News from Thailand – February 4, 2013
Enthusiasm for the project to boost rice cultivation in the South has not waned among local farmers, but the injured farmers of last week's assassination attempt in Sing Buri are calling it a day. After treatment in the hospital, they go back. Two farmers were killed in the attack.
The project will not be called off by the Southern Border Provinces Administration Center. Secretary-General Thawee Sodsong has asked local farmers to pay attention to the safety of the trainers. Those trainers are from Sing Buri and Suphan Buri. They train the local farmers in the cultivation of quality rice with a high yield. The aim of the project is to encourage farmers who have switched to rubber to start growing rice again.
It is estimated that 100.000 rai of agricultural land lies fallow in the southern provinces, of which 30.000 are in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat. A pilot project in Yaring district is being implemented in Pattani. Two hundred farmers from that district and Nong Chik and Panare went to the office of the PAO (province) in Muang yesterday to express support for the project. They said the project provides an economic boost to the region.
– Pongsapat Pongcharoen, the Pheu Thai candidate for the governorship of Bangkok, has moved further in the polls to his main rival, Sukhumbhand Paribatra (Democrats), who wants to be re-elected. But most Bangkokians still haven't made a choice, according to polls by Nida and the Bangkok Poll; around 40 percent; only the Suan Dusit Poll comes in at 13,93 percent.
In the coming phase of the election campaign, the Democrats will pay attention to their plans in the areas of the environment, health care, education, traffic and transport, security, natural disasters and preparations for the Asean Economic Community.
"All our election promises can be fulfilled," said Ong-art Khlampaiboon, head of the Democratic Election Center. "It's not a fantasy and there are enough financial resources to make it a reality." According to Ong-art, the polls are an indication of the candidates' popularity; they provide no insight into what voters think of the candidates' policy intentions. 'If the researchers asked the respondents more about the policy, it could help them make a well-informed choice.'
– Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will visit the Islamic Prateepsasana school in Narathiwat next Monday. The princess is interested in the teaching methods of the school and she uses them as an example to the other schools in the South. The princess is patron of 14 Islamic schools in the South.
– The police hopes to find out in the next two weeks who helped Somchai Khanploem, convicted of murder and corruption and on the run for almost seven years, to escape. Somchai was arrested on Wednesday and is now being treated at the Corrections Department hospital for a variety of chronic illnesses. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison for corruption in 1992 and the murder of a political rival in 2003.
– A police commission is considering the construction of 396 police stations and 163 service flats, which has been at a standstill for some time. The contractor has been called upon by the committee to provide an explanation. The relevant police forces have been asked to report on how far construction has progressed and how much money has already been spent. On the basis of this, the committee decides whether the contract with the contractor will be cancelled.
According to Pheu Thai spokesman Prompong Nopparit, construction in the Andaman provinces of Phangnga, Phuket and Surat Thani was halted a year ago. He says the previous government owes an explanation to the population because it single-handedly placed construction instead of allowing each regional police force to handle it locally.
– The water police intercepted a boat with 145 Rohingya refugees off the coast of Sikao yesterday. They were given food and water and then had to continue their journey. The refugees were tired and hungry, having not eaten for two days. They said they were on their way to Malaysia.
– The government hopes that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will be appreciated for its efforts to curb the violence in southern Thailand. Last week, foreign ambassadors and representatives of seventeen OIC diplomats visited Pattani and Yala. The government hopes that the visit has made it clear that the situation in the South is less serious than what the media suggest.
In November last year, the foreign ministers of the OIC countries called the Thai government's progress "lean" in a statement. Minister Surapong Tovichatchaikul (Foreign Affairs) is still surprised by that statement, because an official of the OIC during a visit in May said that he was satisfied with the work of the government.
The Turkish ambassador to Thailand expects the next statement from the foreign ministers of the OIC countries to be significantly more positive.
– The 1992 May Heroes Relatives Committee supports the amnesty proposal of the independent National Rule of Law Commission, one of three amnesty proposals. In this proposal, all political offenders arrested between 2006 and 2010 will be amnestied, with the exception of authorities and leaders of political rallies. The committee consists of the families of those who lost their lives during the 'Black May' protests in 1992.
The amnesty proposals that have been unemployed for a long time are being sent to the Council of State for advice, according to Prime Minister Yingluck. The committee believes that they should be dealt with during this term of parliament. If that does not happen, it will collect 10.000 signatures to be able to submit an initiative bill.
– Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi has ordered the authorities in the northern provinces to use satellite surveillance to detect forest fires and reduce haze pollution. Every province must check fires on a daily basis, both in forests and in residential areas and agricultural areas, the minister said yesterday during a visit to Lampang
Nine provinces in the North are risk areas: Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lampang, Lamphun, Mae Hong Son, Nan, Phrae, Phayao and Tak. The fog nuisance occurs in February and March, when farmers slash-and-burn crop residues and burn land in forests to plant.
– The police in Chumpon have seized twenty elephant tusks. They were hidden in a fertilizer bag in a car that was stopped on Saturday. The driver, a police officer, has been arrested.
– Four people, including an elderly person and a toddler, died in the flames yesterday morning when their car crashed into a power pole in Nakhon Sawan. According to witnesses, the driver slammed on the brakes shortly before losing control. They said they heard the older woman scream.
www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post