DFA hopes for peaceful resolution to Thailand political crisis


Five days after the Thai army took control of the government in a coup, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs on Sunday expressed hope military authorities will resolve the political crisis peacefully and restore civilian authority.

“As a friend and fellow ASEAN member, the Philippines hopes the Thai people will be able to resolve this latest political challenge peacefully through dialogue and in the spirit  of national harmony,” DFA spokesperson Charles Jose said in a statement.

“The Philippines likewise hopes that Thai authorities will honor their commitment to respect democratic principles and human rights at all times and will restore civilian authority,” he added.

On Thursday, Thailand's army chief, General Prayuth Chan-ocha, seized control of the government two days after declaring martial law in a bid to “restore order and push through reforms after six months of political turmoil.”

Thai military declared a 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. curfew, suspended the constitution, ousted government officials and dissolved the Senate.

In Manila, the DFA has raised “Alert Level 2” for Filipinos in Thailand, while the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration has imposed a temporary ban on the deployment of newly hired overseas Filipino workers there.

Also, the Philippine Embassy in Thailand has advised Filipinos there to “exercise extreme caution and vigilance” and carry their identification documents at all times.

Last week, the US condemned Thai army’s declaration of martial law  and urged military authorities to return to "democratic principles.”

Aside from suspending about $3.5 million in military aid to Thailand, the US State Department said on Friday it is also reviewing its other dealings with its closest Southeast Asian ally.

As of Saturday, former Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra and 150 people were detained in a “safe place” after being summoned to an army facility in Bangkok, an aide said. — Xianne Arcangel/LBG, GMA News

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Vietnam condemns China's 'brutal behavior' in fisher attack ---- Agence France-Presse

HANOI, Vietnam — Vietnam's foreign ministry condemned on Wednesday China's "brutal behavior" during a violent attack on Vietnamese fishers in the disputed South China Sea. The 10 fishermen were reportedly beaten with iron bars and robbed of thousands of dollars' worth of fish and equipment on Sunday off the Paracel Islands -- an archipelago in the resource-rich waterway claimed by China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei. Vietnam "resolutely protests the brutal behavior of Chinese law enforcement forces against Vietnamese fishermen and fishing vessels operating in the Hoang Sa archipelago of Vietnam", foreign ministry spokesperson Vietnam Pham Thu Hang said in a statement, using the Vietnamese term for the Paracel Islands. "The above actions of Chinese law enforcement forces seriously violated Vietnam's sovereignty" over the archipelago, the statement said. Four of the Vietnamese crew were taken to hospital on Monday
Read more

Russia captures town after 2 years of Ukrainian resistance --- Reuters

Russian forces now control 98.5% of Luhansk, 60% of Donetsk MOSCOW: Russian troops on Wednesday took charge of the eastern Ukrainian town of Vuhledar, a bastion that had resisted intense attacks since Russia launched its full-scale assault in 2022. The advance of Moscow's forces, which control just under a fifth of Ukraine, has underlined Russia's vast superiority in men and materiel as Ukraine pleads for more weapons from the Western allies that have been supporting it. Ukraine's eastern military command said it had ordered a pullback from the hilltop coal mining town to avoid encirclement by Russian troops and "preserve personnel and military equipment". The Russian defense ministry did not mention Vuhledar in its daily battlefield report. Russian Telegram channels, however, published video of troops waving the Russian tricolor flag over shattered buildings. The town, which had a population of over 14,000 before the war, has been devastated, with Soviet-era
Read more

UP Diliman Professors Share Scientists’ Procurement Struggles at Senate Hearing

By Harvey Sapigao Senate hearing of the revised procurement law (Photo credit: Senate of the Philippines) College of Science (CS) Dean Giovanni Tapang held up a little white device as he finished his presentation. “This is a ₱150,000 component,” he described. “Isa lang gumagawa nito sa buong mundo, pero ang hirap pilitin sila na magregister sa PhilGEPS,” he continued, referring to the requirement that foreign companies must first register to the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) before they can sell products to local scientists. Marine Science Institute (MSI) Deputy Director Dr. Irene Rodriguez explained that the small device is a resin that filters metals in water. “May budget tayo,” she said, “pero ang problema ko ay ‘yung resin na ito.” This and other bottlenecks brought about by the procurement law, or the Government Procurement Reform Act (RA 9184), slow down research and development in the country. UPD leaders were invited to the Senate he
Read more