Barkar Nash (Page 958)

Political activist and former senator Ruangkrai Leekitwattana on Sunday said he has petitioned the National Anti-Corruption Commission to look into irregularities he found in a list of assets declared by six senators on May 14, 2019.

The senators were among those who voted for Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat as prime minister in parliament on July 13.

They are Kraisid Tontisirin, Saki Pithukkhumpol, Pol Lt Gen Jitti Rodbangyang, Pisan Manawapat, Wutthiphan Wichairat and Prapasri Suchantabutr, said Mr Ruangkrai.

The irregularities include differences in the sum of declared total income per year and the amount of income declared in a breakdown along with sources, he said.

He said he attached a request for the NACC to examine these irregularities and also find out if the amounts of tax paid by these senators and their spouses were consistent with the amounts declared.

The Move Forward Party will not quit the eight-party coalition and let people down, MFP leader Pita Limjaroenrat said yesterday.

During a trip to Chanthaburi province, reporters asked Mr Pita to comment on whether other parties in the alliance were asking the MFP to sacrifice itself by leaving the coalition to pave the way for the formation of the next government.

“A sacrifice would mean dumping 14 million votes and disappointing people,” Mr Pita said, referring to the votes MFP won during the May 14 general election.

“Promises and principles must be kept, rather than telling a party to sacrifice itself.”

“If we keep the promises we made with people, no one will have to make a sacrifice,” he added.

Mr Pita acknowledged the Pheu Thai Party, its main coalition partner, had offered talks with the pro-military Palang Pracharath (PPRP) and United Thai Nation (UTN) parties.

When asked if the meetings were intended to pressure the MFP to leave the eight-party alliance, Mr Pita said if the parties joined the coalition, the MFP could not stay.

“As far as I know, the parties were invited only for an exchange of opinions. I will wait for an explanation from the Pheu Thai Party.

“I can confirm that I still have trust and confidence in Pheu Thai,” Mr Pita said.

He also acknowledged a meeting between Pheu Thai and Bhumjaithai, Chartpattanakla and UTN, which said they saw the MFP as an obstacle to forming a government.

Asked if the notion was aimed at pressuring the MFP to call off its efforts to form a government, Mr Pita said if the coalition allies remained united, there would be no pressure exerted from outside parties.

Asked how the MFP would respond if its seven coalition allies called for it to back down on efforts to amend the lese majeste law, Mr Pita said he would first listen for more details on their opposition.

Despite the political dramas, Mr Pita said he is in good spirits as he travels the provinces to support the work of MFP MPs.

He also said his legal team is preparing a defence against those questioning his eligibility for political-office positions.

Khon Kaen: A government-run hospital in the province has been ordered to shut its infectious waste disposal facility following complaints from residents of a nearby dormitory.

Residents of Kradangnga dormitory said they have been bothered by the foul smell coming from Khon Kaen Hospital’s newly-built infectious waste disposal facility, saying the odour has affected business in the area. They also fear the waste contained at the site isn’t being properly processed before disposal.

Thirasak Thikayuphan, mayor of Nakhon Khon Kaen municipality, said authorities have inspected the facility and found it was built in line with the required standards.

However, he said, authorities have decided to suspend the operation due to the odour complaints. The problem, he said, continues to persist despite repeated attempts to address it.

The Ministry of Public Health’s Department of Health have also been asked to recommend ways to tackle the foul smell.

Khon Kaen Hospital said the facility uses steam to disinfect waste, in line with standards employed by hospitals across the country.

The hospital will install more carbon filters around the facility in an effort to address the problem.

Pornprapa Kensaenkhot, a tenant at the dormitory, said the smell is a public health hazard. She said she has been forced to put a face mask on in her own home.

“The red trash bins contain chemical and infected waste that could be harmful to health. I’m worried they may have long-term health effects,” Ms Pornprapa said.

PHNOM PENH: Vote counting was under way yesterday in Cambodia’s general election, which long-time leader Hun Sen is all but guaranteed to win as he looks to secure his legacy by handing the reins to his eldest son.

The 70-year-old former Khmer Rouge cadre has ruled since 1985 and faces no real contest in this vote, with opposition parties banned, challenger candidates forced to flee and freedom of expression stifled.

His Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) is likely to retain all 125 seats in the lower house, prolonging his grip on power and paving the way for a dynastic succession some critics have compared to North Korean politics.

The only serious opposition party was disqualified on a technicality in the runup to the polls and it will be a surprise if any of the 17 other small, poorly funded parties win seats.

Over the last 30 years what hopes the international community might have had for a vibrant multi-party democracy in Cambodia have been flattened by the juggernaut of Hun Sen’s rule.

The veteran PM has begun to look to the future, saying he would hand over to his son, four-star general Hun Manet — possibly even in the coming weeks.

The 45-year-old scion led the final CPP rally in Phnom Penh ahead of polling day, telling a raucous crowd on Friday that it was “victory day” for the country.

Critics would disagree, and rights groups have condemned the upcoming election.

On the eve of voting, a 17-strong coalition — including the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) — characterised the polls as being of “profound concern”.

“The upcoming electoral exercise indicates a notable absence of transparency, fairness, and inclusivity in the electoral process,” the coalition said on Saturday.

In the days ahead of the polls, capital Phnom Penh was blanketed by huge posters of Hun Sen.

But many are now looking to Hun Manet, educated in the United States and Britain, wondering if a change in leadership might bring change to the country, one of the region’s poorest. afp

Tropical storm “Doksuri” from Taiwan will not hit Thailand directly but the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) has warned a monsoon will hit Thailand from Saturday until Tuesday week, bringing heavy rain to 46 provinces.

Deputy government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek yesterday said the TMD had advised the storm is moving northeastward and is expected to hit Taiwan on Wednesday. Although Thailand will not experience the full force of the storm, it will exacerbate monsoon conditions and result in rainfall over the weekend.

The TMD also forecast heavy rainfall today in some areas of the lower North, Northeast, Central Plains, including Bangkok and its adjacent provinces, as well as the East and western part of the South, which may result in flash floods and runoff, especially in foothill slopes and lowlands.

The Pheu Thai Party leader has said if the election-winning Move Forward Party (MFP) is part of its coalition alliance, it is unlikely to win enough parliamentary support to elect a prime minister and form the next government.

Pheu Thai leader Cholnan Srikaew said on Sunday that over the past two days Pheu Thai discussed the eight-party alliance’s government formation efforts with political parties outside its bloc and determined that the other parties will not support the effort if the alliance includes a party that plans to change the lese majeste law, Section 112 of the Criminal Code that punishes anyone deemed to have criticised senior members of the royal family with up to 15 years in prison.

Dr Cholnan was apparently referring to the MFP, the other main member of the eight-party alliance.

The eight-party alliance had a majority of 312 votes in the elected House, but needed at least 375 votes from both the House and the military-appointed Senate to have a prime minister installed and then a new government established. Of the joint sitting of both houses comprising 500 representatives and 249 senators, 375 will form a minimal majority vote.

Most senators already showed they did not support the MFP when its leader Pita Limjaroenrat failed to win a majority vote from a joint sitting to become prime minister on July 13 and again on July 19.

After meeting key figures of the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) on Sunday evening, Pheu Thai leader Cholnan Srikaew said PPRP was another political party that would not support the coalition if it included any party that planned to amend the lese majeste law.

“Most parties (that Pheu Thai met) are unlikely to vote in favour of the coalition alliance,” the Pheu Thai leader said. He denied that Pheu Thai was inviting any political party outside its eight-party bloc to join their coalition government.

Dr Cholnan admitted that if the coalition alliance still comprises the same old eight parties, other parties will not support the coalition in the parliament. He also confessed that the coaltion would need at least 375 votes from the House and the Senate.

On Monday Pheu Thai would discuss the matter with representatives of senators and on Tuesday it would report its findings to the seven other parties in its coalition alliance, Dr Cholnan said. He expected the eight coalition allies to reach a conclusion on Tuesday.

“We will have a joint announcement on the government formation. We have two days, July 25 and 26, and on July 27 (Thursday) it will be known who will be nominated (for prime minister) in the parliament,” Dr Cholnan said.

The leader of the Chartthaipattana Party on Sunday told the Pheu Thai Party (PTP) that is taking the lead in forming the next government that it will not vote for a prime ministerial candidate from Pheu Thai if its coalition includes a party that wants to change the lese majeste (royal insult) law.

Chartthaipattana Party leader Varawut Silpa-archa informed a press conference of his party’s standpoint after meeting key Pheu Thai figures at PTP headquarters on Sunday. He apparently referred to the election-winning Move Forward Party (MFP) which has stood firm on changing the lese majeste law or Section 112 of the Criminal Code.

The MFP won 151 House seats in the May 14 general election. It teamed up with Pheu Thai, which came second with 141 House seats, and six other parties to attempt the formation of the next government. Their coalition had 312 of the 500 House seats.

But Move Forward failed to win a majority vote from the elected House and the military-appointed Senate for the premiership of its sole prime ministerial candidate and leader Pita Limjaroenrat. MFP recently decided to let Pheu Thai nominate its prime ministerial candidate and take the lead in forming the next government.

Pheu Thai has discussed forming a government with parties outside its eight-party coalition alliance, meeting the Bhumjaithai, United Thai Nation and Chartpattanakla parties. Bhumjaithai and United Thai Nation insisted that they will not support Pheu Thai’s government formation if its coalition includes MFP.

Pheu Thai then proceeded to hold talks with Chartthaipattana, which holds 10 House seats, on Sunday.

After the meeting, Mr Varawut said his party would vote for a prime ministerial candidate from Pheu Thai as long as no party in its alliance intended to amend the lese majeste law.

“If any political party shares the same thinking with Chartthaipattana, to leave the (lese majeste) law intact and have positive attitudes and respect for the (royal) institution, then we can work together. If there is any political party with a different standpoint, we will work separately,” Mr Varawut said.

“If Pheu Thai has a similar direction with Chartthaipattana about the institution and Section 112 and if there is a prime ministerial candidate from Pheu Thai, we, Chartthaipattana, will be willing to give support. But Pheu Thai must not have any party with a different concept from ours,” Mr Varawut said.

On the same occasion, Pheu Thai leader Cholnan Srikaew said the eight-party coalition alliance assigned Pheu Thai to gather support for government formation with other political parties, and was seeking their opinions.

Dr Cholnan denied that Pheu Thai was inviting other parties outside its alliance to join its coalition and would exclude MFP from the alliance, sending the election-winning party to the opposition.

An investigation is being conducted into an accident in which a car fell into a ditch while turning into Soi 28 off the Vibhavadi Rangsit highway in Bangkok on Friday.

Sawang Buranathanakit, director of the Road Construction Office 1 of the Highway Department, said that from an initial investigation the accident occurred on a road branching off Vibhavadi Rangsit (Highway 31) into Soi 28 where a roadside ditch was being dredged under a development project.

He said all contractors of the Highway Department’s development projects have been told to strictly take safety measures by putting up warning and traffic signs as well as placing barriers for motorists to be careful while passing areas under construction to prevent accidents.

The accident on Soi 28 off Vibhavadi Rangsit highway happened in heavy rain and the road surface was inundated. An investigation was being conducted to determine what caused the accident or whether there were any mistakes to prevent a recurrence of it, Mr Sawang said.

He said the Highway Department had told the project contractor to contact the owner of the car involved in the accident to compensate for the damage.

The accident was brought to public attention after the driver of the car posted on TikTok a video clip of the area after the accident.

He said there were no signs to tell motorists to be careful while passing an area under construction.

The man said he narrowly escaped death and felt very sad seeing his beloved new EV sink into the water before his eyes.