Barkar Nash (Page 1,073)

Elderly face limits on who gets welfare

Critics have slammed the outgoing government for issuing a new regulation imposing income limits on the elderly receiving monthly allowances.

They say it should be left to the incoming government to decide on the matter while accusing the outgoing government of inefficiently categorising income groups.

The new regulation was signed by Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda and published in the Royal Gazette on Friday and became effective on Saturday.

The old regulation was for local administration organisations to pay universal monthly allowances of 600-1,000 baht to all elderly people, with 600 baht for people aged 60-69, 700 baht for people aged 70-79, 800 baht for people aged 80-89, and 1,000 baht for people aged 90 years and older.

Item 6 (4) of the new regulation states that from Saturday, only elderly people with no income or insufficient income to cover the cost of living are entitled to the monthly allowance from the state.

However, Item 17, a provisional clause in the new regulation, states that the new criterion for payment of the elderly allowance does not apply to people who registered for the allowance with local bodies before Aug 12, 2023, meaning those currently receiving the allowance are not affected.

Chaithawat Tulathon, secretary-general of the Move Forward Party (MFP), said the party disagrees with the new criterion.

“Everyone is entitled to welfare benefits. It is not about trying to prove people’s poverty. Changing a policy regarding welfare benefits is a major issue as it affects many people. It should not be carried out while a new government has not taken office yet,” he said.

“Whoever becomes the new prime minister should revise the new regulation,” Mr Chaithawat said while insisting that the party favours universal welfare coverage.

Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn, an MFP list-MP, said the new criterion had replaced universal coverage for the elderly.

It will severely impact people reaching 60 in the future, he said. People turning 70, 80 or 90 looking forward to the larger allowance will also wonder if they will get it.

In addition, he said, it was unclear whether people turning 60, who still have enough income to live on and are not entitled to the allowance under the new criterion and who later find they cannot make ends meet, will be able to register for the allowance.

Mr Wiroj said Thailand now had about 11 million people aged 60 and older. If payment of the elderly allowance were based on the database for state-welfare cardholders, only 5 million would be entitled to the allowance.

The other 6 million would be left out in the cold by the government, he said.

“The database is unreliable. This information cannot be used as a criterion for paying the elderly allowance,” he said.

The MFP MP said Section 11 (11) of the Elderly People Act stipulates that payment of the elderly allowance must be made monthly and be universal and fair.

The requirement for the elderly to prove their poverty may prevent them from receiving state welfare, which breaches this law.

Mr Wiroj said people affected by this change could petition the Administrative Court. The MFP pledged a monthly allowance of 3,000 baht to all elderly citizens during campaigning for the general election.

Sustarum Thammaboosadee, a lecturer at Thammasat University’s college of interdisciplinary studies, said that all elderly people should be entitled to universal welfare coverage.

Wannaphong Durongkaveroj, an economics lecturer at Ramkhamhaeng University, said that local authorities could not rely on the state-welfare card database to identify who is eligible for the allowance.

He said they must instead hold surveys in their localities before implementing the new regulation.

The Justice Ministry has appointed assistant national police chief, Pol Lt Gen Panurat Lakboonto, as the new secretary-general of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB).

The appointment was confirmed yesterday by Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam yesterday, who said Pol Lt Gen Panurat’s experience in narcotics suppression will further the ONCB’s goals, said a source.

Pol Lt Gen Panurat will replace Wichai Chaimongkol, who retires at the end of September. The source said Pol Lt Gen Panurat is a friend of Capt Thamanat Prompow, the Palang Pracharath Party secretary-general and former deputy agriculture minister.

Panurat: Named as new ONCB chief

The appointment follows recent comments by deputy Pheu Thai leader Phumtham Wechayachai, who said in a Facebook post that the caretaker government led by Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha should refrain from making high-level appointments as part of the annual reshuffle.

The ONCB secretary-general post is considered one such appointment.

“The caretaker government should follow the mannerly tradition of not getting involved in the reshuffle of high-ranking government officials, which could influence the performance of the next government,” he wrote.

Gen Prayut later said the reshuffle is determined by its own timeframe.

A doctor from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine said yesterday people infected with Covid-19 are at greater risk of developing diabetes.

Dr Thira Woratanarat from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine was commenting on research published on the medRxiv.org website last Wednesday.

The study sampled 15 million people in the United Kingdom, the doctor said via Facebook.

Those infected with Covid-19 have a 24% greater chance on average of developing Type-2 diabetes than those who have never been exposed to the virus.

Those who had severe symptoms and were admitted to the hospital have a greater risk of later having diabetes, three times higher than those who never had the virus.

For those who had mild symptoms when they had Covid-19, the chances of them developing Type-2 diabetes in later life are now about 10% higher, while those who received the Covid-19 vaccine and later had Covid-19 also have a greater chance of developing Type-2 diabetes.

He suggested people have a Type-2 diabetes check during an annual check-up.

Regarding the Covid-19 situation, as of Aug 12, the Department of Disease Control (DDC) had recorded 31,843 new Covid cases this year. The number of fatalities was 775.

More than 144 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administrated in Thailand since the virus outbreak. Of those vaccinated, 57,233,919 received their first dose, 53,730,348 received their second, and 33,987,074 received their third dose.

Thailand has recorded its first fatal case of monkeypox after a Thai man who was also HIV-positive and had syphilis, died of the virus, the Department of Disease Control (DDC) said yesterday.

Dr Tares Krassanairawiwong, DDC director-general, told reporters that the 34-year-old had suffered a fever, headache, itching and had a rash on his body on July 3 but decided to receive treatment in a private hospital in Chon Buri on July 11.

Tests later confirmed that he had monkeypox, HIV and syphilis.

The patient had also suffered from a sore throat due to a fungal infection, an opportunistic infection in HIV patients, Dr Tares said. The rash also spread all over his body due to the monkeypox, and he was hospitalised for four weeks before being discharged.

On Aug 9, when the man complained of fatigue and breathing difficulties, his relatives sent him to the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute in Nonthaburi for treatment.

By then, he still had the rash, had large areas of dead tissue on his nose and neck, infections to his limbs, lungs and brain, and severe immunodeficiency.

He received monkeypox medication and antibiotics, but his condition deteriorated and he died on Aug 11.

Dr Tares said monkeypox was an emerging infectious disease in Thailand. As of Aug 8, there had been 189 cases involving 161 Thais and 28 foreigners.

Most cases were among men who had unprotected sex with male strangers, with 43% of those men also being HIV-positive, which caused them to contract the disease more easily due to their immunodeficiency, he said.

DDC deputy director-general, Dr Sophon Iamsirithaworn, said monkeypox was spreading because people continued to indulge in risky behaviour.

There have been 152 fatalities related to monkeypox worldwide since the outbreak was first reported in May last year, Dr Sophon said.

Thailand has received a batch of the antiviral Tecovirimat (TPOXX) drug from the World Health Organisation to treat those who contract the virus, he said.

The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) will close 693 illegal railway crossings across the country, after a pickup truck was struck by a freight train in Chachoengsao last week. Eight people were killed and three injured in the accident.

The collision took place at an unofficial crossing, which isn’t equipped with a signalling mechanism. Out of the 437 incidents involving trains which occurred between 2005 and 2021, about 44% took place at such crossings, according to the SRT.

SRT’s Director of Safety and Maintenance, Tayakorn Chandrangsu, said yesterday there are 2,697 level crossings across the nation’s 4,000-kilometre rail network. Of that total, 2,004 are official crossings, while 693 are not. Of the 693 to be closed, 52 are located in the North, 54 are in the Northeast, 68 in the East, and 519 in the South.

He said locals continue to use illegal crossings as they tend to be the most convenient and direct means to get to their destination.

The SRT had told each province to come up with solutions to minimise level crossing accidents, but the result was minimal at best, he said.

“When the SRT closed some of these crossings to prevent accidents, residents protested against it. They would then reopen the crossings,” he added.

He said the SRT will build more walkways around its rail network, especially in communities bisected by tracks. The SRT also encourages people to use the DRT’s Crossing Application app, where people can report problems with local crossings.

“We also aim to have fewer ground level crossings for our double-track expansion and high-speed railways to prevent accidents,” said Mr Tayakorn.

Coalition partners want assurances

The Pheu Thai Party has shrugged off demands from its prospective coalition partners for cabinet seats to be allocated before they proceed to vote on the party’s prime ministerial candidate.

Pheu Thai deputy leader Phumtham Wechayachai said there must be clarity on how the coalition will vote on the prime ministerial candidate first. Only then will cabinet seat allocation be discussed.

He insisted cabinet seats will have to be acceptable to society and reflect the policies of each coalition party.

“We ask that the parties recognise the country’s and people’s needs as the first priority,” he said.

Mr Phumtham’s statement followed a reported ultimatum issued by a number of its coalition members to settle the cabinet allocation ahead of the vote.

The parties also snubbed Pheu Thai’s prime ministerial candidate Srettha Thavisin’s suggestion that parties joining the Pheu Thai-led administration not return to oversee the ministries they are occupying in the current caretaker government.

So far, the Bhumjaithai and Chartthaipattana parties from the current caretaker government have agreed to take part in a Pheu Thai-led administration. Other major parties reportedly mulling whether to join the new coalition are the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) and the United Thai Nation (UTN) Party.

These parties from the caretaker government have insisted that if they get to keep the ministries they currently supervise, it would benefit work continuity.

They added Pheu Thai should not focus on amending the constitution, but instead take care of the economic problems and people’s livelihoods first.

Mr Phumtham said he has not heard of a reported demand by any prospective coalition parties pressing for Mr Srettha to be replaced as prime ministerial candidate by Paetongtarn Shinawatra, head of the so-called Pheu Thai Family.

As far as he was aware, the parties had not paid serious attention to the issue, Mr Phumtham said.

“It must be made clear how many parties are ready to be in the government and how the cabinet seats are to be divided up,” he said, affirming the coalition line-up so far consists of parties with 238 MPs between them.

“We expect that after the new prime minister is chosen, the new government will get down to work next month after the business of allocating ministries is over and done with,” the Pheu Thai deputy leader said.

However, Pheu Thai secretary-general Prasert Chantararuangthong said support for the coalition has now climbed to 278 MPs, with the latest addition of the PPRP, which has pledged that its 40 MPs will vote for Pheu Thai’s prime ministerial candidate.

“We’re confident Mr Srettha’s nomination will sail through in a single round of voting,” he said.

Parliament president Wan Muhamad Noor Matha said yesterday the vote will likely be called either on Friday or Aug 22.

Meanwhile, Senator Kittisak Rattanawaraha admitted some senators doubt whether Mr Srettha will become prime minister. He said he believed the new premier would not be one of the three Pheu Thai prime ministerial candidates.

“It appears credible that the right to form a new government will pass from the Pheu Thai Party to the third-biggest, the Bhumjaithai Party or even the fourth-ranked PPRP,” he said.

The Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT) strategic framework has generated over US$618 billion (about 21.7 trillion baht) since its founding in 1993, said deputy government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek on Monday.

Established during Chuan Leekpai’s tenure as prime minister, the framework was set up to facilitate private sector cooperation between the three countries, in a bid to boost the region’s economic growth.

Ms Rachada said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha praised the longevity and success of the initiative, which has helped the region improve its economic performance, especially in border areas tremendously.

Under the IMT-GT framework, the private sector is encouraged to help develop six core industries which are seen as the key drivers of the region’s economic growth, namely trading, infrastructure, tourism, human resources, agriculture and the environment, as well as halal food production.

As for projects to enhance connectivity in the region worth US$57 billion, all 36 have made considerable progress, said Ms Rachada. Aimed at improving logistics and travel, the projects include the Hat Yai-Padang Besar-Kuala Lumpur train and the second bridge over the Kolok River connecting the border town of Sungai Kolok in Narathiwat of Thailand to Rantau Panjang district of Kelantan in Malaysia.

At present, the scope of the IMT-GT cooperation has also expanded to 36 states and provinces in all three countries, she said.

During the past four decades, the gross domestic product of the three countries has also increased from US$12.7 billion in 1984 to US$405 billion in 2021, Ms Rachada said.

Trade value also increased from US$97 billion in 1984 to US$618 billion in 2021.

Deputy House speaker Padipat Suntiphada has come un-der fire after posting a video clip of himself drinking beer on social media, which some say could be a violation of the law.

The furore began after Mr Padipat, a Move Forward Party MP for Phitsanulok, reviewed a can of beer brewed in his home province on Tiktok.

This prompted a flurry of criticism from netizens, who pointed to the law which prohibits the advertising of alcoholic beverages.

Tankhun Jittitsara, a former Democrat MP, called on House speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha to look into whether Mr Padipat breached the ethical code for political-office holders.

Democrat spokesman, Ramet Rattanachaweng, warned that Mr Padipat’s action may constitute a violation of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act.