News from Thailand – July 21, 2013

Today's news offer Bangkok Post is skinny. The opening article of the newspaper is striking: a large 'Special report' about the suspicious death of a nurse.

According to police, she hanged herself in November, but the mother suspects she was killed in cold blood by her then-boyfriend, a colleague at work with whom she had problems.

The mother suspected this when she removed the cloths in which the body was wrapped for the required ritual bath. Her daughter's body was covered in bruises, her neck was broken, and she had a deep cut on her upper lip. The police hadn't told her that.

Since then, the mother has been trying to get her justice, a period that the newspaper characterizes as "eight frustrating months." Police at Bo Phut Bureau on Koh Samui, where the daughter worked at the hospital, declined to release photos, and the Crime Suppression Division and Provincial Police confirmed the police's conclusion.

But the mother did not give up and thanks to the Club for Justice, the case is now being investigated again by an investigative team from the Region 8 Provincial Police. Bo Phut's officers are also being questioned. If they are found to have been negligent, they can expect disciplinary action. And most importantly, when murder is proven, the perpetrator turns to prison. Mother Nittaya Salae: 'Then my daughter can finally rest in peace.'

– Resistance group BRN, the interlocutor with which Thailand is conducting peace talks, accuses the Thai authorities of violating the agreed ceasefire. BRN has handed over a letter of protest to Malaysia, which is facilitating the talks. According to the newspaper, it is not clear which incident exactly aroused BRN's irritation.

Paradorn Pattanatabut, secretary general of the National Security Council and leader of the delegation at the peace talks, has not yet seen the letter, but denies in advance that there is any violation by the Thai authorities. “We are concentrating on defensive operations. But when security forces find themselves in a situation of violence, they respond. In any case, it is impossible for the authorities to unleash aggressive actions.'

There have been three bomb attacks since the start of Ramadan last Wednesday. On Friday, an alleged insurgent was shot dead when soldiers tried to arrest him. He would have shot first. The man is said to have been involved in last week's bomb attack, which injured two soldiers.

In Yaring (Pattani), a couple was shot dead yesterday morning on their way to work on a rubber plantation,

– The passport of 'jet-set' ex-monk Wirapol Sukphol has been revoked and the Department of Special Investigation (DSI, the Thai FBI) ​​has asked twenty countries for cooperation in tracing the monk and deporting him to Thailand. For the time being, the DSI assumes that the monk is staying in the US, where he has a villa in California.

The Anti-Money Laundering Office, which is also involved in the case, searched a store in Ubon Ratchathani and seized 35 imported luxury cars. The shop is said to have delivered XNUMX cars to the monk. Amlo suspects that the monk was engaged in buying and selling cars. It's trying to figure out what the purpose of that was.

Another personal note: Some newspapers had long since sent a reporter to California to find out if the monk is indeed hiding there. But do your own research  Bangkok Post is extremely rare. No money or lax? I suspect the latter.

– The anti-government group Pitak Siam makes itself heard again. Do you remember? That is the group that previously organized two rallies, the second of which was ended prematurely because it threatened to get out of hand. Pitak Siam threatens to hold a mass rally on August 4 unless the Yingluck government meets six demands within a week.

The group has quite a few notes to its song: Prime Minister Yingluck and Secretary of State Yuthasak Sasiprasa (Defence) have to resign because of the controversial audio clip with a conversation between Thaksin and Yuthasak; the knife has to go into the state oil company PTT Plc because that makes huge profits at the expense of the population; the loans of 350 billion baht for water management projects and 2 trillion baht for infrastructure works must be canceled, Thaksin must not be granted amnesty and corruption in the mortgage system must be tackled.

– On August 7, parliament will return from recess and then the fireworks can start right away. That day, the much-discussed amnesty proposal of Pheu Thai MP Worachai Hema will be discussed. Worachai expects it to be completed within a day, so that the red shirts who are still imprisoned can be released as soon as possible.

I've lost count of how many amnesty proposals have been submitted in recent months and I certainly haven't delved into the differences between them. One goes a little further than the other; it will be something like that. The most recent proposal comes from relatives of people who lost their lives in the red shirt riots in April and May 2010. But that is not supported by Pheu Thai and the UDD (red shirts).

– Hassle about the land on which the Mae Tao clinic (Chiang Mai) stands. Phra Kittisak Kittisopano, referred to as an 'embattled monk' by the newspaper, recently sold the land owned by the Matta Thammarak Foundation to a police officer for 2,8 million baht. The sale has raised concerns about the future of the clinic and the patients it treats.

Kittisak, who is the chairman of the foundation, defends the transaction, arguing that the foundation could get into legal trouble because the clinic built new buildings without consulting the foundation. The clinic also did not have the required permits.

According to Kittisak, it is better that the land belongs to a lawman. "Maybe that will help the management of the clinic and make its way of working more transparent."

The clinic was founded in 1988 by Cynthia Maung, shortly after the September Uprising in Myanmar. Every day, around XNUMX, mostly refugees and migrants, receive medical care. Cynthia herself is stateless and is therefore not allowed to own land.

– In a forest in Thepa (Songkhla), agents of the Department of Special Investigation and forest rangers arrested eight people who were cutting trees for the construction of a rubber plantation. It is examined whether the land is owned by a private individual or by the state. About 100 rai had already been beaten bare.

– Tak province has the highest number of cases of malaria. Between January and June, 8.901 people contracted malaria, 5.000 of whom are from Myanmar. Malaria hit 22.546 people nationwide during the same period. The high figure in Tak is attributed to passenger traffic in the border area. Authorities distribute mosquito nets and chemicals to eradicate the larvae.

– Phang Jintara, a 20-year-old elephant, gave birth to a female calf. Mother and daughter, who are being cared for at the Wang Chang Ayutthaya Lae Phaniat elephant camp, are doing well, according to the newspaper photo.

– A lukewarm reception from the Electoral Council yesterday at a forum in Pattaya was received by provincial election officials who had asked for a pay rise. According to Assawin Ratchathanont, president of the Provincial Election Officials Association, the wage increase is necessary to prevent a 'brain drain'. Many civil servants apply for the position of anti-corruption officer at the province because it pays better.

But Election Council Commissioner Somchai Juengprasert gave him little hope. He pointed out that the county officials work full-time, while an election officer only works when there are elections.

Nevertheless, Assawin persisted. Work is tough during election time. The men are busy at weekends and until late at night. They also have to visit polling stations in remote areas and run the risk of legal action. And when they investigate corruption cases, they also deal with influential figures.

— Spicy aunt, Judge Chidchanok Paensuwan. She has already been transferred once following an incident in which her car, in which she was still sitting, was towed away because she was blocking traffic. There is a second incident: On July 12, she threw a styrofoam box containing fried eggs and rice at the car of the commissioner of the Bangkok municipal police. What will happen to the recalcitrant judge is for the Judicial Commission to determine. Ms. Chadchanok currently does administrative work at the Courts of Justice.

– The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) has offered Thailand assistance in restoring confidence in the safety of Thai rice. Doubts have been raised about this after an investigation by the Foundation for Consumers. Examination of packaged rice from shopping centers has shown that these residues contain methyl bromide. In one brand, the safety limit was even exceeded.

Hiroyuki Konuma, FAO representative for Asia and the Pacific, said the security issue in Thailand is related to the long storage period of the rice. He suspects that the rice is being stored for longer than the standard six-month period. Konuma hopes that the government will be able to sell the rice it has bought in time before the new crop comes on the market in three months.

– Alcohol destroys more than you love. This Dutch advertising slogan has been confirmed once again in Surat Thani. A drunk man went 'berserk' (nice word; Dutch: turned on). He shot and killed one officer and seriously injured another officer with a knife. The two officers had gone to a gas station, where the man threatened a gas station attendant. Distressing detail: the man managed to take the service weapon from the officer and shoot him with it. He also shot at bystanders, but they were not hit. Police reinforcements later surrounded his home and apprehended him.

Economic news

– The Bank of Thailand expects the economy to pick up in the second half of the year and therefore does not consider stimulus measures necessary. Governor Prasarn Trairatvorakul cites the fact that employment and per capita income are stable as the main reasons; moreover, there are signs that the economies of the US and Japan are recovering, which will increase Thailand's exports.

Prasarn distances himself from pleas from the business community to give the economy an extra push. They say that because Thailand's economic growth in the first quarter, 5,3 percent year on year, was lower than expected and growth in the second quarter was held back by reduced domestic spending.

Prasarn says current interest rates are still in line with economic growth. Although financial institutions are less generous with loans, the growth rate of loans is still high.

While resilient in the midst of global economic turmoil, Thailand will need to address labor shortages and insufficient investment in product innovation to maintain its growth trajectory. Employers are short of workers with vocational training because many Thais prefer to go to university, Prasarn said.

Labor productivity does not increase because companies lack a clear policy for investment in innovations. As a result, employees cannot move to sectors with a higher added value.

Barriers to becoming a knowledge economy, according to Prasarn, include low spending on research and development and insufficient protection of intellectual property.

– The ten commercial banks performed well in the first half of the year. They posted a net profit of 87,09 billion baht, 22,76 percent more on an annual basis. All banks made additional provisions in the second quarter on the instructions of the central bank due to the slowdown in the economy and growing uncertainties. The highest earning bank was the Siam Commercial Bank. It had a record quarterly profit of 12,6 billion baht, an increase of 28,5 percent.

www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Bank