South-East Asia (Page 1,360)

NAKHON SAWAN: Deputy Agricultural Minister Chaiya Promma has revealed details of a new royal rainmaking operation aimed at topping up water in dams and reservoirs.

The plan is being made in preparation for the effects of the El Nino weather phenomenon, which is expected to intensify in November.

Mr Chaiya disclosed the plan yesterday during a visit to the Central Royal Rainmaking Operation Centre in Muang district of this Central Plains province.

The minister was inspecting the water situation in major dams and reservoirs while following up on the operations of the Department of Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation.

Mr Chaiya said the rainmaking operation began yesterday with a focus on the Pasak Jolasid Dam in Lop Buri, with several aircraft being sent to seed rain clouds for an hour.

One aircraft flew from Nakhon Ratchasima, and two flew from Lop Buri.

Water held in reservoirs nationwide, especially in the central region, is currently considered low.

According to a report by the Royal Irrigation Department (RID) representatives, 50,140 million cubic metres of water were held nationwide in dams and reservoirs, or 66% of their total capacities.

Four major dams along the Chao Phraya River — the Pasak Jolasid Dam, the Bhumibol Dam in Tak, the Sirikit Dam in Uttaradit, and the Kwai Noi Bamrung Daen Dam in Phitsanulok, are currently holding water at 51% of their total capacity, or 12,751 million cubic metres in total, with just 27% of that considered consumable.

Mr Chaiya said that heavy downpours in the country this week have not added much water to those dams and reservoirs.

Meanwhile, Prapit Chanma, director-general of the RID, said he ordered all Royal Irrigation Projects to monitor the water situation after the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) warned about this week’s heavy downpour.

Mr Prapit said he ordered those projects to take measures to aim for maximum water retention due to the concerns over El Nino after the rainy season is over.

Torsak calls on rival to ‘clear the air’

Pol Gen Torsak Sukvimol, who has been named the new national police chief, said he has asked deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn to clear the air after the latter’s house was searched by officers early this week.

Pol Gen Torsak was addressing questions after a photo of him shaking hands with Pol Gen Surachate circulated on social media yesterday.

According to media reports, Pol Gen Surachate, aka “Big Joke”, sought to meet Pol Gen Torsak in private to congratulate him on his appointment succeeding Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas, who is due to retire today.

The incoming police chief said he had reached out to Pol Gen Surachate after Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin expressed concern that this week’s events might not bode well for the image of the Royal Thai Police (RTP).

There was speculation that the police search of Pol Gen Surachate’s house was an attempt to discredit him ahead of the Sept 27 appointment of a new police chief. Both Pol Gen Torsak and Pol Gen Surachate were among the candidates.

Pol Gen Torsak denied having anything to do with Pol Gen Surachate’s house search while insisting the pair had no personal conflict and were in talks about how to move the police force forward.

“I knew nothing about the house search, and that’s why I had to talk to him to explain that there was an attempt to pit us against each other during the nomination,” Pol Gen Torsak said. He said the photo was taken after that meeting.

Meanwhile, political activist and former senator Ruangkrai Leekitwattana said he has asked the Office of the Ombudsman to seek the Administrative Court’s intervention over the appointment of the new police chief.

He cited a claim by Pol Gen Ake Angsananont, a former deputy national police chief who voted against Pol Gen Torsak, as the basis for the petition.

In that meeting, Mr Srettha, who is the ex-officio chairman of the Police Commission under the Royal Thai Police Act, nominated Pol Gen Torsak for the top police job, and the attendees selected Pol Gen Torsak by a vote of 10 to 1.

Pol Gen Ake voted against the nomination, saying the appointment was not in line with the regulations.

Mr Ruangkrai echoed similar sentiments, adding this was why he was seeking the court’s ruling on the appointment.

Higher Education Science Research and Innovation (MHESI) Minister Supamas Isarabhakdi yesterday praised 19 Thai universities for being listed in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2024.

This year’s ranking included 1,904 universities from 108 countries and regions. As part of that, THE analysed more than 134 million citations across 16.5 million research publications, including survey responses from 68,402 scholars.

Each university is judged in five categories: teaching (the learning environment); research environment (volume, income and reputation); research quality (citation impact, research strength, excellence and influence); international outlook (staff, students and research); and industry (income and patents).

The University of Oxford topped the ranking for the eighth year in a row, while Stanford University moved up to second place, pushing Harvard University down to fourth. Ms Supamas said yesterday that among the 19 Thai universities, four universities had a better ranking than last year.

Chulalongkorn and Mahidol are Thailand’s top universities, ranked in the 601-800 world range. The ranking was an improvement on the 801-1,000 range last year. Chiang Mai University placed in the 801-1,000 range, improving from the 1,001-1,200 range. Lastly, Walailak University ranked in the 1,201-1,500 range from the previous rank of 1,501+. The University of Phayao was newly listed in the ranking and was placed in the 1,501+ bracket.

Ms Supamas said the rankings pointed to Thai universities’ potential and academic excellence, which resulted from MHESI boosting the quality of universities and personnel, management, research and foreign cooperation.

“The ministry aims to see Thai universities reach the top 400 in the world,” she said.

Police are calling for a transparent investigation into the role of Suchanun Sucharitchinsri, also known as Minnie, who is suspected of running online gambling websites involving senior police officers, including a close aide of deputy police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn.

Newly appointed national police chief Pol Gen Torsak Sukvimol, right, and his deputy, Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, pose for a photo yesterday after Pol Gen Torsak asked Pol Gen Surachate to clear the air. Police Photo

At Royal Thai Police (RTP) headquarters, Pol Lt Gen Trairong Phewphan, commander of the Legal and Litigation Office of RTP and chief of the Police Cyber Taskforce Unit 4 (PCT4), called for a meeting of the working team to set guidelines to proceed with the case.

Pol Lt Gen Trairong also told reporters before the meeting that everything has been documented and insisted police officers always abide by the rule of law.

The call for the meeting came after Ms Suchanun, 25, a single mother with a 5-year-old child, on Thursday night spoke to reporters to clarify police accusations. She was arrested on July 30 and got bail.

She denied running online gambling websites. She said she was forced by a police officer of the PCT4 to admit to a crime she never committed.

She also claims she was forced to frame Pol Col Phakphum Phitsamai, deputy chief investigator of Provincial Police Region 4, a close aid of Pol Gen Surachate.

There are photos and a video of her currently circulating on media of her posing with three others and singing a karaoke song with Pol Gen Surachate. However, Ms Suchanun denies knowing Pol Gen Surachate (alias “Big Joke”) in person.

She said she was invited to parties by Pol Col Phakphum a couple of times. Photos of her sitting on his lap or kissing his cheek were also posted.

She said she knew Pol Col Phakphum in 2020 when he was stationed in Loei. They were in a relationship for a while, although she knew he had a wife.

She said she also knew Pol Col Khemarin, a younger brother of Pol Col Phakphum, as she needed advice on immigration labour. Both Pol Col Phakphum and Pol Col Khemarin are among eight officers suspected of being involved in the illegal online gambling ring.

The expulsion of Deputy House Speaker Padipat Santipada from the Move Forward Party (MFP) has long been anticipated as a political tactic to ensure the post remains in the hands of its allies while the MFP assumes the fully-fledged role of the main opposition party, according to politicians and academics.

Padipat: Refused to give up role

Such remarks were made yesterday after Mr Padipat accepted the MFP’s decision to expel him after he refused to step down from the post amid criticism that the opposition was trying to have its cake and eat it.

Under the charter, a party that takes on the role of opposition leader cannot occupy a speaker’s post at the same time. Mr Papidat, an MP for Phitsanulok, had to resign, or another arrangement had to be made.

On Thursday night, the MFP issued a statement saying Mr Padipat insisted on remaining as deputy speaker, so the MFP decided to expel him to enable it to lead the opposition.

However, the move was widely seen as a win-win for the main opposition party as it allowed the MFP to take on the role of opposition leader and have a sympathetic deputy speaker chairing meetings in the House.

Democrat member Taenkhun Jit-issara yesterday slammed Mr Padipat’s expulsion as undignified, saying it allowed the MFP, through an ally party, to keep both the deputy House speaker and opposition leader posts.

He said he was considering asking the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to look into such conduct.

Senator Seree Suwanpanont said Mr Padipat’s expulsion could be considered against the charter because he was expelled — not over a conflict, but in a tactical move to allow the MP to retain his speaker post.

He said a petition could be lodged with the Constitutional Court via the Office of the Ombudsman for a ruling.

House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha yesterday declined to get involved in the MFP’s affairs when asked about criticism of the party. He also refused to discuss the call for a Constitutional Court ruling.

Srettha conducts Andaman coast visit

Phuket: The government is pressing ahead with transport infrastructure development projects in this southern island province in a bid to boost tourism along the Andaman coast.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin visited Phuket on Friday to inspect transport infrastructure projects aimed at promoting tourism in provinces along the Andaman coast, including Phuket and Phangnga.

Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit and Tourism and Sports Minister Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol accompanied the prime minister.

Government spokesman Chai Wacharonke said that Mr Srettha was briefed on the projects by officials from relevant agencies upon arrival at Phuket airport.

Among the projects are the construction of a second Phuket airport with a 5.8 billion baht price tag, the upgrade of Krabi airport at a cost of 2.7 billion baht and the 80-billion-baht construction of an international airport in Phangnga’s Takua Thung district.

Other projects include the construction of the 3.98-kilometre Kathu-Patong expressway in Phuket and the construction of the 30.26-kilometre Muang Mai-Koh Kaew-Kathu expressway.

The Department of Highways plans to expand the 4.55-kilometre Highway No.4207 to four lanes and construct an interchange at kilometre marker post No.34+680.

After the briefing, Mr Srettha said the government is ready to work with all stakeholders to improve the tourism sector, which he said is crucial to revitalising the economy.

He expressed confidence in the potential of Phuket, which serves as a model for economic stimulus as the island province can connect visitors to Krabi and Phangnga, forming the Andaman coast tourism cluster.

Each province in the cluster has its unique characteristics which can respond to the needs of various groups of visitors, the spokesman quoted Mr Srettha as saying.

Even though some development projects are already underway in Phuket, the government will try to ensure during its four-year term that development in the province continues without interruption, Mr Chai quoted the PM as saying.

“The prime minister also instructed relevant agencies to ensure visitors to Phuket are safe and happy from the moment they set foot on the island until they leave,” the spokesman said.

Mr Srettha later visited the construction site for the Kathu-Patong expressway in Phuket’s Kathu district, where he also met with locals to hear their opinions on traffic issues in relation to tourism.

The prime minister said the government is set to push for infrastructure development projects in the island province to welcome more tourists, according to the spokesman.

“The government is ready to support the projects. The projects will be sped up to welcome tourists,” the spokesman quoted the PM as saying.

Mr Srettha emphasised that the budget for the projects must be spent prudently for the benefit of people and that construction projects must consider the impacts on the environment and residents’ livelihoods.

Mr Srettha also went to Phangnga, where he was briefed on the project to construct the international airport, which covers about 7,400 rai in the province’s Takua Thung district.

The prime minister stressed that the project must not cause any adverse impacts on local residents, and efforts must be made to ensure they receive fair compensation for any land expropriated.

The prime minister also said it is important to build transport systems to connect with the planned airport and build utility infrastructure to prepare for urban expansion around the airport in the future, Mr Chai said.

Mr Suriya previously said the Transport Ministry is preparing to propose seven infrastructure projects worth 148 billion baht to improve land and air transport facilities on Phuket.

The seven projects include multiple highways across Phuket, highway extensions, overpasses and the second Phuket airport.