News from Thailand – April 14, 2013
Two months after the attack on a marine base in Bacho, another military base was attacked, this time the rangers' camp in Rangae district, also in Narathiwat province. A striking detail of this attack is that it is close to the home of Hussan Toyib, one of the BRN negotiators in the peace talks with Thailand.
On Friday evening, four or five militants opened fire on the base, after which a five-minute firefight ensued. The attackers quickly fled when aid troops arrived. Fearing an insurgent attack under the cover of the dark evening, an inspection of the site was not carried out until the following day. 92 M60 machine gun cartridges and 44 cartridges from an M16 rifle were found (see photo). There were no injuries in the attack.
Suthep Thaugsuban, Democratic MP for Surat Thani and former deputy prime minister in charge of security affairs, wonders whether the government is sitting with the right group at the table. Last month the first meeting took place with representatives of rebel group Barisan Revolusi Nasional BRN). The second meeting will take place on April 29, also in Kuala Lumpur under the watchful eye of Malaysia.
On Friday night, the assistant chief of Moo 4, tambon Korlum (Pattani) was shot dead in an ambush. He was fired upon from a rubber plantation as he passed in his car.
– After three days of the 'seven dangerous days', the number of road fatalities is 173 and victims 1.526. Almost half of the accidents were due to drunk driving and 80 percent involved motorcycles. The only province that has not yet reported any accidents is Trat.
– Due to a heavy storm with waves of up to 4 meters, about seventy small fishing boats ended up on the beach of Aou Noi (Prachuap Khiri Khan) on Saturday. Some boats sank and several houses on the coast were damaged. After the storm had subsided, the fishermen tried with all their might to push the boats back into the water, which was not so easy.
– Thailand and Brunei will cooperate in the agricultural field. This year they will sign a Memorandum of Understanding on this. Brunei is famous for producing halal food from which Thailand can benefit, and Brunei can benefit from Thailand's agriculture. Thailand exports 32.000 tons annually to Brunei, mainly jasmine rice, as well as durians and mango.
Brunei is now largely dependent on fossil fuels. It is concerned about the sustainability of the country's oil and gas industry and wants to focus on regional trade, alternative energy, food security and agriculture.
– The police have arrested three suspects of the murder of village chief Prajob Naowa-opas (43). Prajob was known for his fight against the illegal dumping of chemical waste. He was shot dead outside a garage in broad daylight as he waited for his car to be repaired.
One of the three would be the client, the other two would have carried out the murder. Two of the three said they were innocent, but the police believe they have enough evidence to put them under lock and key.
Villagers came yesterday to the press conference where the suspects were shown, to thank the police for the arrest of the three. According to them, waste companies have bought large pieces of land from villagers, on which they dump the waste. The waste pollutes water and air, reducing their harvests.
– Chiang Mai was hit by a light earthquake with a magnitude of 1,9 on the Richter scale on Friday. A second quake of 4,1 followed in Myanmar. Damage has not been reported.
– The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has produced two booklets with information about the Asean Economic Community that will come into effect at the end of 2015. 58 Common Questions About the AEC focuses on adults, Daddy, What is Asean?, a comic book, on children.
– Former Prime Minister Thaksin has apologized on his Facebook page to all 'senior figures' he has offended. He also wrote to forgive anyone who attacked him. Thaksin says Songkran is a time to forgive and apologize.
He does not write who he meant by those high-ranking persons, but it is suspected that he is referring to Prem Tinsulanonda, president of the Privy Council, and other members. Red shirts accuse Prem of orchestrating the 2006 military coup, something the coup leaders strongly deny.
Political news
– As if there is not enough political dynamite already (constitution amendment, 2 trillion baht), a group of parliamentarians from Pheu Thai throws fuel on the fire by calling for accelerated treatment of the amnesty proposal of 42 red-shirt parliamentarians led by Worachai Hema. They want this proposal to be discussed in the first term on Thursday, but whether they will get their way remains to be seen, because opinions are divided.
Worachai's proposal is one of eight amnesty proposals submitted. His proposal concerns a large number of persons accused of participating in political violence since 2006. To get the proposal higher on the agenda, 20 signatures of MPs are needed and if there is an objection (which is to be expected) 250.
According to PT Somkid Chuekhong, one of the petitioners, his group received a 'signal' from a phuyai (high-ranking person) in the party that the proposal should be dealt with rather than placed on the agenda. The proposal is now the penultimate on the parliament's agenda.
Opposition leader Abhisit wants all amnesty proposals to be withdrawn to prevent further political tensions. He said the government would do well to maintain a calm mood until the end of May when the fiscal year 2014 budget is discussed. Parliament will go into recess on Saturday and that period is ideal for convincing the proponents of the amnesty proposals to withdraw them, according to Abhisit.
Economic news
– The Bank of Thailand has revised its forecast for economic growth this year from 4,9 percent to 5,1 percent. The inflation forecast has been lowered by 0,1 percentage point. The central bank also expects export growth to be less than previously expected: 7,5 percent instead of 9 percent.
The forecast of economic growth now also takes into account the 2 trillion baht that the government wants to spend on infrastructure works over the next seven years. In 2013, 93 billion baht of this amount will be spent.
Exports are likely to pick up in the second half of the year on the back of slow improvements in the US, increased confidence in Japan and overall stronger Asian economies.
The appreciation of the baht (against the dollar) has so far not had a negative impact on the bank's export forecasts. "The baht has appreciated rapidly in recent months, but the currency continues to move in line with regional currencies when last year's movements are taken into account," said Assistant Governor Paiboon Kittisrikangwan. 'Even earnings from exports are decreasing due to the price increase, but our studies have shown that export orders from trading partners are more important for export growth.'
The so-called headline inflation is estimated at 1,6 instead of 1,7 percent. The new forecast is based on the expectation that the price of an oil barrel will fall from $110 to $105 and that food prices will fall somewhat. According to Paiboon, inflation is stable and moving down in the near term. Nevertheless, the bank is keeping a close eye on developments, looking at wage increases, labor shortages and a possible increase in the price of oil.
www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post