News from Thailand – February 27, 2013
Butane gas sellers have been warned not to take advantage of the shortage that threatens in April when Myanmar closes two natural gas fields for a week and a half for maintenance work.
Sellers are said to have already started hoarding and some buyers [who own a food stall] are said to have already offered an advance to make sure they have enough gas in April.
According to Wiboonlasana Ruamraksa, director general of the Internal Trade Department, the closure of the gas fields only affects power plants and not household gas. Butane gas is produced by oil refineries and 25 percent comes from Singapore and the Middle East.
Butane gas has a fixed price: 285 baht for a 15-kilo cylinder bottle and 890 baht for a 48-kilo cylinder. Vendors who ask for more or withhold bottles face fines or face jail time.
– Boontje comes for his wages. Does this expression apply to Sathian Permthong, former permanent secretary of the Ministry of Defense? The man was transferred to an inactive post shortly before his retirement in August last year, because he had dared to publicly criticize his boss the minister for choosing his successor. He started proceedings before the administrative court, but later broke off.
And now the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) is shaming him for "unusual wealth." His bank accounts and property, and those of three other individuals, have been frozen and the NACC has taken the case to the Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions, a branch of the Supreme Court. He decides whether the assets will be confiscated.
The NACC has discovered that 10 million baht was deposited into his bank account and more than 100 million baht into the bank accounts of his wife and their adopted daughter, money that must also have come from him. The wife turned out to own four plots in Ubon Ratchatani and the daughter five plots in the same province and Bangkok. A Toyota Innova and a Lexus have been chained.
The NACC also discovered that an amount of 18 million baht was managed for several days by a lecturer from Thammasat University, who guided the daughter through her doctorate. Mother and daughter had asked him to do so because the family had 'some problems'.
A second request was for a check for 27 million baht, issued to his name by a company that had sold land to the wife. The NACC suspects that the man acted as a cat catcher. According to the lecturer, he did not benefit from the money. He had parked it in an account of the university's savings cooperative and paid it back in about fifteen transfers. The account would now be almost empty.
– What a lunch is not good for. The defense ministers of Thailand and Cambodia pricked a fork at Hindu temple Preah Vihear on Tuesday and are right, but agreed to replace soldiers stationed there with border police. They hope to make a good impression at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, which ordered both countries in July last year to withdraw their troops from a demilitarized zone established by the Court. Until now that had not (or hardly?) happened.
The demilitarized zone includes the 4,6 square kilometer area disputed by both countries. At the request of Cambodia, the Court will consider this issue this year. In April, Thailand and Cambodia will give an oral explanation in The Hague. The verdict is expected half a year later. There are fears that this could be in favor of Cambodia if the Court uses the same reasoning used in 1962 to allocate the temple to Cambodia.
– A new spring, a new sound, to quote Herman Gorter, seems applicable to Thailand. Am I reading it right? Thailand is prepared to hold talks with the insurgents in the South without preconditions.
Unless Bangkok Post again, this statement by Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung completely contradicts what successive governments have said since the outbreak of violence in 2004: we do not negotiate with insurgents [who are guilty of crimes] .
Paradorn Pattanabutr, secretary general of the National Security Council, said Malaysia's cooperation is crucial in Thailand's efforts to end the violence. The country must not allow the leaders to flee across the border and must also cooperate with Thailand when extradition of certain individuals is requested. 'That cooperation will ultimately be decisive in tackling the problem.'
Tomorrow Prime Minister Yingluck will meet her Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak. They are expected to make a statement on cooperation between the two countries. Once Malaysia has agreed to cooperate, Paradorn says, both countries can consider the channels for negotiations with the insurgents. Malaysia plays a mediating role in this. Intelligence services from both countries must provide data to determine which groups are being talked to.
– Floods and landslides wreaked havoc in parts of the extreme South yesterday. The culprit was tropical storm Shanshan, which brought heavy rains. Schools have had to close and several residential communities have been flooded.
Five districts in Patthalung have been dealing with downpours for several days now. More than 2.000 houses have been flooded and 10.000 rai of farmland has been damaged. In two districts the water reached a height of 80 cm.
It rained continuously for three days in Songkhla province. Twenty houses in Rattaphum district were flooded. The water is still rising. Villages at the foot of mountains have to watch out for avalanches. Fortunately, the three large water reservoirs in the province are half full, so they can still collect enough water.
Residents in Narathiwat province also had their say. More than ten roads are impassable. Sixty families in Hua Saphan have been evacuated.
The rain in the deep South is expected to decrease as the now weakened tropical storm moves from Malaysia. But sailing to the sea is not yet possible for the fishermen, because the waves are 2 meters high. There is also a risk of flooding for residents along the Pattani River.
– It's actually an old message, because it has been reported before: Thai Airways International (THAI) wants to set up a joint training for pilots together with AirAsia and Bangkok Airways. THAI will also expand its maintenance service to generate more revenue.
AirAsia has already agreed to the joint training, talks will be held with Bangkok Airways this week. The aim of the collaboration is to reduce the shortage of (Thai) pilots and to put an end to the competition for pilots.
AirAsia has also agreed to have its fleet serviced by THAI on Don Mueang. Together with Airbus, THAI will set up a training center for mechanics in Thailand. THAI's technical department will be certified in October, so that technicians from other airlines in the region who fly Airbus aircraft no longer have to go abroad, but can be trained in Thailand. THAI currently provides 250 courses per year.
– A 1-year-old toddler was seriously injured in Si Ratcha (Chon Buri) because the neighbour's dog attacked him. The mother who was busy in the kitchen heard her son crying and chased the dog away, but by then the animal had already bitten the boy on the neck, head and arms.
– A 15-year-old Myanmar boy has been arrested on suspicion of sodomy with a 7-year-old boy. The victim went missing on Sunday and was found wrapped in a garbage bag on Monday. He was hospitalized in critical condition with head injuries. He also had injuries suggestive of sodomy. The suspect's parents work as construction workers in Muang (Chiang Rai).
Political news
– Good example leads to good follow. If the governor is not corrupt, neither are the officials. That, according to Sophon Pornchokchai, is the key to eradicating corruption in Bangkok's municipal apparatus. The independent gubernatorial candidate said this yesterday at a seminar devoted to corruption in the capital. Sophon also advocated for municipal services to disclose details of projects from the very beginning. Other candidates also denounced corruption – no one will be surprised – but that did not yield many concrete proposals.
Candidate Pongsapat Pongcharoen of ruling party Pheu Thai spoke of "creating mechanisms to ensure accountability from the governor." He showed himself willing to let everyone check. Pongsapat also said he agrees with a law that would allow the population to ask for the impeachment of an incapable governor. Such a request must be supported by the signatures of 30.000 residents entitled to vote.
Independent candidate Kosit Suvinitjit said he wants to increase the salaries of municipal officials, saying that low salaries are the cause of corruption. Moreover, higher salaries attract better qualified personnel.
On Sunday, the people of Bangkok go to the polls.
Economic news
– Asean is destined to become a separate market in a few years. Many industries will move out of China because of rising costs. This said Joerg Wolle, president of the Swiss market expansion services provider DKSH, recently while visiting Bangkok. He predicts a golden future for companies doing business in Asia, including Thailand.
“The Asian market, excluding Japan, is becoming increasingly promising due to rising demand. As a result, many Asian companies are discovering Asia itself as a target for expansion. Today, 25 percent of the gross margin of our top suppliers comes from Asia.'
www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post