News from Thailand – Leap Day February 29
Thailand has no suitable plan for draining water to the sea. The country has so far relied on natural waterways and canals dug in the time of King Rama V. "We face flooding problems every year but no government has ever come up with an effective water drainage system," said Pramote Maiklad, former director of the Royal Irrigation Department, at a seminar in Ayutthaya on Tuesday.
Smith Dharmasarojana, former director general of the Meteorological Service, repeated at the same seminar what he had said before: last year's floods were not an accident or punishment of nature, but were caused by mismanagement by 20 government departments. While it is impossible, Smith said, to prevent flooding in the central provinces because most areas are low, the government can limit the severity.
He also said he opposed the plan to widen and deepen the mouth of the Chao Praya River. According to him, this will damage the ecological system in the area and a strong current will enter the river with the risk of erosion of the banks.
– While he is under investigation for unusual wealth, Supoj Saplom has transferred three plots of land plus buildings worth 20 million baht to his daughter. The National Anti-Corruption Commission has now decided to freeze the assets of the Permanent Secretary of the Department of Transport.
Supoj (temporarily transferred to an inactive post at the Prime Minister's office) is under suspicion because a large amount of money was stolen from his residence on November 12, of which the police recovered 18 million baht. The burglars say they saw an amount of 700 million baht to 1 billion in his home. He himself says that 5 million baht has been stolen.
– Abolish the Constitutional Court and the Administrative Court and transfer their tasks to the Supreme Court. This controversial proposal by Pheu Thai MP Watthana Muangsuk, a buddy of Thaksin, has met fierce resistance from the opposition Democrats. His own party reacted lukewarm to the proposal.
Watthana believes that the number of independent organizations should be kept to a minimum. But opposition leader Abhisit points out that abolishing the two courts would go against the principle of checks and balances. The independence of the two courts is crucial to prevent politicians from abusing their power.
The Constitutional Court was formed after the 2006 military coup; the Administrative Court was established in 2000.
– The continuing story 'drunken Chalerm' does not end. Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung, accused of drunkenness during Friday's parliamentary debate, will now press charges against two Democratic Party MPs and three newspapers. Earlier he nailed four newspapers to the pillory. The declaration against Thai rat he retracts when the newspaper states that the accusation was made by MP Rangsima Rodrasamee and not by the newspaper. Chalerm says he is not trying to intimidate the press, but: 'I am only preserving my rights. If you know it's not true, why would you print it?'
The Female Citizens Protecting the Land group presented a petition to the House yesterday asking for an investigation into Chalerm's behavior by the ethics committee. The group accuses Chalerm of violating the code of ethics for politicians and is asking the committee to take the case to the Senate for impeachment proceedings. The group points out that Chalerm walked up to Rangsima and spoke to her in an inappropriate manner, after she accused him of being drunk during the parliamentary debate.
– Surachai Danwattananusorn (70) has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for lèse majeste. The conviction applies to three speeches in 2010. He still runs the risk of being prosecuted for another speech in 2010. Once that case is closed, he's going to ask for amnesty.
Surachai is a former member of the Communist Party of Thailand, a core member of Red Siam, a splinter group of the Red Shirt movement, and a former member of the Provincial Administrative Organization of Nakhon Si Thammarat.
– A suspected key figure of the separatist movement Runda Kumpulan Kecil was killed by security forces in a firefight of about 10 minutes in Yala province yesterday. Three arrest warrants were pending against him, including for the murder of a village chief in 2010.
Three soldiers were injured in a bomb attack in Narathiwat province yesterday.
In Pattani province, an assistant village chief and a villager were killed in an attack on Monday night.
– Animal lovers and tourists demonstrated yesterday against the seizure of elephants from the Elephant Nature Park in Chaing Mai by the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.
– The Ombudsman's ruling expected today on the appointment of Nalinee Taveesin as Minister (PM's Office) and Nattawut Saikuar as Deputy Minister (Agriculture) has been postponed to 5 March. Nalinee is blacklisted by the US Treasury Department for trafficking with Zimbabwe and Nattawut faces terrorism charges during the 2010 Red Shirt protests.
– Prime Minister Yingluck leaves on Tuesday for a four-day visit to Japan. She is received by the Emperor and visits the area hit by an earthquake and tsunami. Opposition leader Abhisit left yesterday for a three-day visit to Japan. He hopes to regain the confidence of Japanese investors.
– Prince Andrew arrived in Bangkok yesterday. He visits Thailand at the invitation of the king. He will return to Great Britain on Saturday.
– A 50-year-old mother has been sentenced to 41 years in prison for forcing her own daughter and two other young girls to have sex with a foreigner. The foreigner, a 45-year-old Englishman, is serving 21 years in jail for rape and torture. According to the man, the ex-husband of the mother incited the girls to testify against him, but the court found the girls' statements more reliable.
– On Friday, the House of Representatives and Senate voted 399 to 199 to amend Article 291 of the Constitution, so that an assembly of citizens can be formed. It will go through the mill of the 2007 constitution. The Network of Citizen Volunteers to Protect the Land wants to have those 399 representatives impeached and will therefore collect 20.000 signatures to submit a petition to the Senate. According to the network, the decision violates the Constitution and the Penal Code.
www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post