News from Thailand – October 7, 2013

It could have been so beautiful, rose scent and moonshine, but it's bumblebee again. This recognition tune from the radio program Pension Hommeles from my childhood played in my mind at today's newspaper report about the tablets that were distributed to students of Prathom 1 last year.

The Attorney General's Office (OAG) has found that 30 percent of China's 860.000 tablets are broken and there are also maintenance issues. Repairing the defective tablets takes a long time and some branches of Advice Distribution, contracted by the Chinese manufacturer to do the maintenance, have been closed.

The information comes from a source at the tablet committee, who is also an official at the OAG. He believes that an investigation should be conducted into whether the maintenance company is in breach of contract. The committee should take this into account in the continuation of the tablet programme.

On September 9, the newspaper reported that all Prathom 1 and Mathayom 1 students in the northern and northeastern provinces will not receive the tablet computer until December. The Mathayom 1 students in the central and southern provinces will have their turn later, because the contracts for those provinces have been canceled after suspicions of fraud in the tender.

Today's newspaper reports that distribution in zones 1 and 2 is stagnant. [I don't know which areas are involved.] The company has asked for a one-month delay because a factory has been damaged by fire. The tablet committee rejected the request. If not delivered next month, it will be fined.

The State Secretary for Education recently launched the idea of ​​giving the students a voucher of 3.000 baht, but that idea has already been rejected by his minister.

– The informant, who tipped the police about the whereabouts of insurgents in Narathiwat, was shot dead yesterday when he was on his way to tap latex. His tip led to the raid on Saturday at a house in Rueso, where the insurgents were hiding. Four insurgents and two police officers were killed in the gun battle between police, soldiers and the insurgents.

The informant, a 35-year-old man from Rueso, was a former separatist who had defected to inform authorities of the insurgents' movements. Saturday's attack targeted those suspected of attacking a group of bomb experts on Sept. 27. Three were then injured and one civilian was killed. Of the group hiding in the house, two are on the run, seven surrendered. The article mentions what they are all suspected of, but I leave that laundry list unmentioned.

– A paramilitary ranger in Rueso was shot dead yesterday. Like the informant of the previous message, he was on his way to tap latex. In Muang, Yala, three soldiers were injured when a bomb hidden under the road exploded as they drove over it with their truck.

– Survivors of the student uprising of 6 October 1976 and relatives of the victims commemorated the bloody end of the protest in the park of Thammasat University yesterday (photo).

Jaran Ditapichai, chairman of the committee organizing this commemoration and the commemoration of the October 14, 1973 uprising, said the protests had led to great freedoms of speech and assembly, but the fight for democracy was far from won, witness conflicts of recent years between red and yellow shirts. "It is important that the current generation learns about the events of October." The current generation was hardly present, because only a handful of students showed up.

Writer Watt Wallayangkoon, whose works inspired many young activists in the XNUMXs, said the October generation's victory was short-lived. It has been opposed by ultra-royalist elements and the fear of communism in large parts of society. However, Thantawut Tweewarodomgul, who has been imprisoned for lèse-majesté, said the October incidents were an important prelude to current political movements. "Without the courage and contributions of the October generation, no one else would have fought for democracy in later years."

– The foreign language skills of Thai students may be seriously insufficient, Thailand also produces talents. 17-year-old Thai-Japanese student Ayaka Sato scored 100 per cent in Chinese in the recent Cambridge International Examinations, and 16-year-old Tanyawan Chaidarun was number 1 in English. He scored 92 percent. Both girls follow the international program of the Satit Prasarnmit Demonstration School.

Ayaka had only learned Chinese for 2 years, Tanawan had started learning English before grade 1. During her school years, she participated in an exchange program with the US.

– Thailand has made 'significant progress' in combating child labor, says the US Department of Labor's 'Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor in 2012' report. But if I read the article correctly, the report is based on paper regulations and no field research has taken place.

The report mentions, for example, the regulation raising the minimum age for work on board fishing vessels from 16 to 18 years, the update of the list of dangerous professions that are taboo for children, and so on. The government is also said to be working to end child labor in the shrimp and fish processing industry.

– In the last 16 years, citizens have proposed 84 bills, but only 6 of them have made it into law, 32 have been voted down by parliament and 2 are still pending. "This means that the right of the people to propose their own laws is still being ignored despite this right being guaranteed by the Constitution," Phairote Phonphet, a member of the Law Reform Commission, said at a seminar yesterday. He urged the population to press the legislature to make up for the growing backlog of civil laws.

For 16 years now, the constitution has offered the population the opportunity to submit an initiative bill. Initially 50.000 signatures were required, since 2007 there are 10.000. Since then, representatives of the population have also been allowed to sit on the committee that assesses the proposals.

– Prime Minister Yingluck yesterday discussed with Chinese President Xi Jinping plans for the construction of high-speed rail lines, clean energy, education promotion, water management and the development of human resources. The two government leaders met in Bali where they attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting. The Chinese president has proposed setting up a bank to support the infrastructure. Yingluck has invited him to visit Thailand.

– The Ministry of Transport has commissioned Transport Co Ltd, the company that operates 800 interliners, to conduct a study into the installation of cameras in the buses. The ministry is thinking of five cameras per bus. One camera is pointed at the driver to see if he is not doing dangerous things, such as talking on the phone while driving. In the event of an accident, the police can view the footage to determine the cause.

When the cameras are installed, the Ministry will investigate whether the signal can be forwarded to Transport Co.'s control room. GPS is already installed in the buses, so that it can be checked whether the driver is speeding. The ministry also wants private bus companies to equip their buses with GPS. They have 13.000 cars on the road, including 5.000 minibuses.

– A Nok Air aircraft was shot down from the runway in Udon Thani yesterday. The cause was a defect in the operating system. The aircraft came to a stop in the bushes next to the runway, about 700 meters from the terminal. None of the 31 passengers and crew were injured.

– A Myanmar fisherman was killed yesterday when ammonia cylinders exploded on board his ship, which was moored at the Khao Nang Hong pier in Paknam (Rayong). Seven others were injured. At the time of the explosion, the crew was unloading fish.

– Since Tuesday, Chinese tour operators must include all extra activities of a package holiday in the price. Some operators have had to almost double their prices as a result. The Thailand Business Information Center in China fears that the price increases could lead to a reduction in tourism from China.

– Cutting down and smuggling rosewood is a lucrative business, unless of course the police confiscate the contraband. And that happened yesterday in Ubon Ratchathani. There were 500 logs worth 10 million baht in a pond. The owner of the pond is questioned.

– Country singer Kan Kaeosuphan died of cancer at the age of 74. The famous luk thung singer was hospitalized on Friday and put on a ventilator. Kan had been suffering from cancer for two years. His famous songs are Nam Tan Kon Kaeo (Sugar at glass bottom) and Kaeng Khoi (Khoi river).

Political news

– The son of Prime Minister Thaksin, Panthongtae, is being prepared to follow in his father's footsteps. He may already stand for election in the next elections, according to a 'highly placed party source' reports Bangkok Post. Thaksin is also going to ask the current head of Bangkok's municipal police, Kamronwit Thoopkrachan, to join ruling party Pheu Thai after he retired in September.

In recent years, Panthongtae has become politically active. He participates in Pheu Thai activities and uses his Facebook page to reply to political opponents. He is currently traveling around the country visiting flood victims.

According to the source, Thaksin does not yet know whether he will let his (only) son in Chiang Mai run for a parliamentary seat or whether he will enter parliament through the national list. Chiang Mai is a stronghold of Pheu Thai. Red Shirt leader and MP Cherdchai Tantisirin says Panthongtae has everything a good politician needs. He is popular and democratically minded.

Kamronwit, like other senior officials, is on Thaksin's wish list to be used in the next elections. He would be an ideal candidate for Pathum Thani as he is from there. Pheu Thai suffered a major defeat after the floods during the mid-term elections. Thaksin would also like to make him deputy prime minister in charge of police affairs. Kamronwit says he has not yet been approached by Pheu Thai and does not intend to enter politics.

According to the source, Thaksin takes early elections into account. He has asked MPs and ministers, who visited him in Macau and Hong Kong last month, to prepare for this. Anti-government elements are said to be bent on bringing down the government.

Pheu Thai will conduct a survey in a few provinces to gauge voters' opinions about the performance of their (district) Member of Parliament and will ask them whether they should be nominated again in the next elections.

Corruption news

– Some expats who respond to Thailandblog believe that nothing, absolutely nothing, is being done against corruption in Thailand and that it will always be that way. This kind of generalizing criticism is usually rejected by the moderator. It is true: corruption is rampant in Thailand, but it is not true that nothing is happening.

Bangkok Post report it in the section Milestones and I already reported it News from Thailand. Eight former agents are jailed for trying to blackmail members of the Narcotics Suppression Bureau – colleagues, of all places. They apprehended them, produced falsified evidence that they possessed drugs and demanded a ransom of 2 million baht. Two former agents are still on the run. So something does happen every now and then in the fight against corruption. (Source: Bangkok Post, October 6, 2013)

Economic news

– Amid all the pessimistic reports about the slow growth of the Thai economy and the decline in consumer confidence, there is one bright spot, notes Bangkok Post. In August, the balance of payments posted a surplus of $1,29 billion against a deficit of $1,64 billion a month earlier. This is good news because a balance of payments surplus is a healthy guarantee for growth, cushioning the expected reduction in US Fed stimulus.

BP calls it ironic that this insight has not yet reached regional economists. For example, the Asian Development Bank lowered its forecast of economic growth from 4,9 to 3,8 percent, but the bank also based itself on outdated figures. The bank rightly pointed out that government investments have slowed down, while they should have been accelerated. After all, the recovery in the US, EU and Japan is slow and the political tensions in Thailand are responsible for delaying or postponing investments by both Thai and foreign companies.

Consumers, meanwhile, are pessimistic. The consumer index fell for the sixth consecutive month. "People are concerned about rising prices and the recovery of the global economy," Thanavath Ponvichai of the UTCC said in explanation. That is undoubtedly true, says the newspaper, but it is also unrealistic. Consumers expected higher prices due to higher gas, petrol and electricity bills. But market prices have hardly risen.

Nevertheless, the newspaper states, perception is important and both business and consumers do not fall for the government's sweet talk. In this they are supported by news from Washington. About the shutdown of the US government, BP writes that this is already the 18th time and that all previous times often minutes before the bankruptcy the legislature acted. The difference now is that the markets are open 24 hours a day and that the news travels at lightning speed. (Source: bangkok mail, October 6, 2013)

www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post