News from Thailand – April 26, 2014

Barely a week after Karen activist Porlajee Takchongcharoen (nickname Billy) disappeared without a trace, things are back to normal in Kaeng Krachan National Park (Phetchaburi).

Led by park chief Chaiwat Limliktaksorn (pictured right), [when the newspaper does not say] eighty forest rangers moved into the forest to a place where trees had been felled to make room for a paddy field. They found no one there, but huts and carcasses of animals.

Chaiwat, who set Karen huts on fire in 2011 and is now under suspicion over Porlajee's disappearance, says the operation was not an act of revenge. It was a routine operation, planned long in advance, and intended to protect the forest from illegal land use by Karen. They clear the forest and grow rice and chilli and sometimes marijuana.

The problems with the Karen date back to 1996, when the government asked Karen groups living along the Thai-Myanmar border to move to 2.000 rai in the forest. I will not mention the other history, because the core of the problem is clear. If you want to know exactly, consult Park officers raid Karen sites on the website of Bangkok Post.

See further Activist for ethnic Karen villagers missing since Thursday.

– Three police officers were killed in a bomb attack in Sai Buri (Pattani) yesterday, and seven other officers and ten civilians were injured. The bomb exploded at Wasukri beach, where the annual fishing competition was held at the time.

– Thailand has been sinking into the swamp of darkness for ten years due to populism and corruption. The crisis facing Thailand is unprecedented. Populist policies have led people to become addicted to materialism and consumerism.

Kasem Wattahanachai, a member of the Privy Council (an advisory body to the King), voiced this not-so-nauseous criticism yesterday at a seminar organized by the Ombudsman's office.

In particular, Kasem called corruption a serious problem that needs to be addressed quickly. He finds the percentage of 80 percent of Thais who admit to be (or have been) involved in corruption in polls 'alarming'.

Kasem called on the government to take the fight against corruption seriously. The media needs to review their role. They need to provide the public with information on important issues, rather than just spouting light-hearted stories.

A second seminar yesterday was devoted to the damage that the political conflict is doing to socio-moral values. Harsh words here too, such as: national development is abused by politicians to pursue advantages and the people are abused as a means for power struggles.

Sakorn Songma, a representative of an NGO in Phitsanulok, said the current political conflict has accentuated the struggle between those in power and dividing the funds, and the people. Although people feel they are being abused by politicians, they continue to vote for those politicians in elections, Sakorn said.

– A senior army officer attached to the Supreme Command was attacked and shot at by security guards of the protest movement on Chaeng Watthanaweg yesterday. He sustained bruises to his face and injuries to his feet from bullet fragments.

The officer had warned the guards not to shoot, but they paid no heed. After finding out who they had targeted, they apologized. They said they had the idea that he wanted to attack them.

It's not clear to me what exactly was the reason. The newspaper writes: He was attacked after exiting his car to remove a barrier placed near the anti-government protest site… Translation?

– The Thai Journalists Association (TJA) yesterday the grenade attack Thursday evening at the office of Daily News sharply condemned. She calls on the police to speed up their investigation. The TJA considers the attack a serious threat to the press and its members and notes that this was not the first attack. The police have so far failed to find the perpetrators.

– A school principal who has participated in the recruitment exam for teaching assistants may face disciplinary action. Buri Ram's education office is to form a panel to investigate the matter. The man, who is the director of a school in Muang (Buri Ram), took the exam in Samut Sakhon. According to him, he did this to find out what the test entailed so that he can better advise students and their parents.

It is not yet clear whether fraud has been committed. The director has admitted to guiding twenty candidates. Two of them also took the exam in Samut Sakhon.

Two other agencies are also involved in the case: the Basic Education Commission and the Teachers' Council of Thailand (TCT). In addition to the director, two other already qualified teachers from Buri Ram, brothers of the director, took the exam. They went to Nonthaburi. If the TCT finds them guilty of unethical behavior or exam fraud, they lose their teaching credentials.

– Healthcare is a lucrative business. Since the opening of the Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun hospital in April 2012, turnover has increased by 140 percent. Last year, 1,2 billion baht was earned. The hospital aims to treat 300.000 outpatients and 9.200 inpatients annually.

– The owner of the Santika Pub, who caught fire at the turn of the year in 2008, may spend a year behind bars for tax evasion. The owner, Wisuk Setsawat (photo home page), paid 5 million baht too little in excise duty over a period of 85 years. The fire killed 67 people and injured 103.

– Six people, living in Nakhon Ratchasima province, succumbed to influenza this year. A total of 1.708 people have been infected in four northeastern provinces, most of them in Nakhon Ratchasima.

– It has been quiet around the Hindu temple Preah Vihear for a long time since the International Court of Justice ruled in November on the area disputed by Thailand and Cambodia. A group of lawyers led by the Romanian lawyer Alina Miron (who made a big impression with her plea in The Hague) visited the area on Thursday, led by the Suranaree Task Force.

Thailand and Cambodia have yet to begin establishing the precise border of the so-called promotion (cliff) on which the temple stands and which has been assigned to Cambodia by the ICJ. Only when Thailand has a new government will they argue about it.

– The association of kamnans and village chiefs calls on the demonstrators at the Ministry of the Interior to end their blockade so that the officials can get to work. The ministry has been under siege for five months. The association threatens to take to the streets with 50.000 people if their request falls on deaf ears.

As a result of the blockade, many things are left behind. For example, the association wants to help kamnans and village chiefs from Surat Thani and Chumphon, who have been pushed aside by the provincial governors because they openly support the protest movement.

– The anti-government movement yesterday visited the headquarters of Thai Airways International. Suthep told staff that the PDRC is joining the union's protest against the reappointment of Ampon Kittianpon as chairman of the board. The union sees him as an asshole [word choice dictionary] of politicians and the government.

– Villagers in Baan Na Nong Bon (Loei) who oppose a gold and copper mine are concerned about their safety after a former senior army officer threatened them.

The villagers clashed with him when the man demanded free passage for a transport, although only vehicles weighing less than 15 tons are allowed. The villagers say they saw four trucks on their way to the mine for loading. After loading, they would have considerably exceeded the weight limit.

The army officer, who had come to the village with sixteen men to enforce the passage, says he did not threaten. The villagers say they have been threatened ever since they started protesting against the mine. "But this time it's different," said Surapan Rujichaiwat, leader of the protest group Kon Rak Ban Kerd. "Now that we've been approached by a senior soldier, we're more concerned about our safety."

– Yuranan Pamornmontri, former actor and MP for Pheu Thai, has been found guilty of falsely declaring his assets by the National Anti-Corruption Commission. The Supreme Court's Holders of Political Positions will decide whether to grant him a 5-year political ban on that basis. Politicians must submit an overview of their assets and debts when they take office. Anyone who messes with that, like this gentleman, is screwed.

Economic news

– Employees who earn less than 15.000 baht per month can no longer make ends meet and face growing debts. This is the conclusion of a survey by the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce among 1.200 respondents aged 17 to 21.

To be precise: 80 percent say they have insufficient income to cover all expenses and 93,7 percent say they have mounting debts. 76,1 percent have no savings or extra income from overtime or a second job.

The average debt per household is estimated to be 106.216 baht, an increase of 7,9 percent compared to last year. In 1999, the average household debt was 87.399 baht. Of the debts, 56 percent consists of organized loans [?], compared to 49 percent in 1999.

Thanavath Phonvichai, vice president of research at the UTCC, says household debt has risen significantly since 2012. In that year the salary of civil servants was raised and the minimum daily wage increased. Most workers with increased incomes began to take on more debt, particularly by buying a condo/home and a vehicle. According to Thanavath, many depend on it loan sharks (money lenders who charge insanely high interest rates) or they mortgage their assets.

The UTCC survey also shows that many are concerned about their job security and the risk of becoming unemployed, although most companies have not yet begun to lay off staff. The hiring of new employees has been delayed and the working hours of existing staff are being cut.

The unemployment rate is expected to reach 1 to 1,5 percent this year, but if the political conflict turns violent and causes the economy to shrink, it will rise to 1,5 to 2 percent.

The National Economic and Social Development Board in February warned of an increase in unemployment and a drop in income due to the expected drought, slowing public investment, political protests and weakened consumer and business confidence. The economic growth forecast was recently reduced by the NESDB from 4 to 5 percent to 3 to 4 percent. Salvation can only be expected from the recovery of exports, according to the NESDB.

– Tax revenues this year are expected to be 50 billion baht less than the target, or 2 percent. [A bit further in the report, 7,1 percent is mentioned.] The setback is caused by the sluggish economy and the overestimated revenues from diesel excise duties.

The budget for fiscal year 2014 (ending September 30) assumes 2,275 trillion baht in revenue; spending is budgeted at 2,525 trillion baht and the deficit at 250 billion baht. Tax revenues make up 80 percent of total revenues.

– Small and medium-sized enterprises are less affected than at the beginning by the political rallies that started six months ago. The Osmep office (Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion) reports that approximately 76 percent of SMEs are affected, but the severity of this has decreased.

In February, 56 percent said they were hit hard, last month that percentage had dropped to 42 percent. The service sector is still concerned about the country's image and investor confidence.

– The fight against corruption is not a bed of roses. Unlisted companies and SMEs object to Thailand joining the OECD Convention on Combatting Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions. When Thailand takes over, Thai companies that bribe foreign officials could be punished.

A study by the law school of Chulalongkorn University, commissioned by the National Anti-Corruption Commission, shows that many companies fear being disadvantaged because their competitors [who are they?] are not part of the convention. Listed companies have no problem with it, because they already use the best practice of good governance.

Thailand already has some laws in line with the convention, but new laws are needed to make bribery of foreign officials a crime, as well as to establish penalties and liability for corporate entities. It will also make it easier for Thailand to prosecute foreign companies that have bribed Thai officials. That evidence can then be used to prosecute the Thai officials or politicians.

www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post

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