Prayut invoked Article 44 of the interim charter as the chief of the National Council for Peace and Order to appoint Gen Rungroj Saengkram, deputy police commissioner general, as the new Amlo chief for six months.

Rungroj was appointed as acting Amlo chief after Prayut sacked his predecessor on August 14.

FOREIGN MINISTER Don Pramudwinai yesterday clarified his controversial statement over allowing international observers at the upcoming election, saying that Thailand was not a new country that did not know how to hold an election and needed foreigners to monitor the process.

The clarification yesterday came after his previous statement drew flak from critics and politicians.

Don also told the press yesterday that having foreigners monitor the election only showed that Thailand had internal problems.

“I don’t mean we should reject international observers,” he said. “But we are experienced enough and the process is already transparent.”

Don said having foreign diplomats monitor the events should be enough.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Busadee Santipitaks also put an emphasis on the issue, repeating that Thailand had the capacity to hold an election without international assistance.

“The foreign minister has always said that there’s no need to invite observers from abroad to monitor our internal affairs. The election, for instance, we Thais can take care of that on our own,” she said.

Only countries that are new to holding elections need international observers to monitor the process, she said, pointing out that Thailand has held 27 elections since the Siamese revolution in 1932 and has an independent agency – the Election Commission – responsible for election oversight.

This election, she said, was more important than usual and was a great opportunity to get every Thai to participate throughout the process.

“An election for and by the Thais is better than involving foreign observers who may not understand Thai politics,” the spokesperson |said.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, meanwhile, said it was up to the EC to decide if international observers should be allowed to monitor the poll scheduled for February, though the commission has remained mum on the matter.

In a related development, another controversy surrounding the upcoming election was resolved yesterday after the EC decided the ballot paper would include party symbols and party names.

This reversed an earlier EC concern over the difficulties in organising the printing of so many different ballots.

It had initially been suggested that the ballot paper only include candidate numbers so the 350 consistencies could use the same sheet.

However, the decision drew serious flak, with politicians and critics saying it would create confusion if the ballot failed to show the party symbol or name under which each candidate is running.

A poll last week found overwhelming public support for a ballot with party names and symbols.

WITH poverty still plaguing society despite Bt800 billion pouring into the grass-roots economy, the Cabinet yesterday agreed to set up an office to mobilise resources and agencies to combat the problem, said Prime Minister’s Office Minister Kobsak Pootrakul.

The office will be under the National Economics and Social Development Board (NESDB) and comprise two committees – for policy and for implementation, he said.

The prime minister would head the policy committee, Kobsak added.

“The establishment of the office and the committees will be an important turning point in the fight against social disparity and poverty,” he said. “The issue has long been discussed but never came to fruition. Now we have set a goal to tackle it over 20 years under the national strategy.”

The committee was authorised to lay out strategies, policies, guidelines, action plans and their implementation for those tasked with tackling inequality and poverty in the country, he said.

Inequality has dominated national debate recently after reports by international and domestic institutes indicated that a tiny rich elite controlled most of Thailand’s wealth.

Most unequal country: Credit Suisse report

According to the Credit Suisse Global Wealth Report 2018, published in October, Thailand is the world’s most unequal country, since the richest 1 per cent own 66.9 per cent of the country’s wealth. The government claimed the report was based on outdated and inaccurate figures. Kobsak claimed that the number of Thais in poverty had fallen from 34.1 million in 1991 to 6.2 million.

NESDB, the government planner, reported that the situation had improved as the number of people under the poverty line – with monthly incomes below Bt2,686 – was 5.3 million last year, down from 5.8 million in 2016. The reduction in poverty was due to economic growth and government welfare policies including cash handouts, the agency said.

The Finance Ministry said yesterday that the government social welfare programme has reached 14.5 million citizens, 8.3 million of whom earn less than Bt30,000 per annum.

Despite this, disparity of incomes and assets remain a big problem, Kobsak conceded. “Inequality remains high, therefore we need mechanisms to take care of the matter,” he said.

With such mechanisms, the government would be able to effectively utilise the Bt800 billion budget allocated for the poor, he said.

‘Super-rich will remain super-rich’ 

Somchai Jitsuchon, research director at the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), said that the Cabinet’s solutions had the potential to narrow the income gap between middle-income and lower-income groups, but were unlikely to narrow the gap between the super-rich and the rest of the population.

Somchai said efforts to address the issue would depend largely on political will and decisive action by the premier as chair of the policy committee.

It would also depend on effective coordination between ministers and senior officials of ministries. Outside experts should be also invited to consult on the key issues, he suggested.

He voiced doubt that minister Kobsak would take any action that would damage the interests of the super-rich, saying Kobsak had never discussed reforming the political structure which political scientists say is a major obstacle to wealth redistribution.

Somchai has proposed the government increase the welfare budgets from the current 7.8 per cent of gross domestic product to 10 per cent – a boost of Bt350 billion.

He also advised raising the value-added tax rate from the current 7 per cent. The military budget should be cut in order to increase more welfare budgets, he added.

Kobsak said the 11 government agencies which take care of social welfare will today sign an agreement at Government House to join hands in the effort to fight social inequality and poverty.

Under the theme “Happiness for all: A state welfare”, they will also host an exhibition to show how the people would benefit from the government’s measures.

The Cabinet was informed that the Civil Service Commission had approved the transfer of Sansern as a military official to become a civilian officer.

Ministers approved the transfer of Chote Trachu from the post of an adviser attached to the PM’s Office to the top position at the ministry.

Chote replaces Pongpanu Sawettaroon, who has resigned.

The potential difficulties relate to each of the 350 consistencies having different details. Party candidates in different ridings will not run under the same number.

This make the ballots unique for each of the 350 constituencies, requiring that they be printed separately.

The EC had earlier expressed concern over the difficulties in organising the printing of so many different ballots.. It had been suggested that the ballot include only candidate numbers so the 350 consistencies could use the same sheet.

But the move drew serious flak. Politicians and critics said it would create confusion if the ballot failed to show the party symbol or name under which each candidate is running.

The EC’s secretary-general held a press conference on the matter on Tuesday.

Suttirat Rattanachot, director general of the Comptroller General’s Department said on Tuesday that the department will distribute at least 3,042,741 state welfare cards to low-income earners starting from December 21. Recipients are the disabled, seniors and bed-bound patients.

They will receive a one-time Bt500 cash handout on January 1.

Cardholders will also receive other grants: a Bt500 monthly transport grant, Bt200 to Bt300 monthly for consumption spending (those with annual income under Bt30,000 will get Bt300), Bt230 for the monthly electricity bill, Bt100 monthly for tap water and a Bt45 discount for purchasing cooking gas every three months.

Those over age 60 who do not own their home will get Bt400 a month for rent expenses.

Those 65 years and up will receive a one-time grant of Bt1,000 to support their healthcare expenditures.

Critics have accused the government of using the Bt500 cash handout as a bribe to boost its political popularity in the run-up to the general election next year.

There are 14.5 million welfare card holders in Thailand.

CIVIL-SOCIETY groups and political parties yesterday called for foreign observers to monitor the general election scheduled for February to make sure it meets international standards for fairness and transparency.

The call in unison came in response to Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai’s recent statement that foreign election observers were not needed and their presence would only suggest that the election might be problematical.

Don said on Sunday that developed countries including Japan and Singapore did not have foreign observers monitoring their national elections.

Pongsak Chan-on, Thailand coordinator for the Asian Network of Free Elections, said yesterday that the presence of observers would enhance the credibility of the Thai election process.

It was especially necessary if the ruling junta wanted to show its sincerity in allowing a free vote, he said.

“This election is the first to take place after a coup, so we need to be transparent about whether it’s free and fair,” Pongsak said. “Foreign observers would also help build confidence among the international community and investors. If they are to trust in Thailand, they need to see how the election unfolds.”

He said his network had already asked Thailand’s Election Commission to let its representations serve as observers during the polling in February. A response was awaited.

Chaturon Chaisang, a leader of the Thai Raksa Chart Party, tweeted yesterday that foreign observers were needed because Thailand was one of the few countries run by a military junta.

Free and fair?

“Many countries don’t need the observation because they are fully democratic,” he wrote. “But we are ruled by a military-led government and there are signs that the election will not be free and fair.”

Democrat Party deputy spokesperson Siripa Intravichien similarly said yesterday that no democratic countries should fear foreign election observers.

She asked whether the junta had something to hide. If not, she said, it should welcome poll monitors from overseas.

Likewise, Chart Thai Pattana Party leader Kanchana Silpa-archa said yesterday that Thailand was a member of the international community and as such needed international recognition.

“The election should be accepted as much as possible and should have as few as possible problems,” she said. “I root for international organisations to observe the poll to make sure that we are well accepted.”

EC secretary-general Jarungvith Phumma remained reluctant yesterday to endorse the involvement of foreign observers despite concerns that the junta might be interfering in the election process.

Although he admitted that inviting foreign monitors would be positive for the country’s image overseas, Jarungvith said his agency had to consider policy directives before making a decision to do so.

He added, however, that if contacted by foreign observers, the commission would consider their requests.

EC secretary-general Jarungvith Phumma said yesterday that the commission expected 2,778 candidates to make the cut in the next round this Saturday and will take part in the election at the national level scheduled for December 27.

Only the top 200 will be shortlisted, out of which 50 will be chosen by the ruling National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) as required by the Constitution.

The EC also revealed yesterday that initially 7,056 candidates had applied to run at the district level. Of the candidates, 6,551 ran as independents, while 505 had been nominated by professional associations, he said.

Only 1,510 of the candidates are women, the EC said.

Five out of the country’s 77 provinces were short on candidates so all applicants made the cut automatically. Each province is required to have four candidates to compete at the national level.

These provinces are Krabi, Phang Nga, Ranong, Chumpon and Samut Sakhon, the EC said.

Yesterday, Jarunvith encouraged the candidates to be punctual and learn to manage their time well, especially when working at the national level.

Candidates are required to show up at Muang Thong Thani in Nonthaburi on the last Thursday of the month. Traffic in Nonthaburi is notorious on working days, and those who do not register for voting between 8am and 9am on the date will be disqualified, he said.

However, he added, the organic law governing the Senate election allows candidates to petition against the disqualification.

According to the Constitution, the Senate is comprised of 250 members, but for the first five years, all senators will be picked by the NCPO. These NCPO-chosen senators will have the power to vote for the prime minister alongside elected MPs.

Present at the event were Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, Phalang Pracharat leader Uttama Savanayana, Pheu Thai’s key man Bhokin Bhalakula and Bhum Jai Thai chief adviser Sora-at Klinprathum. The event, part of the Nation TV Fan Day 2018, was held at the Bitec convention centre on Bang Na-Trat Road.