News from Thailand – September 30, 2013
Judges are busy in Thailand. Someone only has to fart that someone else doesn't like or that other person will go to court.
Now the Stop Global Warming Association (SGWA) threatens to go to the administrative court because television company Mcot has put a stop to a documentary about the protest against the Mae Wong dam. The two sides are missing in the documentary, says Mcot and as a former journalism teacher I say: that is a mortal sin. Rightly so that the makers have to do their homework. Conclusion: this environmental club knows a lot about journalism.
The SGWA accuses Mcot of measuring double standards because unilateral programs have been broadcast about, for example, the government's billions proposal for infrastructure works. And I can agree with that, but the argument is flawed. Because Jantje steals, Pietje shouldn't steal either, right? The critics suspect that the documentary has been blocked to appease the authorities and keep the population in the dark.
Production company Burapha says it is unable to edit the program to meet Mcot's adversarial demand. The 'one-sided' one-hour documentary can now be viewed via YouTube.
– Thailand is heading for a population that is out of balance. Since 1980, the birth rate has been declining rapidly. Before 1970 an average of six children were born per woman, now 1,6. In Southeast Asia, Singapore is the only country with a lower birth rate. In Vietnam, the birth rate is 1,8; Malaysia 2,6 and in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar more than 3.
A 2013 National Statistical Office poll found that 21 percent of Thai women remain single. Big city women prefer their single status as opposed to rural women.
'I have a house, a car and a high academic status. What else do I need?” says single and childless Varaporn (54), who has a doctorate in education. Her cousin, who does have a partner, does not want children. 'Children are too expensive. I can't give my children the best care and that's why I'd rather have none.'
As a result of the declining birth rate, the percentage of Thais aged 15 to 59 who make up the labor force will decrease from 67 percent in 2010 to 55,1 percent in 2040, the Institution for Population and Social Research at Mahidol University estimates. Pramote Prasartkul, affiliated with the institute, considers the number of births less important than the quality. 'We must also provide welfare, good health care and financial security for the elderly.'
The Ministry of Health is preparing policies to promote births, but at the same time want to reduce the number of teenage pregnancies. Various ideas are reviewed, such as more day care centers, deductions for mothers or child benefit.
“We want to help mothers take care of their child,” said Pornthep Siriwanarangsan, Director General of the Health Department. 'Having children is not difficult. The mothers don't have to quit their jobs and they don't have to incur high costs to raise their child.'
Besides the lower birth rate, the longer life expectancy also influences the imbalance in the composition of the population. In 2005, 10 percent of the population was over 60 years old, in 2027 this will be 20 percent and in 2031 20 percent will be over 65 years old. In demographic terms, Thailand is then a 'super aged society'.
– First drink a glass of beer, a masseuse said to a German, and then I will spoil you – or something like that. The man immediately fell asleep and when he woke up, the lady had made off with his belongings, worth 200.000 baht in total. Quite bitter, because according to the masseuse she charged 200 baht for a massage and that seems very cheap to me. The masseuse, as she is referred to in the message - well, why not - had used a fake ID card when registering at the hotel in Pattaya.
– Active boss, that new Minister of Education, or he knows how to play the media very well. The scores of Thai students on Pisa (Programme for International Student Assessment) must be raised, but they are not the perfect solution, Chaturon Chaisaeng said at a meeting about Pisa. Teachers should not train students for the sole purpose of raising the country's ranking in international comparisons. Performance must improve across the board, says the minister. 'The education system must be developed as a whole.'
Thailand has been participating in Pisa since 2000, which is held every 3 years. Pupils aged 15 are tested on reading, math and physics. In 2009, Thai students scored below average in all subjects and 43 to 53 percent fell below the minimum requirement. Thailand ranks 65th among the 50 participating countries. Indonesia was previously at the bottom, but is climbing up, unlike Thailand, which is not making any progress.
– The Immigration Bureau will upgrade the technology systems in use at the Mae Sot border post to better fight transnational crime when the Asean Economic Community comes into effect at the end of 2015. The post will be equipped with several databases and a BSC 6000 passport scanner, the first in the country. The computer system will be connected to that of the Royal Thai Police. A new building is also being constructed.
– The fight between National Fruit Co in Prachuap Khiri Khan and activist Andy Hall continues. The company that canned fruit and, according to Hall, violates the rights of its foreign employees, has filed a third complaint against him, this time because of statements made by him in the media.
On Saturday evening, the Briton reported to Bang Na police station, but he refused to sign the documents, written in Thai. Hall will file a complaint against the officers who refused to call an interpreter. If convicted, he could grumble for up to 7 years.
– Prime Minister Yingluck, who has also been Minister of Defense since the last cabinet change, has asked the army to make a wish list for the next 10 years. The commander-in-chief of the army has been appointed chairman of a committee that is allowed to make the shopping list. In principle (yes) it is about replacing old weapons that have been written off; for more weapons because of the increasing number of military missions and not to fall behind neighboring countries.
The army would like to buy tanks, armed vehicles and helicopters; the navy wants another frigate, off-shore patrol craft and helicopters, actually a submarine and the air force wants a new fleet of Swedish Gripen fighters to replace the F16 jets that have been in use for 30 years. And yes, helicopters too.
Air Force Commander Prajin Jantong thanks Yingluck for understanding the capability development of the armed forces. The slime ball.
– The number of students per class should not exceed 35, says Prawit Erawan, Dean of the Faculty of Education at Mahasarakham University. The university recently conducted a study into the quality of education in three hundred schools in the Northeast. The class size of 'prestigious and competitive' schools in particular varies from 55 to 60 pupils, which does not benefit the quality of education. Some class sizes are so large because parents paid bribes to get their child placed.
Varies
– Always entertaining: into the Sunday column of (retired) Roger Crutchley Bangkok Post. He must have a phenomenal memory, because every week he shakes up one anecdote after another, drawing on his time with the Post. On Sunday he wrote about ghosts, who were recently called in to help by the boards of Thai Airways International and the State Railway of Thailand.
Authorities are also superstitious and regularly consult fortune tellers to keep evil spirits at bay. 'Significant', he writes, 'because in Thailand you can't get anywhere without the help of spirits.'
A nice story he digs up played in the North East a few years ago. Residents suffered from 'shrinking willies' or 'shrinking willies'. This unfortunate fate was attributed to a bad diet, a misalignment of the stars or certain malevolent spirits. One government official even assumed it was a communist conspiracy. With an official like that, the country is in safe hands, I think.
Movies with and about ghosts are blockbusters in Thailand and they also regularly appear in soap operas. The most recent Phi Mak Phra Khanong works very well in the bios. Crutchley once witnessed a recording in which an American played a ghost. If special effects she was equipped with a long stick with five condoms on the end, which was supposed to represent a super arm.
Villagers had flocked to the film set in large numbers to see the actress. The lady herself especially had to giggle every time she moved her 'arm'. Afterwards she said: 'I felt kinda stupid'. Whether the villagers still believed in ghosts after that is not mentioned in the story.
A businessman in Bangkok once lost his housekeeper for fear of a ghost in the house. She often heard voices coming from the bedroom, but no one was there. Turns out the man had just installed an answering machine.
– Interesting fact about the noise level in Bangkok, say noise. That is an average of 84 dB, considerably more than the 70 dB that the World Health Organization WHO considers safe. About 20 percent of Bangkokians therefore suffer from 'sensory neural hearing loss'. I can relate to that noise. Was in Big C Extra on Saturday. Everywhere girls were blaring into microphones and the central sound system spewed out one commercial after another. Didn't stay long. To put it in Rotterdam terms: what a bloody noise.
Political news
– Political observers take into account that elections will be called when the Constitutional Court considers the bill to change the Senate election procedure to be unconstitutional. Opposition leader Abhisit has already instructed his party cadres to prepare for it. New elections offer a solution, says a source [?], as the government faces economic problems and the Court and other bodies have to deal with a dozen petitions.
On Saturday, the Senate bill received the green light in its third and final reading from the joint meeting of the House of Representatives and Senate. The source says that former Prime Minister Thaksin has instructed the ruling party to continue with the third reading. Prime Minister Yingluck is legally obliged to submit the proposal to the king for signature within 20 days.
Thaksin is confident that the party will win a new mandate in elections. Prime Minister Yingluck's position will not be jeopardized, even if the Court were to dissolve ruling party PheuThai and board members would be given a five-year political ban. It's party strategy to keep Yingluck out of the wind. That is why she was hardly present when the bill was discussed.
According to the source, the government is particularly concerned about the proposal to borrow 2 trillion baht for infrastructure works. The bill has already been approved by the House of Representatives and is yet to be approved by the Senate. Opposition party Democrats is also trying to block this proposal through the Constitutional Court. The party believes that the funds should be allocated through the normal budgetary procedure. She calls the proposal a blank check and is afraid of large-scale corruption in the spending of the funds.
The government will have a tough job preventing a negative decision from the Court, the source said. Spending money outside the budget is permitted provided there is urgency. While defending the cabinet's decision to borrow 350 billion baht for waterworks, Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong claimed that the loan was urgent, but only 10 billion baht has been spent after a year and a half.
– Opposition leader Abhisit admitted yesterday at a seminar in Hat Yai (Songkhla) that the protests of Democratic MPs in parliament may have affected the party's image, but their action was needed against what Abhisit called the government's "improper conduct" .
Abhisit was apparently referring to the chair-throwing incident and the Democrat who resisted when the police removed him from the conference room by order of the chairman. Abhisit may also have responded to a poll by Abac, in which the majority said members of parliament should behave better. The aggressive language in particular irritates people.
According to Abhisit, the government treats the population in the South badly. Resources and development projects are being taken away from the region. For example, Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi said earlier this year that Phuket will not have a convention center. According to Abhisit, Plodprasop gave the reason that the islanders had not voted for Pheu Thai.
During his speech, Abhisit further discussed the internal party organization, the chance of early elections and he again listed the objections the Democrats have to the proposal to change the Senate election procedure. The party has asked the Constitutional Court to assess whether the proposal is unconstitutional.
www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post