South-East Asia (Page 360)

The Election Commission (EC) on Saturday refused to be drawn into a debate on the legality of the 500-billion-baht digital wallet handout scheme, which some think is at risk of violating the law if it is funded by loans.

EC secretary-general Sawang Boonmee said the agency could not answer whether the change in the source of money to fund the handout programme would break the law.

When asked if it would submit its views to the government, he said the EC’s review of party campaign promises centres upon where the funds come from and insisted the EC is not in a position to give its opinions.

The legality of the scheme is being questioned after the Pheu Thai-led government is now planning to raise 500 billion baht in loans to fund the scheme. During the election campaign, the Pheu Thai Party said it would not resort to loans.

A panel set up by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to study the handout programme points to the changes in how the programme would be funded, from the national budget to seeking out loans.

Some analysts warn that if the loan bill is pushed, the scheme could violate the State Fiscal and Financial Discipline Act because the country shows no signs of being in a crisis that would warrant such a scheme to urgently shore up the economy.

Mr Sawang also said there were 756 projects similar to the digital wallet programme floated during the election campaign, and the estimated cost of all these projects combined was approximately 70 trillion baht.

However, the EC’s role is limited to examining if these policies are in violation of the election laws and it does not assess the merits of the campaign promises. He said that evaluating the feasibility or merits of such promises is for the voters.

The EC’s secretary-general also said it is not always possible for politicians to fully implement every campaign promise.

“Some campaign proposals weren’t implemented at all and some were implemented in a way that was different from what was initially promised. The EC has a limited mandate and can do only what is allowed by the law,” he said.

Chief Ombudsman Somsak Suwansujarit said his office is still gathering facts about the digital wallet handout scheme to determine its legality.

However, it remains unclear how the government will implement it, he said.

He said that unlike the NACC, the Office of Ombudsman is not authorised to make recommendations to the government and it can only act when alleged violations of the constitution are committed.

Nakhon Ratchasima: A group of tourism business operators in Wang Nam Khieo district is proposing measures to cope with a rising number of incidents involving wild gaurs wandering about, attacking people and damaging crops.

On Jan 11, a mother and her seven-year-old daughter riding on a motorbike were injured during an encounter with an agitated gaur along Highway No 3052 between Wang Nam Khieo and Pak Chong district.

The animal rammed the motorbike, sending it skidding across the road’s surface. The girl was caught on the gaur’s horns and carried off into a nearby forest as the bull scurried across the road.

The mother chased after the gaur and rescued her daughter lying injured about 100 metres in the forest. The girl was taken to a nearby hospital before being transferred to a larger hospital in the province.

Members of the Wang Nam Khieo tourism club on Saturday urged state agencies to consider erecting more light poles along the highway to help with visibility. They said there have been multiple incidents involving wild gaurs and motorists at night.

The club also proposed agencies improve areas containing food for gaurs and other animals at the Thap Lan and Khao Yai National Parks to prevent them from leaving the forests.

The population of herbivores at both national parks has been steadily rising, there is no longer enough food for all of them. This explains why a number of animals have started migrating closer to human communities, it said.

“For the sake of the welfare of animals and humans, these responses must be implemented as soon as possible so that they can live peacefully together,” it said.

Annop Buanuan, head of the office managing Khao Yai National Park’s Khao Phaeng Ma Non-Hunting Area, said the gaur in the recent attack had wandered from Khao Phaeng Ma to find food.

The low-voltage electric fences erected to deter wild gaurs from getting too close to communities failed as the animals’ food dwindled during the dry season, said Prawattisat Chantharathep, head of Thap Lan National Park.

Figures from 2019 showed there were about 300 gaurs in Khao Phaeng Ma, and these wild bulls normally grazed on a steep knoll slope, said Phattharaphon Mani-on, a veterinarian with the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.

Following 11 recorded incidents involving wild gaurs in the past three years in Wang Nam Khieo district, 22 spots there have been declared high-risk, Mr Annop said.

Motorists must keep their speed below 20 kilometres per hour, he said. However, warning signs are not always visible at night, he said.

The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) has launched a tourism challenge that grants winners unlimited free entry to national parks across Thailand for a year.

The campaign dubbed “Passport to Thailand National Parks” will allow visitors who collect stamps from all of 156 national parks in the country an unlimited free entry into any national park for a year plus four complementary nights of accommodation in the national park and forest park.

DNP director-general Athapol Charoenshunsa said the campaign is one of DNP’s initiatives to encourage people to explore the country’s natural diversity.

It is also in line with the government’s soft power agenda which also focuses on promoting the country through tourism.

According to Mr Athapol, the DNP’s passport has been around for some time and received an overwhelming response from park visitors. Many travellers have made it a mission to visit all 156 national parks to collect all the stamps in the passport book.

Yet it is the first time that it has come with prizes.

Other than the year-round free entries, each prize winner will be granted a waiver of accommodation fees for two nights on two visits during the one-year prize period.

This accommodation waiver is limited to lodging that can accommodate no more than four people, Mr Athapol said.

Winners will also receive a special stamp for completing the challenge, souvenirs and a signature of the DNP chief, he added.

Park visitors can contact the DNP at its Hotline 1362 for more details about the stamp challenge campaign and the prizes.