Barkar Nash (Page 908)

Partners are aiming not to split vote

Parties in the outgoing coalition government have agreed not to field their own candidates against a Democrat Party candidate in the upcoming by-election in Rayong’s Constituency 3, acting deputy Democrat leader Sathit Pitutecha said.

He said all the parties except the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) had discussed the implications of the election outcome and decided that only one of them should enter the race to avoid splitting votes.

The by-election is to fill a seat left vacant by Nakhon­chai Khunnarong of the Move Forward Party (MFP), who resigned due to a past conviction and prison term for theft.

In the May 14 general election, Mr Nakhonchai won with 29,034 votes, followed by Phayap Phongsai of the PPRP, who received 21,726 votes and Democrat candidate Banyat Jetjan who had 14,668 votes.

Mr Sathit, a former MP for Rayong, said the party had given him the authority to select the candidate to contest the by-election.

He said he has yet to decide who will represent the party as it is important to weigh voters’ opinions. “If we look at the combined number of votes received by the outgoing coalition parties, it’s more than that of the MFP.

“But it all depends on what the voters here want. I hope that in this by-election, they go for someone who is trustworthy and knows how to do the job,” he said.

MFP secretary-general Chaithawat Tulathon said the party looking at potential candidates with a plan to introduce a potential candidate to voters in Klaeng district on Sunday.

He said that he and MFP leader Pita Limjaroenrat would take part in the event to give the candidate moral support and to affirm the party’s commitment to its supporters. The MFP, which won all five constituency seats in Rayong in the general election, reportedly plans to nominate Pongsathorn Sornphetnarin for the by-election.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission’s (EC) intention to hold the by-election has been published in the Royal Gazette.

EC chairman Ittiporn Boonpracong said commissioners are expected to decide today when it will take place, having initially proposed that it be held on Sept 10, with candidacy registration taking place between Aug 15-19.

Regarding legal action against Mr Nakhon­chai, Mr Ittiporn said the Office of the EC will proceed in accordance with the law and can also sue the politician.

Pattaya City is considering imposing opening hours on its beaches to curb a growing number of noisy night owls who party into the morning.

The city has received an increasing number of complaints about the nighttime visitors who like to play loud music using portable speakers while drinking alcohol and partying on Pattaya’s popular beaches, Wutthisak Roemkitchakan, the deputy city mayor, said on Thursday.

A number of these visitors continue drinking and partying and refuse to leave even when city rubbish collectors show up in the morning to clean the beaches, he said.

This results in the beaches being left littered with rubbish the following day, he said.

“The city now is thinking of imposing opening and closing hours on these beaches as this can be a solution to the problem,” he said.

Currently, the city does not have regulations on the opening and closing time of its beaches, meaning they are open around the clock, he said.

The city previously tried to step up patrols on the beaches, but it was impossible to find enough security officers to do so every night, he said.

The city’s beaches have attracted more visitors since undergoing a major expansion and renovation, he said.

Normally, these beaches do not have many visitors on weekdays, and most of them leave early in the evening, he said.

However, the number of visitors is usually much higher on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, with many who like to drink alcohol and party late into the night, he said, adding that all city authorities can currently do is ask for their cooperation to leave.

Complaints received by the city authorities also noted loud noises made by a number of nightclubs, most of which were open-air places on beaches, he said.

In response to these complaints, he said, the Pattaya municipality and Bang Lamung district authorities inspected these night entertainment establishments and asked them to control the volume of their music.

Officials recommended a few measures, including building a proper sound-proof room for guests, he said.

More measures will be jointly implemented with local police to curb the noise pollution in Pattaya, he said.

In other news, Pipit Rattanarak, a United Thai Nation Party MP for Surat Thani, voiced his concern over shortage problems being faced on the popular islands of Koh Samui and Koh Phangan in the South.

Speaking during a House meeting on Thursday, Mr Pipit pointed to the need for all agencies to boost the handling of transport services, as well as water and electricity supplies on the islands. More measures are required as the islands are receiving a rising number of visitors, he said.

Srettha’s PM bid needs new backers

The Pheu Thai Party is struggling to secure enough support from other parties for its prime ministerial candidate Srettha Thavisin.

It is now trying to woo support from the United Thai Nation Party (UTN), while the Move Forward Party (MFP) has apparently snubbed it.

The Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), meanwhile, has expressed a willingness to back Pheu Thai’s PM candidate.

Somsak Thepsutin, a Pheu Thai list-MP, said he met Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, a UTN list-MP, for talks on the possibility of the UTN joining the Pheu Thai-led coalition.

Mr Somsak said he disagreed with the idea of some of the UTN MPs acting as renegades and breaking away from the UTN to join the coalition. “The whole party should come and join together,” he said.

He refused to comment when asked if the Pheu Thai-led coalition needs to include the UTN and the PPRP.

However, he added: “Everything is possible. The new government wants to secure enough support to ensure stability.”

The PPRP MP for Kamphaeng Phet, Phai Lik, who spoke on behalf of his party, said it had not been approached by Pheu Thai since they last met for talks on July 23.

However, the PPRP agreed that the new government must be established as quickly as possible so it can address the problems besetting the country.

“Therefore, the party agrees that all of its 40 MPs will vote for a prime ministerial candidate from Pheu Thai,” he said.

“During talks with Pheu Thai [on July 23], we discussed the policies we want to push for together, such as increasing monthly allowances for the elderly and the continuation of the state-welfare card scheme.

“Moreover, several [PPRP] MPs used to work with Pheu Thai. I am also a former Pheu Thai MP,” Mr Phai said.

He went on to say the PPRP has not yet discussed with Pheu Thai the possibility of joining a new government.

“But if Pheu Thai approaches us, we are ready to join,” Mr Phai said.

Pheu Thai on Thursday welcomed the Chatthaipattana Party, along with its 10 MPs, into its bloc, raising the number of House seats held by the coalition to 238 out of the 500 total.

Both parties expressed their commitment to seeking cooperation from all political parties and the Senate for the election of a prime minister and the formation of a new government.

Pheu Thai leader Cholnan Srikaew said the country is in a unique political situation, and all parties needed to join forces to address constitutional issues, economic challenges and social conflicts.

The two parties urged the public to have confidence in their alliance, which they said is intended to bring Thai society back to normal quickly.

Chartthaipattana leader Varawut Silpa-archa said he thanked Pheu Thai for inviting his party into the coalition.

He cited their shared policies and perspectives and expressed confidence in Pheu Thai’s potential to lead the upcoming administration.

With the inclusion of Chartthaipattana, the Pheu Thai-led coalition alliance now consists of nine parties.

Earlier, Pheu Thai withdrew from the previous eight-party coalition led by the MFP.

Pheu Thai, which has 141 House seats, on Monday, teamed up with the Bhumjaithai Party with 71 seats. On Wednesday, it announced its coalition had six more parties.

Deputy Pheu Thai leader Phum- tham Wechayachai said a meeting between Pheu Thai and MFP key figures on Wednesday was not an invitation for the MFP to join the coalition.

Paetongtarn Shinawatra, a Pheu Thai prime ministerial candidate and daughter of fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, also attended.

Most MFP supporters do not approve of the party voting for a PM candidate from Pheu Thai, according to the MFP. It cited internal opinion polls by its MPs showing 95% of supporters are against such a move.

Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn, an MFP list-MP, posted on Facebook the party must not open a door for the return of a dictatorship.

He was referring to the “uncle” parties: the PPRP led by Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwon, and the UTN, which has PM Prayut Chan-o-cha as its candidate.

His remark came amid rumours either, or both parties would be invited to join the Pheu Thai-led coalition.

Move Forward Party (MFP) leader Pita Limjaroenrat yesterday said he believes he could have been renominated for prime minister in parliament without having to wait for a court ruling.

His renomination was earlier rejected by a joint sitting of MPs and senators on July 19 under a House regulation which prohibits a motion already rejected by parliament from being resubmitted during the same parliamentary session unless the situation or circumstances surrounding a bid for prime minister has changed.

Those who rejected his renomination argued that the MFP leader, who was the only one nominated for the post, failed to get the needed majority in a July 13 meeting, so the rule should be enforced.

However, Mr Pita’s supporters claimed the House rule did not apply in the prime ministerial selection process and submitted the issue to the Constitutional Court for a ruling via the Office of Ombudsman.

Responding to questions about the pending court case, Mr Pita said he believed he remains eligible to be renominated as a challenger under House regulations without having to wait for a court decision.

However, he said now was not the time to try renominating him because the MFP had stepped back and let Pheu Thai take the lead in forming a coalition government.

But when asked about being in opposition, Mr Pita expressed the hope of having the chance one day to be in the government.

“If [the country] wants a new generation to work for them, I’m ready. I’ve been preparing for it and want to show our country can go further than this.

“If you were and are impressed by our performance as an opposition party, we can deliver more as a government,” he said.

Pattaya City is considering imposing opening hours on its beaches to curb a growing number of noisy night owls who party into the morning.

The city has received an increasing number of complaints about the nighttime visitors who like to play loud music using portable speakers while drinking alcohol and partying on Pattaya’s popular beaches, Wutthisak Roemkitchakan, the deputy city mayor, said yesterday.

A number of these visitors continue drinking and partying and refuse to leave even when city rubbish collectors show up in the morning to clean the beaches, he said.

This results in the beaches being left littered with rubbish the following day, he said.

“The city now is thinking of imposing opening and closing hours on these beaches as this can be a solution to the problem,” he said.

Currently, the city doesn’t have regulations on the opening and closing time of its beaches, meaning they are open around the clock, he said.

The city previously tried to step up patrols on the beaches, but it was impossible to find enough security officers to do so every night, he said.

The city’s beaches have attracted more visitors since undergoing a major expansion and renovation, he said.

Normally, these beaches do not have many visitors on weekdays, and most of them leave early in the evening, he said.

However, the number of visitors is usually much higher on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, with many who like to drink alcohol and party late into the night, he said, adding that all city authorities can currently do is ask for their cooperation to leave.

Complaints received by the city authorities also noted loud noises made by a number of nightclubs, most of which were open-air places on beaches, he said.

In response to these complaints, he said, the Pattaya municipality and Bang Lamung district authorities inspected these night entertainment establishments and asked them to control the volume of their music.

Officials recommended a few measures, including building a proper sound-proof room for guests, he said.

More measures will be jointly implemented with local police to curb the noise pollution in Pattaya, he said.

In other news, Pipit Rattanarak, a United Thai Nation Party MP for Surat Thani, voiced his concern over shortage problems being faced on the popular islands of Koh Samui and Koh Phangan in the South.

Speaking during a House meeting yesterday, Mr Pipit pointed to the need for all agencies to boost the handling of transport services, as well as water and electricity supplies on the islands. More measures are required as the islands are receiving a rising number of visitors, he said.

The government has further relaxed its tourist visa requirements and shortened the standard time required for approving visas for Chinese visitors in a bid to make the process easier for people visiting the country.

Last week alone, 95,581 Chinese arrived in Thailand, representing the largest proportion of international visitors, followed by Malaysians (73,810), South Koreans (37,754), Indians (27,707) and Vietnamese (25,717), deputy government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek said yesterday.

Under the newly relaxed visa requirements, Chinese visitors to Thailand are required to submit along with their visa application just six documents, namely their passport, three photos, an air ticket, a document showing their accommodation in Thailand, a document certifying their permanent residence, and financial statements, she said.

This will truncate the application process from 14 to seven working days, she noted.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports are also working to sync their tourist visa application database systems in order to speed up the process for all foreign visitors, Ms Rachada said.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was impressed by the steady growth in the number of tourists visiting Thailand, particularly during the long holiday from July 31 to Aug 6, when the country welcomed 80,000 international visitors each day on average, she added.

The cumulative number of international tourists visiting Thailand since the beginning of this year has already hit 16 million, with those from Malaysia, China, South Korea, India and Russia ranking as the top five countries.

The Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases, Region 8, has sentenced millionaire Prayudh Mahagitsiri to two years and eight months in jail over a land grab scandal, according to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).

Commission secretary-general Niwatchai Kasemmongkol said the court found 10 former land officials in Krabi guilty of illegally issuing title deeds for state-owned land covering about 19 rai in Muang district.

The businessman was found guilty of aiding state officials in the illegal issuance of the title deeds, he said.

One defendant was initially sentenced to six years in jail, while the rest, including Pra­yudh, received four years each, he said. However, due to their confessions, the first defendant had his jail sentence commuted to four years, while the others had theirs reduced to two years and eight months each, he said.

He said the court also ordered the land titles to be revoked.

According to sources, Prayudh had already sold the land to others for 400 million baht in 2017.

Mr Niwatchai said those found guilty still have the right to appeal.

Also, he said that the NACC, in another case, has brought charges against 10 politicians, including MPs and senators, over illegal land ownership or aiding state officials in the illegal issuance of title deeds.