News from Thailand – December 6, 2013

Spokesman Major General Piya Uthayo of the Center for the Administration of Peace and Order (Capo) is allowed to stay, but he will be supported by a public relations team led by General Jarumporn Suramanee, adviser to the Royal Thai Police.

He is now also under the tutelage of Lieutenant General Kamrob Panyakaew, head of the Office of Forensic Science, who is responsible for organizing press conferences in the PR team. According to the newspaper, Kamron is Thaksin's boyfriend and Jarumporn is regarded by Thaksin and the government as the best police strategist, capable of discrediting the anti-government network.

Piya is under fire from some ministers because he would not properly highlight government policy. Because, as wars and conflicts go, they are fought on two fronts: on the street and in the media. Or, as a well-known expression goes: in war, truth is the first casualty.

A police source says he is concerned about the situation after December 5, "because more violence is likely to emerge in Bangkok." According to this mysterious Deep Throat, many police executives support Thaksin. “They don't like the Democratic party because it has never supported the police force. They see that party as their enemy.'

The source has another fun revelation. Deputy Prime Minister Pracha Promnok has been replaced as head of the Capo by Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul (Foreign Affairs) because he was too lenient and willing to compromise with the protesters.

Surapong announced yesterday after a Capo meeting that police will be asked to seek arrest warrants for those who "conspired" with Suthep to overthrow the government. First up is the leadership of Blue Sky, the satellite TV channel of the opposition party Democrats.

– Action leader Suthep Thaugsuban says that anti-government protests will resume and intensify today. The focus shifts to occupying government installations [?] 'to cripple' the government. Suthep called on his supporters in the country to reoccupy the Provincial Houses so that civil servants cannot go to work.

– Action leader Suthep Thaugsuban's proposal to replace the current government with a 'People's Council' raises 'many questions', says a military officer who takes part in the anti-government protests and calls himself Anucha. The newspaper immediately concludes that anti-government demonstrators (plural) have doubts about the establishment of such a council and also reports it in the headline 'Protesters voice council doubts'.

'Suthep must come up with a clear answer on how that council is formed. And the Democratic party should not get involved in the selection of council members. All political parties must be reformed to prevent further conflict," the officer said.

On Tuesday, Suthep unfolded his plans. He wants an interim prime minister, not 'appointed' by the king, as reported earlier, but 'endorsed' (confirmed). The Volksraad should be elected by people from all walks of life. It should make proposals for, among other things, amendments to the constitution. Academics have called Suthep's plans a "utopia" and an "insult to democracy."

Anucha thinks that the confusion over Suthep's proposal will not affect the number of protesters. They, he says, share the same goal, which is to bring down the Yingluck government. A businessman from Chon Buri thinks the Volksraad can solve the country's political problems and a woman from Pathum Thani says the House of Representatives is not functioning properly. And those three people are considered representative of the demonstrators by the newspaper. Well, we believe so.

– The United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD, red shirts) will hold a rally in Ayutthaya on Tuesday in support of the government and as a protest against anti-government demonstrators. The location far from Bangkok was chosen to avoid a repeat of Saturday's fighting in Ramkhamhaeng, which left four people dead.

According to red shirt leader and Pheu Thai MP Weng Tojirakarn, Suthep is "insane" if he thinks that Article 7 of the constitution allows for the appointment of an interim prime minister and an interim cabinet approved by the king. Impossible, says Pheu Thai spokesperson Prompong Nopparit, because according to the constitution, the prime minister is elected by parliament. "As far as I know, people's councils only exist in communist countries." Prompong says Prime Minister Yingluck has no intention of resigning or dissolving the House of Representatives.

– Zoo Dusit is affected by the demonstrations. The number of visitors has fallen by half, says director Banyat Insuwan. The zoo has the misfortune of being opposite the parliament building which is heavily guarded to prevent it from being occupied by protesters.

The Internal Security Act also applies to the area, from the beginning when that law still applied to three districts. The roads around Parliament House and Government House are closed and riot police are using the zoo to blow out. The zoo's parking lot is full of police vehicles.

Normally, the zoo collects 10 to 13 million baht monthly in entrance fees, but in November the counter got stuck at 4 million baht. The number of visitors dropped from a few hundred thousand to less than a hundred thousand.

Director Banyat hopes that the government will compensate him for the losses. After all, two thousand animals have to be fed every day. Banyat asks the police to clear the parking lot and blow out elsewhere. One advantage this time, compared to 2010 during the red shirt riots, no animals need to be evacuated.

– In Phu Kradueng National Park in Loei, a forest ranger was trampled to death by an elephant. That happened at a landfill about a kilometer north of the visitor center. The forest ranger deposits waste there every day that is collected in the forest. The elephant may have been displeased because it was disturbed during the meal. Elephants can have short fuses.

– Hundreds of residents of Narathiwat and Phatthalung in southern Thailand have fled flooding caused by five days of uninterrupted monsoon rains.

Thirteen districts in Narathiwat are under water. The heaviest rainfall was measured in Waeng and Sri Sakhon: 223 millimetres. The Sungai Kolok and Bang Nara rivers have overflowed their banks. In six villages the water is 1 meter high.

In Waeng the water is 50 to 60 cm high in four tambons. Sixteen roads have been flooded, but they are still passable.

In Phatthalung, water from Banthad mountain exacerbated flooding in Kong Ra, Si Nakharin, Tamot and Pa Bon. Houses, rice fields, rubber plantations and orchards have been destroyed. More flooding is expected in the coming days.

– Environmentalists have tied monk's robes around trees at Wat Mae Rewa at Mae Wong National Park in Nakhon Sawan, intended to protect the trees from the government's nefarious plans to construct the Mae Wong dam, which would flood the forest.

– 135 teachers from different universities in the country have signed a petition rejecting the position of the Council of University Presidents of Thailand (CUPT) on the political crisis. The CUPT previously proposed dissolving the House of Representatives and forming an interim government of national unity.

The dissident teachers say that this proposal did not come about after thorough discussions and consultations of teachers. They believe that the CUPT should be politically neutral and respect academic freedom as well as differences of opinion.

– During a hearing about the planned waterworks in Prachin Buri yesterday, about eight hundred demonstrators protested against the plans with their whistles. There was talk of building dikes in three villages. The demonstrators say they were informed too late about the hearing. Some opponents walked away angrily when the hearing went ahead.

The government has allocated an amount of 36 billion baht for the waterworks in 350 provinces. They include various hydraulic engineering works, such as the construction of water reservoirs, waterways and dikes. Two hearings remain: in Bangkok and in Chanthaburi.

– The red shirts hold a mass rally in Ayutthaya on December 10 in support of the government and as a protest against the anti-government demonstrators and their leader Suthep Thaugsuban. A location far outside Bangkok was deliberately chosen to prevent a repeat of the violence in Ramkhamhaeng on Saturday. Four people were killed as a result.

On December 10, it is commemorated that on that date in 1932 the absolute monarchy was replaced by the constitutional monarchy and Thailand (then Siam) received its first constitution.

Economic news

– The Food and Agriculture Organization (FA) expects Thailand's rice stocks to increase by 17 percent to 24 million tons next year, even if exports recover by 26 percent to 8,5 million tons. The government therefore continues to be confronted with the financial consequences of its policy of buying rice from farmers at upper market prices.

The FAO expects the price of rice to fall further as the government tries to reduce stocks and the world supply increases. If the supply of Thai rice on the world market increases, it will be at the expense of other rice-producing countries, says the FAO. India is particularly at risk. India is the largest rice exporter this year.

The FAO has indications that the government is prepared to accept large losses, although buyers have shown little interest since July in the 1,1 million tonnes Thailand has offered. This willingness weighs heavily on market sentiment.

– The Countdown at CentralWorld as well as those in Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani, Hat Yai and Chiang Mai will continue. Earlier this month, the Khao San Road Business Association announced that the New Year Countdown may be canceled if protests continue. The street attracts considerably fewer visitors than usual.

The political tensions are also affecting the Mice industry. Ten percent of December events have been canceled and many more have been postponed until next year. CMO Plc, a major organizing agency, says some concerts and trade shows scheduled for this month have been postponed to next year. Press conferences and marketing campaigns have also been cancelled.

However, the consequences this year are less severe than in 2011 during the floods because venues for major events, such as Bitec and Impact Muang Thong Thani, are located on the outskirts of or outside the city.

– Popular holiday destinations near Bangkok, such as Hua Hin and Cha-am, will show a lot of activity between December 5 and December 10 as people want to relax and forget about the recent political unrest, the Thai Hotels Association expects. The THA estimates that the hotel occupancy rate this month will be 80 to 85 percent, the same as the same month last year. In Hua Hin and Cha-am it will even be 90 percent. Tourists who cannot find accommodation are advised to move to Pran Buri or Muang in Prachuap Khiri Khan where there are still enough hotel rooms available.

– The Energy Conservation Fund allocates 4 billion baht to support government agencies that install solar panels. Of this amount, 1,8 billion is earmarked for local services, 927 million baht for hospitals and 1,09 billion baht for universities and vocational training. Installation work will begin next year. The generated electricity is only for own consumption and cannot be supplied to the grid.

www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post