News from Thailand – January 6, 2013

Hooray, we're having another riot! And again, government-owned TV Channel 3 is under attack. On Friday evening, the channel canceled the broadcast of the soap series at the eleventh hour Nua Mak 2. This would have happened under political pressure. 

Grit for the mill of opposition party Democrats, which has therefore asked the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) and the Ombudsman for an investigation. Social media is also teeming with criticism of the cancellation.

Tomorrow the TV watchdog will hold an emergency meeting to discuss the matter. According to NBTC Commissioner Supinya Klangnarong, political interference amounts to a violation of freedom of expression.

When Channel 3 allows the interference, the question is justified how much moral courage the station has. Of course, if this is a case of self-censorship, the station will not file a complaint. But the viewers are the victims.' Supinya speculates that Channel 3 may have made the decision on its own to prevent its broadcast franchise from being struck by the 'invisible hand' of politics.

According to another NBTC commissioner, who heard this from a Channel 3 employee, Nua Mak 2 violate section 37 of the Broadcast and Telecommunications Act. This article prohibits broadcasts that aim to overthrow the monarchy, that endanger national security or morality, that are profane, or that harm people's physical and psychological health.

The series, which started on December 14, followed a prime minister, his criminal deputy prime minister and a sorcerer who influenced the political power game through black rituals. There was also a figure called Prae-pailin and a special investigative unit called TSI. The sting of the story was the fact that the prime minister was already dead and his body was possessed by a ghost charmer. Furthermore, villains tried to steal the four mythical weapons of Lord Naraya.

Prae-palin is said to be a reference to Paetongtarn, one of the children of former Prime Minister Thaksin. Another reason for the ban could be the fact that the story is about corrupt practices at a satellite deal. Thaksin's company owned satellites at the time. And TSI is very similar to DSI, the Department of Special Investigation, which has started a witch hunt for former Prime Minister Abhisit and his Deputy Prime Minister.

Sunisa Lertpakawat, spokesman for ruling party Pheu Thai, denies that the series was shut down on Thaksin's orders. Minister Varathep Rattanakorn (PM's Office) says the government has not interfered. But MP Ong-art Klampaibul (Democrats) does not believe it. There could be a person, he says knowingly, who has power over cabinet ministers and played a role in the abrupt end of the series.

[The previous message mentioned the last episode of Nua Mak 2, but this post makes no mention of that. Channel 3 was previously under fire because Thaksin appeared on a broadcast and defended himself against the allegations leveled against him.]

- Thailand is heading for a shortage of specialized doctors if more money is not made available for medical internships, university medical programs warn. The influx of patients to university hospitals is at the expense of budgets for internships.

These internships are essential to train medical specialists, says Thanya Subhadrabandhu, dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Mahidol University. Each year, 2.800 physicians complete an internship program, which can range from 3 to 5 years. The programs are largely funded by university hospitals. The government contributes nothing.

Thanya and representatives of the medical schools recently spoke to the Minister of Education and Health about the financial difficulties. They promised to address the problem. According to the Minister of Health, savings are possible with the Civil Servant's Welfare Fund, which would reimburse too many unnecessary medicines. This insurance costs the government 60 billion baht per year.

– 1200 workers, working on oil rigs in the Gulf of Thailand, have been evacuated due to the predicted arrival of tropical storm Sonamu, which will hit Malaysia and southern Thailand. The Meteorological Department has warned the extreme South from Nakhon Si Thammarat southwards for heavy rain showers from tomorrow to Wednesday. Waves of 2 meters are expected in the Gulf of Thailand.

Elsewhere the situation improved. In Raman (Yala) it no longer rains and the water level of the Sai Buri river has dropped slightly. However, more than 100 households along the river are still under water. The inhabitants have to move by boat. The rubber farmers hope to be able to start tapping again within two weeks. If the trees are under water for longer, they will suffer damage.

In Narathiwat province it stopped raining 2 days ago. The situation is stable, but many areas are still under water. In the town of Sungai Kolok, 50 families have been evacuated to a local school. The water is 120 cm high, but it comes from 3 sources: the mountains, the Sungai Kolok river and the stir. There is a lot of fishing, which yields 200 to 300 baht per day. A local army unit has distributed emergency kits to the elderly and children.

– The Fine Arts Department (FAD) is making one last attempt to prevent further demolition of the Supreme Court building. The service has asked the police to stop the demolition. According to the FAD, the Historical Buildings Act gives it the power to intervene. The office dates from 1939 and is a good example of the architecture of that time.

The FAD has previously negotiated with the Supreme Court, but those negotiations failed. That is why she has now gone to the police. Although the building is not registered under the law, it is a historic structure and should be preserved, according to the FAD. The Technical Committee on Conservation has rated the courthouse's historic value at 3,54 on a scale to 4.

Demolition of the building began on December 20. The left wing is already flat. A new building with a height of 32 meters is to be built on the site of the old building. That height is contrary to the maximum of 16 meters that applies in the Rattanakosin district.

The Civil Society Planning Network is petitioning the administrative court and the National Human Rights Commission. It also calls for the demolition to stop.

– The wives of some officials of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment have complained to their colleagues at the Ministry that their spouses have three to four concubines. This is reason for the ministry to transfer the cheaters to a post in the upcoming transfer round, where they are exposed to fewer temptations.

The betrayed wives have not filed a formal complaint, nor have they asked for their dismissal. The ministry has not warned the gentlemen either, but their behavior has been discussed during meetings. "It's a private matter," said Chote Trachu, permanent secretary of the ministry.

Manophat Huamuangkaew, director general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (part of the ministry), is not concerned about his employees' extramarital escapades, as long as they don't affect work. 'Wives or girlfriends should not interfere with the work. I don't accept it if that happens.'

At the time, Manophat's predecessor announced a 'no boss's woman zone' after receiving complaints about quarreling and fighting women and concubines.

– A 15-year-old schoolboy was drugged by three to four men on Friday evening, severely beaten, stripped naked and dumped in the bushes near a reservoir in Sri Ratcha (Chon Buri). According to his statement to police, when he returned from his girlfriend's home, the men forced him into a pickup truck. There he had to take pills and was beaten on the head and back. The police suspect that it is an act of revenge.

– An optimistic sound about the increase of the minimum daily wage to 300 baht: the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) does not expect inflation to be fueled by the increase; nor does she think it will increase unemployment. The increase in wage costs is only one of the factors that influence inflation, in addition to oil prices, for example.

According to NESDB Secretary General Arkhom Tempitayapaisit, the increase will create fairness in the labor market and improve workers' performance. The same minimum wage now applies nationally for the first time. The government hopes this will encourage workers to stay or return to their hometowns.

– One soldier was killed and five others wounded in an ambush on the outskirts of a village in Muang (Pattani). The military truck, in which the six soldiers were on their way to an outpost, was met by two men at a bridge and fired on.

– A former insurgent who voluntarily turned himself in to authorities has called on southern insurgents and their sympathizers to end the violence. At a meeting in Pattani, he said he had lost some friends. The families they left behind are now struggling and the children cannot go to school.

Some 1.200 Islamic leaders, local leaders and former insurgents attended the meeting, which was organized by the Fourth Army Corps.

– Forty percent of respondents in a poll by Nida Poll have not yet decided who they will vote for in the gubernatorial election in February: the current governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra (Democrats) or his main rival Pongsapat Pongcharoen of ruling party Pheu Thai, who has lost the dominance of want to break the Democrats in Bangkok.

Sukhumbhand does have an advantage over Pongsapat: 24 percent said they would vote for him against 17,55 percent for Pongsapat. It is striking that 95 percent of the respondents said they would vote, while the turnout is usually 40 to 50 percent or even less. The poll was conducted between December 25 and January 4; 3.356 voters aged 18 and over in all 50 districts of Bangkok were surveyed.

The certain popularity of Sukhumbhand is a boost for the Democrats because his image is marred by a number of blemishes. For example, the city of Bangkok lost the lucrative management of the Chatuchak weekend market to the State Railway of Thailand, owner of the land; the Futsal Stadium was not completed in time for the World Futsal Championships; Sukhumbhand and the government regularly squabbled during last year's floods and recently the Department of Special Investigation decided to charge Sukhumbhand and XNUMX others over alleged irregularities in the awarding of a contract to BTSC, the operator of Bangkok's overground metro lines.

[The description of the allegation in this message differs from an earlier message. Now it would be an extension of the contract for 13 years; the previous message concerned the award of a contract for the operation of three extended metro lines. Perhaps the same thing is meant, but it is not there.]

Economic news

– The Industrial Works Department (IWD) wants to build a large incinerator for industrial waste with a capacity of 500 tons per day. At present, Thailand has only one small privately operated furnace with a capacity of 50 tons per day. Concrete kiln companies refuse to process some types of industrial waste because the waste corrodes the concrete.

The IWD has asked the government for a budget of 2 billion. The location is thought to be an industrial estate or a vacant lot in Ratchaburi of the General Environmental Conservation Plc, an industrial waste management company. When the government gives the green light, it will be decided who will develop the oven: the government or the private sector.

Industrial waste incinerators are used all over the world, says Pongtheb Jaru-ampornparn, director general of the IWD. It is generally agreed that they pose less risk to the environment than landfills. However, they are more expensive: burning costs 10.000 baht per ton, dumping 4.000 baht.

– The inhabitants of Bangkok love gadgets. Smartphones, TVs and notebooks/tablets make them happy, according to a survey by Suan Dusit Poll, commissioned by LG. 1.037 people aged 20 to 45 were surveyed in Bangkok's central business district.

The smartphone or mobile phone makes life good, said 32 percent with a strong representation of women aged 20 to 25. The TV, said 24 percent; notebooks and tablets, said 23 percent and a music/MP3 player is the most important condition for a happy life for 5 percent.

Thunyachate Ekvetchavit, marketing director of LG Electronics (Thailand), says LG will focus on smartphones this year to meet stronger demand. In March, LG and partner Google Thailand introduce the Nexus 4, which will be a direct competitor to Apple's iPhone 5 and Samsung's Galaxy S III.

– Air traffic through Thailand's six major airports rose sharply last year as a result of an increase in international passenger flows and the growth in the number of low-cost flights.

Last year, the airports handled 74,3 million passengers (46 million international; 28,3 million domestic), 11,9 percent more than a year earlier, and the number of flights increased by 10,5 percent to 496.749. Further growth is expected for 2013 to 78 million passengers and 540.000 flights.

Between December 25 and January 2, Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport handled 1,68 million passengers (plus 23 percent).

– After 4 years, the subsidization of the LPG price will end this year. In March, the price of LPG will increase by 33 percent to 25 baht per kilo. Until now, motorists and consumers have paid 18,13 baht per kilo. According to Minister Pongsak Raktapongpaisal (Energy), there is no delay because large quantities of (cheap) LPG are smuggled abroad from Thailand.

Little will change for 9 million low-income people and street vendors. After registration, they receive a subsidy from the State Oil Fund and pay 18 to 20 baht per kilo.

LPG subsidization has cost 2008 billion baht since 100. From an export country, Thailand became an import country. LPG has gained great popularity among motorists because it is cheaper than petrol. Between 2008 and 2012, demand increased from 372.000 tons per month to 601.000 tons.

– Cassava farmers now have a new source of income. The leaf of the cassava can be used to feed silkworms. The use of the leaf was discovered by the entomology department of Kasetsart University.

Based on this, the Thai silk industry has developed a new type of silk called Eri silk. Unlike the traditional Thai silk which is obtained from silkworms that eat mulberry leaves, Eri silkworms eat cassava and also castor leaves.

The humid climate of the North and the northern part of the Central Plains is particularly suitable for keeping silkworms. There are now 35 farmer groups and some textile companies participating in [van de Kasetsart]'s project. Cooperation has been sought with the Spun Silk World Co to develop Eri yarn that meets the requirements for eco-products such as the Peace Silk brand.

The Eri yarn has a special non-shiny structure, is lightweight and does not wrinkle, so that no chemical cleaning is required – properties that make the new fabric particularly popular in Europe and Japan. In Thailand, the yarn has yet to be introduced to the market. 'It not only benefits the agricultural sector,' says professor Tipvadee Attathom van Kasetsart, 'but it can also stimulate the fashion and textile industry in the long term.'

[The article is not very clear. For example, it says that the Thai silk industry has successfully developed Eri silk, but elsewhere in the message it says that Eri yarn is popular in Europe and Japan. So apparently it's been around longer.]

www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post

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Known as Khun Peter (62), lives alternately in Apeldoorn and Pattaya. In a relationship with Kanchana for 14 years. Not yet retired, have my own company, something with insurance. Crazy about animals, especially dogs and music.
Enough hobbies, but unfortunately little time: writing for Thailandblog, fitness, health and nutrition, shooting sports, chatting with friends and some other oddities.

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