News from Thailand – September 3, 2013

Tony Blair (former British Prime Minister) spoke, Martti Ahtisaari (former Finnish President) spoke and Priscilla Hayner (human rights expert) spoke.

But the government is going ahead with the Worachai Hema amnesty proposal [which was considered and approved by parliament last month in its first term], Deputy Prime Minister Phonthep Thepkanchana said yesterday after the three heavyweights spoke on reconciliation.

They had been invited by the government to feed the reconciliation forum, an idea of ​​Prime Minister Van Yingluck, with suggestions. The government will 'take these suggestions on board', as it is called in political jargon. Suggestions such as: respect the voice of the minority, learn from the past and avoid amnesty that serves specific interests.

Another speaker was Kittipong Kittayarak, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Justice. He was a member of the Truth for Reconciliation Commission set up by the previous government. It is time for all parties to make sacrifices for the unity of the country. […] The problems in Thailand are not that different from those in other countries. We need democracy, the rule of law and good governance, and we also need to talk about what to do next.' I will not mention the other speakers.

After the forum, held at the Plaza Athenee hotel in Bangkok, Blair spoke with opposition leader Abhisit and Korn Chatikavanij. Korn later wrote on his Facebook page that he and Abhisit explained to Blair why they were boycotting the forum (and the political reform assembly). According to them, the government is not sincere with reform.

– Red Bull heir Vorayudh Yoovidhaya, who killed a motorcycle cop last year, did not show up at the Public Prosecution Service yesterday. Prosecutors are now going to apply for an arrest warrant for him. Vorayudh had been summoned to receive the charges against him.

His lawyer claims he was ill and he produced a doctor's note to prove it. Vorayudh is said to have contracted a flu in Singapore and is now recovering from it. He needs a few days of rest and then he comes to Thailand. According to the lawyer, his client does not intend to flee.

The chief prosecutor in the case says the prosecution will now drop the charges for violating the speed limit because the statute of limitations expires today. However, two accusations remain: reckless driving resulting in a death and not providing assistance after the collision. The Public Prosecution Service will ask the court not to release the speed demon on bail, because he has repeatedly failed to show up at the Public Prosecution Service.

– Medical care for detainees should be improved, argues Apinun Aramrattana of the Faculty of Medicine at Chiang Mai University. He says this because his study has shown that many prisoners have health problems and they use substances.

This is especially true for the 60 percent of the prison population of 215.000 imprisoned for drug offenses and smuggling. Ten years ago, 10 percent were HIV positive. The situation cannot be improved, thinks Apinun.

According to Apinun, who conducted a study on prisoner health in 2011, many prisoners suffering from AIDS die of TB after being released. In prison they do not receive proper treatment because the prison hospitals are overcrowded and there are not enough medical staff. In one of the prisons visited by Apinun, one nurse worked for every 1.500 prisoners.

– In the Thai fishery, 83 percent of workers work voluntarily. Forced labor is much less common than is generally thought. This is shown by a study by the ILO in collaboration with Chulalongkorn University. The report was presented yesterday.

Of the 596 interviewed fishermen from Myanmar (306), Cambodia (241) and Thailand (49), 17 percent are forced to work. They can't leave either, because they're under threat.

Other results: 53 percent stay at sea for less than 2 weeks, 17 percent for up to 6 months. Breaks are limited to 5 hours per 24 hours. 26 percent said they don't get enough rest. The average wage is 6.483 baht per month. The researchers found 33 children who were under the age of 18.

Meanwhile, the government is not standing still. It plans to set up seven coordination centers to protect fishermen's recruitment and working conditions. The regulations will also be amended, there will be labor inspections and health and safety checks, and a code of conduct is being developed.

– The South Korean company Korean Water Resources Corp (K-Water) has shown Thai journalists around the works it has carried out in its own country. The jaunt was in response to criticism that the company is unable to properly implement the waterworks it won in Thailand. According to South Korean environmental activists, K-Water's projects in South Korea are plagued by corruption and environmental problems.

The company will carry out water management projects worth 163 billion baht, from the total budget of 350 billion baht that the government has allocated. It will build water storage areas and a waterway of 300 kilometers. It also plans to build a water museum.

– A member of a seven-man protection unit of teaching staff in Chanae (Narathiwat) was injured in a bomb attack yesterday afternoon. The unit was on its way to its home base at the time, having escorted teachers home. The explosion left a hole 20 cm deep and 30 cm wide. The wall of a house was damaged.

– A senate committee will investigate the new building of the Supreme Court. The current historic buildings will be demolished for this purpose. There is a lot of resistance from citizens' groups against the demolition. One of the buildings is a representative of modern architecture at the time of Field Marshal Plaek Pibulsonggram. Due to the proximity of the Grand Palace, there are also concerns about the visual effect of the new building, which will be twice as high.

The cabinet has given the Supreme Court permission to deviate from the zoning plan that prescribes a maximum height of 16 meters in the Rattanakosin area. Most of the buildings have already been demolished. Media reports suggest that the main building may be spared.

– Cambodian merchants yesterday blocked the Thai-Cambodian Friendship bridge at the border post in Aranyaprathet in protest against the seizure of counterfeit products. According to them, they sold second-hand clothes. After talking to the authorities, they dispersed.

– Prime Minister Yingluck is the world's third most traveled global leader, says Senator Somchai Sawaengkarn. He said this yesterday during the parliamentary debate on the 2014 budget. Numbers 1 and 2 are Barak Obama and former US president George W Bush. According to the senator, the 52 foreign trips to 41 countries have cost 300 million baht. Somchai asked whether they have also delivered concrete results that justify the expenditure.

– The Full Moon Party on the island of Koh Phangan is being expanded with water sports competitions at the initiative of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. This gives the party, which is characterized by drinking, dancing and drug use, a different atmosphere, says Minister Somsak Pureesrisak. According to him, the current party is not in accordance with the local culture. The Full Moon Party attracts 6.000 to 14.000 visitors a month, mostly Western tourists.

– According to the driver, the brakes failed and as a result he drove through a red light in Nakhon Ratchasima. Result: 10 car wrecks, 1 dead and 6 injured. The driver had not consumed alcohol or drugs, according to blood tests.

– Train traffic to the North was resumed yesterday after an interruption of eight hours. On Sunday evening, a train derailed in Mae Mo (Lampang) shortly after leaving Chiang Mai. All 192 passengers were unharmed.

Political news

– There is a chance that family members of MPs will not be allowed to run for Senate. Some members of the parliamentary committee, which examines the amendments for the election of the Senate, do not agree with the amendment. The exclusion should be maintained.

Those who object fear popular pressure and proceedings before the Constitutional Court, brought by opposition Democrats, if the change is implemented. A poll shows that most respondents want to maintain the status quo.

Moreover, the 13-article proposal is proceeding extremely slowly. So far, only four articles have been approved by parliament. The controversial article will continue to be discussed tomorrow.

The most important article has already been adopted. From now on, half of the Senate is no longer appointed, but the Senate is elected in its entirety. The number of seats will increase from 150 to 200. Now that the most important loot has been received, the Pheu Thai members in the committee would be willing to compromise on the candidacy of family members.

Economic news

– The unrest in the three southern provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat has dealt a hard blow to spending and has hurt tourism, but the biggest blow has been caused by the fall in rubber prices. The rising cost of living and the first-car program are also causing consumers to hold their purse strings.

Traders say vehicle sales and housing projects will remain subdued for a long time to come. Pithan Panich Co, a major dealer, reports that sales of Honda motorcycles in the five southern provinces (the three plus Satun and Songkhla) have fallen since last year. Sales volume fell by 20 percent.

Rubber and related businesses are the main source of income for the population, next to fishing and oil palms. 'Most rubber planters are small farmers. They sell their latex for 60 baht a kilo, which is half of what they got two years ago," says Pithan Khophantawee.

Figures from the southern branch of the Bank of Thailand show that the average price of unsmoked rubber sheet amounted to 80 baht per kilo in the first half of this year. Last year the average was 100 baht and in 2011 132. Prices peaked in February 2011 at 174,44 baht.

The sales figures for motorcycles, passenger cars and pickup trucks show the same trend, although the first-car program led to a revival.

Exporters of rubber products are complaining about declining revenues as buyers, especially from China, have reduced their purchases. They do not expect any improvement in the second half of this year. Shrimp farming is plagued by it early mortality syndrome causing the offer to collapse. The real estate sector is also struggling with lower investments.

– The phased increase in the price of LPG will create a greater ripple than the increase in tolls and electricity, as it will immediately affect the price of prepared food.

Thammarat Kittisirpat, assistant vice president of TMB Bank, thinks that the low incomes in particular will have a harder time. "Whenever the cost of living goes up, they are more vulnerable than those with higher incomes." Not only is their disposable income decreasing, but they are also caught in a debt trap. Another concern of Thammarat is a higher oil price; which directly affects the cost of living.

The price of LPG for households and the transport sector has been fixed for years at 18,13 and 21,38 baht per kilo respectively. But as energy prices continue to rise, the Energy Policy and Planning Office has decided to phase out the subsidy on LPG and let the price float to reveal the real cost. When that operation is over, LPG will cost 24,82 baht per kilo, covering the cost of the LPG gas separation plant.

According to the Trade and Economic Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce, the increase in the price of LPG and the toll has hardly any impact on the prices of goods. Inflation, which is calculated on the basis of the price of 450 products, will increase due to the increase in the LPG price by 0,03072 percent and the increase in the toll rate by 0,007 percent. "The price increases of LPG and tolls are nothing to worry about," said director Prayoth Benyasut. Much more worrying is the price of oil when the US attacks Syria. It then goes up, causing the prices of products to rise.

www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post