News from Thailand – August 11, 2012
Tomorrow is Mother's Day Thailand, a day that coincides with the Queen's birthday. Guru, the naughty sister of Bangkok Post, has some nice suggestions for gifts, such as a donut in the shape of a flower.
The donut is available in three colors: pink, white and yellow. In combination with a cup of coffee, it costs 129 baht. Also available is a Love Mom Set with six of those sweet bombs and six glazed doughnuts. Price: 315 baht. For sale at Krispy Kreme.
That's a serious suggestion, but Guru also has some naughty ideas for a Mother's Day card. Well one then: Ma, Remember how people say I look so much like you? There's another thing we have in common… we both like men. Love, gay sons. PS Please don't tell Dad. PPS I've never worn your dresses, don't worry.
– Two check-in counters for 270 passengers, two officials at passport control, faltering baggage belts, sloppy passenger checks and electronic signs that refuse service. The South Korean budget airline T'Way Airlines, which temporarily flew from Don Mueang, has had enough of the old airport. “We will never go back,” says regional manager Choi Byung-moon. He has sent a list of seven complaints to Airports of Thailand (AoT) and the relevant services
The airline was forced to divert its new second daily flight to Inchon from July 27 to August 8 to Don Mueang because Suvarnabhumi did not provide a slot due to the closed eastern runway. The carrier was bombarded by "countless" complaints from Thai and foreign passengers about the lack of service, long wait times and delays.
The move also came at a financial disadvantage, despite AoT's discount on landing and parking fees to persuade low-cost carriers to move. For example, meals that had to come from Suvarnabhumi had to be paid an extra 13.000 baht.
The South Korean's experience doesn't bode well for AoT's attempts to get the other low-cost airlines to relocate. So far, only Nok Air and Orient Thai fly from Don Mueang, but they serve domestic destinations. AirAsia, which does fly abroad, will switch on October 1.
– Does the government count itself rich again with the heavily criticized mortgage system for rice? Minister Boonsong Teriyapirom (Trade) thinks he can sell 4 to 5 million tons of the gigantic government stock. A contract has already been signed with China for 2 million tons and with Indonesia 1 million tons. Negotiations are still ongoing with Bangladesh, the Philippines and countries in Africa and the Middle East.
According to the minister, the government sets a price for the rice 'on par with market prices'. He does not name an amount. The Thai Rice Exporters Association does. White 5% rice does $564 per ton and 100% grade B $580. For the government to recover, it would have to sell the rice for at least $800.
This amount is made up of the price that the farmers receive, milling costs, storage costs, transport, administration costs and operational costs. Ergo: the government is heading for a loss of at least 100 billion baht with the mortgage system, economists estimate. But that is nothing new, because we have already been warned about it several times.
The parliamentary committee for economic development visited rice mills in Ayutthaya on Friday. She discovered some irregularities, such as the transfer of rights by farmers to intermediaries, so that they can benefit from the high prices in the mortgage system. The committee will ask those involved to testify before the committee.
"The government cannot claim that these are operational problems," said Bangkok Democratic MP Speaker Chanin Rungsaeng. 'Policy and implementation go hand in hand. When the policy isn't well designed from the start, it's no different than leaving the door open for thieves to enter your home.”
– Tonight at 2.30 am (Thai time) we know: will boxer Kaew Pongprayoon win the first gold medal for Thailand? Yesterday he defeated the Russian David Ayrapetyan in the 49-kilo class, today he faces three-time world champion Zou Shiming from China in London. So far Thailand is good for a silver and a bronze medal.
If Kaew wins, he will receive something like 100 million baht. Of this, 50 million baht is provided by the sponsors of the boxing association. The government is paying 10 million baht and some companies have also announced that they will be in the pockets. The chairman of the boxing federation is going to nominate him for promotion in the army: from sergeant to non-commissioned officer.
– It will be slightly easier for companies to subscribe to the water management projects of 350 billion baht that are in the pipeline. The Water and Flood Management Commission has decided to relax the criteria. According to critics, only large companies could comply. The requirement that a contractor must have carried out projects for a total amount of 10 billion baht in the past 30 years has been dropped. Now a 10 percent requirement of the project for which the contractor is tendering applies.
So far, 395 companies have announced that they will register. On September 24, it will be announced which companies are allowed to register and the lucky ones will be announced at the end of January 2013.
– The number of farmers and low-income earners applying to the government's debt moratorium program remains below expectations. The government estimated that 3,16 million persons would apply. On August 6, there were 2,23 million for an amount of 259 billion baht. Participants who qualify for the program do not have to repay for 3 years, during which time they pay 3 percent less interest. One explanation for the lack of interest could be the fact that people are afraid of being blacklisted by the National Credit Bureau.
The program for buyers of a first home is also attracting less interest than expected. So far, mortgages with a total value of 5 billion baht have been approved, while the cabinet has allocated 20 billion for it. The president of the Government Housing Bank believes this is because only a small number of houses are available that meet the criteria of the program.
– The 25-year-old Sirilada Kotpat from Mukduhan has been officially a woman since Thursday. Sirilada was born with both male and female genitalia and was raised as a boy. After she underwent sex reassignment surgery, a commissioner of the National Human Rights Commission accompanied her to Nong Chok District Office (Bangkok) to have her gender listed changed.
For the Transfemale Association of Thailand, the Sirilada case is an important step forward in giving transsexuals the same rights as others. The National Human Rights Commission is calling on transvestites to campaign for changing "Mr" to "Miss" as well as gender-related laws.
– A campaigner for gay rights has made an unsuccessful attempt to have his relationship registered as a marriage. The official of the district office of Muang (Chiang Mai) refused, because Thai law does not recognize same-sex marriages. Insurance papers showing that the two are married made no impression. The man, who has been living with his boyfriend for 19 years, says he will go to the Administrative Court.
– The relatives of 29 victims of Thaksin's 'war on drugs' in 2003 and 2004 have asked the government for compensation. 22 of them were killed and 6 disappeared without a trace. Recently, 3 of the 5 officers responsible for the murder of a 17-year-old boy were sentenced to death.
The Asian Human Rights Commission in Hong Kong is appalled that the five have been released on bail. Fearing reprisal, the boy's family has asked for an extension of the witness protection program, which ended with the conviction of the five.
Another request for compensation has been made by the May 1992 Relatives Network for the families of 74 protesters who were then killed and 38 who disappeared without a trace.
– Ten luxury holiday parks in Phuket are probably illegally constructed or under construction in Sirinat Marine National Park. The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation is collecting evidence to take it to court. Some 200 National Parks officials and agents from the Department of Special Investigation will tour the parks on Wednesday and Thursday next week.
– One dead and three injured is the sad balance of a conflict between rival youths in the city of Samut Prakan. At the PD (crime scene), the police found numerous bullet casings and two home-made bombs. According to an initial investigation, the attackers would have sprayed offensive texts over the logo of the Chamni school. When seven students wanted to remove the graffiti, they came under fire.
– An earthquake measuring 3,1 on the Richter scale hit the northern part of Uttaradit province on Friday morning. The epicenter was located 62,5 kilometers from the Khwae Noi Bamrung dam, but it was not damaged. The quake also caused no damage elsewhere.
– The Thai Chamber of Commerce calls on the government to refrain from raising the minimum wage to 300 baht in the 70 provinces next year's turn. This increase has already taken effect this year in 7 provinces. The House believes that the government should develop measures to mitigate the consequences of the crisis in the euro countries for Thailand.
And they are already palpable. Seven industries (textiles, jewellery, electronics, etc.) report that their exports in monetary terms fell by 10 to 15 percent in the first half of the year. Other export destinations such as Asia and the US are also indirectly affected by the euro crisis.
– A £10.000 reward, offered by British police, awaits those who information leading to the arrest of the person who strangled British backpacker Kirsty Sara Jones in August 2000 in Chiang Mai. The victim's mother and officers from her hometown arrived in Chiang Mai on Thursday to be briefed on the police investigation. A month after the murder, the owner of the guesthouse where Kirsty was staying was arrested but acquitted for lack of evidence.
– A lecturer from Chulalongkorn University is not pleased with the appointment of red shirts as members of subcommittees of the Education Council. He thinks committee members should be free of political ties or at least not be allowed to be "political extremists." Nominees include the chairman of the UDD, a red shirt lawyer and Thaksin's sister.
– On Sunday, on the Queen's birthday, a long cherished wish of Sakul Intakul comes true. He then opens a museum for floral art in a villa in Sriyan (Bangkok). Visitors can admire, among other things, beautiful examples of floral art, traditional flower decorations and Sakul's sketch of the flower arrangement for the banquet on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the king's accession to the throne in 2006. A botanical garden surrounds the colonial-style villa with numerous rare flowers and plants.
www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post