News from Thailand – January 11, 2013

News from Thailand – January 11, 2013

Fearing reprimand, the parliament's paramedic team refused to transport a photojournalist who had suffered a stroke to hospital. The team did not dare to use the ambulance until another ambulance arrived on standby to serve MPs.

In the end, the photographer was taken to Klang hospital by paramedics from the Narenthorn first aid post, but 30 minutes had already passed. The photographer is in critical condition and has a 50 percent chance of survival.

The head of parliament's PR department says it is not policy to limit paramedical services to members of parliament. But she admits that there should always be one ambulance at the parliament.

– Minister Phongthep Thepkanchana (Education) on Wednesday ordered schools to comply with the rules on the hair style of students, which were issued in 1975. Some schools still use the 1972 rules that state that boys' hair should be no longer than 5 inches (1975 cm) and girls' hair no longer than the base of their necks. In XNUMX the rules were relaxed. As long as the haircut is clean and well-groomed, the length doesn't matter anymore.

– Because he was attacked by a rottweiler and a golden retriever, a burglar jumped into the swimming pool of a house in Buri Ram. But the rottweiler could also swim and jumped after him. The man then pushed the head of the animal under water, so that it suffocated. In the meantime, the owner of the house had woken up and came to the swimming pool. At first he did not want to press charges, but when the thief confessed to killing his dog, he backtracked.

– There is a glimmer of hope among the families of Veera Somkomenkid and Ratree Pipattanapaiboon, who have been imprisoned in Phnom Penh since December 2010. On the orders of Prime Minister Hun Sen, the Cambodian Ministry of Justice is considering reducing Veera's prison sentence and pardoning Ratree.

Both were apprehended along with five others by Cambodian soldiers at the border in Sa Keao. They would have been on Cambodian territory. The five received a suspended sentence and were allowed to return after a month. Veera, coordinator of the militant Thai Patriots Network and previously deported from Cambodia after entering the country illegally, and his secretary were sentenced to 8 and 6 years in prison respectively for espionage.

Since Ratree has served one-third of her sentence, she is eligible for a pardon. If Veera's sentence is reduced, he could be exchanged for Cambodian prisoners in the middle of this year and serve the rest of his sentence in Thailand.

The message from Cambodia is a nice boost for the Yingluck government, because the previous Abhisit government failed to arrange anything with Cambodia. But Abhisit was at odds with Hun Sen.

– Say and write 2 illegals has completed the search of three offices for illegal employees since the beginning of the month in the province of Buri Ram. Officials also went out yesterday and visited (unannounced?) companies and workshops in the Muang district. The searches are in response to reports that employers are recruiting illegal foreigners who are not paying the minimum daily wage increased on January 1.

Last year, 52 illegal immigrants from Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos were caught in the province, although not exactly a number to write home about. They worked on rice fields and sugar cane plantations. In the province, 1.000 legal foreign employees work at 514 companies.

– It is going to be tense for Thailand. Next month, the US Department of State will consider whether Thailand is doing enough against human trafficking. For 2 years Thailand has been on the so-called Tier 2 Watch List of countries that need to improve their performance in this area. If the decision of the Americans is negative, Thailand will drop to the Tier 3 list with even heavier trade sanctions than is already the case. Restrictive conditions currently apply to 5 products from Thailand, including shrimps and textiles.

To convince the Americans of Thailand's efforts, the relevant services must put information about their operations in the past six months on paper and submit it to the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security. That in turn sends the reports to the State Department and from there the information goes to the US.

According to Paisit Sangkhapong, director of the anti-human trafficking division of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI, the Thai FBI), Thailand is a source, transit and destination country of human trafficking. Many victims, mostly foreign women, are lured into the flesh trade, he says. And there are also numerous cases of child labor and foreign workers working on trawlers in conditions similar to slavery.

– Malaysia is willing to mediate talks about a truce between the Thai government and separatists in the Deep South. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak promised this in a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung yesterday. Those talks should take the same form as the talks between the Philippine government and the largest Muslim rebel group on the island of Mindanao. The two signed a peace treaty at the end of last year.

The message does not state whether Thailand is prepared to do so. But from previous reports I get the impression that Thailand categorically refuses to negotiate with rebels.

– The authorities found 397 Rohingya migrants in a rubber plantation in Songkhla near the Thai-Malaysian border, who said they were being 'traded' to Malaysia. They were huddled together in a makeshift shelter. According to them, they had been waiting for three months to be sold for 60.000 to 70.000 baht to work on fishing boats.

The 397 Rohingya were part of a group of 2.000 who were brought to Thailand in trucks via Ranong by human traffickers. The others have already been put to work in Sadao district.

The rubber plantation they stayed in is owned by the deputy mayor of Padang Besar. The police are investigating whether he is one of the traffickers. The Rohingya have been taken to the Padang Besar immigration office and deported from there.

– Two men were arrested at a checkpoint in Tao Ngoi (Sakon Nakhon) because they were in possession of the protected rosewood. In their truck, the police found 59 blocks worth 2,5 million baht. They said they had orders to take the wood to a place near the Mekong River.

– Happy faces at the 22 ethnic Karen who live along the Klity Creek in Kanchanaburi. After 9 years of tough legal battles, they finally get compensation of 177.199 baht per person for the lead contamination of the creek. The Supreme Administrative Court awarded the amount yesterday and showered the Pollution Control Department (PCD) with criticism.

The PCD, the Supreme Administrative Court said, only asked the Royal Forest Department for permission to clean up the creek nine months after hearing about the lead poisoning. In addition, the PCD did nothing for 9 years after the National Environment Board authorized the construction of a dike. That dike was only built in 3 with the aim of further preventing the spread of lead-contaminated sediment.

The source of the lead poisoning, of which many children have fallen victim (at the hearing yesterday the Karen had photos of them), was Lead Concentrate Co. The company started operations in 1967 and was forced to close in 1998 by order of the Department of Natural Resources. In that year lead poisoning was also discovered.

In addition to paying the damages, the court also ordered the PCD to quickly bring the creek's lead concentration to an acceptable level. Furthermore, the PCD was obliged to measure the lead concentration in the water, sediment, fish and plants for one year and to communicate the results to the residents.

PCD Director General Wichien Jungrungruang said after the session that his department is sticking to its strategy of allowing lead to naturally dilute, although lead residues lying around the creek are being removed.

News about Preah Vihear

– They just do. That was the answer of army commander Prayuth Chan-ocha yesterday to the question what he thought of the call by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD, yellow shirts) for a possible negative verdict from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. in the Preah Vihear case. Prayuth inspected border troops stationed in Khao Phra Viharn National Park in Si Sa Ket yesterday.

“I don't care what the PAD does. If the PAD were the government, I would listen to them. But since they aren't, I have no idea what to do with them. They have every right to persuade people to participate in their protest, but soldiers are not allowed to participate," said the commander.

– Thailand can ignore the judgment of the ICJ in the Preah Vihear case without any consequences. According to lawyer Sompong Sujaritkul, who was part of the Thai legal team in 1962 when the Court awarded the temple to Cambodia, the case is time-barred. The Court is no longer authorized to reinterpret the 1962 judgment. Cambodia has requested this with the aim of eliciting a ruling from the Court on the 4,6 square kilometers at the temple, disputed by both countries.

According to Sompong, the statute of limitations is due to the fact that 1962 years have passed since the 50 verdict. The Court has jurisdiction only when Cambodia brings a new case.

[The temple was assigned to Cambodia in June 1962. Cambodia asked for the reinterpretation in May 2012 or thereabouts, but the Court decided not to take up the case until later.]

Tourism

– Chiang Mai is famous in China. The film Lost in Thailand is a big hit in China and it was mostly shot in Chiang Mai. About eighty tour operators are already responding by offering tours along the film locations.

Although the exact number of Chinese tourists who visited Thailand last year has not yet been determined, the Tourism Authority of Thailand estimates that there were 2,7 million, 68 percent more than the year before. The Chinese now form the largest group of international tourists with 11 percent of the 21 million.

That is reason for satisfaction, but there are also concerns. The number of Chinese speaking guides is not sufficient to serve all groups. And bunglers throw themselves into the lucrative market. The Thai-Chinese Tourism Alliance Association (TCTA) has already received complaints about tour guides giving incorrect historical information, abandoning their group and forcing customers to buy souvenirs. Drug mishaps have also occurred.

Although the number is small, the TCTA is pushing for monitoring of tour services, particularly in major cities. 'Because if something serious happens, such as the rape case on Koh Samui, it immediately affects the whole country. Tourists are very sensitive to bad news," said TCTA Secretary General Chanapan Kaewklachaiyawuth.

Another point of attention is variation in destinations. Without something new, the number of Chinese tourists will decline in the long run. That has already happened with tourists from Taiwan. In 2012, the number of Taiwanese tourists fell by 16 percent. They were now familiar with those golf courses, spas and other hotspots.

– The increasing number of crimes against foreign tourists can seriously damage Thailand's image as a holiday destination if the government does not take measures quickly. While it is too early to determine whether foreign tourists are staying away due to some notorious incidents, some observers believe the government will have to work harder if it is to meet its target of 2 trillion baht in tourism revenues by 2015. [The newspaper does not write who those 'observers' are. Perhaps the reporter himself?]

'The police and the tourist police are doing their best,' says superintendent Aroon Promphan of the tourist police in Pattaya, 'but the number of visitors is rising sharply and far exceeding the number of police officers.' The tourist police force has 150 agents and 50 foreign volunteers. Surveillance cameras have been installed in areas known to be at risk and the number of checkpoints has been expanded. Police have asked hotels to strengthen their security measures to protect their customers and the reputation of the tourism industry.

The largest group of tourists in Pattaya is formed by the Russians. In 2009, 300.000 Russians arrived in Thailand; more than 1,2 million last year. 1,5 million are expected this year. In December, two Russian tourists were raped and robbed in Pattaya.

Economic news

– The investment cost of the special economic zone and deep-sea port of Dawei in Myanmar is 325 billion baht, according to the latest calculations by the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB). Two years ago, project developer and contracting company Italian-Thai Development still estimated the costs at 200 billion.

Of the 325 billion baht, 249 billion baht is earmarked for work in Myanmar and the rest for work in Thailand. These consist of the construction of the Bang Yai-Kanchanaburi and Kanchanaburi-Ban Phu Nam Ron highway, a double track Ban Phu Nam Ron-Ban Gao Nhong Pla Dook, a container yard in Ban Phu Nam Ron, waterworks systems and telecommunications connections.

– After a 1,8 billion baht renovation, the most extensive and expensive in 40 years, Siam Center opens today. Siam Piwat, the company that operates the fashion department store, hopes the face-lift will last for the next 10 years and cement Siam's status as a top fashion destination.

“Retail is no longer about retail, but about providing a variety of experiences and an arena in which people can be inspired, excited and entertained,” said Chadatip Chuytrakul, director of Siam Piwat.

A few cents at the opening are not looked at, because an amount of 200 million baht has been earmarked for this. Planned is a spectacular 'extravaganza' (fairy tale) with popular stars from Hollywood and Asia. New to Siam Center is the Magnum Café on the ground floor, the fifth in the world after London, Paris, Edinburgh and Jakarta. After May it will move to a new location.

www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post