Jon Ungphakorn, director of the Internet Law Reform Dialogue (iLaw), has been invited to return to Parliament to explain the importance of the elected members in the Constitution Drafting Assembly (CDA).
Wirat Rattanaset, government chief whip and head of the committee reviewing constitutional amendments, has reportedly invited Jon Ungphakorn and Udom Rathamarit, the committee’s former head.
Jon said before the meeting that iLaw had insisted the members of the CDA had to be elected, not appointed.
“When we proposed it, some MPs said that we did not open opportunities for people at the provincial level which is not true. On the contrary, the election would give people an opportunity to elect people who reflect their needs,” he said.
Meanwhile, Palang Pracharat Party MP Paiboon Nititawan and a senator, Somchai Sawangkarn, have requested Parliament to ask the Constitutional Court to interpret Parliament’s authority in the amendment and that motion has been postponed without a due date.
People witness the beauty of Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram, also known as Temple of the Emerald Buddha, in Bangkok’s Phra Nakhon district on Thursday night.
The temple will be open to the public until 9.30pm during the National Father’s Day exhibition, which runs from December 1-6, while December 5 is the birthday of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great.
Interested people can attend the exhibition at the temple by entering via Sawasdisopa Gate of the Royal Palace.
The baht opened at 30.19 to the US dollar on Friday, unchanged from Thursday’s close.The Thai currency is likely to move between 30.10 and 30.30, said Jitipol Puksamatanan, senior director of the chief investment office at SCB Securities.On Thursday night, the S&P 500 decreased by 0.1 per cent, while the Stoxx 600 was unchanged.The price of crude oil and gold rose by 0.5 and 0.8 per cent respectively, reflecting the weakening dollar.Opec+ tended to increase its production volume.In the US, the initial jobless claims announced this week were 712,000 positions. However, the US ISM Services Index dropped to 55.9 points, implying that the economic situation in the US was still unreliable for investors.The dollar index decreased by 0.5 per cent, while the yen and the pound were the most strengthened currencies.Also, the Ten-Year Treasury yield fell by two basis points to 0.92 per cent.In Thailand, the baht moved in a narrow range. Jitipol believed that a turning point is the global stock market, which could fluctuate in the rest of the month.
Saen Suk Municipality in Chonburi province aims to seek certification as a “smart city” from the Eastern Economic Corridor Office of Thailand though it is not currently listed in the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society’s plan for smart city development.
Saen Suk mayor Narongchai Khunpluem said: “The EEC needs strong city development plan to handle labourers and their families of approximately 6 million people who will be seeking jobs and residences in EEC areas in 2021.”
“Saen Suk Municipality is aiming to be a model smart city with the use of modern technology such as smart wristbands for senior citizens, which have proved to be successful in the pilot phase by saving the life of three elders.
“There are 7,916 senior citizens living in Saen Suk, or 16.9 per cent of total population, comprising 3,317 males and 4,599 females,” added Narongchai.
“Of these, 398 are dependent on caregivers or 5 per cent of the total elders.
“The municipality has developed Senior Development Centres at 25 local hospitals as well as established the telehealth platform to provide healthcare services to patients and senior citizens who could not visit the hospital,” he added.
“Apart from medical aspect, the city is planning to add smart security, smart pole and smart environment systems to enhance public safety and promote tourism in Saen Suk,” added Narongchai.
“We have also established an air quality inspection station in Ban Suan and Thung Sukhla subdistricts to monitor air pollution and PM2.5 situation in the city.”
Flash floods and water runoffs in Nakhon Si Thammarat province since earlier this week have left nine people dead.
Twenty-three districts, 145 subdistricts and 1,037 villages have been affected as of Thursday, provincial governor Kraisorn Wisitwong said.
“The province has dispatched officials to provide assistance to affected people such as giving food and drinking water, evacuating locals to safe areas, and estimating the damage to public and private properties,” he said.
“Military officials are installing a temporary steel bridge since Wednesday to replace the Wat Wang Sai bridge at Kamlon subdistrict, Lanska district, which has been damaged by the flood.”
With the 80-metre-long bridge connecting Kamlon to other subdistricts being damaged, more than 3,000 villagers have to use an alternate route which is more than 5km away.
Colonel Yutthanam Muang-Ngam, commander of the 15th Infantry Division, added that his division had been working with the local administration office in installing the temporary bridge, as well as providing transport for local people in case of emergency while the installation work is in progress.
The government’s subsidised shopping scheme, as part of stimulus measures to lift the economy, has facilitated spending amounting to Bt33.75 billion as of December 2.
The “Kon La Khreung” (Let’s Go Halves) scheme runs from October 23 to December 3.
Under the campaign, 10 million citizens will receive discounts of up to Bt150 per day on purchases at participating stores, capped at Bt3,000 per person throughout the period.
Ministry of Finance deputy spokesman Pornchai Theeravet said that “Nearly 900,000 merchants have registered to join the campaign, while 9.52 million people have exercised their right and spent Bt17.23 billion, whereas the government has subsidised Bt16.52 billion, creating total spending in the economy of Bt33.75 billion,
“Provinces that have seen the most spending are Bangkok, Songkhla, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Chonburi and Chiang Mai.”
On Thursday, the Centre for Economic Situation Administration approved a Bt22.5-billion budget to extend the campaign to the second phase, which will run through March 31, 2021.
“The second phase would open for 5 million more citizens, while those who have registered in the first phase would automatically get an extra Bt500 discount cap per person to spend in the second phase,” he said.
“The previous Bt3,000 cap would also get extended to March 31 automatically, so there’s no need to hurry with the spending before the year’s end to avail of the full discount,” he said.
“The Ministry of Finance estimates that the Kon La Khreung campaign, together with the addition of Bt500 to spending allowances of state welfare card holders, would help stimulate the economy and result in at least a 0.2 per cent increase in GDP,” added Pornchai.
The Thailand Meteorological Department said on Friday that a strong high-pressure system from China covers upper Thailand while westerly winds prevail over the North, resulting in cool to cold weather with strong winds.
Temperature is expected to drop 2-4 degrees Celsius. Mountaintops are likely to be cold to very cold with frost in some areas.
The weak northeast monsoon prevailing over the Gulf and the South reduces rain in the areas.
Waves in the Gulf are likely to rise about two metres high and 2-3 metres high during thundershowers. All ships should proceed with caution and keep off thundershower, while small boats should keep ashore, the department said.
The weather forecast for the next 24 hours:
North: Cool to cold weather; minimum temperature 13-19 degrees Celsius, maximum 28-31°C; temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 4-13°C with frost in some areas.
Northeast: Cool to cold weather with strong winds; minimum temperature 14-19°C, maximum 28-29°C; temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 7-14°C.
Central: Cool weather with strong winds; minimum temperature 19-21°C, maximum 29-31°C.
East: Cool weather with strong winds; minimum temperature 18-23°C, maximum 30-32°C; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres off shore.
South (east coast): Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 40 per cent of the areas; minimum temperature 23-25°C, maximum 25-32°C; waves two metres high and 2-3 metres during thundershowers.
South (west coast): Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 30 per cent of the areas; minimum temperature 22-24°C, maximum 26-28°C; waves two metres high and over two metres during thundershowers.
Bangkok and surrounding areas: Cool weather with strong winds; minimum temperature 21-23°C, maximum 30-32°C.
A survey of farmers in Thailand’s eastern fruit-growing areas shows that many plan on switching to durian next year, as prices for the crop surge thanks to domestic and overseas demand.In 2021, Chanthaburi, Rayong and Trat will produce an estimated 1.6 million tonnes of four major fruit crops ¬– durian, mangosteen, rambutan and langsat – according to the Regional Office of Agricultural Economics 6 survey. The 2021 harvest is expected to be 7.11 per cent larger than this year.The biggest increase in volume will be durian (11.42 per cent), followed by mangosteen (4.05 per cent) and langsat (0.52 per cent). The rambutan harvest is forecast to fall by 0.34 per cent next year.The office explained that the price of durian has been relatively high for the past six or seven years, making the fruit popular among local growers. Thai durian has been a big hit with Chinese consumers in recent years, driving up its value.Meanwhile, the price of rambutan has dropped and the cost of harvesting the fruit is relatively high. Some growers have decided to uproot their rambutan trees and switch to other crops.The four fruits are mainly harvested in May and June.
Bangkok’s 1.8-kilometre Gold Line monorail on the Thonburi side of the river will open on December 16, according to contractors AMR Asia.
The Gold Line links up with the Skytrain Green Line after BTS Saphan Taksin station and is designed to make travel between central Bangkok and Thonburi quicker and more convenient.
Trains are now being tested on the three-station route, which runs from Krung Thon Buri Skytrain station to Khlong San District Office station.
The third station, Charoen Nakhon, will feed the vast Iconsiam shopping mall on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River.
BTS Saphan Taksin has also been upgraded with two platforms and a double track to accommodate passengers linking up with the Gold Line at BTS Krung Thon Buri station.
The second phase of the Bt3-billion project will extend the track 0.88km to Prajadhipok Station.
Driverless trains will operate on the route, which will link up with three other electric train systems – the Silom Line (Green Line) at BTS Krung Thon Buri, the MRT Purple Line at Prachathip Station and the MRT Red Line at Khlong San Station.
The Gold Line will use three Bombardier Innovia APM 300 trains of two carriages each, with capacity of up to 12,000 passengers per hour in each direction. The fare has been set at Bt15.
The Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTSC) insists that the Bt65 maximum fare on the BTS Green Line is reasonable, while the Transport Ministry is ready to explain the fare calculation at a meeting with the prime minister and Interior Ministry.
Surapong Laoha-Unya, BTSC chief operating officer, said it had discussed this fare with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) when the concession for the BTS Green Line was being mulled.
He said the maximum fare includes the cost of civil work, electric train management and revenue that BTSC has to share with BMA annually.
“The maximum fare for the Green Line cannot match that of other lines because of the difference in costs,” he said.
Transport Minister Saksiam Chidchob said the ministry was waiting for an answer from the BMA and Interior Ministry on the fare’s implementation and if there may be any legal disputes.
“I believe we still have a lot of time to consider this issue thoroughly because the concession will expire in 2029,” he said, adding that this issue will not affect commuters.
Saksiam went on to say that his ministry has already prepared information regarding fare calculation, and that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will discuss this issue with the Interior and Transport ministries soon.
“The ministry has gathered information from the Department of Rail Transport and Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand [MRTA], who was granted the concession for the MRT Blue Line, and found that the fare calculation was based on Consumer Price Index [CPI],” he added.
The Transport Ministry said it has checked BTSC and BMA’s fare calculations and found that they were based on the Commerce Ministry’s CPI, which includes the food and beverage category.
“If the BTSC and BMA did not include the food and beverage category in their calculation, the maximum fare for the Green Line would drop by 20 per cent,” the ministry said, adding that the MRTA did not include this category in its calculation.
A source from BTS operator said the private sector can cut the fare to ease commuters’ burden provided they receive support from the government.
“Once the BTS Green Line is extended, BTSC will have to bear about Bt100 billion in civil work costs and share about Bt300 billion in revenue with the BMA, so this line costs a lot more than other lines, where the operators only had to bear concession fees,” the source said.
Jon Ungphakorn 
Narongchai Khunpluem 
