Legislation needed to protect soldiers

Wassana Nanuam

The Defence Ministry backs demands for a law to protect military personnel in anti-terrorism operations, saying it does not mind what form it takes.

Maj-Gen Palangkoon Klaharn, deputy defence spokesman, said if the government wanted the armed forces to fight terrorism, it must provide protection to soldiers.

``If there is no law, soldiers will be prosecuted. We don't want to suffer like Supreme Commander Gen Surayud Chulanont who stood trial after a hospital kidnap drama three years ago,'' he said.

He was referring to the Ratchaburi hospital siege by Burmese rebels in 2000. Gen Surayud sent in special forces to retake the hospital resulting in the death of about a dozen rebels but no hostages.

However, police was required to proceed with a court case since extrajudicial killings had taken place.

The case is still pending in court and Gen Surayud still travels to Ratchaburi occasionally to testify to a provincial court.

The defence ministry's comments came during a debate on whether a specific anti-terrorism law should be passed or the criminal code amended to cover anti-terrorism operations.

The government whip has proposed an amendment to the Criminal Code to include penalties for terrorists and their accomplices while the Security Operations Command (Isoc) wants an anti-terrorism law in the form of parliamentary legislation.

``In combating terrorism or in hostage situations, use of weapons and property damage is sometimes unavoidable.

``We need a law that keeps soldiers free from responsibility and prosecution,'' said the ministry spokesman.

Maj-Gen Palangkoon was speaking after a meeting of the Defence Council between Defence Minister Gen Thammarak Isarangkura na Ayudhaya and leaders of the three armed forces.

Army Commander Gen Somdhat Attanand said the anti-terrorism law should cover military operations.

If the law did not include military operations, a new national security law should be passed.

``But any law will do if it gives soldiers protection and recognises their tasks as legal.''

Isoc urged a national security law be passed to legalise anti-drug and border operations by the military after the anti-communism law was abolished.

ms: (a very dangerous law especially in the case of Thailand. You would back up the military in any future coup comparable to Suchinda's time..)

High-seas pirates now making CDs Phuket factory ship backed by big-shots

Phusadee Arunmas Woranuj Maneerungsee

Naval authorities patrolling the coastline have long had their hands full with smuggled oil, illegal fishing, drug running and even gambling rings.

Now authorities say illegal CD producers have moved offshore, with ``pirate ships'' of a high-tech type literally cruising the Andaman Sea churning out copies of movies, music and computer software.

The government since May has been cracking down on illegal CD producers and sellers as part of a campaign to strengthen intellectual property rights.

Commerce Ministry officials say that an unidentified cargo vessel cruising near the resort island of Phuket is now producing illegal CDs.

Orathai Thanajaro, assistant secretary to the Commerce Minister, said the US Motion Picture Association had already filed a complaint about the ship, which smuggled its wares to the mainland using speedboats.

Mrs Orathai said the cargo ship was reportedly operating under a Thai flag and backed by high-ranking officers including police and local officials.

``We found that the ship has been producing counterfeit goods for a while now to accommodate tourists in Phuket,'' she said.

She expressed confidence that the ministry and police had solid evidence and could arrest the violators.

Watana Muangsook, the deputy commerce minister, said he had ordered the Phuket provincial commercial minister to work with the Phuket governor on making the arrests.

``Any local officials that support such illegal activity must face harsh punishment,'' he said.

Mr Watana said he had set an unofficial deadline for the country to be clear of pirated products before the Apec leaders' summit in October in Bangkok.

The production of pirated goods on a ship is no surprise to the private sector.

Acting Sub Lt Sutthisak Prasatkurukarn, manager of the intellectual property law office of RS Promotion Plc, said he'd been aware of the phenomenon for the past year. He said it may have become a concern of the government in light of its new campaign against local mafia-type figures.

``The tough policy has empowered the police and law enforcers to seize such pirate producers in Phuket,'' he said.

``I learned that there were some influential people backing this ship-based production, and they have already been placed on a blacklist at the Interior Ministry,'' said Acting Sub Lt Sutthisak.

The long Thailand-Cambodia border has also become a location for producing pirated CDs, he noted.

``One arrested dealer revealed that many manufacturers of pirated CDs in plants in Nonthaburi have relocated their operations to the Thailand-Cambodia border, and are moving the goods in vans that are normally used to transport Thai gamblers from casinos in Cambodia,'' he said.

The products are stored at the Thai border before being transferred to cities including Bangkok by trucks belonging to some influential men, he said.

Acting Sub Lt Sutthisak praised the authorities, especially the Commerce Ministry and the police, for their effective plans to tackle the piracy problem. He said the measures had put serious pressure on producers of counterfeit goods, as shown by their need to come up with new modes of operation.

In a related development, the Thai Magnetic Tape and Record Association has provided 250,000 baht for the removal of machinery used for producing pirate CDs in Samut Sakhon province, said Kriengkrai Chetchotisak, the association's chairman and president of RS Promotion, the country's second largest entertainment company.

The police found the machines but could not afford to move them, he said, adding that the association pitched in with the funds because it didn't want the units to remain on the site for fear counterfeiters might reactivate them.

Beware of the language police - Playing with words

by Roger Crutchley

There was an article in last Sunday's Outlook about everyday words that have recently been banned from US school textbooks because they are regarded as politically incorrect. The article was based on a book The Language Police by Dianne Ravitch, a New York University professor.

Among the banned words it cited was bookworm'' which someone apparently finds offensive, although whether it offends worms or books is not made clear. Incidentally the approved replacement of bookworm'' is ``intellectual'' which doesn't sound like much of an improvement to me.

Not too keen on words being eliminated in such a manner, Crutch embarked on some further research and discovered these PC people are really on the rampage. One-man band'' is also banned because of its outrageous sexist nature and must be replaced with one-person performance''; the kids can no longer build a snowman'' but a snow person'' and fairy'' is a definite no-no because it suggests homosexuality and should be replaced by elf''. This means a whole generation of kids might grow up not knowing the delights of having fairies at the bottom of the garden.

Even the Bible gets into trouble. Adam and Eve'' is no longer acceptable and must be replaced by Eve and Adam'' to demonstrate that males do not take priority over females. And schoolchildren will no longer be able to read about adventures in the jungles of Thailand or wherever. Jungle'', believe it or not, is on the forbidden list too and has to be replaced by rain-forest''. So the exploits of Jungle Jim'' will now be referred to as Rain-forest Jim'' and presumably Kipling's classic Jungle Book will become Rain-forest Book. Somehow it doesn't quite sound the same.

Fortunately when things are banned it usually makes them more popular than ever, so hopefully snowmen, one-man bands and fairies will continue to flourish despite these miserable efforts to exterminate them from the English language.

Meanwhile, in Thailand ...

Fortunately political correctness still has some way to go in Thailand, but one suspects there are certain words or expressions the authorities would not be averse to seeing disappear from our newspapers. It might not be long before that uncomfortable word corruption'' which for some reason has a nasty habit of cropping up on a daily basis, is replaced by something more palatable like administrative hiccup''.

We often read of tourists complaining of being overcharged'', cheated'' or ripped off''. Wouldn't it look far more acceptable if they were instead suffering from a difference in opinion on a matter pertaining to a monetary transaction''?

Dark influence'' or mafia'' is also a rather disturbing expression that often upsets the powers that be. Perhaps in future we should simply use ``gentlemen you would be well advised to steer clear of'', although it would admittedly be a bit tricky to get all that in a headline.

The expression driver fled the scene'' also upsets many people. Perhaps the commander of the vehicle removed himself from the immediate location'' might be more acceptable. Then there are the samlors''. The very mention of this word sends shivers of terror through the spines of anyone who has experienced them. Perhaps three-wheeled transporters of potentially eccentric capabilities'' might be a little more appropriate.

History lesson

The wretched Crutch is in disgrace again. Queen Elizabeth's Coronation was of course June 2 and not June 3, as appeared in PostScript last week. Sorry about that _ looks like the memory cells of the old fossil are beginning to fade.

I might have gotten the date wrong, but I still remember that Coronation Day half a century ago, even though I was only six at the time. It was the first time Crutch had watched television. Like a lot of British households, my parents bought their first television back in 1953 so they could watch the coronation. We lived in a cul-de-sac and were one of the few houses with a TV, and I can recall half the neighbourhood piling into our front room to watch the proceedings on our proud new possession _ a 12-inch Bush TV set. It was black and white of course, and we had to close all the curtains to make the room dark enough to see the screen.

I think I fell asleep.

Battle of the bulge

It was good to see the case of the tubby nursing student, or to be politically correct, ``amply proportioned'' student, was quickly resolved. It is just as well that fatness is not regarded as a crime at the Bangkok Post or Crutch would be booted out forthwith unless he did something about his distinctly portly nature of late (bellus beerus).

But being on the stout side can have its good moments. As the corpulent British writer G. K. Chesterton once remarked when quizzed about his generous proportions: ``Just the other day in the Underground I enjoyed the pleasure of offering my seat to three ladies.''