YINGLUCK FIRES BIRTHDAY BARBS

Reform agenda lacks results, ex-PM says

A war of words erupted between the regime which marked three years in power yesterday and former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra whose Pheu Thai-led government was toppled by the military in the 2014 coup.

As the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) marked the third anniversary of the May 2014 coup, the ex-premier turned to Facebook to criticise the military government. According to Ms Yingluck, the regime used the political conflicts to justify its seizure of power and promised to implement reforms to tackle social and economic disparities — widely seen as contributing factors to the divisions in Thai society.

“It has been three full years and the country is still looking forward to peace, unity and the rule of law.

“We haven’t seen any concrete results from the reform agenda. And if reforms can’t be achieved, all is lost, as economic damage is caused by the overthrow of a democratic regime. Don’t let the three years go to waste. I want the NCPO to keep its promises,” she wrote.

Responding to her criticism, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam insisted that the NCOP’s three years in power had not gone to waste.

The government has pushed through several essential pieces of legislation that have benefited the public during the past three years and many more will also be passed, he said.

Some legislation is aimed at helping trade and business, Mr Wissanu said, adding that there will be legislation to support efforts to develop human resources, to boost the country’s competitiveness.

Laws will also be rolled out to promote equality, reduce social disparities, and to improve the civil service system and ease bureaucratic red tape, Mr Wissanu said.

NCPO spokesman Piyapong Klinpan yesterday insisted the NCPO is trying to deliver on what it promised the people three years ago.

“If it is not the NCPO, who can do this — especially ongoing reform efforts?” Col Piyapong said.

“The NCPO has spent three years maintaining peace and order. It has not been a waste. It is about looking after the people and restoring public confidence,” he said.

The spokesman also said that some people may feel uneasy in the face of economic problems but he was confident the situation would improve soon.

Meanwhile, the Thai Academic Network for Civil Rights (TANC) gathered at Thammsat University yesterday and read out a statement titled “Three years have been lost”.

The group included Anusorn Unno, dean of the university’s Faculty of Sociology and Anthropology; Pandit Chanrochanakit, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University; and Pichit Likhitkitsomboon, a lecturer from Thammasat University’s Faculty of Economics.

In the statement, the group said there have been losses on many fronts since the NCPO came to power.

The public have lost certain rights with the regime restricting freedom of expression, their right to assembly and the right to scrutinise the regime over the past three years, the statement reads.

People have also been unable to discuss public issues freely based on logic and facts, which could have lead to peaceful solutions to the country’s problems, the group said.

Many Thais have been detained, sacrificing their and even their future as the government has used its power to threaten and arrest students and people who hold different views. In several cases, it has used military courts to try civil cases, according to the statement.

On the economic front, the country has missed out on opportunities as economic growth slowed to 2-3% annually between 2014 and 2016, according to the group.