Sure A Not

Residents still in the dark on BMA compensation plan

Residents whose homes were damaged by the collapse of an elevated road project on Luang Phaeng Road in Bangkok’s Lat Krabang district on July 10 are urging the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to speed up the distribution of compensation and other financial aid.

The 600-metre section of the On Nut-Lat Krabang elevated road project, stretching from Lotus’s Lat Krabang to Jorakay Noi Police Station, collapsed on July 10, killing two people and injuring 12 others.

One of the affected residents, Apisit Laosinat, told the Bangkok Post that a crane at the construction site crashed on the three-storey shophouse where he lives with ten of his relatives. While the building sustained serious damage, no one was injured as no one was on the top floor when the crane collapsed, he said.

“My father and I were repairing motorbikes when the crane hit our roof. My brother said that the crane was blocked by a pole in front of the shophouse, but there were bits from the crane which came through the walls,” Mr Apisit said.

As a result, Mr Apisit said his family have had to temporarily move out of the shophouse, which they have been renting for 40 years.

“We were lucky that no one was hurt in the incident. But who can guarantee that there won’t be another collapse?” he said.

Mr Apisit said as of Tuesday, no one had reached out to his family or other affected residents to inform them about the compensation that they are entitled to from the contractor and the BMA.

To date, he added, he has only received 50,000 baht from the contractor, which he said was meant to cover emergency expenses, such as baby diapers and formula.

The contractor told them that they must consult their insurance company before the company can offer full compensation.

Sarut Kreutaweechote, 81, Mr Apisit’s neighbour, told the Bangkok Post that officials told him to immediately vacate his shophouse after the incident.

Officials gave me a budget of 3,500 baht to rent an apartment. Where can I find an apartment that cheap?: Sarut Kreutaweechai. (Photo: Wichan Charoenkiatpakul)

However, he moved back in despite the risk of further accidents because he couldn’t afford to live in a hotel.

“Officials gave me a budget of 3,500 baht to rent an apartment. Where can I find an apartment that cheap?” said Mr Sarut.

He revealed that local residents in Lat Krabang district have repeatedly voiced their opposition to the flyover, as they believed it wouldn’t resolve chronic traffic congestion in the area.

Instead, he said, locals would rather see Lat Krabang Road widened to accommodate more traffic.

“The construction site is a major source of pollution. Sometimes, they would work on the project in the middle of the night, which is a nuisance,” Mr Sarut said.

Wisanu Subsompon, a deputy Bangkok governor, said the project must be finished by December next year. As such, the contractor has been ordered to fix the project’s foundations to prevent similar accidents from happening.

“If the flyover construction is not completed by next December, the contractor will be fined according to the contract,” he added.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Thursday welcomed the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s Consultative Assembly to discuss opportunities for tourism and investment in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC).

Tipanan Sirichana, a deputy government spokeswoman, said Saudi Arabia’s delegation led by Abdullah Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Sheikh met with Gen Prayut, the caretaker prime minister, and his team as part of their scheduled visit to Thailand.

The meeting at Government House was aimed at strengthening their legislative cooperation. Gen Prayut said the discussion would help speed up cooperation while tightening their relationship, said Ms Tipanan.

She said the discussion mainly focused on ways of elevating ties and investment opportunities, especially in the EEC area, which covers the three eastern provinces of Chon Buri, Rayong and Chachoengsao.

The discussion also discussed the opportunity for visa waivers, both for special passport holders and tourists, in an attempt to promote more tourism opportunities.

Both sides agreed to support each other under various multilateral agreements, including those made with the United Nations, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

The Saudi team also included its Ambassador to Thailand Abdulrahman Abdulaziz Alsuhaibani, and other members of the Consultative Assembly.

According to the deputy government spokeswoman, the meeting was the first time Thailand had welcomed a legislative delegation from the country since normal ties were restored in the wake of Gen Prayut’s visit to Riyadh last year to sign numerous MoUs.

His trip was taken at the invitation of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the crown prince, and was seen as making a historic breakthrough after years of frayed ties and diplomatic conflict.

Thailand has welcomed 15 million international arrivals within the first seven months of this year, according to deputy government spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek.

On Thursday, Ms Rachada said that school summer breaks in northern hemisphere countries have contributed to the increasing number of international tourists in Thailand.

Amidst this, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has pushed its new tourism campaign, “Amazing Thailand Health and Wellness: New Chapters New Experience”, which aims to promote medical tourism to attract wellness tourists with high purchasing power.

For domestic tourism, TAT plans to promote local attractions in every region to disperse tourism-generated income to locals across Thailand.

Ms Rachada said that TAT expects to see three trillion baht in revenue from tourism next year, with 1.92 trillion baht from international tourists and 1.08 trillion baht from domestic ones.

Apart from being a well-known destination for tourists after Covid-19, Thailand has become a popular location for filmmaking this year.

The Department of Tourism’s Thailand Film Office (TFO) said on Wednesday that there were 246 productions from 32 countries using Thailand as a filming location in the first half of 2023. The TFO said 143 foreign films were shot in Thailand for the same period last year.

The United States is reported to have spent the most on filmmaking in Thailand, with 519 million baht for 14 projects, followed by China with 349 million baht for 17 projects, Hong Kong with 328 million baht for 11 projects, the United Kingdom with 261 million baht for 19 projects and Germany with 201 million baht for 11 projects.

The TFO said the Thai government led by Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, has offered incentives to foreign filmmakers to choose Thailand as their film location, such as a 15%-20% cash rebate for those who invest at least 50 million baht while filming in Thailand.

The process of granting work permits for foreign filmmakers to shoot in Thailand has also been made convenient, with three days for visa assessment for an advert or music video production and 5-10 days for a film, series or reality show production, the TFO said.

In 2023, Thailand was a shooting location for the popular Korean TV series King the Land and the Chinese variety show Keep Running.

Nixing renomination ‘unconstitutional’

Legal experts are questioning whether a parliamentary resolution rejecting the renomination of Move Forward Party (MFP) leader Pita Limjaroenrat for prime minister was constitutional, suggesting the issue should be taken to the Constitutional Court for a ruling.

Borwornsak Uwanno, former chair of a constitution drafting committee, on Thursday slammed the resolution on Facebook, saying the Constitutional Court should look into the issue.

“Invoking a parliamentary session regulation has crippled the constitution despite the fact the charter specifically covers the prime ministerial election,” he wrote. “It’s a pity for Thailand.”

He said he was disappointed with MPs who voted against Mr Pita’s renomination.

He noted that the parliament’s interpretation was not final. Anyone who thought their rights were affected over this matter could petition the Ombudsman to determine whether the parliamentary resolution was a breach of Section 213 of the constitution, he said, apparently referring to Mr Pita.

The petition can be submitted to the Ombudsman, who will submit the petition to the Constitutional Court, Mr Borwornsak said, adding the affected person can also directly petition the court if the Ombudsman doesn’t.

“I will wait and see if parliament’s action violated the constitution,” he said. “I will see how the Constitutional Court will rule on this.”

Invoking a parliamentary session regulation has crippled the constitution despite the fact that the charter specifically covers the prime ministerial election, says Borwornsak Uwanno, former chair of a constitution drafting committee.

His comments came after a majority of MPs and senators voted on Wednesday to reject Mr Pita’s renomination on the grounds that parliamentary meeting regulation No.41 prohibited the resubmission of a failed motion during the same parliamentary session unless new circumstances were factored in.

They argued that an earlier motion regarding Mr Pita’s nomination was already rejected by parliament on July 13, when he failed to get the needed majority of votes in the first round.

Jade Donavanik, legal scholar and ex-adviser to a charter drafting panel, said that he believed Mr Pita’s nomination on July 13 was not a motion, so the regulation should not have been applied.

“The nomination of a prime minister candidate was not a motion. But the debate in parliament was off point,” Mr Jade said.

Khomsan Phokhong, law lecturer at Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, pointed out that Regulation No.41 could be waived only if a new factor was introduced. For example, Mr Pita could be renominated for the prime minister post for the next round of a vote on Thursday if other candidates were also nominated alongside him.

“This means the circumstances are different, and the parliament president can decide to permit Mr Pita’s renomination,” Mr Khomsan said.

The nomination of a prime minister candidate was not a motion. But the debate in parliament was off point,  says Jade Donavanik, a legal scholar.

In response to Mr Borwornsak, Sen Seree Suwanpanont, a former constitution drafter, said that hundreds of MPs and senators agreed that Mr Pita’s renomination was not permitted under the parliamentary meeting regulation and thus they voted against Mr Pita’s second bid.

“The MFP can renominate Mr Pita for a new round of voting as it wishes, but we will stand by the same principle,” Sen Seree said. “The party has the right to petition the Ombudsman or the Constitutional Court.”

Meanwhile, MFP secretary-general Chaithawat Tulathon said on Thursday that he met key Pheu Thai figures for talks on how to proceed with the formation of a new government.

“We are trying to ensure that a government comprising the eight coalition partners is formed successfully,” he said.

Asked what the MFP would do if Pheu Thai nominated its candidate, Srettha Thavisin, for the next round of a PM vote, he said the matter would be discussed at a meeting of MPs and executives of the MFP.

Asked about Mr Srettha’s comments that Pheu Thai will oppose any change to Section 112 of the Criminal Code, Mr Chaithawat only said that there was no discussion with Pheu Thai yet.

“The eight coalition allies will meet for talks in the next few days and things will become clear,” he said.

This means the circumstances are different and the parliament president can decide to permit Mr Pita’s renomination, says Khomsan Phokhong, a law lecturer.