General Prawit said his reconciliation committee planned to boost the number of academics from as many fields as possible to sit on the committee.

He said the committee would brainstorm on 10 principal issues aimed at fostering co-existence among divided parties. Afterwards, the committee will hold a public hearing to gauge the views of the public before proceeding further, he said.

General Prawit expected that the process would take around three months. He downplayed concerns that the discussions will not yield any fruitful outcomes, saying the committee expected a positive result.

“I don’t want us to imagine too far. Let’s listen to them first because the parties shall contribute how they would co-exist from now on. Once agreed, then other procedures would follow,” he said.

The Prawit committee is tasked with taking care of reconciliation matters after the government, under Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s initiative, recently set up a new umbrella administrative committee for reform, reconciliation and national strategy in a bid to synthesise work which is seen as scattered among concerned bodies. Four other committees have been set up under it, including Prawit’s.

General Prawit earlier revealed that he expected “an agreement of truth” from those invited to discuss the reconciliation effort, especially political parties.

Prawit said the list of the committee members was not finalised, with the makeup to be decided by the umbrella committee chaired by PM Prayut.

Chief charter drafter Meechai Ruchupan gave a separate interview, saying reconciliation at this point was a future proposition and nobody knew how the conflicting parties would reconcile or whether there would be a law to support reconciliation.

However, the charter stated reconciliation meant just and fair treatment. Any laws out of this, he said, must take into account just and fair treatment for all.

Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, meanwhile, recommended that the umbrella committee chaired by PM Prayut be the centre of the reconciliation effort, as currently there were too many panels working on it.

The former prime minister, who handled the 2010 crackdown, said his party was contacted by the PM Prayut’s committee to give its views on reconciliation, while the National Reform Steering Assembly’s sub-panel and he National Legislative Assembly had also contacted it.

He is concerned the work will not be successful as there are too many panels working on the issue.

He said that caused confusion as well as possible new issues that could impede the process. Unity is needed for the work, and the PM’s committee should be the centre of that, he said.

Abhisit also said it should be made clear what reconciliation meant. It should mean removal of conditions that create conflicts in the society at large and the introduction of future preventive measures against violence out of differences, he said.

If concerned parties were given the same challenge to address, it would be easy for them to met the challenge and submit their proposals to PM Prayut’s committee at the same time without having to come up with answers from the different panels, he said.

Abhisit reiterated on the need to adhere to the rule of law for all without amnesty proposed, as earlier remarked by PM Prayut.

Pramern Krairos, 57, who headed Bangkok’s Phra Nakhon District Office, passed away at the Vajira Hospital yesterday morning. The senior official of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) was hospitalised on Wednesday after he collapsed 20 minutes into an exercise session.

The session was held in response to Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha’s initiative to encourage officials to exercise to promote good health.

While visiting flooded areas in Surat Thani yesterday, the PM ruled out any changes in the Wednesday weekly exercise schedule for state officials despite the tragic death of the district chief. However, he urged people nearing retirement age to be aware of their physical limits while taking part in exercises.

“People warned me to be careful because I am already over 60. I have to take caution and adapt to suit myself,” he said. Prayut has been leading officials at Government House in exercise every Wednesday afternoon since late last year. Similar workout sessions have taken place at other agencies.

Assoc Prof Dr Panya Kaimuk, a specialist at the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, yesterday said fatalities linked to exercise were rare.

He also urged people not to be scared to exercise. “You just need to check your limits,” he said.

Panya recommended the so-called “talk test” during exercise sessions. “After five to six minutes into the workout, you should check if you can speak smoothly. If yes, you can go ahead. But if not, you must realise that your body wants to rest,” he said.

He added that people with heart and coronary diseases should avoid strenuous exercise.

“Also if the sun proves too unbearable, adjust your exercise schedule,” Panya said.

Health Department director-general Wachira Pengjuntr said people should know their health conditions so that they can choose the right types of workouts. “The results of your annual health check-ups will help you make assessments,” he said.

Warm-up important

People should also do warm-up exercises before engaging in strenuous workouts, as well as cool-down exercises afterwards, he added. Vajira Hospital’s director Dr Surawute Leelakakorn said Pramern had been diagnosed as having had a heart attack.

After Pramern was sent to the hospital on Wednesday, an operation to implant a stent was carried out before Pramern was put on a pacemaker and kept at a cardiac care unit. But despite the medical attention, he succumbed at 7.10am yesterday.

Bangkok Governor Pol General Aswin Kwanmuang described Pramern’s death as a big loss. “He was a good and hard-working man,” Aswin said.

Bangkok City Clerk Patarut Tardaranon said Pramern had worked every day to facilitate the flow of mourners to the Grand Palace so that they could pay respects to the late HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Funeral rites for Pramern at Makutkasatriyaram Temple will continue until Wednesday, while a royally-sponsored cremation will take place on Thursday.

REPRESENTATIVES of the People’s Network against Corruption have submitted a petition to the government seeking a probe into alleged irregularities in the handling of 10 idle Airbus A340-500 and A340-600 jetliners owned by national flag carrier Thai Airways International (THAI).

Captain Jothin Pamon-montri, a former executive vice president of THAI, and other members of the anti-graft network, urged Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to intervene, alleging lack of transparency in the purchase of these expensive jetliners back in 2002-03.

The UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) yesterday agreed to provide the NACC with information regarding their inquiry into the Rolls-Royce bribery scandal, during a teleconference between officials from the two anti-graft agencies yesterday evening that lasted about 40 minutes. NACC secretary-general Sansern Poljieak said the SFO asked its Thai counterpart to be specific about the information it wanted.

“The NACC will send our written request to the SFO soon,” he added.

According to Jothin, a 35-year veteran of THAI, all 10 Airbus jets were purchased at Bt5 billion to Bt6 billion each even though the National Economic and Social Development Board back then had urged the airline’s board of directors to review its purchase programme.

However, the then Cabinet eventually approved the purchase of these jets and THAI put them into service but faced huge operating losses of up to Bt5 billion per year on the routes using these jets.

As a result, the aircraft were removed from the airline’s fleet and parked idle for many years, waiting to be resold.

According to Jothin, the government should launch an investigation into the original purchase of these Airbus jets and the subsequent handling of the jets |after they were excluded from the airline’s fleet.

Jothin said there were buyers interested in these jets who were willing to pay around Bt760 million per jet, but the THAI board of directors did not approve the resale as they had been purchased at a unit price of as much as Bt5-6 billion.

Aircraft ‘idle’

At present, these aircraft remain idle at parking facilities at Don Mueang and U-tapao airports, Jothin said.

The People Network’s petition came hot on the heels of the Rolls-Royce bribery case in which the UK aircraft engine-maker told British authorities it had paid a combined US$38 million (Bt1.3 billion) in bribes to Thai officials to win lucrative engine orders for the THAI fleet of Boeing and Airbus jetliners between 1988 and 2006.

The allegations have prompted the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to seek more evidence from its UK and US counterparts in a bid to pursue legal actions against those who received the bribes.

Based on a document from the UK’s Serious Fraud Office, Rolls-Royce admitted in a settlement with UK authorities that it had made illegal payments to officials in Thailand, Indonesia, India and other countries in return for lucrative aircraft engine orders.

In the case of Thailand, alleged illegal payments were as much as 8 per cent for some of the engine orders based on the contract value and these funds were paid via agents in Thailand and the region for Boeing 777 and Airbus A340 aircraft.

According to the UK document, the THAI board of directors ordered five spare engines for its A340/T500 fleet and two spare engines for the Boeing 777/T800 fleet in the early 2000s.

Ibrohim Benna, a justice expert official at the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre (SBPAC), said officials would be sent to aid the Thai citizens.

He said the Thai citizens from the deep South were being held at the Machap Umboo detention facility and accused of violating Malaysian immigration law by entering the country as tourists and then opening shops in Melaka. They face up to six months in prison and/or a 1,000-ringgit (Bt7,950) fine.

Suhaiming Maming, 28, from Narathiwat’s Yi Ngo district, filed a complaint with the SBPAC on January 18 claiming that four of his relatives had been arrested on January 14, along with others. The SBPAC investigated the incident and has begun working with authorities to assist the detainees.

In a separate case, Malaysian police arrested 21 elderly Thai women, also from the deep South, last September for working in Johor State without proper documentation. As of January 19, 12 women had been sent home, while the remaining nine were still in custody.