News from Thailand – October 4, 2012

After tropical storm Gaemi that parts of this weekend Thailand ravages, a second arrives on October 20 with the Thai name Phrapiroon.

It will reach roughly the same area as Gaemi: the southern part of the Northeast, East, Central Plains, and the northern part of the South.

Somsak Khaosuwan, director of the National Disaster Warning Center, expects the second storm to weaken to a depression or low-pressure area when it reaches Thailand. There will be scattered showers, but not as bad as last month.

Other flood news

• In preparation for the floods expected this weekend, the Royal Irrigation Department has started to accelerate the draining of 44 million cubic meters of water per day from the plains east of the Chao Praya. On the west side, 33 million cubic meters of water are drained into the river every day.
• The water outflow has increased from the Pasak Jolasid reservoir, which is expected to receive a lot of water this weekend. The reservoir is now 83 percent full. The other two large reservoirs, Bhumibol and Sirikit, are 60 percent full, so there is room for a whole sip of water.
• Bangkok and surrounding provinces are preparing for this wet weekend by draining water at an accelerated rate to the Chao Praya River.
• Residential areas along rivers in the lower Northeast, Central Plains and Bangkok have been warned of flooding from today through Monday.
• Reservoirs on the east side of Bangkok in Lat Krabang, Nong Chok and Min Buri, plus some parts of neighboring province Chachoengsao, are draining water at an accelerated rate. Especially the east side of Bangkok will be hit hard by bad boy Gaemi.
• Updates on the situation in Bangkok are uploaded every half hour at http://dds.bangkok.go.th.
• The army is preparing to use land belonging to the 2nd Cavalry Division in Sanam Pao as a water storage area.
• Academics at Chulalongkorn University say 11 areas in Bangkok are at risk of flooding this weekend, but the water will not exceed 20 cm.
• Only half of the works in Bangkok, for which the government has allocated 20 billion baht, have been completed. This says Sucharit Koontanakulvong, who is affiliated with the water management department of Chulalongkorn University. The money is intended for improving the urban drainage system and setting up water storage areas.

Other news

– Virabongsa Ramangkura, chairman of the Bank of Thailand, has called on the government to stop the mortgage system for rice. It leads to huge debts and corruption and it does not benefit the farmers but rice millers and politicians.

Prime Minister Yingluck opposes Virabongsa's view. It does benefit the farmers and their increased income stimulates the economy. Just ask the farmers, she tells the critics. On corruption: 'Mechanisms are in place to tackle corruption.'

Minister Boonsong Teriyapirom (Trade) admits that the mortgage system generates losses, but they are not higher than the losses suffered under the price guarantee system of the previous government. He estimates the loss for the 2011-2012 season at 60 to 70 billion baht. Critics cite much higher amounts.

To combat corruption, the government will use satellite photos to accurately estimate rice crops. For the coming season (2012-2013), the government has set the budget at 405 billion baht. As in the previous season, farmers receive 15.000 baht for a ton of white rice and 20.000 baht for a ton of Hom Mali. These prices are about 40 percent above market prices.

The big question is whether the government will succeed in selling the purchased rice at a reasonable price. According to Minister Boonsong, the government has signed contracts for 8,38 million tons with China and Indonesia as the largest buyers.

The government wants to persuade Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar to form a cartel and jointly drive up the price of rice. The five countries export 16 to 17 million tons annually, half of the world's production.

[The term mortgage system is somewhat confusing because the system has long ceased to function as such. For an explanation about this, see: The rice mortgage system in Q&A, http://www.dickvanderlugt.nl/buitenland/thailand-2010/thai-nieuws-vervolg/dossiers/]

– About 500 farmers demonstrated yesterday at the campus of the National Institute of Development Administration (Nida) in Nakhon Ratchasima for the rice mortgage system and against the Nida's approach to the Constitutional Court. The farmers say that the high prices they get for their rice helps them pay off their debts and improves their lives.

According to Nida, the mortgage system is in violation of the constitution, because Article 48 prohibits the government from competing with private companies. The government does this by buying rice from farmers at prices 40 percent above market prices.

– Prime Minister Yingluck has apologized to the US for delaying the government's decision on NASA's request to use U-tapao naval air base as a base for a climate study. As a result of this delay, Nasa was forced to cancel the study in June. Yingluck, who was in New York for a UN General Assembly, said sorry in a conversation with President Obama.

On Tuesday, parliament debated the study and the course of events. According to Minister Sukumpol Suwanatat (Defense), Nasa still wants to conduct the study.

– The Department of Special Investigation acknowledges that there were 'men in black' on April 10, 2010 during clashes between red shirts and security forces at Khok Wua intersection (Bangkok), but it cannot identify those (heavily armed) men.

The DSI has a photo of such a man dressed in black with an AK-47 rifle, but whether this was a red shirt guard, the DSI does not know. Evidence that these mysterious men have killed on their conscience has also not been found.

– The second meeting on the controversial construction of a hotels in Amphawa has not gone down well with residents and environmental activists. About XNUMX people, wearing a purple polo shirt with the words 'Amphawa Natives', attended the rally and booed and booed the opponents.

Hotel owner Chuchai Chairittilert, a Bangkok jeweler, presented six alternative designs for the luxurious four-story European-style hotel under construction. The design with a modified roof got the most hands on each other.

Siriwat Kantaros of the Khon Rak Mae Khlong group (people who love Mae Khlong) says local residents were missing from the forum, as the meeting was called. Members of his club were not invited. "The hearings should have been held before construction started, not now that the hotel is almost finished," said Siriwat.

In early September, Chuchai succumbed to protests from residents, media and advocates for the preservation of 11 antique wooden houses on the waterfront in Amphawa. Those houses should have made way for that; four have already broken down. He then promised to spare the houses that had not yet been demolished.

– The rare plumplung than (water onion plant) is in danger of disappearing from southern waterways as a result of dredging, the North Andaman Conservation Network warns. It is high time that protected areas were finally designated.

The plant's habitat has shrunk from 10,73 rai in 2008 to 1,9 rai now, according to the Network. 'It is shocking that the plant is disappearing so quickly,' says coordinator Somsak Soonthornnawaphat. The disappearance of the plant also has consequences for tourism because between October and December people often came to see the beautifully flowering plant.

Proceedings are currently underway to establish protected zones in seven canals in Ranong and Phangnga provinces. This procedure takes 2 years. Hearings are currently being held.

– A Ferrari of 19 million baht has been seized by customs. The car was smuggled into the country. Unfortunately, the message contains no details. Customs also seized 70 iPhone5 devices from Singapore, chemicals for beauty treatments and drugs, all worth 50 million baht. Most of the smuggled products came from China.

– Seventy baby crocodiles have taken off from a crocodile farm in Rayong. A flood caused the free retreat. Whoever catches an animal and brings it back gets a reward.

– The Ministry of Defense will set up a committee to determine whether opposition leader Abhisit loses his rank of sub-lieutenant and has to repay the salary he received at the time. Abhisit is accused by the defense minister of evading military service at the time. He is said to have used forged documents to acquire a teaching position at the military academy, which exempted him from military service.

Abhisit denies. His supporters see the hunt for Abhisit as revenge for the violent ending of the red shirt protests in 2010.

– Wipas Srithong, winner of the 2012 SEA Write Book Award, admits plagiarism in his 2008 collection of short stories, his first admission. Reviewers wrote at the time that a short story by him showed a lot of similarities with a short story by Booker Prize winner Peter Carey.

Also his winning novel Could Krae (The dwarf) is not entirely undisputed because it bears a certain resemblance to Misery by Stephen King. Wipas says in an interview with Bangkok Post that he has not read that book and that he only saw a synopsis on the internet 'last night'.

Wipas studied medicine, but he never finished it. Since early 2000 he has been publishing short stories and poetry. The dwarf is his first novel and immediately a bulky one, because the book has 437 pages. And to think he cut 200 of them.

Economic news

– The German Siemens AG, which supplies 35 trainsets for the above-ground metro, may face competition from its arch-rival Alstom. The French company is in consultation with potential partners about the construction of a train component factory. It must not only serve the Thai market, but also abroad.

Alstom is currently developing the rails for the Blue Line and supplying diesel locomotives to the State Railways of Thailand. It wants to bid for contracts for the Blue and Green Line. [Bid on the Blue Line, when the company is already developing the rails. Newspaper mistake?] Alstom is also interested in energy projects of the national electricity company.

An agreement has been concluded with the mechanical engineering faculty of Kasetsart University on the introduction of a bachelor's degree in railway construction. Students receive on-the-job training at a number of Alstom branches in Asia.

Siemens is also targeting students. The company is developing a master's degree in railway construction in collaboration with several universities. A cooperation agreement has been concluded with a company in Khon Kaen for the assembly of passenger carriages.

– Mitsubishi will increase production of the Mirage eco from 150.000 to 200.000 cars per year next year. That car has been made in one of its three factories in Laem Chabang since the beginning of this year. Major maintenance and machinery is being replaced in the other two factories in preparation for the production of new models.

– In the next 3 years, in the run-up to the Asean Economic Community, a run is expected at locations near Suvarnabhumi airport. Land prices have already risen from 4 million baht per rai last year to 6,5 to 7,5 million baht per rai. Especially import-export companies, logistics companies and insurance companies buy offices. Buyers from China, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan are looking for housing.

– Ajethai Co, the producer of Big Cola, enters the beer market. In Peru, the company has been selling beer since 2007 and in the next three to four years it wants to introduce four beer brands here: Franca, Club, Tres Cruces and Caral, brewed in Thailand.

The beer market is currently dominated for 94 percent by Singha and Chang. Singha and Leo (also from the Singha brewery) account for 60 percent, Chang for 34 percent. Singha will soon be launching Carlsberg, a brand that has been gone for a while. The Thai beer market is estimated at 200 billion baht per year.

Big Cola made its entrance to Thailand six years ago. In addition, Ajethai Cielo produces drinking water, cool tea and the sports drink Sporade. Next year a new soft drink factory will be built in the North or Northeast. The article does not state where the current factory is located.

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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