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Phattarapong Leelaphat, a Move Forward Party (MFP) MP for Chiang Mai, yesterday denied an allegation made against him by former election campaign assistants that he had falsified documents to claim financial assistance from the party.

The allegation was made public by Tankhun Jittitsara of the Democrat Party on Wednesday.

Mr Phattarapong responded to the accusation via Facebook, saying it was groundless as most of the money spent on his election campaigning activities in the last general election was his own money.

He said the MFP only supplied him with election posters, other related equipment used in the campaign, and some donations.

Hence, he had no motive to falsely claim financial assistance from the party to compensate for the amount he had actually spent with his own money, according to Mr Phattarapong.

The possible motive behind this move against him could be because the former election campaign assistants still held grudges against him for not appointing them as MP assistants, he said.

One of those making the allegation was a former MP assistant he had just fired, he added.

Mr Phattarapong also pledged to fully cooperate with an investigation the Election Commission (EC) might possibly carry out, saying he would also welcome any other legal processes which might be conducted into the allegation.

Mr Tankhun said three MFP members had informed him about their submission of a petition with the EC’s office in Chiang Mai asking the poll regulator to investigate the alleged misconduct by an unnamed MFP MP.

These MFP members were campaign assistants of the MP in question, and they had already submitted evidence to the EC to prove their claim, said Mr Tankhun.

Nation must be ready for ‘future threats’

The Defence Ministry stands ready to support the development of stronger, more technologically advanced armed forces to fend off new security threats to the kingdom, according to Defence Minister Sutin Klungsang.

He made the statement during a speech at the orientation for Class 66 of the Diploma in the National Defence Course at the National Defence College (NDC) yesterday.

Admitting that he had previously harboured “misconceptions” about military spending, Mr Sutin said funds for military procurements must be designed around not only the needs of the armed forces but also defence challenges posed by other countries.

“If they own submarines or F-16 fighter jets, we must have something of comparable capability to counter [them],” Mr Sutin said. “It’s about assessing a competitor’s prowess as a factor for allocating the right budget.”

The military needs to constantly keep up with new defence technologies while staying relevant in the public’s eyes, he said. Forces should avoid actions that distance themselves from the people, he said, adding the key is to strengthen and modernise the military, which must function as a lean force.

In procuring weapons, the underlying question is not what to buy but whether the purchases can effectively fight off enemies, he said.

New forms of security threats may come from outside the country, he said, giving the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and the Hamas-Israel war as examples.

If the country does not position itself well on the international stage, it risks being drawn into conflicts, he said.

There are also other security-related issues stemming from ideological conflicts between people in the country being played out in the streets and on social media, he said, noting they negatively impact pillar institutions.

“If ideological beliefs continue to clash and political disputes persist, they will evolve into a danger for the country,” he said.

Security threats can also come from non-conflict issues, such as fine-dust pollution and transnational crime syndicates, which include call centre gangs, he noted.

He also dismissed concerns by some that, as a civilian defence minister, he may become at odds with the military over how to manage the armed forces.

“The ultimate [goal] is that the country is protected, which is not the job of anyone in particular, or the soldiers. It’s everyone’s duty,” he said.

The government needs more time to consider input from experts in relevant agencies before pushing ahead with the plan to raise the wages of low-salaried civil servants, said Deputy Prime Minister Pranpree Bahiddha-Nukara yesterday.

He also said he was waiting to see the expenditure plan for the next fiscal year before giving the plan the go-ahead.

When asked if the higher wages would be approved by the time the bi-monthly salary payment begins at the start of next year, he said it would depend on the opinion of experts from relevant agencies.

Officials from the Finance Ministry, Office of the National Economics and Social Development Council, the Budget Bureau and the Office of the Civil Service Commission (OCSC) met yesterday to discuss the matter.

However, they did not reach a conclusion, so another discussion will be held in the next two days, focusing on budget management and a possible rate hike.

The wage hike for civil servants is a campaign pledge of the Pheu Thai Party, along with the promise to boost the minimum monthly salary for university graduates to 25,000 baht by 2027.

The party also pledged to create 20 million jobs and distribute a 10,000-baht digital cash handout to everyone aged 16 and over.

Experts have urged the government to implement the hikes progressively, as doing so in one go will place an enormous burden on the budget. It has been estimated about 100 billion baht would be needed to cover the hikes.

At the meeting, the OCSC suggested decreasing the number of civil servants while boosting productivity and cutting down on redundancies.

As of March, the civil service employed 3 million people, about 1.75 million of whom were permanent staff.

Wissanu Krea-ngam and Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, both cabinet ministers in Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha’s administration, have been appointed members of the Council of State, according to the government’s legal office.

The appointments were published in the Royal Gazette on Wednesday and retroactively took effect from Oct 30.

Under a royal command issued on Aug 23, last year, 136 legal experts were appointed as members of the Council of State to serve a three-year term.

Last year, Nopphanithi Suriya, a council member, died, and Udom Rathamarit, another member, resigned, leaving two vacancies.

A committee comprising the chairs of various council sub-committees was set up to select their replacements. The selection panel picked Mr Wissanu and Mr Arkhom.

They are to serve as council members until the term of their predecessors expires.

Mr Wissanu, 66, is a renowned legal scholar. He served as deputy prime minister in the governments of Gen Prayut from August 2014 to September 2023.

Mr Arkhom, 67, a prominent civil servant, served as transport minister in the Prayut government from Aug 19, 2015, to July 10, 2019, and as finance minister from October 2020 to September 2023.

The government need to issue emergency travel documents for most of the Thais awaiting repatriation in Myanmar as they do not have passports, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said yesterday.

This is because their passports were confiscated by their employers, the ministry added.

The revelation was made by Ruj Thammamomgkol, the MFA Consular Department director-general, at a press conference on plans to rescue the 164 Thais.

All were duped into working for illegal call-centre gangs or were duped by human traffickers into working in Laukkaing in Myanmar’s Shan state.

He said the Consular Department had received a report from the Royal Thai Embassy in Yangon that previously there were 162 Thais, but another two were recently helped by the pro-junta Kokang ethnic group.

The total number awaiting repatriation was now 164, and Myanmar authorities had arranged shelter for them in a local military camp.

He said another 60 Thais, not 74 as previously reported, were still awaiting rescue. Regarding the repatriation, the evacuation route is up to the Myanmar authorities as they will need to evaluate people’s safety due to clashes between Myanmar troops and ethnic rebel groups, he added.

“Laukkaing is a significant city in terms of Myanmar’s economy. It is located five kilometres from China and serves as the prime cross-border trade link with China,” Mr Ruj said.

“This city is very prosperous and has lots of high buildings. Along with prosperity, there are entertainment venues and scammers. As such, there are various nationals … lured to work there. After the Chinese started suppressing such illegal activities, Myanmar authorities rescued the Thais,” he added.

“We were informed that among the 164 Thais, the majority of them do not have a passport as theirs were confiscated by their employers. Therefore, we need to issue them emergency travel documents,” he added.

For an evacuation route through China, it is necessary for them to have a Chinese visa, Mr Ruj said, adding that Myanmar is still evaluating safety for reaching the Chinese border.

“I have contacted one of the Thais in the camp, and she said that they are safe and are being treated well. I told them that the Thai government will evacuate them as soon as possible because the situation needs to be evaluated daily,” he added.

The first coalition party dinner on Wednesday was cordial, with no haggling for political favours between parties in the government, according to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin.

In fact, the get-together of coalition party leaders, hosted by the ruling Pheu Thai Party, went well, and it was agreed that one should be held every month, according to Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, quoting Mr Srettha.

It was their first coalition dinner since the formation of the government two months ago, and Bhumjaithai will host the next one, Mr Phumtham, who attended the event, said.

Mr Srettha said the casual dinner provided an intimate, close-knit setting for coalition members to exchange ideas and convey friendly suggestions about work.

The prime minister, with a business background in real estate, said he was new to politics and was looking to coalition party leaders with more political experience for advice.

The dinner was attended by United Thai Nation (UTN) Party leader Pirapan Salirathavibhaga; Bhumjaithai’s (BJT) Anutin Charnvirakul; the Palang Pracharath Party’s (PPRP) Pol Gen Phatcharavat Wongsuwan, who was filling in for party leader and elder brother, Gen Prawit Wongsuwon; and Chartthaipattana’s Varawut Silpa-archa. Pheu Thai leader Paetongtarn “Ung Ing” Shinawatra was also in attendance.

Mr Srettha said he was humbled by the party leaders’ long experience in politics and has taken their advice onboard.

“The talks were friendly, set in a relaxing atmosphere,” he said, adding the party had gone on until 10pm. “I thought we should do it more often.”

Mr Srettha said the talks they held over dinner did not touch on heavy issues or involve any haggling or bargaining for political favours.

Mr Phumtham, meanwhile, said during the dinner, coalition parties agreed to coordinate more closely.

He denied being embroiled in a conflict with Industry Minister Pimphattra Wichaikul from the UTN over the sugar prices freeze.

Mr Phumtham is also the commerce minister who ordered a peg on sugar prices by declaring it a controlled commodity.

The move was thought to have irked the Industry Ministry, which fears it could complicate the balance in the domestic sugar supply.

Internal strife was speculated to have prompted the parties to meet over dinner to patch things up. However, the government insisted its unity remained solid.

The Labour Ministry is urging Social Security Fund (SSF) members to register to vote in the first-ever election of Social Security Board members, as today is the last day to do so.

Labour Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said the registration period had been extended from Oct 31 for 10 more days to let members decide on selecting their desired candidates.

He hoped that the extension of the deadline would benefit both employers and employees by encouraging them to vote.

According to the Social Security Office (SSO) secretary-general, Boonsong Thapchaiyuth, the SSO had set the election date for Dec 24 to seek SSF members and employers to select seven representatives each to serve on the board.

Written under the 2015 Social Security Act, the board acts as a moderator between the government and SSF to manage the fund since it is one of the biggest in the country, with at least 2.3 trillion baht of funding.

By law, the board consists of related ministries — such as labour, finance, interior, and public health — the Budget Bureau, and employers and employees. Previously elected by labour unions but presently made up of appointees of the now-defunct National Council for Peace and Order, this election is for SSF members and employers to select seven representatives apiece to serve on the board.

Of more than 24 million fund members under the regulation laid out in Sections 33, 39, and 40 of the Social Security Act, more than 12 million were eligible in this election, as were 440,000 employers nationwide.

With this number, this election is ranked second in the list of elections with the highest number of eligible voters following general elections for members of parliament, said Mr Boonsong.

Expats and those who complete their fund submission less than three months before the election date are barred from the election, as are those who have registered as Social Security members for less than six consecutive months.

Prospective candidates can register on the SSO website until today. They can register with either the Bangkok SSO offices or the provincial SSO offices until 4.30pm, said Mr Boonsong.

The chairman of the Bang Pla tambon administrative organisation (TAO) in Samut Prakan’s Bang Phli district and his secretary were arrested on Wednesday for allegedly demanding and taking a 2.3-million-baht bribe from a local firm

Anti-Corruption Division (ACD) police made the arrests after receiving a complaint from the firm in tambon Bang Pla that the bribe had been demanded by two high-level TAO officials in exchange for a land excavation and landfill permit.

Normally, the fee for a landfill permit is only 500 baht.

The firm had asked for the amount to be reduced to 2.3 million baht, which was agreed upon.

Armed with a video clip of the TAO officials demanding the money, the firm later filed a complaint with the ACD police.

After an investigation, the ACD sought arrest warrants from the Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases, Region 1.

At about 11am on Wednesday, Chanin Ruenroeng, 61, the Bang Pla TAO chairman, and his personal secretary, who was only identified as Pornmanee, 44, were arrested at their office.

They were charged with illegally demanding and taking a bribe.

In a search of their office, police found 2,271,427 baht in cash and a 9mm Smith & Wesson pistol with 11 rounds of ammunition.

Mr Chanin denied the charges.

Longer drinking hours will increase accident risks, say protesters at health ministry

More than 50 activists, some dressed in bloodied Halloween-type costumes representing injuries caused by alcohol-related road accidents, protested at the Ministry of Public Health headquarters in Nonthaburi yesterday.

The representatives of the Alcohol Related Harm Prevention Network were expressing their opposition to the government’s decision to extend the opening hours of night entertainment venues in Bangkok and other cities from 2am until 4am next month.

Teerapat Kahawong, a coordinator of the network, said its members are disappointed with the change, which will start in the pilot provinces of Bangkok, Chon Buri, Phuket and Chiang Mai on Dec 15.

The government said the move aims to help stimulate the economy and tourism.

Mr Teerapat said the ministry must protect people’s health, and drinking alcoholic beverages runs counter to that.

As such, any related policy should be created in response to the Alcohol Beverage Control Act BE 2551 (2008) and drafted with the participation of various stakeholders, he added.

The groups oppose the new policy because it also creates a higher risk of road accidents involving drunk drivers, Mr Teerapat noted.

“To solve an economic problem, the government should not create a new problem or a new burden for medical staff,” he said.

“The government would face huge expenditure in covering the medical treatment of those impacted by such alcohol-led accidents. It should ensure it has well-rounded information before making any decision.”

The groups also demanded the ministry set up public hearings before going ahead with the policy.

Senior officials at the ministry led by Dr Cherdchai Tontisirin, assistant to the public health minister, showed up to listen to the network’s concerns.

Dr Cherdchai said the ministry would take their concerns into consideration as safeguarding people’s health is the ministry’s top priority.