism for backing an air war in Libya but ruling out military intervention in Syria, where opposition demonstrators and badly outgunned rebels have been hammered by heavily-armed regime forces.

Rasmussen urged the Syrian regime to comply with a UN ceasefire and peace plan, saying it was “the best platform for finding a solution in Syria”.

The United States is supplying communication equipment and night-vision goggles to Syrian rebels, but so far has stopped short of openly arming the rebels.

In Hama province “thirty-four people were killed under shelling and gunfire in Souran village while it was being raided,” the Observatory said, adding that children were among the dead.

Elsewhere across the country 14 other people were killed in violence on Sunday, it added.

The latest violence came after the G8 nations said a “political transition” was needed to end the crisis in Syria, where monitors say more than 12,000 people have died in a government crackdown since March 2011.

The AFP correspondent said the streets of Douma were deserted and most of its shops were closed.

“When the observers leave, the armed men will come back to cause trouble,” a soldier told reporters, in a reference to rebels.

After the blast, Ladsous described what he saw of Douma as “a city paralysed”.

“People who cannot go out, who cannot exercise their normal lives, this is simply hard to accept.”

Meanwhile gunmen assassinated ruling Baath party official Adib Habb al-Rumman in the city of Jisr al-Shughur, in northwestern Idlib province, the Observatory said.

“There is definitely an increase in assassinations targeting people associated with the regime, be they officials or pro-regime businessmen,” Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.

Also on Sunday protests took place in southern Daraa province to demand the release of activist and citizen journalist Mohammed al-Hariri, who was arrested on April 16 after he gave an interview to Al-Jazeera.

According to Reporters Without Borders, Hariri has been sentenced to death for “high treason.”

Syrian foreign ministry spokesman Makdisi said meanwhile that Kofi Annan, the special UN-Arab League envoy to Syria, was expected in Damascus at the end of the month and that Syria “welcomes” the visit.

Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/world/294386/blast-near-un-monitors-as-syria-deaths-mount

The largest demonstration of the summit weekend ended late Sunday with a tense scuffle between protesters and police, with officers wielding batons and some demonstrators throwing bottles and other debris.

There was no official tally on injuries, but seven demonstrators were treated at one hospital. Police had no information on any officers who were injured. There were hundreds of demonstrators when the confrontation began, but the crowd thinned considerably as police held their ground and slowly pushed the demonstrators away.

Peace activists joined with war veterans and people more focused on the economy for the protest, which was expected to draw thousands of participants. They walked 2-1/2 miles Monday morning (Thailand time) to the site where President Barack Obama and other world leaders were meeting to discuss the war in Afghanistan, European missile defense and other issues.

Obama had earlier moved the G8 summit out of Chicago in order to spare world leaders the protests.

On Sunday, it began escalating. Marchers arrived at Grant Park with signs denouncing Nato, including ones that read: “War=Debt” and “NATO, Go Home.”

As a massive anti-war rally ended Sunday afternoon, police and demonstrators scuffled just blocks from where Nato dignitaries were meeting.

Police and demonstration leaders urged calm, but several hundred protesters pushed repeatedly against a line of police dressed in full riot gear – and police donned gas masks.

Officers lined up four deep in a show of strength, hoping to keep the demonstrators at bay. As the crowd surged forward, some officers swung their batons.

One protester had blood pouring from the side of his head.

Moments earlier, a group of veterans had taken the stage holding an American flag.

Some in the crowd chanted “Burn that flag! Burn that flag!” The veterans then folded the flag and handed it to Mary Kirkland, whose son was killed on his second tour in Iraq.

“I’m here to protest NATO, which I feel is the enforcement arm of the ruling 1 per cent – of the capitalist 1 per cent,” said protester John Schraufnagel, who took a bus from Minneapolis to Chicago.

Sunday’s protest followed several smaller demonstrations over the previous two days, including a march Saturday to the home of Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Obama’s former chief of staff.

Police and activists clashed repeatedly Saturday evening in a series of pushing and shoving confrontations in the main downtown area called the Loop, following a day of cat-and-mouse marches that tested the physical and mental stamina of both sides.

Police and activists clashed repeatedly Saturday evening in a series of pushing and shoving confrontations in the main downtown area called the Loop, following a day of cat-and-mouse marches that tested the physical and mental stamina of both sides.

The crowd remained largely peaceful and there were no reports of major damage. Police likewise accomplished a goal of keeping protesters away from the glizty Michigan Avenue retail district, where many Nato dignitaries are staying.

A mob wielding batons and hammers entered the Ashford House restaurant Sunday and began attacking patrons.

Police called the melee a targeted assault by 18 young men, all wearing hooded jackets obscuring their faces. Ten diners were hurt in the attack, and three of those were hospitalised.

Hackers attacked the City of Chicago’s official website, putting it off the internet with a “denial of service attack”.

The statement said, quoting verbatim: “let us unite and show the violent Chicago police, and the government big brother tactic’s that we are not gonna take this.”

A YouTube video attributed to Anonymous and a previously unknown AntiS3curityOPS claimed the hackers started “an operation toward the Chicago police department and its websites”.

Five men have been arrested and charged with planning terrorism to disrupt the meeting.

Just before the summit, police arrested and charged three activists with terrorism.

A Cook County judge ordered the trio held on $1.5 million (47 million baht) bail each, and their legal plight quickly offered a new rallying point for protesters who dubbed them the “NATO 3″.

The men were charged with making Molotov cocktails to throw at the protests on Sunday. They allegedly planned to attack Obama’s campaign headquarters and the home of Chicago mayor and major Obama supporter Rahm Emanuel, prosecutors alleged.

The men were arrested in a raid that defence attorneys said was nothing more than a scare tactic designed to quell protests planned around the meeting of world leaders in the city.

“We believe this is all a setup and entrapment to the highest degree,” defense attorney Michael Deutsch told reporters.

On Sunday, police announced the arrest of two more on charges of terrorism and making a false threat. They were also accused of planning to make Molotov cocktails to be used during the summit.

Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/world/294304/protesters-face-police-in-chicago

“I won’t return as a political appointee,” he said during an interview. “I was given the chance to work and I was happy. I want others to have that chance,” he said during an interview last week.

Others in the so-called 111 Club of ex-TRT politicians whose bans are about to expire may fight for titles initially, but peace will return as they have to work together to push through the party’s policies, he said.

“I’m out now; circumstances have changed. I’m interested in formulating economic ideas and will be pleased if they put the ideas into practice. Whatever ideas I may have will be passed on to those who want them. If the ideas are unwanted, I’m OK with it. I’m ready to help the government where I can.”

In his behind-the-scenes role in recent years, the 58-year-old spent time accumulating advice from academics and other parties and formulating economic plans for Pheu Thai, which is now led by Thaksin’s younger sister, Prime Minister Yingluck. In the Thaksin era, Prommin served as deputy prime minister in charge of economic affairs and played a key role in TRT’s populist policies.

Prommin recalled some painful experiences during the political ban. After the coup in 2006, he was closely watched while his boss was in exile. As he approaches retirement age, he prefers a quiet life and chooses not to return as a public figure.

To him, the ban was part of the attempt to eradicate Thaksin. Though, even with the coup, the attempt failed and all involved have learned the consequences. Referring to Dusit and Abac polls which said a majority of Thais support the return of the 111 Club’s members to politics, he said the ban served only to briefly disperse some able and popular politicians, against the people’s will.

“It demonstrated that [the banned politicians] can’t be replaced.”

He said that since 1973, Thailand’s politics have evolved in a way that has increased people’s power, in line with technological, economic and social developments. A key turning point was the May bloodbath in 1992, following a coup a year earlier, paving the way for the 1997 Constitution.

“I thought that [the 1991 coup] would be the last…Given the strong criticisms and admissions by the [coup] leader, General Sonthi [Boonyaratglin], the last coup should be the very last. No one should attempt to repeat it,” he said.

He reiterated that TRT came into power under the 1997 Constitution, which stipulated checks-and-balances and supported people’s power. He said it was painful to see power change hands under the barrel of a gun again in 2006.

“Still, I’m not sorry [for joining the Thaksin government], as I was able to use my knowledge to help develop the country.”

He claimed that TRT was the first party to tell the public how to reap democratic returns and how to press for their democratic rights. Meanwhile, externally, under Thaksin, Thailand won greater support from the US, Europe and the Middle East. This has revived since Yingluck came to power and her government has won greater international acceptance than the previous government, he said.

“Corruption has been in Thai society for a long time,” he said, countering criticism that the coup followed widespread corruption in the TRT era. “It depends on how you handle it and how the country is doing, in the big picture.”

While the coup cost Thailand the opportunity to rise further in the global scheme of things following the 2006 coup, Prommin said the negative consequences linger today, as many people remain in jail and many lost their lives in the political conflicts. Reconciliation will happen only when the facts are available, he said, referring to Martin Luther King’s famous saying, “No justice, no peace”.

He said a mechanism is needed to deal with diverse public demands and conflicts, as differences of ideas must be tackled in a peaceful way. Yet, he reiterated that all must accept the majority decision, to show that all, regardless of social status, are equal.

Denying that the Red Shirts have been bought, he split them into four groups – Thaksin’s fans, those against dictatorship, academics, and non-monarchists. They are independent from each other, he said.

“At one time, peace-loving Thais paused under the power of guns. But when they cast votes again, they will vote for their choice. They are denounced as stupid voters, but that’s their right and they are responsible for the negative consequences if they make the wrong decision,” he said.

Throughout the transformation of TRT into the People Power Party and then Pheu Thai, the movement’s base popularity has never been shaken, Prommin said. He attributed this to a deep understanding of people and their problems, which he said were the foundations of TRT’s economic policies.

As a non-politician, he said political parties should compete through policies to win votes in a constructive way. The Democrats’ moves on the cost of living are a good example, he said. Not all parties can compete in terms of populist policies, he said, as this requires a thorough understanding of the public’s demands.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Real-brain-of-Pheu-Thai-to-keep-its-low-profile-30182442.html

The event, held by the Royal Irrigation Department, aims to reveal final results of the EHIA and seek opinions from locals and relevant agencies, Kuesak Thathong, chief of RID’s Environmental Bureau, said.

A battle to sway public opinion has begun with many pro-dam billboards erected in Lat Yao and a conservationist warned not to discuss negative impacts from the dam.

The RID hired an environmental consultant/creative technology company to conduct the EHIA for the dam project. The firm began conducting a study for the assessment in August last year. It is expected to be done by July 25 this year.

The EHIA report says the dam will cover 12,900 rai of Sob Kok mountain in Nakhon Sawan’s Mae Wong district and Khanuworalukburi in Kamphaeng Phet province. Some 12,300 rai of this is in Mae Wong National Park. And the dam will deliver water to 291,900 rai of irrigated areas.

The study found over 12,900 rai of forest will be destroyed. Most of these areas are mixed deciduous forest, dry dipterocarp forest, and bamboo forest. Dam construction will affect the head watershed class 2 and class 3A. Building the dam will also affect the habitat of more than 400 wildlife species – most of them birds.

However, the study proposes five ways to resolve water issues in Mae Wong district and Sakae Krang watershed – a tributary of the Chao Phraya River.

The first solution the study suggests is for related agencies to manage existing irrigation infrastructure and not invest any budget. The second suggests these agencies invest Bt579 million for the construction of small dams along the river.

The third ’solution’ is to build small dams and a reservoir on a farmer’s rice plantation. This would cost about Bt 1.8 billion. The fourth is to build small dams and develop an underground water system. This would cost about Bt600 million to build. The fifth is to build the Mae Wong Dam, at a cost of Bt13 billion.

To date, there are about 164 projects in Sakae Krang watershed to resolve water problems. In Lat Yao district in Nakhon Sawan, there are two projects, including small dams on Klong Khun Rat. Small dams have also been installed at Ban Wang Sam Ran to resolve water problems.

Panudej Kerdmail from the Sueb Nakhasathian Foundation said they would send a person to the hearing. But it had found the EHIA by the company lacked details about the impact from the dam on the number and species of wildlife and flora that will be affected. It also did not mention compensation for locals who will lose land.

A resident from Lat Yao district, who did not want to be named, said she did not have much information about the dam. No officials had explained the pros or cons of the project. She heard via the media that today’s event would give results of the final EHIA study.

“Even if the dam is good for us, it would be better related agencies dredge and maintain the ‘dead’ canals,” she said.

Meanwhile, many billboards voicing backing the dam project were installed in the district prior to today’s public hearing.

Another local person, who leads a conservation group, who did not want to be unnamed, said he would not attend, because had been threatened by a group of armed people, who asked him to not speak about environmental impacts from the dam.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Dirty-tricks-ahead-of-Mae-Wong-Dam-hearing-today-30182443.html

Thai Rak Thai Party’s banned former foreign minister Surakiart Sathirathai says the government needs to do a better job of handling challenges such as national reconciliation and violence in the deep South.

But the deputy leader of the disbanded Thai Rak Thai Party has ruled himself out of being part of these efforts in a political role.

Mr Surakiart is a member of House No.111 _ the group of Thai Rak Thai executives who were prohibited from participating in politics when their party was disbanded following electoral fraud.

The 111 former executives will get the opportunity to return to prominent roles in government once their five-year ban ends on May 30.

Mr Surakiart served a full term as foreign minister under ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

In the second Thaksin cabinet, he served as deputy prime minister until the Sept 19, 2006, coup d’etat that toppled his government.

But almost six years later, the veteran statesman said there was little chance of him returning to politics as part of the ruling Pheu Thai Party, led by Thaksin’s sister Yingluck.

“No one at any level from the government has approached me to take up any position in the Yingluck government, and I am not ready for public service,” Mr Surakiart said. “To be in politics requires desire and willingness. I do not have them.

“I am not ready and am not interested in taking any political position, be it a ministerial one or any other.”

Mr Surakiart said he does not plan to be an “actor”, but that he prefers to be a “political observer”.

He is heavily engaged in the academic world. He speaks frequently in local and overseas forums, lectures at Chulalongkorn University and conducts academic seminars on legal, economic and political issues at Harvard University.

Mr Surakiart is also a legal and business consultant and does charity work, including fund-raising for a children’s hospital to celebrate the 80th birthday anniversary of Her Majesty the Queen.

With this set of commitments, Mr Surakiart feels that he has enough on his plate.

“I really do not want to be a minister again as none of the positions present a challenge for me,” he said.

“Before I was appointed foreign minister, I told reporters that post was the only one in the government that really interested me.”

Still, Mr Surakiart offered political advice to the government, saying he wanted it to work seriously on a process of national reconciliation and creating a single command centre in the far South.

He also advised the government to prepare to cope with a new round of conflict with Cambodia.

Mr Surakiart was an adviser to the Truth for Reconciliation Commission, headed by former attorney-general Kanit na Nakorn, and was asked to talk to leaders of countries suffering from internal conflicts that needed a reconciliation process.

Mr Surakiart said Thailand lacked such a reconciliation process, and recommended that authorities talk to parties in the conflict _ the military, the judiciary, red shirts, yellow shirts and former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva _ to find which aspects of reconciliation they agreed with.

Regarding security problems in the southern border provinces, Mr Surakiart recommended creating a single centre of command.

Speaking about tension on the Thai-Cambodian border, he said the International Court of Justice was likely to rule next year on the ownership of the area around Preah Vihear temple.

Mr Surakiart predicted the border issue will continue to be a thorn in the side of both countries regardless of the outcome of the court verdict.

He said the problem could set back the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’s plans to form an Asean Economic Community in three years.

Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/294318/surakiart-rules-out-taking-up-govt-post

The government also approved short-term measures to curb the cost of living.

Acting government spokesman Anusorn Iamsa-ard said the mobile cabinet meeting approved projects worth 33.11 billion baht to be implemented in eight provinces in the lower Central Plains to support development projects in Dawei. Of these, 60 projects worth about 1 billion baht are ready for immediate implementation.

They include building new roads, constructing an overflow dam on Huai Yang stream in Ratchaburi province and developing an information system for food security and health services in Suphan Buri province.

The cabinet agrees with the proposal of the National Economic and Social Development Board to support Myanmar in developing its deep-sea port and industrial estate in Dawei.

“[Dawei] can be a gateway for trade with the western side of the Asean region and a bridge to link Southeast Asia with other countries in the region. It will increase the GDP of Thailand by 1.9%,” Mr Anusorn said.

The national logistic development committee, headed by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong, will implement the supporting projects in three stages.

In the first stage, running until 2015, projects will focus on developing the southern zone of the Dawei port.

These will include constructing a four-lane road linking Dawei and the Thai-Myanmar border, a 93 million cubic metre reservoir, a coal-fired power plant, roads at the industrial estate, new residences, new government offices and water, drainage and wastewater treatment systems.

The second stage, lasting from 2013 to 2018, will include the expansion of the area’s drainage system, the widening of the road to Dawei to an eight-lane highway and the construction of a shopping centre in the area.

In the final stage from 2016 to 2020, projects will aim to develop the northern part of the Dawei port. During this phase, railway tracks, electricity lines and gas and oil pipelines will be extended into the area from Thailand.

Meanwhile, deputy government spokesman Pakdeehan Himathongkham said the cabinet has extended reductions in excise tax on diesel for another month.

The measure will cost the government about 9 billion baht but should help curb the cost of living for the general public, Mr Pakdeehan said.

He said the government would continue to consider extending the tax reduction on a monthly basis.

Transport Minister Jarupong Ruangsuwan said the Mass Rapid Transit Authority will direct its Bangkok subway concessionaire Bangkok Metro Co Ltd to postpone its planned fare rise for three months from July 3 to Oct 2.

The current fare range of 15-40 baht is now scheduled to be increased to 16-40 baht on Oct 3 this year.

Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/294313/govt-commits-to-massive-investment-in-dawei-port

The project is developing a building on a land plot adjacent to the famous Chinese temple.

To the temple’s management and staunch followers, the project appears set to include a hotel, even though it will be dubbed as a serviced apartment.

“Our activities will start with lighting candles and saying prayers inside the temple,” Pisitchanon Niwattanakul, a member of the Leng Noei Yi Temple’s board, said yesterday.

He said the participants in the campaign would gather at 10.30 am. After the candle-lighting and prayer rituals, they would attend a seminar on Chinese culture and arts, as well as safety in high-rise buildings.

“The march will start around noon,” Pisitchanon said.

The procession will leave Leng Noei Yi Temple via its gate on Charoenkrung Road and move a short distance before re-entering via another gate.

“We will make the activities outside the temple brief because we don’t want to paralyse traffic,” he said.

Some 500 people from local communities and the Don’t Drive Drunk Foundation will definitely join today’s activities, Pisitchanon said.

“We believe some more people who have learnt about our activities from social media will also join in,” he said.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Opponents-of-Chinatown-temple-to-stage-rally-30182444.html

Red-shirt supporters have expressed dismay over ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s call for them to set aside their anger and frustration over social and legal injustices for the sake of national reconciliation.

Pansak Srithep, father of a 17-year-old boy who was killed on Ratchaprarop Road on May 15, 2010, said Thaksin’s comments showed that he loves himself more than the people.

“Certainly, it’s not fair for our family. But the 91 deaths [in the 2010 unrest] are perhaps a minority compared to hundreds of thousands of supporters who really love Thaksin. So the damaged parties like us have to sacrifice for the Thaksin supporters too,” Mr Pansak said.

Panitan Prueksakasemsuk, a third-year law student at Thammasat University, said Thaksin might feel he could continue to command the support of the mainstream red-shirt movement in making such a call.

He said that while he understood Thaksin’s desire, he felt unhappy with call.

“Thaksin and this government should be doing more to help political detainees receive their basic rights,” he said.

Pornchai Yuanyee, outgoing chairman of the Students Federation of Thailand, said national reconciliation was needed, but it could not be reached under a compromised justice system.

“We need to know first which parties should reconcile,” said Mr Pornchai, a fourth-year student in Chulalongkorn University’s political science faculty.

“If we compromise just to help bring one particular person back home, that should not be the case.

“He [Thaksin] should return home through democratic means.”

Prayuth Chumnasiew, Ubon Ratchathani’s core leader of the People and Academic Movement, said Thaksin was choosing a convenient path.

“People need to analyse the fact that perhaps Thaksin and Pheu Thai and the UDD are not the people to overhaul the present socio-political structure,” said Mr Prayuth, 60. “Economically, these players might be able to respond to the people’s need. But they are not the ones who can change the superstructure of society.”

Meanwhile, liberal red shirt members are proclaiming on social media websites that they would still continue their quest for change, regardless of Thaksin’s call.

Saovalux Phonga, a red shirt lawyer, said Thaksin was self-centred and cruel in making such a request.

“The truth and fact-finding process can actually proceed together with the reconciliation efforts. Why do we have to forget so easily, and so soon?” she said. “The truth must be disclosed to prevent impunity, which remains prevalent in Thai society.”

Sombat Boonngamanong, leader of the Red Sunday Group, wrote on his Twitter page that the red shirts were getting fed up with Thaksin.”The red shirts were fighting for democracy, so Thaksin must stop talking about himself,” he said.

“Thaksin must stop talking about returning home. Instead, he must put himself in a proper place.”

However, Tida Tawornseth, chairwoman of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), said she did not care what people or the political opposition thought about Thaksin’s message.

“Thaksin will never leave the red shirts. Thaksin, the red shirts and the Pheu Thai Party are all close allies,” she said.

She said Thaksin asked the red shirts to reconcile because he wanted the country to move forward so the government would be able to solve problems including the cost of living and other economic issues.

Ms Tida insisted that although the red shirts had close ties to Thaksin, the movement was independent of him.

“The red shirts gathered [at the Ratchaprasong intersection] on Saturday to commemorate those who died in the military crackdown on May 19, 2010. We did not go there because of Thaksin,” she said.

The UDD will continue to call for justice for those who died during the April and May protests two years ago and to support an amendment to the constitution and other laws to ensure all Thais have equal rights, liberty and opportunity.

Thaksin believes that if the national reconciliation process moves forward he would receive justice, and a chance to return to the country, Deputy Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Nattawut Saikua said.

Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/294312/red-shirts-affair-with-thaksin-cools

Call Ajarn Woratep 081-854-9368 or 0 2247 0123, ext 1928, 1944, or go to www.thailandguitarsociety.com.