Barkar Nash (Page 2)

Environment minister Phatcharavat tells COP28 talks that $100bn fund essential to help developing states

Thailand has called for further action from its partners to achieve the goal of $100 billion in climate finance by 2025, saying it is crucial for helping developing nations to reach their climate targets.

Pol Gen Phatcharavat Wongsuwan, the minister of natural resources and environment, issued the call during an address to the COP28 global climate talks currently taking place in Dubai.

He also reaffirmed Thailand’s determination to achieve carbon neutrality in 2050 and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in 2065.

Pol Gen Phatcharavat said the country was making concrete and clear progress towards its goals, having updated its National Adaptation Plan (NAP) to alleviate the impacts and risks of climate change.

The plan covers key areas such as water management, agriculture and food security, tourism, public health, natural resources and environment management, as well as human settlement and security.

Thailand, he said, was expected to reach peak emissions in 2025. Meanwhile, studies have shown that the share of renewable fuel sources in electricity generation will need to reach 68% in 2040 — compared with about 15% now — and 74% by 2050 for the country to reach carbon neutrality.

“We are also moving towards phasing down fossil fuel in line with our 2050 Carbon Neutrality goal,” the minister added.

In the agricultural sector, a climate-smart rice farming project is now being funded by the Green Climate Fund. The €38-million project is expected to promote low-emission rice farming and improve climate resilience among farmers.

“We are in the midst of enacting our first Climate Change Act, in which appropriate regulations would be set for greenhouse gas emissions. Capacity-building on climate resilience will also be enhanced in every sector,” Pol Gen Phatcharavat added.

He reiterated that the worldwide climate finance goal of $100 billion for a Loss and Damage Fund by 2025 is crucial for developing states.

In 2009, developed countries promised that starting from 2020, they would transfer $100 billion a year to poorer nations hit by worsening climate change-fuelled disasters. They later indicated the target would not be met until 2023, and are now hoping to secure commitments to meet the goal by 2025.

According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, contributions by developed nations and other participants reached $89.6 billion in 2021.

“No one and no country is spared from the adverse effects of climate change,” Pol Gen Phatcharavat told the meeting. “I am gratified that the Loss and Damage Fund has been established and will be materialised further at COP28.”

The fund is intended to help compensate vulnerable countries for the impacts of climate change, such as increasing extreme weather events. At COP 28, the United Arab Emirates said it would commit $100 million to the fund, with another $100 million coming from Germany, $17.5 million from the US and $10 million from Japan, according to The Guardian.

Pol Gen Phatcharavat expressed optimism that the Dubai talks “will set a firm pathway for all of us to achieve the 1.5 degrees Celsius target under the Paris Agreement”.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Phatcharavat Wongsuwan (left) joins the Thai delegation at the COP28 talks in Dubai. (Photo: Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Facebook)

Inmate serving time for theft was being treated for penis enlargement gone wrong

A prisoner escaped from a hospital in Pattaya early on Saturday after undergoing surgery to treat a penis infection, police said.

Officials from the Pattaya Remand Prison alerted police that the man had fled Bang Lamung Hospital in the Na Klua area of the beach town in Chon Buri, said Pol Col Nawin Sinthurat, chief of the Bang Lamung police station, who was alerted about 2am.

People saw the inmate running towards a forested area behind the hospital. More than 100 police and prison staff were hunting for him, said Pol Col Nawin.

According to police, inmate Thanaphat Mayod, 37, had one year and 10 months left to serve for a theft conviction.

After suffering a severe infection from injections to enlarge his penis, he was admitted to Bang Lamung Hospital for surgery on Dec 6. He was recovering in a seventh-floor patient room that was being guarded by two prison officers.

At around 2am, Thanaphat used a steel cutter to break his fetters and left the room, taking an elevator to the ground floor to make his escape.

When police called his wife in for questioning, she reportedly admitted she had brought him the cutting tool on Friday.

The woman claimed her husband escaped because he missed his family.

Thanaphat’s escape is the second such incident involving a prisoner in recent weeks. Chaowalit Thongduang, alias Sia Paeng Nanod, escaped from Maharat Nakhon Si Thammarat Hospital in Nakhon Si Thammarat on Oct 22. Despite a massive manhunt and a shootout with police, he remains at large.

Police seize 2 million pills after stopping pickup in Chiang Rai

Two drug mules carrying 2 million methamphetamine pills were arrested at a checkpoint in the northern border province of Chiang Rai after travelling only 200 metres.

Chiang Rai police reported on Saturday morning that the duo had been taken into custody and charged with the distribution of a Category 1 drug. They were identified only as Kriti, 44, and Phap, 56.

Acting on a tip received on Dec 6 about a pending attempt to transport drugs via the Chiang Rai bypass, authorities set up checkpoints on Road No 131 in tambon Rop Wiang of Muang district.

On Saturday morning, police stopped and inspected a Chevrolet pickup truck with Lampang licence plates heading into Chiang Rai. Kriti was driving the vehicle with Phap in the passenger seat.

Finding several black plastic bags in the back seat, officers opened them to discover 10 woven sacks, each containing bags of methamphetamine stamped with Y1 and A. Each sack contained 200,000 pills, or 2 million in total.

The pair admitted to police that they had been approached during the Loy Krathong festival to transport the drugs.

They told police they had only finished loading their truck 30 minutes prior and had driven only about 200 metres before being intercepted.

Party veteran Chalermchai Sri-on confirmed for top post after running unopposed

Former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva quit the Democrat Party on Saturday during a tumultuous meeting in which veteran MP Chalermchai Sri-on was chosen as its new leader after running unopposed.

Mr Abhisit, who led the party from 2005 to 2019, made his surprise announcement after being nominated by Democrat patriarch Chuan Leekpai for the leadership.

He declined to comment on reports that his exit could be linked to the possibility that under a new leader, the party might move from the opposition benches to join the Pheu Thai-led government coalition.

Two hundred and sixty members turned out for the general assembly of the country’s oldest political party to select its ninth leader, at the Miracle Grand Convention Hotel in Lak Si district of Bangkok. Under party rules, at least 250 of 346 party representatives nationwide must be in attendance.

The party had failed in two attempts in July and August to pick a new head to succeed Jurin Laksanawisit due to a lack of quorum. Mr Jurin had stepped down to take responsibility for the party’s poor showing in the May general election, when its seat total was halved from 2019.

Mr Jurin was among four former party leaders at Saturday’s meeting, alongside Mr Chuan, 85, Banyat Bantadtan and Mr Abhisit. Several other Democrats were seen holding signs showing support for Mr Chalermchai, whose candidacy had been put forward by a group of 21 of the party’s 25 members of Parliament.

After discussions about the party’s next executive committee, Mr Chuan proposed Mr Abhisit for the leadership.

“Mr Abhisit is not inferior to any political party leader in Thailand at the moment, and I believe Mr Abhisit will lead the party towards democracy,” said Mr Chuan.

However, Mr Abhisit responded by announcing his refusal and his decision to leave the party altogether.

“I wish to withdraw myself as a candidate and resign from the Democrat Party,” he said. “There is no other party, and there will be no other party for me.

“If you were to cut me, I would bleed blue. I will remain loyal to this party for the rest of my days, and I am hopeful that the next group of administrators will be successful in their stated objectives.”

His statement was met with applause as he exited the hall.

“If you were to cut me, I would bleed blue. I will remain loyal to this party for the rest of my days,” former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva tells the Democrat faithful at Saturday’s meeting. (Photo: Democrat Party Facebook)

Addressing the press while leaving the hotel, Mr Abhisit said, “I have said all I want to say and there is nothing left on my mind.”

Asked about his future role in politics, the Oxford-educated Democrat said he had not yet given it any thought.

He declined to comment on whether he had intended to resign before discussing the matter with Mr Chalermchai during the meeting.

The new leader, he told reporters, could elaborate on their discussions and on whether the party might be considering joining the government side.

Mr Abhisit, 59, served as prime minister from 2008-11. He led the Democrats from 2005 until he resigned following the party’s weak performance in the 2019 election.

Mr Chalermchai faced no opposition after the meeting decided not to waive a rule requiring a candidate to have been with the party for at least five years before seeking the leadership. That eliminated Watanya “Madam Dear” Bunnag, 39, the only other contender, who had vowed to bring new ideas to the party.

After Mr Chalermchai received 88.5% of the votes cast to secure the top job, acting deputy leader Sathit Pitutecha also resigned from the Democrats and said he would not seek membership in another party.

“Mr Chalermchai had clearly stated that he would permanently withdraw from politics if the Democrats failed to secure at least 50 MP seats (in the general election),” said Mr Sathit. “Today, he’s vying for the position of party leader. The person who will lead the party must keep his word.”

Mr Chalermchai, 58, is a native of Prachuap Khiri Khan. A graduate in Law from Ramkhamhaeng University, he also holds a master’s degree in Art (Policy and Planning) from Krirk University.

He was first elected to the House as an MP for Prachuap Khiri Khan in 2001. He served as Minister of Labour in the Democrat-led government of Mr Abhisit in 2010, and as Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives from 2019-23 in the Prayut Chan-o-cha government.

Acting Democrat leader Chalermchai Sri-on ran unopposed for the leadership on Saturday and received 88.5% of the votes. (Photo: Chalermchai Sri-on Facebook)

Two Indian tourists were killed and five other people – four Indian nationals and a Thai driver – sustained severe injuries when a van they were travelling in rammed into the rear of a truck in Tha Sae district of Chumphon in the early hours of Saturday.

The crash occurred at kilometre marker 476+100 on the Bangkok-bound Phetkasem Road in tambon Na Kratai,said Pol Capt Theeraporn Khongnuan, deputy investigation chief at Tha Sae station. Police received the report of the incident 1am.

Police, medics and rescue workers rushed to the scene and found a 10-wheel truck with Nakhon Pathom licence plates parked at a U-turn. The collision caused slight damage to the vehicle’s left side.

Truck driver Kraisorn Klinsawang, 32, of Prachuap Khiri Khan, waited for police at the scene. 

About 150 metres away from the incident, a badly-damaged Toyota van with Phuket licence plates had overturned in a roadside ditch. Four Indian passengers and a 50-year-old Thai man sustained serious injuries. The Thai man was identified only as Nirot, the van driver.  All were taken to two nearby hospitals.

Two other male passengers were found dead and trapped in the wreckage. Rescue workers had to use a cutting tool to extract their bodies. The deceased passengers were identified as Indian tourists, aged 25 and 28.

A preliminary investigation showed that the van was transporting 10 foreign passengers from Hat Yai district in Songkhla to Bangkok. Upon reaching the scene, the 10-wheeler moved to the right lane to make a U-turn, resulting in the van rear-ending it. The impact caused the van driver to lose control, and the vehicle overturned and plunged into the roadside ditch.

Police were investigating to find the exact cause of the crash. They plan to question the van driver, the injured passengers and the truck driver.

PHANGNGA: A total of 118 leatherback turtle eggs were found on a beach in Khao Lampi-Hat Thai Muang National Park in Thai Muang district yesterday, the first of the current nesting season, according to park officials.

Prarop Plaengngan, the national park chief, said officials were patrolling the beach for signs of a leatherback turtle, or Tao Mafueng, breeding site when they spotted turtle tracks on Hat Pang Friday morning.

They followed the tracks of the mother turtle, which was 160-170 centimetres in length, to the nesting site where they found 118 eggs. Of them, 34 were infertile.

Mr Prarop said the eggs were moved to a safe place where they would not be disturbed by other animals or human activity so they can be hatched safely, adding the nest is expected to hatch in early February.

Alarm sounded on smuggled strains

The government has warned farmers not to smuggle or grow rice sourced from Vietnam that Thai authorities have not yet certified.

Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Capt Thamanat Prompow on Friday issued the warning to Thai farmers saying they could be in trouble if Vietnam files complaints against them.

Capt Thamanat said this could also affect the country’s reputation and bilateral ties.

The minister admitted that rice strains from Vietnam produce more yield per rai than Thai rice strains, which can generate more income for farmers.

But he said it is impossible for the Department of Rice to certify rice strains smuggled in from neighbouring countries.

Capt Thamanat said he instructed the Department of Rice to research and develop new domestic rice strains that will yield more crops per rai with better quality so farmers can use them for growing in the next planting season.

On Tuesday, The Rice Trader (TRT) announced that Vietnam’s Ong Cua ST25 rice won the first prize in the World’s Best Rice 2023 contest at the World Rice Conference in Cebu, Philippines, held on Nov 28-30, beating about 30 other rice varieties submitted from various countries.

The second and third prizes were won by rice from Cambodia and India, respectively.

The president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, Chookiat Ophaswongse, said that Thailand did not join this year’s contest even though Thai rice is widely recognised for its high quality and standards.

Thailand’s Hom Mali 105 rice won the world’s best rice title for two consecutive years in 2020 and 2021.

However, Cambodia’s Phka Rumduol rice surpassed Thailand’s Hom Mali rice, winning the title of “Best Rice in the World” in 2022.

The failure of Thai rice to join the competition caused a stir among the Thai public, given that Thai rice has long been a world champion and has always been among the top three best rice types worldwide.

Capt Thamanat offered assurances about local rice despite its lower yield per rai.

“When it comes to quality, Thai rice is not inferior to any other rice variety,” Capt Thamanat said.

Figure falls short of Pheu Thai’s promises

The daily minimum wage for Thai workers nationwide is set to rise from Jan 1, 2024 — and the new rates will vary from province to province, ranging from 330 to 370 baht, according to the labour ministry.

The tripartite committee on minimum daily wages, comprised of representatives from the business sector, labour and the government, approved the new rates on Friday.

The current rates are between 328 to 354 baht. The increases in the daily minimum wage will range from 2 to 16 baht, or an average of 2.4%.

Workers in Phuket will obtain the highest daily wage of 370 baht, up from 354 baht now, while workers in Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala will receive the lowest wage of 330 baht, up from 328 baht.

Workers in Bangkok, Nakhon Pathom, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan and Samut Sakhon will receive the new daily wage rate of 363 baht, up by 10 baht from the current 353 baht per day.

Speaking after chairing the committee’s meeting, which lasted five hours on Friday, Pairoj Chotikasathien, permanent secretary for the Labour Ministry, said that the wage hikes will be presented to the cabinet for acknowledgement before it is announced in the Royal Gazette.

The new wage rates will then take effect on Jan 1.

“This adjustment will allow workers to achieve a standard of living that is based on economic conditions and is suitable for businesses,” Mr Pairoj said.

He also explained that 370 baht has been approved for workers in Phuket because the island province is unique in that there is little farming in the province and most labourers work in the tourism sector there. Furthermore, the cost of living in Phuket is higher than that of other provinces.

“Therefore, the new daily wage of 370 baht for Phuket is appropriate,” Mr Pairoj said.

However, the new daily wage falls short of the level promised by the Pheu Thai Party during its election campaign earlier this year.

This wage adjustment has attracted more public attention than usual after the ruling Pheu Thai Party had previously announced a policy to raise the minimum wage to 400 baht per day, a promise the party made during the last general election.

However, Labour Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn last month poured cold water on that idea, saying wages would probably rise by only 2% — in line with the current low inflation.

The last wage increase approved by the tripartite committee was 5%, in October last year.

Pheu Thai’s plan for a big wage hike had rattled businesses that feared it would push up operating costs and make the country less competitive for investors at a time when the economy is underperforming.

Mr Pairoj said there would be another wage increase in 2024, when the committee would seek to raise the level to 400 baht.

Mr Phiphat said after the meeting on Nov 27, a sub-committee under this main wage committee submitted wage hike figures proposed for each province before a screening panel. He said that five provinces, including Phuket, did not request wage hikes.

“This was unacceptable and unfair to workers. The daily wage should be raised in every province and vary from province to province depending on their respective economic conditions.

“Provinces where the government is trying to stimulate the economy should receive high wage hikes. I believe the daily wage of 400 baht is expected to be approved for provinces which enjoy healthy economies in line with the government’s policy,” he said.

“If things get off to a good start next year, the daily wage is expected to rise further to 600 baht in 2027,” the minister said.

Atthayuth Leeyawanich, president and chairman of the Employers Confederation of Consumer Goods and Services, said that the new wage rates are appropriate and acceptable to employers as they were screened by a panel of academics before being submitted to the tripartite committee.

He also noted that the increase of 2 baht is only for three provinces while most provinces will still receive an increase of 8-10 baht.

Veerasu Kaewboonpun, an employee’s representative on the committee, said he was satisfied with the new rates.

The new rates are high in some provinces and low in other provinces, depending on local economic conditions, he said, adding that the new rates are intended to maintain employment given that some employers may replace workers with machinery which will lead to lay-offs.