News from Thailand – April 8, 2013
Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung, who is responsible for operations in the South, did not travel to the South yesterday, but Prime Minister Yingluck paid an unannounced visit.
She visited Yala Provincial Hospital, where wounded soldiers and officials are being treated; she attended the funeral rites for Issara Thongthawat, the deputy governor of Yala who was killed in a bomb attack on Friday, and the rites for the assistant governor who also died.
Opposition party Democrats believes that the government should once again scratch its head about the peace talks with rebels that started last month. Democratic MP Ong-art Klampaibul wonders whether the rebels taking part in those talks are representative of all rebel groups, as the violence continues. Yesterday, two rangers were killed and six others injured in attacks in Narathiwat and the decapitated body of a rubber tapper was found in Than To (Yala).
Ong-art thinks the prime minister should find the right man to deal with the southern unrest. Although she has instructed Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung to do so and has called on him, as well as the interior minister, to travel to the South quickly, Ong-art says it remains unclear when they will start serious efforts to curb the violence. If the prime minister cannot find the right person, she should do it herself, says Ong-art.
Senator Anusart Suwanmongkol, chair of the Senate Compensation Committee for Victims of Southern Violence, believes the recent increase in violence is a result of the peace talks. Some militants want to sabotage it. The increase in violence is a side effect of the haste with which the government started those talks, Anusart said.
– The infamous casino Ta Poon in the Bang Sue district (Bangkok) turned out to be an almost impregnable fortress during a second raid yesterday. The police had to climb over the roofs of surrounding buildings, bridge the space between buildings with ladders, lay rubber mats on the barbed wire that covered the roof of the casino and to make matters worse, they were also pelted with projectiles and water by local residents . But finally managed to get in through the ceiling.
There, the police found nine tables, two hundred chairs and two hundred sets of playing cards. Arrests could not be made because the back-up of 150 heavily armed riot police took an hour to reach the casino. They were also harassed by local residents. By the time they arrived, the birds had already flown, taking money and evidence with them. Three officers were injured during the raid.
The casino was previously closed in late 2011, but had reopened, which the police noted because about a hundred cars arrived daily. The Anti-Money Laundering Office announced in February that it had seized the land on which the casino is located. It was awaiting a court order for confiscation.
– Besides the beginning of Songkran, April 13 is National Elderly Day and to mark the occasion, the National Assembly on Aging has drawn up a list of recommendations to improve the quality of life of the elderly. The list includes suggestions in the areas of health, economy, education and social affairs.
Chairman Vichai Chokewiwat believes that the Ministry of Health should encourage hospitals to provide more friendly services to the elderly, as well as home care and care in nursing homes. The government should make the population aware of the importance of saving so that people are more independent when they are old. Pensions should keep pace with the cost of living, to name a few of the suggestions.
Minister Santi Prompat (Social Development and Human Security) says his ministry has called on government departments to hire more retired staff because they have a lot to offer.
In 2005, Thailand was a so-called 'aging society'. That is a society in which 10 percent of the population is 60 years or older. In 2024, that percentage will increase to 20 percent. Another source gives different figures: Thailand is now an 'aging society' (7 percent of the population is over 65 years old), but changes to an 'aged society' in 21 years (14 percent).
– Thailand wants to position itself in Southeast Asia as a regional hub for the high-tech medical robot industry. The Ministry of Science and Technology will work on a 5-year plan in collaboration with several institutes. The project includes the development of protocols, a marketing plan to attract international investors and the production of medical robots that can be sold at a reasonable price.
If all this succeeds, Thailand can halve the import of medical robots in 2017. Currently, the country spends 780 million baht annually on advanced medical robots, and that amount will only increase due to an increasing demand for more specialized treatments and as the population ages.
– The population in the North and Northeast must take into account heavy rainfall and strong winds this week. These are the result of a 'collision' between high temperatures in Thailand and a high pressure area in China. Hailstorms are also expected in the northeast through tomorrow.
– Because she was not allowed to participate in the draw for military service, 17-year-old Sunthorn Makawong set her boyfriend (20) on fire, as a result of which he died in hospital. The woman poured gasoline on him on Wednesday evening at a house where he was drinking with friends. The friends extinguished the fire, but by then Weerasak Pho-ngam had already suffered burns on 50 percent of his body.
– The authorities finally seem to want to do something about illegal forest monasteries. There are about three thousand of them. Many monasteries are not licensed by the National Office of Buddhism (NOB) and the Royal Forest Department (RFD). The NOB will soon consult with the RFD and look for a solution for legalizing the current forest monasteries. Thailand has 6.084 registered monasteries in forests.
– The government has asked the National Economic and Social Development Board to assess the legality of the four planned high-speed lines. According to opposition party Democrats, this indicates that the government has not carefully drafted the investment plan, because it was already sent to parliament last week. Democrat Ong-art Klampaibul says the bill to borrow 2 trillion baht does not clarify the viability of the projects. Former Prime Minister Thaksin defended the investment plan yesterday.
Four high-speed lines are planned: Bangkok-Chiang Mai, Bangkok-Ratchasima, Bangkok-Hua Hin and Bangkok-Rayong. The first tenders will take place in the third quarter of this year.
– The Mekong Energy and Ecology Network (MEE Net) believes that the Ministry of Energy has created unnecessary panic about possible power outages last Friday. Friday was the first day of natural gas supply cuts from Myanmar due to maintenance work on a production platform.
MEE Net director Witoon Permpongsacharoen says he never believed the pessimistic forecast of the ministry. “We had information that the country had enough energy in reserve. Many people are now questioning the ministry's messages.'
Minister Pongsak Raktapongpaisal (Energy) warned in April of possible power outages. Some believe panic was created to ripen minds for coal and nuclear power plants.
Political news
– Wasn't that a nice initiative by the Electoral Commission in Chiang Mai to invite the candidates who are fighting for a (vacated) parliamentary seat in the mid-term elections for a reconciliation meeting? The aim was to encourage them to conduct a positive campaign and not call each other rotten fish.
But the two main fighting cocks, Yaowapa Wongsawat, a sister of former Prime Minister Thaksin and candidate for ruling party Pheu Thai, and Kingkan Na Chiang (Democrats) did not show up. The two ladies were too busy campaigning, but they did send representatives. Candidates from small parties did come, including someone from the Thai Rubber Party and the Cooperative Power Party. The head of the electoral commission expects a low turnout on April 21.
– The second term of consideration of the controversial proposals to amend four articles of the constitution has been postponed at the request of parliamentarians. They would rather celebrate Songkran. The scheduled meetings on Wednesday, Thursday and April 17 have been cancelled. This means that only two meeting days remain before parliament goes into recess, but other matters are discussed on those days (18 and 19 April).
Last week, the Senate and House of Representatives approved the proposals in the first term. According to the latest Abac poll, 67,3 percent of the population is concerned that changes to the constitution will lead to new conflicts if those changes would benefit certain people and not benefit the population.
www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post