DDC hails IFR tech use on migrants

On: December 31, 2023

PUBLISHED : 31 Dec 2023 at 07:48

The Department of Disease Control (DDC) has declared the use of iris and facial recognition (IFR) technology to enhance medical services for migrant workers an achievement.

During its pilot phase, the IFR system helped identify 8,619 migrant workers eligible to receive medical welfare and assistance in Samut Sakhon, Tak, Chon Buri, Prachuap Khiri Khan and Bangkok.

The IFR system eases the data collection of migrant workers. An agreement to use the system in the pilot provinces was signed by various state agencies on Aug 15.

Out of 8,619 migrant workers, 80% were from Myanmar.

DDC deputy director-general Dr Sophon Iamsirithavorn said the Thai Red Cross Society, the National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (Nectec), the public health permanent secretary office and other officials from the five provinces had reviewed the outcome of the project’s implementation.

They said the system can quickly help identify those who do not carry essential documentation.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the authorities needed a system to help identify migrant workers for vaccine distribution. Some migrants did not have identification documents but still received vaccines on humanitarian grounds.

After facing challenges in getting medical aid, the DDC and the Thai Red Cross Society began working with Nectec to devise the IFR system.

Its pilot project is deemed a success due to the system’s ability to quickly and accurately identify the migrants. The system also eased the workload of officials.

The Red Cross Society has donated equipment and machines to ease the IFR’s operation.

Minister says Mo Chit 2 to undergo urgent repairs

By: Barkar Nash

On: December 31, 2023

In: South-East Asia

PUBLISHED : 31 Dec 2023 at 07:30

The Transport Ministry is planning to urgently renovate the run-down Bangkok Bus Terminal (Chatuchak), or Mo Chit 2, said Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit in response to a complaint by an opposition MP.

Mr Suriya said on Saturday that he had ordered Transport Company Ltd to fix broken facilities and address safety problems as outlined in a complaint aired by Suphanat Meenchainan, Move Forward Party MP for the Chatuchak, Bang Khen and Lak Si constituencies, on Wednesday.

The minister attributed the problems mentioned by Mr Suphanat to a lack of maintenance and care under the previous government.

The current administration has acknowledged the problems and is working to tackle them. he said.

Regarding New Year travel, Mr Suriya said he has ordered transport authorities to keep an eye on issues such as drunk driving and drug consumption.

Mr Suphanat had listed 14 problems at the Mo Chit 2 terminal. As a result, netizens began criticising the terminal’s poor services, faulty facilities and lack of safety and convenience ahead of this year’s holiday season, one of the busiest travel times of the year.

The problems range from broken equipment and restrooms, poorly-lit areas and security blind spots to inadequate transport connections.

The ministry said the Transport Company Ltd, which operates state-run interprovincial buses, published a clarification note, saying it could not find the right spare parts for some out-of-order facilities, such as the terminal’s 26-year-old escalators.

It also responded to the concerns about vacant space at the terminal, saying it is now being renovated into a transport hub under the ministry’s policy.

The abandoned area outside the terminal used to be a commercial zone but no one rented there during Covid-19. The Transport Company plans to renovate next year, the company said.

After the clarification was published, Mr Suphanat said the company’s explanation was untenable.

He insisted the escalators have gone unrepaired despite the company having been granted the budget to fix them eight months ago. The MP added that homeless people had now moved into some of the vacant buildings.

He also said the dilapidated state of Mo Chit 2 does not bode well for tourism and it was bound to cause economic repercussions in cities connected to the terminal, which has grown to become a widely used transit point for interprovincial bus transport.

Social, labour issues that dominated news in 2023

By: Barkar Nash

On: December 31, 2023

In: South-East Asia

Making a top-five list of the most pressing labour and social issues of the year is no mean feat given that so much has taken place. That said, the Bangkok Post has summarised a handful of the most remarkable stories of 2023 for your reading pleasure.

Social safety net

2023 is the first year a Social Security board was elected directly from members. The election was held on Dec 24, marking a new chapter in the history of Thailand’s social security development.

Initiated some three decades ago, the social security system has gone a long way yet there is always room for improvement, especially in terms of public participation in managing the Social Security Fund and benefits for its 12 million members.

Back in 1990, various groups of workers, non-governmental organisations, labour rights activists and academics pushed to establish the system. They hoped for an improvement in the protection of workers’ welfare, particularly when workers fell ill or were injured in industrial accidents.

In the past, many workers avoided seeing doctors even when they were really ill because they did not have enough money to pay for their bills, said Arunee Srito, 70, a former president of the Thai Kriang labour union and one of the activists.

At the time many people campaigned for a better social welfare system. Thousands of workers gathered outside the old parliament complex on July 11, 1990, when the social security bill was given its final reading. Finally, parliament passed the Social Security Act (1990).

According to the law, the board acts as a moderator between the government and the Social Security Fund to manage the fund, which is now valued at 2.4 trillion baht. By law, the board consists of ministries such as the labour, finance, interior, and public health ministries, the Budget Bureau, and employers and employees.

Previously they were elected by labour unions before being appointed by the now-defunct National Council for Peace and Order. The Dec 24 election was the first time that SSF members and employers selected seven representatives apiece to serve on the board directly.

Unfortunately, out of 12 million members, only 150,000 people cast their votes. The winners were the Progressive Social Security group supported by the Move Forward Party.

No one left behind

After the war between Hamas and Israel started on Oct 7, a mission to repatriate Thai workers in Israel made headlines for a month. According to the Labour Ministry, about 30,000 Thais work in the Middle Eastern country and most work on farms.

In recent weeks the government has repatriated 9,475 Thai workers but about 20,000 more have chosen to stay on in Israel despite the government’s concern about their safety. Since the war erupted, some 39 Thais have been killed and eight remain held captive by Hamas.

Many who returned to Thailand, however, expressed their desire to return to Israel. The main reason is they need to pay off the debts they incurred to get there — an average of 200,000 baht when applying for a job in Israel.

They hope that a five-year contract to work in Israel will not only clear the debt but leave them with extra savings, as they can earn 50,000-80,000 baht a month there, according to the Labour Ministry.

On Dec 12, the cabinet approved a budget of 750 million baht to compensate the workers who have returned from Israel.

Of that sum, 473.75 million baht has been allocated for 9,475 workers who have returned home since Oct 7 and 1.95 million baht for the kin of the 39 workers who died during the fighting.

The Labour Ministry also promised to train them to increase their skills and offer low interest rate loans so the workers can live in Thailand with their families and find new sources of income. However, the offer is apparently not appealing enough as about 60% of returnees say they want to return to Israel to work.

Israel is now one of the most popular destinations for Thai workers seeking job opportunities overseas, in addition to Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and Singapore.

Paramedics check a knife wound suffered by Witthawat Kulawong, a worker attacked by Hamas militants on Oct 7. He and other Thai workers returned from Israel on an air force evacuation flight on Oct 19.

Wage rage

The cabinet on Dec 24 acknowledged a resolution by the tripartite committee on minimum daily wages to raise the rates by between 2 and 16 baht although Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on Dec 28 that rate was too low and he was not happy about the rise.

The government, however, has no authority to interfere with the decision of the tripartite committee which is comprised of government, employer and employee representatives. But the government made a promise to push for a new hike by March.

The average 2.37% hike will take effect on Jan 1. It will allow minimum daily wage earners in Phuket, for example, to earn the country’s highest rate of 370 baht per day, up from 354 baht now, while their counterparts in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat will be paid the lowest new daily wage of 330 baht, up from 328 baht.

Mr Srettha said the new daily wage still makes it hard for workers to live while their cost of living is so high.

He said the two baht increase for the three southernmost provinces is not enough to even buy a single egg. The government wanted to see a bigger raise as this is the flagship policy of the Pheu Thai party — to push the daily minimum wage to 400 baht with a promise to keep raising wages until they hit 600 baht by 2027.

Next year, the tripartite committee will meet again and they will have a new formula to calculate the increasing rate of the daily minimum wage.

A man earns his living on a daily wage. Starting tomorrow, daily minimum wages will rise by an average of 2.37%.

Beggar my neighbour

Six Chinese women with deformed faces and amputated hands were found begging unlawfully in Bangkok.

They earned a combined income of almost 2 million baht a month.

A probe into the issue followed an initial report by social media activist Guntouch Pongpaiboonwet, alias Gun Jompalang, about a woman in a school uniform with a disfigured face spotted begging in the Pin Klao area on Nov 10.

The woman was taken to Bang Phlat police station for an interview.

Pol Maj Gen Amnat Traipote, the deputy commissioner, said that from Nov 10-20, police arrested six disfigured Chinese beggars and fined three of them 100-500 baht each.

The Immigration Bureau blacklisted the six from returning to the country for a period of 10 years.

The six Chinese told the police that the scars on their faces and bodies were caused by a fire in China. They refused to give more information.

Pol Maj Gen Amnat two of the beggars shared a hotel room in Wang Thonglang district of Bangkok and the four others stayed at other hotels in the capital.

Police suspected the Chinese beggars were members of a gang supervised and accommodated by Thais.

One of the beggars, a woman, arrived by air in June on a tourist visa. She later applied for online education in Thailand and sought a student visa, which extended her stay.

The six Chinese begged in crowded places and tourist spots and cashed in on the natural sympathies of Thais. Each earned about 10,000 baht a day, Pol Maj Gen Amnat said.

Police suspected they were part of a transnational human trafficking gang. They reportedly sent the money they collected back to China, he said.

Sarawut Mulpho, welfare protection and life quality director at the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, said officials rounded up 7,161 beggars last year.

Of them, 4,688 were Thais and 2,473 foreigners, mostly from Cambodia and Myanmar. All were members of organised gangs, he said.

A Chinese national with a defigured face was found begging illegally in the Lat Krabang area on Nov 22.

Unesco calling

Thailand received two new Unesco World Heritage listings for this year: Si Thep Historical Park and the Songkran Festival.

The Unesco World Heritage Committee listed Si Thep Historical Park in Phetchabun province as the country’s fourth cultural heritage site on Sept 19. The announcement was made during its 45th session in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Built about 1,700 years ago, Si Thep Historical Park is recognised both for its cultural and historical significance.

It contains historical structures, including a Khmer-style prang; Thailand’s only pyramid-shaped hill, Khao Klang Nok; and a Buddhist stupa called Khao Klang Nai, famous for its Dvaravati-style bas-relief and mystical figures having a human body but different styles of animal heads carved around the structure’s foundation.

The site was discovered by Prince Damrong Rajanubhab in 1905 and has been listed as a national archaeological site since 1935.

Following various studies by archaeologists and academics countries about the site, it was proposed for Unesco’s tentative list in 2019. The required documents were submitted to the World Heritage Centre on Feb 28, 2022, before the announcement was made a year later.

Si Thep Historical Park in Phetchabun was named a World Heritage Site by Unesco on Sept 19.

In addition, Unesco added the world-famous Songkran “water splashing” festival to its Intangible Cultural Heritage items list.

That was announced at Unesco’s Intergovernmental Committee meeting for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Botswana on Dec 6.

The festival, set in mid-April of every year, is well-known to tourists around the world.

Songkran is an expression of Thais’ gratitude to their ancestors and sending of blessings and goodwill to others.

It is the country’s fourth Intangible Cultural Heritage item certified by Unesco, following khon performance in 2018, Thai massage in 2019, and the Nora dance in 2021.

Performers celebrate the Unesco listing of the Songkran festival to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list. The event was hosted by the Culture Ministry on Dec 7.

A battle to save classes

By: Barkar Nash

On: December 30, 2023

In: South-East Asia

Nan: Residents, teachers and activists have called on the Education Ministry to review a plan to merge small schools with larger schools, saying small schools should remain open in their localities so students will not have to study far from their homes.

According to the Education Ministry’s Office of the Basic Education Commission (Obec), the mergers are intended to improve the quality of education at small schools nationwide to create equitable education opportunities, ensure efficiency in management and reduce budget spending on state personnel.

The merger plan was approved by the cabinet on Oct 7, 2019 and a committee recommended setting goals and policies on manpower in the state sector.

Under the plan, small schools will be merged with larger schools located no more than six kilometres away in the same tambon.

The mergers must be voluntary and acceptable to all stakeholders, while students who have to move to new schools as a result of the mergers will be given financial assistance to cover their travel expenses, according to Obec.

Under the plan, a small school is one with less than 120 students and a school entitled to have a school director must have at least 60 students.

A school with less than 40 students will be merged with another school to ensure enough students and efficiency in budget spending for school management, according to Obec.

Some parents are not happy with the quality of education in small schools due to teacher shortages, so they opt to enrol their children at larger schools in downtown areas, which are better equipped and adequately staffed.

As a result, large schools will only have more students, while small schools will be at risk of a merger or permanent closure.

Community offers help

Supatra Suthi, acting director of Ban Hua Wiang Nuea School in Nan’s Phu Phiang district, said teachers here are always excited whenever parents enrol their children at the school.

“With every new student admitted, the school will remain open and can avoid a merger,” she said, adding that in the first semester of this academic year, one student was admitted to the school, taking the total number of students here to 40.

However, she said a shortage of teachers is a major problem for small schools.

“There are not enough teachers. A teacher must also teach several subjects even though that teacher specialises in only one,” Ms Supatra said.

She also said the school director quit recently because he took on a teaching job at a university.

“Without the leader, teachers here were left feeling down as we were also concerned about a possible merger.

“We have to find ways to keep the school running,” Ms Supatra said.

“Fortunately, community leaders, residents, and parents have stepped in to help. They donate essential items or help repair the school,” she said.

She added Obec allocates funds to a small school based on the number of students it has.

“We are grateful to community residents for their help and support. It is great to see pupils running around in high spirits after school.

“As time goes by, the bond between teachers and students grows and deepens, so teachers here are trying their best to ensure the school remains open and the students still have a school near their homes to attend,” she said.

She added that most residents here are farmers and many children stay with their grandparents as their parents work in other districts or other provinces.

“Every morning, grandparents walk their grandchildren to school. Some ride bicycles to school,” she said.

Ms Supatra added that many students who finished Prathom-6 level education at the school were able to pass entrance exams to further their studies at state-run secondary schools.

“Students here receive an education without interruption with no student drop-outs reported,” she said.

Fun times: Students at Ban Hua Wiang Nuea School learn multiplication using a learning tool.

Supatra: ‘Each new pupil brings hope’

Budget constraints

Ploenpit Saengnate, chairwoman of a basic education committee at Ban Hua Wiang Nuea School, said budget allocation based on the number of students at a small school is not fair.

“Without the help of communities, it is hard for small schools to survive,” she said, adding that when teachers reach their mandatory retirement age, no replacements are appointed.

“When there are not enough teachers, we have to find the money to hire new ones,” she said.

However, community members help by holding activities to raise money or seek donations to support the school, she said.

Adul Amart, an adviser to the committee, said that the community disagreed with the merger plan, and they believe that teachers at the school are still able to keep the school running and provide students with a proper education.

Atchara Srisopa, director of Banchompoo School, another small elementary school in Nan’s Wiang Sa district, said dealing with a teacher shortage at the school is a challenge.

“We lack science teachers, so other teachers who did not graduate in science struggle to teach the subject,” Ms Atchara said.

“We receive a limited budget based on the number of students we have, but electricity and water bills and other costs involving learning and teaching materials are high,” she said.

However, it is fortunate the school also enjoys good ties with the local community as it is located on land donated by a community leader, Ms Atchara said, adding that most residents are also farmers.

She said the school also admits children whose families moved from other provinces, such as Chiang Mai or the southern province of Phatthalung.

Some children who study at schools far away from their homes complain that they don’t like getting up so early for school, she said.

Ms Atchara said many students here won awards in handicraft contests, such as a tray gardening contest.

The students also make vermicompost using earthworms for growing vegetables in the school’s garden, which will be harvested for student lunches.

The vermicompost is also sold to residents and the money raised will be later given to the students upon graduation so they can use it to finance their further education, she said.

Atchara: ‘Lack of teachers a problem’

Fertile land: The artwork of students of Banchompoo School shows the potential of their imagination.

Poj Mahayosanant, chairman of a basic education committee at Banchompoo School, also opposes the merger plan, saying the school can provide quality education as teachers devote their time to looking after their students.

“Students will have to pay more than 100 baht a day to travel if they study far from home. With the school near their homes, they can walk or ride bicycles to school, which saves them a lot of money,” he said.

“Residents will try their best to ensure the school will not close. Villagers here have held activities to raise money to support the school for more than 10 years now,” he said.

Call for a review

Rungtip Imrungruang, programme and policy manager of ActionAid Thailand, said the foundation has worked with small schools in several provinces to come up with innovations to help them improve their teaching methods.

She also criticised the merger plan, saying the policy is a top-down instruction from government officials, while residents have little say.

The plan should be reviewed, she added.

She suggested that small schools adopt an active learning approach to help students become more actively involved in the learning process.

In order to address the issue of budget limitations, the government should consider giving local administrative organisations a role in education development by providing financial assistance and other resources for small schools.

Local artisans, community members with local wisdom and skills in various careers, as well as religious leaders can also be enlisted to impart their knowledge to students, as it all helps in the end, Ms Rungtip said.

“Government officials must be open to local opinions and encourage residents to have a greater role [in local education management],” she said.

Long-proposed cable car project at Phu Kradueng mountain faces uncertainty

By: Barkar Nash

On: December 30, 2023

In: South-East Asia

Ministry unsure if construction should proceed amid ecological concerns

A long-proposed project stringing a cable car to the top of a mountain in Phu Kradueng National Park in Loei province is unlikely to come to fruition any time soon.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment says any decision should be based on a study that will wrap up in 2025.

The idea of building a 4.4-kilometre cable car system was initiated in 1982 with the hope of increasing income from tourists.

The first and second environmental impact studies by Kasetsart University were conducted in 1984 and 1998, but were left on the shelf.

In 2012, the former Yingluck Shinawatra government dusted off the project.

The cabinet assigned the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (Dasta) to conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) on a budget of 23 million baht.

In 2016, the then-government of Prayut Chan-o-cha acknowledged the study and approved a budget of 633.89 million baht.

The Tourism and Sports Ministry supported the move, saying the cable car would provide an opportunity for the elderly to visit the park.

Normally, a visit to Phu Kradueng mountaintop requires a gruelling mountain climb of about 3-5 hours.

However, the project was put on hold again due to it being opposed by environmental activists, who argue that more tourists would lead to more garbage in the park and ruin the natural landscape and spoil its beauty.

Last year, Dasta and the Loei provincial administration held a meeting, which concluded that a study of the project was needed. They reviewed the engineering system, and environmental and economic impacts.

During a mobile cabinet meeting led by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin in Nong Bua Lamphu province on Dec 4, the government acknowledged the project and approved 28 million baht for the study, according to Puangpet Chunlaiad, Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office.

Jatuporn Buruspat, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, said the ministry has not decided whether the project should proceed as many details have to be addressed, especially measures to limit the forest’s ecological loss from tourism activities.

He said the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) has approved a request by the study team from Dasta to explore the areas that would serve as the site of the cable car from this Nov 30 to Sept 30, 2025.

“We need to wait for the outcome of the study. Any decision about the project must be made by all stakeholders, not only one agency,” he said.

Based on the EIA report in 2012, the project would not damage the forest ecosystem due to the limited space required to build a cable car.

It said about 3 rai of land would be required for the cable car stations on the foothill and the mountaintop plus 1 rai for building the seven pillars needed to support the line.

The report said no big trees would be cut down but about 1,800 trees would be cleared out. It also said the project would have positive impacts, including increasing incomes for locals.

The study suggested measures to control the number of tourists based on the national park’s carrying capacity.

Dasta director Athikun Kongmee previously said this was one of many projects aimed at developing the northeastern region.

However, Assist Prof Sangsan Phumsathan, a lecturer at the Forestry Faculty of Kasetsart University, said the DNP should set a clear position on whether they want to preserve Phu Kradueng National Park as a pristine nature destination or use it as a tourism site.

“Many people believe Phu Kradueng is for adventure trekking, so the cable car would destroy its value. However, others believe a cable car would provide equal access for visitors with physical limitations,” she said.

“It is difficult to go ahead with this project due to these strong arguments. And it is harder to have a project in an area listed as an Asean heritage park. It’s also unclear if the measures to control tourists would really be effective.”

Environmentalist Sasin Chalearmlarp said he has not seen any plan by the DNP to curb tourist numbers, which could triple with a cable car service.

Phuket jail to become a park

By: Barkar Nash

On: December 30, 2023

In: South-East Asia

revamp to include learning centre, parking space

PUBLISHED : 31 Dec 2023 at 05:27

Phuket: A century-old prison on this resort island is being turned into a public park in the heart of the famous old town area.

The park will come with a sizeable car park to better serve visitors to the old town where parking spaces are currently scarce. About 33 rai of the entire 47 rai of Phuket’s old prison, built in 1901, has been designated for the site of the new 240-million-baht park, the design of which will be subjected to public hearings.

The province’s prison has already been relocated to Bang Cho, in tambon Si Sunthon of Thalang district, said Amnuay Phimsuwan, a deputy provincial governor. The park will become a new island landmark built to not only attract tourists, but also to address concerns about environmental sustainability, he said.

Aside from serving as a new major green space on the island, the park will also double as a centre where visitors can learn about the history of Phuket’s old prison and the city itself through an exhibition.

The prison conversion project will be funded by a Phuket municipality budget and will begin after feedback from the hearings is incorporated into the draft design, he said.

The park, together with the car park, will make Phuket’s old town along Thalang Road more attractive to visitors, he said, adding that many people who previously found it hard to find parking spaces there do not come back. A lack of parking spaces in the old town is mostly to blame for bad traffic on Thalang Road, so when the new car park is built, it should also help ease traffic on this road, he said.

In 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic, Phuket had recorded 14.5 million visitors and tourism-related income close to 500 billion baht, among the highest figures in the country, said Mr Amnuay. This year, the province has so far welcomed around 10 million visitors and earned about 300 billion baht in tourism-related income, which is the highest tourism income by any province currently, he said.

Is TikTok the new Google? Some Gen Zs think it’s even better

By: Marcus Ching

On: December 30, 2023

In: South-East Asia

LENGTHY ARTICLES OUT, SHORT VIDEOS IN TikTok’s appeal also lies in its fast-paced platform – perfect for the younger set. “A growing number of Gen Zs have shorter attention spans,” said Associate Professor Brian Lee, head of Singapore University of Social Sciences’ (SUSS) communication programme. “Many avoid going through lengthy andContinue Reading

Scams top list of cybercrimes in past year

By: Barkar Nash

On: December 30, 2023

In: South-East Asia

PUBLISHED : 31 Dec 2023 at 04:44

The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) has highlighted five types of cybercrimes running rampant in the past year, and is warning people to avoid being tricked online.

The first involves call centre scammers, who they say are always coming up with new tactics to deceive people.

Some impersonate state officials who use dubious phone numbers to threaten victims. Some also send SMS with a link to trick victims into giving access to their bank accounts, according to the CIB.

Another involves online shopping scammers who set up bogus retail websites to rip off victims. Some ask shoppers to transfer money online for goods they will never receive. In some cases, the goods shoppers do receive are fake or of low quality and are not what is advertised, according to the CIB.

Another type of scam involves a “hybrid method” where victims are lured into a relationship with a scammer before being asked to invest their money into a false investment scheme. Victims are often left defrauded, the CIB said.

Romance scammers create fake profiles on dating websites to lure victims or use social media to contact them. The scammers strike up relationships with victims to gain their trust before making up stories and asking for money.

There are also job offer scams targeting people seeking employment. Often, victims are deceived into giving money and revealing personal information. Some scammers tout high-paying jobs but ask victims to pay up-front fees. Victims are promised high-paying jobs abroad but they must first pay expensive fees. However, they are never sent abroad as promised, the CIB said.

From March 1, last year to Dec 20, over 314,000 complaints were filed with the police. Of them, 160,819 involved shopping scams, 50,536 involved job scams, 43,193 involved loan scams, 32,501 involved investment scams and 27,620 involved call centre scams.

Democrat rounds on govt over B2.4tn in ‘off-budget’ spending

By: Barkar Nash

On: December 30, 2023

In: South-East Asia

A Democrat MP has warned the government to address flaws in the budget bill for the 2024 fiscal year.

Sanphet Boonyamanee, a Democrat MP for Songkhla and member of the House committee studying and following up on the bill, said on Saturday that while the government is seeking 3.48 trillion baht in funding for the 2024 fiscal year, state agencies had previously sought up to 5.8 trillion baht.

“This means state that budget allocations requested by state agencies have been slashed by 2.32 trillion baht, or about 40%.

“It is a shame that people’s plights will not be solved in the 2024 fiscal year due to budget constraints,” Mr Sanphet said.

He also said the government has 2.40 trillion baht in “off-budget” revenue, while off-budget spending is worth 2.11 trillion baht.

As a result, the off-budget money exceeds the Finance Ministry’s projection by 295.8 billion baht, he said.

“Is the government trying to make its financial standing look better than it is?” he asked.

Off-budget refers to government spending or revenue that is not included in the normal budget process.

This can include the spending and revenue of certain state enterprises and other special funds that are kept separate from the regular budget to ensure their financial independence.

“Off-budget money is not the government’s, it belongs to those agencies that are allowed to hold it for spending, such as state-run schools, hospitals, or other funds,” Mr Sanphet said.

Meanwhile, Sirikanya Tansakun, Move Forward Party deputy leader and list MP, on Saturday disagreed with a proposal to appoint Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai as chairman of a House committee which will scrutinise the second reading of the budget.

“Mr Phumtham is in charge of security affairs, not economic ones,” Ms Sirikanya said.

“Will he give any special instructions as committee chairman? Is there any political agenda behind this?” she said.

The budget bill was supposed to take effect on Oct 1, but it was delayed some months following the election so the coalition government could find its feet first.

Debate on the first reading will take place on Wednesday and Thursday and a vote will be held the next day before a 72-member House committee is formed to vet the bill.

Body of missing Russian tourist found

By: Barkar Nash

On: December 30, 2023

In: South-East Asia

Man swept away by strong waves while taking a midnight swim on Samui

PUBLISHED : 30 Dec 2023 at 19:53

SURAT THANI: The body of a 33-year-old Russian man who went missing after being swept away by strong waves on Koh Samui on Friday night was found floating at a beach on the popular tourist island on Saturday.

The Russian tourist, whose name was withheld pending notification of relatives, was found at Chawaeng Noi in tambon Bo Phut, said Pol Lt Supakit Chanmuang, deputy investigation chief at the Bo Phut police station, who was alerted at about 1.45pm on Saturday.

The body was sent to Koh Samui hospital for a post-mortem examination, and authorities were preparing to notify the Russian embassy about the death.

According to a police investigation, the 33-year-old man and his two compatriots — Boris Demchenko, 22, and Mariia Dikanskaia, 22 — were staying at the same hotel in tambon Bo Phut. They went to swim at the beach in front of a nearby hotel around midnight on Friday.

While swimming, the tourist swam far from shore and was swept away by strong waves. His friends alerted police to get help. Rescuers were dispatched to search for the missing Russian man until morning, but the search failed to find him.

His body washed ashore on Saturday afternoon, said police.

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