News from Thailand – April 4, 2013

Corruption is a worse scourge than poverty and drugs, Prem Tinsulanonda, president of the Privy Council, argued yesterday in his opening address at a forum marking the 13th anniversary of the Ombudsman's office. He stressed that the Ombudsman in particular should fight this scourge.

"Corruption is a shameful disgrace to our country," said Prem. It is the worst evil and it is our duty to oppose and fight it. You [the ombudsman], as a legal entity with responsibility, must do your utmost to put an end to it, or the population will be further ruined. If we don't join forces to solve this major problem, we will be seen as traitors by future generations.”

– First two corrections. The body of the soldier kidnapped and shot dead in Rueso (Narathiwat) on Monday night was not riddled with bullets. Two bullet wounds were found in his head. Furthermore, he may have been tortured to reveal information, says a spokesman for the southern outpost of the Internal Security Operations Command.

Minister Sukumpol Suwanatat (Defense) reacts with tough language to the brutal murder. “I will not tolerate this murder. The perpetrators must be arrested and punished. I'm not letting this pass. No compromises.' Sukumpol said they can count on 'an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth'. The insurgents would do better to stay in the Budo mountains, because the security forces are taking action against them.

The murder has no consequences for the recently started peace talks between Thailand and rebel group BRN. The second interview will take place on April 29. The Thai delegation leader Paradorn Pattanatabut, secretary general of the National Security Council, points out that the southern violence is not only politically motivated, but that other groups are also active in the region, such as drug traffickers and smugglers. According to him, it takes time to convince the hard core of the rebel groups to work together.

The killed soldier was part of the unit that was attacked by insurgents in February. Sixteen insurgents were killed in the attack on the base in Bacho and four were later apprehended. The unit had been tipped off about the attack. The soldier's kidnappers probably also took part in that attack.

– The House of Representatives and the Senate yesterday approved proposals to amend four articles in the constitution. The Constitutional Court did not intervene, although it did hear a petition from a senator to halt parliamentary proceedings. According to the senator, the amendments are in violation of the constitution.

A number of committees are now going to work to study the proposals in more detail, after which they will be discussed and voted on in the second and third terms. The senator was instructed by the Court to distribute his petition to the MPs who tabled the amendments. They have two weeks to respond, after which the Court hands down a final judgment shortly afterwards.

The senator's action has prompted a backlash from five MPs from the ruling party Pheu Thai. They will file a report with the police against the judges of the Constitutional Court. The law would prohibit them from interfering in the legislative process. Senator Direk Thuenfang thinks the Court will ultimately back those in favor of the constitutional amendment. “I think the verdict will be based on the principle of separation of powers. Parliament makes the laws, so it has the mandate to amend the constitution.'

The amendments were debated for three days. At the end of the first day, the opposition Democrats left the conference room in protest against the presidency. The chairman is one of the proposers of the proposals. On the second day, the Democrat benches remained empty. Whether they also stayed home yesterday, the newspaper does not mention.

– Of all countries in Asia, Thailand is at the highest risk of a terrorist attack and Thailand is the fifth country worldwide, warns the American FBI. Tarit Pengdith, head of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI, the Thai FBI), made the announcement yesterday after a meeting with the cultural attaché at the US embassy in Bangkok. The risk analysis is based on research in the US and Great Britain.

Thailand is vulnerable, according to the FBI, because of its relative freedom compared to other countries in the region. This would have made it a regional center of terrorist movements.

Tarit says the DSI should set up a new command center to fight violent crime and international terrorist threats.

– Thailand warns Cambodia not to raise the management plan for Hindu temple Preah Vihear at the upcoming meeting of UNESCO's World Heritage Committee, which will be held in Phnom Penh from June 16 to 27. Cambodia will have to wait until the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague has ruled on the ownership of the 4,6 square kilometers at the temple, disputed by both countries. When Cambodia does raise the plan, the Thai delegation leaves the meeting room, as they did in June 2011 in Paris.

A ruling from the Court on the thorny issue is expected this year. Cambodia has approached the ICJ with a request to reinterpret its 1962 ruling assigning the temple to Cambodia. From 15 to 19 April, both countries will give an oral explanation in The Hague.

– Silpakorn University will not hold a central admission test this year for students who wish to enroll for the Communication Arts program at the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology. The university made this decision because the Office of the Higher Education Commission (OHEC) has not certified three of the majors in this program. Ohec refused because the ratio of teachers to students was too low and because too few teachers had a doctoral degree.

The university will transfer the majors to the Phetchaburi campus and enroll new students directly instead of through the central admission, so that the number of enrollments will decrease. The current students in the second to fourth year will continue to be taught on the Bang Rak campus. According to the university, there is nothing wrong with the quality of the majors rejected by Ohec. Since the program was launched, many well-known experts have been hired to teach, says rector Chaicharn Thavarej.

– Eight years after the cabinets of Thailand and Laos first held a joint meeting, there will be a follow-up. On May 19, ministers from both countries will meet in Chiang Mai. There is talk of a railway connection between the two countries and the introduction of a combined visa. There are also plans to upgrade the two temporary border posts in Uttaradit and Phayao to permanent posts and to facilitate border traffic.

– The night train to Chiang Mai derailed in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday in Hang Chat (Lampang) as a result of a broken axle of the locomotive. None of the 200 passengers were injured. They were able to leave the train unharmed and continue their journey by bus. Train traffic was blocked all day.

Economic news

– Big C Supercentre Plc will open 200 new stores in all formats this year and will build two new distribution centers to reduce the risk of flooding. The investments involve an amount of 8 billion baht: 5 billion for 6 hypermarkets, 13 Big C Markets, 150 Mini Big Cs and 50 Pure drugstores. The remaining 3 billion is earmarked for the distribution centers that are being built in the north and east of Bangkok, bringing the total of distribution centers to six. When that operation is complete, Big C will have 565 branches.

On Tuesday, Big C signed an agreement with state-owned oil company Bangchak to install Mini Big Cs at 500 gas stations. Last year, ten were already opened as a test, and that did not disappoint. This year, 50 to 70 new mini Big Cs in two sizes will follow: a 200-square-foot supermarket with 4.800 products in nearby residential areas, and a smaller 150-square-foot supermarket with 3.800 products in highway gas stations.

Bangchak is also contributing, as it will expand the number of Inthanin coffee shops and Green Wash Green Serve services.

– A waste of time or a commendable initiative? Deputy Commerce Minister Natthawut Saikuar has launched a plan to modernize small, traditional grocery stores. By the alias Show-Suay the wholesaler is called upon to act as a mentor and help the small traders to modernize their shop and expand the range of services.

This includes processing payments for water, electricity and telephone bills (which can be done via 7-Eleven, for example), insurance premiums and the installation of water machines. Banks also participate in the program by providing soft loans and charging special interest rates for unsecured loans. A repayment-free period of 2 years is also offered.

The Kasikornbank offers a loan of up to 5 million baht without collateral at an interest rate of 7 to 8 percent, while 11 to 12 percent is common. The condition is, however, that the borrowers have been running their business for at least three years and that they have not made any contributions over the past year non performing loans have in their name.

The Thai Retailers and Wholesalers Association, which participates in the program, is enthusiastic about it. “We have spoken to our members and most of them would like to renovate and modernize their stores to make them cleaner and more attractive, but the stumbling block is often funding,” said TRWA President Somchai Pornrattanacharoen. Thailand has 300.000 to 400.000 small grocery stores with a total annual turnover of 1,4 trillion baht.

Natthawut's initiative does not get all hands together. The university's vice president of research at the Thai Chamber of Commerce says the minister would do better to help the retail sector improve its competitiveness and reduce operating costs. Small grocery stores need better management and a wider range of products at competitive prices, he says.

www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post