He said some of the officials were also linked to the violent insurrection in the southern border provinces.

Piyawat said only 40 per cent of the Bt1.26 billion allocated to Pattani for education had been used for that purpose, while the rest was embezzled.

He said the irregularities had hampered the education of 101,000 of the province’s 165,072 students and affected 4,000 teachers.

Piyawat said a January 27 search at Bakong Pittaya School in Nong Chik district turned up documents allegedly about fomenting social discord, as well as cooking gas and fire-extinguisher cylinders that were suspiciously hidden from view.

Such cylinders can be used in making bombs.

Pattani Special Task Force commander Jatuporn Kalamphasut said officials at the school had misappropriated state funds.

As evidence, he said at least three students registered as attending classes there were not. Receipts for textbook procurement were falsified, with school staff “admitting” they’d only bought 20 per cent of the books listed.

Teachers were being paid Bt7,000-Bt8,000 a month, far less than the Education Ministry standard of Bt15,000. Administrators claimed the teachers consented to the lower pay so that other teachers who were not formally instated could be hired.

The instated teachers were paid a risk contingency allowance of Bt1,000-Bt1,500 per month each, again lower than the ministry rate of Bt2,500, again so the difference could go to non-instated teachers.

Receipts for expenditures of state funds were falsified with exaggerated amounts in a conspiracy with business operators who were paid to issue the receipts.

Jatuporn said Bakong Pittaya School officials also supported perpetrators of the insurrection. Since 2011, a monthly payment was made to suspected militant Sakariya Hadsmad, who was arrested last November in connection with three 2016 attacks, including a drive-by shooting in Nong Chik that left eight civilians wounded.

The school also pays an education official who was related to suspected insurgents Maolana Samoh and Abdulstopa Sulong, Jatuporn said.

Saying the graft could stretch back decades, he said about half of the 200 religious schools in five southern provinces appeared to be involved.

A March 29 search at Prasan Wittaya Mulnithi School uncovered Bt1.2 million in cash along with documents that are being scrutinised for evidence of subsidy irregularities.

That school’s director, Muhammad Hayeeteh, has insisted that his institution of 3,500 students and 216 teachers had nothing to do with the insurgency.

Philip Morris (Thailand) Limited [PMTL] revealed the findings of its study on Monday, which compared Q4 of last year with the same period in 2016.

The study, conducted by research house Nielsen, showed that non-domestic cigarettes, or cigarettes without a Thai tax stamp, rose to 6.6 per cent in Q4 last year, an increase from 2.9 per cent in Q4 of 2016.

The study found the problem is most widespread in the south, with the provincial incidence as high as 76.6 per cent in Satun, 67 per cent in Songkhla, and 40 per cent in Patthalung, said Pongsathorn Ansusinha, PMTL’s director of corporate affairs.

From the 10,000 samples of discarded cigarette packs collected for the study, 669 packs (or 6.6 per cent) were found without Thailand’s tax stamp and were thus considered “non-domestic” cigarettes.

Two cigarette brands made up about half of these non-domestic samples, neither of which was registered with the Excise Department.

Pongsathorn said that after the excise tax reform in September 2017, the company anticipated legal cigarette consumption volume to undergo a significant reduction this year because some smokers can no longer afford to buy legal cigarettes. They would either quit smoking or turn to the roll-your-own tobacco or illicit cigarettes.

“By using the 6.6 per cent rate, we estimate the consumption of non-tax-paid cigarettes in Thailand could reach about 100 million packs. This could mean a loss of excise revenue of at least Bt3.6 billion per year, assuming excise tax of Bt36 per pack in 2018,” he said.

The amount could rise as the excise burden is set to rise again in October 2019, when all cigarettes would be subject to specific tax rate of Bt24 per pack plus 40 per cent ad valorem tax, he added.

Assuming the illicit cigarette use remained at 6.6 per cent, while the volume of legal cigarettes further contracts, the excise revenue loss could be as large as Bt5 billion per year in 2020, he said.

Pongsathorn urged the government to enforce laws, particularly the suppression and prevention of illicit cigarettes.

Members of the persecuted minority were found early on Sunday morning in an area between Koh Ha and Koh Lanta in Krabi province. They were brought for interrogation by maritime security officers, police internal security operation command personnel.

The group, consisting of 19 men, 18 women, eight boys and 11 girls, were later returned to their boat in Koh Lanta with food and supplies donated by local residents before they set sail again for Malaysia.

The boat reportedly departed the coast of central Rakhine state in Myanmar last week. Given poor weather conditions prevailing in the waters off the west coast of the Thailand-Malaysia border, there were substantial concerns for the safety of the refugees yesterday.

“If they are found to be in distress, we hope they will be rescued and allowed to disembark in accordance with international maritime law,” the UN refugee agency told The Nation.

The refugee agency is in contact with Malaysian maritime authorities and “stands ready to support authorities in providing any necessary assistance to refugees upon disembarkation”, agency staff said.

Pol Colonel ML Pattanachak Chakrabandhu, superintendent at Koh Lanta police station, told Nation TV that the boat left Rakhine state in Myanmar, where the Rohingya face heavy persecution by local authorities, with the goal to reach Malaysia. They docked in the southern Thai province due to the bad weather.

An initial investigation found only Rohingya in the boat and no signs of human trafficking, Pattanachak added.

Trafficking concerns

However, police commissioner Pol General Chakthip Chaijinda said a further investigation would be needed if evidence of human trafficking were found.

“If [Thailand] is only a transit area [for Rohingya] and any Thai person is found to be involved, whether they be police officers or whoever, they would need to be prosecuted,” Chakthip said. “If they [Rohingya] are found to be involved, they would need to be expelled only.”

Police officers in Bangladesh also said the boat had not departed from its shores, where close to 1 million refugees live in congested camps, according to an AFP report. “The boat didn’t leave from Bangladesh,” said Afrujul Haq Tutul, deputy police chief in Cox’s Bazar district, where most Rohingya camps are located. “But in light of the news, we are investigating the matter.”

Bangladesh’s refugee commissioner, Mohammad Abul Kalam, said local authorities had “no such information” about Rohingya departing from the country by boat. “We don’t have any such intelligence about anyone leaving Bangladeshi shores for Malaysia by boat,” he said.

A senior coast guard official said it was “impossible” that a captain would be able to evade patrols, which have been stepped up in recent months to combat drug trafficking and prevent people smuggling.

“They [boats] are not allowed to go out. It would be very hard to sneak out of our coastal patrol. I don’t think these people sailed away from here,” coastguard spokesman Abdullah Al Maruf told AFP.

Longstanding persecution in Rakhine state, dubbed by the UN as “genocide” against religious and ethnic minorities, has forced the Rohingya to flee to refugee camps in neigbouring Bangladesh.

Rohingya previously tried to resettle in Thailand as well, but the country has not ratified the 1951 Refugee Convention and does not recognise the status of refugees, leaving them vulnerable to threats, especially human trafficking.

The distribution of 6,000 N95 masks was aimed at raising public awareness of the problem and at educating people about how to protect their health.

“Air pollution now is at its worst in three decades,” the faculty’s dean, Professor Bannakij Lojanapiwat, said yesterday.

An N95 mask covers the nose and mouth of its wearers, protecting them from inhaling some hazardous substances, including small particles. It is designed to filter out at least 95 per cent of the dust and mould in the air.

Bannakij said as his faculty was a health leader in the country, particularly in the North, it had made it a mission to help people during the smog crisis.

“We are unable to control air quality in our town. But at the very least, we should learn to protect ourselves as best we can,” he said. “If you wear a normal mask, it can’t block out very small particles. You now should go for the N95 if you go outdoors”.

Bannakij added that when air quality dropped this badly, people definitely should not exercise outdoors.

According to http://www.airvisual.com, Chiang Mai yesterday ranked among the 10 worst big cities in terms of air-quality, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) standing at 148. When AQI ranges between 101 and 150, the air is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups.

Assoc-Professor Arintaya Phrom-mintikul, who teaches at the Chiang Mai University Faculty of Medicine, said the number of patients admitted to hospitals with lung and heart problems increased every time the amount of dust particles soared.

“Dust can trigger symptoms,” she said.

The university’s Faculty of Science is also distributing facial masks.

Chiang Mai is not the only province suffering from air pollution in Thailand. Airvisual.com showed Bangkok’s AQI was 161 yesterday.

When AQI ranges between 151 and 200, everyone may begin to experience health effects, with members of sensitive groups at risk of experiencing more serious effects.

OPPONENTS OF the ongoing construction of court buildings and official residences at the foot of Chiang Mai’s Doi Suthep mountain, near Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, will petition His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn for help.

“This construction has inflicted a wound in the hearts of Chiang Mai people and all Thais. It is sacrilege against the sacred Phra That Doi Suthep and Venerable Srivijaya,” Dr Johnnopadon Vasinsunthon, a member of the Network to Reclaim Doi Suthep Forest’s legal team, said yesterday. Phra That Doi Suthep and Venerable Srivijaya refer to a temple and Lanna saint considered sacred in the area.

The construction, including Appeals Court Region 5 buildings and court officials’ residences, is also seen as a threat to the local environment and ecology.

Members of the network have pledged to stage a major rally against the project next Sunday.

The planned rally will start at the Chiang Mai International Exhibition and Convention Centre in Chiang Mai’s Muang district at 8am. Participants will then drive to the construction site, which has widely been dubbed the “Village of the Clear-cut Forest”.

Johnnopadon said his network would gather signatures of supporters during the rally.

“Then, we will submit the petition to the King,” he said.

He added that his network would also lodge a complaint with the Administrative Court in early May.

“We will give 90 days for the Court of Appeals Region 5 to respond to our complaint. But if it does not pay heed, we will definitely take further action,” he said.

Johnnopadon also dismissed reports that his network and social media pages could face legal trouble for describing the problematic construction site as the “Village of the Clear-cut Forest”.

“We just call it that based on geographic conditions. There’s nothing wrong about that. This is not defamation,” he said.

The network has attracted many supporters and the legal team has enlisted more than 20 members.

Johnnopadon was speaking after the Court of Appeals Region 5 cancelled a tripartite meeting with project opponents and the military.

The military has been implicated in the controversy, as the plot where the construction is taking place previously was under its authority, but it transferred responsibility after the court twice asked for permission to develop the land.

Teerasak Rupsuwan, coordinator of the Network to Reclaim Doi Suthep Forest, said a military officer had told him the Court of Appeals Region 5 had decided to cancel a meeting on the issue on Sunday night.

“The cancellation reflects that senior figures in this country ignore the feelings of people,” he said, adding that Chiang Mai residents had opposed the construction since it started in 2015.

“We won’t back down from our demands,” Teerasak said.

Johnnopadon said his network wanted to see the court buildings and residences demolished.

“If you clear that plot, we will find a new location and funds to support new construction,” he said.

Last week, Army chief General Chalermchai Sittisart said the construction had already gone too far to stop. With a Bt1-billion state budget, it is 95-per-cent complete.

A source who asked to remain anonymous said Somchai Wongsawat, a brother-in-law of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, had been permanent secretary for the Justice Ministry when the Appeals Court Region 5 requested the use of the land.

The source added that the Army gave up the land in 2004 when General Chaiyasit Shinawatra, a cousin of Thaksin, was its chief. Thaksin’s younger sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, was prime minister when the Justice Ministry prepared the construction plan, the source said.

THE CHINA-LED international organisation for transboundary water management in Mekong River Basin, the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC), has pledged to work with its counterpart, the Mekong River Commission (MRC), which regulates the lower portion of Southeast Asia’s longest river, to fulfil Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the region.

Sustainable development has been set as the main direction for the MRC’s working plan, the third MRC Summit, which is being held in the Cambodian city of Siem Reap from yesterday until Thursday, heard.

The theme of the summit is “Enhancing Joint Efforts and Partnerships towards Achievement of the SDGs in the Mekong River Basin”.

Cambodian Minister for Water Resources and Meteorology Lim Kean Hor said during the opening ceremony of the international conference yesterday that the MRC would collaborate more closely with China and the LMC to achieve their common goals.

Lim Kean Hor said things had come a long way since the MRC was established in 1995 by the governments of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. He added it had gradually developed to become recognised as a technical knowledge hub for transboundary water management in the Mekong River Basin.

It had also become an important water diplomacy platform for its member countries and dialogue partners China and Myanmar, he said.

He added that more efforts were being made in joint actions with China and Myanmar to ensure the smooth and collaborative path toward sustainable development of the whole region.

“Our vision is that of an economically prosperous, socially just and environmentally sound Mekong River Basin. And, obviously, this can neither be achieved nor materialised by one individual organisation, government, institution or sector alone,” he said.

The Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Centre secretary-general, Zhong Yong, said cooperation under the LMC by the six member countries – China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam -– would achieve a similar goal to fulfil the SDGs for the region.

Zhong Yong said he considered the LMC and MRC as members of the same family that could forge a strong partnership to achieve their ambitious goals.

He highlighted that the LMC had already been working closely with the MRC and both organisations would have even closer collaboration and information-sharing in the future to deal with common challenges and mitigate the problems of transboundary water management in the Mekong River.

He said China had already shared more information about the water in the Mekong River to downstream countries amid efforts to relieve problems such as floods and droughts. It had also been found that water regulation by upstream dams could significantly reduce the problem of saltwater intrusion in the Mekong River Delta.

The MRC summit is convened once every four years and the current meeting in Siem Reap follows two previous summits, the first in 2010, hosted by Thailand in Hua Hin, and the second in 2014, hosted by Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City.

While the first summit catapulted MRC’s activities into an era of increased cooperation, the second brought stronger attention to the inter-dependencies between water-use sectors, such as agriculture and energy.

The person or persons, of higher rank than centre-director level, were identified during the PACC’s fact-finding inquiry, conducted with the Anti-Money Laundering Office and the Office of the Auditor-General in the past month, through a clear trail of embezzled-money transactions, he said.

“As the evidence now links to officials of higher rank than the centre-director level, the legal actions to prosecute them per the criminal code will be forwarded to the Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission [NACC],” Kornthip said. He added that the accused senior officials’ supervisors would also be asked to launch disciplinary investigations.

The PACC focuses on corruption cases involving low-ranking officials, while the NACC handles corruption cases involving politicians and high-ranking officials.

The PACC will today announce the results of its investigation into 37 provincial protection centres for the destitute, with each case involving alleged misappropriation of more than Bt1 million, Kornthip said.

He added that the PACC investigation into all provincial protection centres for the destitute, self-help settlement centres, hill-tribe development centres and co-op coordinating centres under the Social Development and Human Security Ministry would be concluded by May 31.

Kornthip made the comments when asked about Social Development and Human Security Minister General Anantaporn Kanjanarat’s recent order to set up a disciplinary inquiry committee against Social Development and Human Security permanent secretary Puttipat Lertchaowasit and his deputy, Narong Kongkham. The two officials were transferred amid allegations of irregularities in February to perform duties at the Prime Minister’s Office.

Meanwhile, the Education Ministry’s fact-finding committee’s investigation into alleged corruption at the Sema Pattana Chevit Fund for underprivileged children in the years 2003-2018 has also released some findings.

Panel head and education inspector-general Atthapol Truektrong said the committee found embezzled money had been wired to the bank accounts of a temple, a police major-general and a high school that was unrelated to the scheme.

The year 2003 was a key turning point when the fund shifted from disbursements via bank drafts to direct money wires to schools’ bank accounts, Atthapol said.

In that year, Rojana Sinthee – a C8-level education official who has been accused of, and reportedly confessed to, stealing more than Bt88 million from the fund – started to abuse her authority in overseeing the fund and channelled money into her own and accomplices’ bank accounts, Atthapol said.

The committee would investigate the links between Rojana and the recipients of the ill-gotten funds, he said.

As Rojana channelled funds through the Office of the Permanent Secretary for Education’s Finance Department, the panel would also investigate if any of its officials were involved.

Atthapol is scheduled to visit the South this afternoon to investigate more graft complaints linked to the fund, at five schools in Phatthalung, Surat Thani, Chumphon and Nakhon Si Thammarat. Another team will travel up North to investigate graft allegations in Lampang.

The Fourth Army Region’s police complaint called for the prosecution of those involved in the publication of the video clip on social media.

The clip, which has been circulating on social media, has been described as depicting the military officers’ alleged attempt to demand a bribe from Patong Paragon Hotel executive Visith Eiumvirojrit.

The clip shows three Army officers accusing Visith of violating the law and acting as an “influential figure” before engaging in a verbal argument.

Many social media users have speculated that the officers were pressuring the man in order to then demand a bribe from him.

Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) Region 4 staff have claimed the clip was doctored to deceive the public with the intent to tarnish the image of military officers and the Fourth Army Region.

Phuket police chief Maj-General Theerapol Thipcharoen said he had told a Patong police superintendent to conduct an investigation into whether there had been inappropriate acts committed by two police officers seen guarding Visith in the four-minute clip.

There are allegations that the officers were inappropriately providing services to a man whom the Fourth Army Region was investigating as a “dark influential figure”. The investigation is supposed to conclude within seven days.

National police chief Pol General Chakthip Chaijinda separately said the two police officers – whom Provincial Police Region 8 chief Pol Lt-General Sorasak Yenprem has already transferred to inactive posts pending the investigation – would face disciplinary action if found guilty.

Isoc Region 4 spokesman Colonel Pramote Phrom-in told a press conference that the three military officers seen on the clip were performing their duties under Article 44 and the National Council for Peace and Order orders regarding a crackdown on “influential figures”. Article 44, which is enshrined in the interim charter, gives Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha near-absolute powers.

Pramote said the military officers, led by Second Lieutenant Wattanachai Khlongpradit of the 25th Infantry Regiment, had contacted the hotel executive to tell him that a special taskforce of the Fourth Army Region, led by Lt-Colonel Surasak Peungyaem, would investigate a staff member’s complaint.

The employee allegedly had told authorities that Visith and others had threatened him and pressured him to quit his job.

“Officers just performed their duties and did not assault [the man], use force or demand any bribes nor benefits,” Pramote said.

Meanwhile, Visith asked for a postponement to provide an explanation of the incident, which had been scheduled for yesterday, without specifying a date.

Dr Johnnopadon Vasinsunthon said on Monday that his network was in the process of gathering the signatures of opponents.

“Then, we may submit a petition to the king. The construction runs against our tradition. It’s not appropriate,” he said.

Johnnopadon was speaking after the Court of Appeals Region 5 cancelled a tripartite meeting with the opponents and the military.

The military has been implicated in the controversy, as the plot where the construction is taking place was once a part of its territory.

It gave up the plot after the court asked for the permission to use the plot for the second time.

Songkran, which marks the traditional Thai New Year, is celebrated in mid-April every year, but the period has been dubbed the “Seven Dangerous Days” due to the large number of deaths and casualties on the roads. Nearly 400 people were killed and almost 4,000 injured during Songkran last year.

“Checkpoints will go up and officials will strictly enforce traffic laws. For example, no drink-driving is allowed, and drunk drivers’ vehicles will be seized,” Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwon said on Monday.

At the same time, he emphasised that officials must not engage in bribery.

Millions of people hit the roads in Thailand during the Songkran festival either for holidays or to visit their home provinces. Because of the sheer number of travellers, the number of road accidents is higher than during normal times.

Prawit said he planned to ban trucks and buses from using main roads during Songkran to ease traffic jams.

He was speaking after he presided over a meeting of the Integrated Security Solution Centre, which included representatives of the armed forces, the National Police Office, the Interior Ministry and the Transport Ministry.

Defence Ministry spokesman Lt-General Kongcheep Tantravanich said highway police would be in charge of main roads while the Interior Ministry would take care of secondary roads.

The Seven Dangerous Days associated with Songkran 2018 will be between April 11 and April 17.

“During the period, we will have provincial road safety centres up and running to reduce accident risks,” Kongcheep said.

He said speeding, drink-driving, driving without a licence, and motorcycle riding without a crash helmet would be strictly banned.

“We will also pay attention to the environment, such as road surfaces, lighting and traffic signs,” Kongcheep said.

He said complaints about road conditions and problematic conditions could be directed to the hotline, 1586. “Regarding highways risks, call 1193,” he said.

Kongcheep said authorities would also boost public safety at Songkran venues.

Nikorn Chamnong, who heads the People’s Safety Foundation, urged the government to use local mechanisms to stop motorcyclists and their passengers flouting traffic laws.

“Last year, the use of such mechanisms in Krabi reduced motorcycle accidents by 34 per cent,” Nikorn said.