News from Thailand – July 24, 2012

The death of a 2-year-old girl at Nopparat Rajathanee Hospital in Bangkok still baffles doctors.

The first tests for Enterovirus 71 (EV-71) were negative, the virus was later found in a throat culture, but heart and lung involvement suggests that she may also have suffered from diseases other than foot and mouth disease (HFMD).

Today, the HFMD committee is considering the first death of the annual HFMD outbreak. It is more serious this year than last year. So far, 14.000 small children have contracted the disease.

– Factories with foreign workers are taking stricter measures to prevent workers from bringing foot and mouth disease into the gates, causing production to come to a standstill. However, they are not too worried, as the staff is already undergoing regular medical checks, says Sommat Khunset, secretary general of the Federation of Thai Industries.

The industry is currently running at full speed due to increasing demand and clearing backlogs, which arose last year during the floods. Sectors with many migrants are textiles, clothing, food, fishing, leather processing, construction, electronics and electrical appliances. [The question is of course: what stricter measures will be taken? Unfortunately, the article does not answer that question.]

– Airports or Thailand, Suvarnabhumi's manager, is "considering" compensating airlines for costs incurred as a result of last month's radar malfunction and runway problems. "Because we are part of the same family," said AoT President Anirut Thanomkulbatra.

According to him and Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (Aerothai), they have not received any requests for payment so far. But according to Marisa Pongpattanapun, chair of the Airline Operators Committee, her organization has already held the two companies accountable.

The eastern runway has been closed for maintenance since June 11, on July 5 the second runway was briefly out of action due to a subsidence and on June 21 the radar went black for an hour. Delays and diversions resulted. On July 31, all misery will come to an end when the eastern runway reopens.

Marisa doesn't know how many carriers will file a claim, but the costs they incurred were substantial. A Department of Civil Aviation official says Aerothai has earmarked 3 million baht for compensation payments.

– For the second consecutive year, Qatar Airways is the best airline in the world, according to Skytrax's annual survey of 18 million passengers from 200 airlines. Thai Airways International dropped from fifth to ninth place. Suvarnabhumi Airport won the World's Best Airport Services award for its lounges and friendly staff.

– The health of the king and queen is improving. The subdural hemorrhage in the monarch's brain has resolved and the queen is recovering from a lack of blood in her brain. The Royal Household Bureau reports that she no longer suffers from dizziness and that she has started to eat. The doctors will continue to give her intravenous drugs. The king can also eat again and he sleeps well.

– Thailand and Myanmar signed three agreements yesterday during the second day of Myanmar's President Thein Sein's three-day visit to Thailand. Both countries confirmed their joint development of the Dawei economic zone in Myanmar and the construction of a deep-sea port.

A committee is being set up to monitor the economic cooperation between the two countries and the construction of the Dawei-Thai Eastern Seaboard connection. An energy forum is also being formed that will explore further possibilities for cooperation.

New border posts will be set up in Kiu Pha Wok (Chiang Mai), Ban Hua Ton Noon (Mae Hong Son) and Ban Pu Nam Ron (Kanchanaburi) and a temporary border post will be set up in Ratchaburi province.

Speaking at a joint press conference, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Sein had promised that the 92 Thais arrested in Myanmar, who illegally crossed the border to work in rubber plantations, would receive a fair trial. Some of them were in possession of firearms and drugs. They must appear in court on Friday.

Human rights activists are disappointed that human rights violations in Myanmar were not discussed. These concern the treatment of ethnic minorities, who have fled to Thailand as a result, and the systematic persecution of Rohingya, who flee to Thailand by water. Benjamin Zawacki, researcher for Amnesty International Asia, believes Prime Minister Yingluck should have discussed these issues with Thein Sein.

– Yesterday, the Criminal Court did not dare to revoke the bail of the popular red shirt leader Jatuporn Prompan. The office of the Constitutional Court had requested this because Jatuporn had criticized the Court's verdict in the constitutional case. The Court regarded his comments as threatening.

The court decided to return to the case on August 9, when it will consider whether the bail of other red shirt leaders may be revoked. She warned Jatuporn to be careful when giving a speech.

– Director Pornthip Rojanasunan of the Central Institute of Forensic Science (CIFS), part of the Ministry of Justice, thinks that more bombings are committed in the South as a result of the decision of the CIFS to stop using the GT200 bomb detector. The CIFS stopped this 2 years ago, when experiments showed that the detector did not work. The army has continued to use the controversial GT200.

According to Pornthip, the militants have changed their bombing tactics in response to detection equipment and intensified checks. Bombs are now placed shortly before. That happened, for example, on Friday in Sungai Kolok (Narathiwat). Shortly after a military patrol left the area, a bomb was planted. It injured 18 people and caused $100 million in damage to a large commercial building. It is suspected that the bomb was made locally because the makers wanted to avoid the risk of being caught at a checkpoint.

– The oracle of Dubai or fugitive Prime Minister Thaksin has spoken again. He wants the government to revise the constitution article by article. Thaksin said this to party chairman Sanoh Thienthong last week. Sanoh had traveled to Dubai to congratulate Thaksin on his birthday next Thursday.

Thaksin believes that Pheu Thai should respect the ruling of the Constitutional Court. The Court recommended on July 13 to hold a referendum if Pheu Thai wants to have the constitution revised by a citizens' assembly. Without a referendum, there is nothing to prevent parliament from reviewing the constitution article by article.

Pheu Thai's strategic committee is today considering the question: what next? Nikhom Waiyarachapanich, deputy head of the Senate whips, is in favor of a referendum, but if the majority decides otherwise, he has no problem with it. Tomorrow the whips will put their heads together.

Three articles of the constitution are likely to be revised. The most important are Article 309, which protects the coup plotters from prosecution and legitimizes their decisions, and Article 165 on referenda.

In a recent poll by Bangkok University, 63,5 percent of respondents said they were against drafting a new constitution. In a poll by Suan Dusit, 45 percent turned out to be in favor of postponing constitutional amendments and in an Abac poll, 52 percent supported a limited number of amendments.

– The Bangkok traffic police must stop setting up checkpoints and handing out fines, because those checkpoints hinder the flow of traffic. Police Commissioner Khamronwit Thoopkrachang told 1200 officers yesterday. Not that he wanted to stop them from enforcing law enforcement, but stopping vehicles and handing out fines isn't the only way to get motorists to obey the traffic rules. "When I worked with the Provincial Police Region 1, we issued warning tickets instead of fines."

For the traffic police, it pays to set up checkpoints because, since the Land Traffic Act 1979, part of the fines are paid out as a reward.

– The Stop Global Warming Association Thailand is today on behalf of 160 environmental groups to the Central Administrative Court with a request to invalidate the government's approval for the construction of the Mae Wong dam in Kamphaeng Phet. According to the complainants, the government's green light is contrary to Article 67 of the Constitution because the health and environmental impact assessment has not yet been completed. The Royal Irrigation Department expects to have it ready this month.

When the dam is built, 13.260 rai of old-growth forest in Mae Wong National Park will be flooded. This area is part of the Unesco World Heritage Site Thaongyai-Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuaries. According to the government, the dam is the solution against droughts and floods.

The Stop Global Warming Association Thailand has already brought 50 environmental cases to the administrative court. One case was won. The court then decided to postpone the expansion of petrochemical projects at the Map Ta Phut industrial site in Rayong.

– 64 defaulters at Chatuchak weekend market have to pack their bags from the State Railway of Thailand, which took over the operation of the market from the municipality of Bangkok in January. There are more market vendors who are behind on their rent payments, about 600. They refuse to pay the increased rent of 3.157 baht per month. Some have hired a lawyer.

– Companies in 10 sectors are obliged to report monthly on what they do with their waste water from 2 August. According to Wichien Jungrungruang, head of the Pollution Control Department, a recent incident in the Lam Takong River shows that some companies are not taking the rules very seriously. Waste water from an ice factory caused a massive fish kill.

– The Italian photographer Fabio Polenghi (48) was killed on May 19, 2010 by gunfire from security forces. Suebsak Pansura, head of a group investigating his death, said this yesterday on the first day of a hearing by the Criminal Court. He said he heard 47 witnesses and experts.

– Bad luck for the colorful MP ​​Chuvit Kamolvisit. He had pleaded guilty in the Criminal Court and Supreme Court to a 1999 building code violation in the renovation of the Honolulu massage parlor, which he owned at the time. But to get a lower fine, he had appealed again. Unfortunately, the beautiful plan failed. Chuvit may still pay 2,3 million baht, the Supreme Court ruled. The fine consists of a one-time fine of 20.000 baht plus a daily fine of 500 baht. In 2004, Chuvit sold his massage parlors when he ran for governor of Bangkok.

– Kasikorn Asset Management will launch a 5 billion baht infrastructure fund to invest in a solar farm of SPCG, the largest solar cell company in Asia. Investing in solar energy is interesting because the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand will soon conclude a 10-year contract for the purchase of electricity. It is also interesting because the return on investment is 8 to 10 percent, the investment risk is small and interest rates on deposits will remain low for years to come.

The Treasury Department has already approved tax incentives such as a 10-year income tax credit, a special company tax for commissioners and a dividend tax. The transfer tax will be reduced from 2 to 0,01 percent.

– The Nong Khai-Tha Na Laeng railway line, in use since 2008, will be extended to Vientiane (Laos). The costs of 1,6 billion baht are covered by the Neighboring Countries Economic Development Cooperation Agency, part of the Thai Ministry of Finance. Thirty percent is aid, the rest a loan. The works include a 7,5 km line, a station and an office in Vientiane. The work should be completed in 2 years.

– Thailand risks losing its two largest importers of seafood if it does not quickly address the appalling exploitation of foreign workers on fishing boats and in the fish processing industry. The European Union and the US already warned the country off last year – not only because of human rights violations, but also because of deep-sea fishing that ruins the seabed and maritime biodiversity.

The facts are now well known. The crew of the 40.000 trawlers consists of 90 percent migrants. They have been steered into the country through intermediaries, have high debts, their passports have been confiscated, they earn less than the legal minimum wage, generally have no access to health care and are not allowed to change employers. The situation in the fish processing industry, which also largely relies on migrants, is not much better.

In its July 23 editorial, the Bangkok Post denounces two recent decisions by the Thai government. The Department of Labor wants to return pregnant foreign workers and the Fisheries Department has granted amnesty to illegal trawlers. And those are precisely the vessels that systematically fish protected coastal waters and are never punished for it.

So far, Thailand is on the US State Department's Tier 2 Watch List because of the country's poor record in combating human trafficking. When the country drops to the Tier 3 list, sanctions threaten. The fishermen and the fish processing companies will not be happy about that. The newspaper therefore advises to withdraw the contested decisions, which it calls 'poor thought-out'.

www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post