Govt readies defence of 2024 budget bill as debate looms
The government is preparing to defend its budget bill for the 2024 fiscal year during its first reading in parliament on Jan 3-5, with ministries each setting up a war room to have information ready for the debate.
Sorawong Thienthong, secretary-general of the ruling Pheu Thai Party, said party MPs have hunkered down to study the bill’s details.
The debate will cover issues related to national security and defence, human resources development, opportunities and equality in society, economic growth and the environment, and rebalancing and improving the management of the state sector, he said.
Mr Sorawong said that if Pheu Thai has any doubt about the government’s performance in the first reading, the party will offer solutions to a House committee which will be set up to scrutinise the bill on its second reading.
“Pheu Thai will not just say good things about the government,” he said.
Asked if Pheu Thai would set up a team of MPs acting as “bodyguards” to protect cabinet ministers targeted by opposition MPs during the debate, Mr Sorawong said there was no need.
“If the opposition parties debate within the scope of the budget bill, it should be left to the cabinet ministers to explain.
“But if they debate beyond the scope and take aim at the party for political gain, we will stand up and defend ourselves,” he said.
Krumanit Sangphum, a Pheu Thai MP for Surin, also warned the opposition parties not to turn the debate into a no-confidence session against the government.
The opposition must stick to the rules on the budget bill debate, which are different from those which apply to a no-confidence debate, he said.
Deputy Transport Minister Manaporn Charoensri, who also serves as a government whip, said Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin on Thursday met representatives of the coalition parties for talks on preparations for the debate.
The parties were instructed to ensure all their members turn up in droves, she said, adding each ministry has been ordered to set up its own war room to supply information to government MPs during the debate.
Defence Minister Sutin Klungsang said yesterday he would meet senior officials to discuss the Defence Ministry’s budget spending proposed under the bill on Jan 2.
He also said he would answer all of the questions posed by MPs during the debate himself.
A source at the Move Forward Party said the party has lined up 33 MPs to take part in scrutinising the budget details.
They include MFP leader Chaithawat Tulathon, also the opposition leader, who will focus on political issues, and deputy MFP leader Sirikanya Tansakun, who will scrutinise economic policies as part of the debate.
The budget bill seeks 3.48 trillion baht. It was supposed to take effect Oct 1, but it was delayed some months following the election so the coalition government could find its feet first.
The debate will take place on Jan 3-4 and a vote will be held the next day before a 72-member House committee is formed to vet the bill.
Govt imposes total gun ban for NY
PUBLISHED : 30 Dec 2023 at 04:00
The Interior Ministry has issued a total ban on people carrying firearms in public over the New Year to prevent celebrations turning into tragedies, interior permanent secretary Suttipong Juljarern said yesterday.
He said Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has ordered all administrative offices not to issue permits to individuals to carry firearms outside their homes.
Law enforcement officials will conduct inspections against the carrying of firearms in public during the New Year.
“People [with a permit] must remind themselves not to take their firearms with them when they are out in public areas,” he said.
Even if people carry firearms in public with no ill intent, it is still illegal to do so, he said.
Individuals are also barred from firing “celebratory” shots into the air during parties. There have been instances where stray bullets have injured or even killed people, Mr Suttipong added.
Hong Kong exiled activist says he was paid by authorities to be informant: Reuters
The former leader of a Hong Kong pro-independence group says he received up to HK$3,000 from security officers per meeting to become an informant when he was released from jail in June before he fled to Britain and sought political asylum. In November 2021, Tony Chung, who was then 20,Continue Reading
China appoints Dong Jun as new defence minister
PLA NavyChina has named Dong Jun as its new defence minister, two months after his predecessor was officially sacked.
Mr Dong, a former navy commander, takes over from Li Shangfu – who was last seen in public in August.
Mr Dong’s appointment was announced by China’s top legislators at a Standing Committee meeting of the National People’s Congress in Beijing on Friday.
The move follows a slew of dismissals of top military officials from the country’s top posts earlier this year.
As well as Mr Li, it included the removal of Qin Gang as foreign minister in July. No reasons were given for Mr Li or Mr Qin’s dismissals. Both had been in their posts for only seven months respectively.
Further sackings took place this week too, with nine senior military officials removed from the Standing Committee on Friday, Reuters reported, citing state media outlet Xinhua.
Three executives at state-owned missile defence firms were also removed from Beijing’s top political advisory body earlier this week, according to state media.
Some analysts say this could indicate that a possible wider purge has taken place, targeting senior military leaders.
Mr Dong, 62, was made commander of the navy in August 2021.
His previous roles included serving as deputy commander of the Chinese military’s Southern Theatre Command. Its area of operations includes the South China Sea – a disputed area, over large parts of which China claims sovereignty.
Mr Dong’s appointment comes after military personnel from China and the US held their first high-level talks by phone in more than a year last week.
Relations between the two nations soured in 2022 after the then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan. Taiwan is self-ruled, but China sees it as a breakaway province that will eventually unite with it.
In recent months, there has been a rapprochement between China and the US, with Chinese President Xi Jinping meeting his counterpart Joe Biden in California in November and agreeing to resume military communications. The two had not spoken for more than a year.
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Former vice-chair of China’s banking regulator handed life sentence
BEIJING: A former vice-chairman of China’s banking regulator has been sentenced to life imprisonment, state media reported on Friday (Dec 29), the latest target in a crackdown on corruption in the second-largest economy’s finance sector.
Beijing launched a sprawling campaign to counter graft in 2012, following the ascension of leader Xi Jinping to the top of the governing Communist Party.
Since then, some 4.8 million party officials have been investigated, according to the latest official figures from June 2022.
Such investigations generally result in convictions and are suspected of serving as a tool for sidelining political figures seen as opposing Xi.
Cai Esheng was found guilty of accepting 407 million yuan (US$57.5 million) in bribes while in office, state broadcaster CCTV reported, citing a decision by a court in Zhenjiang.
He was also said to have taken an additional 110 million yuan in bribes after retiring.
CCTV reported he was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, which will be commuted to life in prison.
Born in 1951, Cai spent most of his career in finance and served for eight years as a vice-chairman of the country’s banking regulator.
Now retired, he came under scrutiny in 2021 with the launch of an investigation into “serious violations of discipline and the law” – wording that typically designates acts of corruption or embezzlement.
The former executive also served as a senior Communist Party representative to the banking regulator.
The conviction comes during a particularly active period for the crackdown on China’s finance sector.
On Thursday, a former head of China’s central bank was sentenced to more than 16 years in prison for corruption.
A legislative gathering on Friday saw the adoption of an amendment that provides tougher penalties for corruption, according to state news agency Xinhua.
Xi urges Chinese envoys to create ‘diplomatic iron army’
BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday (Dec 29) urged Chinese ambassadors to forge a “diplomatic iron army” loyal to the Communist Party, reviving the abrasive “Wolf Warrior” rhetoric propagated by some diplomats as a sign of China’s increasingly assertive foreign policy. “Dare to be good at struggle and toContinue Reading
TAT: New Year tourism to bring B760m to Hat Yai
Arrivals from Malaysia up strongly from a year ago and outlook through to Songkran is good
PUBLISHED : 29 Dec 2023 at 19:58
SONGKHLA: The Tourism Authority of Thailand predicts tourism in Hat Yai will generate 760 million baht in revenue for the South’s biggest city during the New Year holiday period.
Arrivals of both foreign and domestic tourists from Dec 30 to Jan 1 will be more lively than last year, said Nongyao Jirundon, director of the Hat Yai office of the TAT.
Since the beginning of this week, the tourism atmosphere in the city has been bustling, especially visitors from neighbouring Malaysia, who have been arriving in bigger numbers since Christmas, said Ms Nongyao.
She attributed the upturn to tourism promotion measures such as the suspension of the requirement to fill out TM 6 forms at the Sadao immigration checkpoint in Songkhla, and tourism campaign activities throughout December. Among them are the Amazing Countdown Songkhla Festival 2024 from Dec 27 to 31 and the Hat Yai Countdown to 2024 on Dec 31, she said.
Witthaya Sae Lim, a tour guide in Songkhla, said hoteliers had told local tour companies and guides that their business outlook was bright during the New Year holiday period with high hotel bookings.
Tourists would keep coming to Songkhla for the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations on Feb 10 and school semester breaks. Hotel bookings will be high until the Songkran festival in April, said Mr Witthaya.
Hat Yai has been attracting both Thai and foreign visitors, mainly from Malaysia. Others are from Singapore and Indonesia, he added.
Nongyao Jirundon, head of the Hat Yai office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, predicts there will be 760 million baht in circulation in the city during the New Year holiday period. (Photo: Assawin Pakkawan)
Bangladesh’s ‘tiny houses’ tackle giant flood challenge
Winner of the Aga Khan Award for architecture for her design of the Bait-ur-Rouf Mosque in Dhaka, and designer of the country’s Independence Monument, Tabassum developed prototype shelters to test them against flash flooding and storm winds. “It can be assembled and disassembled very easily,” she told AFP, calling itContinue Reading
Don’t click: Police urge caution after bank impersonators scam 103 people of S$161,000
SINGAPORE: The Singapore Police Force (SPF) once again warned members of the public on Friday (Dec 29) about the resurgence of phishing scams involving the impersonation of banks through spoofed SMSes.
At least 103 victims have fallen prey to the scams in December, with at least S$161,000 (US$122,000) lost, said the police.
Victims of this scam variant would receive SMSes from “+65” numbers claiming to be from their bank, warning them of possible unauthorised attempts to access their accounts.
They are then urged to click on the embedded URL links to verify their identity and stop the transactions.
The URLs would direct them to fake bank websites, misleading them into providing their internet banking credentials and one-time passwords (OTPs), which the scammers would use to make unauthorised withdrawals.
In some cases, victims would receive WhatsApp messages from scammers claiming to be bank officers. These criminals would impersonate bank security department officers and provide forged bank statements showing unauthorised transactions made in the victims’ e-wallets.
“Victims would only realise that they had been scammed when they discover unauthorised transactions in their bank accounts.”
Paetongtarn signs up for military networking
Pheu Thai leader enrols in ‘mini-NDC’ course run for young executives by National Defence College
PUBLISHED : 29 Dec 2023 at 18:48
Paetongtarn Shinawatra will be among the first young executives to study a new defence curriculum offered by the National Defence College (NDC), according to a military source.
The national defence curriculum for future executives, better known as the mini-NDC course, is designed for middle-level military personnel, civil servants and businesspeople, including internet influencers, actors and actresses. It is a key element in the military’s soft power push.
The course will begin next year for applicants aged 35–42 years, compared to the present NDC programme which is for executives aged 52–55. Places in the course are eagerly sought by people seeking to make contacts and advance their careers.
The source said the course is expected to foster connections among participants, even more than the NDC programme for executives because those aged in their 50s will soon retire.
He also said the mini-NDC programme aims at raising awareness about national security, enhancing critical analysis skills as well as developing leadership skills among members of the new generation.
Ms Paetongtarn, 37, registered with her close friends for the mini-NDC course, said the source, adding that the military expects she will come to understand more about the country’s defence mission.
However, the military has long been accused of using the NDC courses to promote a patronage culture, to the extent that Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin warned participants this year against networking for personal benefits.
When the NDC announced the new course, people also suggested it appeared tailor-made for people like Ms Paetongtarn.
The leader of the Pheu Thai Party and daughter of party patriarch Thaksin Shinawatra has been mentioned as a potential prime minister who could step in if Mr Srettha were to encounter political turbulence before the government’s four-year term is up.
Gen Songwit Noonphakdi, commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, is said to have encouraged Ms Paetongtarn’s registration for strategic purposes, such as to attract more young executives to sign up.
The programme also aims to make the new generation, especially influencers and content creators, more aware of defence issues, he said.