Barkar Nash – Page 1050

Drier-than-average rainy season tipped for this year

On: May 19, 2023

Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) workers build a structure to fix a damaged stretch along the bank of Prem Prachakorn canal next to Rama V Road in Dusit district on Friday. The BMA also dredged the canal to prepare for the rainy season. (Photo: Chanat Katanyu)

The rainy season will officially start on Monday with less rain forecast this year due to the El Nino weather phenomenon, the Meteorological Department announced on Friday.

TMD director-general Chomparee Chompurat said the seasonal climatic change would also see a shift in general wind direction.

According to Ms Chomparee, the El Nino weather phenomenon could mean a dry spell from mid-June to mid-July, leading to water shortages in several agricultural areas.

Rainfall is expected to peak in August and September with one or two tropical storms moving across the North and the Northeast, bringing heavy rain and triggering flash floods, she said.

According to the TMD chief, the rainy season is due to end in the middle of October but rainfall is expected to continue in the southern region, especially on the eastern side, until January next year.

Meanwhile, the Department of Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation said it is preparing for droughts. Department chief Supit Pitaktham said the country has experienced little rain since January, and about 116 million rai of farmland outside the irrigation system faces water shortages.

From May 1-14, there were 1,387 requests for rain-making operations from 459 districts in 64 provinces, including those from the Royal Irrigation Department, to increase water reserves in 70 reservoirs.

Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt said City Hall had drawn a map of flood-prone areas and is well-equipped to handle any flooding.

He expressed concern about possible drought affecting several large public parks under its care, including Benjakitti Park, which requires a particularly large amount of water to maintain.

Mr Chadchart said waste management also needs to be addressed, especially in the outer districts of Sai Mai, Min Buri and Nong Chok, where populations have increased.

Pheu Thai urges MFP to leave S112 amendments out of pact

By: Barkar Nash

On: May 19, 2023

In: South-East Asia

Pheu Thai Party leader Cholnan Srikaew, Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Srettha Thavisin, all party prime ministerial candidates, arrive at the party head office after the polls closed on May 14. (Photo: Chanat Katanyu)

The Pheu Thai Party on Friday urged the Move Forward Party (MFP) to rethink its intention to include a proposal amending the lese majeste law in a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that the MFP is asking prospective coalition partners to sign before they proceed with forming a new government.

Deputy Pheu Thai leader, Chusak Sirinil, said he understood that the matter of the lese majeste law would be discussed further between the MFP and potential coalition partners before the MoU is signed.

But because the matter is likely to lead to a major conflict in society, Pheu Thai would like the MFP to revise its plan to include the proposal to amend Section 112 of the Criminal Code in the MoU, he said.

Personally, the MoU should include broad principles on which all prospective coalition partners can agree so they can work together as a government. After signing the MoU, the coalition will then work together to incorporate its key policies into the government’s policies, which can then be declared in parliament, he said.

All the other details, including the fair allocation of cabinet portfolios, should then follow afterwards, he said.

At this point, the MFP and all its prospective coalition partners should, under the MoU, agree to begin their cooperation by discussing how all sides can work together to improve the country’s economic situation instead of paying too much attention to their own policies at the beginning, said Mr Chusak.

MFP secretary-general Chaithawat Tulathon said the party has already sent a copy of the MoU to all ten political parties who have agreed to be in the coalition and is expecting feedback by tomorrow.

A discussion will then be organised for all these parties to go into the details of the agreement, finalising it before the final version of the MoU is made public by Monday, as planned, he said.

Mr Chaithawat declined to discuss the details of the tentative version of the MoU, saying that the MFP still has to discuss many other details with the eight parties, including what should and should not be prioritised. The MoU acts as a guideline for all the coalition partners, not just the MFP alone, he said.

As for the Section 112 issue, he said, the MFP has to admit that the matter is likely to lead to societal conflict and should therefore be dealt with in parliament at a later stage, meaning that the details of the MFP’s proposed amendment to the lese majeste law should not appear in the MoU at all.

An informed source who has read a copy of the MoU sent by the MFP to Pheu Thai, however, said the MoU deals with the MFP’s core policies, including ensuring justice for all people affected by past military coups and pushing for an amnesty law for convicts in political cases — something which most prospective coalition partners could not agree, particularly Pheu Thai.

Pheu Thai doesn’t support the plan to push for an amnesty law as it is concerned the matter could be interpreted by the public as the party’s own bid to help former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra return home, said the source. However, if the MFP later proposes the draft amnesty law on its own, Pheu Thai wouldn’t oppose that, said the source.

The MFP’s intention to liberalise the liquor industry and pass a marriage equality law is opposed by the Prachachat Party, which tends to regard these issues as being against Islamic principles.

The New Party on Friday announced its decision to join the MFP, bringing the number of MPs who will vote for MFP leader Pita Limjaroenrat to become Thailand’s next PM to 316.

Flights to and from China on slow rise

By: Barkar Nash

On: May 19, 2023

In: South-East Asia

The number of flights between China and Thailand continues to increase but remains below the pre-pandemic level, according to Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (Aerothai) Co Ltd president Nopasit Chakpitak.

From October 2022 to April 2023, a total of 12,805 flights operated between the countries, representing a 98% rise compared to the same period the year before, Mr Nopasit said yesterday.

An upward trend is expected, as efforts are being made to manage air traffic and ensure smooth operations, he said.

He attributed the rise in flights to China’s early reopening, which prompted many Chinese airlines to operate additional flights and increase their frequency. There were 1,063 flights from China in January, 1,747 in February, 3,082 in March and 4,240 in April.

An estimated 5,330 flights are expected from China in May, followed by 6,090 in June, 7,150 in July, 7,460 in August and 7,340 in September.

The total number between last October and this September is projected to reach 46,175, according to the Aerothai president.

Despite the optimistic outlook, he noted the projected figure is still 66% lower than the same period in 2019.

Parties jostle over cabinet posts

By: Barkar Nash

On: May 19, 2023

In: South-East Asia

Pita: All coalition supports PM bid

The Move Forward Party (MFP) is eyeing key cabinet posts dealing with finance, foreign affairs, defence and energy while Pheu Thai will be offered economic portfolios such as the transport, commerce, and industry ministries, sources said.

The sources said the MFP has informed Pheu Thai that it will take charge of ministries handling security affairs to push for military reform and decentralisation, and oversee the development of human resources, which are all part of its election platform.

The sources said the MFP also wants its leader, Pita Limjaroenrat, who is tipped to become the next prime minister, to concurrently serve as foreign affairs minister as he will represent Thailand on the global stage after the coalition government is formed.

Apart from the prime ministerial post that Mr Pita is expected to take, there are a total of 35 cabinet posts to be allocated among coalition partners.

On Thursday, the MFP announced the formation of an eight-party coalition and the setting up of working groups to lobby senators for support and thrash out policy platforms, with a memorandum of understanding to be disclosed on Monday.

Mr Pita said on Thursday that all the coalition parties agreed to support him as the next prime minister as the MFP clinched the most seats in last Sunday’s election.

The eight parties are the MFP, Pheu Thai, Prachachart, Thai Sang Thai, Seri Ruam Thai, Fair, Palang Sangkhom Mai and Pheu Thai Ruam Phalang.

With the latest inclusion of the Chartpattanakla Party and the New Party, the MFP-led bloc has now swelled to ten parties, pulling in 316 House seats.

Deputy MFP leader Phicharn Chaowapatanawong said on Friday that Chartpattanakla, which garnered two House seats, and the New Party, which secured one, agreed to join the coalition.

The MFP would get 17 cabinet posts, while Pheu Thai, which won the second-largest number of House seats, would get 15-16, the sources said.

Prachachart and Thai Sang Thai would each get one cabinet post, while a group of small parties would have a total quota of just one cabinet post, with Seri Ruam Thai expected to clinch it, the sources said.

The sources said the MFP wants to oversee “A-list” ministries, including the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Defence Ministry, Interior Ministry, Finance Ministry, Education Ministry, Energy Ministry, Labour Ministry and Justice Ministry.

Meanwhile, Pheu Thai will be offered the commerce, transport, agriculture, digital economy and society, tourism and industry portfolios.

The sources said the MFP would drop Pheu Thai’s 10,000-baht digital money scheme as it would require a budget of up to 500 billion baht.

The MFP said it would spend that money to finance its election pledges, such as increasing the monthly allowance for elderly people to 3,000 baht, the sources said.

The sources went on to claim that Pheu Thai was not happy with the MFP assuming control of most of the A-list cabinet portfolios.

The party thought it should have the right to choose the ministerial positions it desires to carry out its policy pledges, they added.

However, MFP secretary-general Chaithawat Tulathon on Friday dismissed as untrue media reports that his party has been allocated A-list ministries, saying the issue has not yet been finalised.

Mr Chaithawat, speaking in his capacity as coordinator for the formation of a new government, denied the reports that A-list ministerial quotas had already been allocated, with MFP list-MP Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn taking the helm of the Interior Ministry.

“Such reports are untrue. When I heard about the reports, I felt shocked and stunned,” said the key MPF member.

“It is still in the process of thrashing out political platforms with a memorandum of understanding,” he added.

Mr Chaithawat urged caution as the allocation of ministries has not yet been finalised.

Speculation about ministerial quotas threatens to affect the negotiations among coalition partners and may cause misunderstandings among people appointed to each party’s negotiation team, he said.

He said the media had gone too far as the issue has not yet been concluded.

The coalition will work out an MoU which will map out guidelines for their collaboration. Details of that will be disclosed on May 22, the day earmarked for all coalition partners to sign it, Mr Chaithawat said.

Dems deny bid to join MFP-led coalition

By: Barkar Nash

On: May 19, 2023

In: South-East Asia

Move Forward plans ‘too controversial’

Key Democrat figures yesterday rejected media reports that the party was seeking to join the coalition led by the Move Forward Party (MFP).

According to the reports circulating on Thursday night following the formation of the ten-party alliance, a group of winning Democrat candidates close to acting party secretary-general Chalermchai Sri-on said Mr Chalermchai tried to approach the MFP and Pheu Thai to be part of the coalition.

Two figures — Det-it Khaothong and Chaichana Dejdecho, who won House seats in Songkhla and Nakhon Si Thammarat, respectively — were said to be spearheading the move. The group was said to have 16 out of 25 seats the party captured in Sunday’s polls.

Mr Chaichana said the reports were entirely false and speculated that they were released to gauge Democrat opinions after some parties had declared their stance.

He said the party stood by its declaration that it would not support the abolition of the lese majeste law, would not tolerate corruption and would not allow the uncontrolled use of cannabis.

However, he said a decision on the party’s future would be decided after a new party executive is elected and the election winners are endorsed by the Election Commission.

Jurin Laksanawisit, who vowed to resign if the party won less than 25 seats, announced he was quitting before the party hit that target late on Sunday evening. The party grabbed just 22 seats from the constituencies and three more from the list system, according to the unofficial result.

Alongkorn Ponlaboot, acting Democrat deputy leader, yesterday urged media outlets to verify the reports, especially those with unnamed sources, because they could be used to discredit the party.

“The party is ready to be in the opposition and scrutinise the work of the MFP-led government. We want to reaffirm our stance that we disagree with amending Sections 1-2 of the constitution and the lese majeste law,” he said.

Sombat Yasin, a Democrat candidate who won in Mae Song Hon, said yesterday it was unlikely the party would join the MFP-led coalition because the MFP had highly controversial policies.

He did not rule out the possibility of the party working with Pheu Thai in case the MFP failed to set up a government and Pheu Thai stepped in to form its own alliance.

However, Mr Sombat said Pheu Thai must leave the lese majeste law alone for the Democrats to consider joining its coalition.

“I’ve talked to Mr Chalermchai, and he shares the same opinions. We don’t agree with the MFP. But if the lead party in the coalition changes to reduce political divisiveness without touching the lese majeste law, we think it’s acceptable,” he said.

Police arrest S Korean ‘dealer’

By: Barkar Nash

On: May 19, 2023

In: South-East Asia

A South Korean national has been arrested after 0.5 grammes of crystal methamphetamine was found in his room.

The discovery came after authorities received a tip-off about the man’s alleged involvement in drug smuggling to South Korea, the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) said on Friday.

The Korea National Police earlier this month coordinated with the ONCB to investigate the 46-year-old man, identified as Chun Youn-bae, who had allegedly been smuggling crystal meth to South Korea in 2021-2022.

ONCB secretary-general Wichai Chaimongkhon said on Friday that the ONCB sought a warrant from Bangkok South Criminal Court on Thursday to search the suspect’s condominium in Soi Sukhumvit 21, where officials discovered 0.5 grammes of crystal meth, drug paraphernalia and plastic packaging bags hidden in his toilet.

Mr Wichai said the suspect faced charges, including possessing Type 1 narcotics without permission and overstaying his visa. He was taken to Lumpini police station for legal proceedings.

The suspect told police he had been in Thailand since 2006 for study purposes and had also run a tourist business for around five years, earning an income of around 50,000 baht.

The suspect claimed that he met a Thai woman on social media who offered to sell about 0.6 grammes of crystal meth per round that could be delivered by a motorcycle taxi driver or sent to the condo’s mailbox.

Despite the suspect refusing to provide further information about the Thai woman, Mr Wichai said that the ONCB had learnt the drug dealer’s identity and assumed Mr Chun may also have been a drug dealer, adding that the ONCB is gathering evidence to track down the remainder of the drug network members.

In a separate development, the Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB) arrested four members of a cross-border drug network along the Mekong River on Tuesday and confiscated 7 million meth pills.

Pol Maj Gen Thanarat Sonkla, commander of the Narcotics Suppression Division 2, said police acted on a tip-off to tighten border security in Nakhon Phanom and Sakon Nakhon.

Nakhon Pathom polling station to hold revote

By: Barkar Nash

On: May 19, 2023

In: South-East Asia

The Election Commission (EC) has ordered a revote at a polling station in Nakhon Pathom’s Muang district tomorrow after heavy rain and strong winds disrupted voting last Sunday.

EC chairman Ittiporn Boonpracong issued the order calling for the revote at polling station 10 in Constituency 1, urging eligible voters who cast their ballots at this station to exercise their right once more tomorrow.

The poll rerun will take place in the compound of the Bang Khaem tambon administrative organisation in Muang district from 8am to 5pm. On May 14, polling officials decided to suspend voting at the polling station after an afternoon rainstorm battered the compound and damaged the polling booths.

Meanwhile, the EC said all the election results from the constituency system nationwide are complete, pending the revote in Nakhon Pathom’s Constituency 1.

The office is reexamining the election results submitted by the provincial election committees and will update the results on www.ectreport.com.

Under the EC’s regulations, provincial election directors are required to publish the result of the vote count for the constituency and party-list system within five days of close of voting.

Meanwhile, voter turnout in Chachoengsao was almost 83%, making it among the top five provinces with the highest turnout, said provincial election director Thanakrit Nakcharupong.

A total of 477,004 out of 575,796 eligible voters cast ballots in the general election last Sunday, or 82.84%, up from the 79.07% turnout registered in the 2019 general election. Of all the ballots cast, 20,871, or 4.38%, were spoiled ballots, and 5,500 ballots, or 1.15%, were cast for no candidates.

According to Mr Thanakrit, a small commotion took place during a vote count when a media outlet reported that ballots from overseas voters who are in Constituency 3 had not been delivered for a count and were marked as spoiled ballots.

He said the report was inaccurate and insisted that the ballots, which were delivered on May 12 and May 13, were counted along with the others after the close of voting.

The other provinces with the highest turnout were Lamphun (86.12%), Phatthalung (84.46%), Phitsanulok (83.66%), and Nakhon Pathom (83.44%).

Nakhon Nayok (82.69%) was the sixth highest, according to the EC.

Teachers to get interest rate debt relief from co-ops

By: Barkar Nash

On: May 19, 2023

In: South-East Asia

More than half of the teachers’ cooperatives nationwide have reduced the interest on debts owed by teachers who are facing increasing financial difficulties, according to the Cooperative Promotion Department (CPD).

About 900,000 teachers collectively owe at least 1.4 trillion baht. Of this amount, 890 billion baht, or 64% of the loans, is owed to the teachers’ cooperatives, followed by 349 trillion baht to the Government Savings Bank.

The cooperatives, which are overseen by the CPD, have been trying to alleviate the teachers’ debt problems, said Wisit Srisuwn, the CPD director-general.

The department has secured financial support and know-how to sustain the cooperatives, which form an important financial lifeline for many member teachers, Mr Wisit said.

The CPD has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Education Ministry and 12 financial institutions to formulate a comprehensive plan to tackle teachers’ debt.

The plan involves revising the interest charged to teachers and bringing the rate down to around that offered by commercial banks. At the same time, the Education Ministry will advise cooperatives on how to streamline their operations.

Mr Wisit said so far, 70 of the 108 teachers’ cooperatives around the country had joined the interest reduction programme and managed to cut the rates by between 0.05% and 1%.

Of the 70 cooperatives, 11 were able to bring their interest rates below 5%, immediately benefiting at least 460,000 teachers whose debts stand at one million baht on average.

Mr Wisit said for every 1% of interest lowered, each teacher would see their debt go down by up to 10,000 baht per annum. He added that the department had issued cooperatives a guideline for assisting the teachers in controlling their debts.

He also dismissed calls by some members to be allowed to sell their shares in the cooperatives and take out their savings in them while still being able to continue borrowing from them. He said it was not legally possible to do so as the cooperatives were designed to encourage the teachers to have savings.

Police arrest S. Korean ‘drug dealer’

By: Barkar Nash

On: May 19, 2023

In: South-East Asia

A South Korean national has been arrested after 0.5 grammes of crystal methamphetamine was found in his room.

The discovery came after authorities received a tip-off about the man’s alleged involvement in drug smuggling to South Korea, the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) said on Friday.

Mr Wichai said the suspect faced charges, including possessing Type 1 narcotics without permission and overstaying his visa. He was taken to Lumpini police station for legal proceedings.

The suspect told police he had been in Thailand since 2006 for study purposes and had also run a tourist business for around five years, earning an income of around 50,000 baht.

In a separate development, the Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB) arrested four members of a cross-border drug network along the Mekong River on Tuesday and confiscated 7 million meth pills.

Pol Maj Gen Thanarat Sonkla, commander of the Narcotics Suppression Division 2, said police acted on a tip-off to tighten border security in Nakhon Phanom and Sakon Nakhon.

Prayut to retain role as UTN’s chief strategist

By: Barkar Nash

On: May 19, 2023

In: South-East Asia

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha won’t leave the United Thai Nation Party (UTN) and will continue as the party’s chief strategist, party leader Pirapan Salirathavibhaga said yesterday.

Gen Prayut will work to strengthen the UTN and take the lead in protecting the country’s three core institutions, which represent the core of the party’s ideology, said Mr Pirapan.

“Gen Prayut will continue to be with the party and work as the party’s chief strategist,” he said in a Facebook post.

And he will chair a meeting of all 36 successful election candidates on Monday at the party’s headquarters, said a source.

As a new party that had only four to five months to campaign for votes ahead of Sunday’s election, the UTN still proved strong enough to win 23 House seats in the constituency race and come third in the party-list contest with 4.67 million votes, said Mr Pirapan.

That support earned the party 13 list seats, bringing the total number of elected MPs to 36, which should be considered a success, he said, before thanking all those who had voted.

The party’s candidates came second in several constituencies, particularly in Bangkok, which reflected strong public support, he said.

“I’d like to ask all our supporters to keep faith in the party and be confident that we will move forward together for the sake of our beloved nation,” said Mr Pirapan.

Barkar Nash (Page 1,050)