News from Thailand – August 21, 2012

The Tiger Discotheque in Phuket, which went up in flames on Friday, had adequate emergency exits but the decorations were made of highly flammable material, an expert from the Association of Siamese Architects Under Royal Patronage said.

The 700 square meter disco had six emergency exits. The decorations were of the same material as the decorations in the Santika Pub in Bangkok, which went up in flames during New Year 2009. 66 people were killed. Four people were killed in the fire in Phuket.

– Ninety percent of diving schools in Thailand is in the hands of a foreigner, which irritates Palang Yimpanich, owner of Sport Time Dive Center and one of the founders of the Diving Association of Thailand. The association has just elected a new chairman and is determined to do something about the foreign monopoly. [But what does the article not mention.]

According to Thai law, Thais must own a 51 percent share in a foreign company, but they are usually owned by a front man. Most foreigners who have a diving school arrive as tourists. They are only active during the high season and then return to their homeland. There are not very many Thai diving instructors. To qualify, an exam in English must be taken at a foreign institution.

Thailand is one of the world's most popular diving destinations. According to Scuba Diving magazine, Thailand ranks second for snorkeling in the Pacific and Indian Oceans and in the top ten for scuba diving. The top five dive sites are the Marine National Park in Similan, Marine National Park (Richelieu Rock) in Surin, Hin Daeng-Hin Muang, Koh Ha (Lanta Island) and Shark Point at Koh Phi Phi.

Advantages are the beautiful underwater geological formations and coral reefs, a good reputation in terms of safety, a wide variety of fish and the clean water. Downsides are overcrowded dive sites, poor organization and rickety boats from which to dive.

Tourists who come for diving, some 400.000 a year, usually stay in Thailand for 8 to 10 days, of which 5 days are spent diving, according to figures from the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

– The entrance fees of the 25 'Grade A' national parks will be increased by 1 percent on October 150. Adults have to pay 100 baht (40 baht so far), children 50 baht (20 baht), foreigners 500 baht (400 baht) and foreign children 300 baht (200 baht).

The price increase applies to eight parks in the North, four in the Northeast, three in the East, four in the West and ten in the South. According to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, the increase is necessary because of increased costs. The entrance fees of the other 116 parks remain unchanged. Thailand's national parks attract 10 million visitors annually.

– Bad luck for Ban Talaymok holiday park in Thap Lan National Park and a success for the park staff. The demolition of the resort is allowed to continue because it was built illegally, the Central Administrative Court ruled on August 15. The owner of the park had asked the administrative court to prohibit further demolition. On June 28, the sledge hammer went into nine resorts in Thap Lan. Talaymok was 60 percent demolished. Now the rest.

– The queen is doing better. She's off intravenous drugs and she's on physical therapy. The Queen had been admitted to Siriraj Hospital due to a mild blood deficiency in her brain. The Royal Household Bureau says the Queen can now walk for longer periods and eat normally.

– A 33-year-old man managed to steal about a hundred women, whom he had met on Facebook, and presumably rape a number of them. After one of the victims created a Facebook page to hunt him down, the man was arrested. In his home, the police found more than a hundred mobile phones, handbags, wallets, identity cards, bank books, ATM and credit cards. The man denies the rape allegation; he says he slept with 15 women, who agreed. The man is married and has one child.

– 90 percent of the 427 people who took part in a poll by Bangkok University in the four southern provinces believe that the government does not really want to solve the problems in the South. 59 percent said the government is not on the right path, 35 percent didn't know. The imposition of a curfew received only 17 percent support. 70 percent of those surveyed said they were not satisfied with the military's actions and 90 percent think the situation will not improve in the next three to six months.

– With the election of Nikhom Wairatchapanich as President of the Senate, the Pheu Thai government has considerably strengthened its position of power. Nikhom was elected by 77 to 69 votes. Pheu Thai already has a large majority in the House of Representatives.

Nikhom's election is a disappointment for the nominated senators, who have dominated the Senate until now, as the two previous presidents were nominated senators. Appointed senators have been part of the Senate since the military coup. The junta wanted to ensure that the establishment has a voice in the Senate and that not only politicians call the shots. The Senate consists of 73 appointed senators and 77 elected, 1 per province.

The composition of the Senate is politically sensitive because it appoints the members of several independent committees, such as the Electoral Council and the National Anti-Corruption Commission. Government party Pheu Thai is committed to curbing those committees. The Senate can also start impeachment proceedings against a cabinet member.

The appointed senators in the Senate achieved a small success on Monday. Nominated Senator Surachai Liangboonlertchai was elected Vice Chairman. He received 73 to 69 votes. This has somewhat restored the balance in the Presidium.

– The office of Deputy Minister Sakda Khongpetch (Education) is demolished and his room is checked for eavesdropping devices. Sakda suspects he has been tapped because details of a conversation about fraud in the purchase of vocational education materials have been leaked.

– The weather gods came to the rescue of the firefighters in the forest and peat area of ​​Pa Phru Kuang Kreng on Monday with heavy stir. But underground the fire continues to creep, especially deep in the woods. The fires raging in several places have already destroyed 15.000 rai, including parts of the Phatthalung Botanical Garden and the Samet Khao cultivation area of ​​the Chaipattana foundation in Nakhon Si Thammarat. The fires are believed to have been started to make room for oil palm and rubber plantations.

– The Anti-Money Laundering Office has seized the assets of the owner of a karaoke bar and spa in Songkhla worth 320 million baht. The woman employed 46 women and 24 underage girls for sexual services. Two 15-year-old girls came from Laos.

– A Musur woman in Chiang Mai killed and dismembered her daughters aged 2 and 5. When the police arrived, she was sleeping with the girls' body parts wrapped around her. The woman had been treated for a mental illness in 2007, but stopped taking her medication two months ago. She has been admitted to Suan Prung Hospital.

– A motorist dived his car from an expressway in Klong Sam Wa (Bangkok) 30 meters down on Monday. Miraculously, he had only a few broken ribs and an injury to his head. The man had been driving too fast and lost control of the wheel when he wanted to change lanes.

– I was misquoted, was the defense of Suthep Thaugsuban, the most influential minister under the Abhisit government, when he responded to a libel complaint at the police station yesterday. It was submitted by three red shirt leaders. They claimed that Suthep had called them terrorists and charged them with arson. But Suthep denies ever saying that.

– Kubota, manufacturer of rice harvesting machines, has something to make up for. During last year's floods, the factory on the Nava Nakorn industrial estate was flooded and spare parts were lost. And that's where a group of farmers went wrong when they stormed Government House in March. The combines break down too easily, they thought. Moreover, spare parts were not available for a long time.

The latter has now been resolved: the factory, which will resume production in the fourth quarter, has imported spare parts worth 300 million baht. The vice president of the company attributes the former to improper use of the combines. In order to make as much turnover as possible, the drivers drive it much too fast and they also turn too fast.

That is why Kubota opened driving schools in four locations last year to teach farmers how to use and maintain the machine. This year, the number will be expanded to 20. The free training will last until October when harvesting begins. Kubota also advises farmers to stock spare parts, especially belts. The faster the combine can be repaired.

– Phuket, Bangkok and Koh Samui are on the list of the ten best holiday destinations in Asia. Bali leads the list, followed by Phuket at 2. Bangkok has moved up 5 places from 10 to 5, and Koh Samui has dropped one place to 10. The list is based on the opinion of visitors to the SmartTravelAsia website .

The magazine also has a top ten list of business cities. It is led by Hong Kong. Bangkok ranks fourth.

– Thai Airways International has received the first of its eight ordered Boeing 777-300ERs. The aircraft will be deployed on the route to Narita and, when the second aircraft will be added in October, to Seoul-Los Angeles and Brussels. The Boeing can accommodate 348 passengers, 42 of which are in Business Class. The remaining devices will be delivered next year.

– The levy on various fuels by the State Oil Fund has been reduced by 50 to 60 satang per liter to keep prices unchanged at the pump. Subsidies from the fund for ethanol-petrol and diesel are going up. As a result, the State Oil Fund suffers a daily loss of 79 million baht, compared to 37 million previously. The accumulated loss now stands at 14,43 billion baht. The fund may borrow 30 billion baht from the government. Of this, 5,15 billion has already been withdrawn.

– The mortgage system for agricultural products has already cost the government 300 billion baht and fiscal year 2012 still has a month to go, according to figures from the Ministry of Finance. Most of the money went to the rice system: 265 billion baht for the first and second harvest. In total, the government purchased 16,87 million tons of rice. Price support for cassava cost 27,8 billion baht and for rubber 8,66 billion baht.

The second season of the rice mortgage system starts in October. The two harvests in 2012/2013 are expected to yield 35 million tons. An amount of 400 billion baht is needed for this. [Another article on the same page mentions 31 million tons and an amount of 260 billion baht.]

The government still defends the mortgage system, citing the high prices it pays farmers for their paddy (unhusked rice): 15.000 baht for a ton of white rice and 20.000 baht for Hom Mali. Minister Boonsong Teriyapirom (Trade) points out that paddy on the domestic market now catches 11.000 baht per ton, 2.000 baht more than last year (under the previous government).

The export price rose from $500 to $678 per ton this year. But this amount is nowhere near covering the costs of the mortgage system (guaranteed price, peeling, storage costs, transport, operational costs, interest).

At the moment, the rice stock is 11,37 million tons. The rice will remain in stock for the time being because prices on the world market are not high enough.

[The 11,37 million tons cannot be right, because the government has bought up 16,87 million tons and nothing has yet been sold. And to make it even more confusing: in a statistic added to the article, the amount of purchased rice is 16,53 million tons.]

The government has received support from the weather gods in recent weeks. The US and India are severely affected by the drought, resulting in upward pressure on rice prices.

But it is unlikely that the government will hold a sale. She's probably waiting until she can get a better price for it. That is not without risk, because when rice is in stock for a long time, the quality decreases, so it yields less.

– The military is concerned about the Department of Special Investigation's investigation into military operations in 2010 that left 91 people dead and more than 1000 injured. Army commander Prayuth Chan-ocha, at the time responsible for sweeping red-shirt-held areas in Bangkok, informed Prime Minister Yingluck of his concerns last week. He believes that the research results should remain confidential until the court considers them.

The DSI previously announced that the army is responsible for the deaths of red shirt protesters. The investigators want to call soldiers to testify. A commander who has already been questioned by the DSI is afraid that all commanders will be punished.

But key figures in the ruling Pheu Thai party and the red shirt movement have assured Prayuth that the army will not be hit. They have targeted then Prime Minister Abhisit and Suthep Thaugsuban, director of the Center for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation (CRES), which was responsible for enforcing the state of emergency at the time. By threatening to do so, they hope to gain support from the opposition Democrats for a general amnesty for anyone involved in the political unrest.

Until now, it seemed to be cake and egg between the army and the government. For example, the cabinet did not interfere in the transfer round in April. This has won the government a lot of sympathy with the army. But red shirts are pressuring the government to ditch Prayuth and those who held senior positions in 2010 in the forthcoming round of transfers in October, and appoint their own pals to key positions.

www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post