Barkar Nash (Page 1,064)

Says Chuvit still bitter about unsold land

Pheu Thai Party’s prime ministerial candidate Srettha Thavisin posted a video message on his Facebook account on Friday claiming that whistleblower and former parlour tycoon Chuvit Kamolvisit made allegations of improper business dealings against him because Mr Srettha declined to buy some of his land on Soi Sukhumvit 24 last year worth 2 billion baht.

Mr Srettha is attempting to fend off the corruption allegations ahead of the next round of voting for a new prime minister next week.

Parliament will meet on Tuesday to decide whether to vote for him and end three months of political deadlock since the May 14 general election.

Mr Srettha, a wealthy property mogul, said Sansiri — the property developer of which he was CEO — strictly abides by good governance principles and steadfastly observes all legal procedures without seeking to exploit them for self-serving purposes.

He said the company has never faced any such accusations before.

“We are transparent in our work. I come here today to show my innocence to the general public, and to say that my activities were done in accordance with the law,” he said.

Mr Srettha denied all of Mr Chuvit’s accusations. He said Sansiri buys land and has no obligation to intervene with the interior administration of the seller.

As a purchaser, it does not use nominees and never takes out loans, he said, referring to Mr Chuvit’s other claim on Tuesday that the company used four nominees and a 1-billion-baht loan from its subsidiary previously to purchase land in the Thong Lor area of Bangkok.

The 1 billion baht alluded to was the mortgage agreed to and signed by both parties, coupled with the attendant insurance policy, Mr Srettha said.

“I have all the evidence and I insist there was no such loan contract. I am not involved in any illegal activities and neither myself nor the Sansiri employees ever receive any money from corruption,” Mr Srettha wrote.

Mr Srettha claimed Mr Chuvit simply has an axe to grind over a property deal last September that never materialised. Sansiri was not able to buy the land as Mr Chuvit’s land was legally tied to another company, Raimon Land.

“Since then, I have been threatened by Mr Chuvit’s aides via messages demanding that I pay the deposit to buy [Mr Chuvit’s land] at the full price.

“[He wanted] me to sign an MoU on the land purchase deal without any conditions after Pheu Thai decided to nominate me as its prime ministerial candidate,” Mr Srettha wrote.

He also urged Mr Chuvit to stop distorting information about Pheu Thai’s digital wallet policy.

Mr Chuvit posted photos online of one of the alleged nominees to back his claim.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is allowing a controversial sculpture of the deity Khru Kai Kaeo to remain on the premises of the Bazaar Hotel on Ratchadaphisek Road for the time being despite a barrage of complaints.

Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt said he ordered the BMA’s permanent secretary to confirm whether or not the statue contravenes any laws or regulations. No violation has been found thus far, he said.

“As the sculpture is clearly visible from Ratchadaphisek Road, its scary-looking appearance might frighten passers-by and commuters. We understand that the sculpture makes some people feel uncomfortable. We will try our best to find a solution,” he said.

The 4-metre-tall gargoyle-like effigy is painted black with red eyes, yellow fangs and long red nails. Some claim it depicts the revered mentor of Jayavarman VII, a former king in the Khmer Empire. But historians have dismissed this as not having any basis in fact.

Pimuk Simaroj, Mr Chadchart’s secretary, said representatives of the BMA and the Bazaar Hotel agreed on Friday in principle that the hotel will build a screen so the statue cannot be seen from the road.

“We have to weigh the needs of two groups of people: those who are displeased at seeing the sculpture and the worshippers who don’t want it to be removed,” Mr Chadchart said.

As the statue is less than 10m tall it does not require a permit from the BMA. It also sits on private property, making its installation the prerogative of the hotel, he added.

To find a solution, the BMA has ordered the hotel to design a screen to make it invisible to road users and submit the design to a district office for approval.

“The screen will prevent passers-by from seeing it but still allow worshippers to pay their respects,” he said, adding the hotel agreed to the move.

The public is welcome to file complaints with the BMA if there are any issues that City Hall needs to address, Mr Chadchart said.

A red-shirt supporters group has called on Pheu Thai Party to help bring exiled activists accused of political offences back home after it forms a government.

The group calling itself the Media for Democracy, led by Jutikhong Phummoon, gathered at Pheu Thai’s headquarters on Friday.

Mr Jutikhong said that once Pheu Thai forms a government, it should clear the way for the activists, accused of political offences but not implicated in lese majeste cases, to come home as innocent people and facilitate their return.

He also said the group supported Pheu Thai’s efforts to set up a constitution drafting assembly to draw up a new charter as quickly as possible once the new government takes office.

He said the new government should also reduce water, electricity and fuel prices and speed up its 10,000-baht digital wallet programme referring to a handout for Thais aged 16 and over, delivered to their smartphone. The giveaway aims to stimulate spending in local communities in the administration’s first six months with the help of blockchain technology. The money must be spent within a 4-kilometre radius of the user’s registered address.

Nikhom Boonwiset, a Pheu Thai list-MP, accepted the group’s petition and said the party will step up efforts to implement its election policy pledges.

He said Pheu Thai made the right decision to work with other parties from the opposite end of the political spectrum to form a government to reduce conflict and foster unity for the country’s sake. He was referring to the United Thai Nation Party, which agreed to join the Pheu Thai-led coalition on Thursday.

A source previously said Pheu Thai had also sealed a deal with the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), which had agreed to vote for Pheu Thai’s prime ministerial candidate, Srettha Thavisin, in exchange for cabinet posts.

As a result, Pheu This is taking heavy criticism for reneging on its word before the May 14 election that it would not work with “uncle” parties — those linked to military leaders involved in the 2014 coup.

The “uncles” refer to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, the former UTN chief adviser and prime ministerial candidate, and Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon, the leader and prime ministerial candidate of the PPRP.

Parents are being told to equip their vehicles with seats and seatbelts suitable for young children now that a new law aimed at promoting child safety has taken effect.

Deputy government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek said the law on mandatory safety seats for children under six came into force on Aug 17 and offenders must pay a fine of up to 2,000 baht. However, public transport vehicles are exempted from this requirement.

Ms Rachada said if children under six years old do travel in vehicles without specially fitted child seats, drivers must not break the speed limit and stay in the left-most lane while the child must be seated in the back seat with a caregiver present. In pickup trucks, the child must be seated in the front passenger seat. If there is no caregiver, the child must be secured with a lap belt.

She said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has strongly urged parents to abide by the law as it is intended to minimise injuries suffered by children in the event of road accidents.

The Department of Environment Quality Promotion has officially been renamed the Department of Climate Change and Environment as per a royal command by His Majesty the King.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa said the name change took effect yesterday, adding the new department will be restructured to meet its new challenges.

Citing recent remarks by UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres on “global boiling”, Mr Varawut said the new department is essential to Thailand’s efforts to address issues related to climate change. According to Mr Guterres, global surface and ocean temperatures have reached historically high levels, which signals that global warming has ended and the “global boiling” era is here.

Mr Varawut said he has instructed natural resources and environment permanent secretary Jatuporn Buruspat to oversee the transition and work closely with the new department chief, Somsak Sappakosolkul, to ensure the work is not disrupted.

Ministerial regulations will soon be issued about the structure of the new department, which will integrate work handled by the Department of Climate Change and Environment and that by the Climate Change Management and Coordination Division under the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (Onep).

“The department is vital as Thailand now has a body that is directly responsible for tackling issues related to climate change,” he said.

The InterContinental Khao Yai Resort has offered its condolences to a former employee who was reportedly treated unfairly by her manager and threatened when she requested time off due to her mother being seriously ill.

“One of our colleagues has recently lost her mother and we want to express our profound sympathy and support for her and her grieving family,” the resort wrote in a statement it released in response to the widespread criticism it has received online.

The resort, in Pak Chong district of Nakhon Ratchasima, said it is investigating the manager’s conduct and reassured the employee her job was safe.

On Aug 16, Kodchakorn Tongbang­- prong posted screenshots of her Line chat history with the resort’s manager online, showing her request to take business leave to nurse her dying mother and organise the funeral.

However, the manager replied that Ms Kodchakorn should send in a resignation letter once her business leave was over. The post sparked outrage on social media platforms, with many questioning how the resort manager could treat one of her subordinates so callously.

On Thursday, InterContinental Khao Yai released the statement on its official Facebook page, revealing that it had suspended a member of staff while continuing its probe into the manager’s conduct.

On the same day, Ms Kodchakorn told the press she had told the manager days before her mother fell gravely ill that she might have to take leave.

She said she had texted the manager earlier, saying she would like to take one more day of leave to stay with her mother. However, the manager rejected Ms Kodchakorn’s request because she could not find a replacement. Ms Kodchakorn’s mother died the same day.

A 24-year-old man said he will sell his pickup truck to help compensate the owner of a 31-million-baht Rolls-Royce that he collided with on Aug 13.

Sun Yuhan, 38, a Chinese businesswoman, was at the wheel of her Rolls-Royce Ghost when it was rear-ended by an Isuzu pickup truck driven by Pongthep Reunreng on Highway 7 in Bang Pakong district, Chachoengsao.

Ms Yuhan filed a report with the police and demanded compensation.

Mr Pongthep was summoned to Highway Police Station 2, Sub-Division 8, yesterday to pay a 1,000-baht fine for negligent driving. He also met with Ms Yuhan and her lawyer, Anirut Khongsap, to discuss damages.

Police said Mr Pongthep, accompanied by his lawyer Ratchapon Sirisakorn, admitted the crash was his fault.

Mr Pongthep said his vehicle insurance had expired and pleaded with Ms Yuhan that he could not afford full compensation for the repairs.

According to Ms Yuhan’s lawyer, her insurance company will send the total cost of the repairs to Mr Pongthep within a few days. The initial estimation is at least 2 million baht.

Mr Pongthep said the best he could do was sell his Isuzu D-Max pickup, his sole asset, and use the money as compensation.

According to the Land Traffic Act, drivers must maintain a sufficient distance from the vehicle in front so they can slow down and stop safely without crashing into it.

Mr Ratchapon said that car accessories may have affected the braking capacity of Mr Pongthep’s pickup as skid marks were only evident on one side of the road at the accident site.

The lawyer said Mr Pongthep should not have been driving so fast as his relatives and children were in the vehicle with him.

The insurance premium for Rolls-Royce cars reportedly costs around 400,000 baht and covers accidents valued anywhere up to 26 million baht.