News from Thailand – April 9, 2014

For the second time, fire has broken out at the landfill in Phraeksa (Samut Prakan), but this time it may have been set on fire. It is the second time in a month that the illegal landfill has been set on fire.

The suspicion of arson is based on the observation of the personnel that smoke was not first seen, which would be the case in a spontaneous ignition. Arson is simple because the dump is close to the public road. The Phraeksa board is going to install cameras to deter future evildoers.

The fire broke out at 1 am. Because it was dark, it was difficult to control the fire. In the early hours of the morning, seventy firefighters with ten trucks were busy extinguishing the fire. At half past twelve the signal fire could be mastered.

The first fire was not so easy to get under control. It lasted a week from March 16 and spread toxic fumes, forcing countless residents to evacuate.

The Pollution Control Department (PCD) carried out measurements yesterday, but the results have not yet been published. PCD head Wichien Jungrungruang does not expect safety levels to have been exceeded because only a small part of the landfill was on fire and the fire was short-lived. Checks of the groundwater have so far yielded nothing startling. The PCD will continue to monitor the groundwater for a month.

The PCD has advised the council to post guards at the dump and have firefighting equipment ready for a week in case the fire flares up again.

– An oil tanker with 60.000 liters of waste oil capsized and sank off the coast of Muang (Samut Sakhon) yesterday. The Marine Department sprayed chemicals on the leaked slick with patrol boats to prevent further spread. Another tanker tries to pull the ship out of the 6,5 meter deep water.

The tanker was on its way to shore to unload its cargo, which was destined for oil recycling companies, when water allegedly entered the engine room. The crew of five has no idea how that could have happened.

The strong wind blows the oil slick to the coast, where there are many nurseries of crab, mussels and other shellfish. Nevertheless, the governor of the province does not expect the consequences to be serious. Fishermen, on the other hand, say farmed crabs are already covered in oil.

– Action leader Suthep Thaugsuban spoke for half an hour yesterday with the top of the Ministry of Justice about national reforms (photo home page). The ministry's top civil servant agreed that reforms are necessary, but as a neutral civil servant he could not say whether they should be introduced before or after elections.

Justice was the fourth ministry to receive a visit from the protest movement. Last week, demonstrators went to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Finance, where they stood in front of a closed door, and the Ministry of Education, where they were received just like at Justice.

The purpose of the visits is to call on officials to also support reforms. The country must not continue to be plagued by corruption, electoral fraud, wrongful transfers of officials and harmful populist policies, Suthep says.

– The head of the Department of Special Investigation does not want to return to his office in the government complex on Chaeng Watthanaweg, although the anti-government movement at the complex has no objection.

Tarit Pengdith continues to work at the Capo on Vibhavadi-Rangsit Road, the center responsible for enforcing the Special Emergency Act (Internal Security Act). DSI staff members currently work in the Software Park building across the street from the Central Chaeng Watthana mall. Until now, they were occasionally allowed to collect documents from their office.

Why Tarit does not want to return is not stated in the message. About the DSI staff, the message says that they can start working in their office in Building B of the government complex and the Thailand Post building. The complex has been partially liberated by the besiegers for a month now. Five services are currently functioning again

– And again the carcass of a wild gaur has been found in Kui Buri National Park (Prachuap Khiri Khan). The animal is believed to have died four months ago. No bullets or pieces of metal were found, suggesting the animal was not killed by poachers. The now found specimen is number 25 is a series of finds since December last year. According to the latest reports, the animals would have succumbed to a virus related to the foot and mouth disease virus.

– To prevent drivers from turning their ride into a race, the Bangkok public transport company (BMTA) wants to limit the number of operators to one per route. This measure should lead to better service, says BMTA deputy director Chittra Srirungruang. There are currently several operators on three routes. When their contract expires, only one's contract will be extended. Most accidents occur on bus line 8.

– Railways and BMTA happy, because they do not have to advance the costs of free transport on a number of lines. The Electoral Council has approved the budget of 350 million euros allocated by the government, sufficient for an extension of the scheme until the end of April.

– Absurd. This is what academics call Suthep's plan for the 'independent power of the people' and the appointment of an interim prime minister, to be appointed by himself and approved by the king. They also warn that threats by pro-government groups to take action after Songkran increase the risk of bloodshed (see the post Pronunciation Suthep is wrong; government wants army to respond).

Thamrongsak Petchlertanan, assistant professor of history at Rangsit University, says Suthep's proposal to personally nominate an interim prime minister and present it to the king for approval is without precedent.

“It could be considered treason. We all know it's a trial balloon to see how society reacts, but it could cause damage if Suthep actually proposed it and it was approved by the king.'

Suthep made his controversial proposal ahead of rulings in two cases pending before the Constitutional Court and the National Anti-Corruption Commission. In the most unfavorable case, they lead to the fall of the cabinet.

Thamrongsak believes that Thai politics has sunk low. 'On the one hand we have the PDRC alliance with the military, judiciary and independent organizations plus the elite; on the other hand we have the Pheu Thai government, massively backed by the red shirts with some light international backing.'

He warns of the potential for the conflict to escalate and lead to bloodshed, which could happen if convinced supporters on both sides become desperate or forced into the other corner. Thamrongsak is also concerned about the declining trust of bureaucrats and the public in the justice system. 'It is regrettable that more and more people are ignoring verdicts.'

Michael Nelson, chair of the Southeast Asian Studies master's program at Walailak University, calls Suthep's proposal nonsense and comparable to the boycott of the elections by opposition party Democrats. The only way to gain sovereignty is through elections. There is no other legitimate and credible way, because most people don't take to the streets.'

Nelson believes that the Democrats should participate in the election and try to gain popular support with their reform proposals.

– Prime Minister Yingluck does not understand why the Constitutional Court is dealing with the Thawil case, while the administrative court has already settled the case and ordered Thawil's reinstatement as Secretary General of the National Security Council.

“This is the first case in which the Constitutional Court has agreed to review the transfer of an official. I'm curious about the verdict. That ruling sets a precedent.'

Yingluck is equally surprised that this is happening after the dissolution of the House of Representatives. In similar cases, the Court refused. Yingluck is therefore going to ask her legal staff to study both issues.

The case has been brought before the Constitutional Court by a group of senators, who believe that Thawil's transfer was unconstitutional because it indirectly benefited a relative of Yingluck.

– In a letter to the Thai government, the US urges negotiations to end the current political conflict and prevent further violence. Secretary of State John Kerry (Foreign Affairs) writes that he is concerned about the possibility of a power grab or a military coup. If that happens, it will affect Asean as a whole, he says.

– The elections cannot be held within 45 to 60 days, the Electoral Council decided yesterday. Former government party Pheu Thai and 53 other political parties had asked for this.

Yesterday, the Electoral Council wanted to consult with the army and police command, but they only sent representatives. Nevertheless, the meeting produced a conclusion: the current situation can still hamper elections; calling new elections is therefore pointless.

The Electoral Council will meet with political parties on 22 April. Maybe white smoke will come out of the chimney.

– Fifty-eight newly elected senators may take a seat in the Senate, nineteen are still dangling because a total of 44 complaints have been filed against them. No complaints had been lodged against the 58, so they received the green light from the Electoral Council yesterday.

– The Ministry of Health will step up the fight against dengue fever and malaria. Dengue in particular is on the rise. Over the past 50 years, the disease has become 2013 times more common worldwide. Thailand was hit hard by a dengue outbreak in 132. At that time, 159 people died from the disease. Last year, 170.051 people died from diseases transmitted by living organisms and 4.175 people were infected. In the first three months of this year, three people succumbed to dengue and XNUMX cases were reported, significantly less than in the same period last year.

The ministry has instructed its provincial offices to educate residents on how to keep the environment free of mosquito breeding grounds. Stagnant water is an ideal place for mosquitoes to lay their eggs. Furthermore, the population is advised to use mosquito nets, repellents and abate sand granules [?] to use.

– The municipality of Bangkok wants to strictly enforce an alcohol ban in four places during Songkran: Silom Road, Khao San Road, Chokechai 4 and Utthayan Road. Pamphlets are already being distributed calling on partygoers to behave properly and to refrain from using super soakers.

www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post

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Editorial notice

Bangkok Shutdown and the elections in images and sound:
www.thailandblog.nl/nieuws/videos-bangkok-shutdown-en-de-keuzeen/

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