News from Thailand – February 4
The water level in the country's major reservoirs will be significantly reduced in the coming months to prevent them from containing too much water at the start of the rainy season, as was the case last year. Last year's floods were exacerbated as large volumes of water had to be discharged in September and October after several tropical storms.
The Bhumibol Reservoir is now 83 percent full; a year ago it was 55 percent. Sirikit reservoir stands at 80 percent against 69 percent last year. The aim is to reduce them to 45 and 41 percent respectively by 1 May.
The Strategic Committee for Water Resources Management, one of two committees set up by the government after the floods, expects Don Mueang, Sai Mai and Lak Si (Bangkok) to remain dry this year, but parts of Pathum Thani, Ayutthaya and Nonthaburi are again at risk of flooding. Areas in Phichit, Nakhon Sawan and Phitsanulok provinces will be earmarked for water storage; a total of 2 million rai is needed for this.
– Use a land and real estate tax to compensate residents who are victims of flooding for a long time. Those taxes can be levied in areas that do not flood to compensate those who have to bear the burden of the floods.
This idea was launched during a seminar organized by the Thailand Development and Research Institute. It refers to last year's situation where the suburbs of Bangkok were under water for months, while the rest of Bangkok remained dry.
– 650 officers and prison guards searched the seven high security zones of the Bang Kwang Central prison in Nonthaburi on Friday. The harvest was not bad: 40.470 baht in cash, crystal methamphetamine [The message does not say how much], 39 mobile phones, 20 sets of gambling equipment and 27 porn magazines. The prison has 200 prisoners with a death penalty and 1.300 with life sentences.
– It was her last wish: to marry the man she loves, and that wish has been fulfilled. Kung, 41, who has terminal cancer, married a 46-year-old Australian and father of 2 of her 4 children at the Maha Vajiralongkorn Cancer Center in Pathum Thani. "I am very happy today," said Kung, who will spend her last days with relatives in Bang Khen.
– The number of cases of dengue fever (dengue fever) decreased by more than a third last month compared to the same month last year. In January, government hospitals reported 1.056 cases and one death. Experts attribute the decrease to the disappearance of stagnant water after the floods ended. The Aedes aegypti mosquito lays its eggs in clean, stagnant water, which is mainly found in the big cities.
– Three Thai girls under the age of 20 were rescued from a brothel in Sydney on Wednesday. They are sent to the Australian Red Cross for rehabilitation. The girls had traveled to Australia on a student visa. Their passports were taken away upon arrival. They were rescued during a raid on 5 brothels by a joint team of Australian Customs and Police.
– The Criminal Court sentenced a 30-year-old man from Roi Et, free on bail, in absentia to four years and six months in prison for having a woman work as a prostitute in a club in Burgos (Spain) in 2009 with four others ). She also had to hand over 700.000 baht of her earnings. The woman had been made to believe that she would work there as a masseuse.
– In an elephant kraal in Kanchanaburi, police and officials from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment seized several wild animals, including five elephants. 147 logs and 61 planks were also confiscated. In total, the kraal had 37 elephants. [Why only 5 were seized is not clear from the message.] 13 illegal foreigners worked in the kraal.
– Don Mueang opens on March 2. Nok Air will resume its flights on March 6. On July 1, Thai Smile, a subsidiary of Thai Airways, will start flying from the airport. Orient Thai Airlines has not yet announced when it will return.
– The fierce reactions to the proposal by Nitirat, a group of progressive law professors at Thammasat University, to amend Article 112 (lese-majeste) of the Penal Code indicate a sense of nostalgia for the absolute monarchy that was abolished in 1932 in favor of democracy was abolished. This is what political scientist Kasian Tejapira said at a seminar dedicated to Pridi Banomyong, founder of Thammasat University, and Thammasat.
Panas Tassaneyand, former dean of the law school, called the rector's ban on Nitirat's activities exemplary of a crisis in academic standards. Since its establishment, Thammasat has served as an arena for political debates, he said. For that reason, those in power have tried to get a grip on the management of the university.
Rector Somkit Lertpaithhoon reiterates that the ban only affects the Article 112 campaign because he fears disturbances. The university has not banned the expression of academic opinions, he says. Everyone has the right to freedom of expression, but this right must be accompanied by social responsibility.
– SimSimi may be popular with young people; the ministries of Culture and ICT are less enthusiastic about the chatting robot, who is rather rough in the mouth. ICT Minister Anudith Nakornthap warns that the app's posting or sharing of replies about prominent people - some quite rude - could be considered libelous and therefore punishable under the Computer Crimes Act. The Ministry of ICT will try to convince the Korean developer to clean up the texts. SimSimi was developed in 2002 by ISMaker.
– The Truth for Reconciliation Commission (established by the Abhisit government) denies having proposed the compensation package for victims of political violence. The proposal, which includes compensation of 7,75 million baht for the relatives of those killed in the period 2005 to 2010, was made by a committee tasked with implementing the recommendations of the TRC. This committee is chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Yongyuth Wichaidit.
– The government program in which flood victims in 28 provinces receive a discount coupon of 2.000 baht will be restarted on Friday. Coupons were already distributed to 100.000 families in December. The coupon entitles you to a 10 percent discount on the purchase of electrical appliances. The start led to some misunderstandings; for example, the recipients thought they were receiving 2.000 baht as a gift. 600 points of sale are participating in the restart.
www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post