Asia (Page 2,506)

The Express Authority of Thailand (Exat) held the first public hearing for its plan to build a 20-kilometre bridge linking the mainland to Koh Samui, with construction due to start in 2028.

According to Exat governor Surachet Laophulsuk, the orientation hearing will be held in three areas that are expected to be impacted by the project: Nakhon Si Thammarat (yesterday), Surat Thani (today) and Koh Samui (tomorrow).

They were selected as the project will link Koh Samui to either Surat Thani’s Don Sak district or Nakhon Si Thammarat’s Khanom district.

The hearings focus on the suitability of the project in various dimensions, including engineering, the financial impact, and environmental impact.

A bridge connecting the resort island with the mainland in Don Sak district would provide an overland transportation option in addition to air and ferry links, which are currently the only modes of travel to and from the island.

The bridge is also expected to reduce the time needed to attend to public health emergencies on the island, Mr Surachet said.

The project changed hands from the Rural Roads Department to Exat by the order of the Transport Ministry in July, he added, as the ministry required a sector that had more availability of technology resources and funds.

It is expected to cost around 33.9 billion baht. Some 31.4 billion baht will be invested in construction, with the rest for acquiring land.

An impact study will take 24 months, from this April to October 2025, he said.

United Thai Nation (UTN) deputy leader, Suchart Chomklin, has indicated it might benefit the country more if the party’s MPs did not vote for a new prime minister by adhering to party wishes.

Mr Suchart said yesterday there are steps to be followed prior to the vote.

First, it must be established if the UTN will be included in the new coalition government. The party said it had not been invited by Pheu Thai, which is leading current efforts.

“Let’s take one step at a time,” he said. “To be honest, I want to see the country move forward.”

Mr Suchart, also the labour minister, said the stock market rallied when the news broke of Bhumjaithai, the third-largest party, accepting Pheu Thai’s invitation to join the government on Monday.

That development has boosted investor confidence, he added.

Mr Suchart was asked whether the UTN’s 36 MPs would vote for a new prime minister in compliance with a party resolution or whether they could cast their votes freely.

“If obeying the party line was damaging to the country, would you do it?

“As MPs, we need to consider the course of action we take. If it’s bound to provoke conflict and cause a stalemate in the country, we must talk this out in the party,” he said.

Mr Suchart said party MPs should think carefully about whether exercising their privilege in voting for a prime ministerial candidate will benefit the country.

In the next prime ministerial selection round in parliament, Pheu Thai is poised to nominate Srettha Thavisin.

Mr Suchart, who leads a 5-9 MP faction in the UTN, said he was staying put in the UTN despite growing speculation he might defect in the wake of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s decision to step away from the party.

Gen Prayut has quit as a UTN member and its chief adviser, a move apparently aimed at enabling the party to ease its way into a Pheu Thai-led government if it was offered a place.

Pheu Thai appears reluctant to include “uncles’ parties” in the new line-up, referring to the UTN formerly linked to Gen Prayut and the Palang Pracharath Party led by Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon.

Pheu Thai declared during the election campaign it would not form a government with either party, a result of the 2014 coup that toppled the Pheu Thai-led administration.

Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, another UTN deputy leader, said Gen Prayut had washed his hands of the party. “There isn’t an uncle in the UTN anymore,” he added.

The issue of Gen Prayut running the show openly or from behind the scenes should be laid to rest, he said, adding it should not be cited as a precondition when forming a government.

He said all parties should be open to talks.

The Thai and Chinese governments have agreed to join hands to combat transnational crime, call centre scams and cybercrime.

Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon welcomed Xu Ganlu, Vice Minister of Public Security and Commissioner of the National Immigration Administration of China at Government House yesterday.

The meeting focused on bilateral cooperation to enforce the suppression of crime. Mr Xu said that China would welcome assistance from Thailand with law enforcement along the Mekong River.

Mr Xu will also join the 26th Asean Directors-General of Immigration Departments and Heads of Consular Affairs Divisions of Ministries of Foreign Affairs Meeting (DGICM) from Aug 7–11 in Phuket.

“Thai-Chinese diplomatic ties play an important role in Thailand’s foreign policies. Thailand still stands firmly behind the-China Policy and is glad to see our relations improve following high-profile visits from both sides. Our two countries still have a lot to offer one another,” said Gen Prawit.

Mr Xu also mentioned that they had agreed to cooperate further in enforcing laws to suppress transnational crime and also boost immigration opportunities.

Gen Prawit also reportedly expressed his condolences after recent severe floods in several cities in China, including Beijing.

Tax evasion claim hurts chance to win

Senators are divided over whether to support Srettha Thavisin if Pheu Thai nominates him for the prime ministerial vote in parliament.

Senator Wanchai Sornsiri said he was optimistic that most senators would support Pheu Thai and its prime ministerial candidate now it had split from the Move Forward Party (MFP), whose policy to amend Section 112 of the Criminal Code, or the lese majeste law, was opposed by many senators.

Only when Pheu Thai manages to gather support from more than 250 MPs in forming a government will he be confident a candidate from the bloc will succeed in clinching the premiership with sufficient backing from the Senate.

Senators hope the formation of a new government will be done as soon as possible. They do not want to be criticised as an obstacle to the country moving forward, he said, adding the tax allegation against Mr Srettha could still be scrutinised later.

This week, whistleblower Chuvit Kamolvisit implied there had been land sale tax evasion in Sansiri’s purchase of 400 square wah of land on Sarasin Road in Bangkok in August 2019, when Mr Srettha was still CEO.

The former massage parlour tycoon implied that Mr Srettha and Sansiri colluded with the landowners to evade 521 million baht in taxes on the developer’s purchase of the prime block of land.

Several groups of senators have left no stone unturned when it comes to examining the prospects of a Pheu Thai-led government, including an offer of a place in the coalition to the MFP in the event of a cabinet reshuffle in the future, according to Mr Wanchai.

The senator said he strongly believes Pheu Thai is well aware of what it should and should not do in order to succeed in leading a new government.

Senator Seree Suwanpanont, in his capacity as chairman of the Senate committee on political development and public participation, meanwhile, said the panel has agreed to look at a petition lodged by political activist Ruangkrai Leekitwattana against Mr Srettha over the tax evasion allegation.

According to Mr Ruangkrai, Mr Srettha’s part in the alleged tax evasion makes him ineligible to become a prime minister.

Senator Somjet Boonthanom said he has no reason not to vote for Pheu Thai’s candidate but wondered why the party puts the charter over economic recovery.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) should build on its readiness to deal with future uncertainties and disruptions, said the Indonesian ambassador to Thailand, Rachmat Budiman at a forum organised by C Asean in Bangkok yesterday to mark the 56th anniversary of Asean’s founding.

As Asean chairman for 2023 and the host of the 2023 Asean summit, Indonesia has chosen “Asean Matters: Epicentrum of Growth” as this year’s working theme.

Mr Budiman said the theme was chosen to reflect Indonesia’s visions and priority for this year — namely “Asean Matters”, “Epicentrum of Growth”, and the Asean Outlook for the Indo-Pacific (AOIP).

“Asean does matter, so we would like to see Asean strengthen its position, which would highlight the bloc’s importance to people both within and beyond the region,” he said.

“We have to be more adaptable and responsive in the face of uncertainties,” he said, citing recent disruptions such as the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, as well as the digitisation of businesses.

He said Indonesia would push to institutionalise informal dialogues on human rights to enhance cooperation between Asean members in combatting rights abuses such as torture and human trafficking.

In order to be an epicentre for growth, Asean members must work together to improve food and energy security, as well as enhance and harmonise financial and regulatory standards across the region, the ambassador went on to say.

When asked about the AOIP, Mr Budiman said Asean is working on mainstreaming the protocol to ensure Asean’s partners in the region and beyond have an understanding of Asean’s vision for maritime and security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, as well the bloc’s economic aspirations and targets.

Polapatr Suvarnazorn, as the vice chairman of C Asean, which organised the forum, said in his opening remarks that the fact Asean is celebrating its 56th anniversary at the very place where it was founded speaks volumes about the success of the regional gathering.

“For the past 56 years, Asean has been working to make a peaceful, stable and resilient community. We are still faced with more uncertainties and challenges like wars, social unrest and natural disasters. But, Asean’s vision has continued unchanged, and it remains resolute on keeping the bloc’s cohesiveness as one community,” he said.