News from Thailand – February 9

Ridiculous and disgusting. That's what it calls Bangkok Post in its editorial, Friday's gala dinner at which the staff of the (quote) "incompetent and inefficient" Flood Relief Operations Command (Froc), the government's crisis center during last year's floods, as well as others, are honored by the government put.

There is no reason to celebrate, the newspaper writes, as there are tens of thousands of victims who have not yet seen a penny of the promised 5.000 baht compensation and compensation for damaged property.

– A coup is expected in April, says Jatuporn Prompan, red shirt leader and member of parliament for Pheu Thai. To prevent this, the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD, red shirts) is organizing a concert on February 25, at which former Prime Minister Thaksin will speak via a video link. The mass gathering should discourage the alleged coup plotters from seizing power.

– Nattawut Saikuar, red shirt leader and deputy minister of agriculture, has no intention of apologizing to Prem Tinsulanonda, president of the Privy Council (an advisory body to the king). Prem has been repeatedly accused by red shirts of having facilitated the September 19, 2006 military coup. The two meet on Friday at a gala dinner for Froc employees, to which Prem has been invited as a guest of honor.

– 'A risky game.' So titled Bangkok Post in an analysis of the Pheu Thai government's plan to amend the 2007 constitution, which was drafted under military rule. Today the government is submitting a proposal to amend Article 291 of the Constitution. That article regulates how the constitution can be changed. An Assembly of citizens is formed to prepare the changes. The newspaper fears that many politicians will try to be elected to that assembly. Opposition Democrats are suspicious of the government's motives. She fears that the assembly will be dominated by Pheu Thai.

– The Yingluck government is doing better compared to the previous poll, but still does not score enough. This is according to a poll by Bangkok University. In November, the cabinet received a score of 0,16; now 4,94 on a scale of 1 to 10. The poll was conducted among 1.151 people over the age of 18, spread across the entire country. Yingluck himself scored an average of 5,29 against 0,31 last time. She received her highest score (6,06) for her hard work, the lowest score of 4,64 for her decisiveness.

– By using a power of attorney from a company that has long since ceased to exist, Fresenius Medical Care manipulated the tender for the supply of dialysis machines. This has emerged from research by the Department of Special Investigation. The company won the tender and supplied the machines in 2004 to hospitals in Uttaradit, Udon Ratchatani, Ratchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chon Buri, Khon Kaen and Loei. The Ministry of Finance has filed a complaint against the company.

– Member of Parliament Chuvit Kamolvisit, known for hunting illegal casinos, has asked the National Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate one of his party members. He would have heard that funds from the Rural Roads Department were being used to build a road in front of his house. Chuvit also says that the man has resigned his party membership, but the person concerned denies this. When he is no longer a member, he loses his parliamentary seat.

– Nine people, including an 11-year-old boy, were injured when shots were fired from a motorcycle at partygoers at a house in the Tha Maka district. One of the injured has a drug history. The police suspect that the reason for the shooting is a conflict over drugs.

– Four people have been arrested in Kalasin, Pathum Thani and Bangkok, suspected of trafficking and using underage girls as sex workers.

– The main chapel of Wat Pradu Lokachet in Sena district (Ayutthaya) is being jacked up 3 meters to protect it from flooding. Sena is one of the districts in the province that is vulnerable to seasonal flooding.

– Angry residents in Ayutthaya want the government to better regulate the discharge of water from the Bhumibol and Sirikit reservoirs, as they are already experiencing flooding. The reservoirs are currently discharging extra water to ensure that they do not contain too much water at the beginning of the rainy season, as they did last year. As a result of the discharges, six villages in the Sena district were flooded as the Noi River overflowed. The Chao Praya is also in danger of flooding.

– Residents of the Ta Chin river basin are urging authorities to hurry to drain water from fields before the rainy season begins. There is still a lot of water from last year's floods in the provinces of Sing Buri, Ayutthaya, Nakhon Pathom and Suphan Buri.

– By using elephant feces to create a DNA database, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation wants to stop elephant smuggling. But scientists have their doubts about the effectiveness, because the court probably does not consider the data reliable. The department estimates that Thailand 4.000 elephants live in the wild in 33 national parks and 28 game reserves.

In 2004 and 2005, scientists at Mahidol University built a small database of feces from the Salakphra Wildlife Sanctuary in Kanchanaburi. They collected 500 samples from which the DNA of 350 elephants could be determined.

The Livestock Development Department collected the blood of 1.500 of the 3.200 captive elephants and created 400 DNA profiles based on that.

– If the Constitutional Court deems the government's emergency decision to allocate 350 billion baht for water management unconstitutional, the government will submit an identical bill. This says Niwatthamrong Bunsongphaisan, minister attached to the Prime Minister's office. That process would take three to six months.

The constitution prescribes that emergency decisions can only be taken 'to maintain national or public safety or national economic security' and in the case of 'emergency and necessary urgency'.

The Court is considering the case at the request of opposition party Democrats, which has nominated this decision for annulment as well as the decision to transfer the FIDF debt of 1,14 trillion baht from the Ministry of Finance to the Bank of Thailand.

According to Korn Chatikavanij, Democrat and former finance minister in the Abhisit cabinet, a dangerous precedent is set by borrowing money outside parliament. That amounts to writing a blank check, he says.

The emergency decision on the FIDF debt (a legacy of the 1997 financial crisis) is not necessary, he says, because the 2012 budget offers enough room to borrow 110 billion baht this year, for which parliament can grant permission through a credit application.

The result of the shift operation is that the costs of the debt (annual interest payment of 45 to 65 billion baht) are passed on to the commercial banks and their customers. But more seriously, market confidence in central bank independence has been shaken.
The Court is expected to rule on February 15.

www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post