News from Thailand – March 13, 2012
Taxi fares are not going up for the time being, says the director general of the Land Transport Department. That is not necessary as long as PTT Plc gives the drivers a discount on gas.
When the discount ends on May 16, the department will ask the oil company to extend it. When the discount ends, the fares should go up by 5 percent, says the head of Siam Taxi Co-operative.
– The bus service operators want to increase their fares by 2 to 3 baht because not all of them are eligible for the PTT discount. The interprovincial bus operators propose an increase of 6 satang per kilometer. The Chao Praya Express Boat Co has requested permission for a fare increase of 2 baht. Truckers, on the other hand, have not asked for permission; freight rates have already been increased by 3 to 5 percent. The call for price increases is related to the increased price of diesel, LPG and CNG (natural gas).
– The registration for the supply of 900.000 tablet PCs for students of Prathom 1 must be completed. Allegedly because of political pressure, but according to ICT minister Anudith Nakornthap because the selected tablet turns out to be more expensive than expected.
Four Chinese companies were in the race, from which a panel chose Shenzhen Scope Scientific Development on March 5. That was the cheapest at 2.400 baht, but now this price appears to be exclusive of transport costs. The other companies' tablets cost $89 to $135. Huawei, who would be preferred by an 'influential figure' within ruling party Pheu ภาษาไทย, was the most expensive.
This time the selection will not only be based on price, but also take into account transport costs, additional product specifications, after sales service, warranty, insurance costs, delivery times and so on.
Reports are circulating on social media that the Scope costs 1.000 baht in the store in China, but according to the minister it costs 8.000 baht.
It is planned to distribute 860.000 tablets at the beginning of the new semester in May. The rest is intended for teaching staff and is kept in stock.
– Farmers, whose land is used as a water storage area, may receive compensation of 5.000 baht per rai. Residents, whose land is used for waterways, 600 baht per rai. This compensation can be granted for up to three months during the floods.
Yesterday, the cabinet considered both measures, proposed by the Strategic Committee for Water Resources Management. According to committee member Kitja Polpasee, the government has already acquired 3 million rai, which is available as a storage area and for waterways.
– Since Thursday, 862 people have applied for compensation under the scheme for victims of political violence between 2005 (the start of the anti-Thaksin protests) and 2010 (the end of the red shirt protests).
– The Criminal Court has started the first post-mortem investigation into the deaths of 16 people who fell during the red shirt protests 2 years ago. Last year, the Department of Special Investigation concluded that of the 91 killed in 2010, 13 were believed to have died from army fire. That investigation has been passed on to the police by the government, adding 3 cases related to the deaths at Wat Pathum Wanaram, a temple where red shirts had fled when the army ended its occupation of Ratchaprasong intersection.
As required by Article 150 of the Penal Code, the court must determine the circumstances of all 16 cases. In the first case, 56 witnesses are heard: 41 were presented by the Public Prosecution Service and 15 by the defence.
– International Muay Thai boxer Buakaw Por Pramuk, who was missing for a week, is back. He disappeared because he has been treated badly in his training camp since 2009, he said yesterday. Buakaw ran off with his trainer. As a result of his disappearance, he missed out on fights in France and England. About his future he said: 'I will have my own camp or retire.'
– The Municipality of Bangkok intends to own the 4 star Grand Park Avenue hotels to be prosecuted because an inspection has shown that changes have been made to the building that are contrary to building regulations. Those changes may have contributed to the March 8 fire that killed two Russian tourists. The hotel converted a fourth-floor parking garage into a banquet hall despite the low ceiling and did not install a sprinkler system.
– The office of the Rawang tambon administration organization in Pattani province was reduced to ashes on Sunday. The damage is estimated at 1 million baht. The fire broke out as the army was moving an outpost in Rawang following the alleged rape of a 16-year-old Muslim girl by a soldier.
Two soldiers were injured in a bomb attack while protecting teachers in Sai Buri (Pattani) district. The bomb was hidden in a motorcycle parked on the side of the road.
Two police officers in Narathiwat were lucky. A bomb exploded, blowing a two-foot hole in the road, knocking out telephone traffic in the village. The car the officers were in was shaken by the explosion, but they themselves were unharmed.
– A 26-year-old American jumped from a pedestrian bridge on the third floor of Suvarnabhumi airport yesterday afternoon. He died in hospital from his injuries. Last July, a guard jumped down at the same place. The airport is considering taking security measures there.
– Forty Cambodians were arrested yesterday in the Phanom Dong Rak Wildlife Sanctuary (Si Sa Ket). A task force of police and forest rangers also confiscated rosewood. In recent years, the illegal logging of this type of wood has increased sharply due to the increased demand from abroad.
www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post