News from Thailand – July 3, 2012
No climate study by Nasa? Then we do it ourselves. Twenty scientists have submitted a proposal for their own study to the Minister of Science and Technology. The minister is willing to listen to it and is going to propose to the cabinet today to allocate 200 million baht for it.
The Thai study consists of two phases. Phase 1 is a study of monsoon formations in the Andaman Sea and Gulf of Thailand (September and October); phase 2 a study of the annually recurring fog formation as a result of fires in the North (February and March).
"We may not be as good as Nasa, but this will be the first step of Thai earth scientists and it is very important to adapt to climate change," said the minister.
NASA had planned to conduct a climate study in August and September using U-Tapao Naval Air Base as its base. Under pressure from protests from the opposition, among others, the cabinet decided last week to submit NASA's request to parliament. That can only be done in August, when the parliament's recess ends. Nasa then decided to call off the study.
– King Bhumibol is concerned about the traffic problems caused by royal motorcades. At his insistence, the rules are relaxed. Nothing changes during official trips; on private trips. On two-lane roads, for example, traffic may now continue to drive in the opposite direction; it no longer shuts down. Pedestrian bridges remain open longer, U-turn viaducts are no longer closed and the period during which traffic is stopped is reduced.
– It should be made easier for the population to submit an own-initiative bill, says Pokpong Chanwit, assistant professor at the Faculty of Economics at Thammasat University. He said this yesterday at a seminar devoted to improving the legislative process. The current procedure takes a long time and has numerous obstacles. Pokpong argued for a more active role for the government in supporting initiatives.
– If Thailand continues with populist measures, it will end up in the same misery as Greece within 10 years. Somchai Jitsuchon of the Thailand Development Research Institute said this during a hearing by the Senate Committee on Economics, Trade and Industry. Populist spending, he says, is bad for the macro economy; they increase government debt and undermine market mechanisms.
Vichai Payackso, dean of the Faculty of Mass Communications Technology at Rajamangala University of Technology, said he expects populism to rise as a result of growing political divisions. Political parties want to gain more grip on power. He called rising unemployment an urgent problem. Thailand currently has 360.000 unemployed, of whom 150.000 are new graduates. Another 350.000 students will graduate this year.
– If it is up to the Minister of Education, teachers will from now on be given the opportunity to submit questions in their own field for the annual Ordinary National Education Test and the National Test. The minister believes that the exams can be better composed by those who teach the students than by the current 50 academics. A panel will review the submitted suggestions. The minister's proposal will be studied by the office of the Basic Education Commission (Obec) and the National Institute of Educational Testing Service.
Obec previously worked with a group of 15 to 20 teachers who created the questions for the National Test, but only 23 percent of the questions were usable. The remaining questions were too easy or tested students' memory.
– Because the inflow into the Bhumibol reservoir is small, the outflow is limited. The reservoir is now 46 percent full. The restriction is necessary to have enough water for the next rice crop. Last year, the reservoir contained far too much water at the start of the rainy season, exacerbating the severity of the flooding.
– Thailand is an aging society according to the criteria of the World Health Organization. In 2030, the gray army will even be twice as large as the number of young people. Currently, 13 percent of the population is elderly.
– Did the district chief of Ban Dung (Udon Thani) take his own life by hanging himself on the balcony of his staff residence? His wife does not trust it and has therefore asked for an autopsy. Sanya Prasertwit (48) had been in office for 2 months after having previously worked in Roi Et for 2 years. According to an anonymous source, he was struggling with the workload and the recent elections for the Provincial Administration Organization.
– The relatives of the nine victims of an accident caused in December 2010 by a 16-year-old without a driver's license are disappointed with the first mediation session. "Waste of time," says one of them. "The meeting was more like group therapy than mediation in a criminal case." Compensation will be discussed during the second session. The mediation is ordered by the court.
– Thailand will nominate the Phra Barommathat Chedi in Nakhon Si Thammarat for Unesco heritage status. The 1000-year-old chedi is being nominated for the tentative list at a meeting of the Unesco World Heritage Committee currently taking place in Russia. It already includes Kaeng Krachan National Park, Phu Phra Bat Historical Park and the group Prasart Hin Pimai, Prasart Phanomrung and Prasart Moung Tam.
The chedi was probably built as a small pagoda in the fourth century, rebuilt in 555 and renovated in 1277, taking on its current bell shape with a golden cone on top. The chedi is surrounded by 158 smaller pagodas. Twice a year there is a ceremony entitled hae pha phrabot, which attracts thousands of Buddhists from all over the country and abroad.
– The Dusit International Hotel donated 1 million baht to Operation Smile Thailand. The donation will fund operations for 85 children with facial deformities at Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital in Nakhon Ratchasima.
– Should the Constitutional Court ban government party Pheu Thai, then there is no problem, because the Pheu Thai MPs are very welcome at the (not represented in parliament) Pheu Dharma party and can then sit quietly. A ban threatens because the amendment to Article 291 of the constitution proposed by Pheu Thai would be contrary to the constitution.
At least, this is what Thaworn Sennam, deputy party leader of the opposition Democrats, says, who is being heard by the Court today as a witness. According to him, Article 291 only allows partial amendments to the constitution and not the entire constitution. This is the purpose of the amendment to Article 291. A citizens' assembly is set up to revise the constitution (from 2007, established under the government formed by the military regime in 2006). According to the current text, only the parliament is authorized to make amendments to the constitution.
Thaworn acknowledges that Pheu Thai wants to leave chapter 2 of the constitution unchanged. This chapter deals with the monarchy, but the monarchy is also referred to elsewhere in the Constitution. The parties that brought the case before the Constitutional Court believe that the intended procedure amounts to the abolition of the constitutional monarchy and an unconstitutional way of acquiring administrative power.
When Pheu Thai is banned, the board members are not allowed to hold political office for 5 years. This has no consequences for Prime Minister Yingluck, because she is not a board member. The Pheu Dharma party was registered with the Electoral Council in August 2010. Founder is Wallop Supariyasilp, former MP for the People Power Party, the predecessor of Pheu Thai.
Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung does not think the party will be banned. In the unlikely event that this happens, Yingluck can set up a new party. There is a term of 60 days for this. The current cabinet can then simply remain in office.
www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post