Commentary: The heirs and spares of Thailand’s monarchy

King Vajiralongkorn’s only royally titled son – 18-year-old Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti – is, according to unofficial reports, autistic and “mentally challenged”. Even if true, this might not impede his ability to perform regal functions when the time comes. However, there could be a role for a trusted, relatively young, family member to help him.

In any event, given the issues facing his two half-sisters, one of the prince’s four half-brothers as a ”spare” may be a wise bet.

HOPE OF A FAMILY RAPPROCHEMENT

For their part, the four estranged sons have long stated their desire to return to Thailand. In 2016, after the death of their grandfather King Bhumibol Adulyadej, they expressed their respect for, and loyalty to, their father as the new king on a now-restricted Facebook page.

The visit’s prominent coverage in the Thai media raises hopes of a family rapprochement. Previously, the press airbrushed the four out of reporting on the king’s family. That said, limits remain. Even now, the Thai press does not mention the other two brothers by name. And it is coy on why they have remained abroad for so long.

More importantly, were the royal connections of the four to be restored, it would give greater certainty to the reigning Chakri dynasty. The 71-year-old monarch has no acknowledged grandchildren. And there are no signs that either of his unmarried daughters will be having any in the foreseeable future, certainly not in the next few years.

Absent his four US-based sons, this puts the onus on 18-year-old Prince Dipangkorn to maintain the family line.

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Commentary: Will changes to national flag rules encourage more Singaporeans to display it?

The flag of United Kingdom for instance, combines the crosses of England and Wales, Scotland, and Ireland under one sovereignty. The flag projects a vision of a unity in spite of historical tensions between the regions.

Similarly, the flag of the former Soviet Union depicts a hammer and sickle to represent the interests of workers and peasants, who were once the constituents in the founding of the communist bloc.

The Singapore national flag comprises a crescent moon and five stars. The former signifies a young country, and the latter represents the ideals of Singapore: Democracy, justice, peace, progress and equality. These are the core values that define Singapore citizenship and our social compact.  

WHAT NATIONAL FLAGS MEAN TO PEOPLE

National flags can evoke honour and patriotism, but they can also foster nationalist sentiment and prejudicial attitudes.

A 2017 study, published in the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology by me and my international colleagues, asked 2,230 university students across 11 countries what concepts they associate their national flags with.

While US respondents linked the American flag with democracy and freedom, they also ascribed less positive attributes such as global power, hegemony and aggression to it – a result of the US’ overseas military operations where the flag is planted on foreign soil.

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‘Takes time and experience to do well’: Why root canal treatments can cost thousands of dollars

SINGAPORE: When Mr Lee found out how much a root canal treatment would cost him, his first thought was to extract the tooth.

“(When) they told me about the price, I was hesitant because it’s quite pricey,” said the 26-year-old, who only wanted to be known by his surname.

The wedding videographer first visited a neighbourhood dental clinic in Bedok in February after experiencing a “very bad” toothache.

Although the toothache began last year, it wasn’t until he was having a meal one day that the pain became so unbearable that he could not chew his food at all.

“It was so painful (until) I had quite a bad headache,” said Mr Lee. “That’s when I realised (I had) to go and check.”

The dentist he visited suggested two options: He could either extract the tooth or get a root canal treatment. The procedure involves disinfecting and cleaning the root canal space and filling it up to prevent reinfection.

“A lot of people decide to pluck (their teeth) because they know the root canal is going to be really expensive,” Mr Lee told CNA.  

In his case, the dentist told him the tooth “could still be saved”. He advised Mr Lee to go ahead with the root canal as he was still young and the affected tooth was located at the back of the mouth and is important for chewing.

Mr Lee took the advice and got his X-rays done at a neighbourhood clinic. The next day, he had his first root canal treatment at Royal Healthcare Medical Centre, a specialist clinic in Novena.

After another two to three sessions with the specialist, he went back to the neighbourhood clinic to get a dental crown – a cap placed over a tooth to restore its look and function.

The whole process, which took less than six months, cost Mr Lee more than S$2,600 (US$1,960) for both the root canal and the dental crown. 

He is not the only one who has spent thousands on a root canal treatment here in Singapore.

Assistant marketing manager May Ho similarly paid S$2,400 for both procedures when she sought treatment three years ago.

Ms Ho, who is in her early 40s, told CNA that she was first advised to get a dental crown when she was in primary school.

But she did not, as there was no pain and she saw “no reason” to visit the dentist. It was only after many years when she started to feel discomfort that she decided to visit a dentist.

Like Mr Lee, she was recommended a root canal, which she got done at The Oral Care Centre in Novena.

While Ms Ho, who works at the National University of Singapore, did find it “a bit pricey”, she did not get the procedure done elsewhere as she had always gone to that dental clinic for her check-ups.

She was also able to save a few hundred dollars using her company’s health benefits for staff. Mr Lee, on the other hand, paid the full amount.

Dental procedures such as root canal treatments are not covered by MediSave, the national medical savings scheme aimed at helping people set aside part of their income to meet healthcare needs.

The scheme can only be used for surgical dental procedures – which does not include root canal treatments.

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Panurat set to become next drugs czar

The Justice Ministry has appointed assistant national police chief, Pol Lt Gen Panurat Lakboonto, as the new secretary-general of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB).

The appointment was confirmed yesterday by Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam yesterday, who said Pol Lt Gen Panurat’s experience in narcotics suppression will further the ONCB’s goals, said a source.

Pol Lt Gen Panurat will replace Wichai Chaimongkol, who retires at the end of September. The source said Pol Lt Gen Panurat is a friend of Capt Thamanat Prompow, the Palang Pracharath Party secretary-general and former deputy agriculture minister.

Panurat: Named as new ONCB chief

The appointment follows recent comments by deputy Pheu Thai leader Phumtham Wechayachai, who said in a Facebook post that the caretaker government led by Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha should refrain from making high-level appointments as part of the annual reshuffle.

The ONCB secretary-general post is considered one such appointment.

“The caretaker government should follow the mannerly tradition of not getting involved in the reshuffle of high-ranking government officials, which could influence the performance of the next government,” he wrote.

Gen Prayut later said the reshuffle is determined by its own timeframe.

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Covid-19 linked to diabetes risk

A doctor from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine said yesterday people infected with Covid-19 are at greater risk of developing diabetes.

Dr Thira Woratanarat from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine was commenting on research published on the medRxiv.org website last Wednesday.

The study sampled 15 million people in the United Kingdom, the doctor said via Facebook.

Those infected with Covid-19 have a 24% greater chance on average of developing Type-2 diabetes than those who have never been exposed to the virus.

Those who had severe symptoms and were admitted to the hospital have a greater risk of later having diabetes, three times higher than those who never had the virus.

For those who had mild symptoms when they had Covid-19, the chances of them developing Type-2 diabetes in later life are now about 10% higher, while those who received the Covid-19 vaccine and later had Covid-19 also have a greater chance of developing Type-2 diabetes.

He suggested people have a Type-2 diabetes check during an annual check-up.

Regarding the Covid-19 situation, as of Aug 12, the Department of Disease Control (DDC) had recorded 31,843 new Covid cases this year. The number of fatalities was 775.

More than 144 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administrated in Thailand since the virus outbreak. Of those vaccinated, 57,233,919 received their first dose, 53,730,348 received their second, and 33,987,074 received their third dose.

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Kingdom records first death

Thailand has recorded its first fatal case of monkeypox after a Thai man who was also HIV-positive and had syphilis, died of the virus, the Department of Disease Control (DDC) said yesterday.

Dr Tares Krassanairawiwong, DDC director-general, told reporters that the 34-year-old had suffered a fever, headache, itching and had a rash on his body on July 3 but decided to receive treatment in a private hospital in Chon Buri on July 11.

Tests later confirmed that he had monkeypox, HIV and syphilis.

The patient had also suffered from a sore throat due to a fungal infection, an opportunistic infection in HIV patients, Dr Tares said. The rash also spread all over his body due to the monkeypox, and he was hospitalised for four weeks before being discharged.

On Aug 9, when the man complained of fatigue and breathing difficulties, his relatives sent him to the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute in Nonthaburi for treatment.

By then, he still had the rash, had large areas of dead tissue on his nose and neck, infections to his limbs, lungs and brain, and severe immunodeficiency.

He received monkeypox medication and antibiotics, but his condition deteriorated and he died on Aug 11.

Dr Tares said monkeypox was an emerging infectious disease in Thailand. As of Aug 8, there had been 189 cases involving 161 Thais and 28 foreigners.

Most cases were among men who had unprotected sex with male strangers, with 43% of those men also being HIV-positive, which caused them to contract the disease more easily due to their immunodeficiency, he said.

DDC deputy director-general, Dr Sophon Iamsirithaworn, said monkeypox was spreading because people continued to indulge in risky behaviour.

There have been 152 fatalities related to monkeypox worldwide since the outbreak was first reported in May last year, Dr Sophon said.

Thailand has received a batch of the antiviral Tecovirimat (TPOXX) drug from the World Health Organisation to treat those who contract the virus, he said.

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SRT cracks down on illegal crossings

The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) will close 693 illegal railway crossings across the country, after a pickup truck was struck by a freight train in Chachoengsao last week. Eight people were killed and three injured in the accident.

The collision took place at an unofficial crossing, which isn’t equipped with a signalling mechanism. Out of the 437 incidents involving trains which occurred between 2005 and 2021, about 44% took place at such crossings, according to the SRT.

SRT’s Director of Safety and Maintenance, Tayakorn Chandrangsu, said yesterday there are 2,697 level crossings across the nation’s 4,000-kilometre rail network. Of that total, 2,004 are official crossings, while 693 are not. Of the 693 to be closed, 52 are located in the North, 54 are in the Northeast, 68 in the East, and 519 in the South.

He said locals continue to use illegal crossings as they tend to be the most convenient and direct means to get to their destination.

The SRT had told each province to come up with solutions to minimise level crossing accidents, but the result was minimal at best, he said.

“When the SRT closed some of these crossings to prevent accidents, residents protested against it. They would then reopen the crossings,” he added.

He said the SRT will build more walkways around its rail network, especially in communities bisected by tracks. The SRT also encourages people to use the DRT’s Crossing Application app, where people can report problems with local crossings.

“We also aim to have fewer ground level crossings for our double-track expansion and high-speed railways to prevent accidents,” said Mr Tayakorn.

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Pheu Thai: No pre-vote cabinet offers

Coalition partners want assurances

The Pheu Thai Party has shrugged off demands from its prospective coalition partners for cabinet seats to be allocated before they proceed to vote on the party’s prime ministerial candidate.

Pheu Thai deputy leader Phumtham Wechayachai said there must be clarity on how the coalition will vote on the prime ministerial candidate first. Only then will cabinet seat allocation be discussed.

He insisted cabinet seats will have to be acceptable to society and reflect the policies of each coalition party.

“We ask that the parties recognise the country’s and people’s needs as the first priority,” he said.

Mr Phumtham’s statement followed a reported ultimatum issued by a number of its coalition members to settle the cabinet allocation ahead of the vote.

The parties also snubbed Pheu Thai’s prime ministerial candidate Srettha Thavisin’s suggestion that parties joining the Pheu Thai-led administration not return to oversee the ministries they are occupying in the current caretaker government.

So far, the Bhumjaithai and Chartthaipattana parties from the current caretaker government have agreed to take part in a Pheu Thai-led administration. Other major parties reportedly mulling whether to join the new coalition are the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) and the United Thai Nation (UTN) Party.

These parties from the caretaker government have insisted that if they get to keep the ministries they currently supervise, it would benefit work continuity.

They added Pheu Thai should not focus on amending the constitution, but instead take care of the economic problems and people’s livelihoods first.

Mr Phumtham said he has not heard of a reported demand by any prospective coalition parties pressing for Mr Srettha to be replaced as prime ministerial candidate by Paetongtarn Shinawatra, head of the so-called Pheu Thai Family.

As far as he was aware, the parties had not paid serious attention to the issue, Mr Phumtham said.

“It must be made clear how many parties are ready to be in the government and how the cabinet seats are to be divided up,” he said, affirming the coalition line-up so far consists of parties with 238 MPs between them.

“We expect that after the new prime minister is chosen, the new government will get down to work next month after the business of allocating ministries is over and done with,” the Pheu Thai deputy leader said.

However, Pheu Thai secretary-general Prasert Chantararuangthong said support for the coalition has now climbed to 278 MPs, with the latest addition of the PPRP, which has pledged that its 40 MPs will vote for Pheu Thai’s prime ministerial candidate.

“We’re confident Mr Srettha’s nomination will sail through in a single round of voting,” he said.

Parliament president Wan Muhamad Noor Matha said yesterday the vote will likely be called either on Friday or Aug 22.

Meanwhile, Senator Kittisak Rattanawaraha admitted some senators doubt whether Mr Srettha will become prime minister. He said he believed the new premier would not be one of the three Pheu Thai prime ministerial candidates.

“It appears credible that the right to form a new government will pass from the Pheu Thai Party to the third-biggest, the Bhumjaithai Party or even the fourth-ranked PPRP,” he said.

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Govt lauds ‘Growth Triangle’ success

The Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT) strategic framework has generated over US$618 billion (about 21.7 trillion baht) since its founding in 1993, said deputy government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek on Monday.

Established during Chuan Leekpai’s tenure as prime minister, the framework was set up to facilitate private sector cooperation between the three countries, in a bid to boost the region’s economic growth.

Ms Rachada said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha praised the longevity and success of the initiative, which has helped the region improve its economic performance, especially in border areas tremendously.

Under the IMT-GT framework, the private sector is encouraged to help develop six core industries which are seen as the key drivers of the region’s economic growth, namely trading, infrastructure, tourism, human resources, agriculture and the environment, as well as halal food production.

As for projects to enhance connectivity in the region worth US$57 billion, all 36 have made considerable progress, said Ms Rachada. Aimed at improving logistics and travel, the projects include the Hat Yai-Padang Besar-Kuala Lumpur train and the second bridge over the Kolok River connecting the border town of Sungai Kolok in Narathiwat of Thailand to Rantau Panjang district of Kelantan in Malaysia.

At present, the scope of the IMT-GT cooperation has also expanded to 36 states and provinces in all three countries, she said.

During the past four decades, the gross domestic product of the three countries has also increased from US$12.7 billion in 1984 to US$405 billion in 2021, Ms Rachada said.

Trade value also increased from US$97 billion in 1984 to US$618 billion in 2021.

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Back to the future for India’s rice farmers

Varsha ShwarmaVarsha Shwarma

Varsha Sharma has been through some turbulent years on her small farm in the mountainous state of Himachal Pradesh, in northern India.

For more than a century her family have been rice farmers, but erratic rainfall and water being diverted for industry have made cultivating rice more difficult.

Seven years ago she switched to a hybrid rice variety and to growing apples, but that just caused fresh problems.

The hybrid rice variety promised increased production, but needed a lot of additives, which she says damaged the soil.

“We destroyed our soils by adding chemicals and fertilizers,” she says.

So in 2018 she switched again, this time experimenting with red rice, a variety which has a long history in Himachal Pradesh, but has dwindled as farmers have switched to modern varieties.

Red rice has attractive qualities. It is hardy and grows well without fertiliser and other chemicals. Research also shows it has nutritional benefits over white rice.

But perhaps for farmers the biggest attraction is that it sells well.

“Red rice fetches a good price, ranging between $3 and $4 per kilo in the retail market, as it completely organic. This has helped many farmers like me,” says Ms Sharma.

The government of Himachal Pradesh wants to expand the production of red rice, increasing its area under cultivation to 4,000 hectares (10,000 acres).

Red rice

Getty Images

Red rice is not the only traditional variety being promoted.

In West Bengal, the largest rice producing state in India, almost half of its arable land is under rice cultivation.

It is home to more than 5,000 varieties of rice, but the majority are no longer grown.

“They [farmers] are only thinking about increased production, hence are switching to hybrid varieties,” says Anjan Kumar Sinha, the founder of the Socio-Environmental Welfare Society (ARSWS), which promotes conservation and the restoration of biodiversity.

He says that farming hybrid rice varieties can be expensive.

“When hybrid seeds are used, the demand for pesticide increases and the costs go up in an unsustainable way.

“Indigenous rice seed varieties have adapted to local ecologies and can resist drought and floods. We have varieties of rice seeds in India which can grow without water,” says Mr Sinha.

Farmers who join his organisation get a kilo of seeds free, enough to produce up to 60kg of rice. In return the farmers have to return a kilo of seeds.

“These varieties may play a vital role in sustainable agriculture in drought prone regions,” he adds.

Rice is widely consumed and grown in India and it is the world’s biggest exporter of the grain.

But in July, to tame surging domestic prices after heavy rains hurt crops, the Indian government banned the export of non-basmati white rice.

This came after Russia withdrew from a deal guaranteeing the safe passage of Ukrainian grain, putting more pressure on global food supplies.

Women planting rice

Shankar Patnaik

Shankar Patnaik, who is also a farmer and seed conservationist, says that farmers “became greedy” and started growing rice from hybrid seeds to boost production.

“We used lot of urea and fertilizers which destroyed our soil. Also now very few farmers are using traditional seeds to grow rice,” he says.

Mr Patnaik has a collection of 500 rice varieties and is experimenting with many of them on his 14 acres of land.

“There are several indigenous rice varieties that can have higher yields but their potential is not fully explored. Even without application of chemical fertilizers one can get a good yield. But generally, people consider these as low yielding varieties and don’t pay much attention,” says Mr Patnaik.

As well as experimenting with varieties, Mr Patnaik is working on growing methods that need less water.

In particular he uses the alternate wetting and drying (AWD) method. In that technique famers flood fields, allow them to drain for a few days, and then flood them again.

Rice field

Shankar Patnaik

This is one of the processes promoted by India’s Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA), an organisation that works with farmers to make farming more sustainable.

“Rice is highly water-consuming crop. It’s grown in stagnant water and consumes about 5,000 litres if water per kg of rice,” says GV Ramanjaneyulu, executive director of the CSA.

He says bacteria in rice ponds emit methane, and flooding damages the soil structure, and can make it more salty.

He says there are several ways of growing rice with less water, but at the moment they need more support.

“There are no proper campaigns or training on these methods and no incentive for farmers to make a shift,” says Mr Ramanjaneyulu.

“Many of the current incentive systems like fertilizer subsidy, free power, canal irrigation, minimum support price and procurement, all work against the interest of farmers to shift towards more sustainable production,” he adds.

Presentational grey line

Presentational grey line

One farmer who has embraced a new technique is Prema Devi from Farsali Malde, a village in the northern state of Uttarakhand.

“Most of the people from the village are farmers but with major climatic changes we started facing a lot of problems. Our crops got destroyed because of unseasonal rains or scarcity of water,” she says.

So, in 2021 she started to reduce the number of rice seeds she planted.

Rice saplings are grown in nursery beds and are transferred to main field after 12 to 14 days, where they are planted six to eight inches apart.

“The spacing between each plant gives them more oxygen, and minimises the competition between plants for nutrients and sunlight,” says Ms Devi.

She says the system has doubled her rice production to 100kg a year.

“It was not easy for us to believe that a simple change in technique was all we needed,” she says.

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