News from Thailand – December 9, 2014

The Sawong antique shop on Chaeng Watthana Road was visited yesterday by police, soldiers and the Fine Arts Department. The shop is operated by one of the suspects in the Pongpat case, but does not have a license to trade in antiques.

During the raid, a large number of cultural objects were seized, five hundred planks, wooden furniture and furniture making tools. The director of the National Museum says most of the objects are believed to be counterfeits.

The Pongpat case concerns the criminal network of the former head of the Central Investigation Bureau, Pongpat Chayaphan.

Three more suspects are wanted in that case, who are suspected of kidnapping lenders to induce them to reduce debts. One concerns the businessman with a debt of 120 million baht who was extensively reported in the newspaper yesterday (see Fled businessman: Police obscure evidence) and the other concerns a second-hand car salesman with a debt of 30 million baht.

– The construction of coal-fired power plants contradicts the government's intention to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 percent by 7. Faikham Hannarong, representing the Thai Climate Justice Working Group, says coal use is one of the largest sources of carbon emissions. There is no effective technology to filter out carbon. Coal-fired power plants also emit sulfur dioxide, ash and heavy metals.

Thailand will announce the planned 7 percent reduction in Lima in December at the 20th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol. According to the [Thai] Power Development Plan 2012-2030, Thailand aims to generate 2030 megawatts from coal by 4.400, or 12 percent of total electricity consumption, compared to 9 percent today. Planned are coal-fired power stations in Krabi and Songkhla.

– It is restless again on the rubber front. Rubber farmers from Surat Thani have threatened to demonstrate today in front of the Provincial House to force the government to raise the rubber price to 80 baht per kilo of rubber sheet. Rubber farmers in other provinces are also starting to grumble because they currently only catch 100 baht for 3 kilos.

Deputy Prime Minister Pridiyathorn Devakula tried to keep the genie in the bottle yesterday. He said he is sure that the price will go up after today, when the cabinet discusses a plan to get the industry to buy more rubber. Three major buyers have to offer rescue: farmers' cooperatives, the Rubber Estate Organization (REO) and private companies.

Pridiyathorn says bureaucratic obstacles are currently getting in the way. The cooperatives started buying rubber in October, the REO ten days ago. He gets tired of it, he confesses. The deputy prime minister considers it unlikely that the price will go to 80 baht, as demanded by the farmers. What helps in any case is the low supply of rubber: 3 million tons against 4 million tons in previous years.

The Secretary of State for Agriculture says that sixteen measures worth 58 billion baht will be taken. In the short term: a subsidy of 1000 baht per rai, rubber purchases by the REO and small interest-free loans.

– Former opposition leader Abhisit wonders why the price of butane gas and petrol is going up, while prices on the world market are falling. "The government's energy policy is contrary to what people expect from energy reforms," ​​he writes on his Facebook page. According to him, the population has the feeling that the energy companies make large profits and that they have to bear the burden. 'People are asking for lower energy costs.'

– Prime Minister and cabinet elected by the population or by parliament? That question is addressed today in the opening article of Bangkok Post firmly baked.

A majority of the National Reform Council's (NRC) political reform committee wants the people to elect prime ministers and cabinets, but opponents say that would give a prime minister too much power and that such an election violates the principle of checks and balances weakened too much. The proposal now goes to the NRC and from there to the Constitution Drafting Commission.

A political scientist at Sukothai Thammathirat Open University says direct election of a prime minister is not part of the parliamentary system and is not appropriate for Thailand. Such an election ignores the importance of MPs representing the people. Even the American president is not elected directly by the voters, but by an electoral college.'

– Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is concerned about the safety of National Anti-Corruption Commission members and their families. For the sake of their own protection, he believes it is better when decisions are taken unanimously.

Prayut recalled at a meeting organized by the NACC that in previous corruption cases the commission has been threatened when people were not satisfied with its work. 'You have to protect yourself. If you raise your hand in a vote, you all must do so. Don't make decisions 5-4 or 4-3 with abstentions.'

– Former Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh has said in an interview with Daily NewsOnline warned of a counter-coup. "Those who staged the coup may have been given roses at first, but they may be greeted with stones later."

Army Chief Udomdej Sitabutr and Prime Minister Prayut dismiss Chavalit's warning as his personal opinion. Udomdej says the army is firmly behind the country's current leaders. Prayut says there will be no counter-coup and jokes: "I'm not going to start a coup against myself either."

– Instead of being inspected every five years, educational institutions will from now on be inspected on a random basis by the Office for National Education Standards and Quality Assessment (Onesqa). Deputy Prime Minister Yongyuth Yuthawong wants to lighten the office's workload. The samples have to be large enough to be meaningful, he says. Educational institutions can also request a visitation themselves.

– It has actually been known for a long time and has been researched often enough, and now the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has once again established it in a study: students understand what corruption is, but they have no problem with corrupt behavior in order to achieve their goals . Expressed in percentages, 70 to 80 percent and 68,1 percent respectively. The survey was conducted among 1.255 students from UNDP partner universities, including Khon Kaen and Ubon Ratchathani.

– The Khlong Thom market, known for selling cheap electronic products, is the next target of the city of Bangkok in its sweeping of the sidewalks. About two thousand street vendors block the footpath and the road. They must have packed their bags by December 31 at the latest. As an alternative, the municipality offers them the southern bus station, Sanam Luang and Chatuchak.

www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post

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