Thailand Live Tuesday 31 May 2011

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Thailand Live Tuesday 31 May 2011

News, Bits and Tweets

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Keep up to date with live updates from the news, hour by hour.

For breaking news,national, regional and international news updates on a daily basis only, this thread is closed to commentary so that those who wish to follow the news can find it here...

Commentary is still open for Thailand news in the relevant thread posted in News Clippings.

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Related topic: Thailand Live Monday 30 May 2011

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Today's Thailand weather and forecasts:

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Thailand deports 5 pregnant Vietnamese surrogate mothers and 5 babies

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ANALYSIS

Campaign strategists in a see-saw battle

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JULY GENERAL ELECTION

Leaders play key role in parties' campaigns

By Budsarakham Sinlapalavan

The Nation

The political parties running in the upcoming election are creating new strategies, tactics and techniques to draw votes.

For the two major parties, Democrat and Pheu Thai, the images of their No 1 party-list MPs are very important. Every exposure is believed to attract votes for the parties, which are competing to rule the incoming government.

A public relations lecturer at Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Communication Arts, Parichart Sthapitanonda Sarobol, said the contest between the Democrats and Pheu Thai was like a match between the champion and the contender.

The Democrats, as the current champions, had an advantage over Pheu Thai because the party's achievements could still be seen.

"When the Democrats visit Pattaya, for example, they will speak about policies concerning Pattaya's development to encourage growth in the country's economy; the sustainable tourism that the Cabinet just approved in April, as well as the hi-speed train from Bangkok to the East. The Democrats try to use a story for each area in the election campaign," she said.

The Democrats' marketing also promotes people of the new generation, including [party leader] Abhisit [Vejjajiva] and other MP candidates with new faces, but with familiar family names, she said. The weakness is the absence of people from the previous generation, such as Banyat Bantadtan and Chuan Leekpai.

Parichart said Pheu Thai's decision to field Yingluck [shinawatra] as its contender was a smart move. "Children, the elderly and women are always good selling points," she said.

"The images of Yingluck and Abhisit presented by the media are different. Yingluck looks very nice in almost all the pictures. Meanwhile, Abhisit has looked better in the past four years. Sometimes photographers take his picture at an upward angle, showing his untidy teeth," she said.

"Now it's like competition between Yingluck as a new product and Abhisit as an old product. Both have their own fans. Swinging votes will define the result," she said.

Chulalongkorn University political scientist Pitch Pongsawat said fans of Abhisit and Yingluck would hold on to their choices. But people who have not yet decided will pay attention to their policies, which are more important than the candidates' appearance.

Thawatchai Kerdpradub, an information-technology expert from Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna's Faculty of Business Administration and Liberal Arts said Yingluck was like a product from Thaksin's company.

Thawatchai, who is also author of "Marketing on Twitter", said Yingluck would attract Thaksin's fans. Moreover, some people might like the fact that she has positioned herself as a unifying politician instead of a taker of revenge.

Pheu Thai also enjoyed a better launch than the Democrats because it began its rallies grandly in its strongholds, and Yingluck's messages, and those of her party, were easy for villagers to understand.

Besides, he said, Yingluck's poster pictures were also big, emphasising her as the selling point.

On the other hand, Abhisit had a bland personality that made it hard to reach villagers. It was not his fault, but he should have other assistants with friendly personalities accompanying him, in order to reach the people.

Abhisit's pictures were the same size as those of other candidates, which undermined him as a selling point.

Thawatchai said Abhisit's speeches were difficult for villagers to understand. Educated people would understand and pick up this product, but for villagers it was like a high-end product with luxury packaging, and they were unable to tell how good it was.

-- The Nation 2011-05-31

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Thank you for not smoking

Today is World No Tobacco Day and if you're still puffing away, it's the perfect occasion to kick the habit

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BURNING ISSUE

Current thinking on how the poll will play out

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SATELLITE

Green light for Thaicom 6 from ICT Ministry

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EDITORIAL

Price instability adds to Thailand's political uncertainty

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Gay activists call for same-sex marriage law in Thailand

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'Girl, 17, on phone when van crash occurred'

By The Nation

A 17-year-old girl involved in a Bangkok expressway crash that killed nine people in a public van and injured several others last December could face another charge - using a cell-phone while driving.

The teenager is due to hear a decision by prosecutors about charges on June 23.

The girl already faces charges of reckless driving causing death and injury to others, which have been filed in court.

The prosecutor has allegedly found evidence that the accused, who can't be named because she is under 18, was using a cell-phone while driving, and has advised police investigators to file the charge of using a cell-phone while driving also.

For this charge, police could immediately fine the girl if she confesses to the allegation - as with the charge of driving without a licence. However, if the girl did not confess, investigators could pass it to prosecutor for consideration on whether to sue her for the additional charge.

-- The Nation 2011-05-31

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BRT promotions plan

By The Nation

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) will launch a discount promotion for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) fares after the number of users dropped to 15,000 a day, which was lower than the targeted 20,000 per day, BMA deputy governor Theerachon Manomaipibul said.

The one-year anniversary for BRT operations was on May 15, but the number of users was much lowered than targeted because the SRT route from Rajapreuk to Sathorn did not have many offices and people, Theerachon said. So he discussed possible solutions with Krungthep Thanakom Co Ltd, including the possibility of linking the BRT system with the Bangkok Transit System (BTS) - the skytrain - as a long-term solution.

"Initially, the BMA will do public relations work to stimulate people to use the BRT more and get Krungthep Thanakom to talk with BTS about special promotions, such as discounts on fare or monthly passes, in order to link the two systems," he said.

-- The Nation 2011-05-31

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DSI nabs Chinese 'embezzler'

By The Nation

The Department of Special Investigation has nailed down a man wanted for embezzling more than Bt1 billion from Chinese banks.

"He will be extradited," Lt General Shane Kanjanapaj, a DSI senior official, told at a press conference yesterday.

The DSI was contacted for help by the Chinese Embassy back in 2005 after China issued an arrest warrant for him.

"Our investigation has shown that the suspect, Chen Wu, has lived in Thailand under the name of Boonchai sae Kang," Shane said.

Boonchai, who acquired a Thai national identification card through illegitimate means and married a local woman, had also submitted falsified documents to secure Bt80 million loans from two Thai banks, he added.

-- The Nation 2011-05-31

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Worse violence possible after poll, panel warns

By Pravit Rojanaphruk

The Nation

Members of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) gave eight recommendations in an interim report released yesterday. Some of the highlights were:

* It believes the political conflict is deeply rooted in the country's social and political structure. At the start, the conflict may have been between individuals or groups of individuals but it became much more complicated when it was combined with fundamental problems relating to social inequality, weak democratic mechanisms and the system of justice.

* The opinions of all parties should be heard and all parties should keep an open mind.

* An election without a clear passage toward reconciliation cannot permanently solve the conflict. After the poll, if people aren't well-prepared, the country may see a new round of conflict, which could be more violent than before.

* The panel believes that neither the proposal to declare an amnesty for people involved in the violence last year, which saw a grave loss of life and property, nor the proposal to enforce strict criminal prosecution of protesters without taking into consideration development of the political conflict which lead to the crisis, is a sustainable way to resolve the conflict. The best solution was for people to understand how the country got itself into this situation and to learn together how to find a way out based on the experience of other countries that have been in similar situations.

* The justice system needed to remain absolutely impartial.

* All sides should join together to express reverence for the monarchy, as it is an institution above political disputes. State law enforcement and agencies in the system of justice should be wary in applying lese majeste law during these times of tense political controversy.

-- The Nation 2011-05-31

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Firms urged to prevent brain drain after 2015

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Yingluck waits for the right time for a public with Abhisit

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Many school shoes found to be injurious to health

By Sirared Cherdchusilp

The Nation

Shoes worn by students should not be used in sports because they could affect the user's spine and cause ankle injuries, an academic said yesterday.

Dr Paiboon Choungthongic, a member of the Academic Network for Consumer Affairs (ANCA), explained that the shoes did not have heel support and could cause ankle injury, especially if they are worn while playing football or basketball. Also, wearing bad shoes for a long time can affect the wearer's posture and spine, especially among overweight youngsters.

"The Thai Industrial Standard Institute should strictly enforce the law and get manufacturers to help reduce accidents and injuries among youngsters. The Thai Industrial Standard, series 132-2518, has taken such a long time and cost so much that it should be used to the maximum," he added.

His comment came after the Foundation for Consumers' Chaladsue magazine yesterday revealed the result of a test conducted by the Department of Science Service (DSS) on 15 brands of school shoes that are sold for about Bt200 to Bt400 per pair.

According to the Thai Industrial Standard, the shoes were tested for heel support and how they influenced the formation of the foot; whether they absorbed the impact of shocks from the wearer's back down to the heel and if the shoes were durable and flexible.

Two brands failed the heel-support test, two brands were found to have no heel support, while another two brands, including the popular Nanyang series 205S, were found to not be very durable.

The five samples that passed all the aspects were Gold City series 205S, Breaker Futsal series BK4/M+, Breaker 4x4 series 4x4/M, Bata B-first, Febus F-11 and Kito series SSAM610.

Thusanee Nanudorn, the magazine's editor in chief, urged consumers to be well-informed and encouraged parents to look for shoes that are of a good standard and offer good heel support.

-- The Nation 2011-05-31

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NATIONAL RECONCILIATION

Unity will only come if the judiciary is impartial, say experts

By Pravit Rojanaphruk

The Nation

Victims must be healed, those behind April-May crackdown brought to justice: panel chief

National reconciliation will not last if the truth about what happened last April and May is not accompanied by judicial impartiality, democratic political structure, civilian supremacy over the military and freedom of expression, a panel on post-electoral reconciliation concluded yesterday.

"Reconciliation needs to include reform of the judicial process in order to ensure that it does not come under the influence of any party. We must also look into the role of security agencies in the democratic process," said Kittipong Kittayarak, chairman of a sub-panel in charge of Strategic Planning for Reconciliation that comes under the Truth for Reconciliation Commission (TRC).

Kittipong warned that strictly relying on the criminal justice process "might not provide answers" and instead "complicate the problem", while amnesty and amnesia over the April-May crackdown might not be the answer either.

"Those affected must be healed, while those [behind the incidents] held responsible," he said, adding that offering blanket amnesty before people understood what really happened would deprive the Thai society from learning how to prevent such conflicts from taking place again.

Somchai Homla-or, chairman of TRC's Truth-Seeking Sub-commission, said reconciliation could not take place if there was no change in the political structure. He said there were far too many competing views of what a democratic system with the king as head of state ought to be like. The military's role in society should also be reviewed, along with the freedom of expression, which is under threat from the use of lese majeste law.

"Freedom of expression is a very vital and fundamental right. If we don't have it, how can we talk about certain issues with good attitude and back it up with correct information?" he said, referring to speculation about the monarchy's role in last year's conflict.

"Without these changes, it's impossible to have a reconciliation," he said, adding that a post-electoral Thailand without reform would likely lead to more violence.

Even though a year has passed, the TRC has failed to produce a comprehensive report on what happened during the April-May crackdown, which led to 92 deaths and more than 2,000 injuries.

Somchai said no answers have been provided as to why so many red shirts are in detention, while "not a single security officer has been charged". He said that truth and justice was needed and complained that a leaked Department of Special Investigation (DSI) report concluding that security officers were likely responsible for at least 13 deaths had still not reached the courts, even though four or five months have passed since it was written.

General Ekkachai Srivilas, a peace expert from King Prajadhipok Institute (KPI), said the problem was that "some organisations within the state had stronger influence than the state itself".

He said the security sector, including the Army, needed good governance. He later told The Nation that the one example was the deep South, where the government was unable to lift the emergency due to the Army's power.

Prof Chaiwat Satha-anand, another peace expert at Thammasat University, urged society to accept that there were different visions as to what Thai society ought to look like in the future.

"We need a shared future [for reconciliation] to succeed. But I'm not sure if we will have it. Thai society has reached a point where we are talking about different versions of the future, and we should stop deceiving ourselves," Chaiwat said.

When asked how Thai society could come to terms with the truth when at least one version of the truth held by many red shirts could not be publicly told without violating the lese majeste law, Chaiwat said truth was always the casualty in any war or deadly conflict.

However, he added that some informal and private talk about one version of what happened last April and May continued to exist.

"We don't know how to love and we don't understand. We are drowned in fear, and that is dangerous for Thai society," he said, without elaborating which institution he was referring to.

Surakiat Satirathai, former deputy prime minister and a figure close to the palace, said that though an anti-monarchist movement does exist, the number of abolitionists was still small.

However, he admitted that the attacks on the monarchy were on the rise, though critics who had good intentions and were loyal to the monarch should be distinguished from those who were republicans.

"The lese majeste law is possibly being used indiscriminately, which has led to some people being disheartened," Surakiat said.

-- The Nation 2011-05-31

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SOCIAL SECURITY

Pension pot insufficient: researcher

By The Nation

SSO may not be able to meet its obligations in the long term

Social Security Office members will not always be sure about what they are entitled to in principle, especially upon retirement, or whether they will fully receive back what they have contributed over the years, according to a researcher at the Thailand Research Development Institute.

After 12 years of monthly contributions from 9 million SSO members for pension and child-welfare purposes, Worrawan Charnduaywit yesterday said the amount available for pension payment should be sufficient in the initial phase, which begins in 2014, when the number of retirees in the scheme will still be small.

It could in fact be enough to meet pension commitments in the first 25 to 30 years, but would not be sufficient for the longer run, he said.

In the longer term, given an average lifespan of 73 years, a qualified SSO beneficiary would begin to receive a pension at the age of 55, but the amount he or she paid into the scheme over the years would only be sufficient to last another five years.

As things stand, this means other SSO beneficiaries would have to meet the cost of payments to such SSO members during the remaining 13 years of their lives.

"However low interest might be on savings accounts with banks, people who deposit their money can still get it back. But there is no guarantee that all SSO beneficiaries will get something back when they retire," he said.

Worrawan offered three solutions, with the first dubbed the "Que Sera, Sera" (whatever will be, will be) measure, which he said current SSO management and the next government would prefer, as it would be the easiest way to avoid future sensitive issues and the huge financial implications of solving them.

The second solution is a higher contribution rate, which may not be accepted by current SSO members, but would be a way to spread the risks among them, especially retirees. The money from people who die early would be contributed to those who die later.

The third is amendment of the current structure of pension rates, with those expecting to receive a higher pension being required to pay higher contributions.

The researcher also warned SSO members of two other major problems.

First, that the SSO is authorised to spend as much as 10 per cent of more than Bt800 billion in contributions on its management and operations.

Second, that all high-value established assets ranging from office automation to plots that site provincial SSO offices are not theirs, but belong to the agency by law.

-- The Nation 2011-05-31

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Give us feedback, Democrats urge

By The Nation

The Democrat Party plans to revamp its website and invite visitors to offer policy input in a bid utilise social networks and connect with the people in their election campaigning.

"The Democrats have received positive responses from Netizens in the online community, hence the reason for a new design of the party's web-page to further engage the people," the party's Bangkok campaign manager Apirak Kosayodhin said yesterday.

Apirak said the social networking had allowed direct communication with Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva and other candidates via Facebook and Twitter.

Visitors can post comments on four policy themes - family forward, economy forward, country forward and Bangkok forward.

People can download the application Democrat version 2, which is compatible with every Smart Phone. The party is expected to reach out to an estimated eight to nine million members of the social networking community.

-- The Nation 2011-05-31

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Fugitive Thai ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra has denied he wants to be leader again and insists youngest sister Yingluck, who is challenging for the post, is not his puppet: ABC /MCOT

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AFP: Thaksin denies Thai PM ambitions

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Briton was 'beaten to death on Koh Samui - 'He did not drown'

Murder investigation opened

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Abhisit met with protesting signs while rallying in Sai Mai

Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva was welcomed with protesting signs when visited a fresh market in Bangkok's Sai Mai district Tuesday morning to help his party candidate campaign.

A man held a sign saying "Reya in Politics, Sharp Tongue but Can't Deliver" to greet him when the prime minister arrived at the Wongsakorn Market at 6:30 am.

Reya is the name of the main character in a recent TV soap opera. She used fast-track means to gain wealth by offering herself as a mistress of rich men.

The man left the scene after police talked to him.

Later, Abhisit met encountered a woman holding sign, saying "Incompetent, causing living cost to rise".

The woman, who was later identified as Sirima Nualjaem, agreed to leave the scene when asked to by police.

She later told reporters she wanted to express her dissatisfaction that the government failed to tackle rising cost of living.

-- The Nation 2011-05-31

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Thailand steps up preventive measures against E coli outbreak

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3-month-old baby stolen from mother at Rajavithi Hospital returned safely /TAN_Network

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Massage Parlor Billionaire Chuwit Makes Political Comeback

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Chiang Mai's EC admits several parties dare not campaign in the province. /via@RThaiElection11

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Vote-buying found in northeast

BANGKOK, 31 May 2011 (NNT) – National Police Chief Police General Wichean Potephosree admits some electoral frauds such as vote-buying for the 3 July election have really been found in the northeastern region of Thailand.

Speaking in a workshop of police personnel assigned to maintain peace and order during the election, Police General Wichean stated that vote-buying are reported in highly competitive areas, particularly in the northeastern part, so police officers have been dispatched to investigate the problem.

The workshop is aimed at providing related officers with knowledge and and understanding about electoral laws and regulations as the competition in the upcoming general election is expected to be high due to totally different political viewpoints among candidates as well as voters.

Election Commission Chairperson Apichart Sukhagganond and about 250 relevant officers including heads of provincial police units and EC fast-moving teams reportedly attended the seminar organised on Monday.

Regarding a number of complaints that some police officers in the newly established northeastern province of Bueng Kan lack political neutrality, the national police chief said anonymous letters alleged a police colonel in the province of suspicious acts like following an election candidate to all places. He said he has ordered an urgent probe into the allegation and the result is expected within seven days.

-- NNT 2011-05-31

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People' Alliance's 'Vote No' Campaign Kicks off in Phuket

The 'Vote No' campaign by the People's Alliance for Democracy has reached Phuket as stickers, posters and t-shirts are available to promote efforts to gain a large number of supporters.

The People's Alliance for Democracy, or PAD, held a meeting to prepare for the introduction of the 'Vote No' campaign, set to be launched in Phuket in mid-June.

The PAD explained that as part of the campaign, they will visit many venues in this tourism province, and events will feature the appearance of academics and PAD core figures from Bangkok.

Campaign posters have been put up in the city's downtown and in the Patong area.

Stickers and t-shirts reading, "Vote No" are now available. There has been positive feedback from the PAD supporters in Phuket.

The 'Vote No' Phuket Group's secretariat Don Limnantapisit stated that his group is still holding its daily activities at the Sapan Hin area as usual, but they will visit residents to promote the 'Vote No' platform soon.

He insisted that this policy is not a setback for the course of democracy, but it does express people's wishes of stopping corrupt politicians and wanting a change in politics.

-- Tan Network 2011-05-31