Barkar Nash (Page 1,059)

Senators have expressed mixed opinions on whether to support Pita Limjaroenrat, the leader of the Move Forward Party, which won the most House seats in Sunday’s election, to become the next prime minister.

Senator Peeraksak Porjit said that it is up to parties to gather enough support to nominate a prime ministerial candidate for a vote in parliament.

“Senators will also consider who they will nominate and whether the candidate is suitable,” Mr Peerasak said, adding that senators should not abstain from voting.

Asked to comment on Mr Pita’s suitability, Mr Peerasak said that first, the parties with the most seats must drum up support for their choices before senators examine the qualifications of each candidate and the policy platforms that saw them voted into parliament.

“In principle, senators should respect the decision of the majority of MPs,” he said.

Senator Jetn Sirathranont echoed the sentiment.

“The poll result shows that people would want [senators] to vote for candidates either from the MFP or Pheu Thai.

“The political party that wins the most seats has the right to gather support and form a government first. If it fails, the party that wins the second-largest number of seats will be given a chance,” he said.

Senator Wallop Tangkananurak also said he shares that belief and is ready to support a candidate nominated by a party that can gather the support of more than 250 MPs.

However, he said he was baffled by an about-face by the MFP, which had earlier tried to “switch off” or remove the Senate’s power to join MPs in selecting a prime minister in parliament.

“But they [the MFP] are now calling on senators not to abstain from voting and instead support its prime ministerial candidate?” Mr Wallop said.

However, Jadet Insawang insisted that he would not vote for Mr Pita if he was nominated.

“Mr Pita has been attempting to scrap Section 112 [the lese majeste law], and that is unacceptable,” the senator said.

Meanwhile, Senator Seree Suwanpanont said he wanted the MFP to clarify its aim as to whether it would scrap the law entirely, as “There are several parties that disagree with the move to revise Section 112”.

Continue Reading

Two civil society groups have called on the Senate to respect the choice of the majority who want the Move Forward Party’s (MFP) Pita Limjaroenrat to be prime minister.

The Rural Doctors Society (RDS) and the Law CU Student Committee, Faculty of Law, Chulalongkorn University (CU) yesterday voiced their stance supporting the MFP in leading a coalition government with Mr Pita as prime minister.

The MFP has gathered 310 MPs from five former opposition parties and one new party, and so still needs the support of 66 senators to meet the required 376 votes to endorse their choice of prime minister according to the constitution.

In a statement, the RDS said that all stakeholders must respect the people’s massive poll mandate by voting to support Mr Pita as the nation’s next prime minister.

RDS said it is the principle of democracy to listen to the majority’s voice.

“The RDS would like to call on the 250 senators to create real democracy by respecting the majority’s will and give their support to Mr Pita,” the statement said.

The Law CU Student Committee issued a similar statement calling for the senators to support Mr Pita as the prime minister and for all political parties to accept the people’s vote.

A party that wins the most seats in an election has the right to form the coalition government first, and it would be unacceptable if there are attempts by some parties to form a minority government, their statement read.

Continue Reading

SURAT THANI: The National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT) has come up with a plan to support research targeting souvenirs sold in Koh Samui.

Koh Samui is one of the top-tier tourist attractions in the country. In terms of the island’s economy, coconut is considered its main economic crop, with other plants, such as banana, also being a key material for souvenirs.

With this in mind, NRCT executive director Wiparat De-ong said the council has funded two research projects focusing on the island’s souvenir development. One study was conducted by the Faculty of Science and Technology at Thammasat University. The other helped locals with sustainability by creating a Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) Economy Centre.

The first study would help lead to better quality souvenirs, she said, while adding to the island’s earnings using scientific and technological knowledge. The second study focused on building a network of souvenir providers on the island, including learning centres that help entrepreneurs display the production process for their souvenirs and exchange knowledge.

The NRCT and its research teams also observed problems which entrepreneurs encounter with product development. Souvenirs which took the interest of researchers included kalamae (a caramel-like sweet) and the question of how to extend its shelf-life packaging; skincare products with coconut, herbal skincare products, and products made from banana fibres, such as handbags, tote bags, and bar soap. The studies aim to boost the island’s economy on the international stage as well as provide a sustainable income to residents.

Continue Reading

Researchers from the Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University, will introduce AI to improve forensic sciences for sex-related crimes.

The Broadcasting and Telecommunications Research and Development Fund for Public Interest (BTFP) says it has granted a fund for researchers from Mahidol University who aim to revolutionise forensic pathology with AI.

Almost 9,000 rape cases were reported during 2017-2021. Narit Hnoohom, a faculty professor and project leader, said the number of sex-related crimes increases every year while the number of medical workers and forensic scientists is getting smaller.

Police must gather forensic evidence to prove an offender’s guilt. The scarcity of workers in forensic pathology results in delays in completing lab tests. Mr Narit said the AI system can help pathologists detect sperm in samples from 28 sex-related cases per day to 160 cases per day, reducing the average processing time from 17 minutes per case to three minutes per case.

AI technology also can improve the precision of sperm detection up to 97.2%, Mr Narit added. The data fed into AI comes from forensic scientists and forensic pathologists. “The faculty will launch the AI trial version at Siriraj Hospital. In the future, we plan to install the system at the Institute of Forensic Medicine and Central Institute of Forensic Science to help them identify sex offenders,” he said.

Continue Reading

NARATHIWAT: A three-year-old girl was found dead and naked not too far from her home in Muang district on Tuesday, two days after she disappeared.

The decaying body of Norasabeena Naekama was spotted lying near a pond by a local resident who was caring for his cattle on Tuesday morning.

The girl went missing on Sunday evening from her home, where she was playing whole her father sold snacks.

Amran Naekama, the 30-year-old father, said that a customer arrived in a vehicle to buy snacks for 60 baht.

The customer paid with a 1,000-baht banknote and Mr Amran did not have enough change. He said he went to a nearby shop to change the bill into smaller notes.

When he returned, the customer had left. His first reaction was surprise that the man had not waited for his change.

Minutes later he realised that his daughter was missing, and he reported the disappearance to local police.

Police are investigating the death and waiting for an autopsy report from Naradhiwasrajanagarind Hospital.

Continue Reading

The National Health Security Office (NHSO) aims to improve awareness among ethnic minorities and LGBTQIA+ people about their healthcare rights and access to services under its universal healthcare scheme.

One way to achieve this goal of it is to reach out to ethnic minorities and LGBTQIA+ people through groups working to protect their rights and representing them, said Yupadee Sirisinsuk, deputy NHSO secretary-general.

She was speaking at a recent workshop organised for these groups.

Ms Yupadee said the workshop was just the beginning of the NHSO’s efforts to reach out. More forums will be held across the country.

The next step is to turn those who have been trained at these workshops into coordinators in the NHSO’s bid to improve awareness about healthcare rights and access to healthcare services under the scheme, she said.

These coordinators will also give feedback on the needs of these groups, according to Ms Yupadee.

Sumali Tokthong, a coordinator of a transgender health group calling itself Kham Phet Mi Suk (“Happy Transgender People”), said transgender groups had not taken part as much as they should in the NHSO’s civic health network. She welcomed the office’s bid to reach out.

“An important matter for many transgender people is gender reassignment, a medical procedure which still is treated more or less as plastic surgery [which isn’t covered under the scheme],” she said.

Chaiyut Wai-noetlue, a representative of an ethnic minority group called Kaloeng in the northeastern province of Sakon Nakhon, said two key obstacles barring the ethnic people from learning more about their healthcare and gaining proper access to services are they are not registered properly as Thai citizens, and the language barrier.

Continue Reading

YALA: Two police officers were shot and wounded from ambush in Muang district on Tuesday afternoon.

The attack occurred about 12.20pm on Ban Niang – Lam Mai road in tambon Phron.

The two men were returning to Lam Mai police station in a police pickup after completing an assignment. Their vehicle was at a U-turn in front of a parawood factory when people hiding on the roadside opened fire at them.

Pol Lt Col Suthan Kaewkhiri and Pol Sgt Maj Suthipong Sangthong were both wounded by bullets and were later admitted to Yala Hospital.

The pickup’s windshield and rear window were both pierced by bullets.

Police were investigating.

Continue Reading

Crime Suppression Division (CSD) police have filed another charge against the sacked police officer who is the former husband of accused serial poisoner Sararat “Aem” Rangsiwuthaporn.

Pol Col Anek Taosuparp, CSD deputy commander, said he went to Region 7 Provincial Police headquarters in Nakhon Pathom on Tuesday and laid the additional charge against Pol Lt Col Withoon Rangsiwuthaporn.

He was charged with helping a suspect avoid being penalised or to get a lighter penalty by damaging, destroying, concealing or taking away evidence of an alleged crime.

Pol Lt Col Withoon had earlier been charged with receiving stolen property, forgery and using forged official documents.

The additional charge was filed against him after investigators from Ban Pong police station in Ratchaburi province found evidence that after the death of Siriporn “Koy” Khanwong, 32, on April 14, Pol Lt Col  Withoon and Ms Sararat went to visit her ex-husband’s parents in Sukhothai province, after the Songkran Festival.

Ms Sararat took a brandname bag and other property belonging to Siriporn with her to Sukhothai, intending to hide them. She later changed her mind and instead asked Pol Lt Col Withoon’s parents to send them to the officer’s house in Nakhon Pathom.

After receiving the items, Pol Lt Col Withoon took them to Tha Maka district in Kanchanaburi and gave them to Ms Sararat, instead of handing them to police investigating Siriporn’s death.

Ms Sararat then asked her sister-in-law to send the items to a woman called Ms Kaew in Cha-am district, Phetchaburi. Ms Kaew opened the parcel and suspected that the items sent to her might belong to Siriporn. She handed them over to police for examination.

This led to Pol Lt Col Withoon’s being slapped with the additional charge.

Ms Sararat, 36, dubbed “Aem Cyanide”, was arrested on April 25 at the government complex on Chaeng Watthana Road in Bangkok. Her arrest followed a complaint filed by the mother and elder sister of Siriporn.

Siriporn collapsed and died beside the Mae Klong River in Ban Pong district of Ratchaburi, where she had gone with Ms Sararat to release fish for merit-making on April 14. Cyanide was found in her body.

The list of Ms Sararat’s alleged victims has since continued to grow, with many extra charges being filed against her.

Continue Reading