News from Thailand – July 18, 2012

The fight against the further spread of foot and mouth disease (HFMD). Thailand is dealt with rigorously. The office of the Private Education Commission is even proposing to temporarily close kindergartens and Prathom 1 and 2 classes. Command centers are set up at the provincial level when the number of new cases per day exceeds 10.

The Ministry of Health has a six-point plan that aims to prevent Enterovirus 71 Thailand reaches. This is a malicious variant of the HFMD virus, which has already killed more than 50 people in Cambodia.

The latest school to close in Bangkok is the Wattana Wittayalai school in Watthana. Four kindergarten students had contracted HFMD. In Lampang's Muang district, a daycare center closed after ten children fell ill.

Health authorities in Ayutthaya fear an outbreak in private primary schools after 16 students from Prathom 4 developed a high fever on Monday. In Ubon Ratchatani, a kindergarten is closed so that it can be disinfected.

To date, 12.581 children have contracted HFMD: 3.523 in the North, 2.418 in the Northeast, 4.354 in the Central Provinces and 2.556 in the South.

– She wanted to teach him a lesson, because she did not like his behavior and he was often involved in fights at school. So when grandson Atthasit (13) asked his grandmother for 500 baht and threatened her with a knife, grandmother (55) grabbed a piece of wood and hit him on the head with it. That blow was fatal. I acted in self-defense, she explains. There's another blemish on Grandma's coat of arms. In 1993 she was prosecuted for allegedly shooting her husband. But that could not be proven.

- Thailand has the highest number of mothers aged 19 and under worldwide. Last year they gave birth to 130.000 babies, 17 percent of all births that year. The global average is 11 percent, the Asian average is 14 percent. According to the Ministry of Health, one-third of births are the result of rape or forced sex.

– The much-criticized rice mortgage system has so far cost the country 118,4 billion baht. It is estimated that another 139,5 billion baht will be added for the second harvest (March-September). Farmers who offer their rice for the system will receive 15.000 baht for a ton of white rice and 20.000 baht for a ton of Hom Mali (jasmine rice), depending on quality and humidity.

– More news about the forged invoices of imported cars from England. According to the Office of the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission, politicians pressured customs to accept the invoices. It is not known how many politicians are involved and who. The invoices had been tampered with, so that less import tax had to be paid.

– The Phahon Yothin Road and the Phetkasem Road in Bangkok were blocked yesterday by 1.000 and 300 flood victims respectively. They demand that each victim receive the maximum of 20.000 baht. According to them, arbitrariness plays a role in determining the amount of damage. The demonstrators left after a promise from officials that they would deposit their demands with the Interior Ministry.

– A CD seller has been charged with lèse majeste because a CD was found in his possession with the Australian TV program Foreign Correspondent from 2010 about the Thai monarchy. He also had a private CD of the Crown Prince and prints of WikiLeaks documents. The seller is free on bail.

– A Thai woman who lives in New Zealand did not return yesterday. Her New Zealand husband did leave for Auckland, and the XNUMX Thais who had come to Suvarnabhumi to protest her departure, returned home empty-handed.

On Friday, the woman made an inappropriate gesture at the Constitutional Court, which led to her being charged with lèse majesté. The woman has been admitted to Galaya Rajanagarindra Institute for observation because she has a psychiatric condition.

– No small find: 456 kilos of ivory elephant tusks worth 22 million baht. Suvarnabhumi customs discovered the forbidden goods in crates brought from Kenya. According to the label, the crates contain arts and crafts.

– Sixty residents of the Phanom Sarakham district in Chachoengsao have asked the Department of Special Investigation to investigate a dump site with suspected chemical waste. There is stinking white powder, which would have given more than a hundred local residents breathing difficulties. The Pollution Control Department has previously determined that the waste originates from a company in Chon Buri. The landfill owner doesn't know who dumped the stuff.

– Fish in the Lam Takong River (Nakhon Ratchasima) die. The Department of Industrial Works pinpoints an ice factory as the culprit. Lubricant and ammonia leaked from that factory. Over the past weekend, 100.00 fish were reported to have died.

– A news editor of a local cable TV station in Samut Prakan turned out to have a curious hobby. He had cameras installed in his company's women's restrooms. The man has admitted his voyeuristic preference.

News about Preah Vihear

- Not Thailand and Cambodia finally begin to withdraw troops from the area around Hindu temple Preah Vihear (at least soldiers replaced by police), the issue of the stationing of Indonesian observers becomes topical. Because the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague not only ordered the withdrawal of troops exactly one year ago today, but also the stationing of Indonesian observers. Incidentally, this had already been agreed during a meeting of the foreign ministers of Asean in Indonesia.

The so-called Terms of Reference (ToR) for the deployment were [I think last year] drawn up by Indonesia and already approved by Cambodia. Thailand has been delaying all this time. This week, the Thai Defense Council is finally considering it. The Ministry of Defense then sends them to the Council of State for advice. Subsequently, the cabinet must agree, after which parliament has the last word in August.

– You could wait for it: the troop withdrawal led to a protest this morning at the Thai-Cambodian border in Si Sa Ket province. Kittisak Ponpai of the Power of Land group doubts that Cambodia is actually withdrawing troops. According to him, the Thai soldiers are against withdrawal. 'The local population knows better than the authorities what is going on in the area. Thailand does not have to follow the order of the ICJ. If we withdraw soldiers, we will take the wrong strategic step.'

– The Ministry of Defense has issued a call for photos of the fences that were placed at Hindu temple Preah Vihear in 1962. Those fences marked Thai territory and were accepted by Cambodia at the time. The Ministry wants to use the photos in the case before the International Court of Justice in The Hague. They can prove that the 4,6 square kilometer area near the temple, disputed by both countries, is Thai territory.

In 1962, the Court assigned the temple to Cambodia. Last year, Cambodia asked the Court to make a further ruling on the surrounding area. The border dispute flared up when Cambodia applied for UNESCO heritage status for the temple in 2008 and included the 4,6 square kilometers in the temple's management plan. So far, Thailand has managed to avoid approval of the plan by Unesco.

News about the constitution case (for the enthusiasts)

– The government awaits the publication of the judgment of the Constitutional Court in the constitutional case before considering further steps. It follows the advice of the Council of State.

Former Prime Minister Thaksin also made himself heard again. The Dubai oracle has called on the government to seek a compromise, Bloomberg reports. 'We have to move forward in a way that is acceptable to all parties.' According to Thaksin, a referendum, as ordered by the Court, is unnecessary because the elections have already shown that most Thais want a constitutional amendment. Thaksin told the Court: 'The court decision is not good for our country.'

– Thailand has worn out 80 constitutions in the past 18 years. If the Kingdom now wants to draw up a new one, it should only do so after careful deliberations about what the country expects from a constitution. This was argued by various speakers at a symposium on Monday.

If society does not know what it expects from a constitution, drafting a new constitution is a waste of effort, warned Banjerd Sinkhanethi, dean of the National Institute of Development Administration's law school. To extend the life of the next constitution, he called for a two-thirds or three-quarters majority in a referendum, asking the population if they need a new constitution.

According to Bowornsak Uwanno, secretary general of the King Prajadhipok Institute, the 18 constitutions show that Thai politics is underdeveloped.

– Red shirt leader and Pheu Thai MP Korkaew Pikulthong, who last week called on the red shirts to arrest the judges of the Constitutional Court themselves in an unfavorable decision in the constitution case, must appear on August 9 at the Criminal Court. He may have violated the terms of his bail with his appeal, says Judge Tawee Prachuaplarp. But Korkaew is lucky, because then parliament meets again, so that he enjoys immunity as an MP and does not even have to appear on August 9. But when parliament goes into recess after the part-session, he runs the risk of ending up behind bars.

– More bail. 20 others have also been summoned by the court, including the deputy minister of agriculture. As well as against Korkaew, they face terrorism charges. Statements they made on the constitution case could prompt the court to revoke their bail. The recalcitrant red shirt leader Jatuporn Prompan has already been called upon to answer for his rulings on the Constitutional Court on July 23.

Just to refresh the memory: The Constitutional Court ruled on Friday that a plebiscite should precede the constitutional amendment desired by ruling party Pheu Thai. Pheu Thai wants to change the 2007 constitution in 2 steps. First create a citizens' assembly and have that assembly revise the constitution. The demand for a referendum has gone down badly with the proponents.

– About ninety red shirts Monday in Pathum Thani filed a complaint with the police about the nine judges of the Constitutional Court and they held a demonstration in front of the courthouse. According to them, the judges engaged in sedition and forged documents to give the impression that they had authority to intervene in the legislative process.

– Chamber President Somsak Kiatsuranont advises the government not to hold a referendum, as ordered by the Constitutional Court, because this would cost more than 2 billion baht. Somsak proposes to withdraw the proposal to amend article 192 and to have parliament revise the constitution article by article. By amending Article 192, ruling party Pheu Thai wants to create a citizens' assembly, which will be tasked with revising the 2007 constitution (developed under the government set up by the 2006 military regime).

Opposition party Democrats challenge the government to hold a referendum on whether the population wants to change the constitution. "If Pheu Thai is so sure that it has the support of 15 million voters and if she is so sure that those people want to change the constitution, then she has nothing to fear," said spokesman Chavanond Intarakomalyasut.

www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Sources: Bangkok Post and The Nation