Chakkrish was speaking in response to the latest resolutions by the National Reform Steering Assembly committee, which has been pushing media reform via a new draft law on regulating the sector and will finalise its proposals today, before forwarding them to the NRSA for endorsement.

The committee is maintaining its position of having a media licensing system in place, which will see penalties imposed, and a new media professional council with two state officials sitting on the panel.

Chakkrish said it was also regrettable that the committee was paying no heed to media professionals who had raised concerns over the move, arguing that no other country in the world would do such a thing.

The new penalties proposed by the NRSA panel are “unprecedentedly peculiar”, he added, referring to the proposal for a two-year jail term or a fine of up to Bt60,000 for those failing to register with the media professional council.

Chakkrish said that even during an authoritarian era, no such penalties had been imposed against the media.

“Reporting is not a crime,” he insisted, adding, “It’s performing a duty as a watchdog. In fact, there are a number of criminal laws that already keep media performance in check, without the necessity to have such a direct criminal offence waiting for them like this.”

He said elections and limited tenures would improve the headmen’s sense of responsibility to their people.

Abhisit said that the government must decide how to deal with opposition from headmen who would be directly affected by the bill.

He said the government should listen to those opposed to the bill and make its decision based on what is best for the public, regardless of stakeholders’ personal interests.

The headmen could put their point of view but should not make it into a big conflict, he said, and instead embrace reform.

Abhisit also encouraged more distribution of power by having elected governors to boost public participation at the local level.

The media reform panel was scheduled to convene a meeting on Tuesday to go through the bill’s various resolutions after the NRSA whip had requested a revision of the bill following opposition by major media groups, including the Thai Journalists Association.

The chairman of media reform committee, ACM Khanit Suwannet, insisted it was necessary to establish a media professionals council.

He said as the new constitution ensured freedom of the press, the new media professionals council would not curb media freedoms but would oversee ethical issues.

Media professionals nationwide opposed the bill, especially the establishment of the council, which would issue media licences.

On Monday, the panel revealed it had finalised the conditions governing the licensing of media personnel and failure to register would result in penalties of up to two years in jail or a fine of up to Bt60,000.

The finalised draft law, delayed from last month’s deadline, is expected to be presented to the NRSA’s whip first, before proceeding to an NRSA meeting for endorsement.

It would then be forwarded to the Cabinet, which would submit it to the National Legislative Assembly for deliberation before it came into effect.

He said the purchase of the three Yuan-class S26T submarines for US$1 billion was still in the process of examination of the procurement

The Admiral also acknowledged mistakes he made in an earlier interview when he gave a wrong name of four submarines Thailand bought from Japan. “I’m not an expert in history. I admitted the mistakes,” he told reporters.

He earlier said Sudsakhon was one of the submarines that were discharged from service more than 60 years ago. The four were actually Matchanu, Wirun, Sinsamut and Phlai-chumphon, all named after literary characters known for their mythical diving abilities.

Thailand bought the four submarines in 1937, becoming the second country in Asia to have submarines. They were discharged from service in 1951.

Phuket International Airport Director Monrudee Gettuphan has confirmed that an in-line screening system was recently added to the airport, which will help ease passenger congestion, make processing times faster and highlighting and alleviating any ‘suspicious circumstances’ that might affect the island.

Newly appointed Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong emphasised Songkran safety as his top priority on his first day in office Tuesday. Phuket Vice Governor Sanit Sriwihok has similarly revealed the safety measures that will be implemented during Songkran.

“Every year, the (central) government provides us with additional support to prepare for Songkran. Safety measures include stricter police patrols at checkpoints to force people to drive safely, as well as strict measures to prevent drunk driving. Most importantly, I ask people to be patient, have discipline and cooperate with officials,” Vice Gov Sanit told the Phuket Gazette.

He also spoke about the island’s semi-annual ‘Seven Days of Danger’ campaign, to be held from tomorrow until midnight next Monday.

“Our aim is always to meet the ‘zero deaths’ target during Songkran, but sometimes, even despite our best efforts, we cannot change people’s reckless behavior. If everyone follows the rules of the road, it will certainly help reduce the number of accidents and deaths,” added V/Gov Sanit.

Police and military agencies, as well as public and private sector groups have also joined forces to campaign for safer roads, including setting up more traffic checkpoints and tighter law enforcement, especially against drunk and speeding drivers.

After a deadly New Year festival, which saw a national death toll of 478 and some 3,919 accidents, the government aims to slash the number of deaths and accidents for the upcoming holiday.

Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department Deputy Director-General Kobchai Boonyaorana said the reason for ramping up traffic law enforcement was that statistics showed that the main cause of road accidents in Thailand was lack of traffic discipline.

“We have learned from previous traffic accident monitoring periods that we have a problem in our traffic law and law enforcement. So, this Songkran we had to come up with many tighter measures, such as requiring all passengers in the car to wear their seatbelts all the time and forbidding passengers to sit in the back of [pickup] trucks,” Gen Kobchai said.

Tourism Authority of Thailand Phuket Director Anoma Wongyai said that at least Bt5 billion will be added to Phuket’s economy during the Songkran festivities.

“About 76 per cent of the hotel bookings are from Chinese and other Asian visitors, as well as European tourists, as Songkran also coincides with the Easter holidays,” said Anoma.

She added that several cultural shows will also be held throughout Phuket for visitors to enjoy, including food and art festivals, games and parades.

“Visitor numbers are expected to be up this year, especially at the beach areas,” Wal Brown, founder and coordinator of the Region 8 Police Volunteers, told the Gazette.

“Subsequently, there will be more officers on duty than in previous years and they will be focused on the safety of everyone – both locals and foreigners. Every year, we see far too many accidents, especially on the roads.”

Brown also requested party goers not to throw water at law enforcement officers and volunteers in uniform.

“From previous years, we know that it’s really problematic to patrol when drenched,” he said.

Brown also said that police would be focusing on dangerous actions with the use of water as well as unsafe driving and alcohol abuse.

“Everyone over the blood alcohol limit will be arrested, charged and put through the courts – no exceptions. This can lead to deportation and a ban on re-entering Thailand,” Brown said.

When asked about a potential shortage of water during Songkran, Sayan Wareearoonroj, manager of Phuket Provincial Water Supply, said that he was not expecting water shortage to pose a serious problem in Phuket.

“The only problem area is Patong, but there is sufficient water in the Bang Wad Dam and we are also receiving support from private entities such as the Loch Palm Golf Club and Manik Mining,” he said.

Despite precautions and reinforcements, officials and volunteers are urging people to celebrate responsibly.

“For anyone planning to enjoy the event, celebrate on your feet. Don’t play on bikes, as it’s very easy to get into serious problems and accidents,” said Vincent Modell, a volunteer rescue worker at the Kusoldharm Foundation.

“Don’t drink and drive, be sensible about what you are doing and play safe. In case of accidents or emergencies, however, we are always there to help.”