News from Thailand – September 9, 2014

The hookah and the e-cigarette are banned. The Department of Commerce is working on an import ban on both smoking products. The water pipe, which is used to smoke tobacco, baraku or shisha, is especially popular with young people, who suck at the thing in nightlife venues. The ban could be regulated through the Export and Import of Goods Act.

Smoking with these substances is harmful, according to a study by the Department of Disease Control (DDC). Although juice from fermented fruit is used in the hookah, the combustion process leads to illnesses similar to those caused by smoking. Baraku is more harmful than cigarettes because it contains more tar and nicotine and the smoke is inhaled longer.

The e-cigarette is also not without risk. The vapor, ignited by electricity, contains small particles of metal that can cause cancer. There are two types of e-cigarettes: one with nicotine and the other without. The second pose a regulatory problem because they do not meet the definition of tobacco as formulated in the Non-Smoking Protection Act and the Tobacco Act. In addition, nicotine can easily be added after inspection by customs. The DDC therefore wants the import of all e-cigarettes to be banned.

The import and sale of e-cigarettes has already been banned by twenty countries. Online advertising suggesting that e-cigarettes can help people quit smoking is misleading, according to the DDC. Chewing gum and plasters can.

The IRS will inspect entertainment venues to see if they provide baraku to customers, in violation of the Tobacco Act. Especially establishments near universities are suspected of this. The tax authorities confiscate the items in the event of a violation; Operators can also lose their license. (Source: Bangkok Post, Sept. 8, 2014)

– The pre-trial detention of two students accused of lèse majeste has been extended by the court for twelve days at the request of the police. The lawyer of one of them, Pornthip Munkong, accepts the extension, but will appeal when the pretrial detention is extended again on September 19.

The two have been arrested for their role in a play performed at Thammasat University last year. That piece is about an imaginary monarch. The police are also looking for Pornthip's younger sister. Her mother says police have asked her where she is several times in the past month, but "I have no idea."

– The names of two close friends of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha are circulating as the leading candidate for the position of Secretary General of the PM's office. The three know each other from the time when they received military training at the Armes Forces Prepatory School.

One is assistant chief of the intelligence staff and a member of the National Legislative Assembly (NLA). Having been trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the UK, he would be perfectly suited to assist Prayuth in his contacts abroad.

The other, also an NLA member, worked at the Internal Security Operations Command for Prayuth for seven years. According to the newspaper, he is a good-natured fellow whose jokes often make Prayuth laugh. Observers consider the other more suitable.

– Normally the microphones would cost 99.000 baht each, but 145.000 baht must be paid for it. The purchase of 192 DCN Multimedia CN Bosch microphones plus screen for the large conference room in the Banchakarn 1 building of the Government House has caused a stir. A few have already been installed as a test (photo home page).

Minister Panadda Diskul (PM's Office) says they are not too expensive. However, the department responsible for the tender has doubts and has not yet signed the contract. Panadda understands that buyers want good quality products, but if they are not needed, cheaper ones will suffice. According to Panadda, there is no question of corruption. The new system is also in use in the White House.

– Former Prime Minister Thaksin, who lives in exile in Dubai, will visit Hong Kong later this month. According to a source at the former governing party Pheu Thai, many red shirts and Pheu Thai members will not pass up the opportunity to meet him there.

Matichon Online reports that the trip is planned shortly after Thaksin's July 26 birthday, which was celebrated in Paris. Only family members and close acquaintances were invited to that party. Thaksin himself is said to have suggested that others could meet him in Hong Kong because it is easier for them.

– Prime Minister Prayuth will make the government statement in parliament on Friday. The parliament speaker has been told this informally by Thailand's great man. Today, the cabinet will consider the statement during its first meeting.

– On Thursday, the NLA (emergency parliament) will meet on the rules of procedure. It consists of 221 rules, most of which were drawn up by the 2006 coup plotters. One of the hottest issues is the impeachment procedure. Critics believe that the NLA should not have the power to impeach politicians. They point to the provisional constitution, which is currently in force, and which does not regulate anything on this point.

One of the critics is the deputy secretary general of the former governing party Pheu Thai. He recently sent an open letter to parliament about this. He said the issue could frustrate the coup plotters' attempts to bring about reconciliation.

The former Senate President is also resisting. [Previously politicians could only be impeached by the Senate.] NLA member Somjet Boonthanom defends the rule. He points out that the current emergency parliament also functions as a Senate.

– The 'Zero Corruption' campaign started yesterday with a seminar. Anti-corruption lawyers [I always doubt the translation: lawyers or advocates; who helps?] argued for stricter rules on public procurement and rental, as well as a new anti-corruption law.

Public procurement and leasing are attractive targets for abuse because they are lucrative and opaque. They account for 883 billion baht of the budget and 7 percent of gross domestic product. According to Rangsan Sriworasart, Permanent Secretary of Finance, bribes are still being paid despite stricter e-auction regulations from the Department of the Comptroller-General.

Somkiat Tangkitvanich, president of the Thailand Development Research Institute, thinks it is high time that the procurement rules of the PM's Office were enshrined in law. He also argues for more openness, because 60 percent of the information is now available classified. That percentage alone is indicative of corruption.

Uthit Buasri, assistant secretary general of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, hopes that the new anti-corruption fight will yield more results this year [than previous years]. He points out that the new administration is determined to suppress corruption and has also earmarked funds for this in the budget.

– Prime Minister Prayuth will visit Malaysia next month. He talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, a meeting that an adviser to the National Security Council (NSC) called "an important step" in Thailand's efforts to resume peace talks with the southern resistance. The secretary-general of the NSC is also going to Malaysia to rekindle talks, which have been at a standstill for a year. [Malaysia is facilitating the talks. The word "mediator" is taboo.]

According to the delegation leader-designate Akanit Muansawat, Prayuth wants talks to be held with all southern resistance groups instead of one or two, as before. The talks should also take place behind closed doors and groups should be prevented from preconditions. The number of delegation members is reduced from 15 to 7, because a small team is more flexible. Akanit has already traveled to Malaysia several times to talk about the talks.

– The waiting period of 24 hours after the police has been informed of a missing person should be canceled, say children's rights activists. The call is in response to the recent missing and death of a 4-year-old girl, whose body was found in a sewer pipe.

If the police had acted immediately after the report, the girl might have been saved, because the autopsy showed that she did not die immediately after the arrested suspect strangled her. The autopsy points to drowning as the cause of death, said Porntip Rojanasunan, director of the Central Institute of Forensic Science.

The Royal Thai Police recently instructed all police stations to take immediate action when a missing person is reported. In practice, however, this depends on the research. Porntip believes rapid action is required, also to prevent victims from being removed from the area where they disappeared. Delays have also meant that no DNA could be found on the victim's body because too much time had passed.

The practice of waiting 24 hours came under fire last year after the rape and murder of a 6-year-old girl. The head of the Mirror Foundation's Missing Persons Information Centre, Eakla Loomchomkhae, says no progress has been made since then, although there have been similar cases. Eaklak has now pinned his hopes on the intended formation of a special forces unit. Other suggestions include creating a database and a special radio station such as Jor Sor 100 FM for traffic information.

Since 2013, nine children between the ages of 4 and 7 have disappeared and been found dead.

– It is now official: General Prayuth is succeeded as army commander by Udomdej Sitabutr, now second commander and Secretary of Defense. His appointment is confirmed in the Royal Gazette, along with 1.091 other appointments and transfers in the armed forces as of October 1, popularly referred to as the annual reshuffle and referred to this year by the newspaper as no surprises reshuffle. On October 1, the commanders of the army, navy and air force, as well as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, will retire.

– September 21 is car-free day. The Municipality of Bangkok joins the Traffic and Transportation Department for the organization of activities [unspecified]. Cyclists will gather at Sanam Luang at 8am that day and paddle from there via Ratchadamnoen Klang Avenue to Silom.

– A 41-year-old woman was hit by a train at the level crossing at the Yommarat crossing in Dusit (Bangkok) yesterday morning and died. The train driver had honked his horn, but the woman did not respond. Her body was torn in two.

– The body of a worker who was swept away by a strong water current on Koh Chang on Sunday has been found. His two colleagues were rescued and taken to hospital. The three went missing after their shelter on the edge of a canal near an ice factory fell prey to the water on Sunday evening.

The flooding on Koh Chang was the result of two days of continuous rain. Five villages in tambon Chang Tai experienced severe flooding and roads became impassable. The water came knee-deep.

On the other side of the island, the village of Khlong Son was hit. There the water came to half a meter and on one road to even 1 meter.

Residents in six districts in Ayutthaya are still holding their breath. The rivers Chao Praya and Noi can overflow, as happens every year. Pictures are taken of houses and fields to compare them with the situation after the floods, so that the damage can be determined.

In Sukothai, Muang district has been hit by a huge amount of water from the Yom River. When water began to enter Bang Rakam and Phrom Phiram (Phitsanulok) districts, water from the Yom drained into the Nan, causing the water level in that river to rise sharply.

The Chao Phraya (Chai Nat) dam, which receives water from the Ping, Wang, Yom and Nan rivers, now discharges 1.100 cubic meters per second into the Chao Phraya. The water in the provinces of Pa Mok and Ang Thong and in two districts in Ayutthaya will therefore rise by 10 cm. It is expected that many residential areas will be affected in lower areas, but the water will not exceed 30 cm.

– The union of the Bangkok Municipal Transport Agency (BMTA) asks the municipality to accelerate the planned purchase of 3.183 natural gas-powered buses. The union proposes that the BMTA terms of reference changes so that the low-entry buses are purchased first.

On Friday, the Disabled Foundation and Foundation for Consumers already argued at a forum for the purchase of more low-entry buses for the elderly and people with disabilities. Private carriers have been asked to take easy access to the bus into account when purchasing new buses.

Bus transport in Bangkok and suburbs is provided for 20 percent by the BMTA. The rest is owned by private individuals.

www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post

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