MFP leader under fire over 2006 coup comments

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Political activist Srisuwan Janya has filed a petition with the Election Commission (EC) seeking an investigation into Move Forward Party (MFP) leader Pita Limjaroenrat’s interviews on the subject of the military during the coup in 2006.

Mr Srisuwan, secretary-general of the Association for the Protection of the Thai Constitution, yesterday asked the EC to review a statement made by Mr Pita on a TV programme hosted by well-known newscaster Sorrayuth Suthassanachinda on April 20.

During the interview, Mr Pita claimed that he missed his father’s funeral as he had been detained by officers after returning to the country during the coup in 2006. Mr Srisuwan alleged the statement was part of a move to defame the military and raise the party’s popularity before the May 14 election.

Mr Srisuwan also brought a video clip in which Mr Pita commented on the incident via a talk show hosted by Surivipa Kultangwattana in 2009.

Mr Pita’s statements in the two video clips appear contradictory, according to Mr Srisuwan. In one, Mr Pita claimed he was a member of a working panel under Somkid Jatusripitak, former economic chief of Thaksin Shinawatra’s government, while he told Surivipa that he was studying in Boston, in the US.

Mr Pita also claimed that he was detained at Don Mueang which meant he could not attend his father’s funeral in time, while he told Surivipa he was questioned by officers for four to five hours and did not miss the funeral.

Mr Srisuwan said many had criticised Mr Pita’s statement, particularly Panpree Phathithanukorn, a member of the Pheu Thai Party’s economic panel and Thailand trade representative in the Thaksin Shinawatra government, who said officers just questioned and then released everyone later.

Therefore, Mr Pita’s interviews could breach Section 73 of the Organic Act on the Election of Members of the House of Representatives 2018.

The punishment carries a maximum term of 10 years in jail and/or a fine of between 20,000 and 200,000 baht, as well as a ban from politics for at least 20 years.

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Govt to open centre to limit fishing boats

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Pattani: The Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre (SBPAC) is preparing to set up a one-stop-service centre to distribute compensation money for owners of fishing boats who wish to leave the industry as a part of the Sustainable Management of Marine Fisheries Resource Project.

Chonthun Sangpoom, deputy secretary-general of the SBPAC, visited the location of the one-stop-service centre assisting fishermen in the three southernmost provinces in tambon Bana in Muang district of Pattani province.

Mr Chonthun said that the project aims to reduce the number of fishing boats in the deep South.

He added that the centre will be operating from May 8, and the owners of 96 fishing boats are expected to be the first to be compensated for exiting the fishing industry.

On Feb 26, a cabinet resolution granted 163 million baht as a compensation fund for fishermen to endorse the government’s goal of reducing the number of fishing boats.

Mr Chonthun said the fund would subsidise fishermen and entrepreneurs in the industry. He explained that fishing boat owners could request compensation at the service centre on weekdays during office hours.

He said fishing boat owners must also apply for approval for boat disassembly.

The process is a joint effort between the SBPAC and Internal Security Operations Command Region 4.

Mr Chonthun further said that the first instalment is worth 80% of the sum while the second is the remaining balance of the compensation.

In September last year, deputy government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek said that 9,608 registered fishing boats were operating, which was above sustainable levels.

To prevent further damage to fishery resources, the government has endorsed compensation for owners of registered fishing boats as well as those who conduct illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing to leave the industry.

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‘No gift’ campaign launched

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Tough penalties for bribing govt officials

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has urged the private sector not to offer bribes to government officers and advised them to impose internal measures to curb the illegal practice.

NACC Secretary-General Niwatchai Kasemmongkol said bribery was a national problem, and there were cases in which bribes were offered in exchange for business benefits across borders.

Mr Niwatchai said bribery is affecting the country’s credibility and efficiency of budgetary spending.

The NACC, therefore, is promoting good governance in the public sector to create a “No Gift” culture, he said.

A so-called Anti-Bribery Advisory Service (Abas) Centre has begun providing knowledge and guidelines to the private sector concerning the laws on offering bribes to government officials.

Abas will introduce measures aimed at preventing bribery.

In addition, Mr Niwatchai said, the NACC has issued new rules that allow it to prosecute private sector firms involved in bribing government officials and those working in international agencies.

Mr Niwatchai stated that bribery should be prevented at both ends — the private sector, the bribe giver, government officers, or the bribe taker.

The secretary-general said those who offer bribes to government officers are subject to penalty under Section 176 of the Anti-Corruption Act B.E. 2561.

The NACC has advised juristic persons susceptible to public bribery to clearly identify their expenses for government agencies and impose measures to inspect these expenses.

Mr Niwatchai said that according to the Act, the value of the gift given to government officers must not exceed 3,000 baht.

The secretary-general warned that juristic persons or businesses should also not pay commissions to government officers for whatever reason to avoid risking breaking anti-bribery laws.

The NACC is an independent organisation supervised by nine commissioners selected from various professions.

It is authorised to undertake work on the prevention and suppression of malfeasance, particularly in government agencies, on assets investigations, as well as on the monitoring of ethics and virtues of political position holders.

It has the authority to file charges in court and support and build awareness of the penalties for committing corruption.

Since 1997, Thai courts have ruled against and punished politicians, former ministers, high-ranking government officials, as well as executives of the private sector in the thousands of cases submitted by the NACC.

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Grand state reception rejigged for May 4

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The Samosorn Sannibat Ceremony, or the grand state reception, is set to be held on May 4 to celebrate Coronation Day, according to an announcement by the Cabinet Secretariat.

The announcement, signed on April 21 by cabinet secretary-general Natjaree Ananthasilp, also provided the timeline for all of the royal ceremonies associated with this year’s Coronation Day.

“The cabinet will hold the Samosorn Sannibat Ceremony on May 4 at the Santi Maitri building at Government House,” said government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri.

Privy Council members, former prime ministers, the president and vice president of a constitutional organisation, heads of government agencies, constitutional members, cabinet members, the governor of Bangkok, the president of the Bangkok Council, ambassadors in Thailand, heads of major public organisations, and other major political figures were invited to the reception, he said.

The ceremony will be televised via the Television Pool of Thailand and Radio of Thailand on the same day, said Mr Anucha.

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Pheu Thai opens poll fraud centre

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The Pheu Thai Party opened its Election Fraud Protection Centre yesterday, with Pol Maj Gen Surasit Sangkhaphong — the former governor of the Government Lottery Office — as its leader.

The head of the party’s legal team, Chusak Sirinil, yesterday said the centre’s main missions would be fraud protection, the inspection of the Election Commission (EC), and the inspection of authorities and the public sector.

Pol Maj Gen Surasit said the centre has come up with methods that allow their members to report election irregularities in real-time through an official Line account.

Prasert Chantararuangthong, the party’s secretary-general, in his capacity as head of its Election Operation Centre, said the party had expected the EC to conduct the election in the most transparent way possible.

However, Mr Prasert said the EC’s errors so far during preparations for the election, such as an error made while sending ballots to voters abroad, and mismatched pamphlet publications, have kept surfacing, affecting voters’ awarenes of the election.

To help combat fraud, Mr Prasert suggested every party send their inspectors to the election booths to scrutinise the advance election on May 7.

He said the party also sent the complaints directly to the EC. They mainly focused on seven questions regarding election-related irregularities.

Those seven questions centred on ballot management, including the number of published ballots, where to store them, and how they will be spread, as well as the party’s requirement of inspectors from elected political parties.

Regarding the party’s notice on irregularities, he said Pheu Thai is questioning the EC’s management of seven million spare ballots, including how it will manage and track them.

In the meantime, the EC has invited 2,113 media representatives to check its guidelines for reporting on fraud, for the sake of transparency.

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Evacuated Thais happy to be home

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Several students evacuated from war-torn Sudan have safely arrived in their hometowns in the southern province of Pattani.

They were part of the first batch of 78 Thai evacuees who arrived in Bangkok on Thursday night after being evacuated from the North African country.

Trinuch Thienthong, Education Minister; R Adm Somkiat Phonprayoon, secretary-general of the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre; and Fourth Army chief Lt Gen Santi Sakuntanak welcomed the students at Bo Thong Airport in Pattani’s Nong Chik district.

Upon arrival, some of the students recounted their harrowing experience in Sudan, where fighting between two major factions, which began two weeks ago, has led to the deaths of hundreds of people and the evacuation of foreign nationals.

Fatiha Zeeba, a 22-year-old student studying in Sudan, said dead bodies were scattered in the streets and bombs and military-grade weapons were being used.

She said she was gripped with fear at her campus for over ten days. Hospitals were unable to accommodate the rising number of injured people, Ms Fatiha said.

Fortunately, embassy officials picked her up from her university, she said, before boarding a ship to Jeddah for a flight to Thailand.

“I am very happy to arrive in Thailand. I want to see my parents and relatives,” she said. “However, I am worried about my Thai friends who are still there. I do hope they return home safe.”

Amad Jehmae, another student, said a clash broke out not far from where the Thai students had been.

Everyone needed to stay home, he said, adding people faced shortages of food and water and various shops were closed.

“I may consider studying in Thailand if the clashes continue,” he said, thanking the Thai and Saudi governments for getting him home.

Muhammad Sofron Jehpoo, another student, said he was happy to see his family again, adding life in Sudan was difficult.

He also thanked both government officials for bringing him home.

The first batch of 78 Thai evacuees — 40 women and 38 men — from Sudan arrived at Bangkok’s Don Muang Royal Thai Air Force Base on Thursday night.

They were welcomed by government officials, including Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who thanked all agencies involved in the evacuation effort.

The second batch of evacuees is expected to arrive in Thailand today.

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Democrats vow to develop Phuket

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PPRP to aid farmers, Korat growth sought

Phuket: The Democrat Party is proposing to turn the resort island into a model city and a technology hub.

Helping party candidates campaign for support ahead of the election next month, Democrat list-MP candidate Suchatvee Suwansawat yesterday said the party wants Phuket to become a model city, not just for Thailand but also Asean.

Phuket is a top tourist destination so it is a perfect candidate for the party’s proposal to provide free internet access at various locations, he said.

“This is one policy the party’s offering to Phuket — free internet access like cities in other countries. The internet access should be more convenient and offered as a form of public welfare,” he said.

The Democrat Party has also pledged to support the development of the public transportation system in the province to alleviate traffic congestion, specifically a tram project.

Although Phuket is among the provinces that face severe traffic problems, there is no agency to oversee the issue, Mr Suchatvee said, adding the party’s candidates are familiar with the problems and can offer insights.

Mr Suchatvee, who also heads the party’s policy committee, said the party is considering pushing for an upgrade to Phuket Rajabhat University so it can expand its fields of study.

PPRP eyes 8m households

The Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) has pledged to introduce a fertiliser co-payment scheme to help reduce production costs for 8 million farming households facing fluctuations in prices.

Charnkit Dechavitak, spokesman for the party’s election strategy committee, yesterday said the PPRP attaches importance to every group of farmers and has been working to bridge the gap and improve their livelihood.

Although chemical fertiliser prices have dipped because of lower raw material costs, farmers’ concerns about price fluctuations remain, and this factor can adversely affect production costs and income, he said.

Moreover, with a possible decline in the global farming output due to the risk of drought and a surge in demand, the PPRP believes the government should intervene to help Thai farmers keep production costs manageable.

Mr Charnkit said the planned fertiliser co-payment scheme, together with the proposed fertiliser fund, is expected to stabilise fertiliser prices, reduce costs and generate more income for 8 million farming households.

Business strategy floated

Nakhon Ratchasima: The Chartpattanakla Party yesterday introduced a five-point strategy to generate growth in the province and the northeastern region in a bid to woo support.

The strategy was floated at a meeting between party chairman Suwat Liptapanlop, party secretary-general and candidate for Constituency 1 Tewan Liptapanlop, as well as young business leaders.

It covers the areas of economic development, transportation upgrade, tourism promotion, food production and water resource management with the “Korat-nomics” scheme to help transform the region into a new economic corridor.

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PM poll quest goes South

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UTN looks to make gains from Dems

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will hit the hustings in the South today, hoping his rising popularity in the region will help his United Thai Nation (UTN) Party capture many House seats in the Democrat Party’s traditional stronghold in the May 14 election.

Witthaya Kaewparadai, a deputy UTN leader, said that Gen Prayut, a party prime ministerial candidate, is now popular among voters in the South and wants the party’s candidates to win as many House seats as possible.

Gen Prayut will head south today to Trang, Phatthalung, and Songkhla, where he will spend the night, and Satun.

Even though the UTN is a new party, this is not a drawback as Gen Prayut enjoys a large following of admirers and receives a warm welcome wherever he goes, Mr Witthaya said, adding that the party has its sights set on securing at least 20 seats in the South.

“When the party’s popularity is high, its election candidates must make the most of this and step up efforts to woo voters,” he said.

There are 60 House seats in the constituency contest up for grabs in the South, compared to 50 in the previous election in 2019. Then, the Democrats secured the most seats with 22, followed by the Palang Pracharath Party (13), the Bhumjaithai Party (8), the Prachachart Party (6), and the Action Coalition for Thailand Party (1).

All eyes will be on whether the UTN, which is riding on Gen Prayut’s popularity in the South, will be able to secure seats and establish a foothold in the region, observers said.

However, deputy Democrat leader Niphon Bunyamanee was unfazed by the UTN’s move to score big gains in the South, saying it is normal for rivals to try to beat the Democrats on their home turf.

“We are confident we can beat them back, and we will secure the most seats in the South. Voters in the South still have trust in the Democrats,” Mr Niphon said.

Stithorn Thananithichot, director of the Office of Innovation for Democracy at the King Prajadhipok’s Institute, said that the 11 provinces in the upper South would become a battleground for four major parties — the UTN, the Democrats, Bhumjaithai and the PPRP — competing for House seats.

“The UTN stands a good chance because several of its candidates defected from the PPRP, and they enjoy strong support bases in these provinces.

“The UTN is expected to secure at least 8-10 seats while the Democrats are expected to win at least 20, particularly in Surat Thani where the Democrats are likely to win all constituency seats,” said Mr Stithorn, who is now surveying political support bases in the South.

“Bhumjaithai may win 12-15 seats while the PPRP may win 2-3,” he said, adding that the Pheu Thai Party only hopes to get a seat in Phangnga, though it will face tough competition from Bhumjaithai and the Democrats.

As for the three southern border provinces of Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat, they are the strongholds of the Prachachart Party, which has the support of a network of local Muslim leaders, according to Srisompob Jitpiromsri, a political scientist at Prince of Songkla University’s Pattani campus.

The party is expected to win most seats up for grabs here, with Bhumjaithai, the Democrats and the PPRP vying for the rest, he said.

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Cops now suspect 14 murders

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Investigators led by Pol Maj Gen Namkiat Theerarojanapong, left, commander of the Training Centre of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, and Pol Col Anek Taosupab, right, deputy commander of the Crime Suppression Division, tell the media yesterday about the progress of the investigation into a suspected serial killer. They held a meeting at the Police Club on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road. Pattarapong Chatpattarasill
Investigators led by Pol Maj Gen Namkiat Theerarojanapong, left, commander of the Training Centre of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, and Pol Col Anek Taosupab, right, deputy commander of the Crime Suppression Division, tell the media yesterday about the progress of the investigation into a suspected serial killer. They held a meeting at the Police Club on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road. Pattarapong Chatpattarasill

The number of reported victims of the suspected serial murderer Sararat “Am” Rangsiwuthaporn reached 14 as of yesterday, according to police.

Deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, leading the investigation, updated the media on findings as investigation teams covering Ratchaburi, Kanchanaburi, Nakhon Pathom, and Phetchaburi provided updates on the case.

Police provided details on cases that have surfaced, including that of Sawittree “Nim” Budsrirak, 41, who passed away in 2020 in Mukdahan.

According to her husband, Pol Snr Sgt Maj Nithipon Nuchid, Sawittree knew the suspect through money lending and a pyramid scheme business and had a debt with her for at least 100,000 baht.

His wife died after taking a “diet pill” that Ms Sararat allegedly sent to her; the autopsy results showed that Sawittree had a high amount of potassium in her bloodstream, said Pol Snr Sgt Maj Nithipon.

Meanwhile, forensics found traces of cyanide in two of four cars seized from the 36-year-old suspect.

Weerachai Phutdhawong, an associate professor in chemistry at Kasetsart University, found traces of cyanide on the right console of the black Honda Civic she used with her ex-husband. The other was found in a bronze Toyota Vios that she drove on the day that Siriporn “Koy” Khanwong, 32, one of her alleged victims, died.

Mr Weerachai also believed that Ms Sararat might have some knowledge of chemistry, citing that she ordered sodium thiosulfate, which is normally used as a cyanide antidote, for herself.

The suspect’s sister, who claims to be a pharmacist, has said she is innocent after being accused of providing or using cyanide.

It is understood that the detained suspect, Ms Sararat is pregnant. Soraya Rit-Aram, director of the Central Women Correctional Institution, said the suspect’s mental state had improved while her unborn child was in a normal state.

Ms Sararat was apprehended on Tuesday at the government office complex on Chaeng Watthana Road with a bottle of cyanide in her possession.

Her arrest followed a complaint filed by the mother and elder sister of the late Siriporn Khanwong, who died on the bank of the Mae Klong River in Ban Pong district of Ratchaburi. She went with Ms Sararat to release fish for merit-making on April 14. Cyanide was found in her bloodstream.

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Legal snag short circuits subsidy plan

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The Election Commission (EC) cannot proceed with the government’s proposed plan to allocate more than 11 billion baht to subsidise low-income earners for another four months to help with their power bills due to a legal hitch.

A source said the proposal was approved by the cabinet on Tuesday.

However, the matter must be sent to the EC for consideration, as under Section 169 of the constitution any budget allocation for emergencies approved by an outgoing cabinet after a House dissolution must be endorsed by the poll agency first.

But after reviewing the government’s proposal, the source said the EC cannot approve the proposal as the Secretariat of the Cabinet failed to inform the cabinet of the resolution that approved the allocation of around 11 billion baht in subsidies under Section 169.

So the documents have been sent back to the government. The EC has not received a complete set of documents from the Secretariat of the Cabinet yet, said the source.

Under the plan, the power subsidy would be extended for another four months from May until August.

It would only apply to households that consume less than 300 units per month.

Those that consume 1-150 units a month would get a reduction of 92.04 satang per unit while those using 151-300 units would be given a reduction of 67.04 satang per unit.

About 7.6 billion baht would be drawn from the 2023 budget for emergency purposes to finance the plan. It is estimated that 18.36 million households would benefit.

Another measure to help people with costly power bills is a proposed reduction of 150 baht before VAT to households using no more than 500 units per month, valid for May only.

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