Barkar Nash (Page 909)

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.

Chiang Mai: Five senior police officers from Chang Phueak police station have been transferred to inactive posts for allowing a gambling den to operate under their watch.

The transfer order came after authorities raided the 89 CLUB Casino in the Santitham area of tambon Chang Phueak in Muang district on Wednesday after administrative officials received complaints about it.

Pol Maj Gen Thawatchai Pongwiwattanachai, the Chiang Mai Provincial Police chief, said yesterday the gambling den’s location is under the jurisdiction of Chang Phueak Police, so he ordered the transfer of the five senior officers to inactive posts in the province’s main operations centre.

A fact-finding probe has been launched to find out how the casino came to be operating.

The casino has sullied the image of the province, the commander said, adding he has instructed police stations in the province to beef up measures against illegal activities and rein in officers who engage in misconduct.

A source said local administrative officials were informed gambling activities were taking place at two locations — the 89 CLUB Casino and Phattarawan Snooker Club, both in the Chang Phueak area.

Ronnarong Tipsiri, an inspector attached to the Provincial Administration Department, led his team with Chiang Mai Provincial Administrative officials in raiding the 89 CLUB Casino. His team included more than 40 officers from the Investigation and Legal Affairs Bureau and Territorial Defence Volunteers Bureau.

The two dens offered a variety of gambling activities, such as the Dragon Tiger card game, Hi-Lo, and Baccarat, attracting over 100 gamblers each day.

Wednesday’s raid at the 89 CLUB Casino found the building had the capacity to accommodate 300 customers with a single exit. Installed around the building were 11 CCTV cameras monitoring the gamblers’ every move.

They were prohibited from using mobile phones on the premises. All phones had to be left at a check-in desk.

During the raid, police officers arrested 104 people, 19 of whom were card dealers and croupiers. They also seized 31 cars, 10 motorbikes, cash and gambling paraphernalia.

All those arrested were taken to Chang Phueak Police Station — as were the seized items — where they were charged with being involved in and operating illegal gambling activities.

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.

The Airports of Thailand (AoT) has installed solar rooftop panelling on Suvarnabhumi Airport’s passenger terminal, with more to come in a bid to have clean energy provide 20% of the airport’s electricity within the next two years.

AoT director Kerati Kijmanawat said yesterday that the new solar rooftop project is one of the ways the airport aims to become Thailand’s first “green airport”, or an eco-friendly airport.

“Suvarnabhumi International Airport will become the green airport prototype for other airports to follow,” he said.

Mr Kerati said the 4.4 megawatt (MW) solar power system will generate electricity for the terminal.

He said the solar rooftop panels could help make temperatures inside the terminal cooler by up to seven degrees Celsius, saving about 2% of the energy used by the air conditioning system.

The project can save more than 11 million baht a year, Mr Kerati said.

He said the solar rooftop will reduce carbon emissions by more than 3,600 tonnes annually, equal to the assimilation of 360,000 trees.

The AoT also plans to install more solar panels, both on the rooftop and in the form of floating solar panels, at the airport, he said.

Mr Kerati said the AoT also aims to save 20% of the airport’s electricity costs by installing 50 MW of panels by 2025.

The energy project involves the AoT, the District Cooling System and Power Plant Company, Egat, PTT Plc, and the Metropolitan Electricity Authority.

Suspects used of using Chaipattana Foundation’s name to lure victims

Police have arrested suspected members of a gang that they say defrauded people into investing in non-existent development projects in the Northeast since 2021 using the name of the royally established Chaipattana Foundation.

Investigators had gathered evidence and found 10 suspects who were complicit in the scam, Pol Maj Gen Montree Theskhan, the Crime Suppression Division chief, told journalists on Thursday.

This week, police teams were dispatched to search locations where the fraud took place in Chaiyaphum, Maha Sarakham, Roi Et, Kalasin, Chiang Mai, Lampang and Suphan Buri, he said.

Police have so far captured seven suspects and charged them with fraud, he said.

They were identified as Somchai Namsom, 59; Suriyaphan Sattayapitak, 61; Aukkarawat Promkamnoi, 59; Prasan Saengsawang, 65; Niphon Phukongka, 61; Warapon Suwankammun, 58; and Somsak Khanthong, 51. They all denied the charges.

Police said they had confiscated documents containing the details of 20 projects used to lure victims, 18 passbooks, three ATM cards and four mobile phones.

Police are searching for two more suspects — identified as Kittisak Saiprom, 58, and Metta Khanthong, 53 — in connection with the case.

Another suspect, Lerdpong Chaiwonglerd, 60, is currently serving time for another criminal offence.

Pol Maj Gen Montree said police were first alerted to the gang’s activities by the Chaipattana Foundation in 2021.

The gang had duped more than 20 victims out of a combined 1.5 million baht, which they said would be invested in 90 non-existent kaem ling (monkey cheeks) projects for water retention in the Northeast, he said.

The suspects claimed to represent a construction company contracted by the foundation, he added.

Support will be ‘unconditional’, even though military-linked party has not been approached to join coalition

All 40 MPs from the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) will vote for the Pheu Thai prime ministerial candidate unconditionally because the country urgently needs to have a government, says a party MP.

Pai Leeke, a Palang Pracharath MP for Kamphaeng Phet, said on Thursday that the party had not been formally approached by Pheu Thai since key figures of the two parties met at Pheu Thai headquarters on July 23.

Pheu Thai was given the chance to form a government, with the blessing of the election-winning Move Forward Party (MFP), after the latter conceded it could not win enough support in parliament for its leader, Pita Limjaroenrat.

Pheu Thai, which came second in the May 14 election, later dumped Move Forward and moved to form its own coalition. It said that all the parties it spoke with had identified Move Forward’s insistence on amending the lese-majeste law as a major obstacle.

Mr Pai said PPRP members had discussed the situation and concluded that it was necessary for the country to have a government as many problems need to be urgently tackled.

The country has gone nearly five months since the dissolution of the House on March 20 with a caretaker government that has limited authority under the constitution.

The 2024 fiscal year starts on Oct 1 but there is no budget in place, which is beginning to cause deep concern among business leaders and investors.

“We had discussed with Pheu Thai (during the previous meeting) about policies that we wanted to jointly push for them such as Sor Por Kor land reform, the drought problem, an increase in the elderly allowance and the continuity of Pracharat welfare cards,” said Mr Pai.

“All (policies) received a positive response. More importantly, we used to work with Pheu Thai. I also came from Pheu Thai.

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

The PPRP is willing to help the country sail through the political crisis, said Mr Pai.

However, there have been no talks about joining a coalition government led by Pheu Thai, he added.

Numbers game

As of Thursday, the Pheu Thai-led coalition had a total of 238 MPs. The votes of the PPRP would bring the total to 278, meaning it would still need the support of 97 senators in a vote for the Pheu Thai prime ministerial candidate. Move Forward, now headed for the opposition benches, is still deciding whether to vote for the Pheu Thai prime ministerial candidate but most of its supporters oppose the idea.

Political commentators say that bringing the military-linked PPRP into the coalition would be seen by many Pheu Thai supporters as a betrayal and cost the party dearly at the next election.

Palang Pracharath was established in 2019 as a vehicle for Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, the 2014 coup leader, and Gen Prawit Wongsuwon to remain in power. The majority of its original members were defectors from the Pheu Thai Party. Gen Prawit is the current leader of the PPRP.

Though it finished second to Pheu Thai in the 2019 polls, the PPRP ultimately prevailed as the lead party in the coalition government. Over time, however, factional squabbling intensified and many MPs left the party. It won 40 seats in the May election, down from 116 in 2019.

Mr Pai also claimed on Thursday that he had been contacted by Move Forward, when it was still putting together its coalition, to vote for its prime ministerial candidate.

But MFP secretary-general Chaithawat Tulathon hit back at Mr Pai’s claims, saying his party had never held talks with the PPRP to seek its support for anything.

“The MFP has never thought of taking part in anything with the PPRP, which was a mechanism set up to prolong the power of the coup-makers,” said Mr Chaithawat.

Move Forward has a clear stance that it would not join any government with the PPRP and/or the United Thai Nation (UTN) Party and its stance has never changed, added the MFP secretary-general.

NACC chief says full disclosure could endanger witnesses in case filed against deputy PM

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) is still refusing to reveal some information related to the luxury watch controversy concerning caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon.

The Supreme Administrative Court has given the NACC until Friday to disclose all the facts that it used to support its decision to clear Gen Prawit of failing to declare all his assets.

However, the anti-graft body intends to petition against the order because complete disclosure could compromise the safety of witnesses and discourage witnesses in other cases, NACC secretary-general Niwatichai Kasemmongkol said on Thursday 

He said he would give an explanation to activist Veera Somkwamkid, who earlier demanded the information disclosure in the case.

After meeting Mr Niwatichai, Mr Veera said he was given only facts gathered from the investigation and minutes of NACC meetings concerning the case. He was not provided with the opinions of the NACC officials who handled the case.

The NACC secretary-general cited the need for witness protection as a reason for withholding the details, Mr Veera said.

The documents he received were partly redacted, which Mr Niwatichai attributed to a decision by the NACC, Mr Veera said.

The activist said the NACC and its secretary-general would have to take responsibility for disobeying the court’s order.

Earlier Mr Veera filed a petition with the Central Administrative Court demanding disclosure of the investigation following the NACC’s dismissal of the complaint against Gen Prawit in December 2018.

The commission ruled 5:3 that there were no grounds for the accusation that Gen Prawit had falsely declared his wealth when he did not include 22 luxury watches and rings in his list of assets.

The investigation was launched not long after Gen Prawit was spotted wearing a platinum Richard Mille RM 029 wristwatch valued at about 2.5 million baht and a diamond ring at a Government House event on Dec 4, 2017.

These items and other watches that came to light later were omitted from Gen Prawit’s asset declaration to the NACC.

Gen Prawit claimed the luxury watches belonged to a friend, who had since died, and had all been returned.

The NACC has three sets of documents related to the case and has disclosed two of them. The third set involves the opinions of NACC officials.

Mr Veera said earlier that he wanted to ask the new government how to amend laws to make the NACC a truly independent agency that would be open to scrutiny and transparent, in keeping with its motto.