Pita future in doubt
EC move could end MFP leader’s PM bid
If the Election Commission (EC) forwards a case involving Move Forward Party (MFP) leader Pita Limjaroenrat’s previous iTV shareholdings to the Constitutional Court, this could sway senators in the crucial vote for a new PM on Thursday, according to a former election commissioner and an academic.
Former election commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn said if the court accepts the case for consideration, the court can order Mr Pita to be suspended from duty as an MP, which will affect voting on Thursday.
Mr Pita would not be allowed into parliament as an MP, though he still could enter the premises as a prime ministerial candidate, Mr Somchai said.
This would also be cited by senators as a reason to abstain from voting as they would fear the vote could be problematic due to Mr Pita’s alleged ineligibility, he said.
Mr Pita, who is the MFP’s sole prime ministerial candidate, stands accused of being ineligible to contest the election because he held 42,000 shares in iTV, which is believed by some critics to be an operational media company when he registered his candidacy in the 2019 election. Mr Pita has denied the allegation, saying he only served as executor of the family’s inherited shares.
The constitution bars individuals with media shareholdings from running for office.
Mr Somchai said the EC should summon Mr Pita to defend himself against the accusation before it decides to forward the case to the court.
An EC inquiry panel looking into Mr Pita’s alleged ineligibility wrapped up its investigation and forwarded findings to the EC’s main committee yesterday.
EC chairman Ittiporn Boonpracong on Monday said that the poll agency has yet to forward the case to the Constitutional Court as the inquiry panel only briefed the EC’s main committee on its findings on Monday.
Jade Donavanik, a legal scholar and ex-adviser to a charter drafting panel, echoed the view, saying if the EC finds grounds for the accusation against Mr Pita, the next step is for the poll agency to forward the case to the court.
If the court accepts the case, it will ask the House speaker to suspend Mr Pita as an MP pending a trial, Mr Jade said.
However, Mr Pita can still be nominated for prime minister in the vote on Thursday, Mr Jade said.
Even if Mr Pita wins the vote, he still cannot carry out the duties of a prime minister pending the trial, Mr Jade added.
In that case, senators may decide to abstain from voting until the court rules on his eligibility, Mr Jade said, adding that another way out of the problem is for political parties to nominate another alternative candidate.
“It is not easy. I don’t think a new prime minister can be elected in the July 13 vote,” Mr Jade said.
MFP secretary-general Chaithawat Tulathon said on Monday he sent an urgent letter to the EC to protest any decision to forward the case to the court.
He said the poll agency was trying to rush the case, and the EC’s inquiry panel had failed to summon Mr Pita to explain himself before the panel first, as stipulated by its regulations.
Mr Pita said on Monday that the EC had not summoned him yet, but he is ready, adding that talks between the MFP and senators would yield a favourable outcome.
According to sources, the Senate committee on political development and public participation believes if Mr Pita fails to win his PM bid in the first round of voting on Thursday, he cannot be nominated for any further voting rounds.
Commentary: Outside of politics, Thailand has a good story to tell
SINGAPORE: When central bankers line up almost daily to assert their commitment to fighting inflation, it makes me think of Thailand. Not the fine resorts and great food. The country’s untrumpeted success is seriously taming prices to the point where officials might want to think about easing up, lest the economy slows too much.
Like the rest of Southeast Asia, Thailand has been blindsided by the modest nature of China’s rebound. Tourism, a key industry, is gradually recovering. The number of Chinese visitors is heading in the right direction, but nothing like the surge that was anticipated when Beijing canceled zero-COVID.
Thailand’s divisive politics aren’t helpful: Two months after an election, the country is without a prime minister.
Don’t let these caveats subtract from a fine story. Most policymakers would prefer to forget that when inflation first started to climb in 2021, they played it down. Having wrestled with how to fire it up in the years before the pandemic, they weren’t going to jump at the initial upticks.
A host of terms were used to describe the benign scenario: Temporary, short-lived and, of course, the now infamous “transitory.” Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell stuck by the “T” word too long, before ultimately burying it and embarking on an aggressive tightening.
The Bank of Thailand, by contrast, has embraced transitory – and rightly so. The pace of consumer price increases retreated to 0.2 per cent in June from a year earlier. That’s a dramatic decline from almost 8 per cent in August 2022.
Officials don’t see it staying so anemic for long, but even forecasts of 2.4 per cent next year mean inflation is well and truly reined in. And they did it without smothering the economy by panicking and ratcheting up borrowing costs too rapidly.
Yellen sees ‘desire on both sides’ for productive US-China ties
WASHINGTON: Washington and Beijing both want to stabilise US-China ties and deal constructively with problems in their relationship, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in an interview airing on Monday (Jul 10). Yellen’s comments on National Public Radio’s Marketplace program come after a four-day visit to Beijing during which she metContinue Reading
Commentary: Should Singapore worry about a loneliness epidemic among seniors?
We also quantified, for the first time, the impact of loneliness on life expectancy among older adults, using data from Singapore. We found that people aged 60, who perceived themselves to be lonely, live three to five years less, on average, compared to peers who perceived themselves as not lonely.
Similarly, at ages 70 and 80, lonely older persons could, on average, expect to live three to four and two to three years less, respectively, compared to non-lonely peers.
LONELY IN A CROWD
It is important to note that loneliness is distinct from social isolation. Loneliness refers to the state of distress or discomfort that arises from a gap between one’s desire for social connection and actual experience of it. Whereas social isolation is marked by a low number of family and friends, and the quality of those interactions.
We often think that socially isolated people, for instance those living alone or with spouses only, must be lonelier than those living in multigenerational households with family members all around them. In fact, a significant percentage of older Singaporeans who are living in multigenerational households report being sometimes or mostly lonely.
Similarly, an individual could be in a marriage and feel lonely due to the lack of connection with one’s spouse. As the saying goes, one can be lonely in a crowd.
This is exemplified by the experience of Madam Lau*, a participant in one of our research studies. 72-year-old Mdm Lau lives with her husband and son in a large condominium. She describes Mr Lau as a “macho man” who has never helped with chores or taken care of their children because his job was to earn money. He does his own activities and does not initiate conversations.
Commentary: To dispel war talk, US and China must forge a new understanding on Taiwan
To better understand the situation, a bit of history is in order. From 1979 when China and the US re-established diplomatic ties until the start of the Donald Trump administration in 2017, both countries had largely managed the Taiwan issue well as Washington promised to refrain from official relations and to restrain Taiwan from pursuing independence. Meanwhile, the US continued to sell arms to the island under the Taiwan Relations Act, to which China lodged strong protests but did nothing else.
From China’s view, the relative calm over Taiwan was shattered after Trump launched a trade war against China in 2018 and China hawks in the administration started to play the Taiwan card, sending bilateral ties spiralling.
Joe Biden’s administration continued to play the Taiwan card as senior legislators, including then US Congress speaker Nancy Pelosi and legislators from Europe, visited Taipei and met the Taiwanese president and other leaders.
To Beijing, those visits were a clear breach of bilateral agreements. Biden further muddied the waters by talking at least four times about defending Taiwan while insisting the US does not support its independence.
Moreover, over the past few years, the US has succeeded in internationalising the Taiwan issue, which Beijing considers an internal affair. These developments, in Beijing’s view, have galvanised the pro-independence movement in Taiwan.
Hence, Beijing’s more fevered rhetoric and military exercises are aimed at deterring the pro-independence camp.
If polls are any guide, Taiwanese Vice President William Lai Ching-te, who once called himself a “pragmatic worker for Taiwanese independence”, is the favourite to become president in the election scheduled for next January.
DDC warns of grim year for dengue
As many as 150,000 infections predicted
Thailand is currently facing what many experts predict will become a severe dengue fever outbreak, with up to 150,000 infections a possibility by the end of the year, according to the Department of Disease Control (DDC).
Opas Karnkawinpong, permanent secretary for public health, said on Monday the number of dengue cases has already surged this year, with over 30,000 cases and 33 deaths recorded so far.
Dr Opas was speaking at “Dengue: Effective Action for Treatment and Prevention”, a seminar held at Rajavithi Hospital on Monday.
“The ministry is highly concerned about the increasing number of dengue infections. They may reach up to 150,000 cases this year if preventive measures fail,” he said.
In the past, infections were mostly found among children, but now the disease has been widely detected among adults and senior citizens, he said.
This phenomenon might be the result of zero immunity as these adults and elderly people who have never been infected with the disease before.
Dr Opas said health authorities found that people living in urban areas have a higher risk of catching dengue than those living in remote areas due to people’s mobility.
“People are now travelling more from one place to another place after the end of the Covid-19 pandemic. That’s why they are more vulnerable to catching the disease.
“We want to raise awareness, and people should urgently visit a doctor if they feel that they are having symptoms related to dengue. With screening and early detection, we can save lives,” he said.
He went on to say that the vaccine against dengue fever is very new and needs further study before widespread adoption can be considered.
“Our academic team is studying the case, and we don’t want to quickly jump to a conclusion. Any decision must be based on academic support, not social pressure,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dr Chantana Pudungtod, director of the Vector Borne Disease Division of the DDC, said that the current number of infections is 2.7 times higher than for the same period of last year.
She said that the North is the main hot spot for infections, followed by the Central Plains and surges in the South and Northeast. The youngest patient was a one-month baby, and the oldest 76. The death rate is 0.11%.
Jumbo doing well despite 5 tumours
The ailing male Thai elephant, Sak Surin, is reportedly recovering well even though a veterinary team found five tumours on his thighs, said the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre in Lampang province.
The 30-year-old elephant is currently under the care of the centre’s elephant hospital, having been flown home from Sri Lanka on July 2 after being kept there for 22 years.
The centre said the hospital ran health checkups and behavioural examinations on Sak Surin last week and found that he is recovering well.
The centre said Sak Surin’s daily intake is 120-200kg of food, mostly fresh grass and fruit, and his sleeping schedule lasts 1-3 hours twice a night, which is a decent sleeping cycle.
Sak Surin has reportedly grown familiar with the sound of his new mahouts and sometimes lets them ride him. But of concern, the physical examinations found five tumours with a 10cm radius on Sak Surin’s thighs and a mass with a 1cm radius on his right cornea. The elephant also has damaged toenails and cannot stretch or bend his front left leg.
Samples of blood, manure and tissue from his mouth and the trunk tip were collected for the Department of Livestock’s Veterinary Research and Development Centre on July 2.
Sak Surin’s blood or manure had no parasites (trypanosoma evans) lab results showed, and he does not carry tuberculosis genes, herpes viruses, antibodies to leptospira, non-structural protein from foot and mouth disease or B. abortus antibodies.
Sak Surin must be quarantined for at least 30 days and pass all regulated disease inspections on the 15th and 30th day of quarantine.
PM checks progress on Pink Line
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Monday inspected progress on the Pink Line, an elevated monorail system under construction, prior to starting a trial run at the end of the year.
Gen Prayut, accompanied by Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda, boarded a train on a test run between Min Buri and Lat Pla Khao stations on Monday. During the ride, the premier received a briefing about construction progress from Pakapong Sirikantaramas, governor of the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA).
The Pink Line is one of several electric train lines and sections initiated by the Prayut government. The others are; the Purple Line covering 23km; the 18.7km Green Line from Mor Chit to Kukot; the 14km Blue Line (Hua Lamphong-Bang Kae section); the 13km Blue Line (Bang Sue-Tha Phra section); the 1.8km Gold Line from Krung Thon Buri to Klong San; the 26.3km Red Line (Bang Sue-Rangit section); the 15.2km Red Line (Bang Sue-Taling Chan section); and the 30.4km Yellow Line from Lat Phrao to Samrong. Altogether they cover a total of 142km.
The Pink Line links Lat Phrao in northern Bangkok with Samrong in the city’s east. It runs along the middle of Ram Intra Road, then heads to Chaeng Watthana before terminating at the Khae Rai junction.
The Pink Line will use the same monorail train model as the Yellow Line that is now in operation, with four to seven passenger carriages capable of carrying up to 28,000 passengers per hour.
There are 30 stations and two extended stations, along the 34km Pink Line, from Khae Rai Station to Muang Thong Thani. They include interchange stations for transfers to and from the Purple Line, the BTS’s Green Line, and the future Orange Line.
From trauma to training – new lives for North Koreaâs defectors
Unification MinistryAbout two hours’ drive from the South Korean capital, Seoul, in a rural setting of wooded hills and rice paddies, is a complex of buildings that look out of place.
Towering over the surrounding countryside, these multi-storey structures are surrounded by a high fence and guarded gate. The compound is isolated, secure and private.
Part training-hub, part medical facility, part re-education centre, this is where North Korean defectors are sent for three months when they arrive in South Korea.
Its name is Hanawon, or to give it its full title, the Settlement Support Centre for North Korean Refugees.
The number of North Koreans making the difficult and dangerous journey to South Korea – risking possible death if they are caught – to escape poverty and repression has fallen significantly in recent years.
A decade or so ago, nearly 3,000 arrived each year. That figure dropped to around 1,000 in the years that followed and then to below 100 during the pandemic, when North Korea sealed its borders.
Despite that, South Korea has reaffirmed its commitment not just to keeping Hanawon open, but to expanding its facilities.
The government in Seoul believes that as Covid controls are relaxed in North Korea, more of its people will be able to flee. If that happens, Hanawon will again fill up.
Unification Minister Kwon Young-se said South Korea needs to prepare to greet these new arrivals.
“We need to think of defectors not as aliens, but as neighbours whose hometown is in the North,” he said.
With its hedges, flowers and manicured trees, Hanawon appeared welcoming in the summer sun on Monday, when the South Korean government gave journalists a rare glimpse inside the facility.
We were shown around a training centre, where North Korea defectors are offered 22 courses, in subjects such as hair and beauty, baking and clothes making.
One room has been made to look like a nail parlour, where defectors learn the delicate art of the manicure. They use model hands to practice painting, polishing and filing.
The delicious smell of baking fills the air; it has drifted down from a cookery class next-door.
Other courses are aimed at helping the North Koreans adjust to life in a country that is, in terms of technology, decades ahead of where they came from.
One classroom is set up like a shop selling high-tech gadgets. Tablets, smartphones and computers have been put on display.
While the floor of another building looks like a modern hospital. There is a small ward, consulting rooms and doctors walking around in white medical coats.
It is not just the physical needs of the North Koreans that are catered for; many arrive with severe psychological problems that need urgent attention.
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One of my patients… was worried about what people would think if they knew he was from the North
Dr Jeon Jin-yong is a psychiatrist who has worked at Hanawon. He has heard terrible tales of trauma from North Koreans who have passed through the facility.
He said they have had to cope with the stress of escape, and the constant fear that they will be caught and sent back before they make it to South Korea.
Many struggle to overcome the guilt of leaving relatives behind in North Korea who they might never see again.
Some face prejudice in South Korea and so choose to hide the fact that they are from the North.
“One of my patients was once having lunch in a restaurant when on the television there was news about North Korea launching a missile,” said Dr Jeon.
“He became very uncomfortable, so quickly finished eating and left the restaurant. He was worried about what people would think if they knew he was from the North.”
In an interview with journalists, three female defectors currently at Hanawon gave a hint of the difficulties they are trying to overcome.
They were fearful of revealing their names and were introduced as A, B and C. One woman spoke from behind a screen.
All three had arrived in South Korea after first escaping to China, where their lives were better than in North Korea – but still full of anxiety and danger.
Woman B said she was unable to get a Chinese identity card, which meant she could not go to a hospital, get a bank card or even travel on a train.
Woman C said she was paid half the wages of a Chinese worker because she was in no position to argue for more.
They also described a tightening net of Chinese surveillance that had forced them to seek shelter in South Korea.
“When I first decided to defect I wasn’t afraid of anything because I was all alone,” said woman A. “But then I had a child in China and realised I had no legal status.”
All three women spoke of their hopes – and trepidation – for the future. One of them said she was even worried about paying tax.
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I felt such relief that I was finally in South Korea. I hugged my daughter and started to cry
Someone who knows what they are going through is Kim Sung-hui, who graduated from Hanawon just over a decade ago and now runs her own business making a rice wine that’s popular in North Korea.
In North Korea, Mrs Kim had been told that the South Koreans would initially welcome her – and then she would be tortured and killed.
“It wasn’t until I graduated from Hanawon that I finally realised that I was safe,” she said.
Mrs Kim said the real education for those at Hanawon would begin only after leaving the facility.
“The first night on the outside is a memorable one for all defectors. I felt such relief that I was finally in South Korea. I hugged my daughter and started to cry – not because I was sad or lonely – but because we’d survived,” the 49-year-old said.
In those first few weeks on the outside, Mrs Kim remembers the kindness of South Korean volunteers who helped her adjust.
They were there to welcome her when she stepped into her new home, they showed her around the local shops and even paid for her first ride in a taxi. She still keeps in touch with some of them.
Those still at Hanawon will be hoping for similar success.
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16 February 2021
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City Hall tackles homeless hub
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is to limit drop-in facilities for homeless people living on Ratchadamnoen Avenue to tidy up the area.
According to Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt, a Ministry of Social Development and Human Security report showed that the situation for homeless people had improved, with the number expected to decrease from 1,600 to 1,400 this year.
However, Mr Chadchart said that the situation on Ratchadamnoen Avenue is still concerning, especially after photos of homeless people living in front of the abandoned buildings on Ratchadamnoen Klang Avenue near Satriwithaya School went viral recently.
Mr Chadchart said that the spot drew the homeless as it is known that some people visit at night to offer food and cash.
“One of the main solutions is to limit the drop-in locations to one under the Phra Pinklao Bridge and the another in Sake Alley on Assadang Road,” he said, saying that this aims to not only tidy up Ratchadamnoen Road but also streamline registration procedures for the homeless in the future.
City Hall has also been attempting to make work available, and according to Mr Chadchart, 169 job positions have so far been offered to the homeless.
The BMA also plans to change the location of the Baan Imjai shelter to Chaloem Wan Chat Bridge after the rental contract on a former building in Soi Mansri is over, said Mr Chadchart, adding that a refurbishment will be finished this year.
Meanwhile, according to Weeraphan Suphanchaimat, chairman of the Thai Health Organisation’s (ThaiHealth) Directing Committee on Health Promotion for the Homeless, 500–600 of the 1,217 homeless people in Bangkok live in Phra Nakhon district and Ratchadamnoen Avenue.
This information led ThaiHealth and related sectors to establish a drop-in spot located under Phra Pinklao Bridge, which provides everything from job positions and healthcare support to basic hygiene facilities, such as a laundromat and shower room, for homeless and vulnerable people, said Dr Weeraphan.
According to Thapanee Sirisombun, director of the Bangkok Homeless Protection Centre, the age range of newly homeless people who registered with the drop-in spot ranged from 40 to 60 years old.