News from Thailand – March 24, 2014

I had to rub my eyes: am I reading it right? Turnout in the Senate primary on Sunday was 4,18 percent.

Only 88.000 of the 2.121.814 (outside their own constituency) and 36.185 voters (in their own constituency) who had registered, bothered to pay a visit to the polling station. In 2008, the turnout was 26 percent.

The elections passed without incident. Some polling stations in Phayao suffered storm damage and were unable to open until the storm had subsided. The Electoral Council meets today. The council is asking for the help of the media to prevent a repeat of the low turnout on March 30.

– Residents of the landfill in Phraeksa (Samut Prakan) are getting help from the Lawyers Council of Thailand with reports against those responsible for the fire, which raged for a week and spread toxic fumes. It is a whole list of authorities that get the wind from the front and are allowed to defend themselves before the Administrative Court: the head of the Phraeksa Tambon Administrative Organisation, the governor of Samut Prakan, the provincial office of the Ministry of Industry, the provincial office of the Ministry of the Environment and the Pollution Control Department. The court will also be asked to issue a ban on the use of the landfill.

The owners obviously do not escape the dance. They are being dragged before a civil court with a claim for compensation. And there is also a criminal route. The Department of Special Investigation (the Thai FBI) ​​will be asked to deal with this. 1.900 people have already filed a report at the Bangpoo police station.

The fire broke out around noon on Sunday last week. The fire marshal signal was given at 18 p.m. on Saturday, says assistant district chief Mongkol Korong. But fifteen fire trucks and five amphibious vehicles will continue to extinguish the fire for three days.

The fire led to eye, throat and/or nose irritation in 1.200 people. A 20-month-old child has been successfully treated for a lung infection. She is now home from the hospital. Air quality is at a safe level, but air, food and water continue to be monitored. Residents can have themselves examined for free.

– The Foundation of Consumers and its allies hope that the political reforms will lead to the passage of the consumer protection bill so that an independent organization to protect consumer interests can be formed.

Last. Years ago, the Senate already approved the proposal drawn up by citizen groups. It was then sent back to the House of Representatives for further consideration, but never got round to it before the House was dissolved on December 9.

The current consumer law dates from 1997, but it offers little protection. State services are supposed to protect consumer rights, but they have too little capacity to do so. A hot topic is the use of asbestos. In 2011, the cabinet banned its use, but the Ministry of Health asked the cabinet to withdraw the decision in order to conduct a further study into the health risks. Asbestos is therefore still used and processed in Thailand.

Last year, the foundation recorded 3.514 consumer complaints. Most related to healthcare, followed by telecommunications and banking.

– Residents in Mae Hong Son province have been advised to wear face masks, because the concentration of particulate matter is 242 µg per cubic meter, far above the safety level of 120 µg. The warning mainly applies to the elderly and children. Doing exercises outside is also not recommended.

– Bangkok is 21 years old on April 232 and that is celebrated with three days of festivities on Sanam Luang (April 19-21). The Ministry of Culture has made an amount of 55 million baht available for this. The program includes a historical exhibition and cultural tours. Bangkok was declared the capital by King Rama I.

– Along the dike, which is supposed to protect Suvarnabhumi airport against flooding, a cycle path of 23,5 kilometers has been constructed, asphalted and with a nice green color. The bike path officially opened yesterday. It is paid by the airport.

– The bickering over the decision of the Constitutional Court to declare the elections of February 2 invalid has started and will continue for some time. Yesterday, a group of academics, operating under the name of the Assembly for the Defense of Democracy (AFDD), issued a statement of disapproval. The Court should never have heard the case, because the Ombudsman who brought it before is not competent to do so.

Hey, that sounds familiar because we heard that before from Pheu Thai board members.

I don't understand the second argument. The constitution states that 'election day must be the same throughout the Kingdom', but this does not mean that general elections must be held on one day. What it means, though, escapes me.

According to the AFDD'ers, the Court went wrong by using the 28 constituencies [where it was not possible to vote for district candidates] as an excuse for the invalidation. The elections went well in most constituencies, they say. The AFDD accuses the Electoral Council of having neglected its statutory duty to properly organize the elections.

– A pro-election group held a protest against the verdict yesterday candlelighting ceremony at Sanam Luang.

www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post

Editorial notice

Bangkok Shutdown and the elections in images and sound:
www.thailandblog.nl/nieuws/videos-bangkok-shutdown-en-de-keuzeen/