Gigs Buster: the End of Harassment?

Gig buster: the reconstruction of women’s right organization

Women’s right is human right but only a narrow band of topics reach the headline.
A group of women organizations petition for inspection of sexually harassed government officers by their supervisors or other higher positions.

Sexual harassment case and “improper” behavior among government officers had been reported first from the Ministry of Social Welfare and Human Security. The officer in question is now married to his junior staff after a bitter divorce with his wife. Then these women advocacy group scanned sexual harassment petitions in civil services and coined “sexually corrupted” to describe the behavior.

What had been reported was a mixture of consented office relationship when one part of the equation is married, serious harassments and rapes. The degree of gravity was taken indistinctively between two consenting adults who committed adultery and women who claimed to be or had been violated.

When news like these make it to the tabloid headline, the highlight was not on structural oppression of women but on upholding “moral standards” male civil officers. Civil officers of both sex are expected to be human extraordinaire. Yet, to me it would not solve sexual harassment. It even over generalized sexual harassment as having “consenting” gigs, from perspective of some “mia luangs. It would even jeopardizing ideal example of good family and good heterosexual relationship, while marginalizing the others. It underestimates power play in official and unofficial marriage. It makes the relationship public but not necessary political as it allow intervention and governmentality from bureaucracy system. Such intervention may save face of the people who had been offended in case of the husband wanted to disband his wife for a gig, yet it still reply on traditional belief that a husband is a wife’s ego. She must hold on to him at all cost.

The professional ethnic gives a very broad terms of improper behaviors or mis-conductivities. Both problems may be the obvious result of patriarchal structures that allow men to roam free and women bear the guilts and blame as clearly exemplified by the Interior Minister’s comment that it is normal or old men to have “mia nois or gigs.” That said, he did not have any ideas of sexual harassment.

On the other hand, officers who have consenting gigs with other officers in office while they are in official marriage did not harass their colleague, but it was considered that they mistreat their wives or husbands. They they should not be under disciplinary action of sexual harassment. Whether the civil service will interfere with the marriage is another matter. Yet it would be difficult to proof whether it was harassment or consent in the beginning.

The line is thin, yet we have to see the different between sexual harassment (a woman in the office raped or harasses by her colleagues or supervisors )and relationship problems (a civil officer, who is husband of someone has a “gig” with a consenting female civil officer). Improper behavior and violence and harassment must be separated.

We are not getting anywhere.
It make me feel sorry being lumped with some people doing women’s studies.

Filed under: Women Studies

What do other think about the Banjong Proposal?

At gunsandgames (position well taken, dudes)
http://www.gunsandgames.com/smf/index.php?topic=52314.msg%25msg_id%25

Filed under: non proliferation

Army Reaction to Selective Disarmament

Also From Bangkok Post
Army pans disarmament plan

By Post Reporters Army chief Anupong Paojinda has made it clear he has strong reservations against disarming civilians and, eventually, members of the security forces in the deep South, saying it is the insurgents who should hand over their guns.

He was responding to a proposal by the Central Islamic Committee of Thailand, which was backed by Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, who is also defence minister.

The idea was floated by Banjong Somanee, the committee’s vice chairman, during a meeting with Mr Samak on Tuesday.

Gen Anupong said the army would inform Mr Samak of its feelings on the proposal so he could make an informed decision.

The ultimate goal should be to disarm all sides, the general said.

The proposal calls for the selective disarming of civilians, including members of the volunteer defence forces, while at the same time persuading militants to lay down their weapons in return for money.

Once all civilians and insurgents were disarmed, junior soldiers would no longer need to carry weapons.

The idea has run into opposition from the military, with senior officers saying it is impractical.

Gen Anupong said if the proposal was to be acted upon, he was certain Mr Samak would summon him for a discussion about it first.

Mr Samak said earlier he would consult Gen Anupong about the proposal and promised to listen to what the army chief had to say.

Gen Anupong declined to say whether the proposal had any chance of being implemented.

But he did insist that disarming the wrong people would not help the situation in the far South.

Disarming village defence volunteers, for example, might not be a sound idea. They carried guns only to protect themselves and their communities, not to commit aggression.

It is the insurgents who must be made to hand over their weapons, Gen Anupong said.

Democrat deputy secretary-general Nipon Boonyamanee warned Mr Samak to be more careful in making comments about southern unrest.

The wrong words uttered by the prime minister could send the wrong signals about state policy, he said.

“He must think carefully before speaking and be accountable for what he says,” Mr Nipon said. Mr Samak was vague at best, and he fell short of spelling out how he would protect those civilians and members of the security forces after they were disarmed.

The proposal would only dampen the spirits and the confidence of the police and soldiers on duty in the area.

A bomb blast killed a naval officer and injured six people in tambon Taluban in Pattani’s Sai Buri district yesterday morning, police said. Chief Warrant Officer Wirot Tansuwan died in hospital. Four of the wounded were marines and two were villagers.

The attack occurred near a Chinese shrine being guarded by troops. Villagers had gathered there to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

In Narathiwat, 200 troops raided Ban Taseh Nuea in Sungai Padi district where members of the Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK) insurgent group were reportedly hiding.

The group, reported to be led by Muhamadrosali Awaebuesa, managed to escape arrest by fleeing to a nearby peat swamp forest.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/topstories/topstories.php?id=125781

Filed under: non proliferation

The Banjong Proposal

Critics rap arms-freeSouth plan

Samak, under fire, says army chief will decide

SURASAK GLAHAN & WASSANA NANUAM (Bangkok Post)

Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej yesterday backed a call for the selective disarming of civilians and progressive disarming of junior military officers and policemen in the far South, a proposal which has drawn heavy flak from experts and security officials.

Mr Samak voiced his support for the proposal at a meeting with representatives of the Central Islamic Committee of Thailand yesterday.

The prime minister conceded he was not an expert on the insurgency issue but would act in his concurrent role as defence minister in assigning the authorities, including the army, to implement the idea.

Central to the proposal, initiated by committee vice chairman Banjong Somanee, is the disarming of all civilians in the strife-torn border provinces of Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and parts of Songkhla, and telling rebels to lay down their weapons. They would be given money for the weapons they hand in.

Community leaders would play a role in keeping civilians disarmed.

Once all civilians and militants are disarmed, it would be illegal for junior security personnel to carry weapons, Mr Samak said.

Military and police offficers ranking lower than lieutenant would be all disarmed, a process which would take about three months.

The Banjong proposal also recommends that those who defy the order to disarm be executed. Mr Samak, however, found the proposed punishment too extreme. The maximum punishment should be life imprisonment, he said.

”I agree with this idea. It’s easy enough to understand. I’ll inform the military of it. This shouldn’t be difficult,” Mr Samak told the committee at the People Power party (PPP) headquarters.

But Mr Samak insisted army chief Gen Anupong Paojinda would have the final say on the issue.

”I’ll talk to Gen Anupong, and whatever he considers to be appropriate I will agree to,” he said.

Mr Samak said the proposal would take effect soon, after it has been adjusted.

Southern violence escalated in early 2004 during the Thaksin Shinawatra administration. The situation has worsened with daily attacks against local residents, policemen, soldiers, teachers and monks. More than 2,000 people have been killed.

The Banjong proposal, however, was opposed by a fellow member of the Islamic committee Suriya Panjor.

Talking on the sidelines of the meeting with the Bangkok Post, Mr Suriya said the plan may be impractical.

”It would be very difficult to put this thought into practice. This is not the right time to be focusing on it,” said Mr Suriya, also a former member of the National Legislative Assembly’s panel studying and investigating southern violence.

The government should tackle injustices _ blamed for perpetuating the insurgency _ suffered by local people.

He put forth the idea of rooting out injustice at the meeting but it was ignored. However, Mr Samak said: ”Keeping accusing one another of injustice will never bring an end to the story. We have to say the [injustice] issue is over, period.”

Mr Samak also told the group he expected ”the wound to be healed in three or four years.”

But the military also disagreed with Mr Samak’s proposal.

”It’s impossible to disarm civilians, who include state officials. Southern insurgents will not lay down their weapons even if all civilians are disarmed,” said a commander of a military unit.

The officer said civilians who possess weapons include teachers, local leaders and village defence volunteers.

Army spokesman Col Acra Tiproch insisted local residents had the right to carry firearms in self-defence.

”If we can order the rain to stop, only then can we tell the people not to put out their umbrellas,” he said.

”My question in return is whether insurgents are willing to lay down their weapons if local residents are disarmed.

Local residents have the right to protect themselves,” said the spokesman.

In the far South, people are now required to open up motorcycle seat covers when they park them within the Yala municipal area following Monday’s blast in the municipality which wounded six people, three of them policemen.

People are also banned from placing crash helmets on the front basket of their motorcycles while they are parked.

The measures are to prevent rebel attacks using bombs tied to motorcycles, police said.

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Buy-back must be more expensive than  black market price or in another meaningful contribution to the community.

Someone must address the state officer procurement program if the want to disarm junior officers.

Need to think more about it. Need to reduce demand not forcing people to simply “give up.” Engage people to design their weapon collection or weapons for … program.

It might not be that easy.

Filed under: cut and paste from somewhere else, non proliferation

Don’t Censor Movies, Just Watch Real News

No guns, booze and etc. in movie, the news of border patrol police gangs and corruption go uncencored, no PG warning for parent.

Filed under: Security

Sorry, it is the way of the world

A mail in Bangkok Post’s Post Bag complained:

Dont’ Ababdon Us
I find it very disappointing to read about Gen Sonthi and Gen Surayud’s second thoughts about the last 16 months. They seem to have forgotten that hundreds of thousands of us marched in the streets of Bangkok repeatedly because, if for no other reason, Mr Thaksin sold his companies for 73 billion baht and didn’t pay any taxes.

This we saw as part of a pattern of sweetheart deals similar to the government buying things at inflated prices or selling them at much less than market value to enrich Mr Thaksin and his cronies. There was also the possibility of further violence looming on the horizon and I, for one, was relieved when the coup took place.

Perhaps I am naive, but I still have hopes that some sort of justice will prevail and illegal acts committed by those in the Thaksin government will be punished. I only hope the people involved in the various legal processes are not starting to have second thoughts and will abandon us as it appears the generals are doing. If they lose their backbones, too, then we will be truly screwed.

TAXPAYER

Honestly, everybody have to worry about their post coup or post election and they don’t care about what people would think.
What is presented in the above letter seemed to indicated lack of faith in democratic solutions without external intervention. Thais do like invisible hands to serve their purposes.

Historical education or brainwashing tell us that we need intervention to safe the country from violence, from communism and the latest case– from corrupted politicians.

Yet, when politicians are corrupted and they would not resign, some demanded for a coup, judicial intervention instead of demanding the corrupted politicians to resign and pay their tax.

I understand that, like me, whose money had been deducted to pay income tax, some would be upset to find that Thaksin and his teams can use legal and political loopholes for tax evasion. What has been set as a good standards for citizens has been violated by a group of persons. Thus the next best thing is to get them out by all mean. Give TRT a break, then they can come back in another from that they cannot be accountable by running as shadow government. You can not sue shadow government.

Thank you, for the coup.
Love
T.

Filed under: Political Sciences

Dual-Use (topic in development)

One thing That I started to notice about a year ago was dual-use material in Thailand and after ICTS I have some timeto reseach on the internet and it is a big issue in Iraq and Afghanistan.

By definition, Dual use material and/or equipment that can be used for humanitarian or military nature. Yet in practice object of everyday life that can turned into weapons will do.

The concept is interesting. The “object” cannot harm. It could do more good than harm, e.g. fertilizer used to make bomb in the South of Thailand. Motorcycles and cars as in motorcycle and car bombs is anothernature of dual-use material. What turn an ordinary useful object to a harmful and powerful weapons is human mind. There is no way to ban motorcycles, fertilizer, oil, nails and scrap metal, batteries and fuses. There things are cheaper than second hand weapons and theare ready and legally available in the market.

Thailand semmed to be avid international participants in dual-use control since 911.
http://yuwathut.mfa.go.th/web/463.php?id=2112
http://www.un.org/sc/1540/requestsforassistance.shtml

The raising nature of dual-use concern domestically should be improved by the above assitance and training.

That is why we still need to focus on reducing demand and reducing conditions that make people turn their capacities to build violence than peace.

Filed under: Security