News from Thailand – February 25
King Bhumibol is concerned about deforestation and the consequences it has (had) for flooding. He calls on the government to take strict action against those responsible for this and 'greedy' officials who turn a blind eye to illegal deforestation.
The king said this yesterday during a meeting with Prime Minister Yingluck and the Strategic Formulation Committee for Water Resource Management. The commission presented its plans to prevent a repeat of last year's floods.
The king advised planting forests with both fast and slow growing trees. Slow-growing trees have deep roots, which prevents landslide.
The king is widely recognized as an expert in the field of water management. In the past, he has promoted various projects aimed at preventing flooding, such as the construction of camem ling (monkey cheeks), small storage areas.
– The 46 core members and leaders of the People's Alliance for Democracy (yellow shirts), who are being prosecuted for the 2008 occupation of Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi airports, are expected at the police station on Friday to receive additional charges. They are charged with leading an illegal gathering of 10 people or more, violating the emergency ordinance and damaging airport property.
Tellingly, political observers say the Office of Special Public Prosecutors released the additional allegations after the PAD this week threatened rallies and legal action if the government sticks to its plan to change the constitution.
– The ministers of ICT and Science and Technology have been nominated to run for governor of Bangkok next year. The capital is now firmly in the hands of opposition Democrats.
– Police have found a second motorcycle owned by one of the Iranian suspects. Motorcycle taxi drivers had warned police that the motorcycle had been sitting unused at the entrance of Soi Boonyu (Din Daeng district) since the explosions.
The Iranian embassy has since confirmed that the arrested suspects are Iranians. But they have no ties to the Iranian government or organizations in Iran, an embassy spokesman said.
– During the disturbances in 2010, the Center for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation (CRES), the body responsible for maintaining the state of emergency, used a list of names of people who wanted to overthrow the monarchy. But who compiled that overview? The Department of Special Investigation investigated, but can't figure it out. Even the then CRES chairman says he does not know who exactly drew up the overview. The DSI is now considering ending the investigation.
– Would the navy finally come into possession of submarines? Minister Sukumpol Suwanatat (Defense) will submit the naval proposal to buy 4 second-hand German submarines (costing 5,5 billion baht) to the cabinet. It will be a race against time, because Germany has Thailand given until the end of this month to make a decision. After that, there are other hijackers on the coast. Originally, six submarines were on offer, but two have already gone to Colombia. The minister took a look at the navy for the first time yesterday.
– Sikorsky Aircraft Corp made demonstration flights with the S-92 helicopter over Bangkok this week. The company would like to sell the helicopter to the Thai Air Force, which will open registration next week for the purchase of 16 helicopters. The S-92 costs $20-24 million, depending on equipment. The Thai army already has a few Sikorsky's.
– Arguing about your blocked driveway? Grab your gun and shoot the troublemakers who park their pickup truck there. In Chon Buri, a married couple was killed and two people, including the man who came for a story, were injured in such an argument.
– The wife of a well-known TV presenter is being prosecuted because she owns a piece of land of 713 rai on the upper reaches of the Mae Taeng River in a protected forest area and game reserve. Parts of the land have been worked to grow coffee and part is intended for construction. The village chief who sold the land is also being prosecuted.
– A shop, owned by a couple leading the protests against a transporter of earth, was bombarded with a grenade on Thursday night. The couple had received death threats by telephone twice in recent weeks.
– The Thai Patriots Network opposes the stationing of Indonesian observers at the border with Cambodia. According to the network, it undermines Thailand's sovereignty. Yesterday, 20 activists handed over a letter to the Indonesian embassy with its point of view. The stationing of Indonesian observers at the border was agreed in February 2011 during a meeting of ASEAN ministers and confirmed by the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
– Electrical wiring, transformers and other items worth 25 million baht were stolen on roads and highways across the country last year, the Highways Department said. Most of the stuff disappeared in Bangkok, Chon Buri and Lop Buri.
– More than a thousand bamboo huts went up in flames in the Um-Piam refugee camp on Thursday. Um-Piam is the second largest refugee camp along the border of Thailand and Myanmar. It is home to 12.000 mainly Karen refugees. A boy goes missing.
– 'Are you drunk? I smell alcohol.' Parliamentary scrutiny of three constitutional amendment proposals turned grim yesterday when Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung continued to rant against opposition leader Abhisit, prompting a Democratic MP to question whether he might have gone too deep into the glass looked. When Chalerm couldn't stop, the chairman suspended the meeting for 5 minutes.
– Gothom Arya, director of the Research Center for Peace Building at Mahidol University, proposes that members of the assembly that will amend the 2007 constitution be banned from holding political office for the next 5 years.
He has submitted the proposal to the President of the House. Gothom wants to prevent members from using the assembly as a springboard to political office. He also thinks the assembly should have 150 to 200 members, with each province providing a number of members based on population. In the government's proposal, the assembly consists of 97 members: 77 from the provinces (1 per province) and 22 experts.
www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post