South-East Asia (Page 989)

HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn’s involvement in the military forces gathered speed after he attended a five- year program at the King’s School in Sydney, Australia, in August 1970

At the Chitralada School in Dusit Palace, HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn was four years old when he began school.

His father founded the class in 1955 to educate both the palace’s babies and the prince and princesses.

The Crown Prince continued his education in the United Kingdom after receiving a degree from Mathayom 1 ( Grade 7 ) at the institution. He attended King’s Mead School in Seaford, Sussex, from January to September 1966, and he eventually attended Millfield School in Somerset, where he received his tertiary education.

The Crown Prince admired military endeavors, but His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej approved of him enrolling in a five-week military training at the King’s School in Sydney, Australia, in August 1970.

In 1972, he entered the Royal Military College, Duntroon, in Canberra, Australia. The university’s education was divided into two sections: a military training program developed by the Australian Army and a bachelor’s level under the care of the University of New South Wales.

He received a degree in liberal arts and the rank of lieutenant in 1976.

Eventually, the Crown Prince’s military education was expanded to include advanced navigation and courses in the United States, the UK, and Australia. Additionally, he has a martial pilot’s license to fly a chopper.

He attended the Command and General Staff College in 1977 and served as a career officer for the Royal Thai Army (RTA ). He even held the position of head of the King’s Bodyguard Battalion in 1978 while serving as a team official in the Directorate of Army Intelligence.

The Crown Prince also pursued a minute bachelor’s degree in law in 1982, graduating with second-class honors from Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University.

He then enrolled in a Civil Aviation Training Center course for Commercial Pilot Licence ( CPL) and was granted the title of commercial pilot. He successfully completed an Airline Transport Pilot Licence ( ATPL) course at Thai Airways International Plc ( THAI ) in 2004.

In 2005, the Crown Prince earned his arms as a Boeing 737- 400 aircraft. The Crown Prince received the captain license from the Department of Civil Aviation, according to a report from the Public Relations Department.

According to the report,” His Royal Highness is then a’borrowing’ aircraft from Royal Thai Airways International, in accordance with the agreement that was made between the Royal Thai Air Force and Thai Airways International on August 9, 2004.”

In May 2009, he achieved 3, 000 periods of business flight time on the Boeing 737- 400.

He therefore held the positions of air chief marshal in the Royal Thai Air Force, captain in the Royal Thai Navy, and standard.

Election Commission still sifting through numerous complaints about winners’ qualifications

The Election Commission (EC) did not announce the official results of the Senate election as originally planned on Tuesday, as more time is needed to handle numerous complaints about dubious qualifications of some senators-elect, according to an EC source.

Since the complaints concern qualifications and alleged ineligibility, the EC needs to be extra careful and ensure that it strictly follows the law, said the source.

“We promise that we will get this task done as soon as possible while ensuring fairness for all sides,” said the same source.

When asked whether the poll body would announce results on Wednesday, the source said: “Maybe after that.”

The EC has so far reviewed more than a thousand complaints received about suspected ineligibility of a number of senators-elect and alleged violations of the election law, according to an informed source.

The law governing the Senate poll stipulates that the EC must wait for five days before it announces the certified result. There is no stipulation on the maximum number of days that can elapse between the final vote and the certification of results, explained the source.

The five-day period is for receiving complaints about the poll, in which 200 senators were elected and another 100 candidates held in reserve in case any senators-elect end up being disqualified later.

A former senatorial candidate on Monday urged the Supreme Administrative Court to suspend the announcement of the election result pending its ruling on the poll agency’s handling of the Senate race.

More than 45,000 candidates were approved to compete, and thus to cast votes, in the complex three-stage election. The final results indicated that the Bhumjaithai Party was among the few groups that managed to figure out the intricacies of the process well enough to exploit them.

A nation-leading 14 senators-elect come from Buri Ram, the party’s longtime stronghold. Eighty senators in all come from 12 provinces where Bhumjaithai has MPs.

Parit Wacharasindhu, a party-list MP and spokesman for the opposition Move Forward Party, said the EC had better announce the result as soon as possible so that the legislative and other duties of the new Upper House could resume.

Among these important responsibilities is passing bills that are required to allow the rewrite of the constitution, said Mr Parit, who is also chairman of the House committee on political development.

He also said that all sides, including those who were raising doubts over the qualifications of a number of successful senatorial candidates, should look at the bigger picture and acknowledge the importance of having new Senate in place.

“I think everyone has gone through the same rules designed under the 2017 constitution. So, if there is no proof of [those speculated] violations of the Senate election law, for me all successful candidates equally won the race under the same election process,” he said.

Prof Prinya Thaewanarumitkul, a law lecturer at Thammasat University, also agreed that the EC should announce the results first while continuing its investigations into any misdeeds.

The longer the newly elected Senate isn’t certified, the longer  the caretaker Senate — appointed by the military-led government in 2019 – will remain in office, he said.

Caretaker senator Somchai Swangkarn, on the other hand, urged the EC to strictly follow Sections 42 and 59 of the organic law on the composition of the Senate, which stipulates that the poll body is duty-bound and holds the authority to ensure the Senate election is “correct, honest and fair”.

Struggling restaurants ask government to lift afternoon ban

NAKHON RATCHASIMA – The government has promised to consider lifting the afternoon ban on alcohol sales to help ease the plight of restaurant operators who say the poor economy is starting to hurt them.

Representatives of the Restaurant Business Club on Tuesday handed Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin a letter asking the government to help restaurants survive tough economic times.

They said operating costs and prices of ingredients continued to rise even as the economy was faltering, forcing many businesses to close down.

One of the measures they are calling for is an end to a 52-year-old rule that prohibits sales of alcohol between 2pm and 5pm.

“I will consider it [the lifting of the afternoon ban on alcohol sales] … The government is trying to promote tourism, hoping they will also earn more income,” Mr Srettha said on Tuesday, referring to restaurant operators.

He made the remarks as the cabinet gathered for a mobile meeting on Tuesday at Nakhon Ratchasima Rajabhat University.

Sorathep Rojpotjanaruch, head of the Restaurant Business Club, said the group wanted the government to introduce urgent relief measures before more businesses close down.

Operating costs have increased by 50% while prices of ingredients such as milk, eggs and vegetables have risen by 20-30%, he said.

“The economy has been sluggish, and consumer purchasing power has declined. The cost and prices of ingredients, such as vegetables, have gone up, on top of expensive electricity fees,” he said.

In 2019, restaurant businesses nationwide earned an estimated 420 billion baht in combined revenue, about 7% of gross domestic product (GDP). This revenue was initially expected to grow by another 4-5% this year. But since April, growth has slowed, and restaurants continue to close, Mr Sorathep said.

“Small-scale vendors and food shops along streets are at risk of going out of business as they don’t have sufficient financial resources to stay afloat for long periods,” he said.

In addition to lifting the afternoon alcohol sales ban, Mr Sorathep said the group proposed reducing the building and land tax rates to ease the burden on businesses.

Members also want the government to devise measures to help businesses run by small and medium-sized enterprises, he said.

For example, he said, customers who ask for tax invoices from restaurants could be allowed to claim up to 20,000 baht in tax deductions, while business operators could use the bills for tax deductions of up to 100,000 baht each.

Another proposal is a cash handout to give people 2,000 baht each to spend over a three-month period — but only on food through the Pao Tang app, said Mr Sorathep.

The ban on retail sales of alcohol between 2pm and 5pm is not covered in the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act. It was announced by the coup regime of Thanom Kittikachorn in 1972 to deal with officials drinking during work hours, and has never been rescinded.

Target for first one million, mostly shrubs and creepers, reached well ahead of schedule

City Hall will plant 1 million more trees after achieving its initial target of 1 million sooner than planned.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) announced on social media platforms on Tuesday that its 1-million-tree campaign has already reached its goal, two years ahead of schedule.

Making Bangkok greener with 1 million more trees, big and small, was one of the flagship policies of Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt. He expected to reach the number by the time his four-year term ends in 2026.

Despite attaining the goal, BMA spokesman Aekvarunyoo Amrapala said City Hall had not stopped its activities and was continuing to grow 1 million more trees.

Most of the trees planted under the project were small ones, according to the BMA. About 350,000 big trees have been added to Bangkok soil, while the rest were shrubs or creepers.

Districts in the capital planted 80% of the trees, while only 2% of the new greenery was added by individual residents, according to tree.bangkok.go.th, the BMA website dedicated to the project.

Who planted 1 million trees?

• All Bangkok districts: 804,791
• BMA Environment Department: 75,436
• Other BMA agencies: 9,759
• Private firms, state enterprises: 110,670
• Individuals: 2,281

Bang Khae led all districts in greening up with 63,667 trees, followed by Taling Chan, Nong Chok, Chom Thong, Bueng Kum and Kannayao.

Government’s legal advisers say procurement corruption case from 2012 must be resolved

The Council of State, the government’s legal advisory body, has confirmed that Charn Phuangphet, the winner of Sunday’s election for Provincial Administrative Organisation (PAO) chairman in Pathum Thani, should be suspended pending the outcome of an earlier malfeasance case.

Mr Charn, from the Pheu Thai Party, faced an investigation over irregularities in the procurement of relief supplies during the great flood in 2011, when he previously held the PAO chairmanship in Pathum Thani.

Pheu Thai, however, has argued that a new court order is required if Mr Charn is to be suspended, complaining that the council’s legal advice was at times inconsistent with the court’s final decision.

The National-Anti Corruption Commission (NACC) in 2012 found grounds to believe Mr Charn had committed malfeasance in connection with the procurement of relief supplies.

The NACC forwarded the case to the Region 1 Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases, which later that year suspended Mr Charn from work. The case is still active, with another hearing scheduled later this month.

A new court order to suspend Mr Charn is not required as the authority to suspend him from work now lies with the Department of Local Administration, said Pakorn Nilprapunt, secretary-general of the Council of State.

The chief of the Pathum Thani provincial office is allowed to serve as acting PAO chairman pending a resolution, he said.

The main reason the court suspended Mr Charn from work in 2012 was to prevent him from interfering with criminal proceedings, said Mr Pakorn.

“As such, if Mr Charn returns as the Pathum Thani PAO chairman now, he could potentially interfere with the legal process in the case,” he added.

Sorawong Thienthong, the Pheu Thai secretary-general, argued that a new court order is required because at the time Mr Charn was previously suspended from work by the court in 2012, he no longer served as the PAO chairman.

If Mr Charn is suspended this time by the Department of Local Administration, a unit of the Ministry of Interior, he could petition the Administrative Court against such an order, added Mr Sorawong.

He insisted Pheu Thai’s legal team had reviewed Mr Charn’s eligibility carefully before the party fielded him in the Pathum Thani poll, which was seen as a critical test of the party’s popularity and de facto leader Thaksin Shinawatra’s clout.

Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said that at times the legal advice of the Council of State happened to be inconsistent with court rulings, which in this regard points to the need to wait until a new court ruling is handed down.

The Pathum Thani office of the Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday insisted it had run a check on Mr Charn’s eligibility prior to Sunday’s vote, and consequently certified that he was eligible to run.

However, the final decision on whether to certify the result of Sunday’s election is to be certified now lies with the EC head office.

In another development, political activist Ruangkrai Leekitwattana said he had sent a petition to the Ministry of Interior asking it to consider suspending Mr Charn from work.

Move Forward MP says no-confidence debate possible during new session that opens Wednesday

The opposition will intensify its scrutiny of the government’s work with a plan to seek a no-confidence motion now that the government has full authority and resources to implement its policies, said opposition chief whip Pakornwut Udompipatskul.

Speaking ahead of the reopening of parliament on Wednesday, Mr Pakornwut, a list-MP of the main opposition Move Forward Party, said the Pheu Thai-led government faced a number of constraints in its first year including the delayed budget.

“However, this year the government has full authority and budgetary resources at its disposal, so the public and the opposition will have higher expectations. Our work will be more intense from now on,” he said.

Mr Pakornwut said that a no-confidence motion is likely to be sought but the opposition has yet to decide when.

Other opposition parties including the Democrats have been working closely with Move Forward and are expected to join the planned censure debate, he added.

He said Move Forward remains committed to being a proactive opposition party. Apart from keeping the government in check, it will make recommendations to the government for the sake of improving its work.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin on Tuesday welcomed the opposition’s move to step up its scruting and seek a no-confidence debate against the cabinet.

“It’s their job, and the government is ready for and open to scrutiny,” he said.

The House of Representatives is scheduled to deliberate four bills related to the work of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research when it returns from a break on Wednesday, according to Mr Pakornwut.

Also on the agenda are bills that have been screened and revised by the Senate, he said, adding that MPs would decide if they will approve the revisions or stick to the MP-approved versions.