News from Thailand – August 9, 2013

Sixty MPs from the opposition Democrats had wanted to speak, but only four had the opportunity, because at the end of yesterday afternoon the House of Representatives decided to stop the deliberations. Parliamentary dictatorship, Democrat Watchara Phetthong called it.

For example, a two-day debate on the controversial amnesty proposal of Pheu Thai MP Worachai Hema came to an abrupt end. Prime Minister Yingluck, who rarely attends meetings, did not show up on both days. According to her, the amnesty issue is a matter for parliament.

The bill, which passed by 300 votes to 124, with 14 abstentions and 2 no votes, provides for an amnesty for all those detained for political offenses since the military coup. Authorities who gave orders that killed and injured protesters, as well as the protest leaders, will not receive amnesty.

The proposal now goes to a so-called 'scrutiny committee' with representatives from all parties. This committee can propose changes. After that, the proposal will be dealt with by parliament in two more terms. The Democrats will try to amend the bill so that persons guilty of manslaughter, arson, corruption and lèse majesté are also excluded from amnesty.

Photos: Member of Parliament Boonyod Sooktinthai (Democrats) demonstratively tears up the proposal during the vote.

– Resistance group BRN only wants to talk further with Thailand if there is a positive response to its demands. This was told to Deputy Prime Minister Pracha Promnok by Malaysia, which acts as a 'facilitator' of the peace talks. BRN and Thailand previously agreed that they would set a new meeting date after the end of the agreed ceasefire on August 18.

In April, BRN (Barisan Revolusi Nasional) made five demands in exchange for a reduction in violence. The most far-reaching is the release of all arrested suspects and the cancellation of all arrest warrants pertaining to national security. Furthermore, BRN wants to be recognized as a Pattani freedom movement and not as a separatist group.

Thailand's National Security Council (NSC) will meet next week to discuss the unrest in the South. The NSC is BRN's interlocutor in the peace talks that started at the end of February.

BRN delegation leader Hassan Taib previously accused Thailand of not adequately protecting Muslims in the South during Ramadan. Figures from Deep South Watch, an independent research group, show that during Ramadan, which began July 10, there were 86 attacks until Wednesday. 29 people, including 11 Muslims, were killed and 105 injured. Ramadan came to an end in Malaysia and Thailand yesterday.

– The government attaches great importance to the development of infrastructure because the country has not made major investments in it for many years. Prime Minister Yingluck said this yesterday before boarding a special train to Nakhon Pathom (home page photo).

She called the government's plan to borrow 2 trillion baht for infrastructure investment the answer to Thailand's long-term needs. It will grow the economy, increase competitiveness, make commuters' lives easier and reduce transportation costs. Yingluck believes the country should shift its emphasis from road to rail.

Yingluck, together with three ministers, made an inspection tour of Nakhon Pathom, Ratchaburi, Phetchaburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan yesterday. During the train journey, they talked about promoting freight transport and rail travel because it saves energy and saves lives in the long run.

– About 260 Rohingya refugees were sprayed yesterday to put an end to their 'riot'. They had broken out of their cells at an immigration center in Phangnga and demanded to be released so they could pray to celebrate the end of Ramadan.

The refugees pulled down the fence around the three cells on the first floor in which they were held, but then encountered a metal door. In the meantime, riot police had been called in to restore order. Negotiations with the refugees did not have the desired result, even when the provincial Islamic committee talked to them.

When the refugees managed to break through the metal door, reinforcements were brought in and the police put the water hose on them. The incident eventually came to an end as the refugees became exhausted, police said. Because the cells were no longer usable, the refugees were taken to different police stations in Phangnga.

– A day earlier than planned, the Center for the Administration of Peace and Order may today lift the security law ISA (Internal Security Act), which has been in force in three districts of Bangkok since August 1 in three districts of Bangkok. According to Adul Saengsingkaew, head of the national police, the security situation in the capital has returned to normal.

Security in the three districts has been reduced, but the parliament building is still closely guarded. Two of the five roads that were closed were reopened yesterday afternoon. The other three will remain closed until further notice.

On behalf of former Prime Minister Thaksin, Winyat Chartmontri has filed libel charges against six people. The six, including the coordinator of the People's Democratic Force to Overthrow Thaksinism (which organized the demonstration at Lumpini park), allegedly distributed a document on Monday accusing Thaksin of unleashing the 2010 political violence and of destroying the justice system and the monarchy. to have undermined.

– The coming military reshuffle (transfer round of officers) threatens to result in a clash between Prime Minister Yingluck, also Minister of Defense, and the army top. The prime minister will soon talk to the army command about two sensitive appointments: that of naval chief and permanent secretary of the defense ministry. The message states exactly who is for whom, but I will leave that out.

According to a source at the ministry, Yingluck's brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin, would interfere again from Dubai. The thorny issue is: will Yingluck follow Thaksin's orders or will she choose the candidates of the army leadership to remain on good terms with the army?

– The Department of Special Investigation (DSI, the Thai FBI) ​​has decided not to investigate the oil spill unless evidence of a crime is found. So far nothing has been revealed. The DSI spoke yesterday with fourteen parties involved, including PTTCG, the culprit, and customs.

De fact finding The committee of parent company PTT Plc has not yet drawn any conclusions about the cause of the leakage. The Marine Department is considering setting stricter requirements for oil transhipment. The company would have to deploy an extra ship to search for any leaks. Now that happens with one ship.

The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources says 70 percent of the coral reefs off Ao Phrao (the polluted beach on Koh Samet) have begun to bleach, but the agency cannot confirm whether this is due to the oil. A study has found that some reefs secrete a substance that indicates the onset of bleaching.

Tomorrow PTTCG will pay the first compensation amounts to 120 small fishermen, says the Minister of Industry. Each fisherman gets 30.000 baht.

– According to the police, this is the largest drug bust this year. Three Taiwanese and a Thai have been arrested after trying to smuggle 237 kilograms of heroin worth 500 million baht out of the country. Abroad, the stuff has a street value of 20 times as much.

The police were able to arrest the men because she had been tipped off about a drug transport from a house in Ayutthaya to a hotel in Bangkok. The drugs came from Chiang Rai. The Thai was arrested in the hotel room, the Taiwanese on Suvarnabhumi where they waited for the Thai to bring the drugs.

Another drug bust, but a smaller one. 4,2 million speed pills were seized in Phayao on Wednesday. They were transported in a pickup truck by a Hmong man. At first he did not want to stop, but the police punctured his tires. The police had been observing the movements of the drug gang for a month. The message says nothing about that gang.

– It has been quiet for a while about gassing rice with methyl bromide. Do you remember? The Foundation for Consumers, BioThai and the magazine Chalad Sue found residues of it in 46 samples taken from packaged rice in shopping malls last month. One even exceeded the safety standard.

Witoon Liamchanroon, director of BioThai, addressed the issue yesterday at a seminar at Kasetsart University. He said that after the consumer survey, the government spread confusing and distorted information. "We are not trying to discredit anyone, but we want the public to be fully informed."

– The Ministry of Health has set up a mediation committee that will mediate in conflicts between Thai hospitals and foreign patients. The formation of the committee is in line with government policy for Thailand to have a medical hub with the aim of attracting foreign patients.

The committee will consist of seventeen representatives from private hospitals, insurers, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant services. Minister Pradit Sintawanarong (Public Health) expects that uninsured foreign patients in particular will appeal to the committee.

The establishment of the committee and the promotion of medical tourism are not well received by activists. These are at the expense of Thai patients, they say. The government shouldn't be spending tax money on it either. Moreover, campaigns have been underway for 11 years for a proper arrangement for medical errors. "Nothing has been done," said Preeyanan Lorsermvattana, president of the Thai Medical Error Network.

– Last night, Trang airport reopened after a Nok Air aircraft skidded off the runway on Tuesday. The aircraft had sunk 70 cm into the mud with its wheels, which made it difficult to pull it free.

– A teacher and six female students were injured by a ping pong bomb yesterday when they were waiting at a bus stop in Chatuchak. The bomb was thrown on a passing motorcycle by two people. Police believe they were students from a rival school.

Economic news

– This week, the cabinet gave the green light to a package of stimulus measures to allow the economy to grow by an extra percentage point: instead of the predicted 4 percent, the cabinet is betting on 5 percent. The package consists of stimulating private spending, investment, public spending and exports.

Whether the measures will have any effect remains to be seen, as the Bank of Thailand lowered its forecast of economic growth from 5,1 to 4,2 percent and export growth from 7,5 to 4 percent last month. The National Economic and Social Development Board expects growth to stall at 4 percent if infrastructure spending stagnates (the famous 2 trillion baht budget) and exports remain subdued.

Mathee Supapongse, director of macroeconomic and monetary policy at the central bank, thinks it is possible that the stimulus package will boost economic growth because it also aims to accelerate the spending of funds from the 2013 budget. But whether the 5 percent will be achieved cannot yet be determined.

– Consumer confidence fell for the fourth consecutive month. The index is now at its lowest level in seven months. A University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce poll of 2.239 people shows that consumers are concerned about political uncertainty as anti-government groups take to the streets. The reduced growth forecast of the Bank of Thailand, the continuing economic malaise of the world economy and shrinking exports are partly to blame for the reduced confidence. And especially the declaration of force of the Internal Security Act in three districts in Bangkok and the oil spill off the coast of Rayong have given confidence a serious blow.

– The private Vibhavadi hospital in Bangkok will build two hospitals in the next two years, and will take over two hospitals and two golf clubs. The medium-sized hospitals are being built on the Amata City Industrial industrial estate and in the province of Samut Sakhon. The golf clubs are the Legacy Golflcub in Bangkok and a club in Chiang Mai. The message does not mention which hospitals will be taken over.

On Tuesday, the hospital launched an app for iOS and Android. The app includes checks for the heart, blood pressure, stress, diabetes, kidney disease, paralysis, cancer and liver. Users select what they want to monitor and complete a questionnaire. The app then suggests a control package.

– The government will sell 1 million tons of rice on the Agricultural Futures Exchange of Thailand this year, starting with 150.000 tons on August 15. Since 2009, it is the first time that rice is sold in this way. Interested bidders can request permission to inspect the rice between August 9 and August 13. In the coming days, the terms of reference issued. When the bid prices are too low, the sale will not go through.

According to State Secretary Yanyong Phuangrach, AFET will become the main sales channel for the rice bought up by the government, because the rice is sold in small quantities that would attract more interest. The government's current auctions with relatively large quantities are attracting too few bidders, he admits, because buyers are hesitant about rice quality. Of the last 500.000 tons auctioned, only 210.000 tons were sold.

– How can logistics costs for the private sector be reduced? That is the central question of a study by the Ministry of Industry in four border areas: Mae Sot, Chiang Khong and Mukdahan in Thailand, and Poipet in Cambodia. In border areas mainly consumer goods, petrol, electronics, electrical appliances and car parts are traded.

The study is part of the government's plans for so-called special economic zones (SEZ) in border areas. "Developed countries don't have SEZs, but China is a good example and we use that as a model," said Anong Paijitprapapon, director of the Bureau of Logistics.

– The Kewkacha family, owner of Safari World, is going on a Japanese tour. Yesterday, she signed a contract with Japan's Teraoka Shoten Co to open Japanese restaurants specializing in gyoza. For the Japanese company it is the first time that it settles abroad.

The first branch will open in October in Siam Paragon. Seven to ten locations are planned for next year and eventually Kacha Brothers Co, the family's company, wants to reach thirty locations within five years. The restaurants are supplied from a central kitchen where gyoza is prepared with ingredients mainly from Japan.

Although Japanese cuisine has long been popular in Thailand, director Litti Kewkacha thinks there is still room for growth. 'Teraoka Shoten is an untapped market. We are the first to supply gyoaza in Thailand.' The menu of the restaurants contains ten dishes that range in price from 100 to 189 baht.

www.dickvanderlug.nl – Source: Bangkok Post