News from Thailand – February 19

How does she come to say that we are prepared to make our land available for the storage of water? Residents of Bang Ban district (Ayutthaya) have listened with amazement to Prime Minister Yingluck, who, after her visit to Bang Ban, thanked the residents for sacrificing their land for use as a kaem ling (monkey cheek, water storage area).

According to residents, Yingluck only spoke to some health workers during her visit to the area on Friday, but they did not represent residents and had no mandate to speak on their behalf. A public hearing has also not been held to gauge the feelings of the population.

A 40-year-old resident of Bang Ban points out that there are not only rice fields in the district, but also about 200 brick factories. Last year's floods caused a million baht damage to the woman; she was awarded 5.000 baht in damages and is in over her head debt – just like other families who make earthen bricks.

As is well known, the government aims to use 2 million rai in the Central Plains as a storage area during the rainy season. So far 1,5 million rai is said to be available: 500.000 rai in Nakhon Sawan and 1 million rai in the lower Central region including Bang Ban.

– A motorcycle in front of a shop in electricity supplies at Sukumvit Soi 71, which is not used for days: that aroused the suspicion of the shop owner, who also alerted the police. And indeed, the motorcycle turned out to be the property of the Iranian who was arrested in Malaysia last week.

– Spectrum, the Sunday supplement of Bangkok Post, today features a 3-page reconstruction of last week's events. According to the article, security analysts expect more professional attacks in the future than last week. They also predict that terrorists will shift their scope to the Asian part of the world.

According to the authors of the article, the amateur work of the Iranians indicates 'panic and a lack of discipline': 'Throwing a grenade at a taxi may be something we've all wanted to do at some time but pros would generally forego that pleasure. ' The explosion in which the Iranian lost his legs because the bomb he had thrown at the police ricocheted off is what the authors call a Clouseau moment.

– The excitement over Prime Minister Yingluck's visit to the Four Seasons last week hotels don't stop. After the president of property developer Sansiri Plc said that he and six to seven people had spoken with Yingluck at the hotel, opposition party Democrats are now asking for an investigation into possible business connections between the prime minister and the property developer. The parliamentary committee on economic affairs must conduct that investigation.

Democratic party spokesman Chavanond Intarakomalyasut said yesterday that the prime minister has done wrong to meet with a developer while her government is in the process of earmarking land for water storage. And letting a parliament meeting run before the meeting, he called a disparagement of parliament. 'In another country the prime minister would have to resign in such a case.'

– Honda will reach a milestone on Friday: the last car that was flooded last year in the parking lot of the factory at Rojana Industrial Park (Ayutthaya) will be destroyed. That is number 1.055.

– Two 28-year-old men, who had hidden in the jungle, could be arrested by the police on Friday when they visited their family. The two are suspected of shooting a 10-year-old elephant in Kaeng Krachan (Petchaburi). They earned 90.000 baht from the sale of the trunk, tusks and penis. A third suspect is still on the run and the police are also looking for the man who bought the penis.

The head of Kaeng Krachan National Park believes the men now detained are members of the same gang that killed five elephants last month. The carcasses of those animals would have been burned by park staff. Five forest rangers are prosecuted for their involvement.

– From 2015, Bangkok will no longer have separate tickets for bus, metro, ferry and train. Commuters who use different forms of public transport every day to get to and from work will be particularly happy about this. The common ticket will be introduced simultaneously with the opening of the Bang Sue-Bang Yai subway line.

– In many parts of Tak province, visibility has dropped to less than 500 meters due to increasing haze. Traffic moves at a snail's pace on many roads. Nok Air has diverted its flights to Mae Sot to Phitsanulok.

Visibility is less than a kilometer in Chiang Mai. Residents complain of rashes and irritated eyes. The provincial health department has advised residents to stay indoors as much as possible and to wear a face mask when outside.

Residents in neighboring Lamphun province have been asked not to burn rubbish or weeds. Some local authorities have started spraying water into the air to reduce the number of dust particles.

Hospitals in Lampang have treated 50 to 150 percent more patients for conditions such as asthma in the past week. In the province of Phrae, the percentage of dust particles in the air is increasing.
The haze is the result of the slash-and-burn practice in agriculture, where crop residues are set on fire.

– Thirty-six people have been treated in Phuket hospital for irritated eyes, chest pain and breathing difficulties. They were exposed to a chlorine cloud at the Phuket Orchid Resort and Spa. This was caused by the chlorination of the swimming pool water. Presumably a spiral pipe was defective. No one was seriously injured.

– Deputy Minister Nattawut Saikuar (Agriculture) may explain to the parliamentary energy committee on Wednesday what his relationship is with three companies that have conducted a PR campaign for the state-owned PTT Plc. Nattawut may still be involved in those companies despite transferring his shares to his brother years ago.

– On websites, seven major betting sites operate in the Thai language. The Department of Special Investigation has discovered this. The websites are registered abroad, which makes it difficult to ban them.

– Government, talk to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), says opposition leader Abhisit in response to a FATF statement about the lax attitude of Thailand in combating money laundering and terrorist financing. Abhisit suggests that the government send ministers and officials from the Anti-Money Laundering Office to Paris to clarify Thailand's position. According to Priewpan Damapong, chief of the national police, there are no terrorist organizations active in Thailand, only insurgents in the deep South.

– The Lawyers Council of Thailand urges the government to be flexible in registering foreign workers from Myanmar. Migrants who want to work in Thailand must go through a verification process by June 14, but many fail to do so, the LCT says. They don't have proof of identity and they don't dare to apply for one for fear of persecution. The LCT believes that Thailand should enter into consultations with Myanmar about this problem.

– The Criminal Court released 4 red shirts on bail, but denied bail for 50 others. The bail application was filed by the Department of Justice's Rights and Liberty Protection Division. The reasons for the refusal will follow later.

On Thursday, Somyot Prueksakasemsuk's son, on remand on lèse majesté charges, ended his 112-hour hunger strike, protesting the court's repeated refusals to release his father. Some activists continued their hunger strike in protest against the refusals. Uncle SMS's wife is on a 24-hour hunger strike today. Her husband has been sentenced to 20 years in prison on the basis of 4 text messages that were offensive to the Queen.

www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post