Heads of government offices, meanwhile, were called for a government briefing on changes that would occur at their offices following the charter promulgation.

Noted political academic Prinya Thaewanarumitkul said political processes would become clearer after the charter promulgation, including the enactment of the 10 necessary organic laws for a general election as well as the election date.

Prinya, an assistant professor at Thammasat University’s Faculty of Law, said the Constitution Drafting Commission would have eight months to complete the laws, four of which are necessary to hold the election. Taking into account the time the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) will spend deliberating on these laws, plus five months after the promulgation, the election could be held around September or October next year.

Prinya said at this point three political scenarios have emerged: A natural parliamentary process; some major parties joining NCPO representatives to form a government; and two major parties joining hands against NCPO cronies.

The professor suggested that the NCPO should allow parliamentary work after the charter promulgation to proceed naturally so that the country could have a chance to return to democracy with the least conflict.

Political observers believe the NCPO may want to prolong its hold on power by having representatives in the Lower House, in addition to its 250 appointed senators. Prinya said based on past records, no major party would win a majority. But the NCPO could win enough seats in Parliament to influence key decisions such as the selection and election of a prime minister, which needs two-thirds votes in Parliament. If the NCPO wished to control the Lower House, it may need to have either Pheu Thai or the Democrats to be on its side to back its appointed 250 senators.

The other possibility is of these two major parties joining hands working together against the NCPO”s representatives.

History shows that such hybrid formulas don’t work, as politicians would rather work against each other rather than cooperate, and the consequence is severe conflict, which spreads, he said.

Prinya suggested that the junta contemplate on the issue as the scenarios are already in sight.

“I understand that the NCPO may not have made any decision at this point but these are all paths that we can see now, which would affect future politics [selection of an outsider prime minister]. So, I think they should not get involved with the formation of a government and instead let the country’s free voters decide the future. This is the only way for the country to return to democracy with the least conflict,” said Prinya.

He said people should have a supreme rule – to live together. They should fix their own problems so that coups would have no chance in Thai society again.

Kitti Prasertsuk, director of the university’s East Asia Studies Institute, said the new charter may have helped send a positive signal to foreign countries but still they would rather wait and see when the election actually takes place before making their responses known.

The assistant professor said the charter in general may be seen as not serving people’s rights as expected but he said individual parts need scrutiny. As far as commitment to foreign countries is concerned, he said this charter was more flexible and allowed the government to make commitments overseas, compared to the previous controversial Article190, which required strict scrutiny by Parliament.

Yingcheep Atchanont from ilaw said the new charter may restore some rights to the people but they would still be under the grip of hundreds of NCPO orders that would remain in place until there are regulations to abolish these orders. In addition, other mechanisms, including the NCPO, would continue until the country has a new government.

Some new proposals and mechanisms addressed in the charter, including the national strategy, reform, and others, were unclear as to the extent of public participation, he said.

Meanwhile, permanent secretaries and heads of all the government offices were called for a briefing on the changes that would occur in the bureaucratic administration.

Some critical laws that would lead to penalties being levied on them if they failed to incorporate into their work, including the public hearing law, and the anti corruption law, were notified to them so that they could prepare themselves for some drastic changes at their offices.

Two of the houses were severely damaged from the impact but nobody was injured or killed in the incident, which happened shortly after 8am in Phra Padaeng district.

The 50-year-old Vietnamese captain of the 78-metre-long ship, the Star 62, told investigators that the engine had stopped working after a power outage, which caused him to lose control of the rudder while at a bend in the Chao Phraya River. The ship’s anchor was released, preventing it from moving further up the river bank.

The ship had left the Bangkok Port after unloading cargo from Singapore and was heading back to that country when the accident occurred.

Local resident Komol Kongkathip, 65, said if the anchor had not been dropped, the ship could have crashed into a home for the disabled people located slightly further inland.

A MILITARY court has approved arrest warrants for nine soldiers for their alleged role in the fatal attack on a conscript at a military prison in the South.

Private Yuthkinan Boonniam was brutally beaten up while in detention in Vibhavadi Rangsit Military Camp in Surat Thani province. He died on April 1, leaving behind his grieving mother. Suspected attackers yesterday laid prostrate before her, offering sincere apology and begging for her forgiveness. The sobbing mother has agreed to forgive them and now scheduled to cremate her son’s body on April 10.

“Ongoing investigation |suggests four to five detainees at the same military prison attacked Yutthakinun because they had a quarrel during their detention,” Maj-General Wichai Tassanamonthien, who heads the 45th Military Circle, told reporters yesterday.

The prison where the attack took place is a part of the 45th military circle.

Wichai said the military would not interfere in the investigation being conducted by police.

He has allowed police investigators to enter the military prison to interrogate the suspects in the case.

The court of the 45th Military Circle yesterday approved arrest warrants for nine of the 10 suspects identified by police.

They include both sergeants and privates.

The court decided against issuing a warrant for Sergeant Surachet Prommart as it said he had a permanent address, continued to serve in military services, and had not tampered with evidence in the case.

Army chief General Chalermchai Sittisart has already handed over Bt100,000 cash to Yuthkinan’s mother as remedial action.

‘Culture of impunity’

Human Rights Watch (HRW) yesterday called for an independent investigation into Yuthkinan’s death and for a broader campaign to end the longstanding use of corporal punishment in the Armed Forces.

“The government and the military should urgently act to end these brutal assaults and the culture of impunity that has meant no punishment for abusive soldiers and the officers ultimately responsible,” HRW said.

HRW said the Thai government is not known to have prosecuted successfully any members of the security forces for torture or other serious abuses against civilians.

In many cases, Thai authorities have provided financial compensation to the victims or their families in exchange for their agreement not to pursue criminal prosecution against abusive officials, HRW said.

There have also been many reported instances of military officers retaliating against their accusers by filing criminal defamation lawsuits and alleging that those complainants had violated the Computer-Related Crime Act by disseminating false statements online, HRW added.

The River Assembly (RA) and partner organisations said at a press conference yesterday that there were many doubts over the project and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has not been able to clarify. To proceed regardless would be very risky for the project, which is now in the bidding process for a builder.

Paranee Sawasdirak, a city-planning expert, said that as a tax-paying Thai citizen she was very upset that the BMA did not disclose details of the project to the public. She said people did not know about the construction plans for such a gigantic project, which will change the river forever.

“The government and BMA spent Bt120 million from our taxes on the study of this project, but there was still no detailed master plan on the project from the study disclosed to the public. This leads to ambiguity on many aspects of the impact of the project,” Paranee said.

“We are not resisting development of the Chao Phraya Riverside, but we need proper participation on the project to all stakeholders and we should really discuss the master plan of the riverside development before we can go into the details of the project.”

Tortrakul Yomnak, former director of the Engineering Institute of Thailand, said that from an engineering perspective, a colossal project such as this would definitely have a great impact on the river and everything that depends on it.

“The 14-kilometre-long promenade above the river will require thousands of foundation piles to sustain the structure. The piles will obviously change the flow of the river and cause unavoidable negative consequences,” Tortrakul said.

He warned that the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok is already narrow and if the project goes on, the river will become even narrower. This will impact everything from the environment of the river to river transportation and tourism.

Green World Foundation chairwoman Saranarat Kanjanavanit cautioned that the river was currently in a poor state and the promenade project would kill the river.

“We are going to reverse the global trend to restore the river ecology and bring back the healthy river, but this project will completely destroy the riverbank ecosystem and further degrade the river to an irreversible level,” Saranarat said.

“The Chao Phraya River is home to very rare Siamese giant carp, which is the symbolic animal of Bangkok, but we are going to drive it into extinction by destroying the riverbank ecosystem that it depends on.”

BMA permanent secretary Patarut Tardaranon said the bidding process to find a builder for the project was ongoing and construction could start within the next few months.

Patarut said that he could not reveal details of the bidding process at this stage, but added that once the BMA finds a suitable builder and signs the contract, construction could start immediately.

Points of concern in Chao Phraya plan

• The project did not disclose all details to the public.
• The project owner did not improve the project based on suggestions from experts.
• There was no study on the choices of riverside development.
• There was no master plan on the development of the entire 57 kilometres of Bangkok’s riverfront.
• The study of the project was not inclusive.
• The study period was too short and quickly jumped to the conclusion to build the promenade over the river.
• Agencies such as the Marine Department, Fine Art Department, Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning Office did not approve the project.
• Public participation was not properly done.
• The project was in conflict with the Cabinet Resolution of August 1, 2000, and the city planning law.
• The team of academics that studied the project did not have the licence to do the job.
• The project is likely to face fierce resistance and may cause financial damage to authorities if it is forced to stop before completion.
• The budget spending for the project was unclear.

Source: The River Assembly

Thursday, April 6, 2017

Bangkok : The power outage areas are;

08.30 – 13.00

– Soi Wat Bang Saikai behind Bansomdejchaopraya Rajabhat University and Tessaban Sai 2 Road.

Friday, April 7, 2017

Bangkok : The power outage areas are;

08.30 – 15.30

– Soi Ramkhamhaeng 150, Parkway Home Village, C1 – C9.

Saturday, April 8, 2017

Bangkok : The power outage areas are;

08.30 –  15.00

– Suwinthawong Road, Floraville Village, Soi Peony 1-16 and Soi Tulip 1-10.

08.30 – 15.30

– Pattanakarn Road, Soi Pattanakarn 15-17.

– Soi Mitmaitri 1, 1/1, 2, 2/1 (Eua Arthon Mitmaitri Village), Soi Mitmaitri 4, Nongjok Pittaya Nusorn School and Peampirom Village.

– Kubon School, Soi Saimai 7 and Soi Saimai 9.

08.30 – 16.30

– Pattanakarn Road, Soi Pattanakarn 29 (at the beginning of Soi Ten Rod), 31, 31/1, 33, 35 (Some area along Klong Lao) and along Pattanakarn Road between Soi Pattanakarn 31-35 (Rittirong Building, Makino Building, Yamato Building).

Nonthaburi : The power outage areas are;

08.30 – 15.30

– Bangkruay-Sainoi Road, Chaopraya Village, Soi Banglen 23/3.

– Start from Soi Kaew In, Pruksa 26, 28 Village, Special Zone, Kamnan Somjit-Saphan Klong Prapa Road, Soi Anamai Nong Kang Khen, Bangmaenang SAO to the road along Klong, Chanthong Iam Road.

Sunday, April 9, 2017

Bangkok : The power outage areas are;

08.30 – 15.30

– Ramkhamhaeng Road, the beginning of Soi Ramkhamhaeng 112, the beginning of Soi Ramkhamhaeng 112/1, Soi Greenery Ville, the beginning of Soi Ramkhamhaeng 114, Soi Ramkhamhaeng 116 (Throughout the Soi), the beginning of Soi Ramkhamhaeng 118 (Except in Soi).

08.30 – 16.30

– Pattanakarn Road, Soi Pattanakarn 19 (Some area along Klong Banpa), 21, 23, 25 (Some area along Tunnel), 27, 29 (Kedsara Village, Klongton Police Station) and along Pattanakarn Road nearby Soi Pattanakarn 19-29 (FANUC Building).

09.00 – 14.00

– Soi Nong Rahaeng 4.

09.00 – 15.30

– Soi Saimai 1, Soi Saimai 3 and the beginning of Soi Saimai 5.

Nonthaburi : The power outage areas are;

08.30 – 15.30

– Bangkruay-Sainoi Road, Soi Bayun, Sirichat Project (Siribuncha Pharmaceutical Factory).

Samutprakarn : The power outage areas are;

08.30 – 15.30

– Along Luang Phaeng Road (South side), Start from Preng Intersection to Klong Rangboon.

– Ladwai Road, Bangplee Industrial Estate.

In case of any enquiries, the people can contact MEA district offices on the phone number listed on the back of their invoice or call the MEA at 1130 for 24 hours service. The people can also check out the latest power outage notification at www.mea.or.th.

The latest proof of that resilient good humour comes after the government issued orders under the allpowerful Article 44 to strictly enforce existing rules for motorists requiring them to wear seatbelts, limiting the number of passengers in pickup cabs and banning passengers from riding in the back cargo beds.

Ahead of the Songkran Festival next week, when thousands of people will hit the road to visit their hometowns, the measures are meant to curb the road death toll during the notoriously bloody holiday.

As such, the requirements for people to buckle up are welcome, but many people have cried foul about the rules regarding passengers in pickup cabs and cargo beds, which effectively bans a very common mode of transport in the Kingdom.

On the serious side, the order effectively leaves many people, particularly lowincome earners, with no transport options during the long holiday, but the sense of humour displayed on social media mocking the authorities’ decision is drawing the most attention.

Police have insisted the regulations have existed for a long time, but were not fully implemented. In truth, they were rarely even partially enforced, although they can result in serious consequences as passengers sitting in the rear cargo beds are especially vulnerable to serious injury or death in an accident.

However, people have criticised the order, which went into effect yesterday, as being too rushed and failing to allow enough time for people to adjust their travel plans, particularly for Songkran, which begins on April 13.

The criticism has been heard most loudly on social networks, Facebook in particular. While there is clearly genuine anger and unhappiness at the inconvenience cause by the order, most striking has been the creative humour illustrating the problems with the new rules.

One Facebook user, “Nong Ton Korhuai”, addressed the twoperson limit for passengers in a pickup cab, posting photos and a video of him putting his young daughter in a cardboard box – effectively turning her into “cargo” instead of another passenger inside his pickup cab to avoid breaking the rules.

“Lower your head, my little girl, I have to do this. I have no money to buy a new car. I know I look happy but deep down in my heart, I’m very sad. I could not let my daughter stay alone during the festival,” he wrote.

The video drew about 2 million views in just three hours.

Facebook users also made fun of the ban on passengers riding in the cargo bed of trucks, given the Songkran tradition of watersplashing from barrels of water carried in truck cargo beds. A medical laboratory scientist well known on Facebook as “Dr Lab Panda” because of the dark circles around his eyes, photoshopped an image showing him sitting on the bonnet of a pickup with a big bucket and a bowl, ready to participate in the festival from his precarious perch.

Another user posted a photo of a couple lying in a pickup’s cargo bed with a sign reading: “No sitting in the cargo bed.”

Last is a photo of a police pickup and a statement pointing out that police usually transport detainees in truck cargo beds. Setting aside questions of enforcement, even the authorities will be in a quandary if they want to follow the new rules.