Thai ex-PM Thaksin meets prosecutor on royal insult case, appears 'truly ill' - CNA

POLARISING FIGURE

Pheu Thai, a party controlled by the Shinawatra family, is currently in power and critics have complained about Thaksin's lenient treatment and questioned the severity of his health problems.

Thaksin made a dramatic return in August and showed no signs of poor health as he emerged from his private jet to greet supporters and family, before being escorted away by police who saluted him as he arrived. But he was transferred to a hospital on his first night in jail as he complained of chest pains.

Doctors last year said he had high blood pressure, heart issues and back pains affecting his balance, for which he underwent surgery, and was easily tired due to fibrosis on the lungs having earlier been infected with COVID-19.

The attorney-general's office said more investigation was needed before deciding whether to indict Thaksin for insulting the crown. The complaint, made by the military that ousted his sister Yingluck Shinawatra's government, stems from an interview Thaksin gave while in exile in 2015.

Insulting the monarchy is a serious offence and a major slur in Thailand, where the constitution states the king must be held in a position of "revered worship".

Hundreds of people have been prosecuted in recent years under Thailand's lese-majeste law, which is among the world's strictest and carries a maximum jail sentence of up to 15 years for each perceived royal insult.

Thaksin has always pledged loyalty to the monarchy and had recently sent a plea letter to authorities requesting fairness in the case.

Thailand's best-known and most polarising premier, Thaksin was a towering figure over Thai politics while in self-imposed exile to avoid jail for abuse of power, charges he maintained were cooked up by the country's old guard to keep him at bay.

He is widely expected to exert some influence over the current government led by his allies, but has insisted he is retired.

The royal insult case against Thaksin "is an important case because the person involved is an important person, the charge is serious and the public has interest in it", said Prayut Petchkun, spokesperson for the attorney-general's office.

Thaksin will need to report back on Apr 10 to hear the office's decision on the case, the spokesperson said.

"Please be confident in the process that everything is based on the law and facts."

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2024-02-19 06:30:00Z
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Sydney school, supermarket tainted with asbestos as crisis widens - CNA

SYDNEY: Seven more public sites in Sydney, including a school, sports hub and supermarket, were exposed to asbestos, authorities said on Monday (Feb 19), as the contamination of the toxic material widened and officials rushed to remove it from public spaces.

Traces of bonded asbestos in mulch have been found in 41 spots scattered across Australia's most populous city since early January when it was found in a playground.

In response, the New South Wales state government has set up an asbestos task force to give more resources and support to the Environment Protection Authority (EPA), in one of the agency's largest probes in decades.

Authorities have so far cordoned off areas in parks, some in popular tourist spots, and closed two schools. Contaminated spots in other sites have been blocked from the public.

Just under 700 tests returned negative results as of Sunday, the EPA said in its latest update, while results from three schools have not yet been received.

A concert by pop superstar Taylor Swift, set to take place this weekend in the city's west, would go ahead after tests at the venue. The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Fair Day event scheduled for Feb 18, which usually draws hundreds of thousands of revellers, was cancelled.

Except for one location, the type of asbestos discovered so far is bonded asbestos, considered low risk to human health and the environment if not disturbed, but health officials have been conducting precautionary testing.

Asbestos became popular in the late 19th century as a way to reinforce cement and for fire-proofing, but research later found the inhalation of asbestos fibres could cause lung inflammation and cancer. It is now banned in much of the world.

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2024-02-18 23:10:55Z
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Move Forward questions justice of Thaksin's return home - Bangkok Post

PUBLISHED : 18 Feb 2024 at 15:25

The Move Forward Party (MFP) on Sunday took to social media to say that regarding Thaksin Shinawatra's illness and parole, many people questioned if the law was enforced with fairness and without discrimination.

The main opposition party posted the question on Facebook after former prime minister Thaksin was discharged from Police General Hospital early on Sunday morning.

The MFP wrote that many people were dubious about whether any special treatment might be evident in the enforcement of Thai law after Thaksin was allowed to stay at the hospital for 180 days without clarification on his illness and was later paroled.

Although the government answered questions on Thaksin's health and the criteria for his parole, it could not stop society from posing questions about fair law enforcement and treatment in comparison with the cases of other inmates and political prisoners.

Thai society must be free of double standards, the MFP wrote.

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra relaxes by the swimming pool in his Chan Song La residence after being paroled on Sunday. (Photo from his daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra)

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2024-02-18 08:25:00Z
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Thailand's billionaire ex-PM Thaksin released on parole - CNA

BANGKOK: Thailand's convicted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was released on parole on Sunday (Feb 18), his lawyer said, starting a first day of freedom in his homeland, 15 years after fleeing in the wake of his overthrow by the royalist military.

The influential billionaire, whose family's party is now in power in Thailand, was freed from hospital detention six months into a sentence for abuse of power and conflicts of interest, that was commuted from eight years to one by the country's king.

Reuters journalists saw Thaksin, 74, leaving the hospital in a black Mercedes van early on Sunday, wearing a green shirt and with his arm in a sling, sitting beside his youngest daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, leader of the ruling Pheu Thai party.

Thaksin was eligible for parole due his age, health condition and time served and had been detained in hospital on health grounds.

The vehicle was seen arriving at the family's Bangkok residence about 25 minutes later.

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2024-02-18 00:09:00Z
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Israeli stages airstrikes across Gaza, makes arrests at hospital - CNA

The Israeli incursion into the hospital has raised alarm about patients, medical workers and displaced Palestinians sheltering there.

About 10,000 people were seeking shelter at the hospital earlier this week, but many left either in anticipation of the Israeli raid or because of Israeli orders to evacuate, the Gaza Health Ministry said.

Further south in Rafah, where more than half of Gaza's 2.3 million population are sheltering, the winter cold added to already dire conditions when wind blew away some tents of the displaced and rain flooded others.

Israeli plans to storm Rafah have prompted international concern that such action would sharply worsen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh blamed Israel for a lack of progress in achieving a ceasefire deal in Gaza, the group said in a statement on Saturday.

Haniyeh added that Hamas would not accept anything less than a complete cessation of hostilities, Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and "lifting of the unjust siege," as well as a release of Palestinian prisoners serving long sentences in Israeli jails.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed "complete victory" over Hamas but added on Wednesday that flexibility in the group's position could move forward negotiations for a deal that would see hostages released.

Israel's air and ground offensive has devastated much of Gaza and forced nearly all of its inhabitants from their homes. Palestinian health authorities say 28,858 people, mostly civilians, have been killed.

The war began when Hamas sent fighters into Israel on Oct 7, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and seizing 253 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

At least 83 people were killed in airstrikes across the Gaza Strip since Friday, health officials said, including one person on Saturday in Rafah, an area that borders Egypt and which Israel says is Hamas' last bastion.

The Israeli military said its jets had killed numerous militants in Gaza fighting since Friday.

Across the border, air raid sirens warning of incoming rockets sounded in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon on Saturday.

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2024-02-17 12:03:33Z
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Alarm over fate of major Gaza hospital after Israeli raid - CNA

"PATTERN OF ATTACKS"

Doctors Without Borders said its medics had been forced to flee and leave patients behind, with one employee unaccounted for and another detained by Israeli forces.

Roughly 130 hostages are still believed to be in Gaza after Hamas's Oct 7 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Dozens of the estimated 250 hostages seized during the attack were freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners during a week-long truce in November. Israel says 30 of those still in Gaza are presumed dead.

At least 28,775 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in Israel's assault on Gaza, according to the health ministry.

Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas militants of using hospitals for military purposes, something Hamas denies.

The UN Human Rights Office said Israel's raid on the Nasser Hospital appeared to be "part of a pattern of attacks by Israeli forces striking essential life-saving civilian infrastructure in Gaza, especially hospitals".

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2024-02-16 21:22:00Z
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Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny dies in prison - CNA

MOSCOW: Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died on Friday (Feb 16) in the Arctic prison colony where he was serving a 19-year-term, Russia's federal penitentiary service said.

Western governments immediately attacked the Kremlin over the death of the most outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin.

Navalny lost consciousness after a walk and could not be revived by medics, the prison service said.

"Navalny felt bad after a walk, almost immediately losing consciousness. Medical staff arrived immediately and an ambulance team was called," it said.

"Resuscitation measures were carried out which did not yield positive results. Paramedics confirmed the death of the convict. The causes of death are being established."

Navalny did not appear to have any health complaints when speaking by video link to a court on Thursday, state media reported.

He did not complain about his health and "spoke actively, presenting arguments in defence of his position", a regional court from the city of Vladimir, to the east of Moscow, told the RIA news agency.

The 47-year-old was Russia's most prominent opposition leader and won a huge following with his criticism of corruption in Vladimir Putin's Russia.

Russia's Investigative Committee said it had opened an investigation into the death.

Navalny's press secretary Kira Yarmysh said his team had not been informed of his death. "Alexei's lawyer is now flying to Kharp," where his prison colony is, she said in a post on social media.

Citing his spokesman, Russian news agencies reported that Putin had been informed of Navalny's death.

Western governments and Russian opposition figures on Friday said the Kremlin was responsible for his death.

France's foreign minister said Navalny had paid with his life for resisting oppression.

Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that it was "obvious" that Navalny was killed by Putin's regime. 

"Obviously he was killed by Putin. Like thousands of others who have been tortured," said Zelenskyy, adding that this demonstrates why Putin must be made to "lose everything and held accountable for his actions".

The United States said that the death, if confirmed, would be a "terrible tragedy". 

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan added the Kremlin's "long and sordid" history of harming its opponents "raises real and obvious questions about what happened here."

US President Joe Biden made no immediate statement on the reports of Navalny's death.

British foreign minister David Cameron said that Putin should be accountable for the death of Navalny.

"Navalny fought bravely against corruption. Putin’s Russia fabricated charges against him, poisoned him, sent him to an arctic penal colony & now he has tragically died," Cameron wrote on X.

"Putin should be accountable for what has happened - no one should doubt the dreadful nature of his regime."

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2024-02-16 14:07:54Z
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