South-East Asia (Page 3)

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra visited the border area of Sa Kaeo province yesterday, where she reaffirmed the government’s commitment to cracking down on call centre scams operating from Cambodia.

The premier chaired a meeting to combat these criminal operations attended by Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, and Digital Economy and Society Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong.

Pol Lt Gen Trairong Phiewphan, chief of the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB), and representatives from the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) and telecommunication service providers also took part in the meeting.

She said the visit aimed to assess progress and evaluate whether further measures were needed to enhance cooperation between state agencies and the private sector.

Ahead of the visit, the prime minister vowed on Tuesday to intensify the crackdown on call centre gangs, saying the government would not stop until the job was done.

She told parliament on Thursday that the government was on the right track in implementing policies to combat them.

The prime minister also visited a screening centre yesterday for call centre scam victims in Sa Kaeo and was briefed on the centre’s role and work process.

According to local officials, 119 people who were deceived into working for scam operations in Cambodia will be sent to Thailand today. The screening process will take about two weeks to complete.

The group was initially set to be sent back yesterday, but Cambodia postponed the transfer to today. They were among 215 people rescued from scam compounds in the Cambodian border town of Poi Pet last weekend.

AIS and True Corporation representatives said they are implementing measures in the border provinces that are in line with NBTC instructions to assist with the crackdown efforts.

A Senate subcommittee on infrastructure and vehicles is calling for measures to prevent road accidents caused by double-decker buses.

Surachai Liangboonlertchai, the subcommittee chairman, said on Friday that related sectors were invited to discuss the results from a preliminary investigation on the double-decker bus accident that killed 19 people and injured 30 others in Prachin Buri on Wednesday.

He said the double-decker bus design was the leading cause of the accident, according to the investigation.

Mr Surachai said experts agreed that such buses are unsuitable for interprovincial travel, especially on steep roads.

Their height exceeds the four-metre safety standard, risking an unbalanced centre of gravity. As such, the Department of Land Transport stopped issuing new registrations for double-decker buses in 2016.

However, at least 7,000 double-decker buses registered before 2016 are still allowed on the road today, he said, noting that these buses have caused several tragic accidents, including the bus fire during a school trip on Oct 1 last year that killed 20 students and three teachers.

Mr Surachai demanded that the state improve its road safety measures regarding vehicle control and road conditions.

“At least 10,000 people die in road accidents a year despite a decade-long policy of road safety. More discussion on the matter and national measures are important to encourage the joint initiative,” Mr Surachai said.

Natakorn Phuksuksakul, a lecturer in Thammasat University’s Faculty of Engineering, said a double-decker bus is more suitable for city tours at a low speed of 30-50 kilometres per hour rather than for long trips.

Double-decker buses are seven times more likely to be involved in accidents than regular buses and have a tenfold higher risk of fatality for passengers.

Mr Natakorn said having passengers on the top deck affects a bus’s balance and increases the risk of accidents.

However, Mr Natakorn said immediately cancelling double-decker bus services would be challenging.

He proposed regulating speed limits and making zones for double-decker buses.

The Election Commission (EC) has completed an investigation into 109 cases related to cheating or bloc voting in the Senate election, and sent three cases to the Supreme Court, according to secretary-general Sawang Boonmee.

Mr Sawang said on Friday that the EC has categorised cases involving vote-buying and electoral fraud, based on their complexity.

The cases include offering bribes, vote rigging, pre-arranged vote lists, block voting, abnormally high scores, and zero scores for some candidates. To tackle the issues, the EC appointed an advisory and coordination subcommittee to increase the efficiency of investigations.

Members of the subcommittee are from three key agencies: the Royal Thai Police (RTP), the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) and the Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo). Ten officials from other government agencies will join the subcommittee.

The EC also appointed an additional investigation and inquiry committee, consisting of four high-ranking officials from the EC and the other three from the RTP to investigate and inquire into the objections to the selection of senators in all areas. He said so far the EC received a total of 577 abnormal Senate election cases.

The EC has concluded investigations into 109 cases, with three cases already submitted to the Supreme Court. The 2017 Organic Act on the Election Commission grants the EC authority to initiate probes whenever there is reasonable suspicion or evidence of wrongdoing in elections and by political parties.