South-East Asia (Page 1,349)

The National Resource and Environment Ministry will hold a Bai Sri Su Khwan welcoming ceremony for Thai elephant Sak Surin after his 30-day quarantine finishes, minister Varawut Silpa-archa says.

According to Mr Varawut, the ceremony will be held at the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre (TECC) in Lampang, where the 30-year-old elephant has been treated since being flown home from Sri Lanka on July 2.

The ceremony will be held once the elephant has undergone a blood test and is given a clean bill of health.

The TECC will allow the public to meet Sak Surin after the ceremony. The elephant will live with other elephants at the centre pending his full recovery, said Mr Varawut.

Sak Surin was one of three Thai elephants gifted to Sri Lanka in 2001 as goodwill ambassadors. He changed hands many times before ending up at the Kande Viharaya temple in Aluthgama, in south Sri Lanka, where he carried holy relics during annual Buddhist parades.

The tusker was allegedly abused and neglected before being taken to the National Zoological Gardens last November, according to Rally for Animal Rights and Environment (Rare), a Sri Lanka-based animal organisation.

The Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) has raided two locations in Bangkok where a suspected Chinese cryptocurrency scammer operates.

CCIB chief, Pol Lt Gen Worawat Watnakhonbancha, said on Wednesday that his officers searched a house in the Rama IX area of Saphan Sung district, belonging to a Chinese man identified as Su Peng Fei.

Assets found at the house, worth over 300 million baht, were confiscated. However, the housekeeper told officers that Mr Su was out of the country.

The second house raided was in Kanchanaphisek Soi 12 in Saphan Sung district.

The building was used as an office for Xin Rui Technology Co Ltd. Police believe Mr Su used money from the cryptocurrency scam to buy the house.

Parliament president Wan Muhamad Noor Matha has warned MPs against betraying the trust of the people by turning into “cobras” in parliament.

Mr Wan, who is also the House speaker, told a recent seminar on the roles and duties of MPs that the real power belongs to the people and is exercised through the MPs.

“It’s a mistake to think that the electorate are mere holders of voting rights. That’s a total misconception of the democratic principle,” he said.

MPs who regularly consult their constituents rarely go wrong in performing their duty as lawmakers, Mr Wan noted.

The seminar was the first induction held on the lawmakers’ roles for MPs elected in the May 14 general election.

Mr Wan added that the MPs should stay focused and dedicate themselves to their parliamentary work and not lose interest in attending House meetings.

The House speaker said some MPs were not re-elected after they had allowed themselves to turn into “cobras”.

This was a reference to those who were bankrolled to vote in parliament in defiance of their respective parties’ stances.

“Throughout the years I’ve been an MP, I have yet to see a single ‘cobra’ make it back into parliament. Take the tale of the 40 ‘cobra’ MPs as an example,” he said.

Mr Wan is understood to have been referring to the alleged collusion to purge Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha through censure votes in 2021.

The plot to stage a revolt had taken place days prior to the no-confidence debate. Gen Prayut was the prime target of the debate that centred largely on the government’s failures to manage the nation’s Covid-19 situation and corruption.

The government source said the revolt initially drew around 40 MPs who reportedly included some from the ruling Palang Pracharath Party itself, although Gen Prayut’s supporters in the coalition managed to convince more than half of the MPs to backtrack.

Gen Prayut eventually managed to survive the censure motion.

Mr Wan, who quit as Prachachat Party leader to become House speaker, said MPs must be receptive to changes in society and adjust accordingly.

Huai Khwang to clamp down on foreign-funded businesses

Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt yesterday ordered the Huai Khwang district chief to strictly enforce laws and regulations on Chinese-funded businesses in the district.

The order came after a recent video on TikTok by a Chinese expat who posted a review about living in Thailand. He started the clip by saying that he could easily live in the country, even though he could not speak Thai.

The video showed a day in his life, sharing that he relied mostly on Chinese restaurants and supermarkets, both in the Huai Khwang area, and used Chinese-based delivery applications to order food. The delivery driver was also seen speaking Chinese fluently.

The video sparked criticism among Thai netizens, with some mockingly calling the area “Monthon Tai Guo (Thailand Province of China)”.

Some were concerned about the area being converted into “Thailand’s Little China” and being dominated by Chinese-funded businesses.

Mr Chadchart said these businesses can help stimulate the economy. But he also wanted to ensure these Chinese-funded businesses strictly follow laws and regulations, adding that some operating in the Huai Khwang area had been closed by City Hall for violating the Food Act regarding imported food.

He said he had ordered the district office to keep an eye on Chinese-funded businesses, especially restaurants and illegal businesses.

City Hall cannot interfere with their business registrations, however, as they are the responsibility of the Ministry of Commerce, he said, adding they will all be inspected, especially food and drink businesses, to make sure they follow the Public Health Act.

Chinese-funded businesses can be considered quality competitors, but they must respect consumers’ safety, Mr Chadchart said.

He also talked about the current tourism trends in Bangkok after episodes of foreign television series were broadcast recently featuring local restaurants and attractions. As many foreign creators shot their content in Thailand, he said this is a golden opportunity to promote tourism and persuade more to visit the country.

Would be treated as an elderly prisoner

Fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra will be treated as an elderly prisoner if he returns to Thailand to face his jail term, according to the Department of Corrections.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha doubts the ex-premier will return after Thaksin’s daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, announced her father is due to arrive at Don Mueang airport on Aug 10.

“I can’t quite believe what I am typing, my father is returning on Aug 10 at Don Mueang airport,” she wrote on Wednesday, which was Thaksin’s 74th birthday.

It is the first time that Thaksin — who has spent 17 years saying he will come home — has set a date for his return. Earlier, he said he would return before his birthday, only for his daughter to say it would be pushed back slightly due to political uncertainties.

Responding to Thaksin’s homecoming plans, Ayuth Sintoppant, the department’s director-general, said that upon arrival at the airport, Thaksin will be arrested, while corrections authorities will follow with a court warrant.

Under the procedures, corrections officials will be notified if there is a warrant for Thaksin’s detention. Once the court procedures are completed, corrections officials will escort him to the detention facility, which is likely to be the Bangkok Remand Prison.

However, the department has not received a court warrant, he said.

At 74, Thaksin will be treated as an elderly inmate, and he will receive medical care as recommended by doctors in the event he has any underlying illnesses. There is no timeframe for his medical treatment, which will be determined by doctors.

According to Mr Ayuth, Thaksin will be tested for Covid-19 and quarantined for 10 days before being transferred to a medical ward for care and treatment, as was the case for Tarit Pengdith, the former chief of the Department of Special Investigation.

He said Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam, who is the acting justice minister, has not contacted the department regarding Thaksin’s planned return.

When asked about Thaksin’s return, Gen Prayut said on Wednesday that the state agencies concerned know what to do and will follow the necessary procedures. The outgoing premier became irritated when asked what orders he gave to police to prepare for Thaksin’s return.

“I don’t have to. Why do I have to give orders in every matter? Police know what to do,” he said.

“Wait and see if he’s for real this time,” he added when asked about Thaksin’s call to a group of well-wishers in Ubon Ratchathani who threw a birthday party for him.

Earlier, there were leaked documents from the Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB) concerning police preparations for Thaksin’s transfer to the court and detention centre.

Pol Maj Gen Montri Paenjaroen, commander of Immigration Office 2 in charge of Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports, said immigration police have no details about the ex-premier’s return.

He said immigration police and the MPB have laid down guidelines about how to handle his arrival. If Thaksin has outstanding warrants, he will be detained and handed over to the MPB, which is in line with normal procedures, he added.

Kerati Kijmanawat, Airports of Thailand (AoT) president, said the AoT will assess the situation and make preparations as a large number of people will be expected at the airport on the day of Thaksin’s return.

Jatuporn Prompan, former chairman of the red-shirt United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), said even though Thaksin has announced the date, there is no guarantee he will return.

“I’ll give it a 50-50 chance. It may be a ploy to distract public attention from attempts to form an inter-bloc coalition government. Pheu Thai is under tremendous pressure because it earlier announced it wouldn’t work with the Palang Pracharath Party and the United Thai Nation Party and attacked Bhumjaithai in its election campaign.”

“These parties ended up at the party’s headquarters having mint-choc drinks,” he said, referring to Ms Paetongtarn’s favourite beverage that has become Pheu Thai’s symbol.

Wanwichit Boonprong, a political science lecturer at Rangsit University, said Thaksin’s return is a signal that a political deal has been reached and the political situation is believed to be under control.

Senator Somchai Sawangkarn echoed the views, saying Thaksin’s return indicates that Pheu Thai expects to close the coalition formation deal before Aug 10.

Airports of Thailand (AoT) yesterday concluded that a collapsed plate on one of its moving walkways caused the accident in which a woman lost a leg at Don Mueang airport on June 29.

The probe was carried out by a nine-member fact-finding panel appointed by the AoT. It was closely monitored by two observers appointed by the victim’s family and two representatives from an insurance firm. It took 22 days to finish reviewing 10 items of physical evidence, as well as documents and statements given by 34 witnesses and other relevant individuals.

AoT director Kerati Kijmanawat said the accident was caused by a travellator footplate breaking free from the mounting frame, which led to the leg of the victim falling through the gap as she was approaching the end of the moving walkway.

Mr Kerati said the committee recommended hiring a technical expert from another agency to conduct safety checks on travellators at Don Mueang airport. The committee also recommended boosting safety measures so they are in line with EN115-2 standard, such as installing sensors to detect faults and CCTV cameras to check if maintenance is being conducted regularly and properly.

All the victim’s medical costs will be covered by the AoT, which will also offer her compensation, Mr Kerati said. He also conveyed his deep regrets saying that the AoT always prioritises safety.