As the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights concluded its visit to Thailand to inspect human rights protection at business operations, it was revealed that the business operations of Thai sugar giant Mitr Phol and a Thai joint venture Energy Earth PCL have allegedly caused adverse impacts on the environment and the livelihood of locals in Cambodia and Myanmar.

The Extraterritorial Obligation Watch Coalition (ETO Watch) reported that more than 600 families in five villages of Oddar Meanchey province in northern Cambodia were displaced from their land and their houses burnt down, allegedly to facilitate the land concession to Mitr Phol’s subsidiary Angkor Sugar Co Ltd since 2008.

ETO Watch said the people affected by the land grab did not get any compensation or remedial measures from the company, even after the company withdrew from the concession in 2015. This has plunged the locals in poverty, and as they are homeless, and landless.

Meanwhile, the Community Resources Centre Foundation decided to take up the issue of the Cambodian villagers who have suffered due to their alleged rights violation by a Thai company. The Foundation’s coordinator, Sor Rattanamanee Polkla, stated that in order to get proper remedy, ensure human rights protection from transboundary investments, and serve as an example to other companies, the local people decided to sue Mitr Phol for compensation in a Thai Civil Court.

Sor Rattanamanee said this was the first-ever case of people affected by Thai overseas investment seeking justice for the impacts from the irresponsible investment. She hoped that Thai investors would learn a lesson from this lawsuit and follow the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

The lawyer fighting this case, Somchai Ameen, informed that the Thai Civil Court had already accept this case to consider whether to sue as a class-action lawsuit for all people in the five affected communities and the court has scheduled the next court hearing on June 11.

ETO Watch released a statement demanding that the sugar giant consult the impacted communities immediately and set up a mechanism to discuss remedies and compensation for the directly affected communities

Meanwhile, Mitr Phol defended its operations saying the company had received the land concession legally from the Cambodian government and with assurances from the authorities that all temporary concession areas had been processed transparently.

In another case of alleged human rights violation by a Thai overseas investor, indigenous communities in the Ban Chaung area of Myanmar’s Tanintharyi region released a statement asking the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights to give more attention to the situation of locals impacted by the human rights and environmental violations at Ban Chaung coal mine. It was highlighted in the statement that after the coal mine began full-scale operations in early 2012, the mining operations and the ensuing waste disposal have polluted the air and water and harmed up to 16,000 people living in 22 villages in the Ban Chaung area.

“The effects on the environment and the people’s health have been severe. Many villagers are experiencing breathing difficulties breathing, skin, eye and nose irritation, body ache, and nausea. Some villagers have even developed tumours. There has also been an increase in the reported rate of miscarriages,” the statement wrote.

Dante Pesce, vice chairperson of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights, acknowledged the problems and urged the Thai government to set up more proactive mechanisms to monitor and prevent human rights violations by Thai investors in other countries and allow the affected people to easily access remediation.

“We are going to back up what the Office of Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) still lacks,” General Boonchu Kerdchoke, who heads the Isoc Inspector-General Division, said yesterday.

He was speaking as he signed the memorandum of understanding on the collaboration with PACC acting secretary-general Lt Colonel Korntip Daroj.

Korntip said Isoc and PACC already had some forms of collaboration. “But with this MOU, our co-operation will run smoother,” Korntip said. “We also feel safer with the military backing our operations.”

Korntip said the public should not worry that the collaboration would let military officials off the hook. “We will definitely investigate corruption complaints even if they are related to the military,” he said.

He said that more than 500 out of 14,000 corruption complaints that the PACC received had involved military staff.

Regarding two big corruption cases about the Educational Fund for Life Development and the state fund for the destitute, Korntip said the PACC planned to conclude the probe within six months.

Meanwhile, a well-known private school in Kanchanaburi province has allegedly faked birth certificates to claim state subsidies from the government.

Due to the free-education policy, the government provides subsidies to both state and private schools to ensure that parents do not have to pay tuition fees. Students of private schools may be charged more for other fees related to educational services.

In Kanchanaburi, 24 private schools have asked for state subsidies via the Office of Private Education Commission. These schools altogether have 16,650 students. Each month, the state subsidies for them are about Bt14 million. For a kindergarten pupil, state subsidies are Bt10,010.50 per head per year. For a primary student, state subsidies are Bt10,180.50 per year.

The province’s education office has investigated all these 24 schools after finding Amnuayvit Kanchanaburi School, which is famous locally, allegedly used forged birth certificates to illegitimately claim about Bt20,000 from the government.

The Kanchanaburi Education Office has lodged a complaint with police against the school’s licence holder, director and manager.

“I have received the results of a preliminary probe. Now, the probe will go back in years to determine if the school has been involved in irregularities in the past,” he said.

Kanchanaburi Governor Jirakiat Bhumisawasdi said yesterday that relevant authorities had also planned to file a civil lawsuit to get compensation.

Teerasak Rupsuwan, co-ordinator of the Network to Reclaim Doi Suthep Forest, said yesterday that his group was invited to attend negotiationsat the 33rd Military Circle.

“The talks will start at 9.30am on April 9,” he said, citing information from Major Sopon Phakkasem.

Teerasak said, however, that he was still waiting for the military to issue a written invitation as he was concerned that the talks would collapse again.

A similar session was cancelled earlier this week because the representatives of the Court of Appeals Region 5 refused to attend.

Prayut intervened after the Network to Reclaim Doi Suthep Forest unveiled a plan to stage a big rally in Chiang Mai on Sunday and to petition the King later, after the meeting was called off.

Members of the network are unhappy that the ongoing construction of court officials’ residences has eaten into Doi Suthep forestland. The construction site is very close to the Doi Suthep-Pui National Park.

Built under a Bt1 billion budget, the construction project involves nine homes for court presidents, 36 homes for chief justices, and 13 apartment buildings for court officials.

Teerasak believed the presidents of courts should announce a decision to relinquish their right to stay in the residences to pave the way for their demolition.

The construction is now almost complete.

Assoc Professor Somchai Preechasinlapakun, who teaches at the Chiang Mai University’s Faculty of Laws, urged relevant authorities to release any information related to the controversial project to the public.

“For example, make clear about the slope of the construction site and say if environmental impacts have been assessed,” Somchai said.

His faculty also released a statement yesterday recommending that the construction work be suspended until information becomes clearer.

Campaigns against the residences at the foot of Doi Suthep have gained momentum. Many people have started tying and wearing green ribbons to back the campaigns. Among them is jazz musician Pharadon Phonamnuai, who has handed out free green ribbons.

Some opponents of the construction began a march from Chiang Mai to Bangkok yesterday. The march was allowed to go ahead only after participants said it was for overall forest protection, not specifically about the construction of court officials’ residences in Chiang Mai.

National police deputy commissioner Pol General Chalermkiat Srivorakan yesterday invited the public to register their homes with the RTP’s vacation home-watch scheme during the Songkran holiday period. He was inspecting the scheme’s area in Bangkok’s Min Buri district, including the home of actress Khemanit “Pancake” Jamikorn.

He said that considering the scheme last Songkran saw 5,871 homes registered for more-frequent police patrolling while the owners went on vacation, he was hopeful of even more homes being registered this year.

Chalermkiat said police would scan the QR code on the “red box” to record their patrol rounds, besides the usual practice of contacting homeowners for updates via the Line chat and the smartphone application “Police I Lert U”.

Each district has 5-6 zones, with 10-12 QR coded red boxes. He urged homeowners to help prevent crime by installing security cameras in their houses if possible.

Meanwhile, national police chief Pol General Chakthip Chaijinda checked on the progress in upgrading the Phanfa centre to a national-level centre in keeping with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s policy to facilitate distress calls as well as the timely dispatch of assistance.

Chakthip said he was briefed about the Phanfa centre’s current operations and issues. The obstacles included the over-100,000 prank calls made to the centre every year; the out-of-date C31 system that was has been used since 2000 (officers now use their personal smartphones to help pinpoint emergency locations); and lack of familiarity with surroundings by the centre’s police officers, which resulted in delays.

The recruitment of retired police officers with familiarity and working experience in the respective areas was proposed as a solution, he added.

Chakthip said the centre’s upgrade – which would materialise in 2-3 years and let all distress calls to go through the single hotline number of 191 – would apply modern technology, including multiple complaint-gathering channels, a more-precise positioning system, video calls with multiple related officials, and an operation control system.

Tourist Police deputy chief Maj-General Surachet Hakpan concurred with the idea, as it would make the country’s current 50 emergency hotline numbers – which caused confusion and inconvenience to the public – into one number: 191.

Meanwhile, Pol Maj-General Jirapat Phumjit, the city’s deputy police chief in charge of traffic, has instructed officers at 88 precincts to strictly enforce traffic laws, especially against those who violated the top five traffic offences: speeding, drunk driving, failing to wear a safety helmet, failing to present a driver’s licence, and failing to wear a seat belt.

He said the Songkran seven-day period of accident monitoring from April 11-18 would see police checkpoints screen for drunk drivers and other law-violating motorists all over Bangkok, while police would join transport authorities to conduct sobriety tests of bus and public transport drivers from April 3-11.

Captain Kongkangwan Inwakul, from the Lop Buri-based Artillery Centre, said Peeranat, who was found dead in his 12th floor apartment, was the younger of his two sons. He recalled him as a friendly, well-loved and academically diligent boy who aspired to become a doctor.

The family had rented this apartment for him to stay last year while he studied at the prestigious Triam Udom Suksa School. “During the school break, he was staying at the apartment for his tutoring classes and planned to visit his home in Lop Buri on April 9 for the Songkran holidays,” Kongkangwan said.

The teenager’s funeral will be held at Wat Dongsawong in Muang Lop Buri and his cremation rites will be held on Saturday.

The fire at the 15-storey apartment building on Phetchaburi Soi 18, off Phetchaburi Road, in Ratchathewi district at about 2am on Tuesday claimed three lives and injured three others.

The relatives of the two other deceased – Methip Rodpim, 46, and Manop Suksawat, 41 – have not yet contacted the authority to collect the bodies, said Phya Thai precinct superintendent Pol Colonel Nithiwat Saensing.

He said forensic investigation at the fire scene was ongoing to determine the cause of blaze and who should be held accountable.

Due to the free-education policy, the government provides subsidies to both state and private schools to ensure that parents do not have to pay tuition fees. Students of private schools may be charged more for other fees related to educational services.

In Kanchaburi, 24 private schools have asked for state subsidies via the Office of Private Education Commission. These schools altogether have 16,650 students. Each month, the state subsidies for them are about Bt14million. For a kindergarten pupil, state subsidies are Bt10,010.50 per head per year. For a primary student, state subsidies are Bt10,180.50 per year.

The province’s education office has investigated all these 24 schools after finding Amnuayvit Kanchanaburi School, which is famous locally, allegedly used forged birth certificates to illegitimately claim about Bt20,000 from the government.

The Kanchanaburi Education Office has lodged a complaint with police against the school’s licence holder, director and manager.

“I have received the results of a preliminary probe. Now, the probe will go back in years to determine if the school has been involved in irregularities in the past,” he said.

Kanchanaburi Governor Jirakiat Bhumisawasdi said yesterday that relevant authorities had also planned to file a civil lawsuit to get compensation.

Motorcycle drivers and pillion passengers account for the biggest number of road-accident victims, particularly during long holidays when millions of people hit the roads.

Bangkok was selected by Bloomberg Philanthropies to join its Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) for five years starting in 2015 and has implemented a safety initiative under this programme.

Ahead of Songkran, BMA has sought collaboration with various organisations under the theme “Driving carefully, be aware of traffic law”.

Deputy Bangkok Governor Pol General Chinatat Meesukh said: “According to road crashes statistics from the Songkran festival last year, the main causes of road deaths were from driver behaviours that do not follow traffic rules – namely excessive speed driving, not wearing a helmet, and drunk driving. Motorcycles are the vehicles that have the highest report of road crashes and deaths.”

According to the “Thailand Motorcycle Helmet Use Report 2016” by the ThaiRoads Foundation, the national helmet-wearing rate is 43 per cent. In Bangkok, it is 75 per cent.

Meanwhile, according to Royal Thai Police statistics, in 2016 there were 10,924 road traffic accidents caused by motorcycles in Bangkok – equal to 25 per cent of all motorcycle users in the capital.

The majority of road traffic fatalities are people aged 15-29. Traffic accidents are more likely to happen to of young drivers without driving licences.

The BMA’s traffic and transportation department said it plans to promote helmet-wearing to youngsters in vocational schools, who are likely to be motorcycle fans and use them as their main vehicle. A pilot project in the “100 per cent helmet” campaign will be implemented in six selected vocational schools in Bangkok.

The app features more than 100 street food stalls from eight Isaan provinces: Khon Kaen, Ubon Ratchathani, Nong Khai, Udon Thani, Nakhon Ratchasima, Buri Ram, Loei and Surin.

It is the latest of four street food apps completed by the ministry. The earlier apps covered Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, and Phuket.

A ministry’s press release said Thailand has been commended as the world’s top destination for street food, which is part of the Thai way of life. The ministry said it recognised the potential of Thailand’s street food in promoting tourism and local economies, as well as growing appreciation by foreign visitors.

The latest application is available in both Android and iOs versions, and in three languages: Thai, English and Chinese.

After downloading the app, users can search for food, street food stalls and restaurants by name, type of food desired, or location. It also allows users to link to Google Maps for directions to their desired eatery.

Users can create their own accounts, which allows them to rate and review restaurants as well as add their favourites. It also has information on tourist attractions in the eight provinces.

All four applications are now available in one app called “Street Food Thailand”.

The applications support the Thai government’s cultural diplomacy activities and the Thailand 4.0 policy by using digital technology to increase the popularity of street food

National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) secretary Worawit Sukboon said on Wednesday his agency, the Education Ministry’s Office of Basic Education Commission and the Interior Ministry would conduct random checks.

He made the comment while reporting on the progress of an NACC probe into alleged bribery involving Viroj Samruan, former director of Bangkok’s Samsen Wittayalai School.

Worawit said commissioner Wittaya Arkhompitak would head a sub-committee investigating Viroj and four other people accused of demanding and receiving Bt400,000 in “tea money” from the parent of a Mathayom 1 pupil seeking admission.

The probe had uncovered evidence of wrongdoing, Worawit said.

The alleged bribery – believed to be one of several cases of parents “making donations” to school officials, for which no receipts were issued – was caught on video and posted online by a school alumnus and parent.

The clip drew widespread criticism for the practice.

It was reported that, when news of the case leaked, receipts were issued retroactively in an attempt to cover up the scandal.

An Education Ministry disciplinary probe has already deemed Viroj guilty. He will be dismissed from the civil service, possibly without a pension or other benefits.

The first United Kingdom trade minister to visit Thailand in 15 years, he is seeking to expand trade ties and is expected to raise the subject of Thailand holding democratic elections.

While in Bangkok he will meet leading businesses and Thai government ministers, including Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak, his counterpart Sonthirat Sonthijirawong, the Thai Minister of Commerce, and Pichet Durongkaveroj, Minister of Digital Economy and Society.

“The UK’s trade with Thailand is growing steadily, but there is still huge untapped demand for British goods and services across the Thai economy, which is growing strongly and has a large middle class,” Fox said in press statement.

“The IMF (International Monetary Fund) predicts 90 per cent of global growth in the coming years will come from outside the EU, and this government is putting the UK in a position to benefit, particularly by boosting export finance and showcasing British companies to the Asian market,” he said.

Thailand is the second largest economy in Southeast Asia and bilateral trade with the UK increased by 2.8 per cent to £5.6 billion (Bt246 billion) in 2015-2016. Currently, the majority of UK exports are in machinery, vehicles and mechanical appliances.

Thailand is implementing its “Thailand 4.0 industrial strategy”, with a particular emphasis on moving towards a digital economy, from rolling out high-speed Internet access for all villages to setting up a big data analytics centre.

Fox will showcase how the UK’s world-class digital sector can the support this strategy. This follows a recent visit by Thai digital companies to the UK.

Fox will also be promoting the capability of UK companies in areas such as financial services, and transportation, said the statement.